Hong Kong: DoJ forms bay area task force

The Department of Justice today announced the establishment of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Task Force to deepen co-operation for the benefit of the people in the bay area and to facilitate its development.

Led by Deputy Secretary for Justice Cheung Kwok-kwan, the task force comprises representatives from the department, business, legal and academics sectors as well as Hong Kong residents in the Mainland.

The task force, which is scheduled to hold its first meeting in January, will advise on the promotion and use of the unique strengths of "one country, two systems and three jurisdictions" of the bay area.

Its work will also focus on strengthening mutual legal assistance between the bay area and Hong Kong and facilitating the convergence of legal practices so as to enhance interactions among the people and businesses.

Mr Cheung said: "The development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, being one of the key national strategies, provides Hong Kong with unlimited opportunities. To establish the task force is one of the initiatives in the 2022 Policy Address to dovetail with the national strategies to create strong impetus for growth."

Noting that normal travel between Hong Kong and the Mainland will resume, Mr Cheung said he hopes the work of the task force can help the legal sector to seize on the opportunities the country offers to the city.

He also hopes its work can fully leverage Hong Kong's unique competitive edges under "one country, two systems" in favour of a more proactive integration into the national development and in support of the bay area's high-quality development.

This story has been published on: 2023-01-07. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
CPC takes steps to improve Party conduct, enforce discipline

Xinhua) 09:02, January 07, 2023

BEIJING, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has pointed out that "good conduct is critical to the survival of a governing party." It called for efforts to steadfastly implement the central Party leadership's eight-point decision on improving conduct and see that leading officials, or the "key few," set an example for those below them.

It also pledged to continue to tackle pointless formalities, bureaucratism, hedonism, and extravagance.

To ensure these requirements are observed, China's top disciplinary and supervisory agency, as well as relevant authorities at all levels, are working ceaselessly with various measures to improve Party conduct and enforce Party discipline.

MORAL DEFENSE

On Dec. 27 last year, the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) and the National Supervisory Commission (NSC) released their monthly report on enforcing the Party's eight-point decision and combating undesirable work practices.

In the previous month, 13,615 officials were punished in various forms for violating the eight-point decision. Among them, 9,179 received Party disciplinary or administrative penalties.

This report is the 111th of its kind, following the CPC's eight-point rules on frugality to combat undesirable work practices in late 2012.

Ahead of the 2023 New Year and Spring Festival holidays, the top disciplinary and supervisory agency published ten typical cases of relevant violations to warn officials to stay alert.

Relevant authorities also conduct inspections, investigations, and special campaigns against such offenses.

The agency pledges to take strict steps to improve Party conduct and enforce Party discipline, address the problems of hedonism and extravagance whenever they appear, attach greater attention to dealing with pointless formalities and bureaucratism, and make such efforts a long-term practice.

LET THE PUBLIC FEEL

The CCDI and the NSC stressed implementing the Party Central Committee's major decisions and policies, solving pressing problems of concern to the people, and addressing misconduct and corruption at people's doorsteps.

In 2022, the disciplinary and supervisory authority in the city of Zhumadian, Henan Province, carried out a special campaign supervising the use of funds for elderly subsidies, ensuring the proper payment of such subsidies to the city's 210,000 senior citizens over 80 years old.

In the villages of the county of Juxian, Shandong Province, villagers can conveniently check the revenue and spending of their villages via their mobile phones thanks to an innovative measure by the county's anti-graft agency to enhance transparency and supervision.

An official from the CCDI and NSC said the agency plans to focus more on employment and business start-ups, education, medical service, pension, environment, workplace safety, and food and drug safety to tackle problems that harm the interests of the people. It will also target the officials who act as the "protective umbrellas" for organized violations.

GIVE DISCIPLINE TEETH

To ensure the proper implementation of the Party's discipline and rules, relevant authorities are giving such rules teeth to make them practically enforceable.

It also requires identifying violations in the first place and warning the officials before it gets too late.

According to the CCDI and NSC, over the first three quarters of last year, disciplinary and supervisory agencies nationwide have investigated and punished over 1.28 million officials for their violations in different forms. About 67.7 percent were criticized, and 25.2 percent received light punishment as their violations were identified and corrected early.

According to the CPC's 20th National Congress, the Party will make comprehensive efforts to tighten Party discipline. "We will urge leading officials, especially high-ranking ones, to be strict with themselves, earnestly fulfill their responsibilities, and conduct rigorous management within their jurisdictions. Regarding violations of Party discipline, every identified infraction must be strictly investigated and handled."

The CCDI and NSC will also make efforts to develop a political atmosphere of integrity within the Party, said the agency.

(Web editor: Xian Jiangnan, Wu Chaolan)
BEIJING, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- Economic and trade cooperation between China and the Philippines has yielded fruitful results in recent years, the Ministry of Commerce said on Friday.

By the end of 2021, China had been the Philippines' largest trading partner for six consecutive years, and emerged as the Philippines' second-largest export destination, said Shu Jueting, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce.

During the first 11 months of 2022, the bilateral trade volume hit 80.41 billion U.S. dollars, up 8.3 percent year on year, Shu said.

The ministry is willing to work with relevant government departments in the Philippines to expand imports of high-quality products from the Philippines and encourage more Chinese enterprises to invest and do businesses in the Philippines, she said.

It will expand new areas of cooperation on the green economy and the digital economy, bringing bilateral trade and investment to a new level, she said. 
Cover Images/BauerGriffin Celebrity

While the makeup mogul and her baby daddy celebrated Thanksgiving together, they recently spent the New Year holiday separately with the reality TV star taking her kids to Aspen and the rapper being surrounded by groupies in Miami.

Jan 7, 2023

AceShowbiz - Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott (II) have seemingly pulled the plug on their relationship after dating on-and-off for five years. The pair, who have been together since 2017 and share two children together, are reportedly no longer an item and the clues are apparently out there.

Kylie and Travis were last seen together in November 2022, when they enjoyed a date night in Malibu. While they were celebrating Thanksgiving together, they recently spent the New Year holiday separately.

As seen on Kylie's Instagram page, she was taking her kids to Aspen, where she also had some fun with her gal pals. As for Travis, he was seen ringing in the new year in Miami, where he was surrounded by thousands of cheering fans and dozens of groupies.

Further backing up the speculation, Media Take Out claims that the "Antidote" hitmaker has been calling himself single. A source allegedly close to the 31-year-old told the site, "It's different, because he's never called himself single before."

The site further pointed out that this report corroborates Deuxmoi's recent blind item, which mentioned the pair as a "makeup mogul" and an "a/b list rapper" instead of by their names. According to the popular gossip blog, "This a/b list rapper and his on-off makeup mogul gf and mother of his two children are def OFF and not together anymore."

"They last celebrated Thanksgiving together as a fam but since then it's just been her and the two little ones spending Christmas and NYE together while the a/ b list rapper goes off doing his own thing," so it's claimed. "It's been there routine since she first gave birth to their first child but the rumors of him cheating def set her off the edge and they haven't been the same since."

Back in October of last year, Travis was hit with cheating rumors after a woman named Rojean Kar claimed that he pursued her on Valentine's Day 2022 and asked her to "come back" to him. The "Sicko Mode" spitter, however, denied the accusations, posting on his Instagram Story at the time, "I'm saying this for the last time, I don't know this person, I've never been with this person. So please stop with the continuous cyber games and the fictional storytelling."

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According to Morrissey who was supposed to collaborate with Miley, the former Disney darling called off their duet because of her beef with a major figure in 'the circle.'

Jan 7, 2023

AceShowbiz - Morrissey has denied claims that Miley Cyrus pulled out of a collaboration because of his political views. After recently revealing that Miley would no longer appear on his track "I Am Veronica", the controversial 63-year-old musician insisted that her reasons for pulling out were unrelated to him.

"In truth, Miley has backed off for reasons unconnected to me, having had a major clash with a key figure in 'the circle'. I cannot give any details about the private fight because  it is private, after all," he wrote on his official Morrissey Central website.

"Miley knew everything about me when she arrived to sing 'I Am Veronica' almost two years ago; she walked into the studio already singing the song. She volunteered. I did not ask her to get involved. Her professionalism was astounding, her vocals a joy to behold. Every minute that I spent with Miley was loving and funny."

"She asked if she could be in the 'Veronica' video. I was very honored. She told me that Morrissey songs are on 24-hour rotation in her house, and she had frequently been photographed in Morrissey t-shirts. Miley came into my world; I did not venture towards hers. I was eternally thankful, and even now, I remain so."

This comes after Morrissey previously revealed his new album is "no longer scheduled" to drop in February 2023. The Smiths musician had been set to release his 14th solo album "Bonfire of Teenagers" early next year, but there has been a change of plans.

In a brief statement on his website, he said, " 'Bonfire of Teenagers' is no longer scheduled for a February release, as stated by this site. Its fate is exclusively in the hands of Capitol Records (Los Angeles)."

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In his new book 'Spare', Harry alleged that his brother Prince William grabbed him by the collar and knocked him to the floor following a fight over Harry's wife Meghan Markle.

Jan 7, 2023

AceShowbiz - CNN's Don Lemon is not a fan of Prince Harry's upcoming memoir "Spare". The "CNN This Morning" anchor gave his two cents on the Duke of Sussex's story about being physically attacked by his brother Prince William.

Calling it "gauche" to make the accusation public, Don said in the Thursday, January 5 episode of the show, "Everyone has a family. I have arguments in my family. Am I going to put that out there for the whole world to see? I just don't understand why on earth he would want to put that out there." He continued, "I know he's selling a book, but, to me, it's just not done."

"What could be achieved?" Don asked. "What exactly is he achieving by airing family dirty laundry? That's the question."

In his new book "Spare", Harry alleged that he and his brother Prince William got physical over Harry's wife Meghan Markle. Harry claimed that the Duke of Cambridge grabbed him by the collar, ripped his necklace and knocked him to the ground during a fight in London.

Things between the brothers allegedly got heated after William labeled the Duchess of Sussex "difficult, rude and abrasive." Harry also noted that William was already worked up when he came over to Nottingham Cottage, where Harry was living at the time, as he complained about the former "Suits" star.

"He grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and he knocked me to the floor," the excerpt said. "I landed on the dog's bowl, which cracked under my back, the pieces cutting into me. I lay there for a moment, dazed, then got to my feet and told him to get out."

As for Meghan, Harry claimed that the mom of two noticed bruises and scrapes he suffered. When he told her about the fight, the Duke said that Meghan wasn't surprised nor angry.

Don wasn't the only star slamming Harry for his bombshell memoir. "The Real Housewives of New York City" alum Bethenny Frankel wrote on Instagram on Friday, "Is it too late to change the name of Harry's book to Dirty Harry Laundry?"

Meghan McCain also commented on the book, tweeting on Thursday, "We've all just fallen down some wormhole where we will never be free of hearing every single detail of Prince Harrys life - and why he believes no one has ever had a worse life than his."

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Dot Media is a community of creatively-inclined individuals with a point to make. It rose from humble beginnings with a 6-person team in lockdown-struck Kanpur and is now home to 200+ exclusive creators, 300+ digital campaigns, 30+ celebrities and a team of 70+ dynamic individuals. Dot Media has two offices in Mumbai, another office in Kanpur and its own production studio is in the making right in the heart of Andheri.

In conversation with Adgully, Shubham Singhal, CEO, Dot Media, speaks about his journey with his venture, icons he looks up to, productive things he does in a day, and more.

Please tell us about your venture Dot Media.

Dot Media is a vacuum. We like to joke that whoever enters the Dot Media universe, has a very hard time exiting. The Dot is home to some kickass IPs  the most famous one being our artist management segments  TGB Troop and Dot Talents, followed by Dot PR, which was a natural extension and our newest addition, Dot Studios.

Where do you see yourself and Dot Media in five years time?

I see the Dot as the top artist management company with multiple tech-first products. And I hope to see myself building the next new thing with the same team standing beside me  we are in it for the long haul.

What particular skill sets do you think you bring to the table to excel in your venture?

I have maintained that the only thing I will ever bring to the table is ideas and solutions. I am yet to do a third job, to this day. Ideas mean nothing, execution is everything and I have some of the best executioners an agency has ever seen, so a lot of my day is spent sitting on problems until I find all the solutions.

Icons in this field you look up to and how they have influenced you and your work?

I admire the courage of Aman Gupta and Ashneer Grover. I think being unapologetic in your ways and still making it as big as they have is truly the best reinforcer of sticking to your guts.

What are the five most productive things that you do in your everyday routine?

Im not a productive man. Im a sloth. I make small efforts everyday in order to sustain myself though, regular stuff like working out four times a week, spending time educating myself more every day. I am truly against the idea of cutting off from social media and your social life as a good cleanse. Humans were meant to adapt, the world belongs to those who can conquer among chaos.

Do you think a career in this field is a viable one in the long term?

If its not, were screwed. But jokes apart, the concept of the right field and the right degree are very alien to me. I doubt I would be featured as a Young Gun if I chose my viable option and continued on as an engineer. The industry we are in, it is for anybody who doesnt have quit in them. You just need to keep on persisting until you win, take the plunge.

What does it take to succeed in a career?

In any career, I think the most important thing you need of your own is grit, determination and a willingness to learn. Everything else can be an acquired skill.

What would be your advice to youngsters planning to enter this industry?
We are often, in life, presented with two options to choose from- Yes or No. For those who believe in creating their own path, it never is about that. They strive to break through the stereotypes and choose to go bold in their game. Summing this up rightly is the countrys biggest icon, Virat Kohli, knowing for playing bold in every aspect of life in his latest collaboration with Indias leading artists Divine & Jonita Gandhi  Naya Sher! This new anthem showcases how bold choices make a difference as Divine and Jonita drop hard-hitting bars as Virat Kohli dances along.

This riveting song stands as symbol of hope, of faith to all the aspiring talents who are stuck behind the bars of societal pressure. The sensational duo Divine and Jonita with Virat Kohli deliver an eye-opening message to everyone and encourage them to follow their dreams. This catchy rap anthem represents the brand- Royal Challenges ethos and proposition- bold is a choice, perfectly. The video encapsulates a short journey of other Naya Shers like Gautam Kamath who broke the shackles of code and rewrote his code of life and dedicated it to skateboarding. Prarthana Jagan who rewrote the rules of beauty on social media. Tanvi Ravishankar broke the laws of modeling and carved her own path in the world of style and fashion.

Calling out to the Naya Shers across the country, the song sends a message to do what you love and follow your passion, breaking away from the pressures of societal expectations. The all-new identity is sure to resonate with the generation that has borne the weight of expectations through their life, until now. This anthem, Naya Sher has been created by Royal Challenge Packaged Drinking Water in collaboration with Universal Music Group for Brands.

Speaking about the anthem, Ruchira Jaitly, EVP Marketing & Portfolio Head, Diageo India said, "In our country, we are often asked to follow the path taken by many others and play it safe. This new generation, however, is wired differently. They are no longer afraid of taking risks, choosing bold and carving their own path no matter how difficult. It is the victory that they achieve that drives them and this anthem- Naya Sher by Royal Challenge Packaged Drinking Water is dedicated to them. It is they who usher in the Naya Daur and at the cusp of a new year, we are extremely happy to have partnered with the OG shers- Virat, Divine and Jonita who did not fear failure to bring it to life."

Speaking on the occasion, Virat Kohli said, "Ive always been a player who never shies away from making bold choices on or off the field. I continue to carry the same attitude that helped me become who I am. The boy from West Delhi would not be who he is if I had not made bold choices back then. It was a surreal experience shooting this song. I was myself whilst we shot this. To all the Naya Shers, Naya Daur, yeh tumhara kissa hai"

Speaking about the anthem, Divine said, I am blessed that my journey has provided inspiration for those who want to follow their passion in life. For me Hip-Hop & music have always come first, and I am glad I followed my heart. Through this collaboration, Jonita and I have looked at bringing to life the conflict in everyones mind while they choose bold, aiming to inspire the next generation of path breakers along the way.

Walking down the set path was never what I wanted to do. I always dreamed big, no matter how unlikely the prospects. It took a lot of courage and support, but I decided to believe in my abilities and push forward. When one door closed, I found another one and kept challenging the norms. With a lot of persistence and this never say never attitude, I have been able to reach incredible heights and I am extremely proud to have chosen bold. As I say in the song (in Telugu), Gelupe Mana Sontham, which means The Victory is Ours!, said Jonita Gandhi about her journey and the song.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by #ChooseBold (@royalchallengechoosebold)

Speaking about the UMGB's Partnership for the anthem, Preeti Nayyar, Vice President - New Business & Brand Partnerships, India & South Asia, Universal Music Group said, " At Universal Music Group for Brands, we create the most memorable and coolest partnerships to help amplify brand storytelling, and we are proud to partner with Royal Challenge Packaged Drinking Water for the #ChooseBold campaign which is a brilliant initiative dedicated to all those who made the courageous decision to move ahead without fear."

The song is set to release and will be available on all leading music and social media platforms for the Naya Shers to groove and create their own versions of it.
Indias largest home-grown video streaming platform, released the trailer of its latest original film Chhatriwali. Directed by Tejas Prabha Vijay Deoskar, the direct-to-digital movie stars Rakul Preet Singh and Sumeet Vyas in pivotal roles and Satish Kaushik, Dolly Ahluwalia, Rajesh Tailang, Prachee Shah Pandya and Riva Arora in supporting roles. Produced by Ronnie Screwvalas RSVP Movies, the social comedy revolutionizes the sexual taboo cast by conservative stakeholders of the society and drives home a strong message on the importance of sex education and safe sex.

As seen in the trailer, Chhatriwali is headlined by Rakul Preet Singh who takes it upon herself to destigmatise the conversation around sex education and safe sex. The movie sheds light on the reality of Indian households and education system where people shy away from discussing these topics and consider them to be taboo subjects. However, with Chhatriwali, the makers attempt to normalise these conversations and encourage more safe spaces for peers, colleagues, families, partners and the education system to discuss sex, the history, geography and the biology of it and the importance of safe sex freely and openly. Without being too preachy, the film sets the tone and delivers the message with humour and sensitivity while ensuring that the narrative is entertaining and family friendly.

Rakul Preet Singh said, I am so glad that finally the day is here when my fans get to catch a glimpse of this special character and film that I have been working on. Chhatriwali was that dream project where it checked all the boxes and now with the trailer out, I hope that our hard work pays off as this film deserves special attention and credit. In today's patriarchal society, every household needs a Sanya who holds the courage to single-handedly fight against all odds, traditions, social norms, and barriers. I hope this character inspires others to find their voice and speak up against unsafe sex and the many health implications of not using protection. India's youth make up for majority of the population and educating them on safe sex and sex education is the need of the hour, so I am glad that Chhatriwali is catering to them and everyone else in a progressive and entertaining manner. I have respect and only respect for the incredible team behind this extraordinary project.

Sumeet Vyas said, Chhatriwali breaks the wall of awkward silence around sex between Indian parents and children, husbands and wives, teachers and students. Todays generation is curious about the word sex, intimacy because there is always a sense of hush-hush around such topics. Amidst the clutter of genres and stories, I am glad that the team thought of this empowering narrative and delivered it with great sensitivity. Also, I am happy to associate with ZEE5 once again.

Director Tejas Prabha Vijay Deoskar said, While researching for Chhatriwali, I happened to visit few rural parts in India and spoke to students and villagers over there. I saw a taboo around the word sex and the judgemental attitude of society as well as the pharmacists. But what was more interesting and alarming was that even the urban population had the same issue barring some pockets in metros. The dire need to normalise this conversation were the driving forces behind the making of this film. I am glad that I got the support from RSVP and ZEE5 to make and market Chhatriwali which is entertaining and educating in equal parts. And now that the trailer is out, we are excited to see audiences reaction to the film.

Chhatriwali is all set to premiere exclusively on ZEE5 from 20th January 2023
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang meets with visiting Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 6, 2023. (Xinhua/Yue Yuewei)

BEIJING, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Friday met with visiting Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov in Beijing.

Li said that cooperation in various fields between China and Turkmenistan has scored positive achievements on the basis of mutual respect and equal treatment, delivering benefits to the two countries and two peoples. China is willing to maintain high-level exchanges with Turkmenistan, better synergize development strategies, and deepen comprehensive and mutually beneficial cooperation to advance bilateral ties, he added.

Noting that energy cooperation is a major pillar of pragmatic cooperation between the two sides, Li said China is ready to facilitate relevant work, including the construction of the China-Central Asia Gas Pipeline, with Turkmenistan to better realize win-win results. He said it is hoped that the Turkmen side will ensure stable gas supplies to China in accordance with the deals inked on the basis of consensus between the two sides.

The premier said that China encourages more Chinese enterprises to invest and develop businesses in Turkmenistan, and hopes the Turkmen side will help create a sound business environment. It is also hoped that the two sides will strengthen communications and coordination in regional and international affairs to maintain regional peace, stability and development.

Berdimuhamedov said Turkmenistan is willing to further enhance cooperation with China in politics, economy and trade, energy, people-to-people exchanges and other fields, to further advance the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, and better realize win-win results in cooperation. 

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang meets with visiting Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 6, 2023. (Xinhua/Yue Yuewei)
Consumers can take a lot, but when you start raising prices on staples like eggs and milk, a definite din begins to rise from the streets.

I knew something was up during a pre-Christmas trip to Costco, where a frenzied mob of shoppers were exasperated after being told, "We're out of eggs. We won't have any more until a truck comes in!"

More recently, as I walked down the dairy aisle at my local grocery, a fellow shopper cried out, "I heard about the goose that laid the golden egg, but I thought it was a fairy tale!" Thus ensued an excited conversation between shoppers and the employee posting the new sign that read "$5.49" for a dozen large eggs. That's up from an average national price of $1.72 less than a year ago.

The reason eggs are so pricey appears, at face value, to be simple supply and demand: "Millions of birds died. Eggs now cost nearly 50% more."

It's true that millions of chickens are being "depopulated" due to a worsening bird flu pandemic, but what's even worse is that the story behind the egg shortage has taken some disturbing turns.

A recent article in Bay Nature magazine is titled "The Latest Bird Flu Pandemic Is Terribleand Strange."

It begins by telling us there are "check stations" across the country where freshly hunted waterfowl are being swabbed for the bird flu. With swab sticks similar to COVID-19 rapid tests, and costing at least $50 a pop, biologists are swabbing birds' beaks and butts to monitor the spread of the latest bird flu for the National Wildlife Disease Program, a division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

So far, nearly 58 million birds in 47 states have died since January 2022. Consisting mostly of chickens and turkeys on commercial farms, most deaths were due to culling to stop the flu's spread.

The author of the article tells us this particular strain of H5N1 bird flu is called "Gs/GD HPAI"  short for Goose/Guangdong (Gs/GD), a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). (And if you're wondering, Guangdong province is 609 miles from Wuhan as the crow flies. However, to be clear, this is an enzootic influenza, not a coronavirus.)

The author continues:

[It] is the deadliest and most infectious bird flu ever to strike Europe or North America. ... The first confirmed case of Gs/GD HPAI in the U.S. was in a wild American wigeon in South Carolina, detected through hunter-harvested sampling in mid-January 2022.

After detailed reporting about this specific bird flu, Bay Nature magazine tells us why it's "strange":

First, they compared it with a similar outbreak in North America in 2014/15, when the disease spread to wild birds and 100 cases were confirmed in the U.S. In the current pandemic, however, there have already been more than 3,000 wild birds infected. (Songbirds are mostly unaffected.)

Seeing waterfowl showing symptoms or dying from a flu virus they coevolved with was previously highly unusual. But that's no longer the case. ... "Now we seem to be seeing a lot of waterfowl mortality, which is just strange," says Maurice Pitesky, a UC Davis poultry epidemiologist. "That's not normal."

Secondly, referencing another article by the same author titled "Avian Flu Isn't Just for the Birds," we find that "10 species of land mammals have tested positive for the disease," including foxes, skunks, and raccoons  most likely after they ingest a bird.

Then we find that it's moved offshore, and bird droppings on land have infected marine life such as gray seals, harbor seals, and bottlenose dolphins. And while it is sickening and killing these mammals, it is not spreading from mammal to mammal.

But wait...

The article concludes by telling us that the more "spillover" infections occur throughout the animal species, the higher the likelihood that it will spread among mammals. And finally, it closes with a quote from an infectious disease and influenza expert at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital:

The worst-case scenario is, it finds its way to us. ... Those hosts, that's a step closer to the virus changing from being a bird virus to being a human virus.

Meanwhile, back on the farm, Joe owns a large commercial egg business and agreed to speak to me as long as I don't mention his real name or the farm. He tells me why:

Because we've got everybody and his brother calling right now wanting to come to the farm to buy eggs because they think they're going to be cheaper here. But we aren't set up for that. Plus there's the biosecurity. It's an FDA rule that you aren't supposed to let people on the farm.

The biosecurity is an important part of bird flu prevention. Joe sums it up by saying it's all about "controlling who is coming in and out of the buildings, and changing shoes and clothing." But for all that's worth, he says, the bottom line is you cannot control migrating wildlife. "It only takes one sick goose landing in the field near the buildings to ruin everything."

He continues to say that many geese and even bald eagles in his area are suddenly dropping dead:

It's everywhere but people don't realize it. We get local reports from Cornell and the USDA. They send this information to people in the business, but there's certain things they don't want people to hear about. They can't do anything about it anyway. It only gets animal activists upset that geese and chickens are dying. And they already think farmers are cruel people. No we aren't! We're trying to produce food for people to consume.

And unlike Marek's Disease, which chickens are routinely vaccinated against, Joe says there is no vaccine for this bird flu. (PBS reported controversies with the "leaky" Marek's vaccine back in 2015.)

In March of last year, however, Science magazine, which has repeatedly venerated Dr. Anthony Fauci, reported an increasing openness to vaccinating flocks. In "Wrestling with bird flu, Europe considers once-taboo vaccines," they report that Dutch scientists have begun trials of chicken vaccines, while in France, researchers have begun immunizing ducks. They pause to consider:

Some researchers are concerned that vaccinating, if not done carefully, will allow H5N1 to persist and continue to mix with strains in wild birds, with the risk that it might evolve to spread among people.

The magazine then praises China for its success in creating a successful poultry vaccine that targeted a different strain (H7N9) that was able to spread to people:

Vaccination slashed the prevalence of the virus in poultry and the number of human infections dropped to zero. That accomplishment "could be replicated everywhere," says virologist Hualan Chen of the Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, who developed the vaccines.

"Not so fast," says Joe the egg farmer. "Once you introduce something like that, you'd better know what you're doing. Kind of like the COVID vaccine  they'd better know what they're doing."

Besides the bird flu, the cost of eggs is also being pumped up thanks to rising electric and gas prices, as well as high feed and fertilizer prices, which have only recently started to come down.

Despite all of the gloom, Joe concluded with words of encouragement. "We farmers are great at producing food. We'll figure it out. We'll get through it. And consumers will have inexpensive food again. We just don't know how far down the road that will be."

Susan D. Harris can be reached at www.susandharris.com.

Image via Good Free Photos.
The philosophy of relativism claims that all truth is relative, and that there is no such thing as absolute truth. (Of course, if relativism is true, then based on its own principle it can be dismissed as merely relative truth, and is therefore meaningless. If, however, its posited as an absolute truth that applies to all things, people, time and places then its an absolute truth, and gives the lie to the idea that truth is relative! Yes, parents, such is the education youre paying for your children to receive in the hallowed halls of academia.)

Adherents to the philosophy of pluralism (which posits that all humans are of equal value) have extrapolated that idea of tolerance into the absurd idea that, like people, all truths are equally valid. Given the very definition of truth, that is clearly impossible. For example, if Im Caucasian -- which is a fact clearly visible, since various attributes like my skin color, hair and eye color, DNA, etc., correspond to Caucasian ancestry -- but I claim to be Native American, its immediately clear that both those truths cannot be true. Yet the relativist/pluralist camp would direct you to disbelieve your lying eyes and accept my claim to being a member of a Native American tribe.

Before political correctness infected all modes of communication, wed have said that people who hold to such a view are simply crazy. However, in the more tolerant society that has developed today, we cannot simply state the obvious for fear of hurting someones tender psyche or bruising their feelings. In other words, we have to accept the lie.

Okay, whats my point? Why is it important to acknowledge that objective truth exists? Because in this life there are real-world consequences to being wrong. You may believe that gravity is not your truth, but step out of a seventh-floor window and youll quickly learn how wrong your belief was! (Thomas Hobbes wrote in Leviathan that hell is truth seen too late.). Well, duh-huh everybody knows that, right?

Not according to a recent poll (Summit.org October, 2022), which shows that a majority (55%) of young Americans aged 18 to 29 believe that each person determines their own version of truth (i.e., the relativist position). Almost half (46%) of those aged 30 to 40 agree, as do over a third (35%) in the 41 to 55 age group. Sadly, even 32% of those 56 to 65 believe that each person can pick the truth they like. So much for theres no such thing as an old fool.

One of the darlings of the political Left is Friedrich Nietzsche, who wrote, There are no facts, only interpretations, a pure expression of the relativist philosophy. His adherents claim that absolute, objective truth is narrow-minded and exclusionary and theyre right! Truth excludes lies and forces us to confront reality as it is, not as we wish it to be. Again, there are consequences for acting in opposition to reality, regardless of our noble intentions.

Honesty is behaving in a manner that acknowledges and respects the truth. For example, if your old car is on its last legs and you want to sell it in order to buy a new one, you could place an ad that reads, like-new, excellent condition 2013 sedan only driven to church on Sunday, etc. While that might generate a lot of interest, sensible people would recognize that its a piece of crap (i.e., that you have not been honest) and either walk away or offer less than youre asking. Because you did not act in accordance with the truth about that car.

That leads us to trust, which is foundation of all human interactions not based on force. For example, trust is the foundation of a capitalist economy, for all the interactions from the farmer or manufacturer to the laborer to the transporter to the retail merchant to the customer require each to trust that the other participant in the transaction will be honest (i.e., act in accordance with the truth). By trusting that orders will be filled, that goods will be delivered, that products will be bought, etc., the invisible hand of capitalism enables the market to determine the types and quantities of goods to be produced, transported and made available, and at what prices, so that everyone in the chain profits from their labor and investment and customers get the goods they need or want.

Without truth, however, there is no foundation for honesty, and therefore no foundation for trust. Capitalism cannot function without trust that each person in the exchange cycle will act according to the truth, that they will behave honestly. Perhaps thats the real motive behind such philosophies as relativism, to help destroy the designated evil of the political Left, capitalism. Its hard to fathom, really, that the Left would be so vehemently and aggressively opposed to a system that has lifted so many out of poverty and into prosperity (certainly far more than all government programs combined).

Danish theologian Soren Kierkegaard wrote, There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn't true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true. By increasingly accepting the denial of the very concept of truth, Americans are being duped out of their legacy of freedom and prosperity. It is being done by false ideas and pretty lies masquerading as philosophies. Like what I call ABC Christianity (Anything But Christ), Americans increasingly believe in anything but our Founding principles of individual liberty, free and open markets and limited government. Such is the nature of some humans, who would kill the golden goose not for the money, but for the satisfaction that others would have less, in order to soothe their own dark and bitter resentments.

One who experienced such lies up close and personal, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, acknowledged such people, and that they will always be with us. But we dont have to believe them, especially when we live in a nation that is evidence that their philosophies of death are false. He wrote, You can resolve to live your life with integrity. Let your credo be this: Let the lie come into the world, let it even triumph but not through me.

His fellow Russian, writer Leo Tolstoy, further cautioned, Wrong does not cease to be wrong because the majority share in it. We have seen in just two short years the inevitable result of believing in such spurious lies. Regardless of how many relativists bray to you that there is no truth, recognize that they are actually telling you not to believe them so dont.

Image: Maryland GovPics
Has Barack Obama gone from ex-president to Democrat party crime boss?

It sure looks like it, based on a new report about his treatment of Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

Investigative reporter Lee Smith has got a stunning report that ran this week in Tablet, comparable in impact to that report by Molly Ball at Time who wrote about how elites conspired to "fortify democracy" by rigging the election against President Trump in 2020 and afterwards thought it was a smart thing to crow about.

Smith's report begins with how the FBI "hacked" Twitter, not just engaging in a "master-canine" relationship as Twitter files reporter Matt Taibbi put it in one of his reports, but actually infiltrating the company and controlling it from within, rendering it a corporate Zombie.

According to Smith:

The Twitter files disclosures about the coordination between the company and spy agencies to fix presidential elections sheds light on the nature of Twitter v. Holder, which was eventually decided in the governments favor shortly before Baker joined the company. ... But something else was going on behind the scenes: Social media platforms were already being assimilated into the intelligence services.

That Twitter section alone is well worth reading, very well-explained by Smith for its details on the collusion that was deeper than many suspected -- leading to a never-told-before story about how Obama muscled Facebook like a mafia don.

The Obama administration also realized that it could lean hard on monopoly social media platforms in order to gain political advantagesand it could make companies that werent compliant pay a price. Here's how it worked, emphasis mine: First strike got you a dressing down from the White House: Weeks after the 2016 vote, for instance, Obama pulled Mark Zuckerberg aside at a conference in Peru and read him out about not doing more to keep Russian disinformation off Facebook. The reality is that Russia spent around $135,000 on Facebook ads, a small percentage of what presidential campaigns typically spend on a single day before lunch. But Obama wasnt worried about Russiahe struck deals with Vladimir Putin to advance his own idiosyncratic foreign policy goals, like the nuclear agreement with Russias ally Iran. Obamas problem was Trump. As he was leaving office, Obama stamped the U.S. governments seal of approval on Russiagate, ordering his spy chiefs to draft an official assessment claiming Putin helped put Trump in the White House. Since then, in Deep State parlance, Russia equals Trump and stopping Russian disinformation means censoring Trump, his supporters, and anyone else opposed to the national security apparatuss takeover of the public communications infrastructure. Since Zuckerberg didnt keep Trump off Facebook in 2016, he had to put up $400 million to drive votes to Democrats in 2020and even that wasnt enough. In 2021, Democratic Party insiders working together with Zuckerbergs Big Tech competitor, eBay founder Pierre Omidyar, sent a fake whistleblower after him to testify before congress that Facebook was bad for teenage girls. Suddenly all the pieces fit together -- the Obama pieties about Russia he knew couldn't be true; the forced cash cough-up for Zuckerberg's Democrat operatives to take over election apparats even as elected officials protested -- which was actually declared bribery in Wisconsin; the phony whistleblower. Smith continued, telling us how it all came together (emphasis mine): In April, as Musk first said he wanted to buy Twitter and save free speech, Obama embarked on a disinformation tour, which took him to several college campuses to promote the un-American virtues of censorship. He first visited his hometown to speak at a University of Chicago conference, Disinformation and the Erosion of Democracy. Other guests included Anne Applebaum, an early advocate of the collusion conspiracy theory who pushed the spy-service fiction in dozens of her Washington Post columns. Also in attendance was former CISA head Chris Krebs, now famous for congressional testimony in which he claimed the 2020 election was the most secure ever. EIP principals from the Stanford Internet Observatory were featured speakers at the daylong seminar at the Palo Alto university where Obama made the second stop on his April disinformation tour. Regulation, Obama told the Stanford audience, has to be part of the answer to solve the disinformation crisis. In other words, he went to Silicon Valley to threaten his listeners that he would ruin their financial model by stripping away social medias liability exemptions. The purpose of Obamas speech was to present a choice to his audience: Either you impose a scorched-earth policy against the establishments opponents, or else you will face the kind of regulation that every company knows will be its death knell. Moreover, if they made the right choice, Obama showed, there was money in it for them. In effect, Obama announced that the funding channels are open for people who want to do disinformation work, said Mike Benz, executive director of the Foundation for Freedom Online. Its like what happened with climate change. If you were an academic who wanted federal funding for anything, you made sure you made reference to climate to get grants. Same now with disinformation. Obama was saying, heres where the puck is moving, so skate here if you want federal funding.

So like a crime boss, Obama made them an offer they couldn't refuse. And for good measure, he made an example out of Zuckerberg, effectively ensuring that Zuck woke up with a horse's head in his bed.

But oh, he added sweeteners to the obedient. And yes, he was powerful enough to control distribution of federal funding, even out of office with his little operatives still in place. Obama determined who'd get what, distributing the spoils to loyalists on the very fakey-fake matter of "disinformation" which is why we saw freaks like that Mary Poppins woman, Nina Jankowicz, show up as a "disinformation expert" for a federal job as Joe Biden's "disinformation czar" even though she had an account on TikTok of all places, a Red Chinese data-gathering operation that spies on its users and builds profiles on them. Jankowicz didn't know much about disinformation, at least not enough to avoid some very avoidable spying on her by China. It was the money, honey, where Obama said the money was.

And Smith noted that there was a lot of money shoveled out for this purpose by the Biden administration on various characters in attendence at universities who attended this Obama speech tour. In some cases, it was a surge of federal money.

So, fail to censor President Trump, get dressed down, get "fined" $400 million to rig the next elections, get a phony whistleblower coming after your company. Sign up for the phony disinformation gig, hit the swamp jackpot.

What an ugly picture this paints for how the federal government has been transformed by leftists. Once upon a time, one could trust that the government would try to do the right thing. Now, all we can see is that Obama still runs the government from his retirement, plays a key role in muscling corporations into wokedom, including the all-important business of electing Democrats and nothing is beyond bounds, nor being done about it.

Is this an ex-president or a crime boss? It's pretty obvious what the answer to that is.

Read the whole thing here.

Image: FreeSVG // public domain
A great deal of focus has been placed on vehicle stops by police to view murder suspect Bryan Kohberger's hands days before his arrest  but those tactics may have accomplished a great deal more for the investigation.

Beyond firsthand viewing and body-cam image captures of the condition of Kohberger's hands, those vehicle stops conceivably served to tie Kohberger to several other key elements.

The early weeks of investigation into the November 13 murders of four college students were first met with scrutiny. With no suspect named after more than a month, the case seemed all but stalled.

Then, on December 30, police in Pennsylvania arrested Kohberger with stark indicators pointing to his guilt, including his enrollment in a Ph.D. program 10 miles from the site of the killings and his ownership of a white Hyundai Elantra that became a focal point on the night the murders occurred.

It now becomes more apparent that the investigation developed Kohberger as a suspect through genetic genealogy  based on DNA recovered from the crime scene. And afterward, the FBI likely coordinated with uniformed police to orchestrate vehicle stops along Kohberger's highway route from school during winter break to his family home in Pennsylvania.

Kohberger was in fact pulled over twice in Indiana in the span of an hour  by a county police officer and then a state trooper along the last leg of his travel route, accompanied by Kohberger's father. Those cars stops might have seemed fortuitous, but they now hold the hallmarks of advanced coordination in a buildup of evidence.

Verifying Cell Phone Location

As the case progressed, experts and media commentators long presumed that investigators had traced Kohberger's movements through cell phone location data. The vehicle stop, when compared with contemporaneous cell phone data, places Kohberger with the specific cell phone that the investigation may reveal was linked to the crime scene. This serves as powerful evidence that could all but put the phone "in the hands" of Kohberger.

Links to the White Hyundai

In addition, these car stops stand to irrefutably link Kohberger  and his cell phone location data  to the white Hyundai Elantra that investigators in Idaho sought information on after the vehicle was captured on commercial surveillance cameras in proximity of the murder scene the night the murders occurred. With these elements tied together, the cell phone date and the vehicle become indelible links to Kohberger and accordingly buttress evidence that he committed the murders.

Tie-in to Kohberger's Father

It has been widely reported that Kohberger's father flew in to Washington State to join Kohberger on a road trip back to Pennsylvania for winter recess. Media outlets also reported that after his arrest, Kohberger asked if he was the only one arrested  which sent pundits off on tangents about possible accomplices. But the remark may have been about whether police charged Kohberger's father as well.

Media reports claim that the father-son road trip back from Washington had been pre-planned, perhaps well before the murders. But Kohberger could harbor concerns that circumstances could implicate his father as an accessory after the fact.

Police body-cam footage serves to place Kohberger together with his father  in the white Hyundai Elantra police have been looking for, with the presumptive matching cell phone data. Now, with footage from the car stops, Kohberger may fear that police hold leverage in deciding whether to charge his father in aiding to bring the suspect vehicle far from the area of the murder scene.

Jason James Barry is an award-winning essayist and investigative journalist. He previously served as a police officer and as a DEA special agent. He is editor-in-chief of Prattlon Digital Media, and his essays appear in American Thinker, Great Pacific Review, Buzzard Digital, and elsewhere. For more information about Jason, visit his webpage at WriterJasonJames.com.

Image via Pixnio.
Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) finally got what he wanted.

Very early this morning, after four days and 15 rounds of voting, McCarthy received the votes needed to hold the coveted gavel.

McCarthy received 215 votes, while House Democrat leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) received 212 votes. Six Republican members voted "present."

This concluded a week of intense drama. However, for McCarthy, all's well that ends well.

As he reached the magic number, McCarthy received a standing ovation and warm embraces from his colleagues.

McCarthy acknowledged his wife and family in the gallery above as Republicans chanted, "USA! USA!"

Kevin McCarthy, delivering first speech as House speaker: "As speaker of the House, my ultimate responsibility is not to my party, my conference, or even our Congress. My responsibility, our responsibility, is to our country." https://t.co/RdYLvfum24 pic.twitter.com/F3tjVA24Sv  MSNBC (@MSNBC) January 7, 2023

It has been quite a journey for Speaker McCarthy. He began as a staffer for Congressman Bill Thomas from 1987 to 2002. McCarthy was elected to the California state Assembly in 2002. He became the Republican floor leader in 2003. Then, in 2006, he was elected to the United States House of Representatives. Since then, McCarthy has steadily risen through the ranks of the House Republican leadership team. First, he was chief deputy whip, then he rose to whip, and following that he became minority leader.

Today, McCarthy is the highest-ranking Republican in the nation and third in line for the presidency.

The victory was historically significant, albeit for all the wrong reasons. This is for the first time in 163 years that the speaker's race had lasted 15 rounds. The last race to take more than one ballot occurred in 1923, when the House re-elected then-speaker Frederick Gillett in nine rounds of voting. There were roughly 20 members who stood against McCarthy, most of whom were from the House Freedom Caucus. So what did these members want?

Rep.-Elect Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) revealed what they wanted.

For those wondering: pic.twitter.com/5rR45qFT8q  Anna Paulina Luna (@realannapaulina) January 6, 2023

But the ice was beginning to thaw. Perhaps McCarthy had conceded to some of the demands. In the fourteenth round, more than half of the holdouts changed their vote to McCarthy.

Only six members remain steadfast in their opposition of McCarthy. This includes Reps. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), Bob Good (R-Va.), and Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.), and Rep.-Elect Eli Crane (R-Ariz.). All of them voted "present" in the 15th round.

There were copious occurrences all through the various rounds. A baby was born. Rep.-Elect Wesley Hunt (R-Texas), flew to and from Texas on Friday after his wife had delivered a baby.

But it wasn't always good news.

The dissenters in the Freedom Caucus were attacked by colleagues. Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) reacted to the Freedom Caucus voting against McCarthy by using Democrat talking points. He called them dimwitted and inarticulate, before branding them as terrorists.

Rep. Dan Crenshaw on the 20 Republicans who oppose McCarthy:



"We cannot let the terrorists win." pic.twitter.com/toZlSdikpk  Greg Price (@greg_price11) January 4, 2023

Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, claimed that members of the Freedom Caucus, such as Gaetz, were using their power of the vote to negotiate plum panel assignments and that it wasn't for the cause.

I will always tell you the truth!



Watch my full segment on Bannons War Room: https://t.co/hEsjQ4M2Qi pic.twitter.com/qm7RMGU9pW  Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (@RepMTG) January 3, 2023

Even the amiable Sean Hannity appeared to lose patience with the Freedom Caucus.

The reactions weren't always strictly verbal.

After the 14th round, Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) appeared to stridently reprimand Gaetz. At one point, it appeared Rogers was lunging toward Gaetz and had to be physically restrained by others.

Wild scene as Rep. Mike Rogers has to be physically restrained by another member while going after Gaetz as McCarthy tries to secure final votes pic.twitter.com/c0u2lZxgYr  Cabot Phillips (@cabot_phillips) January 7, 2023

Photo stills of the incident resembled the Baroque works of Caravaggio.

Great photo of the moment Mike Rogers lunged at Matt Gaetz by @andyharnik, feat. Richard Hudson holding Rogers back pic.twitter.com/ewoMxoREfQ  Morgan Rimmer (@morgan_rimmer) January 7, 2023

One of the dissenters alleged that she was politically muscled.

Rep. Lauren Boebert claimed that McCarthy endorsed a threat to remove all committee assignments for Republicans voting against him for speaker.

Lauren Boebert said Kevin McCarthy, during their morning conference, endorsed this threat to any Republican voting against him for Speaker:



If you vote against Kevin McCarthy today on the floor you will not have committee assignments. pic.twitter.com/hFfME2HsG7  PatriotTakes  (@patriottakes) January 3, 2023

But there were rare displays of cordiality as well.

Democrat Squadron leader Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) conversed with GOP Reps. Gaetz of Florida and Paul Gosar of Arizona on separate occasions.

What happened here? Can anyone read lips? pic.twitter.com/r7PR3Srcyg  MeidasTouch (@MeidasTouch) January 3, 2023

AOC montage with Gosar and Gaetz. pic.twitter.com/laxwktKpwF  Ron Filipkowski  (@RonFilipkowski) January 3, 2023

Among those who burst the bubble of tension with humor was the inimitable President Trump:

JUST IN: Trump just shared this on Truth Social.



Maybe hes endorsing himself for Speaker?  pic.twitter.com/Hxdn4XfjiG  Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) January 5, 2023

Others joined the fun:

Rounds of votes for the #SpeakerofTheHouse



Left: Day One



Right: When a speaker finally gets elected pic.twitter.com/YhaTlVeyJ7  SiR RaJ (@Sir_R_U_L) January 6, 2023

This baby was born on the first round of votes. Hes now 4 months old  pic.twitter.com/RVJFkhg7Sq  Rep. Tony Cardenas (@RepCardenas) January 3, 2023

The eternally recurring #SpeakerVote in the US House of Representatives is not only highlighting the shambolic state of affairs within the #Republican party, but also proving manna from heaven for meme lovers. #F24 #KevinMcCarthy pic.twitter.com/Lk49cL4Rxu  Douglas Herbert (@dougf24) January 6, 2023

The only Kevin that can defend a house pic.twitter.com/slcV0ZNkxp  Congressman Chuy Garcia (@RepChuyGarcia) January 4, 2023

So what do we make of this drama?

The many critics of the GOP from both parties contrasted this chaos with the "order" among Democrats. All 212 Democrats backed election-denier Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York for the speakership.

The critics claimed that the GOP is fractured and obviously blamed President Trump for sowing discord in the D.C. echo chamber. Do they have a point?

The only group that has a total consensus is a flock of sheep. Human beings, even identical twins, have a diversity of opinions on any given issue. This is real diversity.

The diversity on the Democrat side, which they love to boast about, is superficial. It is based on race, sexuality, and ethnicity, which are related to genes, but when it comes to opinions on key issues, they have a total consensus.

There are strict rules in this echo chamber, and even the slightest hint of dissent is severely punished. Consequently, the rest of the sheep stay in line. Irrespective of what they really think, they follow the flock. They vote according to orders, and when they speak, it is from a pre-approved script. This is a disservice to their constituents.

Citizens in a district in Florida who vote for a Democrat representative and citizens from a district in Washington state who vote for a Democrat representative do so with different expectations. No two districts are alike; in fact, no two districts in the same state are alike.

But if you look at the voting records, Democrat representatives from Washington to Florida usually have an identical voting record, irrespective of bills.

Why is dissent so difficult? Because the penalty for dissent is a cut in campaign funds or perhaps the funding of a primary challenger.

Despite being called Democrats, the party operates like a totalitarian state, and this is what they intend to implement across America.

Hence, it is a cause for celebration that intra-party democracy thrives in the GOP.

Had Rep. Jeffries emerged victorious due to the divide in the GOP, the blame would have been placed on the dissenters. Fortunately, that didn't happen.

Had McCarthy struck deals with Democrats and emerged as the winner after some compromise, it would have been disgraceful. But that didn't happen, either.

Instead, the dissenters made their presence felt with a slate of demands that could be met and probably got McCarthy to concede on items pertaining to the America First agenda. This is an achievement and the kind of democratic republic that the Founding Fathers had envisioned.

If the Freedom Caucus really wanted one of their own to be speaker, they should have begun the groundwork from the beginning of 2022. They could have named someone such as Jim Jordan as a candidate and campaigned for him. Hopefully, they will be prepared for this in 2024, particularly if McCarthy begins mcconnelling as speaker of the House.

It will be interesting to see how many of these demands made by the Freedom Caucus are actually satisfied. If the demands are not met and the Freedom Caucus stays mum, they too must be held accountable.

The electoral victory for McCarthy is merely the beginning. The Freedom Caucus must continue to hold McCarthy accountable and be as verbal as before. Hopefully, McCarthy won't retaliate against the group for their dissent.

Let's end on an optimistic note and hope this McCarthy era produces results that make voters happy.

Image: Screen shot from Fox News video via YouTube.
TOKYO, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- A domestic flight operated by low-cost carrier Jetstar Japan Co. made an emergency landing on Saturday morning at an airport in central Japan following a bomb threat, local media reported.

According to police and airport officials, the aircraft made an emergency landing in Chubu Centrair International Airport in Aichi Prefecture at around 7:40 a.m. local time, Japan's public broadcaster NHK reported.

There were reports of injuries upon escape from the aircraft following its emergency landing, it added.

Investigators said an international phone call was received around 6 a.m. local time, with a man's voice claiming to have put a bomb on the aircraft. But as of 10 a.m. local time, no explosives or other suspicious items were found, according to NHK.

The plane, bound for Fukuoka from Narita airport near Tokyo, was carrying 136 passengers and six crew members, said the flight operator. 
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy wants A-10 ground attack aircraft in his fight against Vladimir Putin. In a strictly military sense, there is a bit of logic behind the request. The Warthog refuses to die in the US military for one simple reason: Its a wonderful ground attack airplane, and we dont have anything remotely close to replacing it. It can loiter near the battlefield, fly low and slow, and then pop up to take out ground targets. It does a wonderful job of protecting its pilot with a titanium bathtub. And it carries a lot of powerful weapons. In short, its a Swiss Army Knife that terrifies the enemy.

Theres another side to the A-10. Its a twin jet, and that raises questions about fuel efficiency and maintenance. Yes, it can take a lickin and keep on tickin, but can Ukraine keep it in the air? How long will it take them to get their pilots up to speed with such a complex jet? Is there an alternative for them? Actually, there are excellent and, may I suggest, superior alternatives for the war in Ukraine.

Before I go on, please dont accuse me of taking sides on the supply/dont supply argument. I appreciate both positions. But if were going to send military toys to our current buddy, shouldnt they be the most capable and cost-effective for breaking things and killing people? After all, the purpose of fighting a war is to win, not to make your military manufacturers rich so they can give you large campaign donations, isnt it? (Do you really want me to answer that question?)

Image: The Iomax Archangel by Julian Herzog. CC BY 4.0.

Air Tractor, a Texas aircraft manufacturer, is well known for building crop dusters. They are extremely rugged, powerful airborne bug bombers that operate from almost any semi-flat short surface. Their turboprop engines are quieter than turbojets with much better fuel economy. And they are stone-simple to operate. As pilots say, they are stick and rudder airplanes that are extremely rugged and pilot-friendly. Thats why L3-Harris thought up the AT-802U Sky Warden.

With some extra protection for the pilot and goodies for military tasks, the Air Tractor crop duster becomes an inexpensive (relative to A-10s) and highly capable ground attack airplane that any crop duster pilot in Ukraine already knows how to fly. Its easy to fly in the unstable air close to the ground and highly maneuverable for repeated passes against the enemy.

Another company that builds rugged and capable crop dusters is Thrush in Georgia. Its plane is beautifully ugly, like the Air Tractor, and shares most of its key characteristics. Its also a turboprop that any Ukrainian pilot can fly and, like its competitor, many fly in country. Iomax, in North Carolina, converts the Thrush 710P into a close-attack variant called the Archangel. Its capabilities are similar to the Sky Warden.

Since these aircraft are not high-dollar sexy jets, its likely that few in the procurement chain, from the President on down, are even aware of them. But at an all-up cost on the order of $5 million, we can buy multiples of them for the price of a single A-10. And they will be usable the day they arrive because Ukrainian pilots are already flying them for agricultural purposes. On top of that, the supply chain is robust and global, meaning maintenance is simple.

Both planes can be maintained and flown in austere forward areas because they only need a short patch of road for a runway. They pack a punch and can provide a very quick response for ground troops in need of some help. Could that be why Russia is reportedly reactivating some of its An-2 cropduster/ground attack airplanes?

Ted Noel MD is a retired Anesthesiologist/Intensivist who podcasts and posts on social media as DoctorTed and @vidzette. His DoctorTed podcasts are available on many podcast channels.
President Biden and the Secret Service must be happy that he is landing in Mexico City rather than Culiacan on the Pacific coast. It has gotten very complicated in Culiacan in the last few days. This is the story:

Just days before U.S. President Joe Biden's visit to Mexico, the country was thrown into turmoil as alleged cartel members blocked off an airport and areas outside a local army base, and limited access to the city of Culiacan, in an unsuccessful effort to thwart the capture of drug trafficker Ovidio Guzman. Mexican security forces captured Guzman, the son of infamous Sinaloa drug lord known as "El Chapo," in a predawn operation Thursday. Guzman is wanted by the U.S. for his involvement in the cartel's activities. The chaos spurred gunfights across the northwestern state's capital ahead of Biden's scheduled two-day visit on Jan. 9 for bilateral talks with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and the North American Leaders' Summit with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

So what's going on? Why did the Mexican government decide to go after El Chapo's son with President Biden on his way?

It could be a coincidence, since this is not the first time that Little Chapo has encountered Mexican troops. Maybe they got lucky this time and got their target. On the other hand, Guzman is in the middle of the production of illegal fentanyl. He is not the only one, but he is a major player. My guess is that he will join his father in a prison in the U.S.

The confrontation went beyond Guzman and the Mexican Army. Check this out:

Passengers at Culiacan Airport (CUL) in Sinaloa got caught up in the violence earlier today. Aeromexico flight AM165, which was scheduled to fly from Culiacan to Mexico City, was impacted by this the worst. This flight was scheduled to depart at 8:24AM for the 651-mile journey to Mexicos capital. The flight was operated by a 15-year-old Embraer E190 with the registration code XA-ALW. Based on the footage, it appears that the cartel fired at this plane while it was taxiing to the runway on departure. Theres video footage both from outside the aircraft, and also from within the cabin, where passengers are told to duck for cover.

Wow. That's a new line crossed. I don't remember the last time that a commercial plane was hit in Mexico. Thankfully, nothing happened, but what were those cartel weapons doing at the airport?

Welcome to Mexico, President Biden. I hope Presidente Lopez-Obrador tells you frankly how your lack of order on the border has emboldened these criminal elements in Mexico.

PS: Check out my blog for posts, podcasts, and videos.

Image: Arcklp.
A recent Portland State University diversity, equity and inclusion summit separated participants by identitiessuch as White, Black, Native American, and Latinx-- allegedly to help facilitate various discussions, according to a report in The College Fix. And those were just some of the labels placed on tables at the event.

According to a slide show from the event, posted by the university, participants were instructed to Please sit at the tables that most align with your salient identities. You are also welcome to self-define multicultural and intersectional tables that extend beyond single definitions. Well, that shouldnt engender any confusion or chaos!

Katy Swordfisk, media relations manager for Portland State, told The College Fix that the day=long gathering was built on a series of affinity convenings that took place earlier in the year.

Affinity convenings?

Swordfish Swordfisk added via email, Participants were invited to sit at a table that resonated with their identity (including Black, Latinx, White, Native American and Multicultural, as a few examples) for the first part of the day and shifted to tables by discussion topic later in the day.

Is it not enough that some schools now have separate dorm rooms and graduation ceremonies for different races and even sexual identities? Whats next, separate bathrooms, buses, and drinking fountains? That sure would be progressive!

Men can use womens bathrooms, however, and vice-versa. But lets seat Blacks, Whites, Jews, Christians, conservatives, progressives, gays, lesbians, the Two-Spirited, and pansexuals at different tables. To facilitate conversations! Also, lets separate those with long hair, short hair, blue eyes, and brown eyes from each other while were at it. But where would, say, a black lesbian agnostic sit?

Can the place settings from one table be used at another? Or are they separate, too? And isnt the whole damn thing moot if one can self-identify as whatever one wishes? I would ask where this all will end, but, channeling my inner Paul Harvey, the answer isor should be-- too obvious to require elaboration.

Into how many more groups can these imbeciles divide and splinter us? This is the reverse of what the country was founded on and intended to be. Instead of e pluribus unum (out of many, one), Democrats now follow the credo: ex uno multisout of one, many. To the rabid intersectionalists, we are not all Americans, we are nothing more than members of a tribe or tribes. They wish to pit neighbor against neighbor and see our society ever further atomized, so it is easier for them to control us.

And, tragically, it is working. In large part due to our colleges and universities.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion is a sham. And anything but helpful. Or inclusive.

Image: David Wilson, via Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 2.0
BANGKOK, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- China's recent optimization of its COVID-19 response and gradual restoration of Chinese citizens' overseas travel have enthused those working in the tourism sectors of Asia-Pacific countries.

In the eyes of a Thai tuk-tuk driver who gave his name as Mak, the return of Chinese tourists means the revival of Thailand's economy. He hopes the hustle and bustle of foreign tourists on Bangkok's streets before the pandemic hit three years ago would soon come back.

GOVERNMENTS' EXPECTATIONS

In 2019, Thailand welcomed about 40 million foreign tourists, nearly 30 percent of whom were Chinese tourists.

Thai Finance Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith said that China's gradual restoration of its citizens' overseas travel and other favorable factors could boost Thailand's tourism sector, Thailand's key economic growth contributor, pushing the Thai economy to grow 3.8 percent in 2023.

Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. invited the Chinese people to visit his country as tourists, students and investors. "I shall push for the resumption of tourism and cultural cooperation between our two countries," he said.

Indonesian Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno said the COVID-19 pandemic has had a huge negative impact on many sectors of Indonesia, including tourism.

"We lost almost 1 million plus job," he said, adding that cooperation with China is very important for the recovery of Indonesia's tourism sector.

Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen said he was very pleased to welcome back Chinese tourists, saying that their presence is vital to the country's tourism and economic growth.

"When China reopens its borders, flights will increase many times, so we hope to welcome about 2 million Chinese tourists again (in 2023)," Hun Sen said.

TOURISM SECTOR PREPARATIONS

The tourism sectors of Asia-Pacific countries have been gearing up for the return of Chinese tourists in the new year.

In New Zealand, some travel agencies have been communicating with their Chinese counterparts and customizing the latest tour itineraries for the coming Chinese tourists.

Li Ruiqin, managing director of China Travel Service (NZ) Ltd., said Chinese tourists spend an average of 4,900 NZ dollars (about 3,064 U.S. dollars) per person when staying in New Zealand.

The orderly resumption of outbound travel for Chinese tourists will be "a major boon to New Zealand's tourism industry," she said.

Travel specialist He Qingyuan in Australia said as the Chinese Lunar New Year is around the corner, he, along with his peers, is customizing exclusive tours for Chinese visitors.

Yuthasak Supasorn, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, said the tourism sector is gearing up for the return of Chinese tourists. Besides their favorite activities of visiting beaches and enjoying the food, "we would like to promote exclusive tour packages in the northeast region, the less trampled corner of Thailand filled with natural beauty and authentic Thainess," he said.

On the world-famous Boracay island in the central Philippines, the once-closed Chinese restaurants have been reopening one by one, and some local travel agencies have produced tour packages themed around the Chinese Lunar New Year, hoping to lure the first batch of Chinese tourists after the border reopens.

Indonesia's "paradise on Earth," Bali island, is no exception. Azril Azahari, chairman of the Indonesia Tourism Intellectual Association, said he expects an early arrival of Chinese tourists to Bali to enjoy the upgraded and diversified travel services.

RATIONAL APPROACH NEEDED

China's recent announcement that it would downgrade the management of COVID-19 from Class A to Class B from Jan. 8 has been warmly welcomed by many countries, which have also called for rational pandemic prevention measures.

Welcoming Chinese visitors, Hun Sen said China's upcoming reopening of its borders will revitalize Cambodia's economy and tourism, adding his country will not impose restrictions on Chinese tourists.

In a statement on Wednesday, Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said Thailand has considered COVID-19 a communicable disease under surveillance.

Foreign visitors entering Thailand from all parts of the world will be treated equally and no special public health measures will be implemented to discourage travelers from any particular country.

Teo Yik Ying, dean of the Saw Swee Hoch School of Public Health at the National University of Singapore, said Singapore has a high vaccination rate and it is unnecessary for it to impose additional travel regulations on Chinese tourists. Enditem

(Xinhua reporters Liu Kai in Manila, Wang Aona, Sun Lei in Jakarta, Lu Huaiqian, Li Huizi in Wellington, Hao Yalin in Sydney, Wu Changwei in Phnom Penh, Zhang Dongqiang in Yangon, Lin Hao, Chen Jiabao, Wang Yuanyuan in Bangkok, Li Yan, Cai Shuya in Singapore, and Sun Yi in Hanoi contributed to the story.)
GPs surgeries would be stopped operating as murky private businesses under Labour, the shadow health secretary has suggested, deepening a row with the doctors union.

Wes Streeting said he is minded to phase out the system of GP partnerships, where self-employed doctors act as contractors for the NHS.

The British Medical Association (BMA) said the shadow minister should be targeting the Government for overseeing a haemorrhaging of GPs rather than blaming family doctors.

Mr Streeting outlined reforms that he said would stop GPs being the sole gatekeeper to the NHS, including getting pharmacies to do more vaccination and prescribing.

In an interview with The Times, he said he understood that would make GPs anxious because vaccinations are money for old rope and a good money spinner.

He also argued patients should be able to refer themselves directly to specialists rather than going through their family doctor in some cases to free up time.

He vowed to take on the vested interest of the BMA as he considers tearing up the GP contract if Labour forms a government.

The truth is that the way that GP practices operate financially is a murky, opaque business, Mr Streeting said.

Im not sure that people can honestly say exactly how the money is spent or where it goes. And from my point of view, as someone who wants to be a custodian of the public finances as health secretary, that would not be a tolerable situation.

Im minded to phase out the whole system of GP partners altogether and to look at salaried GPs working in modern practices alongside a range of other professionals.

Dr Kieran Sharrock, BMA England GP committee acting chair, said doctors agree the GP contract needs to be revamped but that it shouldnt be about reinventing the wheel.

Instead of blaming family doctors and their representatives for problems with the health service  the Opposition should clearly be setting its sights on the Government that has overseen a haemorrhaging of GPs over the last decade, he added.

Wes Streeting has said the BMA has defensive attitudes (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

This is not about vested interests. We represent our members and also want the best for patients. The two co-exist.

We have offered to sit down and discuss this with Mr Streeting, to ensure that he understands the pressures on the front line and how these can realistically be alleviated for the benefit of both staff and patients.

Royal College of GPs chair Professor Kamila Hawthorne said Mr Streetings description of murky doctors practices is something we certainly do not recognise.

The partnership model of general practice delivers exceptional benefits for the NHS, she said, arguing it is extremely good value for money for the NHS.

Mr Streeting has previously criticised the BMAs defensive attitudes, saying the union is hostile to his plans as he hit out at a something-for-nothing culture in the NHS.

Shadow public health minister Andrew Gwynne insisted this isnt about picking a fight with GPs.

He told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: The fundamental problem here is the primary care system, in particular, is not working well enough, its not working in the interest of the patients who struggle to see GPs and then end up at the front door of hospitals.
The investigation into alleged war crimes in Ukraine will be at the top of the agenda when justice ministers from across the world meet in London in the spring.

Deputy prime minister and Justice Secretary Dominic Raab will host the meeting in March at Lancaster House alongside his Dutch counterpart.

The group will hear from the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Karim Khan, about the courts work and the role of the international community in supporting its investigations.

It comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to target crucial energy infrastructure as he looks to plunge Ukrainian citizens into darkness and wipe out central heating supplies during the freezing winter temperatures.

Mr Khan is currently investigating accusations that Russian soldiers have carried out war crimes during Moscows invasion of Ukraine, with claims from Kyiv that civilians have been executed and civilians raped, during the 11-month conflict.

Mr Raab said: Russian forces should know they cannot act with impunity and we will back Ukraine until justice is served.

Almost a year on from the illegal invasion, the international community must give its strongest backing to the ICC so war criminals can be held to account for the atrocities were witnessing.

The meeting will allow countries to determine how to provide further help to the court, the Ministry of Justice said.

Officials said this would include offering practical support, such as helping to gather information and share evidence of atrocities committed on the ground.

Ministers will also discuss how to help victims and witnesses provide testimonies, without causing them further distress.

Dilan Yesilgoz-Zegerius, co-host of the London meeting and the Netherlands minister of justice, said: The reports and images of Russias unlawful and unprovoked armed attack on Ukraine are horrific.

For us it is crystal clear, these crimes may not go unpunished.

Last year the UK offered a package of support to the ICC, which included an additional 1 million funding and dedicated police assistance.

The MoJ said it had also been involved in training Ukrainian judges set to conduct war crime trials and has offered the support of British legal experts.
A man who police allege went on the run after a bomb attack in Northern Ireland more than 30 years ago has appeared in court charged with causing the explosion.

Eamonn Christopher OBoyle, 53, faces two charges in connection with the blast that badly damaged a garage in Randalstown, Co Antrim, in November 1990.

The builder and property developer, who lives in Derrybeg, Gweedore, Co Donegal, was arrested when he arrived on a flight at Belfast International Airport earlier in the week.

OBoyle was charged by detectives from the Police Service of Northern Irelands Legacy Investigation Branch with causing the explosion at Frenchs garage in New Street, Randalstown, at around 10.45pm on November 25 1990, and possessing explosives with intent to endanger life.

Belfast International Airport (Paul Faith/PA)

He appeared on Saturday morning before District Judge Nigel Broderick by videolink from a police custody suite in Belfast.

OBoyle spoke briefly at the remand hearing at Antrim Magistrates Court, sitting in Ballymena, to confirm he understood the charges against him.

A PSNI detective chief inspector told the court he could connect OBoyle to the counts.

The officer said security forces stopped the accused at a checkpoint driving at speed away from the location of the bomb around 40 minutes before the explosion.

The court heard the passenger in the car was arrested the following day and went on to plead guilty to involvement in the bombing. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison.

The detective told the judge the two men were later observed by Ulster Defence Regiment soldiers at the back of a hotel in nearby Toomebridge 15 minutes after the bomb blast.

He said OBoyle was seen exchanging clothes with another man.

The officer said when police visited OBoyles home the following day he appeared to have fled.

Efforts were made to locate Mr OBoyle at his home address on 26 November, he told the court.

He was not present and is believed to have gone on the run from that address at that time.

The detective said the accuseds Volkswagen was seized on November 26 and forensic tests identified traces of explosives on the front passenger seat and on a polythene sheet in the footwell on the front passenger side.

He said OBoyle was interviewed under caution by the Garda in the Republic of Ireland in January 1994 but made no comment to questions put to him.

A prosecution lawyer told the court there was sufficient circumstantial evidence to support a prima facie case against OBoyle

Its a circumstantial case made up of several strands of which the forensic evidence is one, he said.

The accuseds solicitor Peter Corrigan, from Belfast-based solicitors firm Phoenix Law, challenged the connection with the case, claiming there were several deficiencies with the evidence.

He said there was an equal chance that contamination had resulted in traces of explosives being detected during the forensic examination of the car.

The solicitor also questioned how the forensic evidence had been stored in the years since it was taken.

Theres been no care taken in relation to the integrity of the exhibit, he said.

Mr Corrigan said the quantity of explosive traces found in the car was not known.

We do not know how many particles there were and equally we dont know how those particles were deposited, he said.

The lawyer also said there was no evidence linking the explosive traces to the bomb itself.

He insisted the case should be discontinued.

Judge Broderick noted that prosecutors did not have to prove the case beyond reasonable doubt at this stage of the court proceedings, and only had to establish prima facie evidence to connect the accused to the charges.

He said he was satisfied that sufficient evidence had been presented to connect OBoyle to the counts.

He granted bail on terms agreed by the defence and prosecution.

OBoyle was required to provide his own bail of 950 and a further cash surety of 5,000.

He was ordered to surrender all travel documents and must reside at his address in Gweedore while on bail. The judge told him he also has to sign on at Gweedore Garda station twice a week.

The case was listed again for January 24. OBoyle was excused from attending that hearing.
Hundreds of Cuban migrants line the deck aboard a U.S. Coast Guard buoy tender cutter as it approaches the Coast Guard Sector Key West on Thursday, Jan. 5, 2022. In total, 337 migrants who had landed at Dry Tortugas National Park were shipped by the Coast Guard to Key West on Thursday. From there, they will be transported to U.S. Border Patrol for processing, the Coast Guard said. (Denise DePasquale/Special to the Miami Herald)

President Biden, apparently, isnt out to lunch on immigration anymore.

When the fragile ecosystem of Dry Tortugas, a national park off Floridas coast, becomes a port of entry for hundreds of Cubans sailing rickety homemade boats, the time to act was yesterday.

So, with a quarreling, do-nothing Congress as a backdrop  and an unrelenting number of asylum seekers arriving every day  the Biden administration finally has taken serious steps to address unrestricted immigration to South Florida and the Mexico border.

Months of record-breaking arrivals later, even Democrats are conceding, privately and publicly, that free-for-all Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan and Venezuelan immigration is impossible to sustain, both politically and in terms of resources.

Some Dems praise Bidens mix of new, legal open doors with his crackdown on arrivals aided by illegal activity.

The new border actions Biden rolled out expand legal pathways while also putting into effect deterrents for illegal immigration and the smuggling and human trafficking that have existed, said Felice Gorordo, a Biden ally, CEO of tech-hub eMerge Americas and co-founder of the U.S.-Cuba relations nonprofit Roots of Hope.

However, prominent Democrats including Sens. Bob Menendez of New Jersey, Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico, Alex Padilla of California, and Cory Booker of New Jersey think stricter rules will encourage more shady dealings, not stem migration.

In a joint statement, they condemned what they called a transit ban at the southern border and the extension of ex-President Trumps loathed Title 42 pandemic-era summary expulsions to include Cubans and Nicaraguans.

Indeed, the rules pose a profound shift politically. No more Biden looking the other way.

READ MORE: U.S. will step up expulsions of Cubans, Haitians and Nicaraguans at the border, expand legal pathway

Carrot & stick policy

Immigrant advocates also rejected new policies that will end up turning away asylum seekers despite the creation of legal and safer pathways. Legal entry will include documentation and two-year work permits for the 30,000 vetted and paroled each month.

But, says the immigration advocacy group Americas Voice, Bidens carrot and stick approach is unbecoming of a pro-immigration president.

Yet, without a Congress willing to overhaul of the broken immigration system and Americans increasingly upset over illegal crossings, what other choices did Biden really have?

Republicans constantly use xenophobia to score political points. Theyre united in the desire to see Biden fail at everything but, notably, his actions left them speechless. (Though probably not for long).

A White House fact sheet Touted: Unlike some Republican officials playing political games and obstructing real solutions to fix our broken immigration system, President Biden has a plan and is taking action.

Voiceless most affected

Unfortunately, the most tragically affected by the change in policy will be people caught en route, risking their lives at sea or on dangerous multi-country treks to flee collapsing homelands like Haiti and failing regimes like Cubas and Nicaraguas.

Will domestic immigration policy make any difference when the root causes of mass migration remain in place at home? When immigration is instigated by regimes like Cubas to get rid of the opposition and repress with more impunity?

Immigration is a profitable venture for the Cuban and Venezuelan dictatorships, and crucial support to gang-ruled Haiti. Cubans who leave ended up supporting relatives, according to estimates, to the tune of $2 billion to 3 billion in remittances during pre-pandemic years.

No Mariel comparison

No doubt, the unprecedented number of Cuban migrants in the Florida Keys finally catapulted border issues to the top of Bidens priority list. Only a few days ago, the president walked away from a reporter asking about a crisis many see as another Mariel.

But forget allusions to the Mariel boatlift of 1980 under President Jimmy Carter.

The comparison sheds little light on the current Cuban immigration crisis testing the Biden administrations election-time commitment to operate a humane, legal immigration system accessible to asylum seekers  and one that, on the other hand, doesnt make a mockery of the nations borders.

This Cuban exodus has broken all-time records and continues into 2023 despite deaths and disappearances at sea.

Some 125,000 Cubans arrived in South Florida shores in a period five months during Mariel, then it all ended as suddenly as it started. Back then, Haitians, too, were fleeing the Duvalier regime, but not in huge, visible numbers.

This exodus has been open-ended for years. During the last year alone, 2% of Cubas 11 million population has fled, most of them to the United States.

Cubans with resources fly to a third country, cross into Mexico and ask for asylum at the border. Cubans with nothing but homemade, barely floating vessels had, perhaps until now, no other option than to risk it all in the treacherous Florida Straits.

READ MORE: We mark another Thanksgiving in South Florida with modern-day pilgrims dying at sea

Theres less of an incentive to come here illegally with the opening of legal avenues.

But poor people from remote towns and provinces may not have the access, nor the ability to articulate need  and surely they will be first in line for expulsion under Bidens repatriation rules.

Itll be hard to change what has been working for them. What do they have to lose trying besides their lives? Now, a five-year ban from trying again.

Most of the people arriving are young, driven by guts, hope and dreams of a better future. This is the exodus of los primos, the cousins, someone with his ear to the ground tells me.

When constant blackouts spoil what little food they hustle for their family, when the thought police constantly accosts, its impossible not to see migration as the only option.

Its a never-ending story, an unbearable reality no Republican or Democratic rainmaker in Washington can change.
Workers at Tampa International Airport discovered a 4-foot boa constrictor packed in a passengers luggage, authorities said Friday.

The coiled reptile was discovered as the baggage passed through an X-ray machine, the Transportation Security Administration said in a statement.

Images posted by the agency showed the animal near a pair of shoes and what appeared to be a laptop.

A 4-foot boa constrictor was recently discovered in a passenger's carry-on at Tampa International Airport. (TSA via Instagram)

Our officers at Tampa International Airport didnt find this hyssssssterical! the agency said.

The agency says it routinely screens pets, but animals should never be placed in an X-ray machine. Its up to the airline as to whether it will allow a pet on board, the agency says.

In 2019, a loose 15-inch ring-necked snake was discovered near a TSA checkpoint at Newark Liberty International Airport when a passenger seemingly left it behind, the agency said.

The year before, at Miami International Airport, TSA workers found a python wrapped in what appeared to be a stocking that was hidden in a computer hard drive. The passenger, who was headed to Barbados, was fined and the snake was confiscated.
State Rep. Quentin Williams, D-Middletown, applauds during Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont's state of the state address, Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023, in Hartford, Conn. Williams was killed overnight in a wrong-way highway crash after having attended the governor's inaugural ball hours and after having been sworn in to a third term, House Democratic leaders said Thursday. (Brian O'Connor/Connecticut House Democrats via AP) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

CROMWELL, Conn. (AP)  A Connecticut state representative was killed overnight in a wrong-way highway crash after having attended the governor's inaugural ball and his own swearing-in ceremony for a third term, House Democratic leaders said Thursday.

Quentin Williams, a 39-year-old Democrat from Middletown known as Q, died in the crash on Route 9 in Cromwell. State police said both drivers were killed and one of the vehicles became fully engulfed in flames. State police have not yet released the names of the victims.

Speaker of the House Matt Ritter, D-Hartford, and Majority Leader Jason Rojas, D-East Hartford, issued a statement saying Williams' family had announced the lawmaker's untimely death.

I am in shock, Ritter said. Q was my dear friend and I am scarred by his sudden loss. We will have time to reflect on Q as a legislator in the weeks to come, but right now I deeply mourn my friend and send all of my love to Carrissa, Queen and Qs family. We will all miss Q.

The Legislative Office Building and State Capitol were closed and all legislative business was canceled until Monday in response. Gov. Ned Lamont directed flags to be lowered to half-staff.

This is devastating news, and I am incredibly saddened by this tragedy, the governor said in a statement. Quentin had an infectiously optimistic personality, and he absolutely loved having the opportunity to represent his lifelong home of Middletown at the State Capitol. Public service was his passion, and he was always advocating on behalf of the people of his hometown.

Williams, the new co-chair of the General Assembly's Labor and Public Employees Committee, was the first African American to represent Middletown in the General Assembly, according to a biography on his legislative web page.

Before being elected to the legislature, Williams served as Middletown's city treasurer after leading the city's planning and zoning commission. He attended Middletown schools, earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Bryant University and had a master's degree in public administration from Villanova University, his website says.

Rep. Williams truly embodied the phrase larger than life, Middletown Mayor Ben Florsheim said in a statement. His laugh, smile, and presence were felt in every space shared with him. His passing is a true loss for our community. A light has been dimmed today.
Harry, pictured at a Remembrance Day Service in Afghanistan in 2014, revealed he killed 25 Taliban fighters. (Getty Images)

The full extract from Prince Harry's memoir Spare, in which he details his controversial "kill count" of Taliban fighters in Afghanistan, can be published for the first time by Yahoo.

The Duke of Sussex has come under criticism following media reports of his disclosure that he killed 25 Taliban insurgents while serving as an Apache pilot in 2012/13 during one of his two tours of Afghanistan.

(Read the full 987-word extract below)

Contents of the book were kept tightly under wraps in the run-up to its scheduled release on 10 January, but it accidentally went on sale in Spain on Thursday before being swiftly removed from book shelves.

Copies of the memoir have also been leaked in America, while the Guardian newspaper in the UK published extracts about Harry's claim he was physically attacked by Prince William.

A retired British Army colonel, a senior Taliban leader and a former Defence Secretary are among a number of senior figures to have accused the duke of turning against his other family, the military. He has also been accused of threatening his own security by disclosing his personal Taliban "kill count".

Harry and fellow pilot scramble to their Apache helicopters whilst serving in Afghanistan in 2012. (Getty Images)

But Harry has also received support from within the military.

In response to criticism that Harry would not have known the number of insurgents he killed, friend and Invictus Games medallist JJ Chalmers said: "In Modern Warfare its Literally Recorded, numbers kept, not by the pilot but by those who watch and command them. War is hellish and those who experience it first hand know the context and can ultimately reflect on it as they see fit."

Fellow veteran Dave Henson said: "Context is everything, and so crucial to support an accurate narrative. Unhelpful to jump on isolated sentences or figures."

Nathan Jones, a former Royal Air Force pilot and who competed in the Invictus Games and is now a mental health advocate, said: "A lot of people are having some very strong opinions on Prince Harry right now and most without any knowledge of the background of what theyre saying or commenting on. Be careful what you say as words can be incredibly damaging."

Yahoo News UK has seen an English language version of the full extract and has published it in full.

The passage includes:

Harry's admission that he had been well-trained to "otherize" Taliban insurgents to enable him to kill them and that he recognised this as "problematic"

That Harry's depiction of 25 'kills' is an accurate number based on a "timestamped... careful review" of every video taken from his Apache helicopter and that none of the missions in which he took the life of an enemy fighter were found to be "irregular"

Harry's regret that he was unable to help a group of Gurkhas pinned in by Taliban fighters

More context around his description of Afghanistan as a "war of mistakes", and that this was a view Harry and others feared to be true

Charles and William greet Harry as he returned to England from active service in Afghanistan in 2008. (Getty Images)

The full 987-word extract is published below:

(The book is available to pre-order here)

We kept following the two motorbikes through several villages, while griping about the bureaucracy of war, the reluctance of higher-ups to let us do what we'd been trained to do. Maybe, in our griping, we were no different from soldiers in every war. We wanted to fight: we didn't understand larger issues, underlying geopolitics. Big picture. Some commanders often said, publicly and privately, that they feared every Taliban killed would create three more, so they were extra cautious. At times we felt the commanders were right: we were creating more Taliban. But there had to be a better answer than floating nearby while innocents got slaughtered.

Five minutes became ten became twenty.

We never did get permission.

Every kill was on video.

The Apache saw all. The camera in its nose recorded all. So, after every mission, there would be a careful review of that video.

Returning to Bastion, we'd walk into the gun tape room, slide the video into a machine, which would project the kill onto wall-mounted plasma TVs.

Our squadron commander would press his face against the screens, examining, murmuring- wrinkling his nose. He wasn't merely looking for errors, this chap, he was hungry for them. He wanted to catch us in a mistake.

We called him awful names when he wasn't around. We came close to calling him those names to his face. Look, whose side are you on?

But that was what he wanted. He was trying to provoke us, to get us to say the unspeakable.

Why?

Jealousy, we decided.

Prince Harry patrols the deserted town of Garmisir in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, 2008. (Getty Images)

It ate him up inside that he'd never pulled a trigger in battle. He'd never attacked the enemy.

So he attacked us.

Despite his best efforts, he never found anything irregular in any of our kills. I was part of six missions that ended in the taking of human life, and they were all deemed justified by a man who wanted to crucify us. I deemed them the same.

What made the squadron commander's attitude so execrable was this: He was exploiting a real and legitimate fear. A fear we all shared. Afghanistan was a war of mistakes, a war of enormous collateral damage - thousands of innocents killed and maimed, and that always haunted us. So my goal from the day I arrived was never to go to bed doubting that I'd done the right thing, that my targets had been correct, that I was firing on Taliban and only Taliban, no civilians nearby. I wanted to return to Britain with all my limbs, but more, I wanted to go home with my conscience intact. Which meant being aware of what I was doing, and why I was doing it, at all times.

Most soldiers can't tell you precisely how much death is on their ledger. In battle conditions, there's often a great deal of indiscriminate firing. But in the age of Apaches and laptops, everything I did in the course of two combat tours was recorded, time-stamped. I could always say precisely how many enemy combatants I'd killed. And I felt it vital never to shy away from that number.

Prince Harry, wears his monocle gun sight as he sits in the cockpit of his Apache Helicopter in 2012. (Getty Images)

Among the many things I learned in the Army, accountability was near the top of the list.

So, my number: Twenty-five. It wasn't a number that gave me any satisfaction. But neither was it a number that made me feel ashamed. Naturallv, I'd have preferred not to have that number on my military CV, on my mind, but by the same token I'd have preferred to live in a world in which there was no Taliban, a world without war. Even for an occasional practitioner of magical thinking like me, however, some realities just can't be changed.

While in the heat and fog of combat, I didn't think of those twenty-five as people. You can't kill people if you think of them as people. You can't really harm people if you think of them as people. They were chess pieces removed from the board, Bads taken away before they could kill Goods. I'd been trained to "other-ize" them, trained well. On some level I recognized this learned detachment as problematic. But I also saw it as an unavoidable part of soldiering.

Another reality that couldn't be changed.

Prince Harry tries to start an abandoned motorcycle in the desert in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, 2008. (Getty Images)

Not to say that I was some kind of automaton. I never forgot being in that TV room at Eton, the one with the blue doors, watching the Twin Towers melt as people leaped from the roofs and high windows. I never forgot the parents and spouses and children I met in New York, clutching photos of the moms and dads who'd been crushed or vaporized or burned alive. September 11 was vile, indelible, and all those responsible, along with their sympathizers and enablers, their allies and successors, were not just our enemies, but enemies of humanity. Fighting them meant avenging one of the most heinous crimes in world history, and preventing it from happening again.

As my tour neared its end, around Christmas 2012, I had questions and qualms about the war, but none of these was moral. I still believed in the Mis-sion, and the only shots I thought twice about were the ones I hadn't taken.

For instance, the night we were called in to help some Gurkhas. They were pinned down by a nest of Taliban fighters, and when we arrived there was a breakdown in communications, so we simply weren't able to help. It haunts me still: hearing my Gurkha brothers calling out on the radio, remembering every Gurkha I'd known and loved, being prevented from doing anything.

Prince Harry sits with Gurkha soldiers in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, 2008. (Getty Images)

As I fastened my bags and said my goodbyes I was honest with myself: I acknowledged plenty of regrets. But they were the healthy kind. I regretted the things I hadn't done, the Brits and Yanks I hadn't been able to help.

I regretted the job not being finished.

Most of all, I regretted that it was time to leave.

Neither Buckingham Palace nor Kensington Palace have comment on the memoir.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his daughter, Kim Ju Ae, celebrate the test-fire of a new intercontinental ballistic missile, in this undated photo released on Nov. 27, 2022. (North Korea's Korean Central News Agency via Reuters)

LONDON  North Korean state media recently released new undated images of Kim Jong Un showcasing the Hermit Kingdoms extensive arsenal. But in those carefully curated photos, there was something else the communist leader was broadcasting to the world: his daughter. Pictures were released of the pair walking hand in hand alongside armored military vehicles and rocket launchers.

This is the third time that the North Korean dictator has included his daughter, whose name is believed to be Kim Ju Ae, in his rare public appearances. She was first paraded to the world in November, when she accompanied her father on an inspection of a ballistic missile ahead of its launch. Less than two weeks later, pictures of her were publicized again, during the testing of the Hwasong-17 intercontinental missile. In every image, she is front and center alongside her father.

Little is known about the girl except that she is believed to be around 9 or 10 years old. Perhaps more important is the way she has been described by North Korean state media: Kims "most beloved" or "precious" child. Her public appearances have ramped up the rumors surrounding her father's successor.

Kim Jong Un, with his daughter, inspects an intercontinental ballistic missile in an undated photo. (North Korea's Korean Central News Agency via Reuters)

The country styles itself as a "democratic republic," but North Korea has been run by the same family since it was created at the end of World War II. Kims grandfather Kim Il Sung and his father, Kim Jong Il, both ruled the country until their deaths.

According to Edward Howell, a lecturer in Politics and International Relations at the University of Oxford in England, the announcement of Kim Jong Un's daughter would have less to do with proclaiming a successor than with declaring North Koreas future nuclear position in the world.

Its too early to talk about succession  look how long Kim Jong Il left it, Howell told Yahoo News. Unlike his father, who announced his heir 14 years before his death, Kim Jong Il reportedly chose his youngest son only about a year before he died, in December 2011.

Kim Jong Un and his daughter walk away from an intercontinental ballistic missile. (North Korea's Korean Central News Agency via Reuters)

One of the things that North Korea has always wanted is international status, Howell said. North Korea wants the international community to accept that this is a nuclear state, just like India and Pakistan.

So why would the leader include his daughter in his latest propaganda? I think the messaging is showing very clearly that a nuclear North Korea is not just Kim Jong Uns, Howell said. The nuclear North Korea that he has tried to build up and accelerate is not just for him and his generation, but for his daughters generation.

The release of the photos stands in stark contrast with Kims reported comments in 2019 to then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that he did not want to burden his children with nuclear weapons. According to a former CIA officer involved in diplomacy between the U.S. and North Korea, Kim told Pompeo: Im a father and a husband. And I have children. And I dont want my children to carry the nuclear weapon on their back their whole life.
Police respond to a shooting at Richneck Elementary School, Friday, Jan. 6, 2023 in Newport News, Va. A shooting at a Virginia elementary school sent a teacher to the hospital and ended with an individual in custody Friday, police and school officials in the city of Newport News said.(Billy Schuerman/The Virginian-Pilot via AP)

NORFOLK, Va. (AP)  A 6-year-old student shot and wounded a teacher at his school in Virginia during an altercation inside a first-grade classroom Friday, police and school officials in the city of Newport News said.

Experts said a school shooting involving a 6-year-old is extremely rare, although not unheard of, while Virginia law limits the ways in which a child that age can be punished for such a crime.

No students were injured in the shooting at Richneck Elementary School, police said. The teacher  a woman in her 30s  suffered life-threatening injuries. Her condition had improved somewhat by late afternoon, Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew said.

We did not have a situation where someone was going around the school shooting, Drew told reporters, later adding that the gunshot was not an accident.

Drew said the student and teacher had known in each other in a classroom setting.

He said the boy had a handgun in the classroom, and investigators were trying to figure out where he obtained it. The police chief did not provide further details about the shooting, the altercation or what happened inside the school.

Joselin Glover, whose son is in fourth grade, told The Virginian-Pilot newspaper she got a text from the school stating that one person was shot and another was in custody.

My heart stopped, she said. I was freaking out, very nervous. Just wondering if that one person was my son.

Carlos, her 9-year-old, was at recess. But he said he and his classmates were soon holed up in the back of a classroom.

Most of the whole class was crying, Carlos told the newspaper.

Parents and students were reunited at a gymnasium door, Newport News Public Schools said via Facebook.

The police chief did not specifically address questions about whether authorities were in touch with the boys parents, but said members of the police department were handling that investigation.

We have been in contact with our commonwealths attorney (local prosecutor) and some other entities to help us best get services to this young man, Drew said.

Newport News is a city of about 185,000 people in southeastern Virginia known for its shipyard, which builds the nation's aircraft carriers and other U.S. Navy vessels.

Richneck has about 550 students who are in kindergarten through fifth grade, according to the Virginia Department of Educations website. School officials have already said that there will be no classes at the school on Monday.

Today our students got a lesson in gun violence, said George Parker III, Newport News schools superintendent, and what guns can do to disrupt, not only an educational environment, but also a family, a community.

Virginia law does not allow 6-year-olds to be tried as adults.

In addition, a 6-year-old is too young to be committed to the custody of the Department of Juvenile Justice if found guilty.

A juvenile judge would have authority, though, to revoke a parents custody and place a child under the purview of the Department of Social Services.

A school shooting involving a 6-year-old is extremely rare, said James Alan Fox, a criminologist at Bostons Northeastern University.

Fox told The Associated Press Friday evening that he could think of one previous incident involving a child that age.

In 2000, a 6-year-old boy fired a bullet from a .32-caliber gun inside Buell Elementary near Flint, Michigan, 60 miles (96 kilometers) from Detroit, striking 6-year-old Kayla Rolland in the neck, according to an AP article from the time. She died a half-hour later.

Fox analyzed school shooting data sets going back to 1970 from the Center for Homeland Defense and Security, which is located at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. He said the data listed school shootings involving children ages 7, 8, 9 and older, but not 6-year-olds.

Another factor that stands out about the Virginia shooting is that it occurred in a classroom, Fox said. Many occur outside a school building where students are unsupervised.

From 2010 through 2021, there were more than 800 school-related shootings in K-12 schools that involved 1,149 victims. Thirty percent of those occurred in the school building, said Fox, who published the 2010 book, Violence and Security on Campus: From Preschool Through College.

There are students who killed teachers, more typically high school students, Fox said. I dont know of other cases where a 6-year-old shot a teacher.

___

Barakat reported from Falls Church, Virginia.
MAZAR-I-SHARIF, Afghanistan, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Afghan authorities have inaugurated a water canal in Dawlatabad district of the northern Balkh province to irrigate more than 8,000 hectares of land, a provincial government official Mohammad Ibrahim said Saturday.

Financed by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) at a cost of 20 million afghanis (0.23 million U.S. dollars), the canal, which was officially put into use on Thursday, would facilitate the farmers to irrigate more than 8,000 hectares of land in Dawlatabad district and adjoining areas, the official told reporters.

The provincial administration would do its best to bring more land under water as part of efforts to develop the agriculture sector and facilitate farmers to increase agricultural production, the official noted.

Last year, Acting Deputy Prime Minister of the Taliban-run establishment Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar inaugurated the construction of a 285 km-long water canal in Qush Tepa area of Balkh province to irrigate 550,000 hectares of land in Balkh and the neighboring Jawzjan and Faryab provinces. 
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Shah said the BJP-led government at the Centre has invested Rs 3.45 lakh crore in the Northeast in less than eight years

Union Home Minister Amit Shah during the inauguration of a 122 feet Marjing polo statue, at the Marjing Polo Complex in Imphal. Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh is also seen. (Photo PTI)

IMPHAL: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday asserted that the BJP government in the state freed Manipur from bandhs and terrorism and brought it on the path of development.

Addressing a public rally at Moirang in Bishnupur district after virtually inaugurating 12 projects worth Rs 300 crore and laying the foundation stone of nine projects worth Rs 1,007 crore, Shah said the BJP government defeated insurgency and lifted Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 or AFSPA from six districts of the state.

"There was a situation of terror during the Congress rule in Manipur. Now, it is among the best governed small states," he said.

Shah said the BJP-led government at the Centre has invested Rs 3.45 lakh crore in the Northeast in less than eight years and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has visited the region 51 times during this period.

Noting that the N Biren Singh government in the state is undertaking massive operations against drug trafficking and abuse, he said the BJP will make Manipur drug-free by next election.

Projects inaugurated by him include the Manipur Olympian Park at Sangaithel, a paid private ward at state-run Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS), Moreh town water supply scheme, Nongpok Thong Bridge at the eastern side of Kangla Fort and cave tourism project at Kangkhui cave.

Foundation stones were laid for the construction of 40 police outposts, 34 of which will be along the India-Myanmar international border and six along National Highway 37.

Earlier in the day, he hoisted the tricolour at the Indian National Army (INA) headquarters at Moirang, inaugurated a medical college in Churachandpur and unveiled a 120-foot-high statue of a polo player in Imphal East district.
She has, in the recent past, taken on the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government in her home state MP and is now targeting the party itself

After lying low for some time, the firebrand sanyasin and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Uma Bharati is in the news once again. Desperate to return to electoral politics (she did not contest the 2019 Lok Sabha election), the former Union minister, currently out in the cold, makes her presence felt periodically. She has, in the recent past, taken on the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government in her home state Madhya Pradesh and is now targeting the party itself. Uma Bharatis fiery oratory at a recent meeting of the Lodhi community in Tikamgarh has become a source of acute embarrassment for the BJP. She told the audience that as a loyal soldier of her party she could not say anything against it but there is no constraint on the people who must carefully assess if the BJP representatives have delivered on their promises before they cast their vote. Union minister Prahlad Singh Patel and his MLA brother Jamal Singh Patel, who were also present at the meeting, were left red-faced as Uma Bharati continued in the same vein, basically exhorting the audience not to vote for the BJP. The BJPs Madhya Pradesh unit is predictably upset and has asked Jamal Singh Patel to explain his presence at a function where an anti-party speech was delivered.

*

For all the scorn heaped by the current ruling dispensation on the Khan Market gang, Bharatiya Janata Party leaders are not averse to being clubbed as its members. In fact, politicians of all hues  from K.C. Tyagi (Janata Dal (United)) to Derek OBrien (Trinamul Congress) and Ram Gopal Yadav (Samajwadi Party)  can be spotted at this so-called elite market. Recently Union minister Smriti Irani was seen looking at shawls in one of the shops. Uncharacteristically, given her usual loud self, Ms Irani took care not to attract attention to herself. She was there alone, without staff or security personnel, and spoke in hushed tones to the staff. Fortunately for her, no one recognised her as everyone was busy shopping. Apparently, Ms Irani is a frequent visitor to Khan Market and generally comes minus her ministerial paraphernalia.

*

Given his penchant for courting controversy, the voluble Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar has often found himself sidelined by the party for his off-the-cuff remarks. The last time he embarrassed the Congress was a few years ago when he made some uncharitable remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi. At one point, Mr Aiyar was also suspended by the party but even after his suspension was revoked, he was kept on the margins. But he appears to be back in the good books of the Congress leadership now. This was evident from the fact that Mr Aiyar was seated prominently in the front row along with Sonia and Rahul Gandhi at the partys foundation day programme last month. Sonia Gandhi was also seen in deep conversation with Mr Aiyar after the function. On his part, Mr Aiyar has emerged from the shadows and has been participating enthusiastically in Rahul Gandhis Bharat Jodo Yatra. He has also given a spate of interviews where he has been all praise for Rahul Gandhis foot march and its message of unity.

*

Though Union defence minister Rajnath Singh is officially designated number two in the official hierarchy, he has not enjoyed the same status as his home minister Amit Shah, known to be close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. However, of late, there appears to be a belated recognition of Mr Singhs stature and seniority. The defence minister has been far more vocal and visible in recent months as he travelled from Arunachal Pradesh to the Andamans, inaugurating high-profile projects and issuing warnings to China and Pakistan which would otherwise be the prerogative of the Prime Minister. It is in keeping with the importance being accorded to Mr Singh at the Centre that his son Pankaj Singh, an MLA in the Yogi government, has been allotted a ministerial bungalow on Lucknows prestigious Kalidas Marg, just down the road from chief minister Yogi Adityanaths official residence at number 5. Interestingly, the number of Pankaj Singhs residence is 5A, even though it is the seventeenth bungalow down the road. One view is that it is to convey a message that the Singhs are way up the pecking order, next only to the chief minister.

*

An interesting experiment is currently underway in the government. According to insiders, all the Central ministers have been asked to acquaint themselves with the functioning, landmark projects and the achievements of a ministry other than their own. It is believed this proposal has come from the Prime Ministers Office. Its chief purpose is to ensure that the knowledge base of the ministers is not necessarily limited to a particular field and that instead they should have an overview of the governments working in other areas and also its success stories. This, it is argued, will also help the ministers in responding to queries from the media and elsewhere during their travels as it is found that questions are not always confined to one field. The government obviously does not want its ministers faltering when information is sought on issues outside their respective areas of expertise.
What are the power dynamics in BJP under Narendra Modi? Whose stock is rising, and whose is declining?

When I was posted in our embassy in Moscow in the era of the Soviet Union, one of the key preoccupations of diplomats was to try and figure out who stands where in the ruling hierarchy of power. The ruling Communist party was so publicly opaque in its internal dynamics, that it was difficult to gauge who is in and who is out at any given moment of time. The supremo, the general secretary of the Communist Party, was clearly at the top. But whose fortunes were rising or declining under his supremacy was a matter of constant speculation.

This is a pastime that many political pundits are busy with in India too with regard to the internal power equations within the ruling Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP). Without doubt, Narendra Modi is the undisputed number one. He stands head and shoulders above all the rest. His leadership is unquestioned. His ability to get votes for his party is clearly established. He has no challenger.

But what are the power dynamics in the party under him? Whose stock is rising, and whose is declining? This is a matter of great debate amongst a host of those who claim to be in the know, but the truth is that nobody really does. Is Amit Shah the de facto number two? Or has there recently been a diminution in his status? Is party president, J.P. Nadda, being groomed to take on some of the organisational dominance of Amit Shah? Or, are Mr Nadda, and information and broadcasting minister Anurag Thakur, in the doghouse because of BJP losing the elections in Himachal Pradesh, the state to which both belong? Is environment minister Bhupendra Yadav the new rising star?

Will the party president be changed, or will Mr Nadda be given an extension? His term ends in January 2023, and probably it is too late now to have organisational elections to elect a new president, but who knows? Some observers believe that Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh,is being persuaded to assume the presidency of the party. Is Rajnath the de jure number two in the government? Or does he have only token primacy, so long as he is well behaved and does not show signs of unwarranted ambition? And what about UP chief minister (CM) Yogi Adityanath? Is he Mr Modis man, or Amit Shahs, or loyal to both, or a threat to each, especially Mr Shah? After all, he has won successively and with large margins in UP, which sends the largest number of MPs to Parliament, and appears to be a more hardline Hindu than even the PM.

There are other intriguing questions. Will Madhya Pradesh CM,Shivraj Singh Chauhan, jettisoned unexpectedly from the partys apex body, the parliamentary board, continue as CM? Or does the party high command want a change? If so, what is the reason? Is it because he has won a major state repeatedly, and could be a threat in the future? And, who is likely to be his successor? Is Jyotiraditya Scindia a contender? What is likely to be the fate of Vasundhara Raje in Rajasthan? Rumours are rife that she is not in the good books of both Mr Modi and Mr Shah, and that someone like Gajendra Singh Shekhawat could be the next CM candidate. If that were to happen, what will Vasundhara do? Take it lying down, or rebel? With the elections in Karnataka coming up, will Basavaraj Bommai, the CM of a rather discredited government, be retained or dropped? Former Karnataka CM, B.S. Yediyurappa, has been elevated to the partys parliamentary board, but have he and national organisation secretary B.L. Santosh, also a member of the board, buried their alleged earlier rivalry?

Piyush Goyal is a competent minister, but did not get the finance portfolio, for reasons that everybody seems to know. Nirmala Sitharaman has proved her critics wrong, but have her detractors reconciled to her meteoric rise? One of the problems is that nobody in the BJP really knows when the axe will fall. Ravi Shankar Prasad, the ubiquitous face of the party on TV, did not expect to be unceremoniously dropped from the Cabinet. Nor did Prakash Javadekar. What is to be the fate of Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, the only Muslim minister in the Cabinet, who was not given a Rajya Sabha berth? Changes in the BJP are made surgically and drastically. CM Vijay Rupani, and his entire Cabinet in Gujarat, were dismissed overnight. Bhupendra Patel is clearly the new favourite, but whose writ prevailed in the selection of tickets for the recent Gujarat elections, Mr Modis or Mr Shahs?

Discussions also revolve around the current equation between the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). The consensus is that the RSS needs Mr Modi; but does Mr Modi pay the customary respects to the RSS? Is the RSS concerned that the supreme personality cult of one man in the party, and the bigoted Hindutva agenda hijacked now by the likes of Bajrang Dal, are likely to be counter-productive for the BJP in the long run? It is not coincidental that when RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat met with some leading Muslim figures, and visited a masjid, he was trolled extensively by supporters of the BJP. At whose behest?

Nitin Gadkari, widely hailed as one of the most effective ministers in the cabinet, was dropped from the BJP parliamentary board. Has he reconciled himself to his humiliation, or is biding his time, secure in the support he has in Nagpur? Or has former Maharashtra CM and now deputy CM, Devendra Fadnavis, replaced Mr Gadkari as the new Maharashtra favourite, both of the BJP and the RSS?

Finally, there is the ultimate question of what Narendra Modi will do when in less than three years he becomes 75 years of age. Will he fade into the Marg Darshak Mandal, like he has made others beyond this age do? There are some theories that he may like to move upwards to the post of President of India. If so, who would succeed him in the party?

There are questions galore. A last Cabinet reshuffle before the 2024 national elections is expected soon. Political pundits will remain busy. But, ultimately, only the writ of one man, Narendra Damodardas Modi, will prevail.
You dont notice it much of the time but if you happen to need to fly somewhere and youre not used to it you could get into big trouble

Besides security checks, I was worried about the airline, for wed been reading stories about how this particular airline didnt hesitate to beat up passengers. (Representational Image)

Its strange what they do in the name of security. You dont notice it much of the time but if you happen to need to fly somewhere and youre not used to it you could get into big trouble.

On Christmas day 2022, my wife and I had to fly to Bengaluru. The last time Id boarded a flight was back in 2019, just before the pandemic. Besides security checks, I was worried about the airline, for wed been reading stories about how this particular airline didnt hesitate to beat up passengers.

Im terrified of guns. At the airport, the armed soldiers at the entrance looked carefully at the e-tickets on our cellphones, and then our Aadhaar cards and our faces, and, perhaps to their disappointment, found nothing wrong. We managed to get our suitcases through the scanner and got ourselves checked in at a counter where a glacial young lady again peered at the photographs on our Aadhaar cards and then at our faces. She, too, failed to find fault, and handed us our boarding passes with a mechanical smile.

We were early and I was relaxing with a cup of outrageously expensive coffee when I realised that we still had to go through pre-boarding security. That meant, after ten more nervous minutes, standing in line, and placing your possessions in a tray. This, for me, was simple: my worn waist pouch holds my cellphone, my old wallet, a collection of small bits of paper that I should have thrown away years ago, and a miscellany of coins, pen drives and other little odds and ends. I stood spread-eagled whilst a uniformed paramilitary soldier passed a magic wand along my limbs and inspected my belt buckle before stamping my boarding pass, waving me on when he was done.

Phew! Nothing so far!

But it aint over until its over. The conveyor belt carrying my pouch froze, and so did I. A long while ago, in the US, a few months after 9/11, Id got into trouble for carrying a nail cutter in my pouch, but Id remembered this time to put it in my suitcase I couldnt think of anything else that might get me into trouble. In any case, I went to the counter where a young lady in uniform was inspecting my pouch. Theres a paper cutter in here somewhere, she said sternly, standing arms akimbo.

Cooperate, I thought frantically! I picked up the pouch and handed it over. Look wherever you like, I said. So we went through all the little pockets we could find  and this pouch had about a dozen of them. No paper cutter.

The young lady put the pouch back on the conveyor so her colleague could look at it again with the x-ray machine. He shook his head and pointed at his monitor. Theres a paper cutter in there, he said. Check it again.

I couldnt see his monitor so I had no idea where the alleged paper cutter was. When the lady came back to me with the pouch, I laid its contents on the counter  my wallet and keys and phone and those papers  and had another look. And, found, hidden away, a pocket within a pocket, where I presume youd hide secret papers, which I dont have. And there, instead of papers, lay a slim red folding knife with a rust-spotted two-inch blade that Id used occasionally to cut fruit while travelling...

The lady gave me a look of loathing. Didnt you know this was in your pouch? she asked.

I forgot, I mumbled, like a six-year-old facing a furious schoolteacher.

She glared at me then, as if shed have enjoyed emptying her colleagues submachinegun into me. I fancied I saw her fingers twitch, but she restrained herself. Instead, she confiscated the knife, made an entry in a book, and handed the pouch back to me. Go! she ordered.

I went. I gathered my belongings, stuffing them in the pouch any which way, and hurried away on trembling knees to the escalator to the gate, away from that menacing glare.

We were still early, and, up in the waiting area by the boarding gate, there was time to relax. I acquired another cup of coffee and sat quietly down to wait for the flight to be called.

The peace didnt last. As I began to sip the coffee, I saw the lady in uniform come up the stairs, holding up something that glinted, looking for someone amongst the waiting passengers. As I sat back to watch, her eye fell on me, and her eyebrows joined in a frown. When she neared, I saw in her hand two keys: keys to my house and my bike. Yours? she asked.

I nodded, unable to speak for fear of being shot, or, worse, arrested.

She handed them to me and said, still frowning, There are other lost items at the security check counter. Come with me and see if theres anything else of yours.

I followed her towards the staircase to the ground floor. At the top of the staircase, she turned to me. Why cant you take more care? she asked furiously, but with a note of concern. Youre lucky I remembered you when I saw these keys on the counter. Otherwise...

That concern transformed the moment. The young lady in uniform suddenly became a regular human being, with all the burdens that humanity carries. My fear fell away. Right, I said. Thanks very much. I checked my pouch. Everythings here. She nodded and marched away, and I returned slowly to my seat at the gate, relieved of my fear of flying.
by Arundathie Abeysinghe

The campaign began in front of the capital's train station, but this is already the second time in four months that a petition has been organized against high electricity bills. Experts say the increase was proposed to compensate for allowances given to the Ceylon Elecrtricy Board, Sri Lanka's largest electricity company dependent on the Ministry of Energy.

Colombo (AsiaNews) - The protest season in Sri Lanka continues: the Electricity Consumers Association (Eca) has collected 6.9 million signatures across the country against the government's decision to increase utility bills. The campaign began in front of the railway station in the capital Colombo and is supported by the opposition, labor unions, the real estate and industrial sectors, public and private sector employees, and the Public Utilities Commission in Sri Lanka (Pucsl).

This is the second time in four months that a petition against high utility bills has been organized. According to Pucsl, the action is illegal because the government does not have the authority to raise bills. However, Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera reiterated that the proposed tariff scheme was advanced by the Ceylon Electricity Board (Ceb) and was shared on his Twitter account as an official message.

Sampath Hendawitharana, a public sector employee from Kalutara and father of two school-age children, told AsiaNews that "the proposed electricity tariff increase is similar to an electric shock. Several families from my village have left the country in search not of greener pastures, but with the goal of finding employment abroad. Some may never return to Sri Lanka. Many families committed suicide because they could not pay their mortgages, buy food, and pay their college tuition. Does the government expect people to live in the dark?"

Nimal Sendaratne, an NGO activist, explained that "the new tariff is a blow to the middle class and the poor. People are facing numerous difficulties due to the high cost of living; they pawn their jewelry, consume one meal a day, and many have lost their livelihoods. Parents give up meals to pay for school fees, some students have dropped out of school, and those who live on rent cannot pay it, so they live with relatives and friends who face similar difficulties. If there is an increase in bills, how will people pay?"

Several opposition MPs present at the signature-gathering campaign reiterated that "this is the inefficiency of the government. We have planned to go house to house, starting next week, and launch a massive protest campaign if the government goes ahead with this increase. It will be the second largest protest in the country. People are living in miserable conditions. We will lead the struggle. People are silent, not because they have a comfortable life, but because they are fed up with all the 225 MPs in Parliament."

Lawyer Ramesh Alagiyawanna revealed that "the government decided to increase electricity tariffs by up to 65 percent in January due to the approval of the Council of Ministers to offset costs. Over the past three months, more than 3.5 billion rupees (9 million euros) have been paid as allowances and salaries for employees of the Ceylon Electricity Board," Sri Lanka's largest power company dependent on the Ministry of Energy. "The government is trying to overcome the objections of the power sector regulator and proceed with the tariff increase."

Eca sources added, "We started our public petition in Matara on January 1, the hometown of Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera, and collected signatures in Galle as well. We collected over 10,000 signatures on the first day. It is the Pucsl that has the authority to decide on these tariffs."
Suspended due to the pandemic, the festival resumes this year albeit with some limitations including the cancellation of the procession. Thousands of worshippers have been attending the celebrations at the church in Quipao for days. Additional 5,000 officers deployed, municipality suspends alcohol sales.

Manila (AsiaNews) - Suspended for two years because of the Covid-19 pandemic, Philippine authorities have authorized - albeit with some restrictions - celebrations related to the "Black Nazarene" scheduled from today until Jan. 9.

It is one of the most important events for the Church and the faithful in the Philippines, the only Catholic-majority country on the Asian continent, and linked to the century-old wooden statue of Christ.

Each year, the Translation of the sacred sculpture from its original site - the church of St. Nicholas of Tolentino - to the parish of Quiapo, Manila, concludes a novena (Dec. 31-Jan. 9) and is attended by millions of faithful gathered in prayer, to ask for a personal grace or miracle.

In the Philippines, more than 82 percent of the approximately 110 million population is Catholic. Among the religious celebrations, the procession of the "Black Nazarene" is among the most famous and well attended.

The statue represents Jesus bent under the weight of the Cross. It was brought to Manila by a Spanish Augustinian priest in 1607 aboard a ship from Mexico.

According to tradition, the vessel caught fire during the voyage, but the image of Christ miraculously escaped the fire by taking on the color black.

The procession commemorates the first movement of the statue, which took place on January 9, 1767. Along the entire route (seven kilometers) of the Translation, worshippers flock to touch or kiss the sculpture in devotion, creating huge gatherings, which is why the event was canceled in the previous two years of the pandemic's peak.

Even for 2023, while authorizing the festival, authorities have decided to ban the procession amid fears of an escalation of contagions and have imposed some special conditions regarding prevention and public health.

Worshippers in the capital city have long feared that, again for this year, the feast would be cancelled en bloc. However, on Jan. 3, the Quipao church received the green light from police and health authorities.

Fr. Earl Allyson Valdez, pastor of Quiapo, reports that "instead of kissing the feet of the statue, the faithful will be able to simply approach and touch the Black Nazarene" thus avoiding "the risk of contagion."

The priest added that several thousand worshippers have already begun attending services held at the shrine these days.

Manila Police Director Andre Dizon announced the deployment of an additional 5,000 officers, but it is difficult to predict exactly how many people will attend.

The capital's mayor, Honey Lacuna, also announced a ban on the sale of alcoholic beverages during the celebrations. "No bottles of alcohol will be sold to Manila residents, pilgrims, tourists and others from Jan. 7 to Jan. 9, to ensure he concluded--the protection of everyone during the celebrations."
by Sumon Corraya

Local Caritas distributed 1,800 blankets to those most in need. Thousands of children hospitalized for frost-related pneumonia. In January, although it is the coldest month, there is usually an average temperature of 26 degrees, with drops as low as 12 degrees at night.

Rajshai (AsiaNews) - At least 77 people have died as a result of a cold snap in Bangladesh, where persistent temperatures below 10 degrees are considered particularly cold and abnormal.

In the past 24 hours, 3,173 people have been hospitalized for respiratory system infections, pneumonia and diarrhea. Local Caritas has been active in bringing aid to those most in need.

According to local media in the past two months at least 364,654 people have fallen ill with flu across the country, with children and the elderly among the hardest hit.

Medical experts explain that blood circulation decreases in freezing weather, and weak people get sick when they have difficulty regulating their body temperature.

Children, whose numbers among hospitalizations are worryingly increasing, are more likely to develop colds and pneumonia. According to Dr. Mozammel Haque, professor of the Pediatric Department at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib University, children between the ages of two months and two years suffer mainly from viral bronchitis.

It is in this context that Caritas Bangladesh has taken action to help with blankets children, the elderly, pregnant women, widows, and the poor in vulnerable conditions.

David Hembrom, regional director of Caritas Rajshahi, told AsiaNews that they distributed 1,800 blankets, "Because of the cold wave, children and the elderly are getting sick. They need support."

Other Caritas Bangladesh volunteers added that 3,500 blankets have been distributed in Rajshahi and Dinajpur areas. The government and other local NGOs are also trying to bring relief to the people.

A moderate cold wave is currently sweeping over Rajshahi, Pabna, Dinajpur, Panchagarh, Nilphamari, Jashore, Chuadanga and Kushtia districts and the situation may continue, the Bangladesh Meteorological Department said yesterday.

Temperatures between 8 and 10 degrees are considered a mild cold wave, those between 6 and 8 degrees a moderate cold wave and those below 6 degrees a severe cold wave.

The lowest temperature in the country was recorded yesterday in Jashore with 9 degrees Celsius. In January, although it is the coldest month, there is usually an average temperature of 26 degrees Celsius, with drops as low as 12 degrees Celsius at night.

The marginalized people of Bangladesh dread the winter season because of the difficulties associated with going to work. Winter in the country lasts almost three months, but due to climate change it is getting more intense.
MOSCOW/KIEV, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- The following are the latest developments in the Ukraine crisis:

In accordance with instructions of the Russian president and the defense minister, a ceasefire regime has been declared along the entire line of contact in Ukraine from Friday noon to Saturday midnight, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a daily report on Friday.

Despite Russian troops' observance of the truce, Ukraine continued artillery shelling of populated areas and Russian positions, while Russian forces responded with fire, the ministry said.

- - - -

Ukrainian Presidential Adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said Thursday that Kiev will agree on a ceasefire with Russia only after Russian troops are withdrawn from Ukraine.

The Russian Federation must leave and only then will it have a "temporary truce," Podolyak said on his Twitter account.

Earlier in the day, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a temporary ceasefire along the frontline of fighting, the Kremlin press service said in a statement.

According to the statement, the truce will last for 36 hours starting at noon local time (0900 GMT) on Jan. 6, when Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas. Putin also called on Kiev to declare a ceasefire based on the fact that a large number of Orthodox citizens live in the combat areas.

- - - -

The United States and Germany will send Ukraine armored fighting vehicles built respectively by the two countries to bolster Kiev in its ongoing conflict with Russia, the White House said Thursday.

The announcement was made in a statement about a telephone conversation between U.S. President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz earlier in the day.

During the call, Biden expressed the intent to supply Ukraine with armored fighting vehicles without specifying how many will go to Ukraine. Scholz said Germany was also prepared to aid Ukraine.

The United States and Germany will train Ukrainian forces on how to operate the respective vehicles being given to Ukraine.

- - - -

In a phone call on Thursday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin discussed a Ukrainian grain export deal and natural gas cooperation, Turkiye's presidential office said in a statement.

Turkiye will improve its infrastructure in order to build a natural gas center, Erdogan told Putin, adding that calls for peace and negotiations should be supported by a unilateral ceasefire and a vision for a fair solution to the Ukrainian conflict.

- - - -

On Wednesday, the Russian armed forces destroyed two depots of artillery ammunition of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov told a daily briefing on Thursday.

The Russian Aerospace Forces shot down a Su-24 aircraft and a Su-25 aircraft of the Ukrainian Air Force, he said, adding that 21 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles were destroyed.

In addition, five U.S. HIMARS multiple rocket launchers and four U.S. HARM anti-radar missiles were intercepted in Lugansk and Kherson, Konashenkov said.

- - - -

Russia struck Ukrainian forces in the Kupyansk direction, taking out more than 40 Ukrainian servicemen, two motor vehicles, and one sabotage and reconnaissance group in Kharkov, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a daily report on Wednesday.

In the Krasny Liman direction, Russia launched artillery strikes at two assault detachments as well as manpower and hardware concentration areas of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which lost over 150 soldiers, one armored personnel carrier, seven armored fighting vehicles and three pickups.

Russian forces continued their offensive in the Donetsk direction and the Ukrainian Armed Forces lost over 100 personnel, one tank, four armored fighting vehicles and five motor vehicles. 
Best Gifts for a Man's 30th Birthday

20 Awesome Gifts for Men About to Leave Their 20s

The AskMen editorial team thoroughly researches & reviews the best gear, services and staples for life. AskMen may get paid if you click a link in this article and buy a product or service.

Product images from retailer sites.

Turning 30 is a big milestone in a mans life. Though theres nothing etching your 30th birthday in stone, its often a time when, to paraphrase 1 Corinthians, we put childish things aside.

As you turn 30, in most peoples life trajectories, school is a distant speck in the rear-view mirror, and now, questions of career, family and home come to the forefront.

While these days, only a lucky few seem to have the 20th-century vision of a spouse and kids, a house and a car all at the same time, thats no reason why your 30s shouldnt signify a shift in some sense.

And if the products you own cant be solely responsible for that shift, they can at least be part of it. So down come the dorm-room posters, out go the beat-up running shoes, and in come some statement pieces meant to last.

RELATED: Things All Guys Should Stop Doing by Age 30

So if theres a man in your life whos turning 30 imminently  whether a friend, a boyfriend or husband, a son, nephew or grandson, or maybe even a cherished cousin  and youre looking for a way to celebrate that moment in his life, here are 20 awesome gifts to help him ring in the new decade.

Cole Haan Wool Car Coat

Is there anything that makes a man look like a man (as opposed to a boy) more than a suave coat? Maybe a handful of things, but a wardrobe staple like Cole Haans black wool car coat can instantly shift a guys look from his 20s to his 30s. In addition to the classic vibes, its got seriously deep pockets, and the shimmery burgundy lining adds an unmistakable touch of class. With something this nice, hell be hoping it stays cooler longer just to show it off.

$328.00 at ColeHaan.com

Sennheiser Momentum 4 Headphones

Cheap headphones are a staple for guys in their teens and 20s. Show a guy you care about that his 30s have arrived with a pair of next-level cans, like Sennheisers Momentum 4 headphones. They look sleek, their sound quality is off the charts and, best of all, theyre wireless, meaning cable tangles are now a thing of the past.

$399.95 at Amazon.com

Lodge Chef Collection Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet

Everyone knows the stories about guys in their 20s when it comes to cooking  they dont have a clue, and its impressive if theyve stopped subsisting on instant ramen and bags of chips like they did in college. Of course, thats an unkind stereotype, but sometimes the real thing holding a guy back from applying himself in the kitchen is a lack of tools. The right piece of kitchenware can function as an inspiration to overhaul your whole approach to food, and there might be no better option (especially not given the price point) than a well-reviewed cast iron skillet like this affordable one from Lodge.

From $29.95 at Williams-Sonoma.com

De Tomaso Sorpasso Chronograph Watch

Isnt it time he got a watch? Women get necklaces, bracelets, earrings, rings, piercings and even anklets, but for many guys, jewelry begins and ends with watches. Still, the right watch can really elevate a look, and gifting him one like this striking chronograph from De Tomaso will give him the opportunity to impress friends and strangers alike when they ask him for the time.

$114.50 at DeTomasoWatches.com

Matt & Nat Soren Briefcase

Look, there are men who are confident enough to carry a purse, and there are men who are cool enough to wear a fanny-pack diagonally across their chests. For the rest of us, when you need to carry something, its backpacks or briefcases. If his 30th birthday is coming up, theres a good chance he owns one or more of the former, and none of the latter. Change that pronto with this vegan leather briefcase from Matt & Nat, which communicates both style and substance.

$215.00 at MattAndNat.com

RELATED: 10 Money Habits You Should Have Locked Down Before Turning 30

Scentbird Subscription

A mans 30s are a good time to settle on a signature scent  or a few. (No, sweat and/or deodorant dont count.) Give him the gift of choice (and exploration) with a subscription to Scentbird, which will send him mini-bottles of different perfumes and colognes every month so he can test them out until he falls in love with one  or a few  and splurges for the full bottle.

Check out Scentbird

Kobo Libra 2

Reading blog posts, tweets and listicles is all well and good, but sometimes you need to read something a little more hefty to properly grow as a person. And while you could technically read books on your phone or laptop, those are where the blog posts, tweets and listicles live. For his 30th, help him make reading a bigger part of his life. You could get him several dozen classic books and a giant bookshelf  or get him an e-reader. We love the Kobo Libra 2, and we think he will too.

$179.99 at Walmart.com

Nikka Taketsuru Pure Malt

For many guys, a good bottle of expensive whisky is the equivalent of saying I love you. Its old, its smoky, it conjures up notions of wood and fire, struggle and victory. Itll make you want to sing. Got a man in your life you need to say I love you to? Nikkas exquisite Taketsuru Pure Malt is here. Its Scotch via Japan, and its going to be the best bottle he owns. It might even make him want to buy a liquor cabinet.

$149.99 at Drizly.com

RELATED: Best Gifts for People Who Truly Appreciate a Good Drink

SuitSupply Dark Grey Houndstooth Havana Jacket

By the time theyre 30, most men will have already worn a suit on at least one or two occasions, if not a dozen or more. But because its an infrequent article of apparel, lots of guys try to skimp  they get a cheap one, they rent, or they get different pieces used and mesh them together. Give this 30-year-old the gift of a serious, take-no-prisoners suit with a number like this one from SuitSupply, which offers serious quality for surprisingly reasonable prices.

$499.00 at SuitSupply.com

Pro-Ject Debut Carbon EVO Turntable

Like reading, music is something thats easy to do on your phone or laptop. But also like reading, sometimes doing it with a little more intentionality, with an object designed specifically for that, can be a really special experience. Why not give your newly 30-year-old guy the gift of a sublime listening experience with a gorgeous, high-quality turntable like this one from Pro-Ject (yes, even the brand-new bands are putting out vinyl these days).

$599.00 at Amazon.com

Shun Classic 7-Inch Santoku Knife

Being able to prepare your own food  and make it delicious  sets a man in his 30s apart from the other would-be children stumbling through their 20s. If you dont want to go with the cast iron skillet  or if you want to double dip  get him a statement-piece knife, like this gorgeous santoku blade from Shun.

$129.97 at Amazon.com

Ray-Ban Original Wayfarer Classic

Just because hes moving forward through his life is no reason he cant appreciate a little piece of the past. Ray-Bans Wayfarers are an enduring fashion accessory for a reason  the design is timeless, the feel is classic, and the effect is pure, unadulterated cool. Oh, and protecting his eyes from harmful UV rays. That too.

$163.00 at Ray-Ban.com

July Carry On Suitcase

When youre 30, you might have been around long enough to know that life is about moments, not things. Which isnt to say things are valueless, but that theyre a means to an end, not an end in and of themselves. Celebrate the newly 30-year-olds future moments with a gift that will make him think of you whenever he sets out on an adventure, by getting him a top-notch suitcase that hell cherish. This one from July is lightweight, stylish, and packed with well-designed little details that make it a pleasure to use.

$295.00 at July.com

The Art of Shaving Sandalwood Full-Size Kit

Shaving can be a hassle, but nothing makes it more of a chore than sub-standard shaving equipment. If hes one of those guys whos been going through his 20s without a fully kitted-out shaving set-up, fix that in a hurry with this box from The Art of Shaving. Facial maintenance is so much more than just a razor and shaving cream, and hell be forever grateful to you for getting him addicted to pre-shave oil, aftershave balm, and the joys of the shaving brush.

$95.00 at TheArtOfShaving.com

Crate and Barrel Lava Resin Bookends

If hes the reader type but not the e-reader type, why not pair a physical book or two with something to spruce up his growing collection of literature? A stately pair of bookends communicates to his guests that hes a serious man of letters, and this gorgeous set, which achieve a textured, tri-shade look thanks to a handcrafted blend of lava, limestone and resin, will also suggest that hes got great taste, too.

$49.95 at CrateAndBarrel.com

RELATED: 10 Classic Books Every Man Should Read

Huckberry Whiskey Peaks Rocks Glasses

Owning a set of glassware is a sure sign that youve left your 20s behind. Owning a set of glassware that incorporates a relief model of various famous mountains into the bottom is a sure sign that youre a sophisticated man who takes pride in offering his guests an experience when he hands them a beverage. The Whiskey Peaks rocks glasses set will please mountain appreciators, whiskey fans and the many guys who are both.

$65.00 at Huckberry.com

Hartt Beaverbrook Oxford Dress Shoe

They say that you can tell a lot about a man based on what shoes he wears, and that hasnt stopped being true. Give a man a pair of something truly tasteful, like these Hartt oxfords, and watch him start to walk into rooms with confidence. The details here (the gorgeous, whiskey-amber gloss, the subtle shading along the stitch lines, the silk-lined dust bags and wooden shoe trees that come along with) will instantly take his shoe game up a notch  or several.

$405.00 at Hartt.ca

Triangle Borea BR03 Hi-Fi Bookshelf Speakers

What were we saying about high-quality sound earlier? If he already has a turntable, why turn the dial up on his audio setup? These smooth, minimalist speakers will almost certainly fit in with his existing furniture  but stand out when it comes time to pump up the jams.

$379.99 at Amazon.com

Sonder Cutting Board

Good knife and durable cast-iron pan already accounted for? Why not help complete his developing kitchen with a gorgeous cutting board, like this one from L.A.-based outfit Sonder? Its beautiful acacia finish, tasteful groove around the rim for juices and pleasing heft will mean itll likely be pressed into service doing double duty as a serving platter as well as a cutting board.

$49.95 at Amazon.com

Doshi Vegan Leather Stainless Steel Belt

A good belt is like the foundation of a building  without one, everythings likely to fall down. OK, kidding, a bit. But if hes still making do with a ratty old belt from his early 20s, nows a great time to offer up a refreshing change of pace, like this classic style from vegan leather brand Doshi.

$45.00 at Doshi.Shop

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There are a lot of these stories running around, like the mystery of the black Volga or the Little Bastard . Some are more true than others, but we still like them all. That said, I have a good one for you today, born in the heart of American muscle, Detroit - the Black Ghost.With a name like that, you can already expect the story to be juicy. So, cue the projector light, grab yourself a drink and a snack, and let's see what this is all about.It all started half a century ago with a man named Godfrey Qualls. Mister Qualls was a Detroit police officer and a retired veteran, having served with the 82nd Airborne Division. That was by day, as when night fell, things got a little different.You see, mister Qualls was the owner of a 1970 Dodge HEMI Challenger R/T SE, and that helped make him a myth among car enthusiasts and especially street racers. Despite being a police officer, Qualls would pop up at local meets, ready to take on any contender. He would then demolish said contender in a race, then disappear into the night. Also, his Challenger was black, hence the nickname Black Ghost.Often times after these night escapades, Qualls and his Challenger would vanish for weeks or even months, before returning to terrorize other brave souls who had the courage to take on him.So, what was the monstrosity he used to make street racers so afraid? The answer is pretty simple: the 1970 Dodge HEMI Challenger R/T SE. In stock form, the car came with the mighty 426 HEMI under the hood, producing 425 hp (431 ps) and mated to a 4-speed manual transmission. The police officer's car was finished in black and came with the so-called Gator Grain roof and a white tail stripe - so it looked as menacing as youd expect from such a beast.The Black Ghost terrorized racers and got numerous wins under its belt up until 1975, when it kind of disappeared from the racing scene. It now returns, albeit in an unexpected way: the HEMI Challenger will head to auction this spring in Indiana, during a Mecum event there. We dont know the asking price yet, or if it'll go with no reserve, but with such a history behind it we wouldn't be surprised to see it to go for record sums.The car is so iconic, in fact, that Dodge itself decided to get inspiration from it. In honor of the 1970s racer, it decided to make a special edition of the 2023 Challenger Hellcat Redeye Widebody branded Black Ghost and part of the Last Call releases.
Android Automotive is, therefore, an essential part of Googles automotive push, and earlier this week, the company has confirmed that more big names are embracing the platform, including Honda Surprisingly, Googles announcement did not include one of the leading companies in the automotive world and which is also ready to start using Android Automotive. BMW is projected to bring the operating system to its cars in 2024, but the reason the company wasnt included in Googles announcement is as simple as it could be: the Germans did not give in to the search giant.First and foremost, its important to understand how Android Automotive works.As a full infotainment platform that is built into vehicles directly by carmakers, Android Automotive offers deeper integration of Google services in the cabin, essentially providing the search giant with access to more features. For instance, Google Assistant can even adjust the air conditioning system, while Google Maps can read battery information to estimate if the existing range allows the driver to reach a defined destination.But as it turns out, BMW did not agree with this approach, pretty much because the company didnt want to provide Google with so much access to its cars. Data privacy continues to be a concept that BMW is very committed to in the long term, and using a licensed version of Android Automotive would have pretty much represented the end of it.Because it still wanted to bring Android to its cars, the carmaker decided to give up on the Google-licensed version of Android Automotive and go for the open-source edition. This involves more work on BMWs side, but on the other hand, it also puts the company in full control over everything that happens on the platform and, consequently of what data is accessed by the operating system in its cars.Without using Google Automotive Services, also referred to as GAS, BMW would be able to block Google from accessing certain data. On the other hand, using the open-source alternative also means that the experience for the end user would be slightly different.Google Play Store, for instance, wont be available, as BMW will stick with third-party app stores that would also allow it to offer its software stack (and ship updates, too) in a more efficient manner.Android Automotive is, therefore, projected to arrive in BMW cars in 2024, so the models that are powered by iDrive will stick with the Linux-based software. While iDrive 9 will be the first version to be based on Android, iDrive 8 will also receive an update to version 8.5 specifically to bring it in line with its modern successor in terms of look and feel.Needless to say, some features powered by Android wouldnt be available on iDrive 8.5.
Photo: reddit user sonofzell

Available as the native offering on iPhones, Apple Maps obviously has a very solid user base, especially as some of the companys customers are particularly interested in sticking with first-party solutions.But on the other hand, its not a secret that Apple Maps is losing ground in the area that matters the most for the end user: the feature availability. The Cupertino-based tech giant is rolling out new capabilities, such as the 3D navigation support , at an annoyingly slow pace, and at some level, its not even interested in accelerating the release in any way.This is precisely why Apple Maps is losing the fight with its rivals. Recent research published by analysis firm Omdia emphasizes that the new-generation Apple Maps, which no longer uses TomTom data, is only making slow progress, therefore putting the software way behind its biggest competitors in the majority of markets.In other words, while Apple seems committed to delivering a substantially upgraded Apple Maps experience to users worldwide, the whole thing takes way too long, and eventually, the company could just end up being late to the party.But on the other hand, there are three things that Apple could use to build an almighty navigation ap p.First and foremost, its the always-expanding developer community that could help improve the adoption of Apple Maps across the world. The study indicates that Apple Maps has the largest number of developers in the challengers groups (apps that arent currently the top solutions worldwide ), and this provides the software with a significant growth opportunity.Tech giants need developers to offer solid products, and Microsoft is just the best example on this front. The software giants push for its very own mobile platform failed due to lackluster developer interest, with Windows Phone eventually retired pretty much because almost nobody brought their apps to the store.With a growing community of devs, Apple can help expand Apple Maps as well, but once again, this takes time, and the company needs to accelerate its efforts on this front.Second, its the user experience that Apple is so committed to delivering. As compared to the other navigation apps out there, Apple Maps is primarily focused on high-quality content, so the service now offers 3D renderings of some of the largest cities, immersive walking directions, rich map details, and updated navigation with stop signs and traffic light locations.All of these prove that Apple is sticking with an approach that made its other products famous: adopt an existing concept but reinvent it with a premium touch that would set it apart from the rest of the crowd.And third, Apples brand loyalty could help Apple Maps in the long term. Its not a secret that Apples customers are avid company fans, with brand loyalty getting close to 90 percent in both the United States and Europe.This could help the company expand Apple Maps and grow it bigger, as many users would be tempted to stick with it despite certain shortcomings simply because its an Apple product.But at the end of the day, I still believe that everything comes down to feature availability. Apple needs to accelerate the rollout and release new capabilities to users across the world at a faster pace, especially because a slow approach typically generates more frustration in the community.For example, if users are forced to wait too long for new features, they could end up migrating to another product. Once they switch and get used to what the alternative has to offer, they may never go back, so Apple is missing a great opportunity to grow its platform both in short and the long term.And then, using such a slow rollout for new-generation Apple Maps features gives more time to rivals to build competing products. The 3D navigation feature that Apple has developed is a fantastic update, and it has great potential to convince more Google Maps users to switch to Apple Maps. But on the other hand, the 3D future is also part of Googles commitment to improving Google Maps, so sooner or later, Apple may no longer be the only company thats focused on this front.At the end of the day, as the cited research also notes, Apple has what it takes to become a top player in the navigation space, and the only thing that it needs is a good strategy on how to make this possible. For the time being, Apple doesnt seem too committed to building an almighty navigation app, and unless it improves in this regard fast, it could end up being late to the party, and the company certainly knows this is sometimes irreversible.
Imagine a Wenn diagram for cars and celebrities. At the intersection you'll find Monica, putting her passion for these fields and English-Spanish double major to work. She's been doing for the past seven years, most recently at autoevolution.

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AMG

Pictured in white, Kias range-topping variant of the Stinger is the second-oldest design of the lot. Previewed by the GT concept at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show and the GT4 Stinger concept from the 2014 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, the D-segment liftback launched in 2017 for the 2018 model year. To be discontinued this year, the soon-to-be-axed Stinger can be specified with rear- or all-wheel drive.The GT comes with rear-drive as standard, whereas all-wheel drive adds $2,200 to the tally as per the U.S. configurator. In this configuration, the Stinger weighs 4,023 pounds (make that 1,828 kilograms), which is pretty alright given the cars footprint. We also have to remember that a twin-turbocharged V6 is hiding under the hood, connected to an eight-speed automatic transmission. The Lambda II T-GDi sixer is good for 365 horsepower at 6,000 revolutions per minute and 376 pound-feet (510 Nm) from 1,300 to 4,500 revolutions per minute. Not bad for a Kia, huh?Next up, the bright silver-painted CLS isnt your usual CLS. Twinned with the E 53 and GT 4-Door 53, the CLS 53 rocks a 3.0L inline-six turbo with EQ Boost, an electric auxiliary compression, and plenty ofbadging. Unfortunately for AMG loyalists, the 53 series isnt considered a true AMG because the powerplant isnt hand-assembled in Affalterbach.As opposed to 362 ponies and 369 pound-feet (500 Nm) for the 450, the 53 levels up to 429 and 384 (520). It uses a nine-speed automatic with a torque converter, not the multi-clutch gearbox of the 63 series. The newest design of the bunch weighs 4,389 pounds (1,991 kilograms) in this spec.The final entry is a dinosaur in many respects. Not only does it feature a platform dating back to the DaimlerChrysler era, but the Charger also flaunts a good ol HEMI. The naturally-aspirated V8 is referred to as 392 after the cubes it displaces, as in 6.4 liters if you prefer the metric system.Equipped with a TorqueFlite automatic based on the ZF-developed 8HP, the red-painted Charger Daytona weighs 4,410 pounds (2,000 kilograms). Good for 485 horsepower and 475 pound-feet (644 Nm) on full song, the four-door muscle car boasts aftermarket instead of factory-issue rubber.Were not going to spoil which is quicker from a dig and a roll, though. The Charger vs. Stinger vs. CLS video was uploaded a few hours ago, and as ever, it was filmed at Sam CarLegions trademark location in Canada.
Delta says that its the first major airline to introduce fast, free wi-fi for all. The company is technically right because it had over 30 million passengers on board in the third quarter of last year. But its important to remember that Hawaiian Airlines struck a deal with Starlink last year, in April, for free wi-fi onboard its aircraft.The problem, however, is that the contract signed with SpaceXs satellite internet service requires the installation of specific pieces of hardware. So, Hawaiian Airlines will enable the Starlink-powered wi-fi later, in the summer of 2023.On the other hand, JSX (in which JetBlue and Qatar Airways hold a minority stake) debuted onboard low-latency and free wi-fi through Starlink in December 2022. The semi-private airline operates flights in the U.S. and Mexico.Meanwhile, Delta made sure to not wait that long and moved to one up its competitors. The company announced that its going to include free wi-fi onboard its aircraft at CES 2023 and confirmed that unrestricted and decently fast internet access will be provided from February 2023 onwards. Currently, Delta estimates it will need at least until the end of 2024 to equip all its airplanes with the necessary hardware.Surprising many, Delta decided to pick T-Mobile as its partner for this new development. It says that over 700 airplanes will be equipped with Viasats satellite internet service until this years end, even though a part of the companys fleet had this hardware since 2022. Thats how some T-Mobile customers have already enjoyed free onboard wi-fi and why the airline will have 500 aircraft equipped with free wi-fi very soon.The only difference starting from February is that anyone with a Skymiles account will be able to surf the web for free. This replaces the $5 fee per person and flight. It also eliminates the need for a plan from their mobile service operator, which must include free wi-fi while in the air.Surprinsingly, while video streaming is allowed, passenger will not be able to hold video calls.Customers will figure out if they are boarding a plane with free wi-fi that does not take ages to load by identifying a square-shaped blue sticker that says "Fast, Free Wi-Fi for Skymiles members." Delta customers who do not want to join the Skymiles club will have to pay $10 to get access to the internet while flying.Right now, Viasat-equipped aircraft can provide passengers with video streaming capable wi-fi speeds for a fee, but Delta will gradually offer access to free and fast internet on all its flights, including international ones, by the end of 2024. T-Mobile has also said that it does not matter who your current phone carrier is  theyll make sure Deltas customers will remain online and have fast internet.Delta is also getting ready to launch its Sync Exclusives Hub which will include content from Paramount+, NYT Games, Resy, and Atlas Obscura.Finally, even though Delta didnt choose Starlink, T-Mobile has a partnership with SpaceX. It enables satellite internet and extended connectivity for the companys customers. SpaceX is also continuing to equip satellites with a system that can hook up to a cellular signal virtually anywhere in the U.S., be it on land or at sea.
Ask if your reality is the real reality

Photo: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Transport is more efficient through electrification

Batteries, batteries, and more batteries

Photo: US Department of Energy

Time to say goodbye to ICEs

Photo: Tesla

kWh

More electricity, please!

Sometimes, it feels like were living in two different worlds at the same time.In one of them, there are all those people who think EVs are rubbish. They spread all kinds of fake news, alternative facts, or out-of-context information about the dark side of electromobility. And they see oil as the only solution for their cars and their needs, at this very moment.In the other world, there are these people who speak about pollution and climate change, based on scientific facts. They warn others about mid- and long-term problems and analyze technological improvements and alternatives to the current polluting ones.Then there are all the others, who live in both worlds and are very confused about who is right and what is wrong . They sort of want an electric car, but they are not willing to make compromises about the range, charging time, or price of the car.It's something like we know we have to change things, but we dont really want that change. We like it as it is. But remember what Darwin said: The fittest survives. When things youre used to are changing  very fast and very dramatically  you are forced to give up your comfort zone and reassess things.Dont be confused about it. Your OWN reality is just a small, even insignificant part, of the broader reality. What and how you consume, as a person, is irrelevant compared to what all the people in the country do.Lets take a look at the estimated U.S. energy consumption habits in 2021, thanks to the flow diagram created by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Data for 2022 is not available yet, but were only exercising, for now, to get to a point.By the way, all the values in this graph are in quads  quadrillions of British thermal units (BTUs). Its something to define and quantify the energy we use , no matter what its source. At this point, youre probably dazzled like Denzel Washington in Philadelphia, but dont worry, theres no need to explain this to me like Im a 4-year-old.You have all those colors and rectangles of different sizes to easily understand the bigger picture. We use many sources of energy (column on the left) for different activities (pink rectangles). In the end, we can measure the efficiency of using all that energy (those two gray rectangles on the right).Ok, my almost-4-years-old daughter still doesnt get it, but she doesnt know how to read either. While you do, and Im sure you know what efficiency is all about. As you can see, in 2021, the U.S. wasted two-thirds of the energy it used. Rejected energy rectangle is two times larger than the energy services.How does it translate to YOUR reality? Youre paying three times more than you should on the gasoline for your car, on the electricity bill for your stuff, and on your gas bill for your house. It sounds crazy, but this is how things are done now. Inefficiently.Look at that orange Electricity Generation rectangle. It needed 36.6 quads, and 58% was sourced from fossil fuels like natural gas, coal, and petroleum. Then look at the efficiency: 12.9 quads were put to good use, while 23.7 quads were lost.It means that two-thirds were lost because of the inefficient use of fossil fuels. If we were to replace all fossil fuel sources with non-fossil, such as renewables, that gray lane (wasted energy) would be nothing more but a very thin thread.Ok, now look at that pink Transportation rectangle: 24.3 quads (90%) are coming from petroleum, some 2.58 quads (less than 10%) from biomass and natural gas, and only 0.02 quads (less than 0,1%) are coming from electricity.Of the 26.9 quads used by the transportation sector, 21.2 are wasted. Wait, thats not two-thirds. Its actually more than three-quarters! As you can see, transport is by far the most inefficient in this chart compared to the other three pink sectors and even the orange electricity generation.Almost 80% of the energy needed (most of it from petroleum fuels) is wasted. And, may I add, it also creates pollution and GHG emissions, which are not accounted for in the chart. Oh, I just realized I made a mistake earlier: youre not paying three times more at the pump , but four times more.Thats because internal combustion engines efficiency is really awful compared to electric motors. So its only logical to replace them with electric ones. This way, well see a huge improvement in the transportation sectors overall efficiency.YOUR reality should revolve around this efficiency thing because efficiency is equivalent to equilibrium in every aspect of our lives. But lets not get into life hacks now and lets go back to the bigger picture.Economically speaking, the transportation sector must improve its efficiency at a fast pace. Regardless of the pollution collateral damage. Its too expensive and not sustainable at all for all forms of transport to continue relying on oil.Thats why, by the end of this decade, well witness a wave of new planned electric vehicle battery plants all over the North American continent. The U.S. Department of Energy and Argonne National Laboratory compiled data from several sources and companies, and at this point, there are almost 100 projects in the pipeline.Most battery plant projects are scheduled to be operational between 2025 and 2030. Total manufacturing capacity is estimated to increase from 55 GWh/year in 2021 to 998 GWh/year in 2030. Its a 20-fold increase in capacity in only eight years.And its rather a conservative estimate, based on current technologies for batteries and EVs projected demand. But, as recent years have shown, things could go terribly wrong (we still have to face global turmoil because of Russias war on Ukraine). Or they could be accelerated by technological breakthroughs.DOE was able to create a map of battery plant sites for the whole continent. It looks like 55 of them are in the U.S., most of them concentrated along a north-south band from Michigan to Alabama. Expect the highest growth in battery manufacturing capacity to be in Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, and Michigan.It may come as a surprise, but Mexico will host 30 battery plants, while Canada only has nine. Theres also a strong correlation with vehicle assembly locations for better optimization of supply chains and logistics. Once again, efficiency is the key.The projected production capacity of almost 1,000 GWh/year is estimated to support the manufacturing of ten to 13 million EVs per year. Keep in mind that U.S. vehicle sales peaked in 2016 at roughly 17.5 million units. It has only declined ever since, and 2022 is likely to count less than 14 million vehicles.So its only natural to assume that the vast majority of new cars sold by the end of the decade will be electric cars. Yes, you are right to doubt that, given that there are less than five million EVs on U.S. roads right now. But you are also so wrong.Tesla is probably an exaggerated best example for ramping up production and sales. In 2022, they built 1.37 million cars, which is a 47% Year-on-Year growth. And its also a more-than-three-times increase compared to 2019.But, hey, they started all this electrify everything frenzy. And now all the legacy automakers  and I mean ALL of them  are into electrification. A recent report from BloombergNEF stated that over half of passenger cars sold in the U.S. will be electric in 2030 thanks to the Biden administrations $374 billion program.The very same BloombergNEF is showing in another report that the lithium-ion battery price has fallen from $732/in 2013 to roughly $141/kWh in 2021. It raised to $151/kWh in 2022, because of the war context, but it is expected to further go down. By 2030, it is expected to slide under the milestone of $100/kWh.There are other factors to take into consideration, but one of them is simply outstanding: phasing out of internal combustion engines. California, Washington, and Massachusetts are the pioneers in the U.S., but by 2030, analysts expect at least two-thirds of states to follow suit and establish 2035 or 2040 as the phase-out year.Theres a real concern about how much electricity is needed for so many electric cars. Indeed, the U.S. would need to produce 20-30%, or even 50% more electricity for all EVs in 2030. But it isnt as bad as it sounds.Lets get back to that flow diagram we discussed earlier. And keep in mind that the efficiency of non-fossil (like nuclear) and renewable sources is much better than that of fossil fuels. So, using only electricity would diminish the waste from two-thirds to a mere 10% (worst-case scenario).The Energy Services dark grey rectangle is almost 32 quads, so the four pink rectangles would need roughly 35-36 quads of electricity. It means the Electricity Generation orange rectangle needs around 40 quads of energy source. Which is less than half of the 97 quads needed, according to the chart.In other words, we need fewer non-fossil fuel sources than the fossil fuel sources we use today to satisfy our increasing hunger for energy. And in the process, we get rid of the pollution and its collateral damage. Which adds too much to overall costs.Bottom line: theres no need for a crystal globe to make predictions for 2030 in the car industry. You only need to pay attention to industry data and trends. And a spoon of logical thinking.
The new paradigm

kW

Photo: Daimler AG

BEV

In it to win it

As one of the worlds leading premium and luxury carmakers, Mercedes-Benz should have insisted on making its fast-charging network for EVs well before launching its new zero-tailpipe emission units. Doing it alone would have been an expensive yet worthy venture, but with the help of partners who already have a foot in the door, things might have gone smoother. And, of course, it would have helped tremendously with customer confidence in battery-electric vehicles (BEVs).Learning more and more about the ownership experience throughout the years from early adopters has shown internal combustion engine vehicle (ICEV) users that managing an all-electric car requires a little bit more planning when thinking about long trips or day-to-day charging cost-effectiveness. Putting electrons in the battery at home may be budget-friendly, but its slow. Using DC stalls, on the other hand, doesnt come cheap and they are sometimes unreliable or may require complicated authentication processes.Similarly, customers must learn what one-pedal driving is, how to conserve energy when highway travel is involved, and what usage limits they should apply to prolong the cars battery pack life.Since Mercedes-Benz customers are statistically older (averaging at 44 years of age, according to Carmax) than those who buy, for example, Teslas cars, the German automaker would have done a lot better by presenting its first high-tech BEVs together with solid plans to compete with the Supercharger network.Still, its great news that Mercedes-Benz decided to go on this route and is finally launching its fast-charging network in North America, China, Europe, and other of the brands key markets. The Germans will focus their efforts on the U.S. and Canada first, and the network will consist of more than 10,000 high-power chargers worldwide.Depending on how many cars can use these stalls simultaneously, this figure may or may not be enough, considering that the automaker plans on opening its network to everyone.The automaker intends to have the charging network working at full capacity until the end of 2030. Mercedes-Benz says it will open a dedicated space in key cities and urban population centers but does not specify where exactly. It does, however, tell us that dealerships will have stalls on-site and that Canada and the U.S. are set to have 400 charging hubs open by 2027. Once finished, these hubs will comprise over 2,500 chargers. Expect to find them first within and around major cities.The first stalls will open until the end of 2023. They will have up to 350of power, meaning that we could end up paying various DC charging levels when the network is completed. The good news is that, in some places, the fast-charging spots will be covered, and the roofs might have solar panels on them that could power lighting and surveillance cameras.The first renderings also show a charging hub design that's eerily similar to what owners of gas-powered cars currently see when they stop to fill up. This shows that our above assessment is right and strengthens our argument that Mercedes-Benz should have made this investment sooner for its more conservative customer base. It could have given the company a much-needed edge in the fight against domestic rivals like BMW or Tesla in North America.The brands customers will enjoy preferential treatment through an in-car reservation platform and probably better rates, but otherowners will be allowed to charge as well. In the meantime, the automaker doesnt give up on the partnerships it has with Ionity in Europe and Electrify America in the U.S.MN8 Energy  one of Americas largest solar energy producers and battery storage owners  will assist the marque as a partner in the endeavor to build a fast-charging network in the U.S. and Canada. The total development cost is split between the two companies almost equally. Considering that Mercedes-Benz announced an investment of 1 billion ($1.06 billion), this tells us that MN8 will come up with at least 500 million ($533 million).Mercedes-Benz and MN8 currently plan to continue on this road together until the car brand implements its Ambition 2039 program, which turns the companys entire portfolio into a fully electric one.Chargepoint, a company Mercedes-Benz owns shares in, will help with laying down the basics needed for reliable high-power charger technology. Chargepoint is also one of the companies that makes sure existing Mercedes me Charge users (including plug-in hybrid owners) can enjoy various options when their cars batteries need to be replenished.Finally, Mercedes-Benz might have joined the fast-charging game a bit later than others, but it surely has the means to become a mighty competitor in the space. Besides developing a better charger for its customers (and others!), the marque had the time to learn from others mistakes.Tesla may have over 40,000 Superchargers and continue to expand its network at a rapid pace, but in the U.S. at least, its proprietary charging connector requires an adapter for virtually every other BEV owner who has their car equipped with the Combined Charging Standard (CCS) connector. Releasing the "North American Charging Standard" did not help Tesla's port to become more popular because nearly everyone already agreed to implement a solution that works almost everywhere.
BEV

kWh

kilowatt

kW

Photo: Stellantis

EV

Photo: Stellantis

First and foremost, the foundation of the Ram 1500 Revolutionconcept uses the STLA Frame platform for body-on-frame applications. Stellantis, the cross-border merger between Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and French automaker Groupe PSA, confirmed battery capacities ranging between 159 and 200-plus. The real deal, therefore will come with a 159-kWh battery as standard. By comparison, the Ford Motor Company quotes 98 kWh of usable energy for the F-150 Lightning. The Blue Oval also promises 131hours for the extended-range battery pack.Stellantis further confirmed up to 500 miles (800 kilometers) of range for the STLA Frame, leaving us in the dark about the Rams driving range. On the other hand, Stellantis was kind enough to mention up to 100 miles (160 kilometers) in 10 minutes with DC fast charging at up to 350. Provided that you can find a DC fast-charging station that works properly (looking at you, Electrify America!), thats pretty darn impressive. Obviously enough, were dealing with an 800-volt electrical system.As opposed to the 400-volt technology of the F-150 Lightning, the transition to 800 volts understandably comes with a few plus points. Not only do 800-volt electric vehicles charge faster, but 800-volt architectures are more efficient. Using a lower current to charge the battery translates to reduced overheating and better power retention. But thats not all! Higher voltage also means less copper, resulting in minor weight savings.Higher voltage also means higher revolutions per minute for the vehicles electric motors. Speaking of which, Stellantis confirmed STLA-specific electric motors as powerful as 330 kW at Stellantis EV Day 2021 . In other words, 443 horsepower or 449 ps if you prefer the metric system. The concept is powered by two electric drive modules, which means that prospective customers can look forward to 880-something ponies.The rear electric drive module automatically means rear independent suspension, a setup that Ford employs in the F-150 Lightning . Going independent enabled four-wheel steering with up to 15 degrees of articulation. General Motors, by comparison, quotes up to 10 degrees in or out for the GMC Hummer. The zero-emission Hummer also flaunts Crab Walk. This drive mode swivels the front and rear wheels in the same direction for diagonal movement, like a crab, at pretty low speeds.In the press release for the 1500 Revolution BEV concept, Stellantis explains that four-wheel steering will come in handy while parking, on off-road trails, and at high speeds. The latter two scenarios indirectly confirm off-road and high-performance specifications of the series-production truck. Equipped with adjustable air suspension, the design study flaunts three modes: ingress/egress, aero, as well as off-road.Electric vehicles are often criticized for feeling a bit clinical in comparison to their fossil-fuel siblings, and Stellantis knows it all too well. The company responsible for exciting trucks such as the HEMI Hellcat supercharged V8-engined Ram 1500 TRX designed a three-dimensional Ram avatar, which acts as the vehicles face in relation to the driver.The artificial intelligence-powered virtual assistant is designed to respond to voice commands that include following commands from the owner while theyre outside the vehicle, closing the windows, playing music, and taking a picture. Another interesting piece of technology is voice-activated Shadow Mode. As implied, the pickup is capable of shadowing the driver at a safe distance as they walk ahead of the half-ton pickup truck. Rather than a gimmick, Shadow Mode is designed to make the drivers life easier in scenarios such as when picking up tools or equipment from a job site.The interior of the 1500 Revolution BEV concept is all kinds of wow, which is only natural for a design study. The adjustable and removable lower display is one of the cabins highlights, for it can be used as a vehicle control display, video game controller, truck bed workstation, passenger display, or tablet. Of course, the 14.2-inch touchscreen display can be combined with the 14.2-inch upper fixed touchscreen display.Advanced augmented reality for the head-up display, intelligent trip planning, Smart Home Control, an exterior projector, a full glass roof with electro-chromatic panels, integrated roof rails, an overhead console with controls for the ambient lighting, and capacitive controls on the steering wheel also need to be mentioned. Most likely the safest truck yet from the Ram brand, the 1500 Revolution BEV concept features an array of sensors and cameras, plus biometric identity recognition for keyless entry.Stellantis waxes lyrical about Level 3+ autonomous driving mode, which is a tall order for a company thats entering the e-pickup truck segment this late. The Ford Motor Company and General Motors are lightyears ahead, and we also have to remember Teslas misleadingly named Full-Self Driving upgrade for the misleadingly named Autopilot system.There are 6 levels of vehicle autonomy to speak of, starting with level 0. According to SAE International, level 3 is conditional automation and level 4 is high automation. Level 3+, therefore, slots somewhere between. The concept can retract the steering wheel in level 3+ mode, providing additional space for the driver according to the truck-making brand.
EV

Photo: my66coupe on Bring a Trailer

Photo: YouTube Screenshot/ThatDudeinBlue

Photo: General Motors

Photo: Saturn LLC

Electric Vehicle

Photo: Wikimedia Commons (Fair Use)

With the death of Saturn behind us, we can now look at it differently from what has happened to other ex-GM brands. For example, Saab was supposed to be saved by another firm, and its remains have not lived long past its post-GM era.On the other hand, the Hummer brand managed to emerge from its ashes like Phoenix and turn itself into anbrand, and its first model of the new era is seen as something that is as offensive as its first production model once was when it first debuted.In case that slipped under your radar, we are referring to the entire  "who needs a truck this big" discussion, which is now a potential safety issue because the electric Hummer is too heavy for some U.S. roads, and its immense power and torque make it dangerously quick for a vehicle of its size But let us get back to Saturn, what it was, what happened to it, and what could have been today. When it was launched, Saturn was "a different kind of car company," which was also attempted by other manufacturers later, and they also implemented a "no-haggle pricing policy."The latter seems like an innovative idea in the world of dealer markups that we are seeing today, but it did not catch on to a sufficient level. Tesla is trying something similar with its no-dealers and no-discount policy, though. Saturn initially started out with positive reviews for its all-new models, which were built in Tennessee, and even came with dent-resistant polymer exterior panels to reduce the hassle and cost of a repair from minor scratches and dents, as well as offer the potential to make facelifting the vehicles easier for the manufacturer.The latter part was not done, and the entire dent-proof thing was eventually replicated by various manufacturers with special paint, and the rest is up to insurance companies to sort between themselves. The ideas themselves were not wrong, and some were ahead of their time, but it did not cut it.Toyota's Scion brand was also meant for younger customers, and it also focused on hassle-free selling. While Scion ended up being a bit more popular than Saturn, it did that in an entirely different era, back when Saturn was already getting closer and closer to its demise.If we add two and two together, we have two competing brands in the same market, North America, and both focused on volume sales with hassle-free pricing, as well as a youthful demographic. One brand followed the other in popularity, and they both faded away with just a few years between them.While Saturn was original for its first decade or so, with dedicated models that strayed from GM's parts bin as much as they could.The trend had to stop when the range was expanded, and then Saturn went through a complex badge-engineering process that involved sharing platforms with various GM-owned brands. Most were rebadged Opel models from across the Atlantic, and that did not work out great for the young American brand.Many years later, General Motors stopped selling its Chevrolet brand in Europe after investing a hefty amount of money in marketing in Europe and then started to look for partners for its Opel and Vauxhall brands. These were eventually sold to PSA Peugeot-Citroen, which turned the German and British marques back on a profitable road under Stellantis' umbrella.Even if GM had continued with Saturn past its end date of October 31, 2010, the brand would have struggled for many years, as the competition was fierce in the volume segment, and Saturn did not have remarkable success in beating its Asian rivals in the 90s. Things did not improve later, with more models in its line-up than ever, and the firm would have faced the need to be reinvented at least once or twice past 2010.Saturn would have definitely struggled to scramble new models once General Motors had sold its Opel brand , and rising manufacturing costs in the U.S. might not have justified its existence going further. Sadly, it could have been different if you ask us, but only if GM had done something that was seen as radical back in the late '90s.Toyota tried to be radical with Scion from day one, and it caught one in the early 2000s, as the U.S. and Canada-only brand had an average buyer age of 39 instead of 54 years old (as it was for Toyota). Back then, the average buyer age of 39 was the lowest in the industry, and it proved that young people wanted a certain kind of vehicle and that automakers (at least one) were listening.The financial crisis of 2008, as well as the fallout of that in respect to auto loans, the automotive industry itself, and many other industry trends, led to the demise of both Saturn and Scion, but the former was already on life support in its last few years, while the latter was just dropping sales.Toyota kept the most popular Scion models as its own, and therefore the 86, Yaris, and Corolla were sold as such on the American and Canadian markets.Now, as we mentioned above, GM could have done something about Saturn if it wanted to save the marque, and that started in 1997 when it offered the GM EV1 in the brand's showrooms at the time. The EV1 obtained favorable reviews among those who drove one at the time, just like the first Saturns did.Unlike the first Saturn cars, GM decided to get its EV1 models back, and crushed almost all the ones it had leased to customers. The sad fate of the EV1 continues to be sad today, as it could have made GM anpioneer, even if it did not have the cool factor brought to electric vehicles that came with Tesla Motors.Imagine if GM had a brand focused only on eco-friendly vehicles and had been so ever since 1997. It would have been GM's Prius moment, but spread over an entire brand that only sold hybrids and EVs, with a goal to only sell EVs from a certain point going forward. That last bit sounds familiar today, eh?Saturn could have been all that , but only if enough people had seen the potential of EVs back then. Sadly, things turned out differently, and you might say that Saturn has felt the "curse" of the EV1 worse than GM. It must be a bit frustrating to think that General Motors had the first mass-produced electric vehicle on the market in the modern era, years ahead of any other brand, and it was also a specially-designed model, too, not an adaptation.It is a bittersweet irony, if you will, but we fail to find the sweet part anymore, as GM needed sixteen years to launch its next EV after the EV1, the Spark EV , and an extra three years since the debut of the EV1 to come up with a worth successor. GM's first purpose-built EV after the EV1 is the Chevrolet Bolt , and some feel that the automaker shot itself in the leg when it killed off the EV1.
You can reach Ishani Desai at 661-395-7417. You can also follow her at @_ishanidesai on Twitter.
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Foreign Minister S Jaishankar and dignitaries from around the world pay tribute to

Pramukh Swami Maharajs work of harmony and selfless service in the Middle East

Pramukh Swami Maharaj championed amity and harmony between countries and religions. Through his vision and inspiration, Abu Dhabi is witnessing the rise of a spiritual oasis in the form of a temple. The upcoming BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi is the first of its kind in the Arab World and serves as a symbol of inspiration for the 3.3 million Indians living in the UAE, as well as those of other cultures and communities.

Todays evening assembly, dedicated as BAPS Gulf Countries Day, began at 5pm. It centred on four stories of prayer, friendship, harmony, and transformation that encapsulated Pramukh Swami Maharajs travels and interactions with devotees in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and the region. Each theme was introduced by a short video and followed by an exposition on the theme.

The first video introduced the centrality of prayer in Pramukh Swami Maharajs life. Ashok Kotecha, a BAPS volunteer from the UAE, narrated his personal experience from 1997 when Pramukh Swami Maharaj visited the desert and prayed, May peace prevail here and everywhere. May all countries be free of internal enmity and progress in their unique way. May there be a temple in Abu Dhabi. The temple being built today is the result of that prayer. Ashok Kotecha expanded on the on-going construction of the BAPS Abu Dhabi temple before Paramvandan Swami, a BAPS swami serving in the UAE, emphasised the power of prayer.

The assembly continued with a special video presentation introducing the theme of Friendship, after which Viveksagardas Swami elaborated on the friendship of Pramukh Swami Maharaj with the King of Bahrain.

The third theme was Harmony, which was introduced by a short video, after which Atmaswarupdas Swami narrated the visit of Pramukh Swami Maharaj to the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem in 1999 and his prayer for global interfaith harmony.

The final video was on the theme of Transformation, followed by an inspiring talk by Brahmaviharidas Swami, the project lead for the BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi. He said, The four stories of prayer, friendship, harmony and transformation reflected the love, harmony and peace of Pramukh Swami Maharaj. The temple rising in Abu Dhabi is a miracle taking shape due to the prayers of Pramukh Swami Maharaj, the integrity and will of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the generosity of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. With this confluence of spirituality, integrity and generosity, the impossible became possible.

The will to spread love, harmony and tolerance is the basic foundation of the temple known as a spiritual oasis for global harmony. President APJ Abdul Kalam said to Pramukh Swami Maharaj, The way you are, the way you love, the way you include everybody  one day there will be a temple in Dubai. He called Pramukh Swami Maharaj his ultimate guru and often said, All religions are unique and beautiful, but they are like a disconnected archipelago of islands. Pramukh Swami Maharaj is the bridge that connects every religion, culture and country.

Several esteemed dignitaries were also present to pay tribute to Pramukh Swami Maharajs life of selfless service.

Former CEO of the Abu Dhabi Investment Council Mr. Nazem Al-Kudsi, said, As an Arabic man, my life changed forever when Pramukh Swami Maharaj looked into my eyes. Pramukh Swami Maharaj had an impact on me, but I did not appreciate that he would have such a deep impact on my part of the world. When devotion exists, it will move mountains in order for objectives to be achieved. I have come across many organisations, but none match this organisation. Pramukh Swamis breath has brought a wind of change for us. I hope we can have some of the same love that Pramukh Swami and Mahant Swami give to everyone.

H.E. Dr Bassam Alkhatib, Ambassador of the Syrian Arab Republic to India, said, Human values lie in our heart, so we can know our future. Pramukh Swami Maharaj spread these human values around the world. I believe that celebrating the diversity of our cultures and religions is the best way to shape our future.

Pramukh Swami Maharajs relationship with God was most natural, but his relationship with people was supernatural, and he led them to God. He believed in peace and equality and spread that around the world. This was reflected in his instruction after the Akshardham terrorist attack to leave no mark of the tragedy visible so that not a single visitor would remember the violent incident.

Mr. Ylias Akbaraly, Chairman & CEO of Groupe Sipromad in Madagascar, said, When I visited Pramukh Swami Maharaj Nagar, I was left speechless. It is so impressive that you have all these people yet no clamour or chaos, no litter; everyone is so calm and disciplined. This is the impact of Pramukh Swami Maharaj. This Nagar is a university of the world. What is happening here, I have not seen anywhere in the world.

I have seen Pramukh Swami Maharajs life. He lived the values of peace, harmony, humility, betterment and sharing. That is why he could transmit them so effortlessly and so widely. Pramukh Swami Maharaj invested time and effort in our children, teaching them the importance of education, helping and sharing.

Every time I sit with BAPS swamis, I learn so much. They speak of love, friendship, education, and forging a better future for our world.

Dr Aman Puri, Consul General of India in Dubai, said, The values of tolerance, peace, non-violence, harmony and selfless service are what Pramukh Swami Maharaj stood for, and BAPS is spreading these values across the globe. I have visited several BAPS centres and temples in various countries which attract people from all faiths. This is truly remarkable.

In Dubai, we are witnessing the rise of the largest Hindu stone temple in the Middle East, which is a historic milestone for UAE and Indias relationship and for UAEs Indian community. Not only Indians but absolutely everybody is looking forward to the temple, which will truly help spread the noble values which Pramukh Swami Maharaj stood for.

Dr. S. Jaishankar, Indian Minister of External Affairs, shared, The world called Pramukh Swami Maharaj the Peoples guru and the global guru because he had travelled to over 50 countries, visited more than 17,000 cities and villages, established more than 1,200 mandirs, and wrote more than 750,000 letters. He met global leaders and kings, but also ordinary and poor people whom he embraced. As a result of his efforts, BAPS is taking India and the world forward.

The Abu Dhabi temple story was referred to as a miracle. It is. It is also diplomacy and relationships, a story of hearts and minds, and a story of the generosity of kings. But ultimately, it is the result of divine Providence. Abu Dhabis temple is one miracle, and the second will happen in Bahrain. This is something greater than a miracle. This temple was the dream and prediction of Pramukh Swami Maharaj. BAPS temples are being built across the world, including in Paris, South Africa, Thailand and elsewhere.

My first experience of BAPS was witnessing the construction of Swaminarayan Akshardham in New Delhi. All of Delhis residents were surprised to see such a beautiful mandir  so immense, so clean, and running so smoothly. When I became the ambassador of India to America, I visited the BAPS Swaminarayan mandir in Los Angeles. The atmosphere and people were such that while I had planned to spend 30 minutes, I spent three hours.

Last year, when the war erupted in Ukraine, around 20,000 Indian students were stranded in the cold. They needed to be brought home. While the Indian government was trying to decide what to do, BAPS brought volunteers from 11 countries to the Polish border and served hot meals three times a day. I was meeting other ministers of bordering countries who still remember the selfless spirit of BAPS volunteers who helped not only other Indians but people of other countries and ethnicities.

When I think of the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha and Pramukh Swami Maharaj, I see four big concepts: 1) Compassion, 2) Service, 3) Community and 4) Humanity. Firstly, BAPS is both local and global because it is connected to the land wherever it serves the people. They create their own identity without discriminating against anyone. Secondly, BAPS also employs technology and modern methods while remaining faithful to its traditions, culture, heritage and values. The balance and symbiosis of technology with tradition can be seen in the temples BAPS builds around the world. Thirdly, BAPS also acts and leads by example. And fourthly, BAPS operates on a grand scale but at the end of the day, every aspect of the community and guru is personal. The personal touch is everywhere. One needs a different mindset to never forget each individual. This is what is unique about BAPS.

Mr. Jaishankar also highlighted three main challenges of the world today  conflict, COVID and climate  and elaborated upon their solutions through peace, progress and prosperity.

After speaking about Indias role in leading the next G20 through the motto of Vasudhaiva Katumbakam  the world is one family  and Indias role in demonstrating vaccine amity with the world by sharing millions of doses to those in need, Mr. Jaishankar added, People say that India has become the pharmacy of the world, but we are also the pharmacy for the world. We should do things for ourselves, but we should also think of other countries. This is what we learn from Pramukh Swami Maharaj and this Nagar.

Dr. D. Veerendra Heggade, Dharmadhikari of Shree Kshetra Dharmsthala, Karnataka, said, Pramukh Swami Maharaj brought society and religion together. I have never seen such a simple swami anywhere. Pramukh Swami Maharajs message was to be humble, friendly, courteous and helpful to others, and his devotees follow this very well. If this spirit can be spread to others and other religions, then great work can be done.

Thomas Perez, Former US Secretary of Labour, Former Chair of the Democratic National Committee, and Former Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights (USA), said, Pramukh Swami Maharaj was one of the worlds greatest spiritual leaders, global citizens, interfaith leaders, and far-reaching humanitarians. His life was his message  a message of peace, hope, tolerance, and most importantly, selfless service  service to others, service to all, and service to the most vulnerable among us regardless of colour, creed, and caste, no matter who they are. That was his life. It was a powerful reminder of how a single person born in the humblest circumstances imaginable can truly transform the world through an unwavering commitment to the values of social justice, human rights, and interfaith harmony.

From his engagement in mandirs, churches, mosques, synagogues, cathedrals, and gurudwaras, Pramukh Swami Maharaj transcended any single religion. Rather, he was always that divine spark that resides within each one of us and binds us together. Presidents, Prime Ministers and Popes sought him out, seeking his profound witness and steady guidance in a world that is oftentimes utterly bereft of guidance.

He ran the BAPS global organisation for decades with his reflexive humility and vision, growing it into a global force for good in dozens of countries globally. BAPS has become an indispensable pillar in those communities where you operate. Whether it is answering the common cause of humanity in Ukraine or elsewhere, your service recognizes no boundaries or borders.

Pramukh Swami Maharaj will forever live on not just through BAPS but through the millions he inspired through his example of fierce dedication to the uplift of others. His legacy is in every hospital that he built, in every village he served, in every heart he touched, and in every life he transformed. It is difficult to encapsulate all that he was and all that he meant to the millions who loved him and learned from him from across the world.

Let us live all our lives the way Pramukh Swami Maharaj lived every single daythat In the joy of others lies our own and unity exists in diversity. Deceptively simple though these messages may be, they are potent in their impact. Diversity is something to embrace, not fear. Diversity is what has made our global community so strong.

I offer my congratulations for the grand success of this festival. I am in awe of your volunteerism. You are the future of not only India but of the world.

In his blessings to the assembly, His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj firstly appreciated the BAPS devotees from the Gulf Countries who presented the inspiring programme today. He said, I have been a first-hand witness to Pramukh Swami Maharajs selfless and harmonising travels to the Gulf Countries, which has resulted in the BAPS temple in Abu Dhabi. The mandir will be a unique contribution to the local community and a home of peace. A BAPS temple will also be built in Bahrain, thanks to the gracious support of local leaders, organisations and the community.

Pramukh Swami Maharaj would say that all religions are good and all countries are good. If we are good, then everything will be good.

When I was in the UAE [in 2019], the Sheikh lovingly welcomed us. I remember that he was overcome with emotion at our meeting. I, too, did not think that he was different from us. We are all one family.

We are grateful to have Jaishankarji in our assembly here today. He has spread the goodwill of India across the world. I pray that all the dignitaries gathered here can serve their communities and countries further. May God bless everyone.
Mahant Swami Maharaj gave 46 BAPS Youths Parshadi Diksha in Pramukh Swami Maharaj Centenary Celebration

Mahant Swami Maharaj initiated 46 BAPS youths into the monastic order in a grand initiation ceremony at Pramukh Swami Maharaj Nagar in Ahmedabad before an audience of tens of thousands from around the world on the morning of 6 January 2023. The 46 highly educated and devoted youths received parshadi dikshaa and embarked on their lifelong path of worldly renunciation, self-realization and service to God and society.

Of the 46 youths taking initiation, there are 4 postgraduates, 22 graduates, 18 engineers, a teacher, a pharmacist, an MBA and an MPH. Having graduated from prestigious Indian and foreign universities like IIM, Rutgers University (USA) and Melbourne University (Australia), these youths left the comforts of home and promising careers to eagerly walk on the path of renunciation. The youths have come from around India and the world, including nine from America, one from Africa, and others from Rajasthan, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Gujarat.

The newly initiated parshads will continue their rigorous training at the BAPS seminary in Sarangpur, Gujarat, where they will lead a life of simplicity and austerity steeped in devotion, service and learning. The seven-year training course helps them become proficient in their personal spiritual endeavours related to worship, service, austerities and learning. The educational curriculum includes a deep study of Swaminarayan Hindu theology, history and literature as well as of the Ramayana, Mahabharat, Bhagavad Gita, Upanishads and other Hindu scriptures. It also includes a study of languages such as Sanskrit, Hindi, Gujarati and English, and world religions.

The diksha ceremony started at 9 AM with the preliminary initiation rituals performed by Sadguru swamis. Following the rituals, senior BAPS swamis addressed the assembly. Then Mahant Swami Maharaj completed the initiation rituals and blessed each new parshad with a new name.

One of the heads of the BAPS Seminary in Sarangpur, Gnaneshwardas Swami, said, Bhagwan Swaminarayans goal was to redeem countless souls by removing the primordial ignorance of ego, Iness and My-ness. Knowledge and understanding are key to solving problemspersonal, social and global. To uplift society, Bhagwan Swaminarayan created a cadre of swamis who did not just preach but connected with each individual to inspire social, moral and spiritual upliftment.

As the swamis visited thousands of homes in hundreds of villages, society improved and grew prosperous as people were freed from the shackles of addictions and superstitions. Bhagwan Swaminarayan believed in spiritual progress through social progress. The swamis were renunciates who worked for society but remained detached from it, with no selfish motives, striving only to put humanity onto a better path. Their contribution to society was and is immense, as even today they continue to walk this path of improving society.

Four decades ago, Pramukh Swami Maharaj established a seminary for swamis in Sarangpur. The seminary provides knowledge across a vast range of subjects from religious and cultural studies to music, art and creative studies. This holistic education develops swamis who, while spiritual, remain in touch with contemporary society, enabling the new generation to connect with our timeless principles to guide them onto the right path.

Then, Swayamprakashdas Swami (Doctor Swami) said, On the occasion of Pramukh Swami Maharajs Centenary Celebrations, 46 youths are being initiated into the monastic order. The Indian spiritual tradition puts a special emphasis on sacrifice. In the Shrimad Bhagwat, we find the story of Dhruv, who renounced home at the age of 5 and performed austerities to please Vishnu Bhagwan. Even Prince Siddharth, upon seeing sorrow in society decided to leave his palatial home. He performed immense spiritual endeavours, became enlightened, and was renowned as Gautam Buddha. This tradition of sacrifice has continued up to the modern era. In his lifetime, Bhagwan Swaminarayan initiated over 3,000 swamis who possessed the virtues of morality, spiritual wisdom, worldly detachment and devotion. All the youths being initiated into the monastic order today are contributing to the betterment of society. I express my gratitude towards them and their family members.

Finally, Mahant Swami Maharaj said, It is only due to the wish of Yogiji Maharaj and the grace of Pramukh Swami Maharaj that these youths took initiation into the monastic order today. In this materialistic world when people are chasing luxuries, these youths are forsaking them to contribute to a larger spiritual cause. Through these youths, the universal message of spirituality espoused by Bhagwan Swaminarayan will spread everywhere. These youths will serve society by inspiring many people to follow the path of morality and spirituality. I pray that all the new initiates inculcate the values of saintliness, achieve a God-realized state and attain ekantik dharma. Upon taking initiation, you are very close to God who is the emperor of countless universes. Therefore, your parents dont have to worry. I express my immense thanks to the parents of the new initiates. It is easy to surrender money and luxuries but not easy to lovingly offer ones child. As these parents have done this great service for God and society, I will pray for their peace and happiness.
https://www.bassresource.com/fish_biology/diffused-aeration.html

Fish and Lake Management

Image Corn on the side, but the pond grows nice bassif they can be kept alive.

When Wendell Gilbert worked with civil engineer and pond builder Joseph Murphy in 1957 to design and build his pond near the Monroe township in Howard County, Indiana, he'd probably never heard the word eutrophication.

He had no reason to.

There was a government program back then that subsidized pond building under the right conditions. So Mr. Gilbert decided he'd investigate that opportunity.

He wanted to dam up a heavily wooded gulley on the farm to capture water. Just a pond, maybe an acre-plus. Fix erosion in an area he couldn't farm, have a pond for water storage, catch a few fish, add some beauty, and maybe even a place for the kids to cool off on a hot summer day. Win-win.

The dam was built using the same methods used today. Select the site, remove topsoil, dig a core trench, backfill with 6-8" lifts of clay, compact, and build a dam. Crown the jewel with topsoil, and, voila, there's a pond in an otherwise unused area.

Like many northern and Midwestern ponds, this one received much of its water via field tiles and direct rain runoff. For those who've not heard of field tiles, they are subsurface drainage systems to relieve agricultural lands from standing water beneath the surface. With abundant rains on crops and thick, heavy clay inches under the topsoil, farmers don't want water standing in root systems below the surface. Field tiles were installed years ago to ensure farmland drains into the creeks and gullies so crops grow better. Think French drains.

With the Gilbert Pond, the good news was its ability to stay full much of the year. The bad news? Guess what comes with field drainage tiles and runoff from farm fields for 64 years? Nutrients and siltation. Lots of nutrients and silt.

A pond knocking on the door of social security age, in farm country, should expect to be way beyond its full, healthy years.

Gilbert Pond is that pond. We've all seen these ponds, and I bet some pondmeisters reading this story have owned one...heck may still have it.

Image Letter from the engineer describing building Gilbert Pond.

Wendell's son, Joe, purchased the farm in 1974 when the pond was a teenager. Over the years, the pond continued to age as nature did what nature does.

Eutrophication is the term lake people use.

When a pond is first built, it begins a journey toward its death. "Death" in pond talk means it gathers nutrients, silt, and soil. It shrinks, becomes surrounded with cattails and bog plants, becomes much shallower, the water is super-rich with nutrients, pond size shrivels, and becomes a marsh on its way to becoming land again. That process may take 25 years. It may take two hundred.

The Gilbert Pond reached hyper-eutrophication about ten years ago. What that means to us is soupy green water, musty odors, blue-green algae...and regular fish kills.

Joe was tired of the fish killshe wanted a healthy pond teeming with fish and much cleaner water. He tried watching his bass and 15-inch yellow perch gasping for air at the surface.

He rang Matt Rayl, with American Pond Management, near Russiaville, Indiana.

Matt started coming up with some ideas on how to clean it up. "Do you have electricity near the pond?" Joe admitted, "No, we don't" Matt was thinking about aeration as Joe was figuring out how to keep a new influx of fertile water at bay and also rid the pond of bottom water.

As they were thinking through the best ideas, Joe figured out how to divert water from field tiles and skirt the pond unless he needed that water. He also installed a bottom-water release pipe to relieve the pond of its anoxic water below the shallow thermocline.

Matt took a different tact. He called John Redd with Outdoor Water Solutions. OWS had hit the market with a solar-powered aeration system. Matt, an expert in the field of aeration, has long wanted to prove whether intermittent aeration could be effective.

So did John Redd.

Image This graph paints an interesting line of oxygen facts.

Why not try it here, in a pond many might consider the worst of the worst in terms of water quality and overall eutrophication?

Matt's goals were to see if alternative energy aeration could destratify a lake, eliminate fish kills and get oxygen to the sediment/water interface on the pond bottom to expedite the breakdown of organic matter.

Joe's goals were to eliminate fish kills and clean up his water.

Matt also wanted to see if there were any installation, operation, and durability hurdles.

John Redd wanted a controlled study to prove intermittent aeration's effectiveness. He said, "There is a strong perception in the industry that unless someone has 24/7 aeration, aeration will not be effective."

Here's where science entered the project. The lake was measured at 1.6 acres, but only 1.2 is deeper than four feet. The pond is surrounded by trees, with annual gifts of hundreds of pounds of leaves. The team designed the system for this particular pond.

If intermittent aeration could work on this pond, it could work on any pond. Upon Matt's advice, Joe bought an oxygen meter and began daily testing at two-foot intervals all the way to the bottom. He kept good records. OWS's Ultimate 5 system was selected. It has a 1/2 horsepower motor and runs 4.3 cubic feet per minute (cfm) at 5 psi with a 4-panel solar array and two diffusers. It took about half a day to install the system, and that was with one of the panels installed backward and then corrected.

The weather was recorded, and run-time duration per day was estimated best they could. Maximum run time was 11 hours during peak times, maybe six hours during cloudy days. The average was 8.2 hours per day.

Oxygen was measured daily (not always at the same time) and logged into a spreadsheet from 14 June until 4 October.

Results?

The team calculated that the aeration system ran 2,115.8 cfm per day on average.

Intermittent aeration did eliminate thermal stratification, but oxygen did not get to the sediment/water interface due to the high oxygen demand. Biological Oxygen Demand was way too high, consuming it faster than it could be pushed down.

Dissolved oxygen levels hovered around from above four feet and 2.73 below four.

That lower amount is lethal to some species and marginal to others. The bottom two feet didn't exceed 2 ppm.

Their conclusions? Yes, intermittent aeration did eliminate the thermocline thermal destratification. Yes, it prevented fish kills that summer and for three consecutive years. But that last goal proved elusiveno oxygen at the bottom.

You can see the graph, where there were a couple of hairy days where things could have gone south with oxygen levels plummeting near lower lethal.

Joe said, "No doubt, with that year's weather, I would have lost my fish." He followed, "No wind, corn fields to the side, we've had no dead fish, and the combination of solar aeration, moving water off the bottom, and diverting drain tiles have been our ticket to success."

Now, three years after the experiment, Joe says, "Water is much clearer. We no longer have the pea soup and musty odors. We have less algae altogether, from green water to that wispy kind of filamentous algae." He's confident they've extended the life of his pond.

Matt said, "This pond and its extraordinarily high amount of organics didn't allow for nutrient binding on the bottom, but we were happy to see direct benefits from intermittent aeration. In lakes and ponds that don't have such a high oxygen demand at the bottom, we could expect to see even better results."

Most people purchasing aeration systems need to understand that they need adequate cubic feet per minute circulation to eliminate stratification and keep dissolved oxygen levels up. It's even more critical for intermittent aeration such as wind and solar.

John's parting comments, "To my knowledge, this was the first study that looked at using solar aeration and if it would accomplish these basic goals. Matt and I believe intermittent aeration can work and help out most ponds, especially ones that aren't heavily stocked trophy bass pond and/or highly eutrophic, although results from this particular hyper-eutrophic pond were still positive. It's imperative the aeration system be properly sized for the pond."

They are all happy that this geriatric pond has a new breath and is destined for more good years and some much happier fish.

Reprinted with permission from Pond Boss Magazine
S. Oregon Coast Hiking Event Includes Work Party Atop Rugged Humbug Mountain

Published 01/05/23 at 12:29 AM

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Port Orford, Oregon)  Looking for an extra strenuous hike along the Oregon coast? Is the towering height of Humbug Mountain near Port Orford not enough? (Photo courtesy Trail Keepers of Oregon)

How would you like to help keep that soaring trail in a natural state  but one that's still traversable by hikers?

One Oregon hiking group is doing just that with the Humbug Mountain Trail Party taking place on January 20, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. It's part serious jaunt on foot and part work-your-buns-off, where you and others do some brush clearing along the major loop path on this stunning structure. It's all free, but you can help by making a donation to Trail Keepers of Oregon (TKO), the group which runs these events. You can also buy your own hardhat through the TKO site.

And yes, there are more like these events.

Flying a ways below the publicity radar, this Oregon group has been working hard at restoring regional trails or simply their upkeep, all with the use of volunteers. They combine a sense of fun and adventure with work parties, often in fairly remote locations, doing a lot of good without much recognition.

TKO is a 15-year-old volunteer organization that has been a bit like CoastWatch  which keeps an eye on Oregon coast beaches - but this group works on trails all around the state. They state their mission as Inspiring action for the protection and enhancement of the Oregon hiking experience through advocacy, stewardship, outreach and education.



Photo courtesy Oregon Department of Forestry

The group puts together numerous events to that end, and there are some big ones for the south Oregon coast this month. Among the largest is the Humbug Mountain Trail Party.

So what's a trail party? Think of hiking with a purpose. They could use some help  if you're already familiar with the area.

It's where folks interested in hiking and preserving these trails get together, go on a sizable hike, and do some brush clearing. These bring together people's passions for hiking, enabling them to do just that, and an opportunity for the trails to get some restoration or maintenance done. In this case, it's Humbug Mountain near Port Orford.



Photo courtesy Manuela Durson - see Manuela Durson Fine Arts for more

For this Humbug Mountain Trail Party, it's not for the light hiker, however.

This party involves a steep and strenuous hike over rough terrain, the group said on its website. For this trail party we will brush out the trails along the Humbug Mountain loop trail.

There will be plenty of astounding views, but TKO said don't sign up for this until you have actually hiked to the top of Humbug Mountain yourself. This is to ensure you are in your comfort zone and know your own abilities.

The hike will be a distance of six miles, an elevation gain of 1500 feet, and it's considered a hard trail. The crew will max out at 10 participants, and is led by South Coast Stewardship Coordinator Trevor Bradford.

TKO also said if you're going to do this, plan to participate through the entire work day. For safety reasons, they say you cannot arrive late or expect to leave early.

The group said it had some 20 such events throughout 2022, which took down brush and other vegetation that had been encroaching on trails in the Samuel H. Boardman Scenic Corridor.

They also host work parties for the Boardman area every Wednesday.

You can see more at their events page. (971) 206-4351.

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Andre' GW Hagestedt is editor, owner and primary photographer / videographer of Oregon Coast Beach Connection, an online publication that sees over 1 million pageviews per month. He is also author of several books about the coast.

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Talk in Cannon Beach Looks Back at Ten Years of Oregon Coast Marine Reserves

Published 01/05/23 at 5:29 AM

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Cannon Beach, Oregon)  Ten years ago, state officials began a new means of stewardship of the state's ocean waters and the wildlife that lives beneath the waves of the Oregon coast. In 2012, Oregon's Marine Reserves were first established, with the Otter Rock and Redfish Rocks Marine Reserves kicked into life. (Photo Oregon Coast Beach Connection: Otter Rock Reserve area seen from Otter Loop Road)

More came into being in 2014 and 2016, including the Cape Falcon site on the north Oregon coast.

Now, as that first decade is marked, state wildlife officials and scientists are looking back at what has been learned and examining how to adapt in the future.

To help celebrate this landmark and to help educate, January 11 brings an event to Cannon Beach where Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife staff will present highlights of the region's marine reserves, focusing on ecological research.

The presentation is the latest installment of the World of Haystack Rock Library Lecture Series, happening at the Cannon Beach Library (131 N. Hemlock St, Cannon Beach, Oregon) at 7 p.m. You can also join virtually via Facebook Live. It is free.

Lindsay Alyeswork, Marine Reserve Program Leader with Oregon Fish and Wildlife, will give the talk entitled 10th Anniversary of Oregons Marine Reserves: What we have learned?

Aylesworth is the newly appointed Marine Reserves Program Leader, based out of the ODFW office in Newport on the central Oregon coast. She has been in that role for the interim since 2022, and before that she served as Marine Reserves Ecological Project Leader for five years.

For some 13 years Aylesworth has worked at the conjunction of science, policy and marine resource management issues. Before coming to ODFW, she had worked on a wide variety of issues affecting the near-shore marine environment, including international policy and trade of marine species, bycatch in the fisheries of the Pacific Islands, coral reef ecology and research on endangered species. Graduating from the University of British Columbia, she had studied marine species in Asia where data was highly limited, helping to open up scientific knowledge in that realm of study. On top of that degree, she has a Masters in coastal environmental management from Duke University, and served as a Fulbright Scholar in Brazil.

The Friends of Haystack Rock puts on the World of Haystack Rock Library Lecture Series, which happen every second Wednesday of the month from November to April. See the event link here.

Upcoming talks:

February 8th Mitchelle St Martin. Title: Reintroduction of Sea Otters to the Oregon Coast

March 8th Josh McInnes. Title: Transient Killer Whales of the Outer Coast of Oregon and California

April 8th Roy Lowe. Title: Monitoring Migratory Birds in Lincoln County, Oregon Through Citizen Science
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.
Video of snow-covered deer is from Kazakhstan, not the US
A good start for the year would be to resolve not to become a victim of online or telephone scams.
PITTSFIELD  Work from home. Work from work. Today, for some Pittsfield companies, the catchphrase is work from everywhere ... and anywhere.

The pandemic changed where people do their jobs. People who run Berkshires workplaces say the flexibility ushered in during a public health crisis is here to stay.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, everything changed for employees like Shenna Brady, vice president of e-commerce at Greylock Federal Credit Union. At the time, her job required her to be in the office every day.

Two people who embrace remote work Ashlii Minor, director of nutrition at Community Health Programs, works remotely Monday and Friday and goes into the office Tuesday through Thursday. I love it, Minor said. I feel like I get the best of both worlds. I get to be home and do more of what I would call clinical administrative work on Mondays and Fridays. Its uninterrupted, its extremely focused and I can get a lot done. It starts my week off more relaxed, and it ends on that note as well. Minor said she does more community-based work when shes in the office. Thats packing food bags, distributing food, working at the mobile food bank, working with food insecurity programs, interacting with co-workers, she said. I feel like I really get to be very happy in my job because of it. Mind you, I enjoyed my job before, but this has just brought it to a higher level. Nanette Reid, who works in operations and order management at Zogics, enjoys working remotely because she doesnt have to commute from her home in Adams to Lenox every day, saving her travel time. I feel that being at home Im more productive than being in the office, Reid said. Theres no distractions. A lot of times when youre in the office there's a lot of water cooler talk. You can get pulled into a meeting more frequently than you can working from home.

But Brady began working remotely, as Greylock, like all Berkshire businesses, reached for ways to continue operating as a deadly disease  for which there was no vaccine  stalked the globe. The credit union immediately allowed employees to work from home.

Today, Brady still works from home in Pittsfield. I have to say for me its easier, because I feel that I can manage better. I have more time, she said.

More time. Thats just one of the benefits Berkshire employers and their employees say they get from the new hybrid work models that emerged. Some employees like Brady work completely from home. Others work at home and in the office. Many of the still on-the-job employees hold positions that cant be done remotely.

Studies have shown that employees enjoy the new hybrid work style. According to the Cisco Global Hybrid Work Study 2022, 65.6 percent of the respondents believe a flexible work schedule is more important; 70.5 percent believes their manager trusts them to work remotely; 77.5 percent say remote and hybrid working has improved their own well-being; 61.4 percent believe the hybrid work environment has improved their quality of work; and 60.4 percent believe hybrid work has increased their productivity. Hybrid work was backed by all generations of employees from Gen Z (ages 18-to-24) to baby boomers (55-69). The double-blind survey received responses from 28,025 full-time employees across 27 markets around the world from every continent except Antarctica

In the Berkshires and beyond, these new hybrid work styles have changed the way work is delivered, said John Bissell, the president and CEO of Greylock Federal Credit Union.

The pandemic in general has changed everything, Bissell said. It doesnt matter who you are, where you work or where you live, it has changed American culture and global culture for sure. Even if we had chosen (at Greylock) to remain in the same in-person business model, it would have changed our culture. Were all different now than we were two years ago.

Models vary

Hybrid work models in the Berkshires vary from company to company. For example, EDM, an engineering and architectural firm in Pittsfield, requires most of its younger employees to work from the office four days a week for mentorship purposes. Senior staff are allowed to work from home two to three days a week. We developed what we call a work from everywhere policy, said EDM CEO Jeromy Richardson.

At Berkshire Bank, most non-customer-facing employees worked primarily from home until April, when the bank felt it was safe to bring them back to the office. At Community Health Programs, about half of the organizations 260 employees still work a hybrid schedule  logging hours both at home and at a job site.

Then theres Zogics in Lenox, which sells eco-friendly products for the personal health and fitness industry. This company adopted an almost totally remote work model. Of Zogics 26 employees, only the four who work in the firms warehouse in Lee are required to be in the office every day.

We went remote in April 2020 and we did that without missing a beat, Zogics CEO Paul LeBlanc said. Our staff literally unplugged their computers, brought them home and our customers never knew the difference.

When it came time to assess if and when there would be a return to the office, we did a series of surveys and discussions with the staff and said, How are things working with your work-from-home situation? What do you want to do going forward? LeBlanc said. And pretty much unanimously the decision was to maintain the remote work. So we became a work from anywhere company. By the metrics that we track, its all positive.

High-level topic

Are new hybrid work policies delivering? No local agencies have studied the question in depth, although 1Berkshire, the countys state-designated economic development agency, has discussed it with members.

Weve certainly had a lot of dialogue about it, said 1Berkshire President and CEO Jonathan Butler. Its been a very, very high-level work topic.

Feedback 1Berkshire has received from members using hybrid work models is generally pretty positive, Butler said. His agency has long urged members to be creative with staffing.

Look at a company like General Dynamics. They sent almost their entire workforce home during the pandemic, Butler said. They brought some of them back, but they still have a huge percentage of the workforce on a daily basis working from home on their computers, because theyve found on a hiring basis, that has been a positive for them.

I dont see any situation where it goes back, Butler said. I dont even think its even in play anymore.

General Dynamics Mission Systems adopted its hybrid work model as a matter of necessity when the pandemic struck. The Department of Defense designated defense contractors as essential, which meant General Dynamics had to stay open.

We simply couldnt just shut down, said Laura Hooks, vice president and general manager of the maritime and strategic systems at General Dynamics Pittsfield plant. Our customers missions didnt stop, so neither could our operations.

The company started by identifying and providing support to employees who could work from home. It provided as many safety controls as possible to the ones who couldnt.

As the pandemic progressed and with the onset of relaxed protocols established by the CDC, we began to develop processes to allow workers to safely return to worksites full or part time, based on their preferences, Hooks said.

Today, 49 percent of General Dynamics Pittsfield workforce spends time on the job in both home and office. Twenty-eight percent are working fully remote and 23 percent are strictly on-site.

The company says the change hasnt reduced what people accomplish.

We have seen no discernible changes in productivity between our remote, hybrid and on-site personnel in Pittsfield and throughout our company, Hooks said.

A bank rethinks

The pandemic caused Greylock to revamp its business philosophy. When the pandemic hit, only 12 employees  almost all in IT  were set up for remote work. Bissell says he needed a way to continue to serve customers.

Because the business model was working, it was tempting to stay with it, Bissell said. But I made the decision in February [2020] to change the mindset and to allow myself to think more flexibly about how work would get done. Not just be married to the same old business model that wed always had.

Development of a hybrid work model began immediately. We asked our IT and security team as quickly as possible to figure out how to enable remote work for as many employees as could possibly be done safely and reasonably, Bissell said. Within a matter of weeks, we had gone from 12 employees working remotely to over 100 working remotely  while still being secure and highly effective.

Liking what he saw, Bissell said that by May 2020, Greylock decided to go all in on hybrid work. We could have just rigged up a process. Some people were saying we were going to shut down and then well reopen in two weeks, remember that? he said. But for whatever reason, we just didnt buy that. We believed this was going to be a multi-year problem.

Greylock has 320 employees. According to Bissell, 140 still work in the office, 120 work both home and in the office and 53 are fully remote. Most of the employees who work only in the office hold positions that cant be done remotely, he said. Bissell refers to his in-office, front-line employees as heroes because theyve been on the front lines every day.

The hybrid work model has paid off for Greylock so far. Bissell said the credit unions assets grew by $400 million over the last two years. That kind of growth is unusual for us, he said.

Year-to-date, 31 percent of all the real estate loans done in Berkshire County have gone through Greylock. Weve broken every lending record weve ever set, Bissell said.

Over the last three years, Greylock has added 300 to 400 new members a month.

One CEO's caution about remote work Hybrid work has its positive aspects, but there are downsides. John Bissell, president and CEO of Greylock Federal Credit Union, said it is harder for employers to gauge the emotional health of their employees when they see them less often. I think hybrid work has had an impact on our culture, Bissell said, I believe its a complicated impact and as a team its a process that were still trying to understand. A lot of it has been positive, but not all of it has been positive. There are clearly things about hybrid work and remote work that enable a much higher level of productivity. You can push a lot more loans through the pipeline with this current set up for whatever reason. The challenge within our culture ,mostly due to the pandemic, is exacerbated by hybrid work, he said. I think any employer, us included, needs to be concerned about the physical and emotional health of our employees. Everyone across the country has been impacted, I think, on an emotional level, by the experience of the pandemic,. So as business leaders we have to grapple with that. Were working to trying to make sure our people feel well supported no matter where their job is, where theyre working or what mode theyre working in. Greylock recently had its entire workforce attend an in-person meeting with an internationally renowned psychologist who talked about self care and emotional health. It was really well received by employees, Bissell said. Im still getting feedback about that.

We always added 100 or 200 in a big month, maybe 300, but now were adding that every month in a market where the population is flat, he said.

Job retention is better today as well.

We have a lower turnover rate now than we had in 2019. That tells you a lot, Bissell said. The Great Resignation didnt happen at Greylock.

Liking the flexibility

Employees like the flexibility working remotely provides. They can care for children while working from home. They save money because they dont have to commute, said Paul Mattingly, manager of industry relations for the MassHire Berkshire Workforce Board in Pittsfield.

Sometimes you dont see the same people in the office, but at the same time, you have a lot more communication through email or through other methods, Mattingly said. It does allow some people to focus on projects a little more.

Brady, the Greylock vice president of e-commerce, said remote work even allows her to manage her staff better; she oversees two employees who also work from home.

I can reach out to my staff at any time, Brady said. We have a lot of technology that helps us do that. I can see where everybody is and what theyre doing. I can see their presence on Skype whether theyre in a meeting or on a phone call. I know that sounds like Big Brother, but its easier for me personally.
For Brazilians in the Berkshires, last weekend's riots in their home country's capital brought bitter memories of the U.S. insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021. They said the events are eerily similar and hope their country can find a way out of it.
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.
China, Philippines usher in "new golden era" in relations

Xinhua) 09:10, January 07, 2023

People visit the booth of the Philippines at the China National Convention Center during the 2022 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 4, 2022. (Xinhua/Qi Xiaoyi)

From tropical fruits traveling thousands of miles to Chinese dining tables to infrastructure changing the life of the Filipinos, from the Chinese language being introduced into their education to Philippine students talking with Chinese astronauts in outer space, the bond between China and the Philippines is growing closer and stronger.

BEIJING, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- Jomar Abdon, a sorter working for a durian processing plant in Davao City in the Philippines, is delighted for an expected jump in his workload, as the country's durian on Wednesday officially embraced the vast Chinese market.

On Wednesday, China and the Philippines signed an agreement allowing Filipino durian to export to China. As Abdon sees it, the deal will not only boost income of local durian growers but also help create many more jobs across the country.

FRUITFUL AGRI-COOPERATION

Philippines' durian sector is one of the many beneficiaries of thriving China-Philippines agricultural cooperation as varieties of Philippine fruits are imported into China.

In Davao City, the Philippines' third-largest city, more than 3,000 farmers harvest about 48,000 tons of durian annually, Candelario Miculob, former head of Davao's Durian Industry Council Association, told Xinhua.

Provided that each farmer plants 100 durian trees in an area of 1 hectare, the new deal is expected to increase their annual income by 2,800 U.S. dollars, making China the largest export destination for the Philippine durians, Miculob calculated.

The Wednesday's deal on durian came during Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr.'s state visit to China from Tuesday to Thursday at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

During the visit, the two sides have identified agriculture, infrastructure, energy, and people-to-people exchanges as four priority areas of cooperation.

More than just goods trade, the mutual benefits of bilateral agricultural cooperation are manifested on many other aspects.

A farmer works at the Philippine-Sino Center for Agricultural Technology (PhilSCAT) in Nueva Ecija province, the Philippines on March 25, 2022. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali)

During his Wednesday meeting with Marcos, Xi stressed that as China is advancing rural revitalization across the board and moving faster to build the country's strength in agriculture, it stands ready to help the Philippines in agricultural and rural development, by such means as turning the Philippine-Sino Center for Agricultural Technology into a signature project, carrying out cooperation on the whole industrial chain including breeding, production, processing and storage, and accelerating cooperation in Juncao technology.

Located in Nueva Ecija province of the Philippine main island of Luzon, the Philippine-Sino Center for Agricultural Technology established in 2001 has already accomplished three phases of projects, through which China helped the Philippines improve irrigation and agricultural technology.

Back in the 1990s, having learned about the Philippines' hope to import the hybrid rice technology, Chinese agronomist Yuan Longping, famed as the "father of hybrid rice," visited the country for more than 30 times and brought the high-yielding variety to thousands of local rice farmers.

Nowadays, the total area of hybrid rice cultivation has exceeded 1 million hectares in the Philippines, with yields up to 15 tons per hectare, a figure about three times higher than that of indigenous rice strains.

Former Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said the country "owes a large part of our achievements in reducing poverty" to China and the late Chinese agronomist Yuan.

BRIDGE BRINGS PEOPLE CLOSER

In October, a time capsule was buried in Davao City by Marcos and builders from China at the groundbreaking ceremony of a China-funded bridge connecting the southern coastal city and a tourist island. Marcos promised to dig it out when the bridge is open to traffic.

Once completed in 2027, the 3.81-km bridge will reduce travel time between Davao City and Samal Island from 50 minutes to less than five minutes.

A scale model of the China-funded Samal Island-Davao City Connector Bridge is seen during its groundbreaking ceremony in Davao City, the Philippines, Oct. 27, 2022. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali)

The cross-sea bridge is a century-old dream of Davao residents, and will help unleash the economic potential of Davao and Samal Island, as well as improve locals' access to employment, education and other services, said Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio who was born in Davao.

Marcos thanked the Chinese government, a "dependable partner," for actively taking part in the country's infrastructure construction, saying these projects have benefited the Philippine people, and become a proof of friendship.

When meeting with Marcos in November 2022 in Thailand, Xi said the two sides need to further deepen the synergy between the Belt and Road Initiative and the Philippines' "Build, Better, More" program, and ensure the success of the Davao-Samal Bridge project.

The two sides are eyeing broader infrastructure cooperation. When talking with Marcos in Beijing on Wednesday, Xi called on the two countries to promote cooperation in infrastructure and connectivity, including good implementation of key cooperation projects in "hard" infrastructure and broader cooperation in "soft" infrastructure including telecommunication, big data and e-commerce, to boost the overall economic and social development of the Philippines.

The two president's meeting has significantly strengthened the "three good relations" between the two countries as good neighbors, good relatives and good partners at the beginning of the year, and helped usher in a "new golden era" in China-Philippines relations.

CONNECTING PEOPLE LEADS TO CONNECTING WORLD

A video clip played during an exposition on Chinese language studies held in Manila went on viral last month. In the video, Marcos and Duterte-Carpio spoke Chinese to convey their good wishes to the participants in the event.

In the past decade, the Chinese language has grown popular among Filipinos and has been introduced into their education. At least 12,000 students from over 150 public schools across the country learn Chinese every year, official data shows.

Cavin Franco Pamintuan, Philippine director of the Confucius Institute at the Angeles University Foundation, said he always begins teaching Chinese at the start of a school year by asking students to think of a word in Tagalog, the most widely spoken language in the Philippines, or any word they use everyday that they think has a Chinese origin.

"Most students will be fascinated that the Tagalog words they commonly use are of Chinese origin," the young administrator said.

The Chinese language serves as a bridge that connects Filipinos and Chinese, Pamintuan said. "We want our roads to be connected; however, we can only connect roads if the hearts of our people are connected. Therefore, connecting people leads to connecting roads, which on the other hand leads to a connected world."

Just as Xi said Wednesday, the two countries need to deepen people-to-people exchanges in all respects, expand cooperation on basic and vocational education, and explore innovation cooperation in such areas as meteorology and aerospace.

Scores of high school students in the Philippines in early November just had an opportunity to closely observe China's achievements in aerospace. A live class delivered from China's space station was attended by young enthusiasts from ASEAN countries. They talked with Chinese astronauts aboard the Shenzhou-14 spaceship.

The dialogue with Chinese astronauts provided "an opportunity for our younger generation to learn more about space engineering," Philippine First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos said during the live lecture. "We hope this exchange will further stimulate the curiosity of our Philippine youth regarding space and the bigger frontier out there."

From tropical fruits traveling thousands of miles to Chinese tables to infrastructure changing the life of the Filipinos, from teaching Chinese language to talking with astronauts in outer space, the bond between China and the Philippines is growing closer and stronger.

(Web editor: Xian Jiangnan, Wu Chaolan)
An undocumented immigrant from Dominican Republic who federal authorities say had more than 20 aliases, 15 false dates of births and nine false social security numbers  and a criminal record stretching back almost 19 years  was sentenced to prison for reentering the United States illegally after deportation, officials said.

Yonathan Leandro Villar, 37, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge William G. Young to a total of 30 months in prison; the sentence will run concurrent with a 78-month sentence Villar is serving in an unrelated Massachusetts case, federal authorities said.

Villar will face deportation proceedings upon completion of his sentence. Villar pleaded guilty to illegal reentry in Dec. 2020, federal authorities said.

Federal authorities said Villar illegally entered in United States in 1992 using a fraudulent passport and in July 2016, he was removed from the United States after being released from federal custody for a false passport application conviction.

Sometime thereafter, Villar reentered the United States, without approval to reapply for admission, federal authorities said.

Villar then was arrested in August 2019 in Massachusetts on narcotics and motor vehicle offenses and his fingerprints positively matched those obtained prior to his removal from the United States in 2016, according to federal authorities.

Villar has a criminal history that dates back almost 19 years with multiple convictions including for firearms, heroin offenses, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and attempt to fraudulently obtain a passport, federal authorities said in a statement.

He has more than 20 aliases, 15 false dates of births and nine false social security numbers.
Lenox native James Brooke has traveled to about 100 countries reporting for The New York Times, Bloomberg and Voice of America. He reported from Russia for eight years and from Ukraine for six years, coming home a year ago.
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A West Haven man was fatally shot Friday night in New Haven, police said.

New Haven police said they received a Shotspotter alert to gunfire, and a call regarding a person shot, just before 8 p.m. Friday. The incident occurred on Pond Lily Avenue, between Valley Street and the dead-end of Pond Lily Avenue, police said. The area is adjacent to the Wilbur Cross Parkway in the Amity neighborhood.

Responding officers found Charles Miller, a 41-year-old West Haven man, who had been shot, police said. American Medical Response ambulance crews transported the victim to Yale New Haven Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries, police said.

Officer Scott Shumway said the Bureau of Identification responded to the scene and collected ballistic evidence and that detectives from the Major Crimes Unit are leading the investigation.

Police ask that any witnesses who have not yet spoken with the police contact the New Haven Police Department Investigative Services Division at 203-946-6304. Callers may remain anonymous or submit tips anonymously by calling 1-866-888-TIPS(8477), or email to ECIC@newhavenct.gov.
Clarkston, WA (99403)

Today

Cloudy early with some clearing expected late. A shower of rain or wet snow possible. Low around 35F. WSW winds at 10 to 20 mph, decreasing to less than 5 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy early with some clearing expected late. A shower of rain or wet snow possible. Low around 35F. WSW winds at 10 to 20 mph, decreasing to less than 5 mph.
National Startup Awards 2022 winners to be felicitated on National Startup Day on 16th January 2023

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry is organising Startup India Innovation Week from 10th January 2023 to 16th January 2023 to celebrate the Indian Startup Ecosystem as well as National Startup Day (16th January 2023).

Startup India Innovation Week 2023 will include Knowledge Sharing Sessions for entrepreneurs, aspiring entrepreneurs, and other enablers, involving relevant stakeholders from the startup ecosystem such as government officials, incubators, corporates and investors.

Furthermore, as a part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations, various startup related events are being organised in more than 75 places across the country to foster a spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation by involving the startup community across length and breadth of the country. These events include dedicated workshops for women entrepreneurs, training of incubators, mentorship workshops, stakeholder round tables, conferences, capacity building workshops, startup pitching sessions, amongst others.

Furthermore, to commemorate National Startup Day on 16th January 2023, DPIIT is organising the felicitation ceremony for the winners of National Startup Awards 2022, a flagship initiative under Startup India. The ceremony will recognise and reward the excellence exhibited by startups and ecosystem enablers across different sectors, sub-sectors, and categories.

Startup India Innovation Week 2023 aims to engage startup ecosystem stakeholders across the nation during 10th January-16th January 2023 and spur the spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation in India.
Test to detect liver diseases from blood serum being developed at Kolkata

A proprietary diagnostic test has been developed which is highly sensitive and is capable of detecting liver disease from the blood serum samples. Dr Bishnu Pada Chatterjee, Emeritus Professor, Department of Natural Sciences, West Bengal University of Technology, Kolkata, informed that as the test uses only blood serum samples, it is minimally invasive and inexpensive as well.

He was speaking on the Implications of Glycobiology in Human Health, Disease and Cancer Therapeutics during a plenary session at the 108th Indian Science Congress (ISC) hosted at Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University.

During the session, Dr Chatterjee also highlighted the potential for commercial development of the proprietary test developed. He explained how Hepatitis B virus is a major cause of chronic liver disease in Asia and India.

The talk also touched upon the detection of serum phosphoproteins in chronic hepatitis B, cirrhosis of the liver and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) through various methods.

Speaking about the pathogenesis of many relevant human diseases, including cancer, fibrosis, and diabetes that are associated with chronic inflammation, Dr Hafiz Ahmed, President and CEO of GlycoMantra Inc., Biotechnology Center at the University of Maryland, US, said efforts were being made to develop a proprietary glycopeptide drug named GM101. The drug blocks the spread, increases survival and adds to the anti-tumour response of the body.

He also presented information regarding the pre-clinical validation of the drug in animal models. The talk further highlighted the future plans that includes IND-enabling experiments such as animal toxicity studies and cGMP manufacturing required for the Phase I clinical trials.
The South Green Lawn in Middletown overflowed Friday night both with love for state Rep. Quentin Q Williams, and with people eager to continue his work and his legacy, which had touched so many.

Williams was killed in a wrong-way crash early Thursday after leaving the governors inaugural ball, leaving many across the state shocked and saddened at the tragic loss.

Friends and colleagues spoke during a candlelight vigil, sharing their love for Williams, their greatest memories with him, and pledged to continue to support his mother, Queen, and wife, Carrissa Williams.

State Sen. Matt Lesser, hosting the event, said that Williams had a superpower to make everyone around him happy, more than any person he has met, yet was also serious and committed to justice for the people all around him.

He  was the first Black representative from the city. And he knew that was a special responsibility and a special role. He cared about all communities, but he knew that was his particular weight that he wore. And that commitment to racial justice was something that he cared deeply about, he said.

An undated handout photo shows State Representative Quentin Williams of Middletown, Conn. Williams was killed while on his way home from an inaugural ball to kick off the new term when a wrong-way driver hit him head-on early Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023, state police said.

Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz called Williams a bright light from the beginning of his life to the present and shared that she admired how he believed in the power of uplifting women.

He knew that if you uplift women, you uplift families, you will uplift the community, you will uplift the state, she said. And he got that from his extraordinary mom, Queen Williams, who worked hard, sacrificed as a single mom and made him the amazing man that he became.

She also said that she admired the understanding Williams had of his position as a role model for young people.

He got it, especially when he visited schools. When he was visiting Middletown High School, he was walking two feet above the ground, because he wanted all the students to see what they could be. If they thought it, they could be it, just like him. He was always about inspiring that next generation of leaders.

Lastly, she asked the crowd to honor Williams legacy by helping women to become leaders, especially women of color, challenging leaders to understand their own position as a role model and using their power to mentor as Williams did.

Sacha Armstrong Crockett, is one of the women he encouraged.

After each of those difficult conversations he would ask me about do you know how to play this game? Im going over here to play this board game, you should know it,  she said. When I felt like the work was too much, he gave me the number of other therapists. What I understood from him was none of that was sustainable without rest.

House Speaker Matt Ritter said that Williams impact as a legislator was clear, since many Capitol staff were in attendance.

A mourner wipes a tear at a vigil for State Rep. Quentin Q Williams on the South Green, Middletown, January 6, 2023. Williams was killed early Thursday morning in a crash with a wrong way driver on Rt. 9 in Cromwell. Photo by Cloe Poisson/Special to the Courant

The whole Capitol [is] here  [including] Capitol police staff. And its not just Democrats. Its not just House members and senators. Its Republicans from as far as New Canaan, Democrats from as far as Norwich, and everywhere in between  he was such a fascinating, interesting young man. What were all going to do in the next two weeks will be really hard, because we have to grieve, and we have to help his family. But we have to do more than just the next 10 days. Theres a legacy that we have to build to leave for him, he said.

Middletown Mayor Ben Florsheim said that while the city had lost its biggest, brightest smile, it did not lose his spirit.

We did not lose Qs spirit. We did not lose Qs vibe. We did not lose Qs joy. And as long as we have lives to live, those of us in Middletown, those of us in Connecticut, until the moment that we dont  we have work to do. And we have justice to serve. And we have the legacy of an exceptional person, he said.

So, lets be as sad today as we need to be. Lets mourn for as long as we need to mourn, Florsheim said. We know thanks to Q, thanks to the life that he led, thanks for the example that he set, thanks to his wife, his mother, and his family who survived him, that living with sadness and living with loss doesnt mean we cant still do that work with a smile.

As a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Williams line brother, Matthew Rivera, remembers how serious Williams was about making sure that the group came together to pray each week in the mornings and his dedication to brotherhood.

There were moments when Q and I would be on that prayer call. It would just be us, and there was just something about Q that no matter how early it was  he was still joking around, laughing, and just continuing to make sure that we started off our day giving thanks and giving praise to God, he said.

When I think about the principles of Alpha, that is what we stand for. But even beyond that, that is what Qs life and legacy exuded. He made us all feel like we could do exceedingly abundantly above all we could ask or even think of.

Cross Street A.M.E. Zions the Rev. Robyn Anderson said that in listening to all the speakers, the idea of the work of the heart came to her mind.

It truly makes a difference whats in your heart. And you could see that Quentin Q gave his life to others. But everything he did, it was because of his heart. He had a heart to continue to love. He was an instrument of joy. He was an instrument of peace. He was an instrument of making sure that the quality of life of others would be made possible. He made sure that wherever he was, he made an impact, she said.

He was passionate and had a lot of compassion for so many. And its obvious because all of us are here today.

The Rev. Moses Harvill, also of Cross Street A.M.E. Zion, Williams pastor, said the lawmaker, was so loved. And he gave so much of himself. Selfless in service and serving people. Making a real difference in our community and beyond.

He was climbing higher and higher grounds, making a real difference. We grieve, but we grieve not as those who have no hope. We have the hope of Christ. And he had the hope of Christ, Harvill said.

Lastly, Lesser shared that a website has been made for the public to share their memories of Williams. Lesser said he plans to collect the stories and publish the remembrances in a bound book that will be made available to the community.
NORFOLK, Va. (AP)  A 6-year-old student shot and wounded a teacher at his school in Virginia during an altercation inside a first-grade classroom Friday, police and school officials in the city of Newport News said.

Experts said a school shooting involving a 6-year-old is extremely rare, although not unheard of, while Virginia law limits the ways in which a child that age can be punished for such a crime.

No students were injured in the shooting at Richneck Elementary School, police said. The teacher  a woman in her 30s  suffered life-threatening injuries. Her condition had improved somewhat by late afternoon, Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew said.

We did not have a situation where someone was going around the school shooting, Drew told reporters, later adding that the gunshot was not an accident.

Drew said the student and teacher had known each other in a classroom setting.

He said the boy had a handgun in the classroom, and investigators were trying to figure out where he obtained it. The police chief did not provide further details about the shooting, the altercation or what happened inside the school.

Joselin Glover, whose son is in fourth grade, told The Virginian-Pilot newspaper she got a text from the school stating that one person was shot and another was in custody.

My heart stopped, she said. I was freaking out, very nervous. Just wondering if that one person was my son.

Carlos, her 9-year-old, was at recess. But he said he and his classmates were soon holed up in the back of a classroom.

Most of the whole class was crying, Carlos told the newspaper.

Parents and students were reunited at a gymnasium door, Newport News Public Schools said via Facebook.

The police chief did not specifically address questions about whether authorities were in touch with the boys parents, but said members of the police department were handling that investigation.

We have been in contact with our commonwealths attorney (local prosecutor) and some other entities to help us best get services to this young man, Drew said.

Newport News is a city of about 185,000 people in southeastern Virginia known for its shipyard, which builds the nations aircraft carriers and other U.S. Navy vessels.

Richneck has about 550 students who are in kindergarten through fifth grade, according to the Virginia Department of Educations website. School officials have already said that there will be no classes at the school on Monday.

Today our students got a lesson in gun violence, said George Parker III, Newport News schools superintendent, and what guns can do to disrupt, not only an educational environment, but also a family, a community.

Virginia law does not allow 6-year-olds to be tried as adults.

In addition, a 6-year-old is too young to be committed to the custody of the Department of Juvenile Justice if found guilty.

A juvenile judge would have authority, though, to revoke a parents custody and place a child under the purview of the Department of Social Services.

A school shooting involving a 6-year-old is extremely rare, said James Alan Fox, a criminologist at Bostons Northeastern University.

Fox told The Associated Press Friday evening that he could think of one previous incident involving a child that age.

In 2000, a 6-year-old boy fired a bullet from a .32-caliber gun inside Buell Elementary near Flint, Michigan, 60 miles (96 kilometers) from Detroit, striking 6-year-old Kayla Rolland in the neck, according to an AP article from the time. She died a half-hour later.

Fox analyzed school shooting data sets going back to 1970 from the Center for Homeland Defense and Security, which is located at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. He said the data listed school shootings involving children ages 7, 8, 9 and older, but not 6-year-olds.

Another factor that stands out about the Virginia shooting is that it occurred in a classroom, Fox said. Many occur outside a school building where students are unsupervised.

From 2010 through 2021, there were more than 800 school-related shootings in K-12 schools that involved 1,149 victims. Thirty percent of those occurred in the school building, said Fox, who published the 2010 book, Violence and Security on Campus: From Preschool Through College.

There are students who killed teachers, more typically high school students, Fox said. I dont know of other cases where a 6-year-old shot a teacher.

___

Barakat reported from Falls Church, Virginia.
A record number of people took a driving test last year in NSW after lockdown caused a backlog of the exams, and testing centres are still booked out weeks in advance.

There were more than 274,000 C class (car) drivers licence attempts in 2022, compared to an annual average of 229,000 during the five years before the pandemic, Transport for NSW data shows.

The record figure came after only 189,000 attempts in 2021, when testing services shut down in the states Delta lockdown.

A pass on the C class driving test is required to progress from a learners permit to P-plates.
At the Garma Festival last year, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese issued an invitation. In promising a referendum on enshrining an Indigenous Voice to parliament in the constitution, he offered what he made clear was draft wording: a formulation inviting improvement.

But no one has taken up the challenge. Instead, as the year of the referendum begins, with the government-funded campaign said to be launching in February, the government seems intent on making the referendum about something else: are you for Indigenous people or against them? If youre in favour of Indigenous Australians, then the way to show it is to vote yes to a Voice.

Australians will vote this year on whether to support an Indigenous Voice to parliament. Credit: Matthew Absalom-Wong

If that were the question, then Id lay my hand in the fire that 99.99 per cent of Australians would vote yes with a full heart. Whether theyre aware of the full extent of Indigenous disadvantage in this country or not, whether they have spent time in Indigenous communities or not, there are very few Australians who would not wish to be fully reconciled with the people who inhabited the continent for tens of thousands of years before white settlers arrived.

But that is not the question. The question is whether and how to amend the constitution to give Indigenous Australians a say in decisions that affect them. The question is about the mechanism, so the mechanics matter.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Got it Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Ah, the beach. Theres nothing like it in summer, is there? The warm sands, the hiss and foam of crashing breakers, the raw smell of salt. There is something about them that has drawn us throughout history. Aboriginal shell middens hidden in dunes, made up of layers of mussel shells, whelks and abalone, hint at the rich resources of the sea. Humans continue to build cities on the edges of the water  as with every Australian capital city bar Canberra  despite these areas being fragile and difficult. Each beach you visit is subtly different. Some are nothing but sand. Others are covered in lines of seaweed that turn stinky in the sun. Some are backed by dunes dotted with spinifex while some reveal rock pools when the tide slinks out. Beaches sit on the border between two ecosystems: the land and the vast sea. What you find there often reflects those borders  jellyfish washed up by the surf, plastics blown in from city streets. But beaches also have their own ecosystem, supporting life in cracks of rock and folds of seaweed. You look at them and your first thought is they are biological deserts. But nothing could be further from the truth, says Associate Professor Melanie Bishop, a coastal ecologist at Macquarie University. Between the grains of sand is a whole other land. So, how do beaches work? And what is all the stuff you can find on them? Credit:Photos Scott McNaughton, artwork Aresna Villanueva How do beaches work? A beach is, essentially, three interacting habitats packed into one small sliver of land: the surf zone, the beach proper and the undulating dunes behind it.

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Lets start with the key feature: sand. Hold a handful up to your face and youll see its composed of thousands of grains of different shapes, textures and colours. Most of this sand is rock, broken down by weather over time. Two minerals, quartz and feldspar, tend to hold up to this weathering best and so make up most beach sand  the quartz, tinted with iron oxide, gives beaches their brown colour. Some sand is fragments of shattered shell; near coral reefs, this makes up most of the beach. Within those grains, life thrives. There are more different groups of organisms living on a beach than in the worlds rainforests. Its just most of them are teeny-tiny, says Bishop. Some tiny creatures live on the grains themselves. Algae are larger and more numerous, and can migrate up and down the beach; if there are a lot of them close to the surface, they lend the sand a golden or green hue. And like trees, they are producing oxygen whenever the sun shines. Much as we build sandcastles, its the ocean that is always shaping the beach. It can look flat at first, but look again and youll see an architectural digest of ridges, ripples, bars and banks. You cant see it with the naked eye, but the ocean in front of the beach ripples with invisible highways; what you see washed up from that transport network might have come from a long way away. Reporter Liam Mannix beachcombs with marine expert Jacinta Early at Jawbone Marine Sanctuary. Credit:Scott McNaughton And everything deposited and dumped on land eventually ends up at a beach, says Jacinta Early, Melbourne Aquariums education officer. Take plastic. Sadly, on our suburban beach visit we found more plastic than anything else: face masks, parking tickets, fragments of food wrappers, even a plastic bag floating in a rock pool. A good rule of thumb is take three: you take three pieces of plastic away each time you come down to a beach, says Early. Just help clean it up. Still, the (non-plastic) flotsam provides an important environment to many beach dwellers. Lines of seaweed, known as wrack, turn stinky in the sun and turn up sunbathers noses. But inside them, tiny animals including bugs and lizards hide from seabirds and the crashing surf, and quickly start eating and decomposing the seaweed, which returns nutrients to the even-smaller creatures living in the sand. Stroll along the waterline and you will experience thriving nature: small animals going about their lives, shells that once housed scuttling creatures now being broken down into sand, sea treasure carried from near and far by deep currents. Here are a few common finds.

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A sea urchin shell Those holes you see in a sea urchin shell? One is their mouth, and the other is, yes, their anus. When its still alive, the urchins jaws and muscles allow its protruding toothed mouth to scrape at algae on rocks or reef. On the inside of its hard shell, the creature has its intestines and a hydraulic system that pumps water in and out to move its feet. When theyre alive, an urchin can use tube-like feet sprinkled among its long, sharp spines to locomote. Some urchins have hundreds of feet! The little dots left on the shell are the spots where the spines once grew. Urchins are sometimes called sea hedgehogs but their spines drop off when they die. The little dots left on the shell are the spots where the spines once grew. Often youll come across shells on the beach with holes in them; shell necklaces are mementoes of summer holidays. But those holes tell a sinister story: they are the leftover lunch of a cone snail. The snails use little barbs to pierce the shell and then they snack on the creature inside. A sponge

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A sea sponge is really just a simple construction of protein  a lot like a bath sponge, but alive. Early scientists thought they were plants, but they are animals, able to regulate how water flows through them. Sponges attach themselves to rocks and feed by filtering food particles from water that they pump through their tiny pores, in a process called sponging. To do the pumping, they use special cells that have little whips in them, which beat in waves that create a current that pulls water towards the sponge. Scientists believe sponges may share a common ancestor with humans. Their elastic skeletons are made from collagen, a protein also found in human skin. In fact, scientists now believe sponges may be the oldest multicellular creatures  sharing a common ancestor with humans. A moon snail Its name comes from its round white shell. But dont be fooled by the romantic associations and the elegant colour  moon snails are predators. They hunt clams, slide on top of them and push them down into the sand. The snails tongue, known as a radula, is covered in teeth that can cut a hole in a shell; the snail can even squirt out hydrochloric acid to help break through. The snail then sucks out the clam meat.

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Easy to spot because they are often quite large, the moon snail can pump water into hollow tubes to expand its foot outside its shell, allowing it to make its way across the sand. (Its foot can be very large; a moon snails shell can appear to be propped on top of a fleshy mound.) If threatened, the moon snail jets out this water and shrinks back inside its covering. The sacks look like strange, sandy collars, and people often stomp on them, thinking they are jellyfish. These clam-sucking gastropod molluscs do have an amorous side. They breed near the shore, laying their eggs in large semicircular sacks, as big as 15 centimetres, which the female glues together in a kind of sand-mucous mix. The sacks look like strange, sandy collars, and people often stomp on them, thinking they are jellyfish  but youve just destroyed the egg sack of a moon snail, says Early. A shark egg Not many eggs are shaped like corkscrews. But then, there are not many creatures like sharks. Most sharks give birth to live young, all ready to wriggle into the swim of their new life, but some sharks lay eggs  and dont wait around to sit on them. Corkscrew-shaped eggs, like the empty one pictured here, from a Port Jackson shark, are designed to be grasped by the mother-sharks mouth. They grab the egg with their mouth and shove it underneath a little rocky outcrop. So it acts like a screw and wedges there, says Early.

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Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has challenged Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to legislate a model for the Indigenous Voice to parliament before this years referendum, accusing him of treating the Australian public like mugs over the lack of detail ahead of a vote.

In a letter to the prime minister, seen by this masthead, Dutton said Albanese was making a catastrophic mistake not providing accessible, clear and complete information regarding your governments version of the Voice which would, in turn, damage national reconciliation efforts.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has accused Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of making a catastrophic mistake over the lack of detail in the Voice referendum proposal. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

In refusing to provide basic information and answer reasonable questions on the Voice, you are treating the Australian people like mugs, the letter reads. Your approach will ensure a dangerous and divisive debate grounded in hearsay and misinformation.

Albanese mentioned the Voice as part of his governments goal of promoting fairness in society, speaking on priorities for Labor in 2023 during a press conference in Geelong, Victoria, on Saturday.
Washington: China has rebuffed repeated US offers to share advanced vaccines as Beijing battles a fast-spreading wave of COVID-19, a rejection thats led to growing frustration among American officials concerned about a resurgence of the pandemic in the US.

Worried about the rise of new variants and impact on Chinas economy, the US has repeatedly offered mRNA vaccines and other assistance to President Xi Jinpings government through private channels, according to US officials who asked not to be identified discussing the deliberations.

A woman receives a second booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine through the nose, at a temporary vaccination site in Beijing, in mid-December. Credit: Xinhua/AP

They have also proposed indirect ways to supply the vaccines to accommodate political sensitivities in China on accepting foreign aid, they said, without providing more details.

The offers have been made by senior diplomats, including during a December trip to China by Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Kritenbrink and National Security Council Senior Director Laura Rosenberger, as well as through public health officials and intermediaries. Although officials have said publicly that theyve offered vaccines to China, the full extent of that outreach hasnt been previously reported.
Those were very dark days, says Othman al-Saiegh, 35, moving between English and Arabic. In a trendy cafe, Saiegh recounts his story of life under IS. The doctor and successful businessman, who owns a slew of pharmacies and laboratories across Mosul, was imprisoned twice by IS militants before he could escape to Baghdad.

In the Old City, on the western shores of the Tigris, the rubble and bullet- riddled buildings bear witness to this brutal urban battle, as well as the three despairing years of IS rule.

Over five years have passed since Mosul, the second-largest city in Iraq, was liberated from Islamic State (IS). Government forces and jihadists had clashed street by street, house by house, wrestling for control over ISs de facto capital and most prized possession.

This history exemplifies the staggering resilience of Iraqis in the face of great adversity. It shows how progress and hope have followed hardship and loss. But other problems now afflict the citys residents. They are sobering reminders of the destructive forces that continue to undermine Iraqs path to stability and prosperity.

The vitality and chaos that cascade down the streets resemble a balmy evening in Rio or Madrid. But this is Mosul in Iraq. And amid all the revelry, remnants of the ancient citys brutal and bloody history linger on.

It is nearing midnight and the city has come alive. Along the riverbank men play backgammon and smoke shisha. Throngs of children entertain themselves in a nearby amusement park, enjoying precious hours of respite from the blistering summer heat.

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Mosul was the centre of the violent extremism and destructive chaos that have torn northern Iraq asunder in the last decade. It bears the greatest scars.

Everyone has a story to tell, Saiegh remarks as we cross the Tigris to East Mosul.

Here a second man comes forward to share his story. On five separate occasions he was held at the church and beaten for smoking and drinking. His home was later burnt down to inflict further punishment. Many others were less fortunate, he noted, and lost their lives or their families for even smaller transgressions.

Saiegh leads us around the Old City to the Armenian Orthodox Church, where he had been imprisoned in ISs makeshift jail.

They jailed me once for defending my brother when they came to try and kill him. My uncle died in an airstrike  Every family in this city lost at least one or two loved ones.

There was no clean water, no electricity  none of the simple things to keep you alive  not even Panadol. People died because they couldnt find food; they were eating rubbish. And people had to stay at home. And thats it. There was no freedom.

Fatima Ayad, 26, is among the latest batch of students  many of them women  set to begin rehabilitating historic buildings. The Moslawi architecture graduate will soon complete one of UNESCOs technical and vocational education and training programs. For the past seven months, she has studied methods of conservation and the values and attributes of Mosul and its buildings.

The mosque, built by the Seljuks in the 12th century, was the infamous site of ISs declaration of its new caliphate. Embattled IS forces later destroyed it.

The al-Nuri mosque in 2017 after it was blown up by Islamic State. Credit:Getty

Even in the Old City, life is improving. UNESCOs Revive the Spirit of Mosul initiative has proved successful beyond measure in restoring historic sites. And it makes steady progress on its largest project, the reconstruction of the al-Nuri Mosque.

Shopping strips are bustling. Locals hop in and out of restaurants, designer replica shops, and the occasional liquor store. Here Saiegh gifts us a bag filled with sweets. He buys a round of raisin juice, a special treat. He is generous and welcoming, like most Iraqis we meet.

Shopping streets in East Mosul are putting the war behind them.

And yet, there is some hope, seeping through the cracks of the cratered suburbs. Along the banks of East Mosul, which escaped much of the Old Citys destruction, those Moslawis  young and old  enliven the citys spirit.

As the buildings are slowly rebuilt, Moslawis gradually return to their homes.

Mosul needs people to help rebuild it ... [it is] home to beautiful things people cant even imagine.

She lauds the progress made so far. A lot of things have now changed: the buildings, the roads, the peoples mindset. Of course, there is still work to do. But people from many backgrounds are working together to rebuild the Old City  There is some kind of hope.

We have a lot of history  beautiful history as well. So Mosul needs people to help rebuild it. Mosul deserves that. Because its not just any city. Its a very old city, home to beautiful things people cant even imagine.

When I go to Nabi Yunus Mosque [a historic site thought to contain the tomb of the prophet Jonah] and stand on the same stones where the Assyrian King Sennacherib stood, it is an emotional moment.

Ayad is proud of her city, its heritage, and the role she will play in its recovery.

He harks back to the days of Saddam Hussein, praising the late dictators strong leadership and ability to stay in touch with the Iraqi people. Many of Saieghs compatriots share his sentiment despite the great violence and iniquities that defined Saddams rule.

Is Mosul restoring its glory of old? Saiegh thinks not. Life is better. But there are still many problems. Theres corruption, lots of militia. Thieves steal medicine from my stores.

The citys been through war; its been through difficult times. But now its trying to come back better than ever. We want to show that the stereotype that Iraq is all war, explosions and death is wrong.

Weve already hosted almost 100 tourists and helped many more online, says Abdullah al-Qazzaz, a recent medical graduate who launched Visit Mosul in 2021. Qazzaz is optimistic about future growth in the tourism industry.

Tourists are returning, too. With the introduction of a visa on arrival policy for citizens of 37 countries, including Australia, intrepid travellers are racing to see many of the great Mesopotamian treasures they studied in school.

The next day we travel down to Baghdad by car, passing countless army checkpoints. Sometimes we are stopped by sectarian militiamen, reminders of the cavernous divisions that fracture Iraqi society.

At its peak IS controlled around 40 per cent of Iraq, mostly in the north and north-west. It came close to assaulting Baghdad in 2014, seizing the nearby city of Fallujah.

But government soldiers and Shiite militias, with the aid of US air support, drove the jihadists out in 2016, sparking a haemorrhaging of IS territory in the year that followed. Today their control is limited to a handful of scattered desert pockets, if that.

Al-Mutanabbi street in Baghdad is famous for its bookstores and stalls.

While IS forces never captured the capital, Baghdad was not spared from the terror that gripped the rest of the country. The scars inflicted by all the conflicts that preceded ISs rise  from the Iraq War to the Gulf War to the Iran-Iraq War and beyond  run deep, too.

The Shahbandar cafe on al-Mutanabbi Street, famous for its bookstores and stalls, has endured this tumultuous time and the tragedies that have accompanied it. It has served as the heart and soul of the citys literary and intellectual communities for over a century.

Its walls, jammed with photographs of regulars, resemble a whos who of modern Iraqi history. And it continues to attract a diverse array of patrons  some bespectacled, suit-clad old men, others chic youth  to drink tea, smoke shisha, and chat away the sweltering afternoons. The Australian ambassador, Paula Ganly, had visited only the day before.

Mohammed al-Khashali, the proprietor of the Shahbandar cafe.

Mohammed al-Khashali, the cafes long-time proprietor, welcomes us from his usual seat by the cash register. Close to him are five photographs of the four sons and one grandson Mohammed lost in 2007 in a devastating car bomb attack on the street.

Iraqs past is more beautiful than its present, he says, his son translating.

The cafe is a symbol of Iraq. Its gone through so much: a fire in 1988, the bomb in 2007  But the cafe is still here, it is still famous. It survives.

Iraqs past is more beautiful than its present. Cafe owner Mohammed al-Khashali

Iraq is ancient, several thousand years old. War is not new; its been like this from the beginning, and after 10 years, 100 years it will return. Life gets better then gets bad, like a cycle.

Such fatalism and resilience is prevalent among Baghdadis. But his prediction may prove particularly prescient as Iraq lurches from one political crisis to another.

A bookseller on Mutanabi Street. Credit:AP

Iraq is a nation of sectarian and ethnic divisions. An array of Sunni and Shiite groups  along with the Kurds in the north  jockey for power, producing sociopolitical fault lines that threaten an earthquake.

Broad consensus government, known as tawafuq, has emerged as the favoured political template in post-Saddam Iraq. For several years, it saw some success; the campaign to vanquish IS tethered many groups together.

But such unity was fleeting. As consensus government broke down, Iraq was left rudderless, without a functioning government, for more than a year until parliament elected a new president and a coalition government was formed in October, finally resolving the deadlock.

Within this landscape the Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has sought to thrust himself into power, gaining traction on an anti-Western and anti-Iranian nationalist platform. He commands strong support in Baghdad and the countrys south. Deadly clashes have raged in recent months between Sadrist militias and rival Shiite factions closely allied with Iran.

Influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. Credit:AP

Sadrs loyalists were left frustrated by their inability to form government despite securing the most seats in the parliamentary elections. Exasperation bubbled over into outright unrest.

One week after we leave, Sadr withdraws his MPs from the legislature. In a repeat of their actions in 2016, his supporters then storm the heavily fortified Green Zone, home to most embassies and government buildings. They stage a peaceful protest inside the Iraqi parliament.

Further political paralysis prompts Sadr to resign from politics altogether, sparking more protests and violence.

And so despite the new government, Iraqis remain on tenterhooks as consecutive political crises engulf the nation. They are reminiscent of the turmoil that followed Saddams toppling in 2003, and the resumption of civil war is a serious concern.

Supporters of influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr try to remove concrete barriers in the Green Zone area in Baghdad in August. Credit:AP

Adam Ibrahim, 31, shares this concern, but he smiles as we chat over tea and England-flavoured shisha. The gregarious Baghdadi is an avid scientist who has spent several years studying in the US and Europe.

He speaks passionately about his research on immunology, as well as his educational awareness campaigns on COVID-19 and immune systems. He also talks openly about the grave issues imperilling Iraq and its future.

Its very hard to be Iraqi. Its difficult here for people to flourish. Day after day, Im afraid to forget my dreams. Every day you dig in, dig in. Its easy to adapt and give up. I dont want to reach a place like this.

He laments the lack of adequate educational opportunities available to most Iraqis, particularly women.

Adam Ibrahim, a Baghdadi and an avid scientist. Credit:Thomas Ray

I have many girls at my university. Theyre so smart. But they cant go anywhere  they have to stay at home and marry.

And if you speak about womens rights people hate you. The old generation says that this will destroy our culture, destroy our society. But destroy what? These circumstances? Already were damaged, already we have big problems.

Science is for everyone  If you just give them [Iraqis] real science, youre going to discover the gold in them.

The old generation says [womens rights] will destroy our culture ... But destroy what? Already were damaged, already we have problems. Adam Ibrahim, an Iraqi scientist

We move on to the corruption plaguing the country. In Iraq we have everything. We have food; we have oil. The money here can be so good. But to get this money you have to be like them [the government and militias]. And I dont want to be like them. It goes against my ethics.

Right now, the only thing that makes them grow is ignorance  They want you to be ignorant and forget about your rights. Were trying to stop this ignorance; theyre trying to suppress our science.

A street vendor sells balloons and toys in Baghdads Kadhimiya district. Credit:AP

Ibrahim is one of many Iraqis hoping to drive change.

I dont want [future generations] fighting to create freedom. Im spending my life  my minutes, my hours  to give them this. No, I want them to already have freedom, to already have rights ... I have to make change, so they dont spend half their lives doing the same.

One of Ibrahims friends arrives to accompany us in our quest to sample the city nightlife. He takes us to a building indistinguishable at first from others on the street, weathered by years of war and neglect.

But steel-plated doors along the side and the muffled hum of music suggest this is no ordinary property. The doors open and a bouncer pats us down for weapons on entry.

Up a flight of stairs we find a dimly lit and lavishly decorated bar resplendent with a wide array of alcohols. Peaky Blinders posters adorn the walls, and familiar club hits reverberate from nearby rooms. Soon a tray arrives with several rounds of curiously salt-rimmed Heinekens.

It is all bizarre. But the beer is good, the atmosphere enticing, and the prices preposterous. We enjoy our time and leave feeling we could be back in Sydney or London.

There are other establishments in the capital just like this, attracting a range of wealthy clientele keen to live life away from prying eyes. But they do not reflect the realities of life in Iraq for most people.

People navigate a street during a sandstorm in Baghdad this year. Credit:AP

As Ibrahim notes, corruption is entrenched in the highest echelons of government; official figures published last year uncovered around $225 billion of oil money has disappeared from state coffers since 2003. But it also extends to every other layer of Iraqi society.

Poverty, meanwhile, remains rampant. And food security has deteriorated in recent months as Iraq battles a food price surge  another casualty of the Ukraine war  and extreme drought.

The drought, Iraqs worst in decades, is particularly concerning. Alongside the unusually frequent and large sandstorms that have enveloped the Middle East this year, it is a portentous sign of climate change. While we are in the south, temperatures breach 50 degrees.

The heat can make life in Iraq too much at times, says Sally Mars, 26, but there are so many other problems as well. Mars was a teenage rock n roll guitarist in Baghdads music scene, but she has since hung up her guitar to work on other projects.

Mars first picked up the instrument at 17 to release all the anger that had accumulated throughout a childhood defined by war and loss.

She took to the streets during the youth-driven 2019 October Protest Movement rallying against government failures, in which many young demonstrators were killed.

Anti-government protesters run to take cover while Iraqi security forces fire tear gas during a demonstration in Tahrir Square in Baghdad in 2019. Credit:AP

You cant dream in this country  There is no hope for so many, and so many young people see no hope in staying. The only hope is to escape and travel to Europe or America.

The former musician embodies the burgeoning underground youth culture that has defied long-held customs and rigid, patriarchal norms.

We [the Iraqi youth] are so different. We have such different views about religion, women, politics  We dont want all this war and fighting. We dont see the point.

They [the older generations] are not bad people. Years of war have made them like this. But things must now change.

See the Australian governments latest travel advice on Iraq here.

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Much like Gov. Ned Lamonts inaugural speech Wednesday, the bills filed in the first week of the General Assemblys five-month session offer Connecticut a hint of objectives to be pursued, if not a blueprint for producing them.

Senate Democrats filed 10 bills co-sponsored by all 24 members of the majority caucus, each a statement of a lofty purpose, such as Senate Bill 4: To promote fair and equitable housing opportunities in every community in the state.

Exactly how that would be accomplished is for another day.

This is just a very first step procedurally, said Senate President Pro Tem Martin M. Looney, D-New Haven. We wanted to reserve these 10 numbers to show that these are the 10 themes that we want to address in the course of the session.

Lamont also made housing an issue in his speech, though his policy solutions have yet to be reduced to legislative language. He also promised a middle-class tax cut, details to come.

Adam Joseph, the governors communications director, said the administration will be offering specifics in the weeks leading to Lamonts budget address in February.

We look forward to working with our legislative partners to address issues that matter to Connecticuts residents, including housing, health care, energy, climate, education and career readiness, Joseph said.

All were issues raised in his speech and are addressed in legislation filed this week.

The goal of Senate Bill 7 is timely, if vague. It seeks to promote a more equitable and transparent energy market that works in the best interest of Connecticuts consumers of energy.

With everyones electric bill recently jumping to reflect the competitive market costs of generating power, energy legislation may be in vogue this year.

House Bill 5013 provides a more specific, if whimsical, take on the issue than Senate Bill 7.

It states: That the general statutes be amended to require a vote by each chamber of the General Assembly on all electric or natural gas rate increases approved by the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority.

PURA sets rates for transmission, roughly half a typical bill. The cost of generating power is set by the markets, not PURA, Eversource or United Illuminating.

The bill was filed by Rep. Christine Conley, D-Groton, who said lawmakers were getting lots of complaints from constituents about electric rates.

The current laws dont allow the legislature to do anything about it, so I put in a bill to start a discussion about how can we have a little more control over these rates because the increases are really hard for a lot of families to pay right now, she said.

In legislative speak, start a discussion can be synonymous with dont hold your breath.

Mitch Gross, a spokesman for the company that provides power to the majority of Connecticut homes and businesses, Eversource, declined to address the unlikely prospect of lawmakers voting on electric rates.

We understand theres been a request for legislation and look forward to seeing the specific language, he said. Until we can review the bill, it would be inappropriate to comment.

Looney said not every bill is filed with the expectation that it will become law.

Some people put in a bill as a statement of an ideal or sometimes as a statement of protest, knowing that its not actually likely to result in legislation but to strongly express a point of view on an issue and just to stake out a position, he said.

House Minority Leader Vincent J. Candelora, R-North Branford, agreed with Looney but noted that sometimes unlikely proposals gain traction.

Were sort of in the megaphone process, making a statement, than seeing what can stick, Candelora said. You put your oar in the water, but if you can get some advocacy on an issue, sometimes to can go forward.

The General Assembly meets for three months in even-numbered years and five months in odd ones. Only in the longer session are lawmakers free to file individual bills; in the short session, they must be filed as committee bills.

Because any legislator can introduce any bill they want, you do get a mixture of things, said House Speaker Matt Ritter, D-Hartford.

Committees will screen individual bills, clearing some for public hearings  and allowing others to die without action. The first months of the session turn on getting bills voted out of committee to the floor of the House or Senate.

House members filed about four dozen bills on Wednesday, the first day of the session.

House Bill 5002 would extend bond covenant restrictions adopted in 2017 as a means to enforce so-called fiscal guardrails against overspending when revenues spike.

This starts the conversation, and it was important to all of us that we get this out early, said Rep. Maria Horn, D-Salisbury, the new co-chair of the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee.

This is a conversation that has a better chance of leading to the passage of a bill. It is co-sponsored by Horn and the top Democrats, Ritter and House Majority Leader Jason Rojas of East Hartford, and reflects a priority of the governor.

Rep. Jeff Currey, D-East Hartford, the new co-chair of the Education Committee, filed House Bill 5003, a measure co-sponsored by the House leaders to reform the states complex formulas for subsidizing local education.

Right now, we have a disjointed system of, I believe, 11 different formulas, Currey said. So were trying to wrap them all into one so that we get away from the internal and external battles when it comes to funding each budget cycle between our traditional public schools, our magnet schools and our charter schools, all of which are public schools.

House Bill 5004, filed by Rep. Matt Blumenthal, D-Stamford, with Ritter and Rojas is a good bet for passage. It would implement early voting, as permitted by an amendment to the Connecticut Constitution approved in November.

The bill does not yet specify exactly how early voting would be allowed.

Other bills and resolutions run the gamut.

Rep. Keith Denning, D-Wilton, is brand new, but one of his bills addresses an issue as old as Tesla cars: It would allow car makers to bypass dealers and directly sell motor vehicles, the only way Tesla does business.

Rep. Christie Carpino, R-Cromwell, has proposed a constitutional amendment placing a limit of two terms on the governor. It might have been appreciated by the last governor who was elected to three terms, Gov. John G. Rowland.

His third term was cut short by an impeachment inquiry, followed by resignation and a stint in federal prison.

Mark Pazniokas is a reporter for The Connecticut Mirror (ctmirror.org). Copyright 2023 (c) The Connecticut Mirror.
Authorities in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district on Saturday started a public outreach programme to instill a sense of security among the people in the wake of the recent terror strike that left six civilians dead.

Deputy Commissioner, Rajouri, Vikas Kundal said senior Army and police officers are part of the outreach programme to address the concerns of the civilian population.

Terrorists had targeted Dhangri village in Rajouri town, killing six people and injuring many more. While four people were killed in terrorist firing on the houses belonging to a particular community on January 1, two cousins were killed in a blast caused by an IED that was planted by the terrorists and detonated the next morning.

"A major public outreach exercise was started with two meetings at Kotranka and Potha town in view of the recent terror attack, which caused a serious concern among the people," Kundal said.

Kotranka is a remote subdivision of Rajouri district and remained highly infested with terrorism over two decades ago, while Potha is a village adjacent to Dhangri.

"To address the concern among the civil population, the government has started this Confidence Building Measure (CBM) exercise. More meetings are planned in different areas of the district in coming days," the deputy commissioner said.

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Kundal, who attended the public outreach programme along with senior army and police officers, said "We are holding direct talks with people and listening to their grievancesWe assure them of foolproof security arrangements."



He said the senior security officers assured the people that all those involved in anti-national and anti-social activities will be taken to task.

Kundal said people from all walks of life including leaders of different political leaders attended the first two meetings and presented a united look of society which is pivotal in all aspects.
Delhi's Patiala House Court on Saturday sent accused Shankar Mishra, who had allegedly urinated on a co-passenger onboard an Air India flight between New York and Delhi on November 26 last year, to 14 days judicial custody.

The Delhi Police had sought three days of police custody of Shankar Mishra.

Advocate Manu Sharma appearing for Shankar Mishra submitted that in the FIR only one non-bailable offence is mentioned, others are bailable offences.

Metropolitan Magistrate Anamika recorded the submission made by Police that Shankar Mishra has been non-cooperative.

It further recorded that the same court issued a non-bailable warrant against him.

"Accused Shankar Mishra's mobile phone was traced and he was located in Bengaluru. He could not even be traced at his workplace. The entire material points out that he was deliberately not joining the probe," noted the Delhi Court.

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Meanwhile, accused Shankar Mishra's lawyer moved a bail plea in Delhi's Patiala Court. The plea will be heard on January 11.

Before taking to the Patiala House Court in Delhi, the accused was taken to Safdarjung Hospital for a medical examination.

He was arrested by Delhi Police from Bengaluru last night.

Notably, the Delhi Police has so far recorded the statements of three crew members of Air India today in connection with the case.

Mishra had allegedly urinated on a 70-year-old woman in an intoxicated condition in business class of an Air India flight on November 26 last year.

The accused was arrested by the Delhi Police today from Bengaluru and brought to Delhi, police said.

Delhi Police had registered an FIR against him on January 4 on a complaint given by the woman to Air India.

The police registered an FIR under sections 354, 509, and 510 of the Indian Penal Code and Section 23 of the Indian Aircraft Act. Both the accused and the victim are from outside Delhi.

US-based financial services company Wells Fargo on Friday also terminated its employee Shankar Mishra.

"Wells Fargo holds employees to the highest standards of professional and personal behaviour and we find these allegations deeply disturbing. This individual has been terminated from Wells Fargo. We are cooperating with law enforcement and ask that any additional inquiries be directed to them," the company said in a statement.

The company's statement came after Delhi Police reached out to Wells Fargo to cooperate with investigations against accused Mishra.

Meanwhile, after facing backlash, Air India has issued show cause notices to four of its cabin crew and one pilot and de-rostered them pending investigations.

On Friday, Air India chief executive officer (CEO) Campbell Wilson also asked the airline staff to report any instances of "any improper behaviour on board to authorities at the earliest even if the matter appears to be resolved".

In a letter to Air India employees, the CEO stated that timely action is necessary against those who don't follow the flight rules.

Campbell said, "This week has, 'regrettably', been dominated by media headlines of which you are no doubt familiar. The repulsion felt by the affected passenger is totally understandable and we share her distress."

He reiterated the importance of reporting untoward incidents onboard flights to authorities, even if the crew believes it has been resolved.
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Saturday announced a cabinet reshuffle in the poll-bound Karnataka ahead of the state assembly election to be held this year.

"Cabinet expansion will be done soon, I have already conveyed the message to high command and high command will take a decision accordingly soon. I don't know who'll be inducted in the cabinet, the high command will take a decision soon after a meeting," Bommai said.

Karnataka is slated to go to Assembly polls this year.

Earlier in December last year, Bommai said the cabinet reshuffle is likely to happen in Karnataka.

Addressing the media persons during a press conference in Belagavi, Bommai said that he has provided details about the expansion of the Karnataka cabinet to Ex-Karnataka Ministers, Eshwarappa and Jarkiholi.

Bommai's statement came amid a tussle and rift in the Karnataka Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after KS Eshwarappa and Ramesh Jarkiholi skipped the winter session, last year, at Vidhan Soudha in Belagavi and attacked the state leadership.

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"I have met Eshwarappa and Jarkiholi about the expansion and gave them detail. This expansion issue has been discussed with them and I have already conveyed the same to the high command earlier. I will visit Delhi soon," CM Bommai said in a press conference in December.

The absence of Eshwarappa and Jarkiholi had initially raised speculations about internal conflict, which CM Bommai later clarified that it was not a boycott.

"It's not a boycott. After (KS Eshwarappa) got clean chit (in the contractor death case), I discussed with high command (regarding his inclusion in the cabinet). I will speak to them personally," CM Bommai had said.

On being asked about the early elections in the state, CM Bommai exuded confidence in completing the tenure and said that he has not spoken to anybody regarding it.

"I have not spoken to anyone related to the early election. I am sure that we will finish our term. The election does not come if anybody claims so," he said in the press conference in December.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Friday that the Central government has achieved success in its goal of establishing the three P's of Peace, Progress and Prosperity in Nagaland and other northeastern states.

The Home Minister, while addressing a gathering after inaugurating five projects worth Rs 52 crore in Nagaland, said that with the taming of the insurgency activities, Prime Minister Narendra Modi government's mission is "not only to develop the physical connectivity but to further improve the emotional connectivity between the northeastern region and the rest of the country".

The five projects included tourism, education and electricity supply. Shah said that for mainstreaming of the northeastern region, ambitious development has been undertaken in the region and on the direction of the Prime Minister, a Union Minister is visiting the region every fortnight while the Prime Minister visited the region 51 times in eight years.

"Since 2014, the fund allocation to Nagaland increased four times, besides Rs 219 crore special packages given to the state. The 15th Finance Commission has made a provision of Rs 4,773-crore for Nagaland in 2022-23, while only Rs. 1,283-crore was allocated in 2009-10," he said.

Noting that the insurgency incidents declined by 74 per cent in the eight years in the northeastern region, he said that the AFSPA (Armed Forces {Special Power} Act) also being gradually withdrawn from the region and Nagaland.

The Union Home Minister said that Nagaland is one of the world's 25 famous biodiversity areas which endows it with immense tourism potential. Nagaland is also famous all over the world for its citizens, culture and the equal status given to women here.

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Shah said that along with the development of infrastructure, the government has also focused on strengthening public facilities. Fifteen national highway projects, covering a length of over 266-km at the tune of Rs 4,127-crore have been undertaken.

The former BJP National President said that the coalition government would return to power in the upcoming elections.

Shah arrived in Nagaland on Friday after visiting Tripura and Manipur on Thursday.

--IANS

sc/sha
Delhi Police has summoned Air India staff in connection with an incident in which a man allegedly urinated on a co-passenger onboard a flight from New York to Delhi, sources said.

The Air India staff, including the pilot and co-pilot, were issued summons for Friday, but they didn't appear. Now, they have been summoned to the office of deputy commissioner of police (airport) at 10:30 am on January 7, the sources said on Friday.

Police on Wednesday registered an FIR and formed several teams to nab the accused passenger.

The accused, Shankar Mishra, had urinated on his co-passenger, a senior citizen in her 70s, allegedly in an inebriated condition in the business class of the Air India flight on November 26 last year.

Mishra is the vice president of the India Chapter of an American multinational financial services company headquartered in California.

A police officer said that teams have been sent to Mumbai and Bengaluru.

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The office of the accused is situated in Bengaluru and it was found during preliminary investigation that he was working from home, the officer said, adding that police are conducting raids to nab him.
The much-awaited expansion of the Himachal Pradesh Cabinet will take place on Sunday, according to Raj Bhavan sources.

The swearing-in ceremony of the new ministers would take place at the Raj Bhavan here on January 8 at 10 am, the sources said on Saturday.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu earlier in the day said he has handed over the list of probables for induction in his ministry to the Congress high command for approval.

Cabinet expansion is possible on Sunday or later, he had told reporters here after returning from Delhi where he held deliberations with top party leaders on the issue.

There has been much speculation over the names of new ministers since Sukhu and his deputy Mukesh Agnihotri took oath nearly a month ago following the Congress' win in the assembly election.

The list has been handed over to the high command and expansion would be done only after it is cleared by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Sukhu said.

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There are 10 vacancies in the cabinet as the total number of ministers, including the chief minister and deputy chief minister, in Himachal Pradesh cannot exceed 12.

The chief minister and the deputy chief minister had taken oath on December 11, 2022.

Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar is scheduled to leave for Goa after administering the oath and would return on January 12.

The Congress is facing a daunting task due to the aspirations of various regions, castes and factions for representation. It also has to strike a balance while inducting old and new faces.

So far, Chief Minister Sukkhu has kept with himself Finance, General Administration, Home, Planning, Personnel and all other departments not allotted to any minister, while Deputy chief Minister Agnihotri holds Jal Shakti Vibhag, Transport and Language, Arts and Culture departments.

Three out of 12 districts have been given representation - Sukhu from Hamirpur, Agnihotri from Una and five times MLA from Bhatiyyat Kuldeep Pathania, who is from Chamba, as Assembly Speaker, a party source noted.

One minister is expected from the Tribal areas of Lahaul and Spiti and Kinnaur. Kangra and Shimla with ten and seven Congress MLAs respectively are expected to be given a share in the cabinet.

The Congress has won 40 out of 68 assembly seats including four each in Una, Solan, and Hamirpur, three in Sirmaur, two each in Chamba and Kullu, and one each in Mandi, Bilaspur, Kinnaur and Lahaul and Spiti districts.

Sukhu had maintained that the cabinet would be expanded in consultation with the high command and it would be a mix of professionals, youth and representatives of various sections.

Former ministers and a number of second and third-time MLAs are among those aspiring for ministerial berths.

The party has to also reconcile the claims of the two factions led by Suhkhu and state Congress chief Pratibha Singh.

The front runners include Chander Kumar from Jawali in Kangra, a former minister and former Lok Sabha Member, and oldest MLA Dhani Ram Shandil from Solan, who is also a former minister and former Lok Sabha member.

Former minister Sudhir Sharma from Dharamshala in Kangra, six-time MLA Harshvardhan Chauhan from Shillai in Sirmaur, former deputy speaker Jagat Singh Negi from Kinnaur, former chief minister Virbhadra Singh's son Vikramaditya Singh and four-time MLA from Jubbal-Kotkhai Rohit Thakur, who is the grandson of former chief minister Ram Lal Thakur, are also among the top contenders.
Negotiations for bilateral free trade agreements with several countries are "well on track" and India is also looking at some multilateral pacts that are fair and equitable for all the member countries, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Saturday.

India has recently implemented a free trade agreement (FTA) with the UAE in May 2022 and on December 29, 2022 with Australia to boost bilateral trade and investments.

The country is negotiating FTAs with countries including Canada, European Union and the UK.

"We are well on track in discussions with several other countries to look at bilateral trade agreements. We are looking at one or two multilateral trade agreements also where we believe we can get benefit," Goyal said while virtually addressing the 27th Wharton India Economic Forum.

In a trade agreement, two or more countries either significantly reduce or eliminate customs duties on the maximum number of goods traded between them. Besides, they ease norms to promote trade in services and investments.

The minister said that it is in India's interest to enter into bilateral free trade agreements.

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"It's essential that agreements are balanced and they are in the best interest of both the countries, they address the sensitivities of both the countries and help us protect certain sectors which we need to protect," Goyal added.

He said that India can not make every product efficiently and that imports are important for those goods.

On the other hand, India is competitive in several sectors such as labour oriented areas like textiles, leather, footwear, and pharma and for that these, trade agreements would be beneficial.

Due to this, we decided that we must talk to like-minded countries particularly countries which have a rule-based trading order, which are transparent in their economic systems as India is and enter into arrangements which are win-win for both the sides and which are fair, equitable and balanced," the minister said.

Talking about Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which India decided not to join, he said it was a very unfair and unbalanced agreement and one of the member countries (China) in the RCEP group has a "very opaque" trading system.

Further, he said that going forward it is important to focus on quality products and services.

"In 2022, India did 74 billion financial transactions digitally. It is more than Europe, the US and China combined. India is working towards becoming a high quality, high technology and a service-oriented economy, well equipped to meet the needs of the rest of the world," he added.
The International Year of Millets is an important step for recognising the valuable nutrition and health benefits of millets and the importance of these grains to food security and sustainability, Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan has said.

The year 2023 has been designated as the 'International Year of Millets' after a proposal for it was brought forward by India and endorsed by Members of the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Governing Bodies, as well as by the 75th Session of the UN General Assembly.

Speaking at the virtual launch ceremony of Iconic Week on Millets Magic' organised by Magic Millet, Muraleedharan said on Friday, Through education, research, and promotion, we can make sure that millet receives the recognition they deserve and help to improve food security and sustainability around the world,



Muraleedharan said millets are more resilient than other grains and cereals, making them a more reliable crop in the face of climate change and unpredictable weather.

This makes them an excellent choice for farmers looking to maximise their yields and incomes. Finally, millets are an affordable and accessible food source, he said.

He noted that International Year of Millets is an important step in recognising the valuable nutrition and health benefits of millets, as well as the importance of these grains to food security and sustainability.

Programmes such as Magic Millets 2023 are a force multiplier to the ongoing efforts of the UN, FAO and Government of India to bring millets back in our lives, Muraleedharan said.

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The government announced on January 1 it has lined up a series of millet-centric promotional activities across the country as the International Year of Millets (IYM) kicks in.

Millets were among the first crops to be domesticated in India with several evidence of its consumption during the Indus valley civilization. Being grown in more than 130 countries at present, millet is considered traditional food for more than half a billion people across Asia and Africa.

"We should aim to make International Year of Millets a people's movement, a true jan-andolan. And that is where the role of community organisations and NGOs such as Jaipur Foot and Lok Samvad Sansthan becomes critical, Muraleedharan said.

Together, we can ensure that millets resurface as a staple of our food culture in India and across the world, he said.

Consul General of India in New York Randhir Jaiswal said the Indian Consulate will be organising a calendar of events throughout 2023 to mark the international year and seeks strong participation of the diaspora to make this festival a success.

Jaiswal said promoting millets is a win-win" for all, asserting that they are good for health, for the planet, environment, for achieving Sustainable Development Goals, for small and marginal farmers and for enhancing the food and nutrition security of people.

He noted that in the last few years, India has given the International Day of Non-Violence, International Day of Yoga and now the International Day of Millets to the global community through the United Nations.

There is a deeper meaning in these celebrations and that it is the message of India to the world: the well-being of all and peace for all, Jaiswal said.

In India, millets are primarily a Kharif crop, requiring less water and agricultural inputs than other similar staples. Millets are important by virtue of their mammoth potential to generate livelihoods, increase farmers' income and ensure food and nutritional security all over the world.

Millets are also an integral part of the G-20 meetings and delegates will be given a true millet experience through tasting, meeting farmers and interactive sessions with start-ups and FPOs.

Jaipur Foot USA Chairperson Prem Bhandari, who initiated the virtual celebration, lauded Chief Coordinator for India's G20 Presidency Harsh Vardhan Shringla for including one millet dish in all G20 meals.

Bhandari said Jaipur Foot, along with all organisations, will organise several events this year in association with the Consulate General of India in New York to promote and spread awareness on millets.

He said that after giving the International Yoga Day to the world through the UN, India has now given a year to celebrate millets globally.

He applauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the initiatives and said: India will be Vishwa Guru and will show the path to the world.

Kalyan Singh Kothari, social activist and Secretary General Magic Millet, also addressed the virtual meeting.

On December 6, the UN body Food and Agriculture Organization organised an opening ceremony for the IYM in Rome, Italy. The Indian government hosted a special Millet Luncheon' for Members of Parliament in the Parliament complex.

Recognising the enormous potential of Millets, which also aligns with several U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), India has prioritised millets. In April 2018, millets were rebranded as Nutri Cereals, followed by the year 2018 being declared as the National Year of Millets.

The UN's declaration as IYM 2023 has been instrumental for India to be at the forefront in celebrating the millet year. Prime Minister Modi has also shared his vision to make IYM 2023 a people's movement alongside positioning India as the Global hub of millets.

The global millets market is projected to register a CAGR of 4.5 per cent between 2021-2026.
The contact line between Russian and Ukrainian forces in eastern Ukraine has changed very little since Ukraine took back the city of Kherson and the portion of that region west of the Dnipro River in early November. Since then, the battle has continued in and around Bakhmut and other cities in the Donbas, which consists of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, but with very little change in the territory held by each side.

There are, of course, some small changes; indeed, a close observer of Fridays British Defence Intelligence update on Russian attacks and locations will note that Russian forces have recently taken some of the previously-contested territory between the cities of Bakhmut and Horlivka in the Donetsk region as well as a bit of territory previously held by Ukrainian forces south of the city of Zaporizhzhia. Nevertheless, the fact remains that, overall, the contact line between the forces has changed very little in the two months since Ukraine took back Kherson and the territory of that region west of the Dnipro.

That the contact line between Russian and Ukrainian forces in eastern Ukraine has remained largely unchanged for some time has been acknowledged by both sides. Two weeks ago, in an interview with the BBC, Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, the chief of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, said, bluntly, The situation is just stuck. It doesnt move. Russia, he said, is now completely at a dead end. But, he said, We cant defeat them in all directions comprehensively. Neither can they. He added, hopefully, Were very much looking forward to new weapons supplies, and to the arrival of more advanced weapons.

A few days later, speaking at the annual meeting of the Russian Defense Ministry Board in Moscow, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov likewise said, The situation on the front line has stabilized  adding that the main efforts of our troops are now focused on completing the liberation of the territory of the Donetsk Peoples Republic. As todays update from British Defence Intelligence indicates, while Russia now controls almost all of the Luhansk region, it controls only about 60 percent of the Donetsk region.

The fact that the contact line is relatively stable doesnt, of course, mean that there is no conflict. As noted above, one such focal point is Bakhmut, a small city with a pre-war population of about 30,000 situated at the junction of roads that, if controlled by Russia, would increase its ability to take two larger industrial cities in the north of the Donetsk region  Kramatorsk (pre-war population 160,000) and Slovyansk (pre-war population 110,000).

Nor does the fact that the contact line is relatively stable mean there are not substantial casualties occurring on both sides. On Sunday, just after midnight in the first few minutes of the new year, four rockets fired by a U.S.-supplied HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System), a multiple-rocket launcher mounted on a truck and operated by Ukrainian forces, hit Polytechnic School #19 in Makiivka, a city with a pre-war population of about 350,000 immediately adjacent to the city of Donetsk and roughly 20 kilometers from the contact line.

Workers clean rubbles after Ukrainian rocket strike in Makiivka, in Russian-controlled Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine, Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023. Russias defense ministry says 63 of its soldiers have been killed by a Ukrainian strike on a facility in the eastern Donetsk region where military personnel were stationed. (AP Photo)

The school was being used as a barracks for Russian troops as well as a storage depot for ammunition. On Wednesday, the Russian Ministry of Defense raised its initial estimate that 63 soldiers had been killed in the attack to 89. (Ukraine claims several hundred Russian troops were killed in the attack.)

The ministry said, The main reason for what happened was the switching on and massive use  contrary to the prohibition  by personnel of mobile phones in a reach zone of enemy weapons. This factor allowed the enemy to track and determine the coordinates of the soldiers location for a missile strike. Over the past year, especially in the early weeks and months of the conflict before Russia figured out what was happening, Ukraine reportedly hit a number of Russian field headquarters and killed a number of high-ranking officers by identifying the locations from which cell phone calls were being made  to such an extent that the Russian ministry of defense prohibited their use in areas in close proximity to Ukrainian forces. What the ministry evidently failed to appreciate at the time was that HIMARS rockets have a range of 50 miles, well beyond the short range within which cell phone usage was prohibited.

Nevertheless, despite the continuing conflict along the contact line, its relative stability has led many to believe it might be possible to move toward a ceasefire agreement, a truce, and perhaps even to talks that would bring about an end to the conflict. Indeed, even Russian President Vladimir Putin, who initiated the war last February, has recognized the fact that at some point it must end. In his lengthy end-of-the-year press conference in late December, when asked if he saw any signs of the conflict becoming drawn out, he said, our goal is not to whip up the military conflict but to end this war. That is what we will try to dowe will do our best to end this, and the sooner the better. (That was the first time Putin called what he had previously called a special military operation a war.)

And in response to a question whether there was a real chance for a diplomatic solution to the Ukraine situation, he said, Every conflict, every armed conflict ends with some kind of negotiations on the diplomatic track, one way or another, and we have never refused to negotiate. It is the Ukrainian leadership that has forbidden itself to negotiate. This attitude is somewhat unusual, even bizarre, I would say. Nevertheless, sooner or later, any parties that are in a state of conflict sit down and negotiate. The sooner this realization comes to those who oppose us, the better. We have never given up on that. In a televised interview with Rossiya 1 a few days later, he said, We are ready to negotiate with everyone involved about acceptable solutions, but that is up to them  we are not the ones refusing to negotiate, they are.

Perhaps following up on those comments, Putin spoke by phone with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. According to the Kremlin readout, the conversation covered several issues, including the creation of a natural gas hub in Turkey, the construction of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant, the export of Ukrainian grain and Russian food and fertilizer, and the situation in Syria. But importantly, the conversation also touched on the situation in and around Ukraine. According to the Turkish readout of the conversation, President Erdogan said calls for peace and negotiations should be supported by a unilateral ceasefire and a vision for a fair solution. According to the Russian readout, Putin emphasized the destructive role of the Western states, which are pumping the Kiev regime full of weapons and military equipment and also providing operational and targeting information. But, it added, in view of President Erdogans offer for Turkiye to mediate a political settlement of the conflict, Vladimir Putin again reaffirmed that Russia is open to a serious dialogue  under the condition that the Kiev authorities meet the clear demands that have been repeatedly laid out and recognize the new territorial realities.

A view of an apartment building, damaged during a heavy fighting, in Mariupol, in Russian-controlled Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine, Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023. (AP Photo/Alexei Alexandrov)

The territorial realities are, of course, the fact that, as of Sept. 30 when they were formally annexed, the Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions are, from Russias point of view, now part of the Russian Federation. But the fundamental reality for Ukraine, of course, is that those territories, as well as Crimea, annexed in 2014, are part of Ukraine and it cant possibly accept Russias new territorial realities, just as Russia cant possibly agree to returning regions that are now part of the Russian Federation to Ukraine. Russias condition  that Ukraine must accept the new territorial realities if there is to be a serious dialogue  means, in short, there wont be a serious dialogue. At best, there may be a ceasefire, perhaps one that, if it endures, will transform the war into a frozen conflict.

Kirill, the Russian Orthodox Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, called on all parties involved in what he called the internecine conflict in Ukraine and the Donbass [which, of course, after the annexation of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, is, in Russias view, no longer part of Ukraine] to establish a Christmas ceasefire so that Orthodox people could attend church services on Christmas Eve and on Christmas Day. Upon consideration of the Patriarchs call, Putin Friday instructed Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu to introduce a ceasefire along the entire line of contact in Ukraine from 12:00 on January 6, 2023 to 24:00 on January 7, 2023. Noting that a large number of Orthodox Christians reside in the area of hostilities, he called on Ukraine to do likewise and thereby allow them to attend church services on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

But Ukraine immediately dismissed Putins call for a short Christmas ceasefire. Serhiy Haidai, the head of the Luhansk regional military administration, told Ukrainian television: Regarding this truce  they just want to get some kind of a pause for a day or two, to pull even more reserves, bring some more ammo. Russia cannot be trusted. Not a single word they say. And Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak tweeted that Russia must leave Ukraine before there could be any temporary truce, adding, Ukraine doesnt attack foreign territory and doesnt kill civilians. RF [Russian Federation] does. RF must leave the occupied territories  only then will it have a temporary truce. Keep hypocrisy to yourself.

In his nightly address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy largely reiterated what Haidai and Podolyak said. Speaking in Russian and addressing himself in part to Russian citizens, he said, Now they want to use Christmas as a cover to at least briefly stop the advance of our guys in Donbas and bring equipment, ammunition and mobilized men closer to our positions. What will this accomplish? Only another increase in the casualty count. Everyone in the world knows how the Kremlin uses breaks in the war to continue the war with renewed vigor. In order to end the war faster, it needs something else entirely. We need the citizens of Russia to find the courage to free themselves of their shameful fear of one man in the Kremlin for at least 36 hours during Christmas. Your fear of him is destroying your countryThe war in Ukraine will end when your soldiers either leave or we kick them out.

Russias unilateral 36-hour ceasefire went into effect at noon Friday, Moscow time. Coupled with the snowy weather which obscured targets and made it difficult to use drones, the ceasefire provided some respite from the usual lethal fire along the contact line. Nevertheless, journalists reported occasional artillery fire along the line, the protracted battle for the small city of Bakhmut continued, and several larger cities  most notably, Russian-held Donetsk and Ukrainian-held Kramatorsk  were hit. And so the war goes on  and will no doubt resume at full scale at 12:01 a.m. Sunday morning.

David R. Cameron is a professor Emeritus of Political Science at Yale University and the former director of the MacMillan Centers Program on European Union Studies. He teaches courses on European politics and the European Union.
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Saturday urged the Odisha government to implement the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme in the state so that beneficiaries can avail benefits of cashless hospitalisation.

Speaking to the media after participating in the 4th annual convocation of AIIMS Bhubaneswar, he said the Health Ministry has also written to the state government in this regard.

The Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojna (PM-JAY) aims to achieve the target of universal health coverage and provide access to free and affordable healthcare services to the people residing in the remotest of the areas.

The scheme aims to provide free and cashless healthcare services up to Rs 5 lakh per family per year to over 10.74 crore poor and vulnerable families (over 53 crore beneficiaries) as per the Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC)-2011 database.

The AB-PMJAY is implemented in all states and Union territories barring West Bengal, NCT of Delhi and Odisha.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) team, probing the Ekbalpur-Mominpur clashes in Kolkata on October 9 last year, on Saturday filed the charge sheet in the matter at a special court in Kolkata.

A total of 14 persons were named in the 400-page charge sheet, out of whom eight have been arrested by the NIA sleuths, while six others are still absconding.

However, surprisingly, all the 20 persons who were arrested earlier by the special investigation team (SIT) of Kolkata Police in relation to the clashes, have been acquitted of all charges in the NIA charge sheet. Sources said that NIA sleuths have not received any clue in the matter against those 20 persons arrested by the city police earlier.

On January 4, the NIA team conducted raids at 17 locations in and around Kolkata in connection with the clash and recovered cash worth Rs 33.87 lakhs from certain residences at Bhukailash Road and Mayurbhanj Road during their operations. Sharp-edged weapons and other incriminating items were also seized. During the course of the raid, the NIA team also faced resistance from the local residents.

The clashes broke out on the occasion of Laxmi Puja and in the process of dispersing the violent mob, one officer in the rank of Deputy Commissioner of Police was also injured. Police later detained 30 persons.

Also Read NIA files charge sheet against Jamaat-Ul-Mujahideen members in terror case Phulwari Sharif case: NIA conducts searches at multiple locations in Bihar NIA files charge sheet against three in West Bengal bomb blast case Libya capital remains tense a day after clashes kill over 30 people Time extension to file charge sheet not empty formality, says Supreme Court Maha govt on ventilator support, won't last till February: Sanjay Raut Cabinet reshuffle soon, says Karnataka CM Bommai ahead of assembly polls Law minister Rijiju reviews performance of matters on railway litigations Rahul will be invited for Ram Temple darshan in Ayodhya: Devendra Fadnavis India, Japan to hold joint air exercise to promote defence cooperation

On October 19, the NIA took over the investigation in the matter from the Kolkata police SIT, was formed following a directive of the Calcutta High Court.

On November 10, addressing an administrative review meeting in Nadia, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused the NIA of fuelling communal tensions in the state.

--IANS

src/vd
Data layers on important assets related to health, education, culture, tourism, Gram panchayats, municipal corporation, social welfare housing, among others, are being mapped for optimum use of PM GatiShakti for social infrastructure planning.

A review meeting on this by Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) at Vanijya Bhawan in New Delhi was attended by Ministry of Housing of Urban Affairs, Department of School Education and Literacy, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Ministry of Rural Development and BISAG-N, among others, Ministry of Commerce and Industry said in a statement on Saturday.

"The 12 Ministries and Departments onboarded are now in advanced stages of data integration onto the NMP Platform that include important layers such as schools, hospitals, and anganwadi centres, among others," officials said.

At the review meeting, the BISAG-N (Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Applications and Geo-informatics) made a presentation on decision-making and planning tools, use cases such as connectivity to model schools and disaster management planning along with the advantages of adopting NMP by social sector Ministries or Departments.

The Ministries and Departments presented the progress of adopting GatiShakti, data layers that can be integrated onto the NMP platform and the challenges being faced by them during the integration process.

The presentations were followed by deliberations with the participants, interesting and socio-economically useful ideas were generated, for instance, mapping of anganwadi centres with respect to accessibility, evaluation of location for establishing a new technical institute for promoting linkage with industry, analysing locations of schools and identifying any connectivity issues and so on.

Also Read PM GatiShakti: 196 critical infrastructure gap projects identified DPIIT, MeitY draft guidelines to make GatiShakti portal public in August One year of PM-GatiShakti: National masterplan drives infra projects Layers in the hijab debate PM GatiShakti: Over 250 infra projects examined by NPG since Oct 2021 Joshimath: No development required at cost of human life, says plea in SC G20 Summit: Chair of Women-20 India Purecha calls on J-K LG Manoj Sinha Greater Noida housing society lives in terror with leopard on the loose Delhi air quality remains at 'very poor'; IMD issues alert for extreme cold CBI arrests Chennai Income Tax officer, CA in Rs 2,25,000 bribery case

--IANS

kvm/svn/
States are not impervious to global geopolitical challenges the country faces and should be sensitive about these issues, Deputy National Security Advisor Vikram Misri suggested during a national conference of chief secretaries on Friday.

Misri along with Chief Economic Advisor Anantha Nageswaran made a presentation on "Global Geopolitical Challenges" on the second day of the three-day conference which was also attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The presentation talked about China trying to emerge as a new global power and also mentioned challenges and threats to globalisation, sources said.

Several presentations were made at the national conference of chief secretaries, including by Department of Economic Affairs Secretary Sanjay Seth, on economic growth and job creation.

DPIIT Secretary Anurag Jain made a presentation suggesting reducing the compliance burden as it discourages private investment, sources said.

A presentation by Department of Revenue Secretary Sanjay Malhotra suggested how efficient implementation of GST saved people's money and at the same time raised the state and centre's revenue.

Also Read Owaisi targets NSA Doval, asks who are 'some elements' spreading bigotry Terrorist networks in Afghanistan a matter of concern: NSA Ajit Doval China represents most consequential geopolitical challenge: US NSA Sullivan Doval urges religious leaders to counter radical forces creating animosity K Vijay Kumar resigns as security advisor of MHA citing personal reasons Top Headlines: India's GDP may grow 7% in FY23, forex reserves up by $44 mn Centre successful in establishing peace, prosperity in North East: Shah Costly meals: World food index ends year where it began after dramatic run BIS launches portal for mapping of industrial units and laboratories Report improper behaviour during flights promptly: Air India CEO to staff

Besides, the Chief Secretary of Odisha, Finance Secretary of Gujarat and GST commissioner of Karnataka also made interventions during the presentations.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was present throughout the second day of the meeting which started around 7 am with all chief secretaries doing Yoga at the PUSA complex here. During the meeting, Modi suggested that good officers should be posted in border areas.

The three-day national conference of chief secretaries from all states is being held ahead of the Union Budget to deliberate on the economy and jobs and inclusive human development.
Suriname President Chandrikapersad Santokhi on Saturday arrived at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi.

Santokhi is on a 7-day visit to India from January 7 to 14.

He will be the Special Guest of Honour at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) Convention 2023 in Madhya Pradesh's Indore.

Chandrikapersad Santokhi will visit Jamnagar on Saturday.

After his visit to Jamnagar, he will go to Indore, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a media advisory on Friday.

During his visit, Santokhi will hold a meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on January 8.

Also Read 27 Indians abroad to receive Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award this year Canadian PM Justin Trudeau greets Sikhs for celebrating Bandi Chhor Divas India's move to carry RT-PCR tests unlikely to disrupt holiday travel plans Hindu Mahasabha observes death anniversary of Godse as 'Balidan Divas'' India, Caribbean nations to work on food, energy security, climate change LIVE: Govt fully prepared to conduct caste census in state, says Bihar CM States not impervious to global geopolitical challenges: Deputy NSA Misri Top Headlines: India's GDP may grow 7% in FY23, forex reserves up by $44 mn Centre successful in establishing peace, prosperity in North East: Shah Costly meals: World food index ends year where it began after dramatic run

On January 9, he will attend the inaugural session of the 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention 2023 in Madhya Pradesh's Indore.

He will make an address at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention 2023. Furthermore, he will hold a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Chandrikapersad Santokhi will also hold a meeting with President Droupadi Murmu on January 10.

He will attend the valedictory session and the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman awards ceremony. He will attend the programme in Indore on January 11, as per the media advisory.

On January 12, he will travel to Ahmedabad to attend various programmes. He will return to New Delhi on January 13 and participate in various events. He is scheduled to depart from India on January 14.

Notably, Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) provides an important platform to engage and connect with overseas Indians and to enable the diaspora to interact with each other.

The 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention is being organized in partnership with the Madhya Pradesh government from January 8-10 in Indore, Prime Minister's office said in a press release.

The theme of this PBD Convention is "Diaspora: Reliable partners for India's progress in Amrit Kaal." Over 3,500 diaspora members from around 70 countries have registered for the PBD Convention, according to the press release.

On January 8, the inauguration of the Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas will be held in partnership with the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. Australian Member of Parliament Zaneta Mascarenhas will be the Guest of Honour at the Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas.

On January 9, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention.

The convention will feature an address by the Chief Guest Guyana President Mohamed Irfaan Ali and the Special Guest of Honour, Suriname President Chandrikapersad Santokhi.

A Commemorative Postal Stamp 'Surakshit Jaayen, Prashikshit Jaayen' will be released to highlight the importance of safe, legal, orderly and skilled migration, according to the press release.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the first-ever digital Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Exhibition on the theme "Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav - Contribution of Diaspora in Indian Freedom Struggle" to showcase the contribution of diaspora freedom fighters in India's Independence.

Furthermore, a special town hall will be held in view of India's ongoing presidency of the G20 on January 9. On January 10, President Droupadi Murmu will confer Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards 2023 and preside over the valedictory session.
Big Tech uneasy over call for introduction of a digital competition law The Parliamentary standing committees recommendations for introduction of a new Digital Competition Act to rein in Big Tech has given rise to serious concerns among global tech companies in India. The government is studying the suggestions of the committee on finance, which has suggested that a new Digital Competition Act be introduced to rein in Big Tech and ensure fair and transparent competition. Read more...

Forex reserves up by $44 mn to $562.85 bn on rise in RBI gold reserves The Reserve Bank of Indias foreign exchange reserves rose by $44 million to $562.85 billion in the week ended December 30, latest central bank data showed. The marginal rise in the RBIs reserves in the week gone by was due to a rise in the central banks gold reserves which rose $354 million to $41.32 billion, the data showed. Read more...

CoC won't accept revised Varde-Arena offer for two Srei companies The committee of creditors (CoC) of the two Srei companies has decided not to accept the revised bid by Varde-Arena which came after the close of the Challenge Mechanism auction. Varde-Arena had revised its offer upwards after National Asset Reconstruction Company (NARCL), the government-backed bad bank to take over stressed assets of lenders, emerged as the highest bidder in the auction that was conducted on Tuesday. Read more...

Also Read Deadline for Srei resolution extended for third time, new date is Aug 10 Lenders for Srei group companies accept EoI by AM Mining India NARC's offer for Srei companies not to be backed by govt guarantees Arena-Varde Partners, NARCL and Authum submit final bids for Srei companies Srei Equipment Finance's auditor Haribhakti resigns from immediate effect Centre successful in establishing peace, prosperity in North East: Shah Costly meals: World food index ends year where it began after dramatic run BIS launches portal for mapping of industrial units and laboratories Report improper behaviour during flights promptly: Air India CEO to staff Air India 'pee-gate': Wells Fargo terminates accused Shankar Mishra

No reason to worry about new Covid variant Kraken in India yet: Experts



India's GDP likely to grow 7% in FY23: NSO's first advance estimates Kraken  nickname for the XBB.1.5 SarsCoV-2 variant  is spreading fast across the globe and has already been detected in 29 countries. While the World Health Organisation (WHO) has expressed concern about the variant, experts in India see no reason for alarm yet. Read more...
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Saturday arrived in the Joshimath town of the state's Chamoli district to conduct a survey of the land subsidence-affected areas and meet the affected families.

The chief minister had before arriving in the town conducted an aerial survey of Joshimath.

In Joshimath town, huge cracks have been seen in houses, roads and fields and many houses have suffered subsidence. Cracks have been found at several places on the Joshimath-Malari border road, which connects the India-China border, due to landslides in Joshimath. A large part of Badrinath National Highway is also in the grip of landslides.

Joshimath Municipal Chairman Shailendra Pawar said huge cracks appeared in the houses due to water leakage from inside the ground in the Marwadi ward.

The central government on Friday set up a panel to conduct a study of the occurrence of land subsidence and its impact on the Joshimath town.

District Magistrate Himanshu Khurana said that all construction work has been halted in view of the situation in Joshimath until further orders.

Also Read Uttarakhand: CM Dhami to visit sinking Joshimath, promises necessary action Joshimath land subsidence: Admin launches rescue, rehabilitation ops Uttarakhand plans to double state GDP in next five years: CM Dhami Irked BJP summons ex-UttaraKhand CMs to Delhi over remarks against own govt Uttarakhand CM Dhami pays tribute to war heroes on Kargil Vijay Diwas Rishabh Pant successfully undergoes knee surgery at Mumbai hospital In a first, IAF woman fighter pilot to take part in wargames in Japan Kanjhawala case: Victim's 'friend' Nidhi earlier arrested for smuggling Delhi's overall air quality 'very poor' at 374, to dip more in coming days For thousands of Indian techies, is it the end of the great American dream?

According to the Chamoli district administration statement on Friday, out of 561 establishments, 153 in Ravigram ward, 127 in the Gandhinagar ward, 28 in the Marwadi ward, 24 in the Lower Bazaar ward, 52 in the Singhdhar ward, 71 in the Manohar Bagh ward, 29 in the Upper Bazaar ward 27 in the Sunil ward and 50 in Parsari have reported cracks, due to which the operations of Hotel View and Malari Inn were restricted under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, till further orders.

On Thursday, nine families were displaced, including four families in Joshimath Municipal Corporation, one from Gurudwara Joshimath, one from Tourist Hostel, Manohar Bagh and others.

Locals of Joshimath had blocked the Badrinath Highway on Thursday morning to protest and get the government and administration to take the matter of land subsidence seriously.

A total of 38 families have been displaced so far.

Meanwhile, with the continuous land subsidence in the Joshimath, the state government has dispatched a team of experts to the area to assess the situation.

The teams from National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have also been deployed in the area as a precautionary measure, Chamoli Chief Development Officer (CDO) Lalit Narayan Mishra said on Friday.
In December my son Jacob attended the White House Hanukkah party with his new bride, Lizzy. The sparkling photo of them made me think: what a difference 80 years makes. You see, 80 years ago my mother, Irene Frisch, had a very different Christmas Eve, as told in this story about her:

Every year as Christmas approaches, I delight in the appearance of the green twigs, red ribbons and silver balls sprinkled with artificial snow. The fat Santas amusing children in department stores and the big tree at Rockefeller Center fill me with excitement. Yet I am Jewish, and in my own home Hanukkah is celebrated. So why does Christmas mean so much to me? I would like to tell you my own Christmas story.

It is Christmas Eve 1942. I am 11 years old. I live in Poland, a predominantly Catholic country where Christmas is widely celebrated. I am fascinated by the festive atmosphere. I am also cold, hungry, tired and very much afraid.

For the entire month of December, German soldiers have been searching the Jewish quarter of our small town, looking for children and old people. Since they cannot work or bring any benefit to the Third Reich, they are to be eliminated. The victims are rounded up, assembled in an old courthouse and taken to be killed in a small forest at the outskirts of town. Most of my friends are not here anymore.

I have been hiding with my mother, who is not old but her hair turned prematurely gray at the beginning of the war. We have changed our hiding place several times. Once we were caught and then miraculously let free. We have hidden in cellars, attics, barns and other improbable places. We do not bathe or eat hot meals. We live like hunted animals, just escaping our persecutors, always on the run. We have finally run out of hiding places and returned to the ghetto.

Irene Frisch, in 2000, visiting the Polish home of Frania, who hid her and her family during the Holocaust.

My parents know that my chances of surviving are nil, so as a last resort they contact Frania, the woman who worked for us as a housekeeper before the war. She is a deeply religious Catholic woman and was with our family since before I was born. Frania is a plain woman. She never went to school and she cannot read or write. She is not a woman of big words, but her heart is gold.

Frania comes to our small, shabby apartment on Christmas Eve. She figures that on that night, the guards at the entrance to the ghetto will be drunk and more lenient. Her estimation proves correct. She has no trouble entering the forbidden area. She is appalled by our living conditions and remembers our affluent pre-war lifestyle.

Frania does not take long to make up her mind. She has nothing to gain and everything to lose. If she is caught hiding me, she will be tortured and hanged in the middle of town, as a warning to others. We have all witnessed such scenes. Yet without any hesitation, she tells me to get ready. She also promises my parents that she will take good care of me and raise me as her own daughter after the war. (There is almost no chance that my parents will survive.)

It takes me no time to prepare. I am always ready to run. In the preceding four weeks, I have never taken off my clothing. I wear my entire wardrobe: 2 dresses, a sweater, some underwear and an old coat that belonged to my late brother. Because I am skinny, I fit easily into all these clothes. By wearing everything I own, I stay warmer and nothing can be stolen.

Frania covers my black hair with a woolen cap. My pale, starved face is bundled with a big scarf. I am protected against the cold and my non-Slavic looks are camouflaged. I realize that I will never see my family again, yet I do not cry. I do not know how to cry. I hug my parents. Frania takes my hand and tells me not to be afraid. She calls me by my old pet name and we go.

Nobody stops us as we leave the ghetto. We are accompanied by the stars shining in the dark sky as the white snow crunches under our feet. We meet people going to the midnight Mass. We greet them with Merry Christmas and Frania starts singing carols. After a while I join her in singing, and suddenly I am one of the many people in the street singing.

We reach her small apartment. During the day, she works and I hide under a bed. I miss my mother and I am very sad, yet I do not complain. After several months, Frania realizes that she cannot take the place of my mother and my older sister, so they come too. We all hide under beds. I do not know how we manage. All the while, Franias deep faith helps us to survive. We remain with Frania through two more Christmases, each of them filled with careful preparations. We make Christmas decorations out of scraps of paper, small gifts from old boxes and pieces of fabric. We sit at a festive table and try to bake and cook. The cakes are made of inferior black flour and artificial sweetener. They are sad and flat, like mud pies.

After two-and-a-half years, the Russians liberate our town and we are freed and eventually reunited with my father, who returns after surviving several concentration camps. A few years later, we leave Poland for good, heading first to Israel and then to the U.S., where I marry and raise my children in and around New York City.

Irene died in November 2021 after a good, long life. Yet 80 years ago, she stood at deaths door for no reason. She, like millions of Jews throughout Europe, was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Some of us have known for a long time. Others learned recently after watching Ken Burns documentary The U.S. and the Holocaust. The American government did not welcome or aid Jews during WWII. Just two generations later, Irenes grandson stood in the White House. He, like maybe 1,000 other Jews, was in the right place at the right time. He was not only safe, but even feted for his faith. And I, the generation in between, can only marvel at these unlikely events.

Sharone G. Kornman is on the board and is the current Governance Officer of Voices of Hope, a Connecticut-based 501c3 Holocaust education organization.
Border Security Force (BSF) troops have arrested a Bangladesh national in Punjab's Amritsar district, who "inadvertently" reached near the India-Pakistan border but nothing objectionable was recovered from his possession.

On January 5 during late night hours, the BSF troops deployed in depth area near Roranwala Khurd village noticed the movement of a civilian approaching from own side towards border fence, the BSF said in a statement on Friday.

The troops stopped the individual and on enquiring it was found that person is a Bangladesh national.

Further, during questioning the individual revealed his name as Mahmud Alam Tulu, 62, of Madaripur, who had come to India for further travelling to Pakistan through the Attari-Wagha border.

He was in possession of Bangladesh passport with six months visa to travel in India, but not having the visa to travel to Pakistan. He also revealed that he is married and his family resides in Pakistan.

During questioning, it was revealed that he reached near the border "inadvertently". Nothing objectionable was recovered from him, added the statement.

Also Read Drone shot by BSF along Punjab border in Amritsar, falls on Pakistan side 60% of stubble burning cases in Punjab from Tarn Taran, Amritsar, Gurdaspur BSF shoots down Pakistani drone along Pulmoran border post in Punjab Bangladeshi man arrested at Lucknow airport for 'buying' Indian passport BSF conducts Raising Day parade in Amritsar for first time in 57 yrs New Israeli govt takes punitive steps against Palestinian leadership 36-hour ceasefire: Russia-ordered truce uncertain amid suspicion of motives India in relative 'bright spot', must leverage exports, says IMF official US, Japan to hold Security Consultative Committee meet on Jan 11: Ned Price Republicans divided, McCarthy fails for 3rd day in GOP House speaker fight

--IANS

vg/sha


After the longest series of speaker ballots since 1859, McCarthy had 216 votes in the final tally, enough to be elected to the post that is second in line for the presidency, with six voting present. Democrats unanimously cast votes for their leader, New York Representative Hakeem Jeffries. Republican Kevin McCarthy achieved his long-held ambition of becoming House speaker early Saturday after quelling a rebellion by GOP conservative hardliners, but at the cost of further weakening his precarious position within a sharply divided party.



The final vote was preceded by dramatic moments on the House floor as the Republican fight escalated to shouting and physical confrontations. After McCarthy was blocked on the 14th ballot, a stunning and humiliating defeat, he walked quickly to the back of the House chamber and confronted Floridas Matt Gaetz, one of his most strident critics. The protracted deadlock between establishment Republicans and hard-line conservatives took 15 votes over more than four days to resolve. And it previews more chaos ahead on the political challenges that will come up this year, including raising the US debt ceiling and funding the government.



Gaetz appearing to accuse McCarthy of something and pointing his finger at him. McCarthy eventually left, flustered, without the vote he needed, as a stunned House watched it unfold. Gaetz had held out casting his vote until the very last moment, when it would be decisive. He then voted present which has left McCarthy just short of victory. McCarthy ally Mike Rogers stormed over to Gaetz and started to say something but was restrained by Representative Richard Hudson.

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Until the speaker was elected, the House could conduct no other business and there are no rules governing the day-to-day operations of the 434 House lawmakers and their staffs. After Saturday mornings vote, returning and newly elected lawmakers were finally sworn in and prepared to vote for a package of rules outlining how the House will function. Donald Trump, whose earlier endorsement of McCarthy failed to sway his opponents, made a last-minute pitch. Colorado Republican Ken Buck said the former president was making calls to members on the floor.



He also gave in to demands from fiscal conservatives to use the federal debt ceiling as a bargaining chip to force spending cuts and to cap fiscal year 2024 spending across the government at 2022 levels, which would mean significant cuts for many programs. Both heighten the risk of a marketrattling showdown with the Democratic-controlled Senate and President Joe Biden. McCarthy, a California Republican, prevailed after days of intense negotiations and a series of humiliating defeats. He had to surrender considerable authority, promising to back procedural changes empowering dissidents, including the ability to let a single Republican force a House vote on ousting him as speaker.



They won the House, but its there that the struggle over the direction of a party is playing out most vividly. Republicans are divided between members from swing districts who have to court independent voters and hard-line conservatives with safe seats whove adopted Trumps populist agenda. McCarthys bid for the speakers gavel had been in trouble since the election, in which the GOP fell well short of expectations of a so-called red wave that would give them solid majorities in both the House and Senate.



The tide started to turn in favor of McCarthy once he and dissidents hammered out the contours of the deal, with 15 of the holdouts switching their votes to support him during the 12th voting round earlier Friday. Perhaps the most consequential concession McCarthy made was a rules change allowing a single dissatisfied Republican to initiate a vote to remove him at any time.



I dont have a problem getting a record for the most votes for speaker, he said before balloting began. McCarthy had said he anticipated the speaker vote going to multiple rounds as a faction of ultra-conservatives pressed their demands for more power. He vowed he wouldnt back down.



This is the second time McCarthy has hit roadblocks in a bid for speaker. When Ohio Republican John Boehner quit as speaker and resigned from the House in 2015 after dealing with rebellions by conservative Republicans, McCarthy, who was first elected to the House in 2012, was widely seen as a favorite to replace him. But he backed down in the face of opposition from that conservative faction. McCarthy had to wait for two of his supporters to return to the Capitol to vote on Friday. Incoming Representative Wesley Hunt of Texas was away to meet his newborn child and Representative Ken Buck of Colorado left Thursday because of a medical matter.



Arizona Representative Andy Biggs, one of the leaders of the revolt, said earlier in the week that McCarthy has a history that is off-putting to some people. He voted against McCarthy in the 14th round of votes but switched to present in the 15th and final one. McCarthy, 57, spent much of last year trying to win over a faction of conservatives who had a list of grievances about House rules, ire over compromises with Democrats and a lack of trust in the Californians claim to conservative credentials.
In some of its first acts since coming to power, Israel's new Security Cabinet approved a series of punitive steps against the Palestinian leadership, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Friday.

According to a statement from Netanyahu's office, the move is in retaliation for Palestinians pushing the UN's highest judicial body to give its opinion on the Israeli occupation. The Palestinians vowed to continue their diplomatic efforts despite the Israeli new measures.

The development underscores the hard-line approach to the Palestinians that Israel's new ultranationalist government has promised at a time of rising violence in the occupied territories.

It comes a week after the United Nations General Assembly voted to approve a resolution requesting that the International Court of Justice intervene and render an opinion on the legality of Israeli policies in the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem.

Israel's Security Cabinet described the Palestinian Authority's request to the UN as a decision to wage political and legal war against the State of Israel.

"The current government will not sit idly by in the face of this war and will respond as necessary," it said.

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In response, the Security Cabinet, packed with Netanyahu's far-right and religiously conservative allies, decided Israel would withhold USD 39 million from the Palestinian Authority and transfer the funds instead to a compensation program for the families of Israeli victims of Palestinian militant attacks.

It also said Israel would further deduct revenue it typically transfers to the cash-strapped PA a sum equal to the amount the authority paid last year to families of Palestinian prisoners and those killed in the conflict, including militants implicated in attacks against Israelis.

The Palestinian leadership describes the payments as necessary social welfare, while Israel says the so-called Martyrs' Fund incentivizes violence. Israel's withheld funds threaten to exacerbate the PA's fiscal woes.

The Security Cabinet also targeted Palestinian officials directly, saying it would deny benefits to VIPs who are leading the political and legal war against Israel. Top PA officials receive Israeli permits that allow them to travel easily in and out of the occupied West Bank, unlike ordinary Palestinians.

Israeli blackmailing of our tax revenues will not stop us from continuing our political and diplomatic struggle, said Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh. He added that the Israeli measures will deepen the Palestinian financial crisis and budget shortfall.

Other measures announced on Friday focused on the West Bank, which Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast war. Through decades of failed peace talks, Israel has controlled the territory, which Palestinians have long demanded as part of their hoped-for state.

Israel's new far-right government has vowed to prioritize the expansion of settlements and legalize illegally built outposts. Already, Israel has constructed dozens of Jewish settlements home to around 500,000 Israelis who live alongside around 2.5 million Palestinians.

The Security Cabinet, a small group of high-level ministers who answer directly to the prime minister, also said it would freeze Palestinian construction in Area C, the 60 per cent of the West Bank where, under interim peace accords, Israel already exercises complete control.

Area C includes the settlements, as well as rural areas that are home to some 300,000 Palestinians, according to the UN.

The final step detailed by the government on Friday involves taking unspecified action against organizations in the West Bank that promote terrorist activity or any hostile activity".

That includes groups carrying out political and legal action against Israel under the guise of humanitarian work, it said.

Exactly what groups could be targeted remain unclear. Over a year ago, Israel designated six major Palestinian rights watchdogs as terrorist organisations, and raided and shuttered their offices last summer. The Palestinian groups rejected the allegations and the move drew widespread international condemnation.
Nearly 20 years after Caribbean islanders sued to hold the French government criminally responsible for the banana industry's extended use of a banned pesticide in Martinique and Guadeloupe, a panel of judges has dismissed their case, ruling that it's too hard to determine who's to blame for acts committed so long ago.

The judges in Paris described the use of chlordecone from 1973-1993 as a scandalous environmental attack whose human, economic and social consequences affect and will affect for many years the daily life of the inhabitants of the two French Caribbean islands.

But they also asserted that even in the 1990s, scientists had not established links between chlordecone and illnesses in people.

How dare they write such a historical and scientific untruth, Christophe Lguevaques, an attorney involved in the case, said in a statement issued on Thursday.

Chlordecone, also known as kepone, was patented in the 1950s by scientists working for Allied Chemical, a US company based in New Jersey now called Allied Corporation, and millions of pounds of the pesticide were produced, nearly all of it exported for use outside the United States.

The US government banned the pesticide in 1976, a year after the Virginia health department permanently shut down a Life Science Products chemical plant in Hopewell, Va., whose workers developed slurred speech and other neurological problems blamed on the pesticide.

Also Read India, Caribbean nations to work on food, energy security, climate change A dozen bananas likely to cost Rs 100 in Delhi, thanks to rains and exports French sports minister criticizes PSG coach Galtier for ironic comments Kerala's agriculture startup launches end-to-end supply chain for bananas 2022 in Review: Chaiwala to tiki-taka, 10 words that entered the dictionary Explained: Is China sharing enough Covid-19 pandemic information? US hiring solid but wages cool, giving Fed room to slow rate hikes Signs of fighting in Ukraine after Russia says unilateral truce in force US announces new measures to crack down on illegal immigration: White House India to host virtual summit to flag global South concerns in January

However, chlordecone was legally marketed in France from 1981 until the government banned it in 1990, and its use continued for three more years after that in Guadeloupe and Martinique to kill the banana weevil under an exemption granted by the French government. Decades later, it continues to contaminate the islands' soil and water.

The French government estimates that more than 90 per cent of adults were exposed to chlordecone on both islands, whose combined populations total some 750,000 inhabitants.

Among a variety of ailments, chlordecone is associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer, and these islanders suffer prostate cancer at among the highest rates in the world, French cancer researchers say. Other French research links chlordecone exposure to preterm births.

It is unthinkable that those responsible die without being held accountable," Lguevaques said, adding that he would urge his clients to appeal the January 2 ruling by the national court for public health disputes.

Other plaintiffs in the 2006 case include the Paris-based environmental group Gnrations Futures, which also plans to appeal.

This decision, although it represents a great disappointment, is not a surprise, the group said in a statement Friday, vowing to continue representing those affected until "the truth comes out and justice is finally served.

Ruling in June in a separate lawsuit filed by activists, organizations and victims, the central court in Paris found the French government guilty of wrongful negligence involving the use of chlordecone but denied compensation to those affected, a decision that outraged many.

The judges ruled in part that the defendants did not provide specific details to justify the damage of anxiety they claim.

The legal saga is taking place in Paris instead of the overseas French departments of Guadeloupe or Martinique because it's a public health issue, so it is handled by a special health unit based within the central Paris court.

Meanwhile, officials continue testing the islanders for free to detect possible traces of chlordecone in their blood.
In the years before the Covid-19 pandemic, China was the worlds most important source of international travelers -- its 155 million tourists spent more than a quarter of a trillion dollars beyond its borders in 2019, the media reported.

That largesse fell precipitously over the past three years as the country essentially closed its borders. But, as China prepares to reopen on Sunday, millions of tourists are poised to return to the world stage, raising hopes of a rebound for the global hospitality industry, CNN reported.

Although international travel may not return immediately to pre-pandemic levels, companies, industries and countries that rely on Chinese tourists will get a boost in 2023, according to analysts.

China averaged about 12 million outbound air passengers per month in 2019, but those numbers fell 95% during the Covid years, according to Steve Saxon, a partner in McKinsey's Shenzhen office.

He predicts that figure will recover to about 6 million per month by the summer, CNN reported.

As China announced last month it would no longer subject inbound travelers to quarantine starting January 8, including residents returning from trips abroad, searches for international flights and accommodations immediately hit a three-year high on Trip.com.

Also Read Japan reports highest single-day Covid-19 deaths amid 8th wave of pandemic China's zero covid policy fails badly as new cases found everyday: Report Over 6,000 birds killed in Kerala's Kottayam amid bird flu outbreak Flu vaccine that can protect against all 20 known influenza virus developed Amid Covid resurgence, China's hospitals seem to be filling up: WHO China reopening may add almost 1% to Australia's economic output: JPMorgan Global food prices in 2022 hit record high amid drought, war: FAO US hiring stays brisk as employers add 223,000 jobs in Dec: Labor dept Japan's real wages mark biggest drop in more than eight years: Govt report Inflation in Europe continues to dip as energy prices rise at slower pace

Bookings for overseas travel during the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday, which falls between January 21-27 this year, have soared by 540 per cent from a year ago, according to data from the Chinese travel site.

Average spending per booking jumped 32 per cent.

The top destinations are in the Asia Pacific region, including Australia, Thailand, Japan and Hong Kong. The US and the UK also ranked among the top 10, CNN reported.

"The rapid buildup in ... (bank) deposits over the past year suggests that households in China have accumulated significant cash holdings," said Alex Loo, a macro strategist for TD Securities, adding that frequent lockdowns have likely led to restraints on household spending.

There could be "revenge spending" by Chinese consumers, mirroring what happened in many developed markets when they reopened early last year, he said.

--IANS

san/ksk/
It was the extraordinary moment that brought House Republicans to the brink and ultimately the moment they found their way back.

Just one vote short of becoming speaker of the House, California Republican Kevin McCarthy stood from his chair and walked down the center aisle to the back of the chamber.

It was nearing midnight, and he had already lost 13 votes for speaker over four long days. The room fell almost silent as it became apparent that the GOP leader was now asking begging, really the bombastic, blustering, defiant Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz to change his vote from present to McCarthy.

Gaetz, who had hurled personal insults at McCarthy just hours earlier on the House floor, said no.

McCarthy slowly walked back down the aisle, alone, head tilted to the ground. But he turned back around when he heard a scuffle behind him. Alabama Rep. Mike Rogers, a Republican ally of McCarthy, had angrily confronted Gaetz, telling him he would regret his decision. Lawmakers on the floor yelled in disbelief as Rogers was held back by a colleague.

McCarthy walked back to make sure the argument was over and then returned to his chair, defeated.

Also Read Monsoon Session: Centre to bring Press and Registration of Periodicals Bill Republicans divided, McCarthy fails for 3rd day in GOP House speaker fight Kevin McCarthy overcomes GOP rebellion to be elected House Speaker Trump and Pence square up; DeSantis could emerge as Republican nominee Ukraine's Zelenskyy preparing to visit Washington to meet Prez Biden Researchers take closer look at DNA repair scheme for cancer therapy 38-yr-old retired Nasa satellite to fall from sky this weekend, low threat Hawaii's Kilauea volcano eruption continues as alert level lowered Paris court dismisses Caribbean pesticide use case against French govt Explained: Is China sharing enough Covid-19 pandemic information?

He lost the 14th vote. Allies moved to abruptly adjourn the House, their hoped-for unity seemingly coming apart.

Then tempers cooled. And within the hour, McCarthy and his allies had persuaded his other remaining opponents to vote present as well, lowering the vote total necessary for McCarthy to win and handing him the speakership by early Saturday morning after a historic, remarkable and somewhat astonishing week of repeated votes.

I hope one thing is clear, McCarthy said when he finally took the gavel after 1 a.m. I never give up.

The chaos on the House floor came exactly two years after the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection. During a late-night session after that attack, McCarthy called it the saddest day I've ever had as a member of Congress.

In the days afterward, McCarthy blamed then-President Donald Trump for encouraging his supporters who attacked the building and interrupted the certification of President Joe Biden. But just a few weeks later McCarthy travelled to see Trump in Florida and made amends.

The scene Friday was a different kind of chaos but it was a full-circle moment for Republicans, who had ceded both chambers of Congress and the presidency to Democrats after the violent insurrection. While many of them denounced Trump at the time, McCarthy's Florida visit brought him back into the fold, and the former president was working the phones Friday evening, calling Gaetz and the other holdouts.

He was with me from the beginning, McCarthy said after the final vote, noting Trump's phone calls as well.

While the U.S. House is often raucous, the week's events were almost surreal: vote after vote, defeat after defeat, and eventual success after picking off seemingly intransigent opponents.

McCarthy needed two more votes going into the Friday evening tally, which didn't start until 10 p.m., late enough to provide two of his supporters one whose wife had given birth that week and another who was ill time to return to Washington. McCarthy and his allies seemed confident walking in, but as the votes ticked off, it became clear he would be one short.

Two of McCarthy's closest lieutenants, North Carolina Rep. Patrick McHenry and Louisiana Rep. Garrett Graves, sat on either side of Gaetz during the vote, with Graves at one point on his knees.

But Gaetz could only be partially swayed, and stood to say present when the roll call reached his name. It wasn't enough, and McCarthy approached him just before the vote was called, C-SPAN cameras tracking his short journey.

Gaetz was angrily pointing at McCarthy during the conversation. But Colorado Rep. Ken Buck, a McCarthy supporter who was standing nearby, said the exchange between the two men was pleasant, and that McCarthy just asked him to change his vote. Gaetz said his present vote was as far as he was going, Buck said.

McCarthy said afterward that Gaetz eventually got everybody there to the point that nobody voted against me, persuading some of his fellow colleagues to vote present as well. In the end, no Republican voted against McCarthy.

They wanted to make this conference united and work together, McCarthy said.
The White House announced on Friday a new USD 3.75 billion military assistance package to help Ukraine and its neighbours on NATO's eastern flank as Russia's invasion of Ukraine grinds on.

The latest tranche of assistance will include for the first time Bradley armoured vehicles for Ukraine. The armored carrier is used to transport troops to combat and is known as a tank-killer because of the anti-tank missile it can fire.

The biggest US assistance package to date for Kyiv includes a USD 2.85 billion drawdown from the Pentagon's stocks that will be sent directly to Ukraine and USD 225 million in foreign military financing to build the long-term capacity and support modernisation of Ukraine's military, according to the White House.

It also includes USD 682 million in foreign military financing for European allies to help backfill donations of military equipment they've made to Ukraine.

The war is at a critical point and we must do everything we can to help the Ukrainians resist Russian aggression," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in announcing the aid.

The direct assistance for Ukraine includes 50 Bradleys as well as 500 anti-tank missiles and 250,000 rounds of ammunition for the carriers.

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The US is also sending 100 M113 armoured personnel carriers, 55 mine-resistant ambush protected vehicles, or MRAPS, and 138 HUMVEES, as well as ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems and air defence systems and other weapons, according to US officials.

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the Bradleys will be particularly useful to Ukraine in ongoing heavy fighting in largely rural areas of eastern Ukraine.

It's very much tied to the war that we're seeing on the ground right now and what we anticipate we'll see throughout the winter months," Kirby said.

The new US package was detailed by the White House as Germany announced it would supply around 40 Marder armoured personnel carriers to Ukraine in this year's first quarter.

Germany announced its intention to send the Marder APCs following a phone call between Chancellor Olaf Scholz and President Joe Biden on Thursday.

These 40 vehicles should be ready in the first quarter already so that they can be handed over to Ukraine, Scholz's spokesman, Steffen Hebestreit, told reporters in Berlin. Germany plans to train Ukrainian forces to use the vehicles, and Hebestreit said experts expect that process to take around eight weeks.

Germany has already given significant military aid, including howitzers, Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft guns and an IRIS-T surface-to-air missile system, with three more of those set to follow this year.

Scholz has long been wary of pressure to supply the Marder and other, heavier Western-made vehicles such as tanks, insisting that Germany wouldn't go it alone with such deliveries.

Officials noted that other countries hadn't supplied any. But this week, France, the US and Germany all announced plans to send comparable armoured vehicles that fall short of tanks.

Germany last year championed deals in which eastern NATO allies sent familiar Soviet-era equipment to Ukraine, with Germany in turn supplying those countries with more modern Western-made equipment.

Hebestreit said there had been talks with the US and others since mid-December on how to support Ukraine going forward. He said the possibility of supplying Soviet-produced equipment is slowly coming to an end, while the situation in Ukraine is changing with massive Russian strikes on infrastructure and fighting could increase when the weather warms up.

Ukraine and a number of German lawmakers inside and outside Scholz's governing coalition also have called for Germany to deliver Leopard 2 battle tanks. Advocates of delivering the Leopard were cheered by the move on Marder APCs and vowed to keep pressing the point.

But Hebestreit said that battle tanks weren't an issue in Thursday's call between Scholz and Biden. He said Germany will stick to its principles of supporting Ukraine as strongly as possible, while not going it alone on weapons supplies and ensuring that NATO doesn't become a party to Russia's war in Ukraine.

Germany also said on Thursday that it will follow the US in supplying a Patriot air defence missile battery to Ukraine. That was at the request of the US and also is expected in the first quarter, Hebestreit said.

It comes on top of Patriot systems that Germany has sent or plans to send to Slovakia and Poland.
Biocon issued the following statement from subsidiary Biocon Biologics-

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a Complete Response Letter (CRL) for the Biologics License Application (BLA) for the Insulin-R product filed by Biocon Biologics. The CRL cites additional data required in the BLA submission and an expectation of a satisfactory implementation of a CAPA plan pertaining to the Pre-Approval Inspection of our Bangalore facilities in Aug'22. We are in the process of comprehensively addressing the CRL. - Company Spokesperson, Biocon Biologics.

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Times winged chariot is hurrying nearer, Gov. Ned Lamont acknowledged in his own way Wednesday. He told legislators, who greeted him with a chorus of Happy Birthday, that turning 69 on Tuesday has him feeling a little more urgency to get to yes.  But yes to what? Somebody may need to bake a policy reveal cake and plan a party to get his attention.

The Greenwich Democrats annual State of the State Address to a joint session of the General Assembly was a rambling talk of reminiscences, quips and observations. Lamont used his 20 minutes to bemoan the high cost of living in Connecticut, a subject that had no purchase with him last year during his fourth self-financed statewide campaign.

On Wednesday, Lamont issued a call to increase the supply of energy but offered no proposals or even hints on how to address the looming crisis. Tapping into the nations abundant supply of natural gas would be a start to reducing carbon admissions while renewables proliferate. Lamont could begin that effort by lobbying New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to allow the expansion of natural gas lines that run through New York into New England. He might have supported the construction of a natural gas energy plant in Killingly. He did not.

Lamont has begun shining a spotlight on the cost of housing and its impact on economic growth in Connecticut. Hes offered no program or even some coherent ideas on how homes can be built for a reasonable cost and sold for a manageable price. Lamont included some mewling about health insurance companies in his rambling NED Talk  the companies that provide jobs for tens of thousand of Connecticut residents. The governor has at last discovered a limit to his boosterism  one of the states largest business sectors.

Top aides to most governors do not stay for a second tern. The jobs are demanding, often consuming and frequently frustrating. Most of Lamonts original cast of senior advisers left long ago. Others left in the last few weeks. Some to return to their previous careers, a few to try to cash in on their ties to Lamont with jobs outside government.

David Lehman, a commissioner and senior economic adviser, is the most significant departure. Lehman was widely hailed as a policy polymath who inspired confidence in those who dealt with him. The quickest way to Lamonts wandering attention was to grab Lehmans. It will take time to discover if the second Lamont administration includes a new Lehman.

The governor made a reference in his address of asides Wednesday to sticking around a little longer. It confirmed what the content of Lamonts remarks and his demeanor while delivering them also revealed: this is his last term. There are no urgent policy proposals animating the governor as he begins anew. He called for a significant middle class tax cut but skipped the details.

The rest of the winter and most of the spring will be spent trying to define what tax cut meets that definition. Heres one: a tax cut that takes Connecticut down a few pegs on the leaderboard of highest taxed states. Wednesday provided an opportunity to provide details and begin to explain the benefits such a tax cut would provide a broad swath of state residents. Instead, Lamont closed his speech with an ode to dancing  and his delight in a video of him dancing at his first inaugural prompted 10,000 tweets telling him never to dance in public again.

The start of the new legislative session was shrouded in grief by Thursday morning. State Rep. Quentin Q Williams was killed in car crash on his drive home from the inaugural ball. Williams began his third term Wednesday and was seen by all as a rising star and a pleasure to know. Through the despair of his friends and colleagues a portrait emerged of a man who brightened every room he entered and enriched each life he touched.

Initial police accounts indicated Williamss vehicle was struck on Route 9 in Cromwell by a car traveling north in the southbound lane. The driver of the other car was also killed.

A tragedy can spur action by lawmakers. This one should lead the legislature to make it a priority to take up state Sen. John Fonfaras proposals to fund more wrong-way detection cameras on state roads. It will not mitigate the grief of this tragedy but it would stop others, a fitting tribute to Q Williams.

Kevin F. Rennie of South Windsor is a lawyer and a former Republican state senator and representative.
South Koreas Ex-leader Park Geun-hye made her first appearance in a year Tuesday as she visited a Buddhist temple in Daegu, a conservative-leaning city in southeast Korea. After spending nearly five years in prison on corruption charges, Park has largely stayed out of the public eye since being pardoned by then-President Moon Jae-in in December 2021. Park was greeted by a senior monk at the temple and paid her respects by burning incense in front of a Buddha statue, South Korean media reported

Apr 12, 2023 07:36 PM
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Chinese premier meets with Turkmen president

Xinhua) 09:13, January 07, 2023

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang meets with visiting Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 6, 2023. (Xinhua/Yue Yuewei)

BEIJING, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Friday met with visiting Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov in Beijing.

Li said that cooperation in various fields between China and Turkmenistan has scored positive achievements on the basis of mutual respect and equal treatment, delivering benefits to the two countries and two peoples. China is willing to maintain high-level exchanges with Turkmenistan, better synergize development strategies, and deepen comprehensive and mutually beneficial cooperation to advance bilateral ties, he added.

Noting that energy cooperation is a major pillar of pragmatic cooperation between the two sides, Li said China is ready to facilitate relevant work, including the construction of the China-Central Asia Gas Pipeline, with Turkmenistan to better realize win-win results. He said it is hoped that the Turkmen side will ensure stable gas supplies to China in accordance with the deals inked on the basis of consensus between the two sides.

The premier said that China encourages more Chinese enterprises to invest and develop businesses in Turkmenistan, and hopes the Turkmen side will help create a sound business environment. It is also hoped that the two sides will strengthen communications and coordination in regional and international affairs to maintain regional peace, stability and development.

Berdimuhamedov said Turkmenistan is willing to further enhance cooperation with China in politics, economy and trade, energy, people-to-people exchanges and other fields, to further advance the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, and better realize win-win results in cooperation.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang meets with visiting Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 6, 2023. (Xinhua/Yue Yuewei)

(Web editor: Xian Jiangnan, Wu Chaolan)
Photo: The Canadian Press A photo of Parisa Eghbalian and Reera Esmaeilion, from Richmond Hill, Ont., is displayed on a screen during a memorial organized by the Iranian-Canadian charity Tirgan for the victims of the Iranian air crash, in Toronto, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2020.

Grieving relatives will mark three years since the Iranian military shot down Flight PS752 on Sunday by holding rallies across the country and pushing Ottawa to take a tougher stance against Iran.

"It has been a long journey for the families, but we still have hope," said Hamed Esmaeilion, head of the Association of Families of Flight PS752 Victims.

Esmaeilion's wife and daughter were among the 176 people killed when Iranian officials shot down a Ukraine International Airlines jetliner in January 2020 shortly after its take-off from Tehran.

Most of the passengers were bound for Canada via Ukraine, including 55 Canadian citizens and 30 permanent residents.

In an interview, Esmaeilion thanked Canadians for their support over the past three years, as families fight for accountability and compensation.

"That was very heartwarming for every one of us, that we see people care."

On Dec. 28, Canada joined peer countries in starting the process to send the Flight PS752 case to the International Court of Justice and attempt to force Iran to compensate victims' families.

Ottawa had previously held off, arguing that allowing enough time for negotiations with Iran over reparations would bolster the case if it needed to be heard by a tribunal.

But with negotiations at a standstill, Canada helped issue a formal notice last month asking Iran to submit to binding arbitration in the case. The move kicks off a six-month period after which one of the plaintiff countries can take Iran to the International Court of Justice.

The Iranian regime has had shifting responses to the incident, at one point portraying it was an accident and then later claiming the plane had been moving suspiciously, which contradicts the findings of an investigation by the International Civil Aviation Organization.

While it's unclear whether the court would successfully compel Iran to provide compensation, the case would likely prompt more investigation and shed light on new information about what happened.

"This step was long overdue. But having said that, it's a good step to take," said Esmaeilion, who said he is buoyed by an Ontario court ruling in 2021 that said the downing was an intentional act of terrorism  not an accident.

"This senseless, merciless crime that they committed took all of them from us."

He commended Ottawa for putting economic sanctions on 62 Iranian individuals and 25 entities last fall. Yet he says about one-third of the 30 people his group has identified as being involved in downing Flight PS752 have not been sanctioned.

He added that Iranian-Canadians are aware that former regime officials and their families still move about freely in the country, from Vancouver to Halifax.

Ottawa has promised to stand up a new sanctions bureau, allocating $76 million to better track those barred from dealings in Canada. But it's unclear when new staff will be hired and trained.

Esmaeilion said he's frustrated by bureaucrats who suggest that sanctions are less a way to punish specific individuals and more a way to nudge regimes into behaving better. He argued Iran will not improve the way it treats people unless it faces clear pushback, and noted that the regime has been responsible for killing Canadians in other cases.

Iranian officials "have no place in a free country like Canada," he said.

In the fall, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau faced sustained pressure from the Iranian diaspora and the Opposition Conservatives to list the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization.

The force, which is part of Iran's military, shot down Flight PS752 and is responsible for much of the regime's violent meddling abroad.

It has also taken part in the ongoing crackdown on human-rights activists following the September death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody, following her arrest by morality police for allegedly wearing her hijab improperly.

In October, Trudeau's government barred more than 10,000 former IRGC members from entering Canada, but it has remained hesitant to list the entire corps as a terrorist organization because it could punish those conscripted into the force for non-combat roles.

Immigration lawyers have said that some Iranian-born Canadians already face difficulty boarding aircraft and entering the United States due to past IRGC membership.

Conservative MPs and activists like Esmaeilion have argued that Canada could find a legislative way to avoid punishing those drafted against their will.

They also point to reports from British media this month that suggest London is getting ready to list the force as a terrorist group, citing unnamed government sources. The reporting did not lay out a timeline or details on any provisions related to conscripts.

Kaveh Shahrooz, a senior fellow with the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, said Ottawa seems to be dragging its feet.

"Over the past three years, I think it's been very slow movement," said Shahrooz, who used to advise Global Affairs Canada on human-rights treaties.

He said the same was true on efforts to seek justice in the PS752 case while negotiations with Tehran were underway.

"There has been no criminal investigation by the RCMP," Shahrooz said. "There's no reason these things can't move on parallel tracks."

On Friday, Trudeau met with family members of Flight PS752 victims, alongside Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly, Transport Minister Omar Alghabra and Canada's High Commissioner in the United Kingdom, Ralph Goodale, who helped co-ordinate the government's response.

"When I spoke with the families of the victims today, I promised them we'll continue to be relentless in our fight for truth, justice and accountability," Trudeau said on Twitter.

Some Liberal MPs have also started symbolically sponsoring Iranian dissidents, following a similar trend by European parliamentarians.

The MPs are committing to raising the cases of specific dissidents incarcerated in Iran to pressure Tehran not to execute them and, as one letter signed by MPs puts it, "remind the Iranian regime that we are watching, that the world is watching."

Shahrooz has criticized the Liberals for what he sees as prioritizing symbolic gestures over policy changes. But he said this initiative can have a tangible impact for people at risk of death.

"Over the years, in speaking with former political prisoners, they've always told me that ... when foreign officials speak about them, the situation tends to improve remarkably," he said.

"Interrogators back off; often times, torture stops and the regime remembers these prisoners have defenders outside."
Parents would do anything for their kids, and this saying is proved by a man, who changed his gender to win the custody battle for his children.

An Ecuadorian man, Rene Salinas Ramos, has changed his gender to help him win the custody of his daughters.

While talking to an Ecuadorian news outlet La Voz del Tomebamba, he claimed that when it comes to child custody disputes, the Ecuadorian legal system favours mothers over fathers. So to have the upper hand in the child custody battle, the 47-year-old legally changed his gender.

Rene also showed his documents that now list his gender identity as FEMENINO (female).

According to Ramos, his daughters are living in an abusive environment with his mother, and he has not met them in the last five months.

The laws say that the one who has the right is the woman. As of this moment, I am female. Now Im also a mom, thats how I consider myself. I am very sure of my sexuality. What I have sought is that I want to be a mother so that I can also give the love and protection of a mother, Ramos told the local news outlet.

The news outlet also tweeted about the incident on December 31, 2022, with the caption, Ecuadorian citizen changed his gender to female to fight for custody of his daughters. My actions are not against anyone in particular but against the system, said Rene Salinas, who renounced her male gender at the Cuenca Civil Registry. (Rough translation from Spanish).
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Volunteers are needed on Saturday, Jan. 21, at 8:30 a.m., to retire (pick-up) the 30,716 wreaths placed on Dec. 17, on graves of veterans at Chattanooga National Cemetery.

Volunteers will park at the cemetery on the right side of the road with trucks removing the wreaths on the left side.

Also, each $15 donation made to Wreaths across Chattanooga will be matched by Wreaths across America until Jan. 17. For the match, go to Chattanoogawa.com or mail check payable to Wreaths across Chattanooga, P.O. Box 4154, Chattanooga, Tn. 37405.





Captain Mickey McCamish, U. S. Navy (Retired), p resident of Wreaths across Chattanooga, said, "Each year, we continue to grow thanks to each of you. We've grown from the number of wreaths in the back of a pick-up truck to six 18 wheelers carrying 30,716 wreaths on Dec. 17." "Each year, we continue to grow thanks to each of you. We've grown from the number of wreaths in the back of a pick-up truck to six 18 wheelers carrying 30,716 wreaths on Dec. 17."








Damian Romeo may play resident sarcastic jerk Matt Press in Netflixs Ginny & Georgia, but what fans may not realize is the actor is nothing like his character and spends his free time playing a superhero at local childrens hospitals and events.

I have pictures on my Instagram in costume as like Batman and Captain America, Romeo told Showbiz Cheat Sheet. Its actually a job I do to this day where I attend childrens events as different superheroes, to train them to be superheroes. Ive done hospital visits as well for children who are in remission or fighting cancer. Its a big part of my life. And as an actor, I feel like its the one place where I truly feel through performance, that Im able to directly give back.

Ginny & Georgia behind the mask as Batman

Romeo delivered such a solid performance as Matt Press, that Ginny & Georgia fans and even a few people working on the production are a little stunned to learn that Romeo is an actor with a huge heart  a heart that breaks every time he performs for the kids.

Damian Romeo | Ian Pettigrew

Its one thing to have a performance as an on-film actor and have it be very powerful and deep, he explained. But its another thing to be Batman for a child who is struggling or battling cancer. And then stay in character, as the parents around me cry and enjoy seeing how happy their child is for that brief moment.

And still being able to stay in character because you cannot break character during moments of high emotion, he added.

Damian Romeo became emotional while talking about his work with kids

Romeo became emotional thinking about the young heroes hes performed for in the past. Because its about the child and its about the childs beliefs, he said. And words that I say like, Dont give up. Youre one of the strongest young superheroes Ive ever met. You have it in you. Believe in yourself. And its those moments that really choke me up.

Its not really until I get back to the car and I sit in my car and I usually have to take off my mask and then just breathe for a good five, 10 minutes before I drive home, he said. Those moments will stick with me forever. Its hard to explain how it feels to be in a situation.

Damian Romeo Instagram

Romeo posted a video on Instagram of him in his car wearing the Batman costume after a performance. Reflecting on my 7 years as #Batman for the city of #Toronto, the Canadian actor captioned the video.

In 2017 he shared an emotional video talking to a child as Batman. There have been times in my life where Ive had to be brave, he captioned the video. But this time Batman met someone braver than himself. Batman got to meet his hero. I owe Lawrence so much for teaching me about strength, courage and endurance. Thank you to Southlake hospital for making this encounter possible. I hope everyone watching this can be just as brave and continue fighting their own battles.

Why are some fans surprised when they meet Damian from Ginny & Georgia?

Even though Romeo isnt anything like his Ginny & Georgia character Matt Press, fans are often shocked to find that hes the furthest from angsty.

Honestly, I love seeing peoples reactions to me when they first meet me, he said. Because they had seen me on this show as Press. I even had a makeup artist come up to me, first day of work, and say I binged [Ginny & Georgia] season 1, before coming to do season 2, and to be honest with you, I am so shocked at how friendly, nice and sweet you are on set!

Ginny & Georgia Seasons 1 and 2 are currently streaming on Netflix.
Royal Biographer Labeled 2020 Photo of George, Charles, William, and Queen Elizabeth an Unspoken Code to Harry and Meghan

An unspoken code to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle through a photo? According to a royal author, a 2020 photo of King Charles III with Queen Elizabeth II, Prince George, and Prince William was evidence for the couple. Ahead, what a family photo supposedly signaled to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

Queen Elizabeth, Charles, George, and William had 2 rare photo ops in late 2019 and early 2020

King Charles, Queen Elizabeth, Prince George, Prince William, and Princess Charlotte | Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

In December 2019, when Harry and Meghan were in Canada, Queen Elizabeth got together with her heirs for photo ops.

Before Christmas, the royal family released photos of the late monarch baking with the now-king, now-Prince of Wales, and George.

Days later, the royal family once again shared another visual of the monarch with three generations of heirs. Queen Elizabeth appeared in an official portrait alongside her oldest son, the now-Prince of Wales, and her great-grandson.

Portrait a straightforward example of royal familys unspoken code for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, according to author

The official portrait, released on Jan. 3, 2020, just five days before Harry and Meghans announced theyd be stepping back, sent a supposed unspoken code.

The royal couple suspected that the entire institution was conspiring against them, biographer Andrew Morton said in Meghan: A Hollywood Princess (via Mirror). As they saw it, the evidence was all around them.

The unspoken code was straightforward: the future of the monarchy was assured, with or without Meghan and Harry, he added.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle werent featured in photos on Queen Elizabeths desk during her 2019 Christmas speech

The photos of the queen with the heirs to the throne werent the only reminder the monarchy would continue whether or not Harry and Meghan were there. After Queen Elizabeth, William, the now-king, and George got together for a photo-op in December 2019 came the annual Christmas speech.

This one, in particular, had Queen Elizabeth delivering a televised message while sitting at a desk surrounded by framed family photos. The images featured King Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles, William, Kate Middleton and their three children, Prince Philip, and her father.

Notably absent were, of course, Harry and Meghan. Not to mention other members of the royal family not high up in the line of succession.

Author Tom Bower claimed in Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the War Between the Windsors Harry wasnt happy about it.

Four silver-framed family photographs had been carefully placed behind her. They showed the Queens father George VI, Prince Philip, Charles and Camilla, and finally William and his family, Bower wrote (via Us Weekly). To Harrys fury, there was no photograph of himself, Meghan, and Archie. It felt to the now-38-year-old, the author continued, like the Windsors were airbrushing the Sussexes from history.

Author Christopher Anderson also discussed it in his Brothers and Wives book. He quoted a source who claimed the queen had a photo of Harry and Meghan removed from her desk.

[She] looked over the tables where the photographs she had so lovingly selected were arranged, the source said. Then, they claimed, the queen pointed at a picture of Harry and Meghan, remarking, That one, I suppose we dont need that one.
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In advance of Putins unilateral declaration of a 36-hour truce over Orthodox Christmas today, Ukrainian seminary leaders shared their reflections on the impact of ten months of unabated conflict.

War is exhaustingbut this exhaustion does not happen overnight, wrote Roman Soloviy, director of the Eastern European Institute of Theology. Nevertheless, our mission continues.

Reviewing his own emotional response since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, Soloviy cited the impossible choices forced upon his nation: Save your family or your neighbors? Flee the country or stay and help?

He could not read, listen to music, or watch movies for many months.

The stress only surged as reports proliferated about atrocities, complicated by the frustration that Ukrainian churches could not help everyone. Decisions needed to be made in darkness, while seeking to balance ones own psychological health.

A Kherson seminary, Tavriski Christian Institute (TCI), was occupied by Russian forces in March and liberated in November. President Valentin Siniy recounted the grim chronology:

January: Talks about the war. Doubts about invasion.

February: Team. Responsibility. Daily Zoom calls to pray.

March: Massacre. Inhumanity. Generosity: flour, sugar, potatoes, seeds.

AprilMay: Russians want to reconcile, without repentance. Families separated.

JuneJuly: Marriages. Fragility of life. Losses. Divorces.

August: TCI shelled. Books trashed. Valuables looted. Vandalism.

September: New location. Big enrollment.

October: Infrastructure destroyed. Nation freezing. Unity. Mutual assistance.

November: Liberation. Joy. First trip home. Ruined city.

For his December entry, Siniy wrote: Christmas is the coming of God into a mean world to mean people. We pray that the Lord will show us how and where to serve.

Oleksandr Geychenko, meanwhile, chose a different theme for the holiday. Yet it fit perfectly with Siniys October observations.

This years Christmas for me is closely associated with the metaphor of light, wrote the president of Odessa Theological Seminary. Perhaps, this is my reaction to the uncertain power supply.

Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) first suggested the holiday truce, while 1,000 US-based faith leaders called for Ukraine to honor it. Nonetheless there has been exchange of shelling along the front lines, and many Ukrainians dismissed Putins initiative as a cynical ploy to buy time for his retreating troops. (Foreign analysts instead saw a PR bid for Russian Christian backing.)

But despite the battlefield losses, last month Russia specifically targeted Ukraines electrical grid, repeatedly plunging cities and civilians into darkness and cold.

Geychenko had taken his electricity for granted. Now, he sees a spiritual connection.

The light that comes from Jesus not only shines into human darkness, he wrote, it also illuminates our hearts and faces, making us the bearers of light in the deep and darkest abyss of human suffering and tragedy.

Their statements were released by Voices from the Ukrainian Ruins, representing a collaborative network of 17 evangelical institutions. Leaders stated that in the past year their 200 volunteers provided long-term accommodation for over 4,000 internally displaced people, evacuated over 10,000 others, ministered to over 40,000 in transit, and distributed food to over 300,000.

Helga Dyatlik expressed her appreciation for support from the global body of Christ.

You helped us endure because you were in constant conversation with us, wrote the associate regional director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia for Overseas Council. You helped us see God because you were praying instead of us. Thank you for standing with us. We know that it also costs you.

Meanwhile, Ukraine as a nation sought God through the scriptures. According to YouVersion, Bible engagement rose by 55 percent since the beginning of the war. And queries by refugees spiked Ukrainian-language searches in Europe by 76 percent.

Their chief Bible verse of refuge was Isaiah 41:10: So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

The word fear was among the top search terms on the popular Bible app in 2022. Eventually, it was replaced by love.

Remarkably, in their journey of reflection, not one contributor among the Ukrainian theological educators spoke of being afraid. On the contrary, their reliance on Gods strength helped uphold others.

Working in a complex region torn by politics and warfare and trying hard to be faithful to the Mission of God, you become a bridge person, wrote Taras Dyatlik, regional director for Overseas Council and Helgas brother. These are the bridges of trust, care, understanding, and love, despite the heavy traffic.

Nonetheless, the weight is heavy.

People-bridges are usually very vulnerable, he continued, mixing metaphors in reference to a play by Spanish poet Alejandro Casona that he once witnessed in Donetsk. They are the trees that die while standing.

The work of supporting others and connecting worlds arouses jealousy, suffers criticism, and often carries on in neglected anonymity. A bridge is easily destroyed, he noted, while a treethough outwardly strongcannot share its burden.

It is not about being burned out, Dyatlik wrote, before turning to a different passage from Isaiah. But Christ will not break a broken reed.

Rightly or wrongly, one bridgeone tree of former strengthis being broken.

Amid accusations of collaboration with Russia, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) lost possession of the main cathedral in the historic 1,000-year-old Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, known as the Monastery of the Caves. Though the UOC has denounced the war and stopped honoring ROC leadership in its liturgy, the church remains in canonical affiliation with the Moscow Patriarchate.

Its lease of the Lavra complex expired on December 31. The breakaway and rival Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), granted autocephaly (independence) by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople two years ago on Orthodox Christmas Eve, was granted authority by Ukraines ministry of culture to conduct Christmas services at the Dormition Cathedral.

The decision appears to be popular.

According to a recent survey, 78 percent of Ukrainians at least somewhat favor President Volodymyr Zelenskys decision to impose sanctions on the UOC, with 54 percent agreeing the church should be banned entirely. Only 12 percent said that only individual cases of collaboration should be investigated.

Yet other studies have found that the UOC remains larger than the OCU in terms of monks, priests, and parishes, while its members are more faithful in attending service and church activity.

A UOC statement revealed that seven of its clergy have been killed in the war, 75 churches have been destroyed, and a further 300 have been damaged by shelling. Another statement tallied the UOCs contribution of 180 tons of aid given to the Ukrainian armed forces, 3,500 tons given to the victims of military operations, and over 50,000 people who received church assistance in housing and evacuation.

Meanwhile, an anonymous group of Russian Christians is seeking to be a bridge in the other direction. Issuing a Christmas Declaration of Russian Peacemakers, they claim to represent leaders and laypeople in the Orthodox, Protestant, and Catholic denominations, though Russian sources queried by CT did not know of the statement or its authors.

Taking into consideration all the risks involved, read the statement, addressing Russian Christians, we urge you to condemn this evil and call for the immediate withdrawal of Russias troops from Ukraine and for the end to this war.

For the first time in late December, Putin invoked the term war in reference to the conflict. He had previously called it a special military operation instead, and in March the Russian parliament imposed fines and prison terms for using alternate language.

We know how it hurts when Russian missiles hit your campus, your apartment is destroyed or looted, or when you must lead a funeral for your graduates, wrote Ivan Rusyn, president of Ukrainian Evangelical Theological Seminary. Russian rockets fly over our heads during this Christmas season, but we have no fear because we know [God] is with us.

Located in Bucha, a suburb of Kyiv, Rusyn witnessed the worst of these atrocities. Russian soldiers looted homes and executed civilians, piling them in mass graves. Once liberated, the seminary continued its role of helping and healing its community.

His message reflected lessons learned from the miracle of Christmas.

Mission is only possible with the incarnation, with honest and involved presence with people, wrote Rusyn. Compassion for us is to suffer together, having the same tears and scars our society has.

And amid a war that many Ukrainians interpret as Russias effort to cancel their whole nation, strength ultimately comes from the incarnation of Jesus. So surmise the seminary voices from the ruins.

He did not cancel suffering; he came to suffer with us, Rusyn wrote. He did not cancel death; he defied it.
Kevin McCarthy elected speaker of the House on 15th vote

Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California finally won the election for Speaker of the House of Representatives early Saturday morning after facing strong resistance from a contingent of conservative members of his party.

McCarthy garnered enough votes on the 15th ballot to become House speaker, marking the first time since 1923 that a speakership election took more than one ballot.

"My father always told me, 'It's not how you start, it's how you finish,'" McCarthy told House members for his first speech after winning the top House post. "And now, we need to finish strong for the American people."

McCarthy directed some of his comments to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, who the Democratic members of the lower house consistently supported through all 15 ballots.

"There will be times we agree, and many times we will differ," McCarthy said to Jeffries. "I promise our debates will be passionate, but they will never be personal."

McCarthy noted that "now, the hard work begins." Speaking directly to the nation, he declared that his "ultimate responsibility" is "to our country," not his party or Congress.

"Two months ago, you voted for a new direction for our country," said McCarthy. "You embraced our commitment to America. And now, we're going to keep our commitment to you."

Although McCarthy had been the favorite to win the speakership, he faced considerable opposition from a sizable minority of Republicans who believed he is not going to advance conservative policies or install much-needed changes to House rules.

Notable critics included Reps. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Matt Gaetz of Florida, Bob Good of Virginia, Chip Roy of Texas.

McCarthy got a little over 200 votes on the first several ballots, which was well below the minimum number needed to secure the speakership.

By Friday afternoon, after extensive behind-the-scenes conversations with Republican holdouts, McCarthy saw his vote count increase to 214 votes by the 13th ballot, finally passing Jeffries' usual 212 total.

McCarthy finally prevailed on the 15th ballot with 216 votes, with six Republicans who had opposed him voting "present," which allowed the needed minimum number of votes to lower from the usual 218 requirement.

"Look, the president has called this process an embarrassment, talking heads have labeled this chaos and a mess, and some would call it shambolic even, but it's called democracy," said Republican Rep. Patrick McHenry of North Carolina as he nominated McCarthy on the House floor, as reported by Politico.

"We know it's messy. We know it's messy, but open and transparent debate is what sets us apart from authoritarian regimes."
Journey founder Neal Schon raises alarm over Paula White-Cains access to bands bank accounts Televangelist's attorney says claims are 'nonsensical'

Neal Schon, founding member and guitarist of the rock band Journey, is calling for the removal of Paula White-Cain, televangelist and spiritual advisor to former President Donald Trump, as an authorized signatory on the band's bank accounts, arguing that it violates an agreement he has with White-Cain's husband, Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain.

A cease and desist letter sent to White-Cain dated Dec. 12, 2022, was reviewed by The Christian Post.

Schon's attorney Mark Angert, a partner at the law firm Solomon Ward Seidenwurm & Smith, LLP, alleges that despite a mutual agreement between Schon and Cain "that the business of the band and the Journey Related Entities would be handled only by Mr. Schon and Mr. Cain as individuals," White-Cain's name "appears as an authorized signatory on the City National Bank accounts of Freedom JN LLC" in which Schon is a co-owner.

"This is in direct contradiction of the parties' agreement and was done without the authorization of Mr. Schon. We demand that you take all necessary actions to remove your name from the City National Bank accounts of Freedom JN LLC and any other legal documents of all Journey Related Entities and provide the undersigned with documents demonstrating your removal," the letter to White-Cain reads.

"We further demand that you immediately cease and desist and refrain in the future from inserting yourself in any business of the band and any legal entities used by the band as this contradicts the existing agreement between Mr. Schon and Mr. Cain," Angert added.

A spokesperson for Schon noted in a statement to CP that Schon previously alleged that "Cain and Paula herself have been accessing the band's financial resources, including the Journey American Express account, and obscuring information, even to the point of blocking Schon's legitimate access to those accounts."

Citing multiple media reports on White-Cain's history, Schon's spokesperson painted the televangelist as a "national level con artist" focused on gaining wealth and what it brings.

"As with all aspects of her life, Paula's marriage to Cain is easily tied to access to wealth and the trappings thereof. Beyond the Christian cover for Paula's twisted aspirations for wealth and power  Paula's outrageously exorbitant lifestyle has been showcased across the 'faith leader's' social media, including extravagant gifts attributed to Cain," the statement said.

White was asked to provide the attorney with evidence of her removal from the City National Bank accounts of Freedom JN LLC and any other Journey-related entities by Dec. 27, 2022.

Alan Gutman, Paula White-Cain's attorney, insists that "the entire claim" by Schon "is nonsensical."

"Neal's attorney recommended Neal and Jonathan own their respective 50% interests in the band's operating entities through their personal trusts. Paula is a co-trustee of Jonathan's personal trust, therefore, Jonathan and Paula signed as the co-trustees of Jonathan's personal trust. But that never would have happened if Neal's lawyer had not recommenced it," Gutman said in a statement to CP on Wednesday.

"And it was clearly described that they were acting as the co-trustees of Jonathan's personal trust at the time that Neal signed the documents. Critically, Neal never complained for two years. When Neal finally complained (and we do not need to explain the real reason why he started complaining, which had nothing to do with [the] fact that Paula was co-trustee of Jonathan's trust or listed on any papers), Jonathan offered to have his ownership interest transferred from his personal trust to him personally. While that offer would have resolved the issue, Neal refuses to cooperate in any resolution, once again demonstrating that the claim is entirely pretextual."

When asked if White-Cain had responded directly to Schon's demand letter, it was alleged by Schon's camp that "Paula's attorney, Alan Gutman, wrote to Neal's attorney, Mark Angert, and threatened him."

Responding to the claim from Schon's camp about the threats, Gutman's office provided a copy of his letter to Angert dated Dec. 16, 2022, which presented the same arguments he included in his initial statement to CP.

"In sum, notwithstanding the fact it was Mr. Schon's counsel who created the problem, Mr. Cain has remained willing to amend the operating agreement and signature cards so that it is in his name as opposed to the interests assigned to his personal trust. It is your client who has obstructed those efforts," Gutman wrote.

"He can hire new or different counsel, but it does not change the facts. If he has any legitimate interest in resolution, Mr. Schon can simply execute the revised Operating Agreement negotiated by his other attorney, Colin Rolfs. I implore you to learn the facts before further jeopardizing the band's relationship with CNB  assuming you have not already destroyed it. If that happens, as noted above, your misguided actions will result in personal liability to your client," he added.

In recent months Schon and Cain have been at odds over the use of the band's songs at political events.

Schon recently served his bandmate with a cease-and-desist order after Cain performed "Don't Stop Believin'" for Trump at Mar-a-Lago in November with a backing "chorus" including Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, Kimberly Guilfoyle and Kari Lake.

"Although Mr. Cain is free to express his personal beliefs and associations, when he does that on behalf of Journey or for the band, such conduct is extremely deleterious to the Journey brand as it polarizes the band's fans and outreach. Journey is not, and should not be, political," the order said, according to a Variety report.

"Mr. Cain has no right to use Journey for politics. His politics should be his own personal business. He should not be capitalizing on Journey's brand to promote his personal political or religious agenda to the detriment of the band," it added, noting that it is a "harmful use of the brand."
Pastor battles for his life in ICU after being poisoned in Uganda

NAIROBI, Kenya  A pastor in western Uganda remains in a hospital intensive care unit after Muslim extremists poisoned him and a Christian couple on Nov. 24, sources said.

Pastor Francis Kutekereza, 51, was meeting for prayer with the couple, recent converts from Islam in Kigorobya Sub-County, Hoima District, at 6 p.m. when seven Muslims intruded into the house, said the husband, whose name is withheld for security reasons.

Led by a local Muslim extremist, the group began trying to force them to eat cooked bananas laced with a fungicide that causes ptomaine poisoning, the husband said.

It was a real struggle in the house, the husband, 27, told Morning Star News. Three men held the pastor, and the remaining four were on our necks. We took some little pieces of bananas before escaping, but the pastor could not escape.

Nearby neighbors joined in their cries for help, and the assailants fled after having kicked and beaten the pastor, he said.

Within three hours, Pastor Kutekereza was suffering nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps and diarrhea. The husband and his wife, 23, had the same symptoms after five hours, he said.

The couple received treatment at a Kigorobya health clinic for three weeks and were released on Dec. 14, but the pastor remains in critical condition. He was transferred to a hospital in Hoima.

The pastor is still battling for his life in the hospital bed, said a Morning Star News contact. He has a swollen stomach, swollen legs and swollen face that has affected his walking and vision.

Pastor Kutekereza, a married father of five children between the ages of 17 and 28, needs to transfer to a hospital with better equipment for proper diagnosis, the contact said.

The pastor had led the couple to Christ in October after visiting them several times.

It was on Oct. 20 that we decided to become followers of Issa [Jesus] at the end of the evening prayers meeting with pastor Kutekereza, the husband said. The pastor continued having evening prayers with us every Thursday. The neighbors who are Muslims began questioning us about the frequency of the pastors visits to our home. We told them that he was a business partner.

On Nov. 10 at around 7:30 p.m., a young Muslim man arrived at their home and saw the pastor putting a Bible in his briefcase, the husband said.

He later questioned us about the Bible when the pastor had left, but we kept quiet, he said. Thereafter he left.

On Nov. 17, the pastor showed the couple threatening messages that had been sent to his phone, including one that read, We have known that your mission at [the couples] home is not on business but to deceive them into joining your Christian religion. We warn you to stop with immediate effect.

The husband was also threatened. He said that the leader of the group that attacked them, his neighbor, had told him, You have been deceiving us, saying you have business planning with the pastor, but we have discovered that you have Bible study activities. This is uncalled for in our religion.

A church elder said the lives of the Christian couple are in danger unless they can be relocated, and that the pastor needs assistance with his hospital bill.

The attack was the latest of many instances of persecution of Christians in Uganda that Morning Star News has documented.

Ugandas constitution and other laws provide for religious freedom, including the right to propagate ones faith and convert from one faith to another. Muslims make up no more than 12% of Ugandas population, with high concentrations in eastern areas of the country.

This article was originally published by Morning Star News.
What is Epiphany? 5 things every believer should know

It might not be the biggest holiday on the Christian calendar, but Epiphany, otherwise known as Feast of the Epiphany or Three Kings Day, is, along with Christmas and Easter, one of the three principal and oldest festival days in the Church.

Traditionally marked on Jan. 6, Epiphany  which comes from epiphaneia, Greek for manifestation"  is typically celebrated by Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Anglicans and some Eastern Orthodox churches.

While some traditions link Epiphany with the wise men from the East who sojourned to Bethlehem for Jesus birth, some Orthodox traditions say its more aligned with the baptism of Christ.

Here are five things to know about Epiphany, whether you celebrate it or not.
UK woman arrested for praying silently outside abortion facility

Just before Christmas, a stunning video showing the arrest of one United Kingdom citizen who was silently praying near an abortion facility in Birmingham, England, went viral on social media.

Isabel Vaughan-Spruce is a committed Christian, and for years she has made it a habit to pray for the protection of innocent human life in the womb as she walked past, or stood outside, abortion facilities. In November, police received a complaint about Vaughan-Spruce and arrived on the scene to question her. Though Vaughan-Spruce and the police officers involved were calm and respectful, the video of their conversation depicts a chilling violation of free speech and religious freedom.

A police officer asks Vaughan-Spruce, who is standing quietly on the sidewalk, What are you here for today?

Vaughan-Spruce: Physically, Im just standing here.

Police officer: Okay. Why here of all places? I know you dont live nearby.

Vaughan-Spruce: This is an abortion center.

Police officer: OK. Thats why youre standing here?

Vaughan-Spruce nodded.

Police officer: Is you standing here part of a protest?

Vaughan-Spruce: No, Im not protesting.

Police officer: Are you praying?

Vaughan-Spruce: I might be praying in my head, but not out loud.

It is after this admission  the admission that she was silently praying in her head  that Vaughan-Spruce was asked to go to the police station for questioning. When she declined, she was arrested.

The incident took place outside of BPAS Robert Clinic in Kings Norton, Birmingham, and Vaughan-Spruce was accused of violating a local public space protection order (PSPO). Free speech advocates have rightly labeled such PSPOs censorship zones.

Birminghams PSPO expressly prohibits various free speech activities within a certain restricted area around the abortion facility, including peaceful assembly and giving women information on alternatives to abortion. Among the activities prohibited are, Protesting, namely engaging in any act of approval or disapproval or attempted act of approval or disapproval, with respect to issues related to abortion services, by any means. This includes but is not limited to graphic, verbal or written means, prayer or counselling 

This measure, like others implemented or being considered as legislation across the U.K., is a grotesque violation of basic rights that we expect to be protected in any Western country. Free speech on public sidewalks, including prayer, should have no geographical restrictions. The purported purpose of these measures is to prevent harassment for women seeking abortions. Of course, harassment is always wrong and should be illegal, but of course harassment already is illegal in the U.K. Make no mistake, the goal here is not to end harassment  it is to marginalize (in this case literally) any speech or religious belief that might disapprove of abortion or offer hurting women an alternative to abortion.

Censorship zones around abortion facilities have been hotly debated across the U.K. in recent months. The threats to freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and freedom of religion from censorship zones are already evident in Vaughan-Spruces case.

ADF International, a religious freedom legal advocacy group, is representing Vaughan-Spruce. ADFs Lois McLatchie told Nigel Farage on GB News that, whether this PSPO itself is lawful under international human rights law which protects freedom of religion, freedom of thought, conscience, and belief, and freedom of speech, is another really important question in this case. It is disturbing that the insistence of some U.K. politicians on making sure women do not see or hear the thoughts or prayers of pro-lifers and Christians is leading them to potentially violate international human rights law.

Pro-abortion activists have claimed that it is not Vaughan-Spruces silent prayer that provoked her arrest, but rather her violation of the PSPO. Yet, merely standing in the PSPO area is allowed. It was specifically the act of prayer that was not allowed under the PSPO, and that resulted in Vaughan-Spruces arrest. This is without question a religious freedom case.

At its core, religious freedom encompasses the ability to hold and live out your faith. That naturally includes praying in public  especially when your public prayer is done in the privacy of your own head. Free countries must diligently avoid the business of punishing Orwellian thoughtcrimes. After her arrest, Vaughan-Spruce stated, Nobody should be criminalised for thinking and for praying, in a public space in the U.K.

Quite right.

Originally published at The Washington Stand.
Archaeologists demand more scrutiny of sensationalized discoveries in Israel

Leading Israeli archaeologists and researchers have decried what they perceive as a lack of oversight amid a series of archaeological discoveries, including recent announcements from a professor claiming to have deciphered historic Bible-era inscriptions.

Over 30 academics recently signed an open letter emphasizing the need for peer reviews and publishing findings "scientifically" before making public announcements to the press about archaeological discoveries.

The letter doesn't name specific researchers but follows a series of announcements from Gershon Galil. The professor emeritus of biblical studies and the former chairman of the University of Haifa's Jewish history department claims to have deciphered several inscriptions, including one that contains the name of the biblical Judean King Hezekiah.

"While we all recognize that one can inform the press of finds before publication (and many of us do this, including myself), the main point was that if one claims that finds are sensational and groundbreaking, they should be fully published academically, before going public with sensational claims," Professor Aren Maeir of Bar-Ilan University, who signed the letter, told The Christian Post in an emailed statement.

"Otherwise, there is no way to ascertain that these claims have basis. That is how things should be done in all scientific research."

CP also reached out to the University of Haifa but did not receive a response by press time.

The letter, published on Dec. 24, is signed by researchers from various Israeli institutions criticizing the presentation of several archaeological finds identified as "game-changers" in the press and on social media before the discoveries were subject to a peer review.

Experts from several institutions signed the letter, including Tel Aviv University and Hebrew University.

"As is clear to anyone dealing with science and research, one of the foundations of all research and discovery is that results must go through a process of peer review prior to publication, to check for quality, suggest improvements and comments, and in some cases, reject a suggestion," the letter reads.

"Without this process, research is conducted without proper checks and balances," the letter continues. "In addition, research colleagues (in this case archaeologists and historians) cannot properly ascertain, and if need be, disagree, with these claims."

The experts further stress the need for a "full presentation, with high-quality illustrations, of these finds in scientific publications, even long after the initial public notification" before posting finds on social media or making pronouncements to the press.

Galil told The Times of Israel that the letter was written by "bitter" and "jealous" colleagues with an axe to grind.

In a separate statement, however, Maeir, director of the Tell es-Safi/Gath Archaeological Project, said that researchers would be allowed to claim anything if they didn't have to follow the standards of proof described in the letter.

As The Christian Post previously reported, Galil claimed that he and a fellow archaeologist Eli Shukron had deciphered an inscription containing the name of Judean King Hezekiah. Galil said that the inscription summarizes the first 17 years of Hezekiah's reign and his accomplishments described in 2 Kings 20 in the Bible.

"This is an extremely important discovery that changes [some basic assumptions of] research, since until today it was commonly accepted that the kings of Israel and Judah, unlike the kings of the ancient Middle East, did not make themselves royal inscriptions and monuments  to commemorate their achievements," Galil said.

He also asserted that the inscriptions "support the claim that scriptures in the book of Kings are based on texts originating from chronicles and royal inscriptions and that the Bible reflects historical reality and not imagination."

When asked by The Times of Israel to provide high-resolution photos of the inscription, Galil initially promised to provide RTI images before claiming that an unnamed publisher would not allow him to publish them. Galil's images of the inscriptions are either hand-drawn inscriptions or have too low of a resolution for academics to read.

However, Galil claims this is untrue, stating that he and his team took photographs in the field, and others are free to take their own pictures if they're having trouble viewing his. Professor Matthew Morgenstern of Tel Aviv University's Department of Hebrew and Semitic Languages found this assertion "unusual," according to The Times of Israel.

"It is customary that the scholar who makes the claim also provides the clear evidence for it," Morgenstern said.

While Galil insisted that several renowned researchers have examined his newly deciphered inscription, he did not provide any names. Instead, he promised that the names would be revealed in his upcoming book, The Inscriptions of Hezekiah King of Judah.

Another series of Galil discoveries that have been called into question include the Mt. Ebel curse tablet and the Jerusalem governor tablet. The curse tablet is reportedly the earliest Hebrew text that would prove the Israelites were literate upon entering the Holy Land.

The other table was reportedly used in a voodoo ceremony to curse Jerusalem's governor, which, if true, would be one of the earliest inscriptions discovered to date in Jerusalem.

However, these discoveries have also been published without peer review or high-resolution photography.
Bank settles lawsuit against Celebration Church founders over $700K debt

Six months after suing Celebration Church founders Stovall and Kerri Weems and several companies they control for defaulting on more than $700,000 in loans, First Citizens Bank revealed that they've reached a settlement with the former megachurch leaders.

The couple, who founded Celebration Church in 1998 and resigned as leaders in April 2022, were sued by the bank in May 2021 for defaulting on $716,123.14 in loans.

Last month, however, an attorney for the bank filed notice at the Duval County Courthouse in Florida stating that they were voluntarily dismissing the suit as a result of [an] amicable settlement.

The couple, who have been mired in legal fights since being ousted from their roles as leaders of the 12,000-member Celebration Church in Jacksonville, Florida, are still involved with two other lawsuits yet to be resolved.

A hearing regarding a defamation lawsuit the couple filed against Celebration Church and its board of trustees is still pending while the church is seeking to remove the couple from a Black Hammock Island home they purchased as a parsonage.

The megachurch founders filed their defamation lawsuit following the release of an internal investigation commissioned by the church that painted them as abusive leaders who exploited church staff and finances until they were forced to resign.

The single word used most frequently to describe Stovall Weems was narcissist. Nearly every witness we interviewed used that specific word, a 22-page report on the investigation produced by the Nelson Mullins law firm said.

According to the report, the Weemses leadership had been inconsistent and unbiblical" since at least 2019. Investigators allege that Stovall Weems leadership was marked by rampant spiritual and emotional abuse, including manipulation, a profound sense of self-importance and selfishness, superiority and entitlement, overbearing and unreasonable demands on employees time, a lack of accountability or humility, and demands of absolute loyalty.

Last October, however, the Weemses' defamation case was dismissed by a judge who pointed out that the church autonomy doctrine, or ecclesiastical abstention doctrine, is rooted in both the Free Exercise and Establishment Clauses of the United States Constitution and ensures that the highest ecclesiastical authorities, as opposed to the secular courts, have the final say on ecclesiastical matters.

A new version of the defamation case was later allowed to be filed in court offering the couple another chance to argue their case.

Celebration Church is also going after the Weemses in another lawsuit demanding that the couple vacate a million-dollar waterfront home owned by the church since they completely resigned from all work with the church in April 2022.

Church officials argued in the lawsuit filed on June 1 that on June 6, 2021, Stovall Weems purchased the disputed home located at 16073 Shellcracker Road on behalf of the church and Weems Group, LLC, which he managed himself. The purchase was made without authorization from the churchs board. Redfin reports that the home, which has an estimated value of $1,412,024, was last sold for $1,286,900

The Weemses remain in possession of the  property despite Stovall Weems resignation of employment, the Weemses refusal to pay rent and the churchs demands that the Weemses vacate the premises, the lawsuit says.

Lawyers for the Weemses and the church are expected to present their arguments on the property dispute before Duval County Judge Mose Floyd on Jan. 23, while a hearing on the defamation case is expected to proceed on Jan. 24.
Jackie Hill Perry warns Satan trying to destroy 'entire generation of Christians with witchcraft'

Christian author Jackie Hill Perry said Wednesday that too many churches are giving Satan room to destroy and leading a generation of Christians to be more comfortable engaging with elements of witchcraft rather than engaging with the true power of the Holy Spirit.

The 33-year-old ex-lesbian rapper, author, poet and Bible preacher was among many prominent Christian speakers who spoke at Passion 2023 conference in Atlanta this week. She warned that if ministry leaders dont lean on the Holy Spirit and the move of God, their ministry becomes ineffective.

Perry told the thousands gathered for the three-day event held from Tuesday to Thursday that churches failing to acknowledge the power of the Holy Spirit can prevent Christians from being transformed through deliverance.

The enemy is trying to destroy an entire generation of Christians with witchcraft. He wants us to consider alternative sources of power for joy, for peace [and] for a right mind, Perry warned midway through her sermon.

I think some of the blame for that is the Church because we have been raised in churches that are more afraid of the Holy Spirit than they are of Harry Potter.

The Gay Girl Good God author suggested some Christians are confused because they dont know how to approach the spiritual realm properly.

I see why you're confused because you've seen people exegesis with the Spirit but not exercise with the Spirit. You've seen things in your room at night. You've seen things manifest in people. But, everyone explains it away as if we are not in a world with demons, in churches with demons, in conversations with people full of demons, including pastors, Perry said.

Perry said a significant issue is that the prophets have been silenced within some churches.

And so you get on TikTok, and you see [things such as] a psychic tell you that she could tell you your future," she said, pointing out one way many Christians are deceived today.

"It's because they've muted the prophets in the Church. So you're going to the devil seeers instead of the Lord.

"If God is the one who was and who is to come, that means He is already in the future now. So you don't need psychics full of a limited understanding of the future. You need the Lord.  Don't play with the devil.

She stated that the Lord gave the Church authority to trample over serpents, not to submit to them.

If God is with you, so is His power. There is power in Gods presence, she said.

Perry said that if church leaders continue to tiptoe around the power of the Holy Spirit, Christians may start to turn toward worldly things.

I think we are tempted to draw power from some other sources than God as a means of creating what looks like ministry.  When in fact, it was just manipulation bordering on witchcraft, Perry preached.

A good sermon isn't powerful if the Spirit doesn't move. Good worship isn't powerful if the Spirit doesn't move. Yeah, they cry. Yeah, they lifted their hands, but were they delivered? Were they changed? Were they set free? Is their mind new or was it a motion?

Everyone needs the Holy Spirit's power, Perry said, and Gods Spirit is ready and available for all Christians if they trust that they do have Gods presence.

The effectiveness of your ministry is wholly dependent on God. And if it's wholly dependent on God, that means you need to be more dependent on God.  We have folks who are Ph.D.s from seminary and second graders in prayer.  God is with you. The good news is that you don't have to go too far to find Him, Perry said.

The speaker stressed that for revival to be successful, God needs to move for people to respond.

Conversion is a work of the Holy Spirit. Sanctification is a work of the Holy Spirit, spiritual understanding and the opening of the mind to understand Scripture  is a work of the Holy Spirit, Perry continued.

It does not matter how clever you are, how winsome you are, how interesting you are, or even how intellectual you are.  All of those are useful insofar as the Holy Spirit moves. If God doesn't move, people will not respond.

The Passion movement was launched in 1995 by Pastor Louie Giglio. This years conference featured several Christian thought leaders and pastors, including Tim Tebow, Sadie Robertson, Christine Caine and others.

Passion movement's ministry statement declares: For us, what matters most is the name and renown of Jesus. We believe in this generation and are watching God use them to change the climate of faith around the globe.
4 longest House speaker elections in US history

Although he expected to become the next speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Republican Congressman Kevin McCarthy of California has faced ongoing resistance to his efforts.

Even though McCarthy expected to be voted into the leadership position, he has failed to get enough votes after six ballots, marking the first time since 1923 that the House did not elect a speaker on the first ballot.

This has been because of a sizable minority of Republican members of Congress who, among other things, believe that McCarthy will not effectively implement conservative policies.

However, as of Thursday morning, McCarthy has yet to come close to the longest periods of voting for House speaker, which in the past sometimes went on for several weeks of voting.

Here are the four House speaker elections that took the greatest number of ballots, all of which occurred during the Antebellum era and often had the slavery debate undergirding their contentiousness.

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Biden shifts blame for immigration crisis ahead of first border visit

President Joe Biden attempted to shift blame for the immigration crisis that has increased under his administration days before he's set to make his first visit to a border community as states grapple with hundreds of thousands of illegal border crossings each month.

Biden gave a speech on immigration at the White House Thursday as he faces growing pressure to visit the U.S.-Mexico border amid a surge in illegal immigration. In the first two months of fiscal year 2023, which began in October, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol reported 465,034 encounters between migrants and border officials at the Southwest border. During the first part of fiscal year 2022, there were 339,682 such encounters.

With 233,740 encounters between migrants and law enforcement officials, November 2022 marked the fourth consecutive month of increases in border crossings, which reached a high of 241,136 in May 2022. The overwhelming of border cities, accompanied by the astronomical number of border crossings, prompted the Democratic Mayor of El Paso, Texas, to declare a state of emergency.

During his speech Thursday, Biden told reporters that he would be traveling to Mexico to meet with President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador next week, where securing the border between the two countries is on the agenda. I will visit the border myself this Sunday in El Paso, Texas, to assess border enforcement operations, meet with the local officials and community leaders and the folks at the border, he said.

The president added that he was looking forward to learning what border officials need that they dont have.

The press conference comes as the Biden administration is seeking to end Title 42, which enabled border officials to quickly turn away migrants seeking entry into the U.S. due to public health concerns arising from the coronavirus pandemic. The U.S. Supreme Court has ordered Title 42 to remain in place as the justices are set to hear a case seeking the reversal of a lower court order vacating the policy.

Bidens impending trip to the border marks his first visit there since taking office nearly two years ago. Throughout each full month of his administration, border crossings have remained above 100,000.

Critics point to the abolishing of the Trump-era Migrant Protection Protocols, which required those seeking asylum in the U.S. to stay in Mexico while their cases were adjudicated, as well as the weakening of Title 42 as the sources of the surge. With those policies in place, Southwest border crossings never crossed 100,000 in any one month.

After his speech concluded, a reporter asked the president why he thought right now constituted the right time to visit the southern border, recalling how Republicans have been begging you to do this since the beginning. Biden responded by insisting that Republicans havent been serious about this at all, adding, I wanted to make sure that I knew what the outcome  was on Title 42 before I went down.

He expressed his disapproval of Title 42, citing the fact that the court is not expected to issue a final ruling on the policy for a considerable period of time as the reason why he is going now. Additionally, Biden used the press conference to announce actions his administration was going to take to reduce the flow of illegal immigrants through the Southwest border and outlined new paths for those seeking to come into the U.S. to do so legally.

The president also touted an app called CBP ONE, which he explained enables migrants to schedule an appointment at a port of entry and make their asylum claim there without crossing the border unlawfully. The White House has also expanded a parole program enabling Venezuelan migrants with sponsors in the U.S. who pass background checks to come to the country and receive work authorization for two years to Cubans, Haitians and Nicaraguans.

Those whose parole applications are denied or who illegally enter the U.S. during the process will not be eligible for the program. Biden contended that the parole program for Venezuelans has resulted in a reduction of the surge at the border.

Since we created the program, the number of Venezuelans trying to enter America without going through a legal process has dropped dramatically from about 1,100 per day to less than 250 per day on average, he declared. He predicted that the expansion of the parole program to the three additional countries will substantially reduce the number of people attempting to cross our southwest border without going through the legal process.

Noting that most of the people seeking entry into the U.S. come from Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Haiti, the president said that Mexico has agreed to allow the return of up to 30,000 persons per month who try and get caught and get sent back from those four countries who are apprehended while attempting to unlawfully cross the ... southwest border.

Biden directed a message to those seeking to come to the U.S. from those countries: Do not just show up at the border. Stay where you are and apply legally from there.

Ahead of his remarks, the White House released a fact sheet outlining new actions the administration was taking to address the surge in illegal immigration. Effective immediately, individuals who attempt to enter the United States without permission, do not have a legal basis to remain, and cannot be expelled pursuant to Title 42 will be increasingly subject to expedited removal from their country of origin and subject to a five-year ban on reentry, the fact sheet states.

Additionally, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice announced their intent to propose a new regulation that would encourage individuals to seek orderly and lawful pathways to migration and reduce overcrowding on the southwest border and the strain on the immigration system.

Ahead of the anticipated surge in migrants seeking asylum that will accompany the lifting of Title 42, the Biden administration indicated that DHS and DOJ are surging asylum officers and immigration judges to review asylum cases at the border more quickly  with the aim of reducing initial processing times from months to days. DHS will also hire additional agents and officers to join the over 23,000 already working to secure the border.

To address concerns about the strain on border cities, the administration vows to send more financial resources to such jurisdictions in addition to mobilizing faith-based and nonprofit organizations supporting migrants, including those providing temporary shelter, food, and humanitarian assistance.

Throughout both the press conference and the fact sheet, the administration contended that the actions unveiled Thursday would not wholly solve the problem of illegal immigration and pointed to congressional Republicans as the reason behind the failure to achieve that goal. According to the fact sheet, While these steps will help address some of the most acute challenges at the Southwest border, they will not solve all of the problems in an immigration system that has been broken for far too long.

That can only happen if Republicans in Congress who have spent the past two years talking about border security quit blocking the comprehensive immigration reform and border security measures President Biden proposed on his first day in office, and opposing the billions of dollars in additional funds the President has requested for border security and management.
Self-described first LGBT immigrant to serve in Congress will take oath on Superman comic, not the Bible

An incoming Democratic congressman who says he will be the first LGBT immigrant to serve in Congress will be swearing on a comic book instead of the Bible for his swearing-in ceremony.

Rep.-elect Robert Garcia is among the hundreds of incoming lawmakers who are still waiting to be sworn in as members of the 118th Congress as debate continues over a vote for speaker of the House of Representatives.

However long the delay, Garcia said Tuesday he will take the oath of office on a copy of the U.S. Constitution, along with a photo of his late parents, a certificate of his U.S. citizenship and the inaugural issue of Superman.

Garcia tweeted: Will be proudly sworn-in to Congress on the U.S. Constitution. Underneath the Constitution will be 3 items that mean a lot to me personally. A photo of my parents who I lost to covid, my citizenship certificate & an original Superman #1 from the @librarycongress.

Garcia, who will serve as the representative for Californias 42nd Congressional District, became the first immigrant and [LGBT] mayor in the history of Long Beach upon his election in 2014, according to his website.

The 45-year-old told Huffington Post he first gravitated toward comic books as a way of learning the English language when he was brought by his mother at age 5 from Peru to the U.S.

For Garcia, Superman was emblematic of the plight of all immigrants.

He was an immigrant. I was an immigrant, Garcia was quoted as saying. I think that love of helping others, love of country, being different, having to hide your identity  I was a closeted gay person for a long time  those things appealed to me in comics.

Garcias office did not respond to a request for comment from The Christian Post as of Friday morning.

While traditionally most members of Congress have taken their oath using a Bible, there is no legal requirement to do so.

Upon taking the oath of office, Garcia wont be the first member of Congress to shun the Scriptures for their swearing-in ceremony.

Former Democratic congressman and current Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison was sworn in on a copy of the Quran after he became the first Muslim elected to Congress in 2007. The Quran used for Ellisons oath was an English translation owned by Thomas Jefferson.

In 2019, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, the first openly bisexual member of the U.S. Senate and the only senator who does not identify with any religious affiliation, opted to be sworn in on a law book with the Arizona Constitution and the U.S. Constitution.
Roe is finally gone. What must we do now?

I will always remember exactly where I was when the U.S. Supreme Courts decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization was officially announced, overturning the Supreme Courts infamous 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.

Dobbs upheld a Mississippi law which severely limited abortion after 15 weeks gestation. Now individual state legislatures would be enabled to decide how the abortion issue would be adjudicated in each state.

I had prayed many times since 1973 that God would allow me to live long enough to witness Roe v. Wade and its virtual abortion-on-demand mandate being tossed on the ash heap of history. I had always been confident that God was going to answer my prayer affirmatively, but it was still indescribably special when it happened.

I was overwhelmed by intense gratitude to God on behalf of myself and the millions of pro-life advocates with whom I had worked and marched over the preceding half-century. We owe so much to the tens of millions of pro-life Americans, living and dead, who gave generously of their time, talents and finances over many, many years in defense of our preborn fellow human beings right to life. I praised God for giving us this great victory for the preborn, and I thanked God for the multitudes of fellow pro-lifers who God used to bring about this victory for a truly righteous and holy cause.

I have often trembled for my country when I realized how God detests abortions and how harshly He judged child sacrifice in the Old Testament. If God did not spare His chosen people, the Jews, from severe judgment for child sacrifice (Jeremiah 7:30-32), I knew He certainly would judge America for similarly heinous, pagan disregard for the sacred nature of all human life.

This year we also observed the 60th anniversary of the convening of the Second Vatican Council. The major reforms in Roman Catholicism initiated by that historic conclave helped forge the cultural rapprochement between American Evangelicals and Roman Catholics that resulted in that powerful pro-life, interfaith alliance. Without that common cause and interdenominational cooperation at the local, as well as at the national level, it is extremely doubtful that Roe would have been relegated to an example of truly egregious Supreme Court decisions in legal textbooks.

This has been a long journey for me personally. I have been consciously pro-life since my sophomore year in high school in 1964. It was in the spring of that year that I had my first encounter with what I now know was a 12- to 14-week-old human fetus. One of my classmates had done her biology term project on human fetal development. As part of her project, she had this undeniably human fetus displayed in a formaldehyde container. (Her father was an obstetrician and had provided the fetus.) I was shocked that this little baby boys body was stored just casually leaning against the classroom wall until it was time for her presentation.

From that moment on, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that each preborn child was a fellow human being and that his or her humanity was undeniable from the moment of conception onward. I believe God gave me that disturbing experience at that early stage of my life in order to help prepare me for the pro-life debate that He knew was coming. Interestingly, just six months earlier, I had committed my life to full-time Christian service and had been licensed to Gospel ministry.

The task ahead

After a few hours of praising God for allowing us victory in overturning Roe, I focused on the difficult and arduous task ahead. The words of Winston Churchill came to mind. Reflecting on the Allied victory at El Alamein in World War II, the great wartime leader observed, This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.

The pro-life movement has won a significant and necessary victory in returning the abortion issue to the people. Tragically, the last five decades of abortion on demand in America have greatly advanced what Pope John Paul II rightly labeled as the Culture of Death. The reality is that Americans remain deeply divided on the issue of abortion. Polling shows that nationwide, the majority of Americans reject abortion after the first trimester.1 Unfortunately, they do not yet see that, according to biblical revelation, and as reflected in the Southern Baptist Conventions resolutions on abortion, the only exception to making abortion illegal is to save the mothers life.2 (I personally believe that ultimately we must have a Human Life Amendment to the Constitution to protect all our preborn citizens. However, in a democracy, it will take a great spiritual awakening to accomplish that feat.) Complicating matters further, there are dramatic differences in opinion within the various states, with California, New York, and Massachusetts allowing abortion up to the moment of birth, as opposed to overwhelmingly pro-life policies such as those found in many of the southern and southwestern states.

Now, the pro-life movement must take up the cause in each state, understanding that it still, first and foremost, is a struggle for hearts and minds. The abortion issue is the leading edge of a much more fundamental debate between the culture of life and the culture of death, between a sanctity of life ethic versus a quality of life ethic, which inevitably is grounded in the answer to the question, Who and what is a human being?

For those of us in the pro-life movement, there is no question concerning the fundamental answer to that most consequential question. The Bible has made it clear that every human being is of incalculable value to God because He sent His Son to die for them (John 3:16). Our Heavenly Father oversees and superintends the process of the formation of each new life so that every one of us, from the moment of conception, is the unique, never-to-be-duplicated, human being that God made each of us to be (Psalm 139:13-16).

It was Gods revelation of Himself to the Jews in the Old Testament that resulted in the Hebrew civilization being the only culture in the Mediterranean basin that did not routinely practice both infanticide and abortion on demand. This biblical understanding carried over into the New Testament as evidenced by the fact that early in the post-apostolic era (circa A.D. 130), The Didache  a type of early church manual with catechisms and doctrinal teachings  condemned abortion as unacceptable for Christians in the midst of a Greco-Roman culture where abortion and infanticide were routine.

The pro-life movement in America is at a hinge point in its spiritual and cultural history. Time in the historical sense is not equal. Certain times are more important than others. The apostle Paul said it clearly when he instructed the Ephesian Christians: See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil (Ephesians 5:15-16, KJV).

In Greek, there are two words for time. One word, chronos, denotes time in its chronological, 24-hour-a-day, 7-days-a-week sense. The other word, kairos, is the one the Holy Spirit inspired the apostle to use here, which signifies time in its strategic, opportune moments. Paul instructs Christians to seize upon these propitious moments, redeeming each one for good, because the days are evil, which is not kakos or evil as a state of being, but poneros, which is active, aggressive, pernicious evil.

As we in the pro-life movement go forward, we must understand that we are engaged in spiritual warfare as we seek to rescue as many babies as possible at every step in the process. While our ultimate goal must be to radically reduce legal abortion to the single exception of saving the mothers life, we should never allow the perfect to be the enemy of the good. In the interim, if we find ourselves, by political necessity, having to temporarily compromise by accepting laws that allow abortions at up to 6 weeks or 9 weeks or 12 weeks gestation, etc., then let us covenant together that we will save all the babies we can and then continue in the struggle for hearts and minds, coming back again and again with ever more protections for the unborn. The final goal must always be to rescue as many babies as possible.

Lessons learned

Over the past five decades, those of us in the pro-life movement have learned some important lessons. First, our God is a God of righteousness, but He is also a God of forgiveness and redemption, and we should always couple our condemnation of abortion with the message of forgiveness and healing at the foot of the cross. We must understand that in every abortion there are at least two victims, the baby and his or her mother. We should do our best to always minister to both victims our Saviors redeeming, healing love.

We must ask God to give us the spirit of the prophet Jeremiah, who, while he condemned the grievous sins of the people, did so with a catch in his voice and a tear in his eye, as he wept over the sins of the people and the terrible consequences which inevitably followed in the wake of their idolatry and wickedness.

Also, wherever possible, we should promote and support Christian women as leaders and spokespersons for our movement. I learned early on that when pro-abortion advocates are forced to debate pro-life leaders who are women, they lose at least half of their arguments when they cant engage in bashing males for wanting to control womens bodies.

A picture is worth a thousand words, and we should do everything we possibly can through sonograms and other audio-visual media to present our fellow citizens with the undeniable humanity of preborn babies. One tremendous evidence of this is the astounding success of the Psalm 139 Project, which affords pregnant mothers the opportunity to see sonograms of their babies. We know from those who serve in pregnancy resource centers that the ability to see ultrasound images is extremely important in helping mothers to choose to carry their babies to term. Everything we can do to promote the ministries of pregnancy resource centers across the land should be done. I hope and pray that Southern Baptists will make it our goal to have at least one pro-life pregnancy resource center in every Baptist association in every state in the Union.

And we must do everything we can in word and deed to refute the libel that the pro-life movement is only pro-life from conception to birth. We should make it clear that we are pro-life from conception to natural death and everywhere in between.

Finally, we should always remember that Jesus commanded us to be salt and light (Matthew 3:13-16). The salt of the law can severely restrict abortions in our country, and we must do so. However, there is a limit to what the law can do. We must also represent the light of the Gospel, which transforms hearts and minds. The salt of the law can change actions. Only the light of the Gospel can change attitudes. The salt of the law can change behaviors. Only the light of the Gospel can change beliefs. The salt of the law can change habits. Only the light of the Gospel can change hearts.

Our pro-abortion opponents are not the enemy. They are under the influence and sway of the Prince of Darkness, who is our true enemy. Let us resolve in our hearts to demonstrate the redeeming love of our Savior to all our opponents. As Dr. King so often reminded us, those whom you would change, you must first love!

Originally published at Light (Winter 2022 Volume 8 Issue 2 edition) titled Roe is Finally Gone. What Must We Do Now? and Baptist Press.
The series brilliantly documents the who, what, when, why, where, and how of their thrilling journey which was fraught with dangers. (Photo: Twitter)

Mumbai has served as an eternal muse for content creators for eons. Be it the cosmopolitan culture or the world of homely chawls, it has always found takers in the world of literature and cinema. Unfortunately, Indias financial capital is also notorious for its underworld. Its rise, the people on both sides of the divide, and its fallout has been well-documented.

Till now, we had several Hindi movies projecting both the dons and cops as dirty harries from time to time. However, it is for the first time that we see what it was actually like to be in Mumbai in the 90s from the horses mouth.

A new documentary on Netflix, Mumbai Mafia: Police vs the Underworld brings us accounts from the rockstars of law and order who eventually came to be known as encounter specialists. They were the ones who did the dirty but essential work of eliminating these dons and their henchmen.

A.A. Khan, Ravindra Angre, and most importantly Pradeep Sharma take us through the sinister underbelly of Mumbai in 90s when the underworld ruled the roost and it was a war between pistols and AK-47s. The series brilliantly documents the who, what, when, why, where, and how of their thrilling journey which was fraught with dangers.

Francis Longhurst and Raaghav Dar have done a fantastic job of tracing the genesis of what led to the formation of special squads which were exclusively tasked to kill terrorists. They were given a carte blanche license to kill. And they did make the most of it. They definitely did come to the rescue of Mumbai which had become the capital of organized crime.

The gritty documentary tells us about the modus operandi adopted by both the cops and the underworld. These accounts are narrated by people who were stakeholders in what was happening then. We not only meet several encounter cops and journalists, but also someone who worked for the D-Company. The only voices missing are those of the victims and politicians.

Of all the narrators, it is Pradeep Sharmas story that forms the center stage of this balanced documentary. With his first-person narration, he literally takes us into the mind of an encounter specialist, what goes into the killing of a person, and what happens to the cop after that. He tells us convincingly how the system uses and abuses encounter specialists. The documentary makers have done a remarkable job in showing his journey from encounters to fake encounters. The series also talks about A. A. Khan who was uncomfortable with the unfettered power vested in police and thus steps aside providing a holistic approach to the subject.

Justin Nicholls and Rishi Richs music woven together with archival footage gives a movie-like feel to the series. The almost 1.27 hrs long documentary is gritty, imaginative, and interesting. Its streaming on Netflix and is certainly nothing less than Ab Tak Chappan or Satya which have regaled audiences.
Mob attacks Catholic church in India amid tribal clashes, causes thousands in damages

A mob of hundreds of villagers vandalized a Catholic church in the Chhattisgarh state of India on Monday as tensions continue to rise between the areas indigenous people who follow an animist religion and Christians.

Villagers armed with wooden sticks and iron rods barged into Sacred Heart Church at Edka village on Jan. 2, in the southern region of Narayanpur district, according to the Catholic nonprofit news agency Union of Catholic Asia News.

The mob broke the churchs windows and damaged the altar, crucifix, multiple pieces of furniture and statues. The villagers also vandalized a Marian grotto and a presbytery.

UCA News quotes parish priest Father Jomon Devasia to report that the total damages from the church attack are likely to cost roughly 250,000 Indian rupees ($3,016), which includes about 50,000 Indian rupees allegedly stolen by the mob.

The mob destroyed everything, the church and the presbytery, Devasia stated.

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel promised action would be taken against the perpetrators of the vandalism.

The chief held a meeting with the Archbishop Victor Henry Thakur of Raipur to discuss the incident.

We discussed the serious threat Christians face in the state and the failure of the police and district officials to prevent targeted attacks against them, Archbishop Thakur told UCA News on Jan. 3.

The church, which had been standing for over five decades, was renovated five years ago.

Devasia told UCA News that he and four other Catholic priests reported the incident to a local police station. The police reportedly monitored the church leaders overnight to ensure their safety.

The attack is believed to have started after a few members of a group of indigenous animist people were injured while they were protesting earlier clashes in the region. What started out as a protest, turned into a mob storming the church.

According to Fides News Agency, on Jan. 1 and Jan. 2, two groups clashed after indigenous groups accused other tribes of converting to Christianity "by force or inducement."

The mob reportedly threw rocks at the church and forcefully opened the church doors.

Police who were with the protestors tried to stop the riot, but they could not calm the crowd. One officer suffered head injuries.

Sources from other villages in the Narayanpur district reported that the mob did more than destroy and vandalize the church.

We are getting messages of more attacks that happened last night, and many of our faithful have been forced to seek refuge in nearby forests, Pastor Mosses Logan, president of the Chhattisgarh State Christian Welfare Society, told UCA News.

Advocates report that the attack comes amid a long-running clash between non-Christian indigenous people who have tried to force Christians away from their faith and towards adopting traditional animist practices.

Chhattisgarh, ruled by the Congress Party, is made up of less than 2% of Christians out of the roughly 30 million people of the state.

In the past few months, over 1,000 indigenous Christians were reportedly forced out of their homes in the villages near Narayanpur, church sources told UCA News. Many were injured, and other villagers occupied their homes.

Archbishop Thakur has denied that the attack on the church had anything to do with Hindus opposing religious conversion to Christianity.

The state police did not initiate action against groups that unleashed violence against Christians earlier," Thakur told UCA News. "Now, they are fearlessly attacking us."
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While pubs remain popular watering holes for many, numerous partygoers are going to skip them as they get overcrowded, especially with the surge of new Omicron variant cases. The other obvious choice is to jet off on a quick vacation, but rising travel costs have caused many to abandon the idea.(Representational image: PTI)

Hyderabad: The New Year 2023 is just hours away, and it is only fitting that you celebrate it with gusto. There is no dearth of alternatives for spending New Year's Eve amusement and fun. Like every year, the city gears up to throw a flurry of celebrations in the city's pubs and clubs. However, when the clock strikes midnight on December 31, pubs are no longer the only places to boogie the night away.

While pubs remain popular watering holes for many, numerous partygoers are going to skip them as they get overcrowded, especially with the surge of new Omicron variant cases. The other obvious choice is to jet off on a quick vacation, but rising travel costs have caused many to abandon the idea.

Travel portals show an average increase of 30-40 per cent in airfares for December, with even higher fares of 50-60 per cent on popular routes around the country. However, partygoers are not bogged down and seem to have devised various ways to ring in the New Year.

Varun Mehrotra, director of sales and marketing at a restaurant in the city, stated that clients have been booking stay-cations in addition to the party package. "A good time by the pool, a relaxed sleep with no rush to get back home and good food is something people are preferring this year. A laidback start to the day with the brunch package seems to be a winning idea," he said.

Ritesh R. Mastipuram, managing director of a resort in Manchirevula, Gandipet, told Deccan Chronicle that some people, particularly families, are considering a 'day-cation' at the resort. "With work from home becoming the standard norm, we are seeing an increase in demand for this type of living because it provides them the flexibility to live, work, and play from anywhere," he said.

Airbnb rentals and farmhouse parties are another popular alternative, thanks to the adequate space, freedom, privacy, and solitude that these locations provide. "There has been a steady upward trend in people preferring these places. With an increase in demand, the prices too seem to have inflated, which people wouldn't mind much given it's a quick getaway," said Abhiroop Das, an event manager.

Keshav Rajbux, a student, informed that some of his friends are considering long drives as an option. "Many want to get out of the madding crowd, away from the city's hustle and bustle, the horrible traffic that night, and instead embark on a long drive for stargazing or camping."

Others would rather spend a warm, cosy evening with friends and family. Gulnar Virk, a marketing executive, plans to spend the night indoors with her friends and family. "We'll all gather at a friend's family home, sit around the fireplace, and perhaps reflect on the year gone by before planning for a refreshing start in 2023," she explained.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 6)  The administration is eyeing the privatization of two main transportation systems in Metro Manila  the EDSA busway and the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) announced in November plans to privatize the EDSA busway by this year.

Meanwhile, Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista revealed in December the administrations intent to privatize NAIA, the countrys main airport.

Aside from the carousel and the airline terminal, proposals to privatize other transportation means such as the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) and the Philippine National Railways (PNR) have also floated in the past years.

What exactly does this mean for Filipinos?

Higher fare rates likely

Privatization means a state-owned asset or agency which provides public services, like transportation, is converted to become owned by private institutions.

When private companies or developers invest in their assets, they usually need to redeem the costs. This likely means higher commuter fares for the busway and higher airline fees.

Transportation groups earlier warned that privatization could work against the people as the fare increase does not guarantee improved services.

Added earnings from increased fares, however, could also be used to rehabilitate the government-owned assets.

RELATED: EDSA bus rides to charge passengers starting Jan. 1

Additional financing

A main part of privatizing government assets is to lighten the financial load from the administration as a public-private partnership means private industries also shoulder expenses for maintaining and upgrading the systems.

Budget for the public transportation system in the country has been affecting its path to improvement, becoming a roadblock to improved services.

The Libreng Sakay program for the EDSA busway, for example, could not continue as officials cited losses and lack of funding.

Bautista previously told reporters that the allotted funds for service contracting would not be enough to continue the Libreng Sakay program.

[For the] EDSA busway, we spend around 10 to 12 million a day. So ang 1.2 billion, ilang buwan lang yun, (so the 1.2 billion would only last for a few months), he said.

Aside from this, investors offering funds could also mean having a say in the systems operations.

While open privatization for some parts of NAIA could help improve services, Senator JV Ejercito warned that it could also have an effect on national security.

For Ejercito, privatizing the whole NAIA could allow a single entity to control the operations of the airport and suggested it should remain under the government's control.

Apart from this, additional budget could also mean Filipinos could also expect better facilities and improved services for the transportation systems.

Global standard

Privatizing public transportation systems could make its services more efficient as private industries could pitch in to improve facilities and management.

According to Bautista, privatizing the busway could mean less competition among bus operators.

They can increase efficiency of the operation and make it profitable, he noted in an earlier interview with CNN Philippines.

If all the stakeholders cooperate, there will be efficiency in the operations, so instead of the bus operators competing with each other, it will be one group operating as one, he explained.

In an earlier interview with CNN Philippines, the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) proposed to privatize the EDSA busway system to solve passenger congestion.

MAP Infrastructure Committee Chair Eduardo Yap said adding more buses will not be enough to improve the system.

Its not just a question of more buses," he argued. "The stations must be adequate to accommodate buses. Otherwise [the buses] will just line up."

For NAIA, privatization means an upgrade in amenities and systems as many possible investors have proposed intentions to rehabilitate its facilities.

Business groups have previously called on privatizing systems in the transportation sector to help them become up to par with global standards.

Privatization for the airline terminal could mean additional budget to help modernize the airport.

"When we modernize our airport, it should conform with global standards, Bautista previously said, citing air hubs of major Asian countries like Singapore and Hong Kong.

RELATED: Revive 2018 consortium proposal for NAIA privatization upgrade  Concepcion
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 7)  General Andres Centino, who returns as the country's top military official after five months, has stressed the Armed Forces of the Philippines' (AFP) need for leaders capable of uniting and modernizing the organization.

The 55-year-old  who previously served as AFP chief of staff from Nov. 12, 2021 to Aug. 8, 2022  again officially assumed the post in a change of command ceremony held Saturday at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.

This was just a day after Malacanang announced his appointment by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

He replaced Lieutenant General Bartolome Vicente Bacarro, who succeeded him last August.

The AFP needs strong and determined leaders capable of steering the organization in the direction of stabilizing unity and ushering in a truly modern and professional armed forces, said Centino.

Soldiers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, this is General Andres Castor Centino, once again ready to lead, he added.

In his speech, Centino also highlighted the law signed by former President Rodrigo Duterte in April 2022 which sets fixed terms for key military officials and raises the mandatory retirement age of soldiers.

It aims to provide for the selection of the most competent, the most capable and the most deserving leaders, Centino said, referring to Republic Act (RA) 11709.

And as we strive to put this law into effect, we, as an organization, cannot afford to remain or to be divided and squabbling on how its interpretation stands to benefit one over the other, and lose focus on what is best for the armed forces as a whole, he continued.

RELATED: Solons propose changes to law setting fixed term, retirement age for some military posts

Before he ended his address, Centino commended Bacarro for his exemplary service. The two were both members of the Philippine Military Academy Maringal Class of 1988.

Bacarro also delivered a short speech during the ceremony, where he thanked fellow soldiers and other people who have supported and assisted him during his stint as AFP head.

Marcos earlier described the 56-year-old Bacarro as the "right leader" to lead the military toward a "much improved and stronger AFP in the days ahead."

He was supposed to be the first AFP chief to be covered by RA 11709.
IT minister K.T. Rama Rao met Microsoft executive chairman and CEO Satya Nadella in Hyderabadon Friday. (Twitter/@KTRTRS)

HYDERABAD: IT minister K.T. Rama Rao met Microsoft executive chairman and CEO Satya Nadella here on Friday. After the meeting, he posted a couple of pictures of the two and said on Twitter: "Good start to the day when two Hyderabadis get to catch up @satyanadella. We chatted about Business & Biryani (sic)".

This is for the second time that Rama Rao has met Nadella after he became Microsoft CEO in 2014, the first being in May 2015 when the minister was on a two-week tour of the United States.

Rama Rao and his office did not provide details on the Fridays meeting Official sources, however, said that Rama Rao had briefed the Microsoft CEO on the growth of the IT sector in Telangana in the last eight years and how Hyderabad had surpassed Bengaluru in creation of IT jobs during 2021-22.

He explained the initiatives of the state government such as building IT Towers in districts with an aim to take the IT sector to tier-II and tier-III cities and provide employment to local youth. Rama Rao is also learnt to have briefed Nadella about the success of T-Hub and the inauguration of T-Hub 2.0 in Raidurg last June to promote start-ups.

It is the world's largest innovation campus with a built-up area of nearly six lakh sq.ft. It has dedicated spaces for entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, accelerators, corporates and other innovation ecosystem partners.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 7)  Motorists can expect to shell out less for fuel next week, based on industry projections.

Unioil Petroleum Philippines on Saturday said diesel prices are expected to go down by 2.40 to 2.60 per liter from Jan. 10 to 16.

Meanwhile, a price cut of 0.50 to 0.60 per liter is seen for gasoline.

An oil price hike greeted the first week of the year, with gasoline costs going up by 2.90, diesel by 2.10, and kerosene by 3.05 on Jan. 3.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 7)  President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has secured business deals with Chinese companies to help bring down prices of fertilizer, Malacanang said Saturday.

The Presidential Communications Office in a statement said the Philippine government inked a cooperation agreement with two Chinese manufacturing firms to "ensure sustainable supply of the much-needed fertilizers at reasonable prices."

"We look forward to a steady supply of fertilizer inputs needed by our farmers through these agreements," Marcos, as quoted by the Palace, told executives of the agribusiness sector in Beijing during his recent state visit.

During their meeting, the chief executive also lamented how the costs of agricultural products have become unaffordable for Filipino farmers.

"One of the strategies to address this is to establish cooperative agreements with suppliers so the government can buy these inputs in bulk and to be able to sell them to farmers at a lower price," he noted.

Agriculture and food security were among the topics Marcos raised during his official trip to China, which yielded a total of $22.8 billion (over 1.2 trillion) in investment pledges for the Philippines.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 7)  The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Saturday denied placing its units on full alert due to an alleged "destabilization" plot in the military.

PNP spokesperson Jean Fajardo said there is no truth to a memorandum circulating online that the highest alert status has been raised amid issues in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo.

Fajardo, however, confirmed that the PNP is on heightened alert in preparation for the Feast of the Black Nazarene  an event seen to draw tens of thousands of devotees on Jan. 9.

"Ang dineclare po natin officially ay naka-heightened alert tayo. Kasi ngayon po ang start ng ating activities relating to Traslacion," Fajardo told reporters.

[Translation: What we officially declared is a heightened alert status, because today is the start of the activities relating to Traslacion.]

"As far as the PNP is concerned, we haven't received any information relating sa mga [to] destabilization plot," she added.

Photos of armored vehicles inside the PNP headquarters in Camp Crame also made rounds on social media. But Fajardo clarified that they are also part of security for the Black Nazarene feast.

READ: What to expect in the 2023 Black Nazarene feast celebration sans Traslacion

A copy of the supposed police memo showed that the full alert order will be carried out "in view of the resignation of all Department of National Defense personnel in Camp Aguinaldo."

Fajardo said PNP chief Rodolfo Azurin Jr. has already ordered an investigation to determine the source of the viral document. She also advised the public not to readily believe unverified information.

The AFP also shot down the destabilization rumors  which spread after the surprise leadership change in the military.

AFP officials said the situation in Camp Aguinaldo remains "normal."
(CNN)  A Mexico City federal judge halted the extradition of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's son, alleged drug cartel leader Ovidio Guzman, to the United States on Friday, a day after he was arrested in an intense operation in northern Mexico that led to the deaths of 29 people.

The US is seeking Guzman's extradition for drug trafficking and has offered up to $5 million for information leading to the capture of the man they say is "a senior member of the Sinaloa Cartel."

On Thursday, Mexico's Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard confirmed that there is an arrest warrant in the US dated September 19, 2019, but said that the possible extradition of Guzman would not be immediate due to the formalities of the law. He also stated that Guzman has ongoing legal proceedings in Mexico.

On Friday, the judge also suspended a measure that prevented Guzman from communicating with his relatives and his legal team.

According to the legal resolution, Guzman's legal team has three days to decide whether to ratify the measures they have filed in favor of their client.

CNN has requested a response from Guzman's defense but has not yet heard back. He is being held in the Altiplano maximum security federal prison, officials said Friday.

Guzman's father, "El Chapo," had escaped from Altiplano prison on July 11, 2015 through a mile-long tunnel that featured a motorcycle on tracks. He was later captured and convicted in the US four years later of 10 counts, including engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise, drug trafficking and firearms charges. He was sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years and ordered to pay $12.6 billion in forfeiture.

Ovidio Guzman was previously arrested by federal authorities in October 2019, but was released on the orders of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to avoid further bloodshed.

His latest arrest comes days before US President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visit Mexico City to attend the North American Leaders Summit.

Capturing Guzman could be a way for Lopez Obrador to show the US that he is "in control of the armed forces and Mexico's security situation," Gladys McCormick, a associate professor at Syracuse University who focuses on Mexico-U.S. relations, told CNN in an email.

"It also defuses the power behind any ask from the Biden administration to stem the tide of fentanyl and other narcotics across the border," she added.

Violent aftermath

After Guzman's arrest in Culiacan on Thursday, chaos erupted in the city. The authorities asked citizens to seek refuge due to clashes in several areas.

His arrest was the result of a lengthy operation which involved 200 special forces, Defense Minister Luis Cresencio Sandoval said Friday. Local officials urged citizens to shelter at home amid clashes with cartel members in various parts of the city.

At least 19 suspected gang members and 10 military personnel died during violent clashes in the northern Mexican state of Sinaloa, after authorities arrested Guzman, along with 21 others. No civilian deaths or injuries were reported.

Security at Altiplano prison has been increased since Guzman was detained, the minister added.

The state of Sinaloa, where Culiacan is located, is home to one of the world's most powerful narcotics trafficking organizations, the Sinaloa Cartel, of which "El Chapo" was the leader.

The US State Department, which was offering a $5 million reward for information leading to Guzman's arrest, wrote that law enforcement investigations indicated that Guzman and his brother, Joaquin Guzman-Lopez, "inherited a great deal of the narcotics proceeds" following the death of another brother, Edgar Guzman-Lopez.

They "began investing large amounts of the cash into the purchasing of marijuana in Mexico and cocaine in Colombia. They also began purchasing large amounts of ephedrine from Argentina and arranged for the smuggling of the product into Mexico as they began to experiment with methamphetamine production," the State Department said.

The brothers are also alleged to oversee an estimated 11 "methamphetamine labs in the state of Sinaloa," the State Department says.

This story was first published on CNN. "Extradition of El Chapo son to the US halted after 29 killed in arrest operation"
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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
Telangana High Court. DC Image

HYDERABAD: A division bench of the Telangana High Court, comprising Chief Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Justice N. Tukaramji, directed the state government not to be discriminatory in payment of compensation for the assigned land it had acquired.

The bench reiterated that the Supreme Court judgment in Land acquisition officer vs Mekala Pandu and others evidenced that assignees of government land were entitled to payment of compensation equivalent to the full market value of the land and other benefits at par with patta owners.

This would apply even in cases where the assigned land holdings were taken possession of by the state in accordance with the terms of the grant, notwithstanding the fact that such resumption was for a public purpose.

The bench was dealing with an appeal filed by the government, challenging the order of a single judge bench which had directed the government to pay compensation to assignees, whose land was resumed in 1998 for the purpose of submergence under the Udaya Samudram tank in Panagal, Nalgonda, on par with what was paid to patta holders.

In 1998, the compensation was awarded to assignees and pattadars at `31,500 per acre. Later, when the pattadars approached the High Court, the award was enhanced to `1,10,000 in 2008. The enhanced amount was deposited in 2011 only for patta landowners.

Stating that the assignees did not petition the court, the government did not agree to pay enhanced amounts to them. After several representations to the authorities, the assignees approached the High Court in 2016.

In March 2022, a single judge directed the government to pay compensation on par with what was paid to patta holders. Challenging it, the government had filed an appeal.

While upholding the single judge orders, the division bench observed that if the state did not act in conformity with the law, it was not open for it to defeat or deny a legitimate claim to compensation on grounds of delay.
Kamareddy MLA Gampa Goverdhan. (Photo: Twitter)

KAMAREDDY: With farmers up in arms over a proposed industrial zone encompassing their agricultural fields in Kamareddy, the constituencys legislator and government whip Gampa Goverdhan on Saturday blamed the consultant and town planners for redrawing the plan without approval. He said the local administration would not approve the current draft plan.

Goverdhan said that the consultant and the directorate of town & country planning (DTCP) had made many changes without approvals, causing confusion.

The MLAs climbdown came as a victory for protesting farmers who have been agitating against the proposal for the past 20 days. A protester, Payyavula Ramulu, had died by suicide fearing that his land would be taken over.

Goverdhan did not clarify if the faulty draft master plan was the one displayed on flexis in the town and villages. He said that the consultant, Delhi-based Design and Development Forum, and DTCP officials were 100 per cent wrong for deviating from the plan approved by the Kamareddy municipal council.

Further, he said this was precisely why there was a 60-day window for filing objections and that January 11 is the last date for the same.

Attempting to extricate himself and the municipal council from the controversy, Goverdhan said that at the next council meeting, it would not approve the modified draft plan. We will not finalise this one, Goverdhan said.

The BRS MLA also went on to blame the Congress and the BJP for creating fear among farmers that they would lose their lands.

Appealing to farmers to not worry about the master plan, he said: We are taking all necessary steps to prevent any adverse impact on the farming community in finalisation of new master plan.

Goverdhan said that the issue will be taken to the notice of Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister K.T. Rama Rao.
Speaking to the media at the Secretariat after calling on Chief Minister M K Stalin on Saturday, along with party colleague and former MP from Kanyakumari district, A V Bellarmine, he said that since the Governor had been hurting the peoples sentiments they urged Stalin to lead the campaign against him. (File Photo: PTI)

Chennai: Political parties that were part of the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance in the State would put up a united show against Governor R N Ravi, who had been repeatedly making disparaging statements against Tamil Nadu with the latest one on naming the State as Tamilagam instead of Tamil Nadu, CPM State secretary K. Balakrishnan said.

Speaking to the media at the Secretariat after calling on Chief Minister M K Stalin on Saturday, along with party colleague and former MP from Kanyakumari district, A V Bellarmine, he said that since the Governor had been hurting the peoples sentiments they urged Stalin to lead the campaign against him.

One of the purposes of their meeting with the Chief Minister was to invite him to attend a party meeting in which Communist icon Che Guevaras daughter Aledida Guevara is expected to participate on January 18, he said.

Aledida Guevara is currently in Kerala, attending the national conference of AIDWA that was inaugurated on Friday.

Balakrishnan said that he and Bellarmine also invited the Chief Minister to take part in the bi-centenary year celebrations of Ayya Vaikundar, founder of the Ayyavazhi cult, to be organised in Kanyakumari district in February. Stalin had agreed to look into it, he said.

Two top leaders of the CPM visiting the Chief Minister as emissaries of the Ayyavazhi religious cult, however, caused the raising of eyebrows. When the cult has its own spiritual heads, why should a former CPM MP represent them?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to visit Telangana after Sankranti (PTI file photo)

Hyderabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to visit Telangana after Sankranti to take part in official programmes, including the flagging off of a Vande Bharat train between Hyderabad and Vijayawada.

Senior BJP leaders said that two dates, January 18 and January 19, were under consideration for Modis visit, and that a final decision will be confirmed later. A senior government functionary confirmed that there was a proposal for Modi to visit Hyderabad after Sankranti.

On December 28, 2022, Deccan Chronicle reported that a Vande Bharat high-speed express train service would soon start between Hyderabad and Vijayawada. It was also reported that Union minister G. Kishan Reddy had requested the railway ministry to consider extending the service till Visakhapatnam.

In addition to flagging off the Vande Bharat Express, Modi is expected to formally launch the Secunderabad railway station revamp works.

Modi was last in Hyderabad on November 12, on a stopover during a visit to Ramagundam to dedicate to the nation the public sector Ramagundam Fertiliser Factory Limited. During the stopover in Hyderabad, he had also addressed city BJP leaders and workers at the Begumpet airport.

Modis proposed visit is expected to give a further boost to the state BJP leadership and cadres preparing for the state Assembly elections, which are to be held towards the end of this year.
Bitter battle over U.S. House speakership resumes on 2nd anniversary of Capitol riot

Xinhua) 09:33, January 07, 2023

WASHINGTON, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- The bitter battle over the speakership of the U.S. House of Representatives resumed on Friday against the backdrop of the second anniversary of the Capitol riot.

U.S. Congressman Kevin McCarthy from California, the House Republican leader, fell short of the necessary votes to take the speaker gavel in 11 ballots over the past three days, making the contest the longest in 164 years.

The House kicked off the 12th round of voting on Friday afternoon as the historic deadlock drags on, paralyzing the lower chamber three days after the new and divided 118th Congress convened.

"I'm not telling you we have an agreement," McCarthy reportedly said on Friday morning, adding that he and his opponents -- most of them conservative hardliners -- "have meetings."

U.S. Congressman Chip Roy, a Texas Republican, is a leading opponent to McCarthy. His press office dismissed reports that a deal had been reached between the two sides on Friday morning.

"Any agreement will take us ALL," Roy's press aides tweeted. "We are making progress... but don't let the sharks confuse the ongoing engagement."

Earlier in the day, House Democrats and -- reportedly only one Republican -- gathered on the steps of the Capitol, located at the eastern end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., to mark the second anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack.

Exactly two years ago, a large group of supporters of outgoing U.S. President Donald Trump violently stormed the Capitol and disrupted a joint session of Congress to affirm the results of the 2020 presidential election in which Democrat Joe Biden won.

Some of the rioters chanted "Hang Mike Pence" while making their way into the Capitol. Pence, then U.S. vice president presiding over the procedure to formally verify Biden's victory, was rushed out of the building by Secret Service agents to a secure location.

Panicked lawmakers took shelter and crouched behind chairs in the House gallery after the chaos broke out and shocked the United States and the rest of the world.

Approximately 140 police officers were assaulted in the worst attack on the U.S. Capitol in more than 200 years to which at least five deaths have been linked. Over 900 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the landmark complex.

(Web editor: Xian Jiangnan, Wu Chaolan)
All other political contenders are considering massive online electioneering months before the polls. (PTI Photo)

ADILABAD: As political parties ready themselves to bombard voters in the election year, the BJP is said to be creating nearly 40,000 WhatsApp groups to facilitate its campaign.

All other political contenders are considering massive online electioneering months before the polls.

Assembly elections are due in December in the state while the general elections are tentatively slated for April-May next year.

Sources said that the BJP will create a WhatsApp group with 22 members at the booth, village, mandal, constituency and district and state levels.

The Shakti Kendra group will be formed by combining two to three booth-level WhatsApp groups. The state has 34,891 polling stations with 282 of them in Adilabad Assembly constituency.

Senior BJP leader Ch. Suhasini Reddy said that the WhatsApp groups would be used to publicise party activities and welfare and development schemes implemented at all levels, including village-level.

AICC has given instructions to the state leadership to create WhatsApp groups in every village as a run-up for Haath Se Haath Jodo Abhiyan that starts on January 26.

Meanwhile, BJP booth-level WhatsApp groups have been formed in Jainad mandal and are being readied in Bela and Adilabad town.

The state unit of BSP under president R.S. Praveen Kumar and the Left parties are also focusing on social media to spread their message and ideology in the state.
For more than a century now, well-meaning people have clung to the idea that the longer we all stay at school, the better educated we will be. Up and up goes the school leaving age. Yet since it rose to 16 in 1972 (it's now 18 in England, and who knows if it will ever stop rising?) there has been no sign that the country is any cleverer. The growing numbers of exclusions and special schools tell us that many children actively hate being made to stay in classrooms where they learn little and live in fear of bullies and chaos.

In many cases, the most unhappy are those who never properly learned to read or count, and now flounder in classes where many teachers are not that good at such things either. So Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's idea of forcing everyone in England to carry on studying maths till they are old enough to vote is daft. It just shows that, like so many in politics, he has very little idea of what is going on in the country he governs.

I was incredibly lucky in my early schooling. My mother taught me to read before I went near any school. I can still remember the moment I cracked it, and the first words I read, which were 'They meant well'. From that vivid memory, I can deduce that she used the simple, effective method now known pretentiously as 'synthetic phonics'. This is hated by progressive teachers because it is 'authoritarian'. But it works on everyone.

And of course the same goes for the proper teaching of maths. My early teachers made me chant my times tables, and my weights and measures. Privileged private schools and village primaries alike used the same unfailing technique.

PETER HITCHENS: Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's idea of forcing everyone in England to carry on studying maths till they are old enough to vote is daft. It just shows that, like so many in politics, he has very little idea of what is going on in the country he governs

Pictured: Prime Minister Rishi Sunak visits Harris Academy in Battersea, London on January 6, 2023 (file photo)

Pictured: Pupils in a secondary school in Battersea, London in 1967 (file photo)

Laurie Lee, in Cider With Rosie, recalled how 'unhearing, unquestioning, we rocked to our chanting, hammering the gold nails home' in his Gloucestershire village school just after the First World War.

The internet is now a very false friend The creepiest and most fascinating thing on the internet is the trailer for a new film, M3gan (pronounced 'Megan'), which has absolutely nothing to do with Prince Harry or his wife. It portrays a sinister child-sized doll robot, above, which starts out claiming to be the heroine's friend and protector, and then turns out not to be. Be especially wary when she starts to dance. Make of it what you like, but to me it's a good metaphor for the whole new electronic world, a glowing, seductive shop window which has beckoned us into a realm of censorship, surveillance and, I suspect, despotism. Advertisement

In the same way, we did endless sums, until we could get them right in our sleep. It was dull, but the more you did it, the better you were at it, so I don't think any of us minded. It didn't require any special aptitude. Properly taught, we could all learn it, and we did. And we had that wonderful advantage, a proper grown-up coinage and measures instead of the crude toe-counting metric and decimal systems we are reduced to now. Every day required us to perform miracles of mental arithmetic, just to buy a quarter of toffees. Thanks to this foundation, I managed to get a respectable O-level in elementary mathematics, probably not far off a maths degree from the University of Skegness nowadays.

Then along came the progressives. Having already begun to wreck the teaching of reading and history, they turned their attention in the 1960s to destroying maths teaching as well.

The notorious liberal Plowden Report of 1967 burbled of attempts made by teachers to 'make arithmetic more practical and more interesting'  which meant more useless. Plowden sneered at 'the limited value of processes learnt by rote', the dismissive term used by progressives for what wise people more accurately call learning by heart. It admitted that this reform had not been easy and recounted that 'it was not until a mathematical, rather than a purely arithmetical, approach began to be made, that the whole subject began to take on a new look'.

Indeed it did. I recall the arrival of this new look stuff, then called Nuffield Maths and bearing lots of brightly coloured booklets, in my Devon school, fortunately just too late to wreck my education. It seemed to me then, as it does now, that small children want and need to know that seven nines are 63, but couldn't care less why this is so, and are most unlikely ever to require such knowledge.

Winchester College is a great school, and I can't myself work out how the Prime Minister managed to spend five years there without discovering that quantity is not the same as quality.

If we fixed the schools, most of us would be numerate by the age of eight. If we don't fix them, and I see no sign that anyone wants to, then you could stay at school till you were 80, and still not know how to read, write or count.

Let's find a proper reason to celebrate

I can vaguely remember my parents trying to shake me awake for the turn of the year from 1959 to 1960. We lived in Portsmouth in those days, and they wanted me to hear the then-famous marking of midnight in that great seaport by the howling of dozens of ships' sirens. I rolled over and fell back into a deep sleep.

It would be nearly 30 years later, just after my father died, before I came to hear that mournful, dismal sound, as of the slow death of some great sea monster. I don't care if I never hear it again. It's one of many reasons why I dislike the way the meaningless, child-unfriendly New Year has become a bigger and bigger event in England.

It never used to be. In fact, until Ted Heath declared it a bank holiday, in a failed attempt to become popular, it was just a normal day south of the border. The only effect of making it a national day off has been to turn the whole period after Christmas into a chilly desert of inactivity. You can't get anything done. Nobody is at work. And in reality this drags on unhealthily right up to the middle of January.

I think Christmas is more festive by far if it starts on Christmas Eve and ends after Boxing Day. England should abandon the dreary New Year break. We should instead introduce our own version of the enjoyable US and Canadian feast of Thanksgiving.

It should commemorate the birth, on November 30, 1874, of that great Englishman Winston Churchill, and should fall on the last Thursday of that month.
Eagle-eyed rom-com fans have spotted a detail which unexpectedly links 1990 classic Pretty Woman and the Princess Diaries movies.

The beloved movies are reminiscent of a Cinderella tale, with the central characters, played by Julia Roberts and Anne Hathaway, undergoing fairytale-style transformations - with real-world difficulties along the way.

But, the parallels don't stop there. American filmmaker Garry Marshall, who directed the films, chose to cast the same actor as a waiter in Pretty Woman and Princess Diaries and even gave him the same line.

The friendly staff member, played by Allan Kent, assists both Vivian Ward and Princess Mia in the films when they make social faux pas.

Eagle-eyed film fanatics have spotted a detail which unexpectedly links 1990 classic Pretty Woman and the Princess Diaries films

In the iconic dinner party scene when Vivian flings an escargot into the air, exclaiming 'slippery little suckers', the French delicacy is then caught by the nearby waiter.

While the other guests look far from impressed, Braverman's character offers reassurance, telling her 'it happens all the time'.

The scene is mirrored in the first Princess Diaries film, when Mia Thermopolis, keen to impress at her first ever state dinner after learning she is Princess of fictional European country Genovia.

As she goes to make a toast, the awkward teen accidentally smashes a glass with a knife in front of her grandmother's (played by Julie Andrews) important guests.

Princess Diaries director Garry Marshall included references to Pretty Woman in the 2001 and 2002 films

The friendly staff member, played by Allan Kent, assists both Vivian Ward and Princess Mia in the films when they make social faux pas

Helping to clear up the mess, Braverman, who again plays a member of staff, tells her 'it happens all the time'.

In the movie's sequel, he then plays an unsuspecting member of palace staff who catches Mia's ring which flings off as she waves to her subjects.

True to form, he again calmly tells the Princess that it happens all the time as he hands back her ring.

Braverman isn't the only actor to appear in more than one of Marshall's films - with the director, who died aged 81 in 2016, known for repeatedly working with the same cast members.

The actor repeatedly plays characters who are on hand to assist the films' leading ladies

Left: Hector Elizondo played a hotel manager in Pretty Woman. Right: The actor played Anne Hathaway's chauffeur in The Princess Diaries

In fact, Hector Elizondo, who plays hotel manager Barney Thompson in Pretty Woman and security guard Joe in the Princess Diaries, starred in 18 of the director's movies in total.

Movie buff and photographer Allen Tsai shared a video showing the moment Braverman appears in all three films.

Allen is a YouTuber and TikToker and has gained a huge following spotting by revealing details in movies which most viewers likely missed.

Fans were amazed by his latest observation, with some suggesting that it means the two films take place 'in the same cinematic universe'.

One commented of the iconic moment: 'when it works it works' while another asked 'where is his best actor nomination?'

Another pointed out how good the waiter's reflexes are, as more highlighted how the repetition of the line does show that it happens 'all the time'.

An earlier version of the article misnamed the actor Allan Kent and has since been amended to correct this.

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The Queen Consort's niece, Ayesha Shand, is believed to be dating a businessman, with a friend describing the pair as a 'great match'.

Ayesha, 28, shared an image of herself and her reported partner Luigi Ambrosi, on social media.

The image, which shows the couple seeing in the new year while on holiday in Uruguay, is simply captioned with an emoji of a heart, followed by '2023'.

According to a friend of the pair, Ayesha and Luigi - who works for his Italian family's dairy business in America - make 'a great match'.

Ayesha Shand (right) is the niece of Queen Consort Camilla, and the daughter of the royal's late brother Mark. She is said to be enjoying a romance with Luigi Ambrosi (left)

The 28-year-old is the daughter of 75-year-old Camilla's late brother Mark Shand, who died in 2014 aged 62. Her mother is his ex-wife Clio Goldsmith.

According to Ayesha, her royal aunt helped her cope with the loss of her father, previously saying 'she has been incredible in being there for me and maintaining my father's legacy'.

Camilla, and her husband King Charles, 74, became joint presidents of Mark's charity Elephant Family, after his death from an accidental fall in 2014.

The charity's aim is to preserve the Indian elephant by helping them to live in harmony with India's rapidly-growing population, and by opening up 'elephant corridors' for the animals to move along without disturbing villagers.

According to Ayesha (pictured attending The Animal Ball, presented by Elephant Family in London, 2019) her aunt, Queen Consort Camilla, has helped her cope with the loss of her father

Speaking in 2021, Ayesha, who works alongside Princess Eugenie at the Hauser & Wirth art gallery in Mayfair, said: '[Camilla] is amazing  she's so involved with the charity.

'She has been incredible in being there for me, not only personally but also in maintaining my father's legacy and being there for him.

'I couldn't be more grateful. It does help with the grieving process. All of these things keep his memory alive, which is so important.'

Discussing her brother's death in a piece for The Times, Camilla described how, on the day she learnt of his passing, the morning had started normally 'and all seemed well until the shrill ring of the telephone broke the magic'.

Ayesha Shand (far left) attends the Royal Rickshaw Reception and Auction at Lancaster House in 2015 alongside Camilla and Charles (right)

She wrote: 'An anguished voice on the other end told me that something terrible had happened to my brother; my indestructible brother, Mark. Surely nothing could have happened to him?

'He was in New York raising money for his beloved elephants, but an unfamiliar pavement had claimed his all-too-short life following a hugely successful auction for "The Elephant Family", a charity he co-founded in 2002.

'My charismatic and sometimes infuriating brother, who had survived tsunamis, shipwrecks, poisoned arrows and even the fearsome Komodo dragons, was no longer with us.'

At the time, Camilla was said to be 'utterly devastated' by the news, as she had been extremely close to her only brother.

Mark Shand (left) pictured with his daughter Ayesha Shand as they attend the Faberge Big Egg Hunt Champagne Countdown party in London in 2012

A statement released by Clarence House regarding Mark's death said: 'It is with deep sadness that we have to confirm that The Duchess of Cornwall's brother, Mark Shand, has today passed away.

'Mr Shand died in hospital as a result of a serious head injury which he sustained during a fall last night. The Duchess, The Prince of Wales and all her family members are utterly devastated by this sudden and tragic loss.

'Mark Shand was a man of extraordinary vitality, a tireless campaigner and conservationist whose incredible work through the Elephant Family and beyond remained his focus right up until his death.'

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Lasers are used to treat prolapse and urinary incontinence by burning the skin

London cosmetic gynaecologists uses injections of blood to help women orgasm

Would you get a 'vampire facial' for your vagina?

What about lip fillers for your labia?

They're just two of the stranger intimate procedures available to women. But, as MailOnline reveals, they're not the only ones...

Kim Kardashian (left) had the vampire facelift beauty treatment to smooth out lines on her face. The procedure that Kim Kardashian had is said to make your skin plumper. It is now being used by others to treat bladder leaks and help women achieve orgasm

Vampire facelift

It's the beauty procedure popularised by the likes of Kim Kardashian and Gwyneth Paltrow that is said to banish wrinkles.

Now, the 'vampire facial' procedure  injections of a woman's own blood  is being used for bladder leaks, vaginal dryness and other symptoms of the menopause.

The only difference?

Injections of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) are delivered straight to the vagina, not the face.

Plasma is nicknamed 'liquid gold' for its yellow-ish colour and array of benefits. Meanwhile, platelets are a type of blood cell vital for healing.

Blood is taken and put into a centrifuge  a device that spins blood at high force to separate the blood and extract the two vital components, creating a potent formula that is then injected to 'rejuvenate' the desired location.

NHS clinics already offer PRP injections to patients with injured knees or tendons to stimulate the healing process.

Private providers also give the injections cosmetically, with claims they can slow and even reverse the aging process by plumping the skin and reducing the appearance of wrinkles.

Yet gynaecologists are now using the healing powers of PRP on vaginas, by injecting into the vaginal wall or the clitoris. It is not approved on the NHS yet. Data proving it works is still inconclusive.

Prices for the one-hour procedure start at 800 in some London clinics.

Dr Vivek Nama, a consultant gynaecologist based at Croydon University Hospital, who offers PRP injections at his private clinic, said: 'We inject it in places depending on what the patient wants to achieve.

'There are particular areas you inject for orgasmic dysfunction, vaginal hydration and incontinence.'

Dr Paraskevi Dimitriadi, a cosmetic gynaecologist based at the Centre for Surgery in London, also uses PRP to help with sexual dysfunction.

She claimed it stimulates collagen production, of which a natural decrease can lead to burning sensations, bleeding and pain during sex.

PRP can also be injected into the vagina and clitoris to help women who experience painful sexual intercourse, inability to orgasm, reduced sensation, urinary incontinence and weakness of the vaginal walls

The O shot

Using exactly the same PRP therapy, clinics also offer a specific treatment to boost sex lives.

The O shot, as it is marketed, is injected into your clitoris, labia and into the vaginal wall to enhance sensation, tighten vaginal laxity and help women experience mind-blowing orgasms.

In theory, the healing properties in the plasma and platelets stimulate stem cells  creating new blood vessels and nerves. More blood flow means the tissue becomes more sensitive, one clinic says.

It only takes five to 10 minutes to complete and afterwards you can return to normal daily activities, according to Dr Dimitriadi.

Dr Nama also offers the O shot, but he recommends people have three injections six to eight weeks apart to make it last.

But even then, the effects of this blood filled injection only last a year and it costs 1,200 a shot.

Dr Nama said: 'It produces good results in young patients.

'For some reason, some patients don't feel orgasm at all.

'And in those patients treating them with PRP to increase the blood and nerve supply works very well.'

He admits there is not much research into PRP injections and said: 'There is not a lot of evidence for it... the benefit is not proven as with something like paracetamol.

'I cannot say to patients that there is evidence.

'I tell them that this is experimental, and evidence is published in some studies, but the studies are not of good quality.'

Laser rejuvenation

Using a laser on an intermate area may sound painful, but dozens of clinics offer it to fix pelvic organ prolapse and urinary incontinence.

It is said to deliver clock-rewinding results.

But getting your genitalia lasered is not a cheap, as some women have to fork out up to 1,200 for the treatment.

Dr Dimitriadi advertises her laser rejuvenation treatments, which take between 30 to 45 minutes, as being very gentle. No incisions or scars are made.

The treatment is carried out by inserting a probe into the vaginal canal.

A laser attached to the probe makes tiny holes in the mucosa, the moist inner lining of the vagina, which then stimulates the tissue's natural wound healing process.

Dr Dimitriadi treats many patients with lasers. She said: 'I see women from 18 years old and my eldest lady is 80.

'People at the beginning of their sexual life may have problems with anorgasmia (the inability to orgasm) or excess skin in the area such as an enlarged labia. I also see people with bladder disfunctions.

'Later in life sometimes patients suffer from prolapse of the bladder inside the vagina or the bowel. We use laser rejuvenation to strengthen the muscles around the area as well as promote the collagen.'

Dr Dimitriadi explained that this laser treatment is only for minor cosmetic problems and more serious problems can be treated on the NHS.

She said: 'If someone has a significant prolapse then of course they can get help on the NHS if they visit their GP.

'When somebody has a mild bladder disfunction or post childbirth trauma then it is harder to get referred on the NHS, because it is considered a minor problem and not a priority.'

MonaLisa touch is the name of one type of laser rejuvenation used.

Dr Nama explained this type of laser is powered by carbon dioxide gas, as opposed to using electromagnetic waves, and makes tiny holes inside the vagina.

He said: 'The concept of all of these treatments is about creating micro-injury and harnessing the body's ability to respond to that micro-injury by improving vascularity and by improving the nerve supply.'

The treatment is carried out by inserting a probe into the vaginal canal. A laser attached to the probe makes tiny holes in the mucosa, the moist inner lining of the vagina, which then stimulates the tissue's natural wound healing process

The laser rejuvenation is supposed to stimulate the cells and keep the skin elastic and resilient. It is said to also improve the look of the vulva and labia

A Juliet is another type of laser that can stop dryness and tighten the area.

Using powerful heat to target the vaginal walls it stimulates the cells and keeps the skin elastic and resilient.

But with little evidence proving they work, the effectiveness of these lasers on vaginal rejuvenation is not clear.

A study published in JAMA in 2021, compared carbon dioxide lasers, SmartXide, V2LR, MonaLisa Touch and a DEKA Laser, to a 'sham' treatment on post-menopausal vaginal symptoms.

Half of the participants received the laser treatment to the manufacturer's guidance.

But for the other half the probe was inserted into the vagina and it was only tuned to minimal settings, and it did not deliver laser energy to the vaginal wall.

The results showed that the laser procedure was no better than the 'sham'.

Equal numbers of participants in each group reported no side effects or reported 'adverse events' such as pain, vaginal infections and urinary tract infections.

On the DEKA website it sells the lasers as giving safe and fast results without the long recovery time.

But regulators are less convinced.

In 2018, the US FDA released a warning against the 'deceptive health claims' of these procedures.

After reviewing published literature, the FDA found numerous cases of vaginal burns, scarring, pain during sexual intercourse, and recurring or chronic pain after the treatments.

The laser treatment is also controversial in the UK. Guidance published by NICE in 2021 urges more research into the safety and efficiency of the laser procedures.

The regulator said that although the evidence shows no short-term safety concerns, there is also no proof that there are no long-term risks.

In May 2021, Professor Kevin Harris, programme director and clinical advisor of NICE's interventional procedures programme said: 'Despite being carried out on a large number of women, it is disappointing that there is a lack of published evidence on the long-term efficacy of these procedures.'

Dr Dimitriadi reassures she always has a consultation with her clients before the treatment to make sure it is the right procedure for them and gives her patients after care to avoid any problems.

As women go through the menopause, many lose the deep fat in the labia. Filler that is licensed to use of the external genitalia is used to create a half moon shape on either side and reshape the area

Labial puff

Just like lip filler is used to create fuller lips, a special filler can also be used to plump the labia and make it look youthful.

Women who want to improve the aesthetics of their vulva fork out up to 5,000 to inject filler into their nether regions.

The labial puff is offered at Dr Nama's clinic to women who have gone through the menopause and, as a result, have a lack of oestrogen.

He explained that as women go through the menopause, many lose the deep fat in the labia. This can cause the clitoris to protrude, which can make some women feel uncomfortable.

Filler that is licensed for injecting in the external genitalia is used to create a half moon shape on either side.

Local anesthetic is used before the procedure to minimise any pain and afterwards there is very little downtime, but women are advised to abstain from sex for five days.

Unlike some facial fillers, blockages of blood vessels are very rare in the labia as it is supplied by small blood vessels that join each other.
Gently opening the door to the hospital room, Aeo peeps inside to check on a sleeping patient.

It's night-time on the ward, and he is expertly trained to make sure everyone in his care is safely tucked up in bed. His heart-shaped eyes can see in the dark, so if anything is amiss he can alert staff and send them a live video. He can deliver medicines and transport blood samples, all with a calm and unruffled temperament, immune to the stresses of a hospital ward. Even his voice  a softly spoken English accent  is soothing.

Aeo, I should point out, is not your average overworked nurse. At just 2ft tall, he is a state-of-the-art robot designed by a Japanese tech company to support doctors and nurses by acting as an extra pair of hands and eyes.

And while it sounds like science fiction, some say he could be part of the solution to the workforce crisis engulfing the NHS.

Gently opening the door to the hospital room, Aeo peeps inside to check on a sleeping patient. Pictured: The Mail on Sunday's Senior Health Reporter with Aeolus Robotics, Aeo

It's night-time on the ward, and he is expertly trained to make sure everyone in his care is safely tucked up in bed. Pictured: Ethan Ennals with The Biomotum SPARK that helps with mobility rehabilitation assisting and restoring walking function

He is being demonstrated to The Mail on Sunday at CES in Las Vegas, the largest and most celebrated global technology convention.

When we meet, Aeo blinks up at me with those love heart eyes... and offers to take a selfie of the pair of us. I then watch as he patrols a mock-up hospital ward, and it's clear the technology is impressive.

Aeo uses cameras and infrared sensors on its base to navigate at a maximum speed of two miles per hour  a slow trundle. Sophisticated artificial intelligence allows it to detect if a patient's posture has changed, which might indicate a fall or something else has happened.

Cameras in his eyes beam images back to a screen  possibly placed at a nurses' station.

Aeo's right arm can open doors and operate lifts, as well as carry objects and raise them up to 7ft, meaning he can reach high shelves. With his left hand he can disinfect surfaces using a built-in UV lamp.

He has already been deployed to lend a hand in the hospitals and care homes of Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan, and it is understood that the company behind the bot, Aeolus Robotics, is in talks with UK organisations to bring it here.

The question is whether anyone would want it  and whether the technology is robust and safe enough to replace tasks normally carried out by doctors and nurses.

His heart-shaped eyes can see in the dark, so if anything is amiss he can alert staff and send them a live video. Pictured: Ennals with the Eyeque eye test

Caroline Abrahams at the charity Age UK said: 'Perhaps in 20 or more years' time we'll be able to benefit in social care from the input of sophisticated robots, but for now their role seems marginal.

'The developers of this new technology themselves acknowledge that their products are no substitute for a human care-giver, and there's a long way to go in terms of public attitudes as well as technological wizardry. Cost is another limiting factor  although care staff are in short supply, new technology tends to be expensive.'

Yet some experts believe the robot could help with our health service's staffing crisis.

NHS figures indicate there are more than 133,000 job vacancies, from porters to consultants  a five-year high. About 9,000 doctor posts remain unfilled, while nearly 40,000 nursing positions  ten per cent of the nursing workforce  are empty.

The care home sector has even bigger problems with 165,0000 vacancies in adult social care, according to the think tank Skills For Care.

Dr Peter Bannister, a healthcare robotics expert at the Institution Of Engineering and Technology says that there may be a role for robots such as Aeo in the NHS, as long as there is evidence that they can interact safely with all patients.

'This robot has an impressive set of skills and I could see it implemented successfully in the NHS,' Dr Bannister says. 'But if it's doing interactive tasks such as passing on medicines to patients, we need to know it is safe and not going to make mistakes.

'In Japan they are very accepting of robots in the workplace, so it's no surprise that this bot is already in use there. But we don't have that culture in the UK, so we would have to study how patients react to it.'

Some will undoubtedly look to a Milton Keynes University Hospital trial where a penguin-shaped robot is being tested to see if it could deliver prescriptions. Nicknamed Milton, it could be the first of a fleet of 'helper bots' designed to reduce the workload of hospital staff.

Currently, it follows a simple set route and cannot open doors, record what it is seeing or speak to patients, but if the trial is successful its repertoire will be expanded.

He can deliver medicines and transport blood samples, all with a calm and unruffled temperament, immune to the stresses of a hospital ward. Pictured: Ennals with the Tempo personal trainer

Even his voice  a softly spoken English accent  is soothing

Aeo, however, is far more sophisticated. Research is under way in Asian hospitals to build up the evidence proving Aeo can safely deliver medicine to and from nursing stations, or samples  such as blood or urine  to a laboratory.

'The biggest limiting factor is not the technology but the system  the NHS is not set up to involve robotics,' says Dr Bannister. 'Robots are the answer to staffing shortages in the mid-future, but the NHS must get ready to use them.'

But it's not the only medical marvel vying to revolutionise our health on show at CES. From blood pressure monitoring at your fingertips, to pillows which banish snoring, and even a breathalyser to check whether your sniffles are something more sinister, there are technological developments in the pipeline to help you keep tabs on your own wellbeing.

Here are some of the best.

BREATHALYSER THAT CAN SPOT SOME NASTY BUGS

Amid a perfect storm of Covid and winter viruses, it can be difficult to tell whether that sniffle is just a cold or a symptom of something more serious. But a pocket-sized breathalyser  just like those used by the police to check whether drivers are over the legal alcohol limit  could provide an answer.

In less than a minute, and without the need for a nasal swab, the ViraWarn device can identify whether what may seem like a cold is actually Covid, flu or respiratory syntactical virus, known as RSV  a nasty bug responsible for rising hospitalisations this winter.

Two breaths into the device are all that is needed.

'You can carry it with you wherever you go,' says Dana Gardner, vice president of sales at US-based manufacturer Opteev.

'So if you're going to a dinner party or to visit an elderly relative, you can be safe in the knowledge that you aren't carrying anything which could make someone else seriously unwell.'

While Covid, flu and RSV are distinct diseases, they emit a near-identical tiny electrical charge which is carried in particles of the virus in the breath.

A light in the ViraWarn flashes red if it detects this electrical charge. If it goes green, it's a different bug. However, the device cannot yet tell you which illness you might have  that is the 'next step', says Gardner.

Aeo, I should point out, is not your average overworked nurse. At just 2ft tall, he is a state-of-the-art robot designed by a Japanese tech company to support doctors and nurses by acting as an extra pair of hands and eyes

The device has reusable cartridges which have to be replaced only after a positive result or following two to three weeks of use.

'It's much easier and more comfortable to use than a Covid nose and throat test,' adds Gardner.

The device isn't yet approved by the UK regulator MHRA or the US's FDA, but Opteev hopes this will come in the next six months. It costs 90, with each new cartridge costing about 10.

A BLOOD PRESSURE TEST AT YOUR FINGERTIPS

FOR the one-in-three adults in Britain with high blood pressure, checking levels at home is vital. This usually involves a standard inflatable sleeve placed around the upper part of the arm.

But this procedure could be replaced by a simpler fingertip test. US medical firm Valencell has created a blood pressure monitor which doesn't use a cuff at all. Instead, an electronic clip attached to the end of a finger can obtain a reading in less than a minute.

Standard blood pressure cuffs work by inflating to restrict blood flow to a major artery in the arm. When it deflates, the returning blood creates a vibration against the artery walls, which sensors in the device detect and use to determine blood pressure.

Valencell says its device can analyse these vibrations through the fingertip instead, and without restricting blood flow.

It does this using a PPG sensor, a piece of tech which is already used in Apple Watches and Fitbits to measure heartbeat. It directs light towards the skin and measures the intensity of the light which returns. Trials have matched these measurements to thousands of blood pressure readings taken the traditional way.

The Valencell monitor is currently awaiting official medical approval by the US authorities, and it plans to apply to sell the device in the UK within a year. It will cost about 82.

And while it sounds like science fiction, some say he could be part of the solution to the workforce crisis engulfing the NHS.

GET AN EYE CHECK IN YOUR LIVING ROOM

An eye test is recommended every two years, usually involving a trip to a high street optician.

But a US tech firm is now offering a kit which can  it claims  perform the same checks at home, using your smartphone.

A device which looks like a small pair of binoculars combines with an app to assess your vision using a series of letters, shapes and colours  just as an optician would.

The results, calculated by the app, dictate what prescription you need, and can tell if you are colour blind. The company, EyeQue, even runs a service which sends out the correct pair of glasses to customers based on the test results.

'We want to make checking your eyesight as easy and quick as possible,' says EyeQue representative Casey Fletcher.

To use the device, you attach it to your smartphone using straps that come with the kit. Users look through the lenses on the 'binoculars' at the smartphone screen, which, once the app is running, displays the test.

'This is essentially the same as the check you'd get at the optician, where they ask you to read out a series of letters on a wallchart,' says Fletcher.

Once the test is complete, the app provides your glasses prescription. If no problems are detected, it will say you have 20-20 vision.

The EyeQue test is already available in the US and hopes to be available in the UK by the end of 2023. It costs 150 for the full kit.

He is being demonstrated to The Mail on Sunday at CES in Las Vegas, the largest and most celebrated global technology convention

When we meet, Aeo blinks up at me with those love heart eyes... and offers to take a selfie of the pair of us. I then watch as he patrols a mock-up hospital ward, and it's clear the technology is impressive

GET FITTER WITH A SMART PERSONAL TRAINER

The pandemic shifted fitness classes online and turned living rooms into personal gyms. But these sessions, which remain popular, are not usually interactive and have been criticised for putting individuals at risk of injury if they fail to perform moves correctly.

Tempo Move aims to change that, by using artificial intelligence to monitor workouts and tailor them for maximum benefit.

The system, developed by US personal trainer and computer scientist Moawia Eldeeb, comes with a complete set of weights and dumbbells which are fitted with sensors and connect wirelessly to a smartphone app.

Users work out in front of their phone camera so it can track movements and technique, noting anything which needs correcting. Sensors in the weights beam constant data to the app and can track, for example, how fast you're moving, how good your balance is and whether you're performing each move correctly.

This, combined with the readings the app gets from the camera watching you work out, will decide how intense the exercises should be. This analysis is based on an artificial intelligence program which tracked more than 100,000 hours of real gym workouts recorded over eight years.

The app can make the workout easier or up the intensity depending on how well it senses you are performing and how hard you tell it you want to work.

The Tempo Move is currently available to ship to the UK from the US. The company hopes to sell it here next year. It costs 330, plus 32 per month for the trainer.

SPECS TO SPOT A SEIZURE BEFORE IT CAN STRIKE

Epilepsy sufferers could soon be alerted to oncoming seizures  helping them avoid injuries  thanks to a ground-breaking pair of glasses.

They look like normal reading specs but house sophisticated sensors that are capable of measuring brain activity  which can spike in the build up to a seizure.

Called the Zero Glasses, the high-tech gadget can even call an ambulance if the impending seizure is deemed dangerous. Device developer Youngwoon Kim, from Korean pharmaceutical company SK, said they could be available in the UK within three years.

Some 600,000 people in the UK have epilepsy. Seizures are the most common symptom and occur when electrical impulses that ferry messages between cells in the brain get disrupted, possibly causing loss of consciousness and convulsions.

The episodes claim roughly 1,000 lives a year in the UK, often as a result of seizures happening at a dangerous moment.

Epilepsy sufferers can take drugs to reduce their frequency, but these cannot eliminate them completely.

Clinical studies show Zero Glasses can accurately predict seizures  if it believes a seizure is about to happen, it will send an alert to the patient's phone, giving them a chance to find a safe place where they won't be injured.

NHS doctors say the news is an exciting step forwards in epilepsy research. 'If we could accurately predict when seizures are about to happen, this could radically alter the lives of epilepsy patients,' says Dr Rhys Thomas, honorary consultant neurologist at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle.

'People could return to normal life activities such as driving, which many people with epilepsy cannot currently do.'
I suffer with terrible irritable bowel syndrome and nothing seems to ease it. I'm 83 and have read that probiotics might help, but no pharmacist will tell me which to get. Would you recommend one, and might it help?

Irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS, causes pain, bloating and erratic bowel movements.

However, it is very uncommon to develop it in older age so I'd be wary of assuming a diagnosis in someone over 80 as it is quite likely that there is another  more serious  underlying cause of the symptoms.

Bowel cancer, for instance, is often mistaken for IBS.

Having said that, if IBS is not a new problem, it is perfectly reasonable to try a probiotic.

Irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS, causes pain, bloating and erratic bowel movements (stock image)

Medical guidelines support taking the supplements for the condition to reduce pain, bloating and other bowel symptoms, but they state you must choose only one and take it consistently for three months.

A probiotic can be taken as a capsule or powder and contains large numbers of 'friendly' bacteria that are similar to the type found naturally within the gut which help to keep the body working healthily. Sometimes they are sold as symbiotics  this means the probiotics are combined with a prebiotic, which are the sugars that the good bacteria feed on.

The most effective seem to be those containing bifidobacterium and lactobacillus. However, also try to eat some foods naturally high in probiotics, such as yogurt and fermented foods such as kefir and sauerkraut.

I have been suffering migraines that seem to be triggered by walking in the cold. A neurologist booked me in for Botox treatment but I'm not convinced it will help.

Migraines are similar to headaches but are usually coupled with sickness, nausea and sensitivity to bright lights or loud noises. They can be aggravated by a host of triggers, including certain foods, stress, bright lights and even regular activities such as walking.

It is common for sufferers to experience unusual sensations in the moments prior to an attack. These include seeing zig-zag lines or spots, or feeling pins and needles and numbness.

Doctors advise sufferers to avoid known triggers, but this isn't always possible.

If the symptoms are having a severely detrimental effect on quality of life, it is important for a specialist to rule out any other conditions that could mimic a migraine. These could include problems with blood pressure inside the head and blood vessel complications known as vasculitis, or painful conditions that affect the nerves inside the head and face, such as trigeminal neuralgia.

A neurologist should be looking to rule out serious causes of severe migraines, but if there are none, treatment should focus on preventing attacks. This includes medications such as propranolol or topiramate, which can be taken daily. Alongside this, relaxation techniques and acupuncture may be helpful.

There is also evidence to recommend the vitamin riboflavin, taken daily at a dose of 400mg. In addition, Botox, normally a cosmetic treatment to smooth wrinkles in the face, is an approved NHS treatment for chronic migraine. It is given as a series of injections around the forehead, and although it is unclear why it works it's thought it blocks pain signals in the brain.

According to the charity The Migraine Trust, a 30 to 50 per cent reduction in migraine episodes is a good result from Botox. Specialists recommend two rounds of treatment before deciding if it has worked or not.

I am 45 and perimenopausal  my periods have become irregular over the past year. But in the past few months I've started bleeding between periods and suffered pain after sex. I had a smear test last month and it came back normal. What could be going on?

Both abnormal bleeding and pain after sex are common symptoms of the perimenopause.

During this period, dropping oestrogen levels cause menstrual cycles to be erratic and vaginal dryness. Having said that, it is important to get both symptoms checked in case they are not menopause-related and something more serious.

DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION FOR DR ELLIE? Email DrEllie@mailonsunday.co.uk or write to Health, The Mail on Sunday, 2 Derry Street, London, W8 5TT. Dr Ellie can only answer in a general context and cannot respond to individual cases, or give personal replies. If you have a health concern, always consult your own GP. Advertisement

Bleeding between cycles is always a reason to visit the doctor for a check. Normally this type of bleeding is due to hormonal or harmless changes, but it can also be a symptom of endometrial or cervical cancer.

These diseases are more likely to develop as women get older.

Tests for them involve a GP examination as well as a scan, and possibly a closer look at the cervix  known as a colposcopy. It may also be necessary to test the womb lining for signs of cancer. A common reason for women to have erratic bleeding or pain can be an infection within the vagina. Nurses in the GP surgery or sexual health clinics can offer full testing and swabs to check for infections. This can be treated using antibiotics.

There are times in a woman's life, such as menopause or during pregnancy, when such symptoms are considered normal, but doctors must not assume it isn't something more serious.

New mask-wearing advice just covers up NHS crisis

I was one of the first, and biggest, champions of mask-wearing when Covid struck. But now that the UK Health Security Agency is recommending that people with colds and flu wear them again, I am exasperated. All it does is make health chiefs look as though they are actually doing something to combat the NHS winter crisis. But instead of fixing the fundamental problems in the health service to increase capacity, all they are doing is putting the responsibility on us.

Someone on Twitter referred to the recommendation as 'placebo sandbags', which I thought was rather apt.

I was one of the first, and biggest, champions of mask-wearing when Covid struck (stock image)

The only environment where mask-wearing might be worth considering is in a medical waiting room, where there's a greater chance of coming into contact with someone vulnerable. But even then, unless the entire waiting room is masked up, the effort will be futile.

Health bosses should stick to finding a solution to the crisis across the NHS and stop pushing pointless gimmickry.

Easy ways to sort a sore throat

Pharmacists are reporting shortages of cold and flu medicines such as Lemsip and Night Nurse across the UK.

It's hardly surprising, with respiratory infections at their yearly high. But here's something you should know: there are cheaper remedies that work just as well which you probably have in a cupboard somewhere.

The best thing for a sore throat is a mug of hot water (not boiling), with a teaspoon of honey (though not for babies under 12 months). And common painkillers such as paracetamol and ibuprofen will ease your aches and pains, as well as bring down body temperature.

I promise that you'll see little difference between these treatments and anything you can buy in a pharmacy.

And don't underestimate the benefit of a good night's sleep.
The United States has announced another military assistance package of over USD 3.75 billion for Ukraine to fight the battle against Russian aggression (AP)

Washington: The United States has announced another military assistance package of over USD 3.75 billion for Ukraine to fight the battle against Russian aggression taking the total US military assistance for Ukraine to an unprecedented USD 24.9 billion.

The latest tranche of assistance will include for the first time 50 M2-A2 Bradley armoured vehicles for the Ukraine military.

These armoured vehicles enough to outfit a mechanised infantry battalion will come with 500 tube-launched, optically sighted, wire-guided, or TOW, anti-tank missiles and 250,000 rounds of 25 mm ammunition, the Pentagon said.

On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a special military operation aimed at the demilitarisation and denazification of Ukraine.

In this first week of 2023, the United States continues to stand strongly behind Ukraine and our European allies and partners by announcing more than USD 3.75 billion in new military assistance, Secretary of State Tony Blinken announced on Friday.

This assistance includes a USD 2.85 billion drawdown from stocks of the Department of Defence to be provided immediately to Ukraine and USD 225 million in Foreign Military Financing to build the long-term capacity and support the modernisation of Ukraine's military.

It also includes USD 682 million in Foreign Military Financing for European partners and allies to help incentivise and backfill donations of military equipment to Ukraine, he said.

Today, the United States will demonstrate our continued enduring commitment to Ukraine's ability to defend itself with the announcement of over USD 3 billion in new military assistance to Ukraine, including USD 2.8 billion drawdowns for Ukraine, the largest yet, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters at her daily news conference.

The latest tranche also includes 100 M-113 armoured personnel carriers and 50 mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles.

The US will also provide 138 Humvees, the Pentagon said.

Following the announcement, Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin spoke with Ukrainian Minister of Defence Oleksii Reznikov to discuss the latest American commitment of more than USD 3 billion in additional security assistance.

The war in Ukraine is at a critical point right now, and we have to do everything we can to help the Ukrainians continue to resist Russian aggression," Laura Cooper, deputy assistant secretary of defence for Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia, told reporters at a Pentagon news conference.

The assistance also includes USD 682 million for regional partners and allies on NATO's eastern flank to incentivise and backfill donations of military equipment.

As the President said yesterday, the war is at a critical point, and we must do everything that we can to help the Ukrainians resist Russian aggression, Jean-Pierre said.

According to John Kirby, the National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications, the aid being provided to Ukraine from a security perspective is very much in keeping with two things: one, the needs that they have at the moment and our ability to provide those capabilities to them, but also taking a look at what the fight is likely to be going forward.

Blinken said working with Congress, the US plans to provide an additional USD 907 million of Foreign Military Financing under the Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2022.

Funds will support Ukraine and countries impacted by Russia's war in Ukraine.

USD 225 million for Ukraine will be used to cover wartime requirements of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to provide them with means necessary to defend against Russia's aggression and may also be used to support the sustainment of equipment previously provided to Ukraine under the Department of Defence's Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative and under previous drawdowns, he said.

In the longer term, this Foreign Military Financing funding may be used to rebuild Ukraine's capacity to provide for its own defence through the development and modernisation of its armed forces, Blinken said.
Research behind a blockbuster anti-stroke drug could have included fake data while its serious and potentially fatal side effects were kept secret, official US documents have revealed.

In 2009, distinguished British medical journal The Lancet published a major study on the blood thinner rivaroxaban, which appeared to show it was safe and effective. But now the journal has warned of 'inaccuracies' in the trial data and said that it would be investigating the research further.

Rivaroxaban, often sold under the brand name Xarelto, is approved by health watchdogs NICE for the prevention of stroke and embolisms  blocked blood vessels, usually caused by blood clots. It got the green light from international health watchdogs in 2011, and now each year it is taken by thousands of Britons and millions worldwide and is effective for preventing life-threatening blood clots which cause strokes.

If the claims against the early rivaroxaban trial  named Record4  are true, patients may have been misled about the probability they'll experience side effects, which include for a very small number of patients the risk of severe and even potentially fatal bleeding. That study assessed the drug's role in preventing blood clots after surgery, but it has since been cited by other researchers thousands of times as proof of its safety.

Rivaroxaban, often sold under the brand name Xarelto, is approved by health watchdogs NICE for the prevention of stroke and embolisms (stock image)

'If serious side effects are more common than has been officially reported, the risk is higher than patients have been led to believe,' says Dr Peter Wilmshurst, a cardiologist based at the Royal Stoke University Hospital who is also a research fraud campaigner. 'Without trustworthy data, patients and doctors don't know exactly how safe this drug is.'

He added that following warnings about rivaroxaban in other medical reports over the past ten years, The Lancet has had 'plenty of time' to issue corrections or retract the paper.

What is rivaroxaban? Rivaroxaban is a type of medicine known as an anticoagulant. It makes your blood flow through your veins more easily. This means your blood will be less likely to make a dangerous blood clot. People who are more at risk of developing a blood clot include those who have: an irregular heartbeat (atrial fibrillation)

recently had surgery to replace a hip or knee joint

unstable angina

coronary heart disease

peripheral arterial disease It's also used to treat people who have had a health problem caused by a blood clot, such as: a stroke

a heart attack

a blood clot in the leg  deep vein thrombosis (DVT)

a blood clot in the lungs  a pulmonary embolism Rivaroxaban is only available on prescription. It comes as tablets and granules. Source: NHS Advertisement

In the same year The Lancet published the Record4 trial results, US drug approval body the Food And Drug Administration (FDA) rejected the study. It concluded: 'The data used... were unreliable.' Two years later, after three subsequent studies by a different research group, rivaroxaban was approved in the US and the UK for stroke prevention.

In 2015, an American medical magazine analysed 57 FDA reports of research misconduct  including the controversial rivaroxaban trial. It alleged 'falsification, missing records and improper storage of drugs'. The Lancet issued its warning following pressure from rival publication The British Medical Journal which, in December, presented evidence from FDA reports that alleged there were 'serious and numerous data deficiencies' in results from eight of the 16 hospitals involved in the rivaroxaban trial.

According to The British Medical Journal, it also said stated that two of the 16 hospitals failed to report serious side effects and four of the patients taking rivaroxaban in the trial died, which the researchers failed to explain.

Dr Wilmshurst says: 'It is shocking that a death can be allowed to go unexplained when a patient dies during a three-week trial.'

In response to the allegations, the lead author of the trial, Alexander Turpie, emeritus professor of medicine at McMaster University, Ontario, told The British Medical Journal that the FDA is 'not the arbiter of what data is reliable, or not'. He added: 'Plenty of controlled studies are submitted to journals and rejected as unreliable, then resubmitted elsewhere where they may ultimately be accepted and published. We think the Record4 data is in that category: unreliable for FDA but sound in its primary efficacy and safety conclusions.'

Record4 was partly funded by German firm Bayer  one of the pharmaceutical companies that developed the drug. In 2019, it was reported that the companies raked in almost 5.4 billion in sales from the drug in just one year.

The new allegations are the latest in a string of scandals that have rocked the field of drug research. In October 2021, this newspaper revealed that as many as one in five of the estimated two million medical studies published each year could contain invented or plagiarised results. And last summer it was revealed that a pivotal Alzheimer's disease study may have been faked. It meant the development of effective treatments was potentially hindered and seriously ill patients were given false hope.

Experts argued the editors of the major medical journals were doing too little to stem the tide of 'tainted data', ultimately putting lives at risk, and that they should face stiff fines if found to have published studies without due diligence.

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Rivaroxaban is one of a family of drugs called novel oral anticoagulants, or NOACs. It is commonly prescribed to heart disease patients who are at high risk of stroke, as well as those who are at risk of a clot following joint replacement.

Many patients find the drug easier to take than warfarin, which has been the most commonly prescribed anti-clotting drug for more than 50 years. But warfarin cannot be taken alongside other common medicines, and patients must have a check-up every six weeks to monitor for dangerous side effects, such as uncontrolled heavy bleeding.

With NOACs such as rivaroxaban, these risks were believed to be lower, meaning ongoing hospital check-ups were not needed.

Dr Wilmshurst says: 'Cardiologists were sold this idea that these drugs are a safer option than warfarin, but that may not necessarily be the case.' Patients should, however, not stop taking Rivaroxaban without consulting their doctor.

In the US, a series of lawsuits have been lodged against the pharmaceutical companies behind rivaroxaban by relatives of patients who it was claimed had died from lethal bleeds related to the drug. In 2019 they moved to settle by agreeing a 650 million payout, although they did not accept liability and stood by its safety.

Dr Wilmshurst says: 'These medicines have advantages  I prescribe them often  but there isn't sufficient evidence to show they are necessarily superior to alternatives. And it is difficult to make firm conclusions when we can't trust the trials which were supposed to tell us if they're safe and effective.'

In a statement, The Lancet Group said: 'We take issues relating to scientific misconduct extremely seriously and follow best practice guidelines as set by the Committee on Publication Ethics. The Lancet published a correction to the original article in December 2022. When further details of the FDA report were brought to our attention, we contacted the authors' institution requesting an investigation.'

Last night Bayer said: 'The Lancet is investigating the reliability of the study, not the drug itself. The study in question refers to a very specific use of rivaroxaban in a particular group of patients  to prevent blood clots after an operation. It used a different dose for stroke prevention use of the drug.'
It is a story that's as shocking as it is tragic. A young primary school teacher, battling an extreme sickness condition that can severely affect expectant mothers, driven to the depths of despair. And then, the most harrowing of conclusions.

In November, Jessica Cronshaw, just 26 years old  and 28 weeks pregnant  died. The exact details of the case will now be the subject of a coroner's inquest, which will determine the cause.

Yet her anguished family, still reeling from their almost incomprehensible loss, claim that her illness was not properly treated and this contributed to her mental health deteriorating.

'Jessica was so happy to find out she was pregnant. It wasn't planned but we were thrilled. She'd dreamed of a large family,' says her partner, Eddie Leck, 30, who lived with her in Wigan.

Jessica Cronshaw (pictured), 26, was 28 weeks and five days pregnant with her daughter, Elsie, when she and Elsie died earlier this month after Jess had been suffering with hyperemesis gravidarum (HG)

The condition is perhaps best known for affecting Catherine (above in April 2013), Princess of Wales, who was hospitalised for several days in 2013 while pregnant with her first child, Prince George

Her cousin, Steffi Scott-Miller, 28, says Jessica had no history of mental health problems before her pregnancy, describing her as 'driven, ambitious' woman, who 'lit up the room with her sense of humour'.

But just weeks into her pregnancy she began vomiting relentlessly, felt nauseous 'at the slightest movement' and 'couldn't keep anything down'. Her mother Susan, 55, says: 'She couldn't get out of bed or make it down the stairs until about month four, let alone work.'

What is hyperemesis gravidarum? Hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) is a condition that causes persistent and excessive vomiting during pregnancy. Sufferers can be sick lots of times every day and be unable to keep food or water down, impacting their daily life. It is unlikely to harm the baby, but if it causes a women to lose weight during pregnancy there is an increased risk their baby will have a low birth weight. It is different to sickness during pregnancy  often called morning sickness  which is normal and affects eight in 10 pregnant women. For most, this stops or improves around weeks 16 to 20. Meanwhile, HG may not get better by this point and can last until the baby is born. Symptoms of HG include prolonged and severe nausea and vomiting, being dehydrated, weight loss and low blood pressure. Being dehydrated raises the risk of having a blood clot  deep vein thrombosis  but this is rare. It is not clear what causes the condition, or why some women get it and others don't. Some experts think it may be linked to the changing hormones in the body that occurs during pregnancy. And there is some evidence that it runs in families and women who suffered it during their first pregnancy are more likely to have in any subsequent pregnancies. Women suffering from HG can be given medicine to improve their symptoms, such as anti-sickness drugs, vitamins B6 and B12 and steroids. Some women have to be admitted to hospital if their nausea cannot be controlled with medicines at home. They may require fluids and anti-sickness drugs to be administered through an IV. Source: NHS Advertisement

At nine weeks, Susan, a care worker, took Jessica to a hospital antenatal appointment, where she was diagnosed with extreme pregnancy sickness, known medically as hyperemesis gravidarum.

The condition is perhaps best known for affecting Catherine, Princess of Wales, who was hospitalised for several days in 2013 while pregnant with her first child, Prince George. She also suffered in her pregnancies with Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

Jessica was sent home on the day of her diagnosis with anti-sickness medication, after receiving rehydration treatment via a drip, but she continued to suffer. Susan says: 'She'd lie on the sofa barely able to eat, looking gaunt. She didn't want anyone to see her. Within a few months she'd become a different person. Withdrawn and wanting to hide away from the world.'

The family say that at numerous times throughout her pregnancy, doctors told Jessica: 'It's just a bit of morning sickness.' On two occasions she was sent home from hospital, despite explaining that she still felt 'like she was dying'. Susan says: 'She felt that people weren't listening to her.'

As disturbing as this case is, experts warn that the extreme symptoms that Jessica complained of are not unheard of.

'A number of women who call our helpline feel so awful they express suicidal thoughts,' says researcher Dr Caitlin Dean, of the charity Pregnancy Sickness Support which gives advice to women suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum.

'We've had to call an ambulance for individuals because they've disclosed that they've taken an overdose. It's not that uncommon.'

Dr Dean adds: 'It is not just the severity of the condition but the fact that women are being told that there's nothing wrong with them, that it's just morning sickness and they should be glad or grateful for being pregnant. And yet they have this condition that makes them feel like they're dying.'

Speaking emotionally on The Mail on Sunday's Medical Minefield podcast this week, one former sufferer said her symptoms were so bad 'I felt like I didn't want to be alive.'

Jessica Craner, a senior midwife from Salford, added: 'It feels like there's no escape from it. And the lack of understanding is really difficult. I never had depression before I became pregnant, and now that experience is a scar I will carry with me for ever.'

Meanwhile, other women have described similarly agonising symptoms in a report compiled by maternity experts at London's St Thomas' Hospital. One said: 'I was vomiting blood. I can remember crying, saying I couldn't cope much more, to which a nurse replied, 'You should count yourself lucky  there's people who can't have babies at all.' ' Another said: 'You are too ill to get out of bed to make your children's dinner or kiss them  you feel you need to save yourself to save them.'

Research by the same team found a quarter of women who suffer from hyperemesis gravidarum experience suicidal thoughts at some point in their pregnancy, while one in 20 regularly think about it.

She also suffered in her pregnancies with Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. Pictured with Prince George in July 2013

These stories have emerged against a background of increasing maternal deaths in the UK, with the latest nationwide report showing a 20 per cent rise since 2017. The leading cause was suicide.

While about two-thirds of pregnant women experience morning sickness, only three per cent develop hyperemesis gravidarum. The condition is diagnosed when the vomiting has become so constant and severe that it has led to dehydration and significant weight loss.

It's not fully understood what causes it, but changed hormones are thought to play a role.

We need greater awareness of how life-destroying this condition can be

Roughly 6,000 women a year in the UK suffer for the majority of their pregnancy. In these cases, and if left untreated, it can lead to malnutrition and dehydration, resulting in potentially fatal complications for mother and baby.

For the mother, this includes kidney and liver failure and sudden cardiac arrest. Meanwhile, the condition dramatically increases the risk of low birth weight, pre-term birth and neonatal death.

Scientists aren't exactly sure what causes the condition, although research suggests it is sparked by a genetic fault that triggers a hormonal imbalance.

How this condition could predict your baby's gender Last year, researchers found those with extreme morning sickness may be less likely to give birth to sons. According to New Scientist, one theory is the Trivers-Willard hypothesis which suggests when times are good, it is best to have a son. However, in tough times, a daughter is safer for a mother to pass on her genes to as weaker males are less likely to succeed. Given a third of pregnancies with HG result in miscarriage, this could help to explain why fewer boys are born to women with the condition, the study said. Advertisement

In 2015, a paper by experts at the University of California estimated that as many as one fifth of maternal deaths are related to hyperemesis gravidarum. However, figures are difficult to ascertain. The condition is rarely recorded on death certificates, and experts say doctors are often unaware that the condition can contribute to death.

While there are effective treatments, such as anti-sickness medication, experts say not enough women are getting access to them. In October 2015, a study of 5,000 hyperemesis gravidarum patients by King's College London found that 41 per cent had not been offered medication.

It is indicative of a culture that Dr Dean calls 'foetal-centric treatment'. She says: 'GPs can be nervous about prescribing medicine in pregnancy due to a focus on potential harm to the baby.

'It's vital to look at the risks and benefits in relation to the mother's health, as well as the baby's.'

Some of this reticence, Dr Dean says, is rooted in the thalidomide scandal of the 1950s  when an untested morning sickness drug caused serious birth defects in thousands of children.

'There's a lot of fear around the use of any medication in pregnancy because of this,' says Dr Dean, 'but medical research has changed remarkably since then  drugs for hyperemesis, like all others, go through strict clinical trials.'

Pregnant women are concerned about harm to their child, but healthcare professionals are failing to reassure them, experts say.

'When counselling, you have to explain that the benefit of the drug for the mother almost always outweighs the small and theoretical risk to the child,' says Professor Catherine Nelson-Piercy, an obstetrics consultant at St Thomas' Hospital. 'For instance, there's a slightly raised risk of cleft palate with one anti-sickness drug, but the increase is from seven per 10,000 to 11 per 10,000, and the problem can be reversed with an operation. Often healthcare professionals don't explain this properly.'

One 2020 study found that 70 per cent of pregnant women believed taking any medicine would harm their unborn baby.

Campaigners say that, often, a hospital admission in which patients are rehydrated via a drip and supported to eat can stop the condition getting worse.

In 2015, a paper by experts at the University of California estimated that as many as one fifth of maternal deaths are related to hyperemesis gravidarum (stock image)

'Simply helping someone to look after themselves and building up their strength so that they don't feel so weak and can function,' says Dr Dean.

'But usually this requires a couple of days in hospital  and there's less and less space available to do this, so women are just sent home.'

Prof Nelson-Piercy says that when women visit hospital asking for help, their condition is often 'not taken seriously or properly managed'. One in five of the patients surveyed in the King's College study described their experience of hospital care as 'poor'.

As Jessica Cronshaw's case shows, physical illness is only one of the challenges of this devastating condition. A 2020 study found nearly half of women with hyperemesis gravidarum suffer mental illness such as depression, compared with six per cent of expectant mothers without the condition.

Jessica's family told The Mail on Sunday that they couldn't recall if she'd been asked by her doctors about her mental health at any point during pregnancy. 'Later on, when she was very down, we were surprised that no one commented on it,' says her cousin, Steffi. 'We felt the doctors must know best and let them lead the appointments. A lot of it seemed to be about positive reinforcement. They kept saying to Jessica, 'You're doing really well.' They seemed to focus on the baby and her physical health.'

Some women with hyperemesis gravidarum opt for another tragic escape from the condition. Up to one in ten patients are so unwell they see no option but to terminate the pregnancy, according to a 2015 British Pregnancy Advisory Service report.

'It is very common that a lot of very wanted, loved, tried-for babies are lost to the condition,' says Dr Dean. 'Women often say things along the lines of, 'It was either me or the baby, or both of us.' '

Dr Dean is calling for better education for trainee doctors and midwives. 'Some universities still teach midwifery students that no medication at all is safe to take in pregnancy,' she says. 'We need greater public awareness of just how life destroying this condition can be, so healthcare professionals take it seriously.

'We really appreciated the Princess of Wales sharing her story to raise the profile, but her experience of the illness will be vastly different than that of the average British woman.

'Many of the women who call us say their job is on the line. How are they going to pay the bills if they're off sick for months on end? How are they going to look after their other children if they can't afford childcare?'

Meanwhile, Jessica's Cronshaw's family have found solace in fundraising for Pregnancy Sickness Support to help others who find themselves in similar situations, and have so far raised 15,000.

'I know Jess had plans to raise awareness of the condition and raise money for the charity when she got better,' says Steffi. 'Sadly, that wasn't to be. But at least we can do it for her  in her name.'

 To donate, visit justgiving.com/fundraising/jess-elsie. For support visit pregnancysicknesssupport.org.uk.
If you're already struggling to stick to a 'Dry January' resolution, spare a thought for the British workers who feel unable to abstain from alcohol because their boss pressures them to drink.

One in five say that they've felt obliged to consume alcohol at work events, according to a survey of 3,000 workers by UK Addiction Treatment Group. The poll suggests this could mean roughly seven million British employees are regularly drinking, despite not wanting to.

Experts say pressure to 'fit in' and attempts to build relationships with bosses while socialising are what's driving the problem.

The survey also revealed a gender difference in drinking pressures at work  a quarter of men felt pushed by their superiors to drink booze, compared with one in ten women.

One in five say that they've felt obliged to consume alcohol at work events, according to a survey of 3,000 workers by UK Addiction Treatment Group (stock image)

Age is also a key factor. A third of 25 to 30-year-olds admitted to drinking alcohol due to work pressure, compared with just one in ten 50 to 59-year-olds.

Half of 18-year-olds said their boss encourages them to drink.

Boozing at work seems to be most prevalent in London, where a third of workers feel compelled to drink, compared with a fifth of those based in Yorkshire and the East Midlands. Despite the drinking culture, a third of the employees surveyed said they wouldn't feel supported at work should they develop alcohol addiction.

The findings come a month after the latest NHS data revealed that alcohol-related deaths reached an all-time high in 2021. Some 9,641 people died as a result of alcohol  a rise of 7.4 per cent since 2020.

According to Government data, about 800,000 hospital admissions between 2020 to 2021 in England were related to alcohol.

Commenting on the findings, Nuno Albuquerque, addictions specialist and head of treatment at UK Addiction Treatment Group, said: 'It's hard to fit in at work and prove yourself, so it is no surprise that employees try to build relationships by socialising with bosses over alcohol. But it is important to bear in mind that alcohol changes people's behaviour. For some, being under the influence with people they are professional with could be a dangerous combination.'

Build relationships by socialising over alcohol

In England there are an estimated 600,000 'dependent' drinkers  and only one in five are receiving treatment, according to charity Alcohol Change UK. A quarter of adults in England and Scotland regularly drink over the Chief Medical Officers' guidelines of 14 units per week.
Just before Christmas, my brother Tom slipped on some ice while loading the boot of his car, fell and broke his arm pretty badly. It was dreadful luck, but such is life. Accidents happen  hes 47 and otherwise healthy. Hell live.

I should say at this point that he is not after sympathy. He has allowed me to reveal this because what happened over the following three weeks goes to the heart of a problem that is, I believe, partly responsible for the mess the NHS is in currently. And perhaps it also gives us some insight into a much-needed solution.

After hobbling back indoors, Tom quickly realised the accident was serious: he managed to get his shirt off and his left elbow was visibly misshapen. It was also excruciatingly painful and made ominous grinding noises when he attempted to move it.

After letting us know  hed been about to set off to a family get-together  he got an Uber to the nearest A&E.

What happened over the following three weeks goes to the heart of a problem that is, I believe, partly responsible for the mess the NHS is in currently. And perhaps it also gives us some insight into a much-needed solution

Weve all heard the stories by now: emergency departments are beyond crisis point, battling a flu outbreak and other nasty bugs on top of normal winter pressures, striking nurses and paramedics, and staff absences.

Deluged hospitals are warning patients to stay away unless they are dying. Last week some MPs were suggesting that the Army needed to be drafted in, and one dramatically likened the situation at a York hospital as carnage akin to a war zone. My brothers experience at his local A&E was no exception  elderly patients were queuing out of the door at 10.30 on a freezing Sunday morning.

As my mum, a retired oncologist who arrived to sit with him, put it: All of humanity was there. There was a woman screaming and passing out on the floor in pain  and probably about four times as many people as there should be in the waiting area.

And yet, despite all this, the system worked.

Tom was seen by an A&E doctor after about two hours and X-rayed. It turned out hed dislocated his left elbow, and the lateral condyle of the humerus (the outer bit of the bottom of the upper arm bone) had fractured off completely.

The doctor, assisted by two nurses, reduced the dislocation: Tom was given gas and air to distract him from the agony as they yanked the joint back into place.

It was all over quickly, and they put his arm in a cast.

After a night on a trolley in a side room, he was given a CT scan which confirmed that he would need surgery to reattach the floating fragment of his arm bone with screws and plates.

Then he was discharged.

Toms summary, having spent 24 hours on the NHS front line: It was really quite chaotic. Yet it all somehow kept running.

After that, though, the wheels came off. On leaving A&E, my brother was told the trauma nurse would ring him in the next day or so to schedule his op the following week. But the call never came.

Aside from being extremely uncomfortable and disabling, fractures like this dont have to be fixed immediately. However, if you wait more than a few weeks it begins to heal, but out of position, making it trickier to operate later.

In these cases, even after surgery, patients may be left with limited movement, even deformity.

With this at the forefront of his mind, after five days of silence, Tom telephoned the hospital.

Weve all heard the stories by now: emergency departments are beyond crisis point, battling a flu outbreak and other nasty bugs on top of normal winter pressures, striking nurses and paramedics, and staff absences

The switchboard tried to put him through to various departments, but the phone rang out each time. Eventually he spoke to someone who couldnt answer any questions, and then put him through to someone else who said a co-ordinator would call him back shortly.

That didnt happen. So he tried calling again, and the phone kept going dead. This maddening dance went on for days.

As Tom put it: I just wanted someone to confirm I was on a list. When I did manage to speak to someone, they were always very pleasant but didnt seem to have a clue what I should do.

As Ive mentioned, my mum is a retired doctor, so she knows a bit about navigating hospital phone systems.

The following week, she tried to help, but had the same problem: phones just rang and rang or went through to answer machines that didnt take messages. She spoke to someone in the fracture clinic who said a service manager would call back in ten minutes and... you guessed it. Nothing.

On December 29, 11 days after his accident, having spent endless hours chasing with no resolution in sight, my brother gave up trying with the NHS.

Instead, he called Kings College Hospitals private service, and was told to come in for an assessment that afternoon.

A postscript to the story: on the day after hed booked in with the private hospital, he called the NHS hospital to let them know they didnt need to worry about him any more. The trauma nurse called him back 30 minutes later. He was apologetic. Hed been off sick, he explained, and there was no one else in the entire hospital to cover for him.

He said they might be able to schedule the operation the following week but couldnt guarantee it.

So Tom decided to press on with the much more expensive option and had the private op two days ago. Hell be in plaster for another month or so, but in much less pain. Hell also be 6,000 worse off  but luckily he had savings to plunder.

But many people dont. What are they doing in situations like that? I dread to think.

A lot has been said recently about why this kind of thing is happening in the 150 billion-a-year NHS.

Unprecedented demand, not enough staff, underfunding, pandemic backlogs, sick elderly people taking up beds due to lack of social care, patients turning up to A&E unnecessarily

But what I saw in Toms case was a lack of basic administration and management.

As The Mail on Sundays Health Editor, I speak regularly with doctors and other healthcare staff. I know how hard they work. I have the utmost respect for what they do in impossible situations.

But what hope do they have if the administrative system around them fails to get things organised? When a lone trauma nurse is the only person in a major hospital with such an important role  so that when hes off theres no one to call injured patients and arrange vital operations  its just bad management.

Managers make up two per cent of the NHS workforce  down from just under four per cent a decade ago. There was a narrative a while back that the NHS was over-managed. Bean-counters, they were called by some.

In the private sector, however, managers account for one in ten of the workforce. And Id argue that, when properly trained in problem-solving, they are absolutely essential to any health service: studies show that even increasing hospital managers from two to three per cent of the workforce led to improvement in patient satisfaction and a 15 per cent reduction in infection rates.

Of course, the challenges the NHS faces are myriad and complex. Theres no one quick fix, but Id say simply throwing more money at the problem isnt the answer. Its how its spent thats the issue.

Doctors I know are incredulous at NHS Trusts advertising for a 115,000-a-year director of lived experience, or a 40,000-a-year mindfulness lead and other equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) roles  187 of them last year  costing the NHS more than 8 million.

This is just fiddling while Rome burns.

There are some signs that health chiefs have come to their senses: it was reported last week that EDI targets are being slashed.

Perhaps this will allow the NHS to focus its attention on more pressing matters, such as making sure broken arms get fixed.
Get ready for Britain's space industry to lift off on Monday night. At around 10.16pm, a repurposed jumbo 747, named Cosmic Girl, will be launched from Newquay carrying nine satellites tucked under her wing.

Cosmic Girl will then fly west from Cornwall to Cork in Ireland, which is where the jumbo releases the rocket  known as LauncherOne  at an altitude of 35,000ft, to send the satellites deep into space. They will then be dropped off at an altitude of around 340 miles and circle the earth.

Reach for the skies: It will be a historic mission for Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Orbit team as it is the first time a rocket carrying satellites has been launched from the UK

It will be a historic mission for Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Orbit team as it is the first time a rocket carrying satellites has been launched from the UK.

Until now, British firms, which lead the world in making satellites, have had to send them to overseas spaceports to get them off the ground. But now that Spaceport Cornwall is ready for action, the UK can launch its own products, which is why it is such a big milestone for the space industry.

It also means that Britain's space industry will become even more attractive to overseas companies and open up new partnerships across countries and governments. It already has, says Spaceport's boss Melissa Thorpe. Spaceport is already seeing the benefits of having the new launch pad, which is ready for action with a new R&D centre and workshops that open in March.

This latest Virgin Orbit launch, partly funded by the UK Space Agency, is being run together with the US National Reconnaissance Office. They are sending satellites up mainly for gathering military intelligence and security purposes  such as listening to radio transmissions coming from ships  for both the UK and US governments.

One of the satellites going up is also Wales's first-ever satellite, made by Cardiff start-up Space Forge, which is experimenting with components for future mini orbital factories.

Apart from the obvious military and telecommunications uses, satellites are also being used increasingly in many civil applications for research in the healthcare, agribusiness and transport sectors, but also for weather forecasting and climate data.

Some satellites carry crop seeds to see how they adapt at high altitudes and different temperatures, while others are being used to test how certain medicines  and viruses and bacteria  survive or adapt to the extremes of space. All handy information for when man is ready to live on Mars.

Much of this work is being carried out at the Harwell campus, near Oxford. Known as the UK's space gateway  and the biggest in Europe  it is the most astonishing place. On a visit a few years ago, I saw first hand the work being done at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, which has been involved in more than 200 space missions.

Here they test the satellites in purpose-built, testing chambers to check whether satellites, and their equipment, can survive the thrust of going into space.

Next door, at the Satellite Applications Catapult, you could see images being beamed down from satellites  from all the ships moving around the world to the smacks of jellyfish around the British coast.

All this has practical purposes. The images of the ships allow researchers to identify which are legally registered or not, while EDF was able to detect that it was jellyfish blocking its nuclear reactors at Torness some years ago.

Even more astonishing was the Diamond Light Source, the UK's only synchrotron and one of just 50 in the world which cost 500million to build. It is being used to shed light on the origins of the solar system. The professor in charge showed me dust particles which had been harvested from the Wild 2 comet, a huge snowball of dirty ice and rock hurtling through space some 242million miles away. Mind-blowing stuff.

The implications of all this research is vast  from understanding more about the universe to being big business. It is estimated the UK's space industry will be worth 40billion in a few years' time  a tenth of the global market  with thousands of new jobs. About 40,000 people work in space now and another 100,000 indirectly.

Yet there is a downside to man's quest to conquer the final frontier  orbital debris, or space junk. It is something you can see on the Harwell screens, bits and pieces of metal flying around space. It is thought there are 19,000 satellites stuck in space.

Ironically, one of the biggest projects engineers are working on is finding ways to bring those satellites back down to earth. What goes up usually comes down. But not in space.
Tony Hetherington is Financial Mail on Sunday's ace investigator, fighting readers corners, revealing the truth that lies behind closed doors and winning victories for those who have been left out-of-pocket. Find out how to contact him below.

Mrs J.O. writes: I was due to fly by Wizz Air from Doncaster to Cyprus. We were waiting to board the plane when I heard a woman scream that the flight had been cancelled. I looked at my phone and found a text saying we would fly the next day.

Emails said we would get vouchers for food and drinks, but we never did. We were told accommodation would be sorted out, nothing was.

Wizz Air staff had no clue what was going on. I eventually received 700 from Wizz Air, but they still owe me 1,500.

Fears: The CAA has 'significant concerns' about Wizz Air, the most complained-about airline in the UK

Tony Hetherington replies: After I reported in November that Wizz Air, based at Luton Airport, was ignoring county court judgments, letters and emails flooded in.

There were so many complaints about the airline that I had to say that I could only investigate those where passengers had already won in court, putting their case beyond doubt.

You told me that when you tried to find the airline's proper address for service of court papers, you rang Wizz Air and the speaker told you he was banned from revealing it.

You persevered though, and Wizz Air failed to file any defence when your court claim was served on it. And yet it still failed to pay.

You are not alone. Mr J.L. was booked on a flight that could not take off because Wizz Air's aircraft was faulty. He had to fork out for taxis and meals. After getting nowhere with the company itself, he sued in court and was awarded 168.

Yet Wizz Air still did not pay. And Mr C.B. thought his troubles with Wizz Air were over when he won a court order last November, telling the airline to pay him 806.

No such luck. When he contacted me just before Christmas, he had received nothing and was looking into using bailiffs to seize goods from the company to cover the debt.

I contacted Wizz Air and a few days ago it told me that all the three claims described here would be settled in full by this weekend.

The company said: 'Wizz Air is working to resolve all claims and settle all county court judgments as quickly as possible. The major disruption the airline navigated last summer meant that it has been dealing with an unprecedented number of claims.'

Less than two months ago, I reported that I had found court records showing an amazing 456 judgments against Wizz Air, of which 401 were shown as unsatisfied. The airline protested that the figures were wrong.

It blamed poor record-keeping by the courts. So earlier this week, I checked again. This time I found 533 county court judgments against Wizz Air UK, with 478 listed as unsatisfied.

Three weeks ago the Civil Aviation Authority announced that it had 'significant concerns' about Wizz Air, which was far and away the most complained-about airline in the country.

The CAA highlighted its failure to honour court orders, saying: 'We have made it clear to Wizz Air that its behaviour is unacceptable.'

The regulator demanded that Wizz Air make CCJ payments a priority, hoping all judgment debts are cleared before the end of this month. I hope those debts are paid. I hope every passenger let down by Wizz Air is now treated promptly and fairly. But am I optimistic? No.

>> 'I've been waiting THREE YEARS to get my money back for a Thomas Cook holiday - is there any hope?'

'Unhelpful': This retiree found it almost impossible to speak to Mercer about their pension claim (stock image posed by model)

Mercer will not help with my pension claim

J.W. writes: I worked for GKN but had to retire early on health grounds, and I drew my GKN pension for some years. I then became well enough to start working again in a different role. After turning 60, I contacted GKN's pension administrators, Mercer, and asked for an update on my pension. For the past year, all Mercer has said is that it is waiting for the pension trustees to look at my claim.

Tony Hetherington replies: As lots of pensioners have told me in the past, Mercer is very unhelpful. It refused to discuss your complaint, telling me to contact the trustees of the GKN pension scheme.

However, there are at least five GKN schemes, with differing trustees. Mercer refused to say which scheme, and which trustees, were responsible for your pension. You did receive a call though, after I prodded Mercer.

The caller explained that your GKN pension does not kick in until you are 65, unless you are unemployed.

You could have been told this when you first enquired 18 months ago but, as I say, Mercer is not helpful and does not like to answer questions.

I need my 56 rail refund

Ms S.M. writes: I paid 56 for a return rail ticket from Birmingham to Penrith. I later found there was to be a rail strike, and as it was imperative that I get back, I had to cancel. I had used the Raileasy Group for my booking, but its site offered only two reasons for cancellation  illness or bereavement  and it refunded just 2.30. As a pensioner, I cannot afford this loss.

Tony Hetherington replies: I contacted Raileasy and staff there immediately told me: 'If a customer's journey falls on a strike date, they would be entitled to a full refund. We always offer this.'

It appears you went online and used the 'manage my booking' section of Raileasy's website, where you cancelled your booking.

This made it look as though you had simply changed your mind, rather than having been given no option because of the strike.

The website does have a section that allows for refunds when there is disruption to services. After I explained what had happened, Raileasy repaid you in full.

If you believe you are the victim of financial wrongdoing, write to Tony Hetherington at Financial Mail, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TS or email tony.hetherington@mailonsunday.co.uk. Because of the high volume of enquiries, personal replies cannot be given. Please send only copies of original documents, which we regret cannot be returned.
You would need to be confident that the share price in question could recover

Discounts can be appealing but the reality may be much less rewarding

No 1: Hipgnosis owns rights to Blondie's hits

The word 'discount' seems to offer the opportunity to get more for less.

This is why there is much excitement about the widening of discounts on many investment trusts, particularly those focused on commercial property, private equity and smaller companies.

But scrimpers like me need to know when to curb their instincts. Because although a discount may seem to provide a lower-cost gamble on the growth of the trust's underlying holdings and its flow of dividends, the reality may be much less rewarding.

The Chrysalis trust, for example, stands at a 46 per cent discount.

This is the gap between its share price and the net value of its assets, which are largely holdings in tech companies such as Klarna, the Swedish buy-now-pay-later business. This company's valuation slumped from $46.5billion to $6.7billion in 2022.

But the stock market's assessment of Chrysalis also stems from other causes. Its managers' performance fee, slammed as 'egregious' by one critic, has been cut from 20 per cent to 12.5 per cent. Yet the charge, made in addition to the annual management fee, still seems excessive, especially when recent returns have scarcely been stellar.

You may regard Chrysalis as attractive, believing that some of its bets in fledgling companies should pay off  though the trust has disposed of its stake in beleaguered Revolution Beauty at a 40million loss. Maybe selling out of a dud can be seen as a positive sign.

But the decision to put money into this, or any other trust, at a sizeable discount should be based on confidence that its share price can recover. Its managers should also be taking steps to narrow the discount, rather than relying on a reassessment of the trust's allure by the markets.

To boost its share price, a trust can buy back its own shares, or improve the awareness of its offer through marketing. Details of the trust's discount control mechanism should appear on its website.

Pressure for action comes against a background of mounting discount discontent.

In early December, Peter Spiller, manager of the defensively positioned Capital Gearing Trust  which has a zero-discount policy  called for the managers of Abrdn's Asia Focus and Diversified Income & Growth to tackle the discounts on these trusts, of 9.8 per cent and 19.10 per cent respectively.

Diversified Income & Growth, in which Capital Gearing has a small stake, modified its discount policy late last month.

But brokers Investec are unconvinced and have downgraded the trust from a 'buy' to a 'hold'.

Could Spiller's intervention be the start of a wider campaign? Let us hope so. As James Carthew of QuotedData, the analytics group, has stated, the widening of discounts is costing investors dearly.

How to spot a potential bargain investment trust

Meanwhile, in the hope that managers will be facing up to their responsibilities, I have been sifting through a selection of trusts at a discount.

Iain Scouller, of the brokers Stifel, contends that discounts on private equity trusts could shrink if there is an upsurge in bid activity. This week broker Peel Hunt has reported that the European private equity industry has no less than 270billion of capital waiting to be invested.

Hg Capital Trust, which stands at a discount of 19 per cent, backs software businesses whose services should be increasingly sought by companies that want to lower their costs by outsourcing.

The Oakley Capital Investment Trust is at a 36 per cent discount, but it provides exposure to the development of cloud computing and ecommerce in southern Europe, an area that the trust's manager Steven Tredget argues is behind 'the digital disruption curve'.

Ben Yearsley, of Shore Capital, has been buying into the Digital 9 Infrastructure Trust  discount 17.83 per cent  which puts money into digital infrastructure investments. He likes the trust's 6.9 per cent dividend yield.

Yearsley adds that a generous yield is also available at the Supermarket Income REIT (discount 11.67 per cent) whose portfolio includes Tesco, and at Hipgnosis, which owns rights to the hits of Blondie, Nile Rodgers, Lindsey Buckingham and others. At a discount of 44 per cent, it really is a bargain, according to Yearsley.

A counterbalance to the Hipgnosis gamble could be the Fidelity Special Value trust which is at a modest 6 per cent discount. Darius McDermott, of Fund Calibre, calls this 'a solid trust if you believe the UK stock market offers good value'. This is very much my view.

McDermott also suggests Devon Equity Management's European Opportunities Trust, which is at a 13.48 per cent discount and invests in growth companies such as Novo Nordisk, the diabetes drug specialist. Kepler Trust Intelligence says that Alexander Darwall, the manager, has a large stake in the trust, and is able to learn by his mistakes. It's a mix that I will be looking for in 2023.
The London Metal Exchange (LME) is to lose its chairman as it grapples with the fallout from the nickel market scandal.

The exchange said Gay Huey Evans, 68, who became the first woman to chair the LME in December 2019, will not seek re-election this year and will step down once a replacement has been found.

Challenge: Serious questions have been raised about the exchange's oversight of its market

Her exit is the most senior departure since the nickel crisis last March, when a giant short squeeze resulted in the closure of the market for a week and the cancellation of billions of dollars worth of trades.

The decision to cancel the trades caused uproar among investors who lost out and Elliott, the aggressive American activist hedge fund, is suing the LME.

The incident left the 146-year-old LME's credibility in tatters and senior management was lambasted for its handling of the crisis.

Serious questions have been raised about the exchange's oversight of its market and the Financial Conduct Authority and the Bank of England's Prudential Regulation Authority are investigating.

The LME also commissioned its own independent inquiry, the results of which are due to be published within days.

Huey Evans is well known in financial circles and was appointed after a 30-year career that has included roles at the Financial Services Authority and the Financial Reporting Council.
Plea: Boots boss Seb James says the NHS could save 2 billion a year

The boss of pharmacy giant Boots has promised to slash waiting times in doctors' surgeries and 'help solve the NHS crisis' if he is given the green light to provide more services.

Chief executive Seb James wants his pharmacists to be able to prescribe medicine paid for by the NHS that is currently only available to patients via a GP or doctor.

He also wants the health service to ramp up efforts to encourage those suffering from minor ailments including sore throats, athlete's foot and earache to visit their local chemist shop before resorting to the health service.

Boots is the UK's biggest chemist chain, with more than 2,200 stores. Bosses told The Mail on Sunday the group could be ready to provide support 'within weeks'.

The NHS is under severe strain this winter with more than 7.2 million patients waiting for hospital treatment.

James said more support from pharmacies could reduce pressure on GP surgeries and on hospitals, where emergency services can become clogged up by those with relatively minor ailments who have no other access to treatment.

Pharmacies in England are currently prevented from writing free NHS prescriptions  in contrast with those in Scotland and Wales.

The Department of Health is considering proposals that would allow high street pharmacists a greater role in treating basic illnesses.

It could allow pharmacies to be paid by the NHS to provide consultations and treatments, to prescribe medicines including antibiotics, and to refer patients to a GP. The proposed service has been dubbed Pharmacy First.

James said Britain has 11,000 pharmacists, all highly qualified medical professionals, who are currently being underused.

'We could help solve the NHS crisis,' he said. 'We could make a massive dent in waiting times for GPs. And we could make a massive dent in waiting times for chronic care.'

He said pharmacists could also help many hospital patients to be discharged earlier.

Underused: James says Britain's pharmacists could help to solve the NHS crisis

Boots and other chemist chains are in talks with Ministers. The firms argue that the potential plans could put the NHS on a much more sustainable footing and provide 'significant savings'.

James believes the proposals could save the health service almost 2 billion each year. 'We need to recognise that something has to change,' he said.

A string of hospital trusts and ambulance services have recently declared critical incidents as they struggle to deal with the combination of record backlogs and surging flu and Covid cases. Some health chiefs have claimed delays are leading to around 500 excess deaths a week.

Community pharmacies 'on brink of collapse'

The plea from James comes as parts of England's network of community pharmacies are said to be teetering on the brink of collapse.

The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee  which includes large chains and independent pharmacists  says state funding has been cut by 30 per cent over the past seven years and is 'now leading to a serious degradation of services to patients'.

It has called for increased investment in the sector and for the reversal of funding cuts.

All qualified pharmacists in England can prescribe medicines, but the NHS will not subsidise the cost to patients. In Wales and Scotland, however, the NHS commissions pharmacists to prescribe drugs.

Marc Donovan, director of healthcare development at Boots, said this had had 'a real impact' in easing pressure on local Welsh and Scottish NHS systems.

'It is rather simple and could be rolled out within weeks,' said Donovan. 'The whole healthcare system is under pressure and there is a more efficient way of managing minor ailments in particular.'

Boots believes a change of policy in England would cut the need for 47 million GP appointments each year.

Figures from the scheme in Wales show that it led to an 18 per cent reduction in workloads for GPs and an 8 per cent drop in visits to A&E for minor ailments.

James added: 'In Scotland and Wales it is working and it is incredibly helpful. We do not understand why it is not being commissioned in England.'

A Department of Health spokesman said: 'Pharmacies already provide a range of clinical services and over the next 18 months we will be increasing the support pharmacists  who are degree-qualified medical health professionals  can provide.'
Trials: Mike Lynch says he is not like crypto boss Sam Bankman-Fried

Technology tycoon Mike Lynch has said efforts to extradite him to the US are an 'affront to the sovereignty of British courts'  and appeared to brush off the furore over alleged fraud, claiming that no money went missing.

Lynch is on the brink of being handed to the American authorities to face criminal fraud charges relating to the controversial sale of his software firm Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard.

It follows a damning High Court judgment last year when he and his finance director were found to have duped the US company into overpaying for Autonomy, which Hewlett-Packard bought for $11 billion (9 billion) in 2011.

Lynch was found to have defrauded Hewlett-Packard by manipulating Autonomy's accounts to inflate the value of the company. He has always denied the accusation.

Damages are still to be awarded to Hewlett-Packard, though a judge has said they will be 'substantially less' than the $5 billion it sought.

Now, in a recent letter to his supporters seen by The Mail on Sunday, Lynch claims the row over Autonomy was 'an argument over accounting treatment and valuation metrics', adding: 'Crucially, there was never any cash missing from Autonomy. Every penny is there.'

And, in an apparent reference to Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of collapsed crypto-currency exchange FTX, who was recently extradited from the Bahamas to face fraud charges in the US, Lynch added: 'No one was using company funds to buy luxury villas in the Bahamas or support a failed hedge fund on the side, which, from my armchair vantage point, seems to be what happens when it really goes wrong in situations like FTX.'

Thanking his supporters, Lynch vowed to carry on fighting, but conceded there was 'no change to the extradition system that can affect my case', adding: 'But that doesn't mean it shouldn't be changed.'

And he warned: 'What is happening to me today could happen to anyone tomorrow. Other British business people may find they are sued by US companies who can also turn the loaded gun of a criminal indictment on them in what is fundamentally a commercial dispute, putting them at the mercy of this extradition treaty.

'This is surely an affront to the sovereignty of British courts and the British justice system. Is it not time, to borrow a phrase, that we 'took back control'? '

Lynch said it was 'very likely' that his appeal against the extradition would be heard in the High Court in the next few months.

'Bizarrely, the extradition court may well be asked to come to a decision before the civil court has determined what harm, if any, Hewlett-Packard incurred as a result of the Autonomy transaction,' he said.

He added that 'there was no $5 billion fraud at Autonomy as Hewlett-Packard originally claimed' and said: 'The so-called loss to Hewlett-Packard may well turn out to be nothing. Even Hewlett-Packard's own auditors concur that the matters in their complaint had no material impact on valuation.'

Autonomy's former finance director, Sushovan Hussain, has already been jailed for five years in the US after being found guilty of fraud relating to the deal.
British Steel's Chinese owner has been slammed for 'broken promises' amid reports it wants 300 million of Government cash.

Jingye rescued Scunthorpe-based British Steel in early 2020, months after it collapsed and was taken into Government hands.

The take-over by the Chinese conglomerate was controversial. But it was sealed with Jingye's insistence it would plough money into the group.

It is now understood to be considering shutting down one of the site's two blast furnaces within weeks if it does not receive state help.

Burnout: Jingye, chaired by Li Ganpo, pledged to revitalise the Scunthorpe site

There are just four blast furnaces left in the entire UK. Experts fear that if British Steel  which employs 4,000 people  shuts one furnace, its other could follow suit later this year.

Scunthorpe makes many of the UK's rail tracks and steel for construction. When Jingye was bidding for British Steel, it appeared to signal that it had a blank cheque for keeping the steelworks going.

In a presentation seen by The Mail on Sunday, the Chinese group said: 'Need funds? No problem. Jingye is here to invest.' It added that it would 'revitalise the glory' of British Steel and 'impress the world'.

Sir Iain Duncan Smith, former Conservative leader and a founder of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, said: 'There's clearly a trail of broken promises here.

'When Jingye was bizarrely permitted to take over British Steel, it clearly made a host of sweeping promises to gain control. Before the Government countenances any kind of intervention, there needs to be a full inquiry into why a pledge made only three years ago appears to have come to nothing.'

Soaring energy prices have put a strain on costs, forcing steel firms to seek short-term cash.

Business Secretary Grant Shapps and Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove have both urged Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to ensure the two blast furnaces at the site are kept running, according to reports.

But Paul McBean, of the Community steel union, said negotiations over Government support had been going on since August.

He told the Yorkshire Post that British Steel's 'very impatient' Chinese owners were not used to 'our slow Government' and 'are not going to wait much longer'.

Funds requested 'to invest in green energy'

British Steel is widely reported as asking for 300 million. It is unclear what Jingye's next move will be as it also pledged to 'never sell' British Steel.

Jingye promised to invest 1.2 billion to reinvigorate the business when the takeover was completed in March 2020, but did not say how long this would take. British Steel said it had spent 330 million on major investments so far and wanted help to switch to green energy.

We are not asking for a Government bailout. We are asking for support to aid our transition to net zero as per targets set by the UK Government British Steel

Tata Steel, which runs the UK's other two blast furnaces, also wants funds to help it shift to electric or hydrogen-based plants. The industry says France and Germany receive state assistance to make the transition on top of other subsidies.

The price of carbon credits  certificates that firms buy to allow them to emit greenhouse gases  has also spiralled. That has placed an additional burden on an industry that has been heavily reliant on fossil fuels as a time when it is coping with sky-high energy prices.

The UK steel industry employs 34,500 people. Ministers have said they are committed to securing a 'sustainable and competitive' future for it.

A British Steel spokesman said Jingye had made 'significant' investments in the business, adding: 'Jingye is committed to our long-term future, but we also require the UK Government to provide the necessary support, policies and frameworks to back our drive to become a clean, green and sustainable company.

'We are not asking for a Government bailout. We are asking for support to aid our transition to net zero as per targets set by the UK Government.'
While sustainability is at its core, O'Neal is reticent to shout it from the rooftops

Carmen O'Neal has quietly built a cocktail empire from an east London railway arch, but it wasn't what she dreamed of doing. She initially set out to be a shoemaker.

After a traffic accident left her unable to use one of her hands temporarily, Canadian-born O'Neal had to rethink her entire career.

Change in spirit: Carmen O'Neal trained as a shoemaker before launching 58 and Co

A chance meeting with her former business partner led to the launch of her gin brand 58 and Co in 2016, just as interest in the spirit started to shoot up.

Gin has become a crowded market as drinks manufacturers clamber to capitalise on consumer interest in the spirit.

In 2020 there were just 480 gin distilleries in the country, now the number stands at around 820.

While other brands have launched niche, flavoured gins to capitalise on growing demand, O'Neal says she was never interested in developing something that was 'overly flavoured, kitschy and had a story of being handpicked on a random mountain.'

There are just three 58 and Co gins on offer currently: London Dry, Apple and Hibiscus and Navy Strength.

It's a bold move for a company in a crowded market, but O'Neal, despite her modesty, is an experienced and confident entrepreneur.

She is already building her own personal brand, becoming a regular on Saturday Kitchen as a cocktail expert.

We meet in 58 and Co's distillery in Haggerston, east London, nestled between other budding startups keen to run their business from the iconic railway arches.

58 and Co's home is a bright and welcoming space, a far cry from what you might expect from an alcohol startup.

O'Neal got the keys to the arch when her son was four weeks old and spent most of the time building it up while he was strapped to her. Ten months later, it was up and running.

'Arches aren't necessarily designed with plumbing and electrics in mind, you have to implement all of that. But the feeling is something I couldn't emulate in another location,' she says.

While O'Neal has plans to expand further, she wants to keep the distillery as 'home'.

>> Thinking of starting a business this January? How to get free expert help

'Gin wasn't my first love'

O'Neal has a clear entrepreneurial flair but it was her mum's death that really pushed her to start her own business.

'I started my own footwear line and then my mum got sick. A couple of weeks before she passed she said to me, 'You're not going to make this shoe line work from Canada"', she says.

'A week after she passed I sold my house, my car, all my belongings, got on a plane and came to London.

I love creating something that brings people together

'I went to University of the Arts London, I designed my collection and got it into production. The next week I got run over by a lorry. The side of my body and my hand was crushed.

'Luckily I survived. But the investors in my shoe business said you can't use your hand, we're done, we're out.'

Although a gin distillery wasn't what O'Neal initially set out to do, the presence of her mother, whose favourite tipple was gin, is very much felt in the distillery from the essential oils wafting through the air to the large still named after her.

As a trained aromatherapist, O'Neal's mother made her own oils. 'I got to see lavender and rose oil being made. I saw distilling and the science behind it and I found it really interesting,' she says.

'Gin wasn't necessarily my love. I love creating something that people enjoy and brings people together.

'I love creating experiences that people can share with their friends and family.'

>> How entrepreneurs are beating setbacks from strikes to fuel squeeze

New gin on the block: 58 and Co's distillery is based in a railway arch in east London

'People are more likely to spend on experiences'

Consumers' desire to spend money on unique experiences is why O'Neal took such a long time to get the railway arch to her exact taste. It's home to 58 and Co's gin school, which has become an important revenue stream.

The concept is simple: customers spend three hours tasting, making and bottling their own gin.

So far it has been a roaring success, says O'Neal, recalling one customer who has been back five times, albeit with five different dates.

Since the pandemic more and more small businesses have had to pivot to in-person experiences to try and get consumers through the door as they battle online fatigue.

How the gin school will stand up in the face of the cost of living crisis remains to be seen.

At 125 per person, it's a premium offering and consumers are unlikely to part with their cash so easily now.

O'Neal doesn't seem to think her target customers will be put off, however.

'We provide such an incredible afternoon that when you look at it from a value side and what people are leaving with I think you get way more value than what you charge. Its a luxury experience,' she says.

'I think people will think twice on how they make purchases, but people want something that creates a memory and I think people buy experiences to have with loved ones. Thats something that will last a lifetime compared to a jumper.'

She concedes people might see gin school as an important revenue stream but, as with her entire approach to the company, she takes a more holistic view.

'I look at it as if I'm creating brand ambassadors. The idea of creating something that has people laughing and enjoying - my mum always had an incredible table, always feeding people, she was the ultimate host. Gin school is that for me. Introducing people, connecting people, creating a memory.'

>> Small business with a success story? Get in touch: editor@thisismoney.co.uk

Learning the ropes: 58 and Co's distillery is home to its gin school which has proved a success

Why B Corp isn't the be-all and end-all

While 58 and Co might have established itself both as a gin brand - it's stocked online and across independent retailers - and through its gin school, it hasn't been without its growing pains.

The name itself comes from the 58 recipes it took to get the gin just right. Previously named 58 Gin, O'Neal opted for a name change as part of a broader rebrand.

During the pandemic, O'Neal and her team started to produce white-label alcohol to sell to bars and restaurants. The 'house' product is sold in three litre refillable bags alongside the premium range of three gins and one vodka.

I think sustainable has become a bit of a buzzword. Same thing with B Corp...

This year 58 and Co is launching a collab series, initially with a Sake brewery and winery, which will take the waste of other distilleries and turn it into a new product. The 58 Gin name had therefore run its course.

With the change also came the news that 58 and Co had become a certified B Corp. O'Neal initially chose not to announce it for seven months, reflecting her own modesty but also her approach to sustainability for the brand.

'I'm crazy about my composting. But seeing it, feeling it, touching it is going to be better than anything I put out on the internet and saying this is what we do.

'Sustainability wasn't me doing it for other people, it was us doing it for the right reasons for our business.'

The commitment to sustainability isn't immediately evident when you walk into the distillery, because everything has been painstakingly curated to feel as upmarket and comfortable as possible.

But on closer inspection you notice the entrance way is made of disused plastic, the coasters are made of recycled plastic from the distillery and everything is recycled.

O'Neal even has worms in the back, which she affectionately nicknames the Brady Bunch, to help with composting.

'When we did the rebrand, we used the term ethical rather than sustainable.

'I think sustainable has somehow, in the last year, become a bit of a buzzword that some businesses are using it as a way to get investment. Same thing with B Corp people were applying for it for credibility down the road.'

O'Neal's commitment and energy is relentless and she is a natural entrepreneur having comfortably morphed from make-up artist, to shoemaker and now to gin distiller.

It does beg the question how much longer her attention will be kept with 58 and Co.

She concedes that 58 and Co hasn't experienced a 'normal' trading environment just yet. Opening in July 2019, the company was open for six months before the pandemic hit.

58 and Co didn't fully reopen until June 2021 and since then has had to battle with Covid restrictions over Christmas 2021, travel restrictions, the cost of living crisis and supplier issues.

It is clear, however, that the company, and the gin school in particular, is where her heart lies. While O'Neal might not shout about her successes, it's clear 58 and Co has found a winning formula.
The rental market has become more unaffordable, with Tasmania topping the list

Renters in a picturesque Australian city are pulling out all stops to try and find a home in a 'brutal' market that shows no signs of improving.

Hobart has been the nation's most unaffordable city to rent since 2018, and had an incredibly low vacancy rate of 0.5 per cent this year.

Renters are feeling 'hopeless' and 'depressed' after spending months dealing with rejected applications and battling crowds of '40 to 50' people at viewings.

Prospective renters in Tasmania, desperate for a roof over their heads, are feeling 'hopeless' and 'depressed' as they spend months facing rejected applications and crowds of '40-50 people' at viewings (pictured, homes in Hobart)

Disability worker Angus Harrold by chance landed a rental home in Rosetta, north of Hobart's CBD, this month.

He was searching with friends after attending 30 to 40 viewings over four months - as well as virtual tours.

Mr Harrold, 24, said he saw people on lunch breaks lining up to inspect the house, with one man jumping out of a St John's Ambulance in his uniform to check out the property.

'We ended up getting a place purely through somebody who knew someone else who was looking to rent the house out,' Mr Harrold told Daily Mail Australia.

He said his mum's neighbour worked with a landlord who had put a social media post up looking for tenants.

The neighbour then put in a good word for him and his friends so 'the timing was really good'.

'We were four guys trying to get a place and we are all in our twenties, we actually had a few places where we rocked up to the inspections and we were just straight up told, "look you're not going to get it".

The scenic city of Hobart (pictured) has been the most unaffordable city in the country to rent in since 2018, with an 'incredibly low' vacancy rate of 0.5 per cent

'Specifically because there is that stigma about [a group of male tenants] partying and being quite destructive, which isn't what we do, we are pretty nerdy, we just play video games.'

Mr Harrold said the process was tough, and made him and his friends question each other about what they were doing wrong.

'We had our finances and savings but we kept on getting knocked back and it was just like "is it our personality, are we acting too weird, do we not look the type?"

'It was quite depressing.'

He said he had to think up other ways to find a home, including bombarding real estate agents with questions about other available places when a bid for a property was unsuccessful.

'{We had to avoid being] brand loyal that's what we found, we had the most opportunities by literally going through every single person, checking Gumtree, checking Facebook, Hobart Buy and Sell,' he said.

Ben Bartl, principal solicitor at the Tenants' Association of Tasmania, told Daily Mail Australia some people are offering rent payments of three, six and 12 months in advance to score a place to live in Tasmania.

'A landlord is not allowed to ask for more than one month's rent in advance but if a prospective tenant was to offer it, it does give them an advantage, Mr Bartl said.

Ben Bartl (pictured), principal solicitor at the Tenants' Association of Tasmania said some tenants are offering three, six and 12 month rent payments in advance to score a place to live in Tasmania

Mr Bartl said real estates and landlords in Tasmania are only allowed to lease a residence for a fixed price but it doesn't stop renters from bidding higher.

'Many tenants feel they need to offer more for the property that it is advertised to get ahead of everyone else,' Mr Bartl said.

'In greater Hobart the vacancy rate is 0.5 per cent, which is incredibly low, and means there are a lot of tenants looking for affordable rental properties but there just isn't the supply.

'Tasmanian workers earn 20 per cent less compared to the rest of the country but it is more expensive to rent than Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide.'

He added the state's median rent rose from $300 to $450 for a three-bedroom home in the last five years, with the same residence in Hobart's CBD soaring by 33 per cent to $600 in 2022.

Incomes and pensions have not risen, leaving vulnerable groups including low-income earners and solo parents in the lurch.

'A landlord is not allowed to ask for more than one month's rent in advance but if a prospective tenant was to offer it, it does give them an advantage, Mr Bartl said

Single dad Steven Duggan has been forced to couch surf as he waits for an affordable rental in Hobart for him and his American Staffy.

'I'm a guy that doesn't really show his emotions but I've cried a lot lately, I feel like s***, helpless and hopeless,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

The building maintenance professional said he has been searching since mid September and has lost count of how many properties he has viewed.

The state's median rent rose from $300 to $450 for a three-bedroom home in the last five years, with the same residence in the capital city's CBD soaring by 33 per per cent to $600 in 2022 (pictured, Hobart's CBD)

He also said the rent price is a 'huge deal' being on his own as he is competing with others who have two or three incomes and has to stick to a budget of $450 per week.

'It's painful not having my own home and to be able to just feel safe secure and have my son and our dog all in one place, it really sucks and hurts,' the 34 year old said.

'I still struggle to get somewhere and it's really stuffing with my emotions and my relationship with my son - it's all on my mind all day and night.'

He hasn't been able to have his son, his 'best mate', over for weekends and misses him. He also has no family in the area to rely on leaving him to resort to couch surfing with friends.

'I feel like a burden and a pain to the people that are helping me and this help won't always be around, I can only stay for so long at mates' places,' he said.

Cancer survivor Bruce Lund, 65, also faces a grim outlook after he was served an eviction notice from his house in Hobart for being seven days late on paying the rent.

Cancer survivor Bruce Lund also faces a grim outlook after he was evicted from his residence in Hobart for being seven days late on paying his rent (pictured, Mr Lund with his 10-year-old son, Heath)

He has to be out by December 29 and is 'beside himself' about finding a place in time.

Mr Lund, a handyman on government support, shares custody with his 10-year-old son, Heath.

'I can't live in a tent with a 10-year-old,' he said.

'I have been beside myself, struggling to eat, sleep, chronically depressed - my boy is keeping me alive.'

Mr Lund's health issues, including Squamous Cell Carcinoma - a common skin cancer, has made earning a wage near impossible.

Single dad Steven Duggan said he has been searching in Hobart and in its east since mid September and has lost count of how many properties he has viewed (pictured, Hobart Harbour)

The former avid surfer said he used to pay $245 a week six years ago for his two-bedroom home but the price has been jacked up to $385.

'The rents in Hobart have been ridiculous, there are a few places around but they are really expensive,' he said.

Mr Bartl said tenants can rise above the pack by having written references from former landlords or agencies handy when going to inspections.

'[It] means the real estate agent is not going to have to chase up a reference and you can demonstrate you have a good rental history,' he said.

'If you have kept a rental in good condition and you have paid the rent on time and you get paid regularly - it means you do have a better chance of getting the property.'
Since the debut of Sesame Street in 1969, the likes of Bert, Ernie, the Cookie Monster and Elmo have become global icons.

The cast of Muppets are now at the head of a franchise that millions of children and adults alike adore.

But in Russia, the domestic version of Sesame Street did not hit TV screens until 1996 - five years after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

And the show made it to screens despite the fact that the production team's offices were at one point raided by soldiers, who seized scripts, set drawings and even a life-sized Elmo puppet that was the office mascot.

Now, a new book by producer Natasha Lance Rogoff tells the incredible story of the struggle to make Ulitsa Sezam, which ultimately ran until 2010 - when 'Putin's people' at Russia's TV networks took it off air.

The show featured domestic characters that became iconic in Russia, including nine-foot blue tree spirit Zeliboba and pink and orange monsters Businka and Kubik.

In a further sign of the febrile, uncertain post-Communist atmosphere that Ms Rogoff was working in, several heads of Russian television who she was collaborating with were assassinated before the show had even aired.

In Russia, the domestic version of Sesame Street - Ulitsa Sezam - made it to screens despite the fact that the production team's offices were at one point raided by soldiers, who seized scripts, set drawings and even a life-sized Elmo puppet (pictured) that was the office mascot

Ulitsa Sezam - did not hit TV screens until 1996 - five years after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Above: Russian Muppets Businka (left); Zeliboba (centre) and Kubik on set with actress Katya Mikhailovskaya

Ms Rogoff had fallen in love with Russian literature as a teenager, prompting her to change her legal first name from Susan to Natasha.

After studying Russian in college, she moved to Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) as an exchange student.

The producer wrote articles about the underground culture in the Soviet Union, including one about the gay scene in Russia in 1983.

She even married a gay friend to help him escape persecution by the government.

Once back in the US, Ms Rogoff's ambitions to become a diplomat were scuppered by the FBI's refusal to give her the level of national security clearance she needed.

So she returned to Moscow and began working as a TV producer.

The call from the makers of Sesame Street - Children's Television Workshop - to produce Ulitsa Sezam came in 1993, but it would ultimately take nearly four years before it hit Russian screens.

The project had the support of both American and Russian government officials - despite the fact that in 1973, after Sesame Street had expanded to Brazil, a Soviet Communist Party newspaper had said the show's growth abroad was a 'clear example of veiled neocolonialism in cultures.'

The hope was that the Russian version would help young viewers cope in the country's new market economy - with the Muppets acting as mascots of democratic values.

An early financial backer of Ulitsa Sezam was Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky, who owned part of the country's leading television network.

But his support disappeared in July 1994, when his car was blown up by a bomb and he fled to Britain.

A new book by producer Natasha Lance Rogoff tells the incredible story of the struggle to make Ulitsa Sezam, which ultimately ran until 2010 and featured domestic characters that included nine-foot blue tree spirit Zeliboba and pink and orange monsters Businka and Kubik. Above: Ms Rogoff with Russian producer Leonid Zagalsky

The original Sesame Street first aired in November 1969, and became a global phenomenon. Pictured: Cookie Monster and pals

Muppets Kubik and Businka sharing a moment with Katya Mikhailovskaya (actress) and Tiger in the Ulitsa Sezam studio

The call from the makers of Sesame Street - Children's Television Workshop - to produce Ulitsa Sezam came in 1993, but it would ultimately take nearly four years before it hit Russian screens. Above: Ms Rogoff on set during the first day of shooting the show

Ulitsa Sezam's core creative team celebrating the completion of live-action and animation films for the TV series: (top row, from left) Anna Victorova, Anna Connolly, Katya Komalkova, Sergei Novikov, and Volodya Grammatikov; (bottom row, from left) Uliana Savelieva, Tamara Pavliuchenko, Natasha Lance Rogoff, Robin Hessman, Vika Lukina, and Misha Davydov

Luis Santiero, Sesame Street writer (right corner), with the Russian team of Ulitsa Sezam scriptwriters in Moscow. Initially, the head writer - who was Russian - wanted to hire only established authors of Russian literature; even though the fruits of their efforts were abstract scripts that children would not understand

He became a fierce critic of Russian president Vladimir Putin and died in 2013.

Another backer, Russian TV executive and journalist Vladislav Listyev was murdered in 1995, and the crime has never been solved.

Fortunately, before his death, Ms Rogoff had worked closely with him to ensure that Ulitsa Sezam would air.

Ms Rogoff's team also had to deal with the terrifying upheaval caused by the raiding by soldiers of their offices in Moscow. The producer is still unsure what the reason for the raid was.

At the time of the raid, the team were preparing to send the show's budget to the US so it could be approved and they could get the money they needed to film it and put it on air.

Ulitsa Sezam puppeteer performer Andrei Kuzichev, rehearsing with his Muppet Kubik in the studio

Ulitsa Sezam technical crew preparing to shoot 'neighborhood scenes' in Moscow's ORT TV studio, with a cityscape backdrop in view

Stanislav Klimushkin, puppeteer performer of Zeliboba, rehearsing in partial costume at the studio

Ms Rogoff was told of the raid on the phone as it was happening. She tells in her book how colleagues scrambled to fax the budget to America as soldiers rampaged through the office.

She describes how a soldier told the team that they had 'ten minutes' to do what they needed to do.

Afterwards, she was told how one of the men 'stole Elmo'. Colleague Misha told Ms Rogoff: 'I tried to save Elmo by grabbing him out of the soldier's arms, but the commando yanked him from my grasp.'

The team speculated that the soldier took the puppet to give to his child. The soldiers also took scripts and equipment and closed the office.

However, the team were able to continue shooting the show by using borrowed equipment.

Besides this ordeal, Ms Rogoff faced constant battles with Russian members of the development team.

Initially, the show's Russian producers wanted Ulitsa Sezam to feature wooden puppets modelled on traditional characters from Russian theatre.

She was told: 'Russia has a long, rich, and revered puppet tradition dating to the sixteenth century. We don't need your American Moppets in our children's show.'

The head writer - who was Russian - wanted to hire only established authors of Russian literature; even though the fruits of their efforts were abstract scripts that children would not understand.

Ms Rogoff also had to fight a months-long battle with Ulitsa Sezam's music director to ensure that the show would feature more than just Russia's 'world renowned' classical music and would include contemporary hits as well.

When the show finally made its debut in October 1996 after the artistic tussles were resolved, it proved to be a big hit.

Ms Rogoff says that Zeliboba, Kubik and Businka became as recognisable to children throughout the former Soviet Union.

Ulitsa Sezam actors singing on set: (from left) Alexander Lyrchikov (father Sasha), Ekaterina Strizhenova (mother Nina), Muppets Businka and Kubik with Katya Mikhailovskaya (young Katya), and Maria Aronova (Aunt Dasha)

Scenic drawing of Ulitsa Sezam backdrop for 'neighborhood' studio set, designed by the art director, Masha Rybasova

It aired one day a week on channel OTV and six nights a week on rival NTV, reaching millions of children across Russia, as well as youngsters in Ukraine and the Baltic states.

Ms Rogoff ultimately produced 52 half-hour episodes over the course of two years. After she departed the project in 1998, Ulitsa Sezam continued until 2010.

She claims in her book that it was taken off air because it was 'no longer supported by Putin's people at the television networks.'

Writing in her book about why she stayed in Russia to see through the completion of Ulitsa Sezam, Ms Rogoff says: 'What made me stay, even in the face of physical violence jeopardizing the production, were the fascinating cultural battles that touched almost every aspect of the showfrom the scriptwriting to the music, to the creation of the Slavic Muppets themselves.

'I discovered that adapting the American children's show in Moscow often pitted Sesame Street's progressive values against three hundred years of Russian thought.

'The clash of divergent views about individualism, capitalism, race, education, and equality offered a window into the cultural discord and conflict between East and West that continues to dominate relations today.'

Muppets in Moscow: The Unexpected Crazy True Story of Making Sesame Street in Russia, by Natasha Lance Rogoff,

The first international version of Sesame Street was launched in Brazil in 1972, under the name Vila Sesamo.

Since then, more than 30 countries around the world have created their own versions of the series.

The original US version debuted on November 10, 1969.

As well as Bert, Ernie, the Cookie Monster and Elmo, other famous characters include Big Bird and Kermit the Frog.

The ethos behind the show was to provide educational content to pre-school age children.

Teachers and psychiatrists were consulted to make sure that children would find the show engaging, and that they could be taught without even realising it.

The Muppets themselves were created by American animator Jim Henson.

By then time of its 50th anniversary in 2019, more than 4,500 episodes, 35 specials, 200 home videos and 180 albums had been made, with the show winning 11 Emmys and 11 Grammys in the process.

Muppets in Moscow: The Unexpected Crazy True Story of Making Sesame Street in Russia, by Natasha Lance Rogoff, is being published in hardback on January 23 by Rowman & Littlefield.
Disgraced TV host Chris Smith wore a hoodie with the word 'unbreakable' on it as he was seen for the first time since being sacked over his 'drunk groping' scandal at the Sky News Christmas party.

Smith, 60, was on his own as he visited a Bunnings hardware store in Alexandria, Sydney, before grabbing some groceries at a nearby supermarket.

The former anchor also went to a coffee shop and met with an acquaintance before running his errands.

It is the first time he has been seen since allegedly groping a Sky News co-worker's bottom at the company Christmas party in December and making several crude and inappropriate comments to other young women at the event.

The remarks allegedly brought a female colleague to tears, while another co-worker is understood to have struck Smith due to his conduct.

Ex-Sky News anchor Chris Smith, 60, was on his own as he visited a Bunnings store in Alexandria, Sydney

He sported a hoodie with the word 'unbreakable' emblazoned on the back as he ran some errands in Sydney

He also approached a woman and creepily commented about one of her Instagram photos from a holiday, saying she 'had a lot of side boob going on'.

Three days after the party, Smith was fired by Sky and also lost his radio show on 2GB.

Smith later apologised 'profusely' and blamed the incident on long-standing problems with alcohol and bipolar disorder, while revealing he had checked himself into a mental health facility.

'I have a recurring problem with alcohol it sends me manic,' he said is a statement.

'I am in a facility receiving professional help to deal conclusively with my abuse of alcohol and solve this once and for all, without qualification it can and will be done.'

His wife Susie Burrell moved out of the couple's home after learning about the Christmas party incident.

The nutritionist, author and columnist - who also has a degree in psychology - took the couple's six-year-old twin sons with her.

Smith's sacking from Sky and 2GB was the third time he had been officially reprimanded for inappropriate behaviour in his 40 year career.

A former Nine Network worker accused him of exposing his genitals and pushing her up against a wall during an office party 24 years ago.

Sally, which is not her real name, said he only got a 'slap on the wrist' after allegedly unzipping his pants at a leaving party as she ended her stint at Channel Nine's flagship show A Current Affair in Artarmon, Sydney in 1998.

The female staff member told the Daily Telegraph Smith approached her while he was 'a bit drunk' at a Channel Nine do farewelling herself and two other colleagues.

Smith was her chief-of-staff at A Current Affair at the time, while she was the youngest worker in the office after scoring her job at the network straight out of university.

It is the first time he has been seen since allegedly groping a Sky News co-worker's bottom at the company Christmas party in December and making several crude and inappropriate comments to other young women

The former anchor also went to a coffee shop and met with an acquaintance before running his errands

Smith was sensationally sacked following his 'drunk groping' scandal at the Sky News Christmas party

The program's employees got together for the shindig at the network's ritzy third-floor boardroom.

'We were in that boardroom. We were all having drinks and relaxing and I was in the middle of it all when Chris came lurching and swaying up to me, clearly already a bit drunk,' she said.

'I'm paraphrasing here, but he said something along the lines of "I want to f*** you, you're f****** hot" and then I looked down, his pants zip is undone and his penis is hanging out.'

She alleged she was shocked at the time and tried to get away from Smith and went around a corner - but he followed her.

'There he pushed me up against the wall, still with his penis hanging out, his drunken breath in my face, continuing to tell me how much he wanted me,' she alleged.

The woman said she pushed him away, fleeing to the other side of the room and told the show's receptionist about what had happened.

She said Smith then came and lurched over the pair, still with his genitals exposed, before she told him to zip himself up - which he didn't do.

His wife Susie Burrell moved out of the couple's home after learning about the Christmas party incident

Smith (pictured on Sky) later apologised 'profusely' and blamed the incident on long-standing problems with alcohol and bipolar disorder, while revealing he had checked himself into a mental health facility

Smith's sacking from Sky and 2GB was the third time he had been officially reprimanded for inappropriate behaviour in his 40 year career

The staff member then hailed a passing senior colleague to help, who reportedly saw Smith's exposed genitals and grabbed him by the collar before pulling him out of the boardroom.

The woman said she still has a photographic memory of the event because it was so distressing and remembers breaking out in a cold sweat and shaking.

Smith was never sacked over the incident but was just given a 'slap over the wrist', she said.

The woman explained how he was banned from going to the Channel Nine bar and had his car taken away from him for six months.

She added she didn't speak up about the incident because she feared it would affect her career, claiming rumours of the awful incident impacted her attempts to get a good job in the industry.

Smith was demoted from his role as chief-of-staff at A Current Affair after the incident - but he was caught out again.

The TV commentator was suspended for a time when he worked at 2GB following the station's 2009 Christmas party.

It is alleged he behaved inappropriately towards several women and tried to kiss a female colleague.
A stricken paddle steamer hosting a popular steak restaurant that began sinking in Essex last month has fallen further below the water line, dramatic new pictures show.

The floating Miller and Carter steakhouse, at the Lakeside shopping centre in Thurrock began sinking into the site's lake on December 23, as staff were preparing for lunch service.

A Miller & Carter spokesman said a structural assessment of the vessel would happen this month. This has yet to take place.

The partial sinking left dozens of Christmas diners disappointed as all bookings were cancelled and the restaurant was closed.

Now, barriers have sealed off the entrance to the restaurant, although no workers were seen on site when pictures were taken yesterday for MailOnline.

A stricken paddle steamer hosting a popular steak restaurant that began sinking in Essex last month has fallen further below the water line, dramatic new pictures show

The images show how the entirety of the restaurant's ground floor is now submerged in several feet of water

They show how the entirety of the restaurant's ground floor is now submerged in several feet of water.

Last month, the front of the restaurant was still above the water line but has now slipped beneath the surface.

A sign pinned to the barriers that seal off the gangway is titled 'Please excuse our appearance' and adds: 'We are working hard to have this issue resolved and hope to have everything looking spic and span shortly.

'Thank you for your understanding.'

Last month, the front of the restaurant (above) was still above the water line but has now slipped beneath the surface

A sign pinned to the barriers that seal off the gangway is titled 'Please excuse our appearance' and adds: 'We are working hard to have this issue resolved and hope to have everything looking spic and span shortly. Thank you for your understanding'

Pictures taken yesterday show how the ground floor of the restaurant is now submerged in at least two feet of water

The restaurant was spotted sinking into the lake, which is about 50ft deep, at around 11am on December 23.

One onlooker who posted a video of the sinking venue told how it was 'going down like the Titanic.'

Excited children gathered at the water front to catch a glimpse of the restaurant as it sank.

Customers took to social media to complain that they would have to make other arrangements for Christmas Day.

Izabella Barcikowska, 48, the general manager of nearby restaurant Las Iguanas said at the time: 'I looked out of the window and all the staff from Miller and Carters were in the boardwalk.

'I look across and the restaurant was sinking into the water. First it was leaning to the right side. Now it is leaning to the left side. It's completely flooded.'

Another new image shows the water level at the stricken steakhouse, which is set to be examined by experts

At least two feet of water now covers the ground floor of the restaurant. Above: The vessel pictured yesterday

No workers were seen at the site when images were taken yesterday. Advertising boards still display 'festive' menu options

The rear of the paddle steamer is seen above in an image taken yesterday for MailOnline

The Miller and Carter steakhouse is seen yesterday, with the water level now higher than it was last month

The area outside the entrance of the steakhouse is seen above submerged in water

Lakeside shopping centre's director, Howard Oldstein, said after the restaurant started sinking that staff were waiting for the vessel to take its 'natural course' before they assessed what action needed to be taken.

A spokesman then told the Thurrock Gazette at the end of December: 'Our initial priority has been to update guests who had bookings to dine with us and an assessment of the structure will then follow in the new year.

'As you can imagine at this time of the year it is difficult to get the specialist help which may be required, so the picture will be clearer in the new year when normal business operations resume.'

MailOnline has approached Miller and Carter for comment. A Lakeside shopping centre spokesman said the structural assessment is yet to take place.

The paddle steamer that hosts the restaurant has been a fixture on Lakeside for since at least 2007.

The Miller and Carter steakhouse is seen yesterday, in images that show how water now covers the ground floor

The gangway leading to the boat is seen sealed off yesterday after last month's incident

It is not clear if the restaurant will re-open or if it will remain permanently closed. Above: The vessel yesterday

Outdoor seating is seen mostly submerged down the side of the vessel in an image taken yesterday

It was bought by Miller and Carter, who refurbished it and opened their venue in 2019. Before changing hands, it was an Old Orleans restaurant.

The development of Lakeside was completed in 1990 on what had been a chalk quarry.

Quarries spanned the area throughout the 20th century and later filled with water to become lakes. That is where Lakeside gets its name.

The paddle steamer has been a fixture at Lakeside for years, but was bought by Miller and Carter who refurbished it and opened it in 2019.

It has been there since at least 2007 and was previously an Old Orleans restaurant.

Construction on Lakeside was completed in 1990 at the site of a former chalk quarry  many of which spanned the area throughout the 20th century, leaving gorges.

Many of the gorges filled with water and became lakes, such as the lake next to Lakeside itself - which is where the shopping centre gets its name.
The mother of a 'fantasist' woman whose false claims of being raped by an 'Asian grooming gang' sparked a wave of Islamophobia, has said she stands by her daughter.

Eleanor Williams, 22, was convicted of nine counts of perverting the course of justice over multiple rape claims and a baseless account of being trafficked by Asian men from Barrow-in-Furness.

Her claims caused uproar in the area, where a significant section of the community believed her and attacked local Asian businesses, while far-right elements stoked the flames further.

But as Williams now faces a substantial jail term following her conviction at Preston Crown Court this week, her mother Allison Johnston, a 51-year-old Labour councillor in Barrow, insisted to MailOnline: 'I believe my daughter.'

Allison Johnston, a 51-year-old Labour councillor in Barrow (pictured), insisted her daughter, Eleanor Williams was a victim of assault and trafficking

The court heard that to back up her false claims, Williams posted pictures on Facebook of horrific injuries to her face and body, including the word 'rat' carved across her stomach.

Jurors found she had caused the injuries herself, using weapons including a 10lb hammer.

The prosecution compared part of her evidence, of being 'sold' at an auction in Amsterdam, as like a scene from the Liam Neeson film Taken.

Restaurant owner Mohammed Ramzan, whom Williams claimed had groomed her from the age of 12, was arrested over her lies and said he and his family received more than 500 death threats.

He branded her 'delusional' and a 'fantasist' in court.

Mrs Johnston said: 'But to us, her family, it says she was telling the truth, that she was a victim in the way that she claimed to be and as her mother I believe her'

Mr Ramzan, who was investigated for three weeks without charge and said he had former EDL leader Tommy Robinson turning up on his doorstep, said he was driven to the brink of suicide by the claims.

But despite the convictions and the misery caused to her victims, Williams' mother says she stands by most of her daughter's claims.

And she claimed to MailOnline that Williams had been the subject of a National Referral Mechanism (NRM) order which claimed she had been trafficked for sexual purposes from the age of 12.

The NRM was introduced in 2009 following the signing of the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings.

It was designed to identify and protect victims of modern slavery and human trafficking.

Mrs Johnston said: 'The order says Ellie was a victim of exploitation and trafficking from the age of 12. Personally I don't believe that because I think as her mother I would have known something was happening to her at such a young age.

Eleanor Williams (pictured) , 22, was convicted of nine counts of perverting the course of justice over multiple rape claims and a baseless account of being trafficked by Asian men

'But to us, her family, it says she was telling the truth, that she was a victim in the way that she claimed to be and as her mother I believe her.

'There were some things she claimed that I do believe were not true, there were parts of it that she made up.

'But I do believe that substantially she was telling the truth and she was the victim of abuse and trafficking.

'I also don't believe that Ellie inflicted those injuries on herself, she couldn't have caused them. Her throat was cut, her finger and ear were cut, she had 'rat' carved on her stomach.

'There is so much people still don't know about Ellie and what she has been through, they would think differently if they knew.'

Mrs Johnston said: 'She was supposed to go to visit a women's service but instead bought pills and was found in a multi-storey car park.

'The court process began in 2019 and is still to come to an end, it's been such a long and worrying time for Ellie and the family.'

Williams left the family's large stone-built semi-detached house on Walney Island in 2019 and moved into a block of flats in Barrow.

Her mother said she was frantically worried about her daughter and in the space of seven months she reported her missing 32 times.

Mrs Johnston would drive into Barrow to look for her then 18-year-old daughter and check whether the light was on in her flat.

She said she felt Williams was vulnerable and feared at that time she was being exploited.

Williams' claims ruined the lives of the men she accused.

Among them was businessman Mr Ramzan, who Williams claimed was instrumental in trafficking her to parties across the north of England and in Amsterdam and Ibiza where she was raped.

At the time she said he was selling her for sex in Amsterdam, bank card records proved he was at B&Q in Barrow.

She claimed restaurateur Mohammed Ramzan (pictured) had trafficked her since the age of 12 and threatened to kill her. Mr Ramzan denied ever having any contact with Williams

Mr Ramzan said: 'It absolutely ruined me to the point where I smashed a bottle on my head. I wanted to kill myself because of the damage it did. The reputation I'd made was ruined. My neighbours turned on me. People dropped me. I lived in hell.'

Williams was 19 when she made her incendiary claims in a Facebook post which wasshared more than 100,000 times, unleashing a wave of Islamophobia in Barrow.

It sparked the creation of a group called 'Justice for Ellie', which has more than 100,000 members on Facebook.

A JustGiving page set up for her received more than 22,000 in donations, which it claimed would be used for 'solicitor fees'

People in the town held demonstrations in support  bumper stickers with the words 'Justice for Ellie' were sold and became commonplace.

An Indian restaurant had its windows smashed and a Muslim takeaway owner was chased and had alcohol poured over his head.

Mr Ramzan said he was often verbally abused in the street and that the town was 'a step away from anarchy'.

Far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson visited Barrow to 'investigate' the fictitious grooming gang.

Eleanor Williams claimed she was abused by an Asian grooming gang in Barrow, Cumbria

He said later that after speaking to some of the people Williams had accused he had found 'conflicting accounts' about what had happened.

Barrow's Conservative MP Simon Fell said Williams' lies had 'put the town through the wringer.

'He said 'vultures' began to 'circle' the town including 'insidious' far-right activists 'whipping up tensions'.

Mr Fell said he was also visited by families of those Williams falsely accused who said their lives had been 'torn apart' and other Asian constituents who 'feared for their and their children's safety due to the colour of their skin'.

He said: 'People's lives have been ruined as a result of her stories, and Barrow has been put through the wringer.

'One man spent time in prison due to her allegations. Others saw their windows put in. Or received death threats. Others still left town and have not returned. And trust in the police has been shaken.'

Mr Fell said there were 'so many victims in this story' not least the 'real victims of grooming', adding: 'Her story cannot and must not be a barrier to people asking for help and coming forward.'

The MP said he hoped Williams would now get 'the help she needs' as she was 'deeply unwell', adding he wanted Barrow to 'begin to heal, learn lessons that will better protect genuine victims, and look to a brighter future'.

Williams faces a substantial jail term following her conviction at Preston Crown Court this week

Four other men apart from Mr Ramzan were named in the indictment as being falsely accused by Williams...

Jordan Trengove, 22, was accused of three rapes by Williams.On one occasion, at the time she accused him of rape, he was in the back of a Cumbria Police van following an altercation.

Jordan was locked up for 10 weeks in Preston Prison's sex offender wing before her lies were unravelled and he was released

.Cameron Bibby, 22, was accused of drugging and raping Williams at a gathering at his home in Barrow.

In fact Williams was so drunk Cameron contacted her sister to ask her to take her home.

He was arrested and remained on bail for six months before the police dropped charges against him.

Oliver Gardner was accused of raping Williams after she met him by chance in Preston while both were on separate nights out.

Williams and Oliver kissed in a side street before exchanging numbers and parting.

Within days she had accused him of being part of a a grooming gang, claiming he sold drugs to vulnerable girls and accused him of rape.

Police launched an investigation into his conduct but it was quickly dropped.

Lee Helm was arrested along with Mr Ramzan in July 2019, accused of trafficking girls, including Williams.

She claimed she and other young girls were trafficked around sex parties in the north of England and in Amsterdam and Ibiza.

Lee suffered the stigma of his arrest but was eventually told no further action would be taken after suspicion swung onto the accuser.
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem's communications director ripped into Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis suggesting the Republican rising star's abortion stance was too liberal.

'Governor Noem was the only Governor in America on national television defending the Dobbs decision,' aide Ian Fury told the National Review for a story published Thursday. 'Where was Governor DeSantis? Hiding behind a 15-week ban. Does he believe that 14-week-old babies don't have a right to live?'

In April, DeSantis - considered a top 2024 GOP presidential contender - signed a 15-week ban on abortion in the Sunshine State.

Florida's Republican state lawmakers defeated amendments that would have allowed for exceptions in the cases of rape, incest, human trafficking and mental health, according to the Tallahassee Democrat.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem's (left) communications director ripped into Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (right) suggesting the Republican rising star's abortion stance was too liberal

Exceptions were kept in place for cases where the mother's life is at risk, there are fetal abnormalities or 'irreversible physical impairment.'

In December, after DeSantis cakewalked to reelection by about 20 points, the Florida Republican indicated he would be open to signing even more restrictive abortion laws, The Orlando Sentinel reported.

Ian Fury, communications director for South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, knocked Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in an email to National Review over his abortion position

'I'm willing to sign great life legislation. That's what I've always said I would do,' he said to a question about whether he's support a so-called 'heartbeat' bill, which cuts off abortion at around six weeks - a time in which many women might not even know they're pregnant.

In his note to National Review, Fury claimed that DeSantis 'just terminated his pro-life Secretary for AHCA, Simone Marstiller, the most pro-life member of his cabinet.'

Marstiller, the now former Agency for Health Care Administration secretary, departed the administration in November, with Politico reporting that her exit had to do with a new lobbying ban, not bad blood with the Florida governor.

DeSantis' office called the claim that Marstiller was let go under bad terms 'absolutely false,' according to FloridaPolitics.com.

'Florida Right to Life is embarrassed by Gov. DeSantis's record, so they invited Governor Noem to speak at their annual conference in October 2021,' Fury also said.

Fury later took to Twitter to attack the reporter he sent the message to, the National Review's Nate Hochman.

'Nate is a shill for Gov. DeSantis. He attacks Gov. Noem using the once-proud masthead of National Review because he sees her as a threat,' Fury said.

Noem, too, has been considered a Republican rising star.

At the Conservative Political Action Conference in February, she was voted No. 2 by attedees, after DeSantis, when former President Donald Trump wasn't in the mix, in the event's annual presidential straw poll.

Of course, Trump has already announced a 2024 presidential bid.

Recent polling, however, has largely ignored Noem as a potential contender.

Instead the Real Clear Politics polling average includes Trump - who still has a 18.2 percent advantage - and DeSantis, followed by former Vice President Mike Pence, former U.N. Amb. Nikki Haley, former Rep. Liz Cheney, Sen. Marco Rubio, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan.

Besides Trump and DeSantis, all the other candidates are polling in the single digits.

The Democratic National Committee was gleeful over the Republican infighting sending out a statement on Noem vs. DeSantis Thursday.

'Republicans are kicking off a messy 2024 primary season as they race to out-MAGA each other on just about every issue,' an email from the DNC said. 'Let's not forget: Kristi Noem is the same anti-choice extremist who went on national TV to say that she would force a 10-year-old rape victim to give birth.'

'And Ron DeSantis's anti-choice record in question is already extreme. Thanks to an abortion ban DeSantis signed, a child incest victim was forced to leave the state to get care,' the message said.

Democrats have credited the abortion issue as why they had better-than-expected results in the 2022 midterms, as they kept control of the Senate and gave Republicans only a slim majority in the House.
Grammy-winning recording engineer and son of legendary guitarist Jimmy Capps was shot and killed by cops in Nashville after brandishing a gun and holding his wife and stepdaughter hostage before they managed to escape.

Mark Capps, 54, was fatally shot in the doorway of his Nashville home around 2pm Thursday afternoon by the police SWAT team.

Capps had woken his 60-year-old wife, Tara Solomon, and 23-year-old stepdaughter at 3am and held them at gunpoint in the family room of the home on Summit Run Place in Hermitage, Tennessee.

He refused to let them leave and threatened them multiple times, telling them that if they 'called someone, he would kill them and any police that showed up at the house,' Nashville Metropolitan Police spokesman Don Aaron said during a critical incident press briefing on Thursday.

The mother and daughter managed to flee the home around dawn when Capps fell asleep. They drove to the Hermitage Police Department and filed a police report.

At the time of his death, Capps was wanted on aggravated assault and aggravated kidnapping warrants.

Mark Capps, 54, was fatally shot in the doorway of his Nashville home on Thursday afternoon after holding his wife and stepdaughter hostage

Aaron said the SWAT team carried out a 'covert operation' outside the home because they were concerned Capps may barricade himself inside the home.

He told News Channel 5 Capps, 'came to the door with a gun in hand.'

'At that point, he was fatally shot. We have since learned there were cameras monitoring the outside of the home,' Aaron said during a critical incident briefing on Thursday.

'He may have well seen them outside the residence. They were in SWAT gear and clearly marked to him as members of the police department.'

The graphic, age-restricted video shows an officer standing outside a glass screen door. The inside door opening reveals a figure appearing to be in pajamas.

The officer yells, 'Show me your hands!' Show me your hands!' just before he opens fire. He then repeats the warning upon opening the shattered door, seconds before officers enter.

The spokesperson said as three SWAT members stood outside the home, an officer with the Metro Nashville Police Department- identified as 14-year veteran Kendall Coon - opened fire. Capps died at the scene.

Aaron said in a statement that there will be an investigation to confirm that officers acted properly.

A member of the SWAT team pictured breaking the glass door of Mark Capps Nashville home before he was fatally shot on Thursday after taking his wife and stepdaughter hostage

Before Capps was killed, he was grieving the death of his younger brother two days prior. It remains unknown his brother's cause of death.

Capps posted the sad news of his brother's passing on Facebook with an undated photo of them both standing in front of their father's grave.

'No words. RIP Jeffery Allen Capps- December 31, 1967 to January 3, 2022,' he wrote. 'Details will follow as I receive them. I wasn't close to any of his friends, so please pass this along if you know any of them,' Yahoo News reported.

Capps had been a popular fixture on the music scene spanning more than three decades, working with some big name country and gospel artists, the news outlet reported.

He collaborated with Alabama, The Dixie Chicks, Neil Diamond, Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, Brooks & Dunn, Barry Manilow, Chris Young, Aaron Tippin, Conway Twitty, Joe Diffie, the Oak Ridge Boys, Big & Rich, the Gaither Vocal Band, John Michael Montgomery, Kenny Rogers, Donna Summer, the Mavericks, Anita Cochran, Kenny Loggins, Olivia Newton-John and the Isaacs, among others.

His latest work was on Dolly Partons most recent album, Run, Rose, Run.

Capps also won a Grammy for best polka album four years in a row, 2005 through 2008 working with Jimmy Sturr & His Orchestra, a report said.

Capps was also the son of legendary session player of the Grand Ole Opry guitarist Jimmy Capps, who was also a member of the Musicians Hall of Fame. The elder Capps died in 2020.

Metro Nashville Police Department spokesman Don Aaron said the SWAT team carried out a 'covert operation' outside the home because they were concerned Capps may barricade himself inside the home. The picture shows the SWAT team member shattering the glass to gain entry into the single family home

Metropolitan Nashville Police Department are seen outside the home of Capps

The MNPD officer that shot Capps dead was identified as a 14-year veteran Kendall Coon

The couple pictured smiling in an undated photo

Legendary guitarist Jimmy Capps is pictured (left) with his son, Mark. The elder Capps was a member of the Musicians Hall of Fame. He died in 2020
A reporter for the Wall Street Journal was detained by police after standing outside a branch of Chase Bank in Phoenix and interviewing customers for a story he was working on about savings accounts.

The newspaper is now demanding an investigation after Dion Rabouin, was detained and handcuffed during the incident which occurred in November but has only just come to light after being reported by an ABC affiliate.

The disturbing encounter has caused concern among press freedom advocates and is being seen as an example of the growing hostility towards journalists from local law enforcement across the United States.

Rabouin, who is black, was attempting to interview people on the sidewalk outside the bank when he was approached by bank representatives and later detained by an officer.

The Wall Street Journal has called on the Phoenix Police Department to investigate the detention and handcuffing of one of its reporters, Dion Rabouin

A police officer arrived on the scene and handcuffed him with the officer threatening to force him into a police vehicle if he did not comply

Rabouin said he was trying to interview passersby on a sidewalk outside the bank as part of a story about savings accounts but the officer did not want to listen

Rabouin, who was casually dressed in shorts and a t-shirt identified himself as a journalist and offered to leave the scene, but the officer continued to handcuff him and threatened to put him in the back of a police vehicle.

The officer did not appear to care when Rabouin identified himself as a journalist and a female bystander who recorded the incident was also threatened with arrest.

Rabouin was only released after about 15 minutes when additional officers arrived.

'I identified myself as reporter for the Wall Street Journal and the police said you cant do that. This isnt public property"', he told CNN.

Rabouin the explained how the officer appeared to threaten him adding: This can get bad for you if you dont do what I say. You were on private property and you were asked to leave.'

Rabouin said he was wearing casual clothes because he didnt want people to think he was selling something.

He also explained that he did not know the sidewalk was private property, and at no time, did the bank ask him to leave.

The incident has only recently come to light, has been criticized by press freedom advocates as a violation of the First Amendment with The Journal demanding an apology

Phoenix Chief Michael Sullivan says officers acted appropriately throughout

A customer, Katelyn Parady, who had been inside the branch also came out to defend him.

Hes a reporter I heard him say he was going to leave. He said he was going to leave. You did not need to cuff him, Parady told the officer.

Chase Bank has since apologized to Rabouin, but the police department has not.

The Phoenix Police Department said they reviewed the bodycam and said their officers did not do anything wrong.

In his incident report, Officer Caleb Zimmerman wrote that bank employees claimed Rabouin refused to leave and that the reporter initially refused to identify himself.

Zimmerman also wrote how he had probable cause to arrest Rabouin for trespassing.

The force is under investigation for excessive force. Yet they still continue to operate this way, an incredulous Rabouin said.

'I didnt trust what was going to happen', he told ABC15. 'While the woman was recording, I thought the odds of him not doing anything to me whether physically or anything else are a lot higher. Once he closes that door, he could take off, He could take me somewhere. I could be placed under arrest.'

The Department is already under investigation by the Department of Justice for potential retaliation against people exercising their First Amendment rights and for falsely charging protesters as gang members.

'As journalists, we dont really want to be the story. We want to report the story,' Rabouin said. 'I think its important to talk about. This is a department thats under DOJ investigation for excessive force, under investigation for the way they operate and handle business, and despite that, they continue to operate this way.'

After being released from cuffs, Rabouin was warned to leave the area or he would be charged with trespassing

The Department stated that the incident occurred on private property, but that it has shared the concerns raised by the Journal with its Professional Standards Bureau and that an investigation is underway.

The Journal has said that it is 'deeply concerned' about the treatment of its reporter and has raised First Amendment concerns, arguing that 'no journalist should ever be detained simply for exercising their First Amendment rights.'

Journal Editor-In-Chief Matt Murray penned a letter last month to Phoenix Police Department Interim Chief Michael Sullivan describing the officer's conduct as 'offensive to civil liberties'.

Murray demanded to know the department was going to do to 'ensure that neither Mr. Rabouin nor any other journalist is again subjected to such conduct.'

'I am appalled and concerned that officers at your department would attempt to interfere with Mr. Rabouins constitutional right to engage in journalism and purport to limit anyone's presence in a public location,' he wrote.

The US Press Freedom Tracker notes that at least 218 journalists have been arrested in the United States since 2020.

Phoenix Police responded with a statement:

'The Phoenix Police Department received a letter from the Editor in Chief of the Wall Street Journal expressing concerns about an interaction with one of their reporters and a Phoenix police officer.

'This letter was shared with our Professional Standard Bureau for review and they are conducting an administrative investigation. Once the administrative investigation is complete, it will be made available as part of a public records request.

'Bank personnel contacted police after they received customer complaints that a man was approaching people as they entered the bank asking them personal questions.

'The interaction between the officer and the man who was the subject of the complaint took place on private property.'
Kevin McCarthy's concessions to a group of arch conservatives has won him 15 votes and (maybe) counting  while also likely ensuring future headaches, floor fights, Senate clashes and perhaps even a crisis over whether the U.S. goes into default.

The final concessions that McCarthy negotiated were enough to bring over a group of fellow elected lawmakers who had voted against him repeatedly on 12 successive votes, amid the prolonged televised spectacle.

They got nearly everything they asked for  beyond subcommittee gavels that other members of the Conference rejected as an unfair boost, although McCarthy still wasn't able to prevail on the 13th vote to elect him as Speaker.

Kevin McCarthy yielded to a series of demands by conservative rebels in his bid to become Speaker

Rules Committee representation

Members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus got commitments to be added to the Rules panel. The committee exerts tremendous power by setting the terms of debate, but usually operates as a tool of the Speaker. (It traditionally has a 9:4 ratio, so the majority never loses).

With more representation, the conservatives will be able to help allow for floor amendments on policy issues and messaging opportunities from abortion to government spending.

The panel also decides which members get the floor time and prestige of having their amendments debated  another opportunity to build up the profile of their faction.

Single member can move to 'vacate the chair'

If McCarthy thought overcoming a band of holdouts was tough this week, things could get even harder if he becomes speaker.

A single member would get to move to 'vacate the chair.' This reverts to prior procedure, which Freedom Caucus to threaten former Speaker John Boehner.

McCarthy had already agreed to a five-vote requirement to make the motion, which sets up essentially a vote of no-confidence in the Speaker, and agreed to lower it to a single lawmaker.

Rep.-elect Scott Perry, R-Pa. helped hammer out concessions with McCarthy allies

Rep.-elect Chip Roy, R-Texas was another holdout who helped negotiate a deal and flipped to supporting McCarthy

The concessions to conservatives on spending bills could set up a clash with the Democratic-run Senate, where Republicans including Sen. Mitch McConnell will carve out a different posture

Hard line on debt limit

McCarthy has agreed to take a hard line on increasing the statutory debt limit  which Congress must lift to accommodate spending it has agreed to through appropriations.

Lawmakers weren't direct about what the exact deal was. But one of the holdouts who flipped, Rep.-elect Ralph Norman, had demanded a very tough line.

'Is he willing to shut the government down rather than raise the debt ceiling? That's a non-negotiable item,' Norman said before switching to back McCarthy.

Rep.-elect Chip Roy (R-Texas) wouldn't reveal the precise nature of the deal, which was reported by the Washington Post and other outlets. 'I'm not going to get specific about that because I'm still having conversations here for a few hours. But what I'll say is, it's safe to say is that we believe there are specific concrete limits on spending attached to the debt ceiling increase,' he told reporters, blasting the $1.7 trillion omnibus bill that passed as the last major act of the Democratic Congress.

That suggests the House may try to force the administration into accepting spending cuts  something Democrats are sure to resist.

Votes on term limits and border security

The holdouts reportedly got a pledge to get floor votes on term limits and border security. The former in particular could drive a wedge through the conference. McCarthy himself was elected to the House in 2006.

The legislation would likely die in the Senate, where they would be subject to a filibuster.

Open Primaries

The Conservative Leadership Fund, a PAC backed by McCarthy, brokered a deal with the Club for Growth that will impact Republicans that join the House in the future.

The CLF committed to stay out of 'open' primaries when a lawmakers vacates a seat. That gives arch conservatives a chance to prevail in a primary without getting pounded by leadership, which sometimes weighs in on behalf of candidates deemed more 'electable.'

'CLF will not spend in any open-seat primaries in safe Republican districts and CLF will not grant resources to other super PACs to do so. CLF has never spent a dollar against a Republican incumbent before and obviously will continue that policy in the future,' according to a statement on the Club for Growth web site. The group has backed many of the conservative holdouts. The group threw its support to McCarthy, assuming the terms of the deal held.

Rep. Kevin McCarthy reportedly offered the 20 rogue Republicans a list of concessions he would make in exchange for their votes in the speakership race

Appropriations

McCarthy reportedly agreed to allow 'open rules' on spending measures, which could lead to lengthy debates and efforts to zero out funding for programs unpopular with Republicans.

But the votes can also give Democrats weapons to use in campaign ads, and may spilt GOP appropriators from Freedom Caucus members.

According to Politico, the deal includes a commitment to bring up stand-alone appropriations bills. Conservatives loathe the 'omnibus' bills that wrap multiple spending bills together when shutdowns loom. Passing individual bills is something both parties routinely try, and fail, to do by the end of the fiscal year.

Another commitment was to allow votes on spending 'earmarks,' projects inserted by individual members. House Republicans brought back the practice in 2021 by a vote in their conference. According to Politico, it wasn't clear if they would get voted on individually or as a bloc.

Though despised by good government groups, leadership in both parties has relied on the practice to secure support for legislation.

Discretionary spending cap

Another concessions is a cap on discretionary spending, CNN reported. although spending levels are usually negotiated by both chambers  and get influenced by the president's budget requests.

'Weaponization' of DOJ and Select Committee on CCP

Republicans are girding to take on the Biden administration, and the rebels forced a commitment to set up a committee on the 'weaponization' of the government. The idea had been floated as a subcommittee on the House Judiciary Committee. Its exact structure and membership was uncertain.

According to the House Rules package leaders prepared, the a procedure creates a 'Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government as a select investigative subcommittee of the Committee on the Judiciary.' It also creates a Select Committee 'on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party.'
Bryan Kohberger's defense team last Friday were granted a motion to keep the off-campus house where the killings took place to be sealed until February 1

Five cardboard boxes and two white trash bags were also loaded onto the trucks

Two mattresses covered in white plastic were loaded on to trucks that pulled up just after 1pm Friday, with a dark stain visible on one of the mattresses

Investigators were seen removing bloodied mattresses from the home where four University of Idaho were murdered in November

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Investigators from the Idaho State Police have begun removing furniture from the Moscow rental home where four University of Idaho students were stabbed to death  just one day after their alleged killer was formally charged.

Exclusive DailyMail.com photos show mattresses  wrapped in white covers  being loaded onto four waiting trucks that pulled in just after 1pm local time.

Dark blood-like stains and blotches can be seen through the cover at the top of one of the mattresses.

Five cardboard boxes  believed to contain possessions that belonged to the victims and their two surviving roommates  and two white trash bags were also loaded onto the trucks. One of the bags contained a clothes rack.

Investigators were seen removing a bloodied mattress from the home where four University of Idaho were murdered in November

Two mattresses covered in white plastic were loaded onto trucks that pulled up just after 1pm Friday, with a dark stain visible on one of the mattresses

Dark blood-like stains and blotches can be seen through the cover at the top of one of the mattresses

The house clearance comes just one day after their alleged killer was formally charged

Blood can clearly be seen on one piece of furniture - that appears to be a desk - that was being taken out of the King Road property in Moscow

The removals come a week after a planned house clearance was halted just as it began after alleged killer Bryan Kohberger's defense team were granted an order that preserves the scene.

Kohberger's lawyers applied for the order on December 30  the day he was arrested at his parents' home in Pennsylvania's Poconos Mountains.

On Tuesday morning, defense investigators were seen combing through the crime scene.

The order preserving the site had been due to stay in place until February 1 or until a date ordered by the court.

Court staff told DailyMail.com that the preservation order has not been lifted, although the terms of the order do not prohibit investigators from removing items so long as the defense is also able to get access to them.

Bryan Kohberger's defense team last Friday were granted a motion to keep the off-campus house where the killings took place to be sealed until February 1

The order preserving the site had been due to stay in place until February 1 or until a date ordered by the court

Court staff told DailyMail.com that the preservation order has not been lifted, although the terms of the order do not prohibit investigators from removing items so long as the defense is also able to get access to them

Investigators from the Idaho State Police began removing furniture from the Moscow rental home on Friday

Kohberger arrived back in Moscow on Wednesday night after an arduous 12-hour journey in a Pilatus PC-12 turboprop plane.

The 28-year-old was booked into the Latah County Jail ahead of a court appearance on Thursday morning which saw him sit impassive as the charges  four counts of first degree murder and one of burglary  were read out.

Shortly before the hearing, authorities in Latah County released an affidavit that revealed fresh details about the investigation  including that Kohberger visited the area around the rental home 12 times in the months before Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen, 21, and Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin, 20, were murdered.

Court papers also revealed that while authorities are yet to locate the murder weapon, Kohberger's DNA was found on a brown leather sheath for a Ka-Bar knife left next to the bodies Madison and Kaylee who died next to each other in Madison's single bed on the third floor.

The affidavit also notes that Ethan and Xana were found in a bedroom on the second level, with Xana discovered slumped over on the floor.

Five cardboard boxes  believed to be containing possessions that belonged to the victims and their two surviving roommates  and two white trash bags were also loaded onto the trucks

Numbered bags are seen being removed from the home on Friday afternoon in Moscow, Idaho

Four trucks pulled up to the home around 1pm local time to begin removing the items

Police records show she had ordered a final meal from fast food chain Jack in the Box minutes before she died, with the DoorDash delivery arriving just before 4am.

According to the document, surviving roommates Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke did hear something of what happened, with Mortensen telling cops she heard Goncalves say 'there's someone here' at approximately 4am.

Ten minutes later, she heard a thud and crying from Xana's room and a male voice saying: 'It's ok, I'm going to help you'.

At 4.17am, a dog was captured barking loudly on a neighbor's security camera. Around the same time, Mortensen said she opened her bedroom door again and saw a tall male with bushy eyebrows leaving through the sliding glass doors at the back of the home.

She described how she had been 'frozen in shock' as the black-clad male walked towards her and said she locked herself in her room after he left.

The manner in which the killer navigated the three-story home to kill the four students  who were sleeping in separate rooms and floors  in the early morning hours of November 13 has raised questions about his motives

A shoe print was later found outside her door.

The affidavit also reveals that Kohberger's white Hyundai Elantra was captured on camera repeatedly near the scene before being seen driving rapidly away from the home towards Pullman at approximately 4.20am.

Police rapidly connected the vehicle to Kohberger and noted the similarity between his appearance and Mortensen's description of the intruder at the rental home.

Kohberger has insisted he had nothing to do with the savage knife slayings of students Madison, Kaylee, Xana and Ethan, and is expected to plead not guilty.

The 28-year-old had previously told his lawyers in Pennsylvania he was 'surprised' to have been arrested and said he is 'looking forward to being exonerated' when the case goes to trial.

Court documents show Kohberger, 28, and his attorney, Anne Taylor, asked for the 1122 King Road property to remain sealed until February 1.

An Idaho judge ordered the home will remain locked and surrounded by crime scene tape, but officers do not have to monitor it on site.

Documents show Taylor asked for the scene to be preserved on December 30  just hours after a SWAT team swooped on Kohberger's family home in Pennsylvania.

Kohberger has insisted he had nothing to do with the savage knife slayings of students Madison, Kaylee, Xana and Ethan, and is expected to plead not guilty

Court documents revealed that the suspected Idaho killer Bryan Kohberger and his lawyer requested that the crime scene be 'preserved' so they could look at the evidence for his defense

The order requested Kohberger and his defense team be notified if any evidence has been, or is set to be, destroyed and allows them to take a view of the scene.

It meant a plan set in motion by Idaho police to clean up the property was called off at the last minute.

Cleaning professionals from Disaster Response arrived at the three-story property in Moscow, Idaho, and had barely started the clean-up when they had to pack up.

The cleaning crew was seen placing a tarp around one of the doors so items removed from the property could not be seen.

Chief of Moscow Police James Fry previously confirmed at a press conference the plan was called off because of a court order linked to the arrest of Kohberger.

Taylor was spotted at the property with a team of investigators at the property on January 4 by Fox, hours after Kohberger had his extradition hearing in Pennsylvania.

Taylor was spotted at the property with a team of investigators at the property on January 4, hours after Kohberger had his extradition hearing in Pennsylvania

Hours after his extradition hearing investigators hired by Kohberger's defense team arrived at the property on King Road to take pictures and footage. Pictured is Ann Taylor (centre)

The order requested that Kohberger and his defense team be notified if any evidence has been, or is set to be, destroyed and allows them to take a view of the scene

Documents show that Anny Taylor asked for the scene to be preserved on December 30th  just hours after a SWAT team swooped on Kohberger's family home in Pennsylvani

It is unusual for public defenders to create a reconstruction of the scene, but the team spent around 45 minutes taking video footage inside and outside of the property

They reportedly spent around 45 minutes taking video footage inside and outside the property.

Four of the investigators then left the property, but a crime scene reconstruction analyst remained.

It is unusual for defense attorneys paid by the state to create a reconstruction of the crime scene.

Kohberger's parents have insisted they don't have the money for a private attorney  but have protested his innocence.

It comes as law enforcement sources say the alleged killer was seen taking out garbage using surgical gloves several times at his parents home.

The officers were tasked with tracking Kohberger so they could arrest him as soon as a warrant was issued as well as trying to get hold of an object to compare DNA to a sample found at the scene.

He was also seen cleaning the inside and outside of his car, with the source adding that he didn't 'miss an inch'.

Cleaning professionals from Disaster Response arrived at the three-story property in Moscow, Idaho, a week ago and had barely started attempting the clean-up when they had to pack back up

Chief of Moscow Police James Fry confirmed at a press conference that the plan was called off because of a court order linked to the arrest of Kohberger

The original cleaning crew was seen placing a tarp around one of the doors so that items removed from the property could not be seen.

Kohberger was also reportedly seen taking out the trash to his neighbour's bins at around 4am  with the contents being recovered by offices.

matched the DNA found on the sheath to Kohberger's by comparing it to his father's DNA  which was a 99.9998 percent match.

The white Hyundai Elantra is one of the things that helped cops track down the alleged killer, as well as obtaining his phone records.

He yesterday appeared in court charged with the four murders as well as a felony burglary after being extradited to Idaho.

Kohberger previously insisted that he would be 'exonerated' to his lawyer in Pennsylvania.

Kohberger, 28, is accused of murdering Maddie Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin on November 13 in the quiet, college town of Moscow, Idaho

The criminal justice graduate only spoke to confirm his name and that he had representation during a hearing in Moscow, Idaho, on Thursday.

Kaylee Goncalves' parents have now publicly said that they back the death penalty in the case, as they feel it is the only way to get justice.

The timeline issued by police indicates that Kohberger managed to break into the house and kill al four victims within a 15-minute period, before his car was seen speeding off in surveillance footage.

Phone records show that Kohberger went close to the property just five hours after the murders were committed  with his phone being turned off during the time of the murders.

He is also accused of stalking the students and visiting the property or the area at least 12 times before the slayings on November 13.
South Australian teen was treated for external burns in Royal Adelaide Hospital

A teenager has been airlifted to hospital after a summer barbecue turned deadly with paramedics fearing for his life.

The 15-year-old had been cooking on a barbecue at his grandmother's home in Gawler East, in South Australia, when a leak in the gas cylinder caused it to blow up in his face.

Paramedics feared the boy suffered internal burns from the shocking explosion and called a rescue chopper to transport him to Royal Adelaide Hospital.

A 15-year-old has been airlifted to hospital after a gas cylinder blew up in his face in South Australia

Upon arrival, the teenager was treated for minor external burns.

The incident prompted warnings from the Metropolitan Fire Service, who told 9 News gas cylinder explosions are more common during summer.

Phillip Evens from the Adelaide MFS told 9News the boy's injuries could have been 'a lot worse.'

'Even if it's just a leak, that is still a very dangerous situation for anybody in the vicinity,' Mr Evens said.

'In summer the MFS sees an increase in gas cylinder incidents, and there's no better time to check if yours is in working order than now.'

He said domestic gas cylinders all have date stamps on them, which confirm they are valid for ten years.
A quarter of Britons have not spoken to any of their neighbours for at least six months, according to a shocking new survey.

Indeed, almost one in ten have never talked to their neighbours at all (7 per cent).

The research into the state of neighbourhoods in modern Britain found those aged 18 to 34 have least contact with the people living around them.

One in five of these young adults (18 per cent) do not know the name of a single one of their neighbours.

The research into the state of neighbourhoods in modern Britain found those aged 18 to 34 have least contact with the people living around them

A quarter of younger people, among the poll of 2,000 adults by rental housing company Greystar, claimed they lacked opportunity to mix with those they live next to.

However, a sense of community does exist in some areas, largely among those a bit older.

One in six of us (17 per cent) say we count at least five of our neighbours as actual friends. The study found those living in Bristol are most likely to consider five or more neighbours as friends.

Meanwhile those in Norwich and in the East of England were most friendly with their neighbours, with at least half speaking to them on a weekly basis.

The study found those living in Bristol (pictured) are most likely to consider five or more neighbours as friends

It seems the research comes at a time when the cost of living crisis may restrict our opportunities to connect with those around us.

Nearly a third of Brits say they are planning to cut back on socialising over the next six months, and just a fifth insist they will not cut back on leisure and socialising at all.

Bella Peacock, Managing Director at Greystar Europe, said: Everybody needs good neighbours, so its disheartening to see how many of us have little or no interaction with those we live alongside, particularly in our nations largest cities.

As we start a New Year, we are at real risk of a pandemic of urban loneliness.

The research shows that living in a city typically makes it harder for young adults to connect.

The research found that those in Norwich (pictured) and in the East of England were most friendly with their neighbours, with at least half speaking to them on a weekly basis

While its less of an issue for older adults, those aged 18 to 34 said they found it more difficult to make friends in the city, with London the hardest place in which to connect.

Two fifths (38 per cent) of those quizzed were nervous about reaching out to new people, while a similar proportion found those around them unapproachable.

Young adults are more likely to say that living amongst those of a similar age makes it easier to strike up friendships.

A third (28 per cent) of Britons believe activities and events in the street, building or area they live in and shared social spaces (18 per cent) would make them feel more like part of a community.

In total, 25 per cent of Britons quizzed had not spoken to a single neighbour in the past six months.
The blue-ringed octopus has the venom strong enough to kill over 20 humans

Unbitten, Ms Bryant trapped it in a coffee cup and released it far from swimmers

A woman has dodged death after finding a blue-ringed octopus in her bathers

A beachgoer has survived a deadly encounter with a deadly blue-ringed octopus after finding one lodged inside of her bathers after going for a swim.

Lisa Bryant had been swimming at South Beach in South Fremantle, south-west Perth, when she made the shocking discovery on Thursday.

A 7cm blue-ringed octopus was emerging from a shell that she had placed under her bathers for safe-keeping moments earlier.

The quick-thinking local trapped the creature in a coffee cup and relocated it away from other swimmers, but not before taking a photo of it.

A blue-ringed octopus bite has venom strong enough to kill over 20 humans despite the sea creature being small and usually measuring around 8cm in length.

Lisa Bryant was luckily unbitten by a blue-ringed octopus (pictured), found in her swimmers crawling out from a shell she'd found from South Beach in Perth's south-west

Ms Bryant frequently collects shells and puts them under her swimmers, claiming she always shakes them to make sure there was nothing inside of them.

She did not see the octopus until about 20 minutes after when she started to feel the shell irritate her.

'If youre swimming around South Beach dont be tempted to souvenir any shells from the sea bed,' Ms Bryant wrote in a Facebook post.

'[I] retrieved said shell and out flopped a blue ring octopus- my lucky day.'

According to the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, a bite doesn't cause any pain and marks can often be hard to find.

'I had a quick look to see if there were any marks and I had a little scratch,' Ms Bryant told Perth Now.

'I started to freak and everybody on the beach was freaking out and telling me to go to the hospital.'

The blue-ringed octopus contains venom strong enough to kill over 20 people in the space of just minutes even though the creatures are just 8cm long (pictured, blue-ringed octopus)

The venom, called tetrodotoxin, induces paralysis, slowing down the body to a point at which they will not be able to breathe and not get enough oxygen.

There is no antivenom for tetrodotoxin, with victims of a bite only able to outlast the toxin on a ventilator until it's effects subside.

While there is serious danger, there have only been a handful of confirmed casualties from a blue-ringed bite as the creatures are more likely to hide in small crevices instead of attack.
The woman charged with murder after the bodies of a Queensland father and his young daughter were found in a burned down shed has been identified as a travel blogger, OnlyFans creator and self-proclaimed 'gypsy'.

Kristen Olsen, 24, was charged with two counts of murder and one count of arson over the deaths of Todd Mooney, 54, and Kirra Mooney, 10, on Friday.

Queensland Police will allege the travel blogger deliberately lit a fire that destroyed a large shed on the Mooney family's property in Biggenden on December 20.

The remains of the father and daughter were found in the wreckage of the shed, with police now probing whether they died before or after the intense blaze.

Kristen Olsen, 24, (pictured) was charged with two counts of murder and one count of arson over the deaths of Todd Mooney, 54, and Kirra Mooney, 10, on Friday

Queensland Police will allege the travel blogger deliberately lit a fire that destroyed a large shed on the Mooney family's property in Biggenden on December 20

Detective Chief Inspector Gary Pettiford confirmed that Olsen is the only person of interest 'at this stage' of the investigation on Friday afternoon, Courier Mail reported.

He said while she didn't have any known links to the Mooney family she had attended school in Biggenden, located in Queensland's North Burnett Region.

Mr Mooney, who owns a bakery in town, had been planning to wed his long-time partner Bec Hansen at the property the same week he died.

Ms Hansen had been working at the bakery on the day the fire began, at about 2pm.

Olsen is understood to have made the 15-hour drive down the coast from Cairns to the town of Biggenden in December.

On November 24, she told followers she was 'back, bigger and better than ever' and thanked them for their support over the years in a lengthy Facebook post.

Mr Mooney, (pictured with Kirra as a baby) owns a bakery in Biggenden and had been planning to wed his long-time partner Bec Hansen at the property the same week he died

The body of 10-year-old Kirra Mooney was found in the blackened remains of the shed fire

She shared a link to her OnlyFans page 'SlipperyGypsy.69' for people who wanted to see 'where my feet take me and what they are continuously teaching me'.

'These two foot falcons have led me to the heart of Far North Queensland  a town surrounded by jungle  where I am able to be myself,' she wrote in the post.

'For those who don't know, I stand for the land; our ultimate sustainable life force.

'Over the years my barefeet have led me to different places, exploring new ventures and commemorating the origins of Australia's vast lands and communities.'

On the homepage of her adults-only subscription site, Olsen writes she is a 'small town barefoot gypsy, exploring the many pleasures in life'.

On November 24, Olsen (pictured) told her followers she was 'back, bigger and better than ever' and thanked them for their support over the years in a lengthy Facebook post

The deaths of Mr Mooney and his daughter were initially believed to be a tragic accident, however, post-mortem results saw detectives treat the incident as a homicide.

Prior to Olsen's arrest, investigators appealed to anyone who may have seen a white Holden Barina wagon with a distinctive solar panel on the roof in the area around the time of the fire.

Divers continued to search for clues in Ban Ban Springs on Friday with Inspector Pettiford revealing some 'items of interest' had been found.

'In any search we are looking for something that is not naturally there (and later) we determine if that is a piece of evidence,' he told reporters.

The cause of the fire, and a potential motive for the blaze to be deliberately lit, is still being investigated by detectives (pictured, is the burned down shed at the property)

Inspector Pettiford said the cause of the fire was still being investigated.

'As you can see from the damage that was done, the building was completely burned to the ground, which makes our forensic examination quite difficult,' he said.

Meanwhile, the Biggenden community is rallying around Ms Hansen, who was left 'distraught' by the loss of her partner and daughter five days before Christmas.

Ms Olsen is expected to face Maroochydore Magistrates Court on Saturday and is expected to appear court in Maryborough on Monday.
A man was charged with terrorism after police said he rammed his car into a Las Vegas solar plant and set his car on fire.

Police responded to a call about a trespasser at the Invenergy solar plant north of the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and when the officers arrived, they found a car ablaze in a generator pit, 8 News Now reports.

Las Vegas Metro police alleged that Mohammad Mesmarian, 34, who was arrested on Thursday 30 miles from the scene, had snuck into the plant and set his Toyota Camry on fire as he sat and watched the blaze.

Mesmarian reportedly told police that he had burned the car at a Tesla plant and that he did it 'for the future.'

The attack on the Vegas plant comes amid recent attacks on power stations across the US, including on in Washington State that left thousands without power on Christmas Day.

Mohammad Mesmarian, 34, was arrested for allegedly ramming his Toyota Camry in a generator pit and setting it on fire to damage the Invenergy solar plant in Las Vegas

Mesmarian (above) was arrested on Thursday 30 miles from the scene of the crime. Police said he told them he attacked the plant 'for the future'

Police told 8 News Now that Mesmairian drove his car through the fence of the solar plant after employees had left on Tuesday afternoon.

The man allegedly stayed at the site until midnight, with security cameras catching the moment he set the car on fire inside the generator pit.

Investigators also found an iPhone connected to Mesmarian in the burnt car, along with two laptops. His car was registered in Idaho.

Police eventually located the suspect at a campground at Lake Mead by Boulder City, 30 miles from the solar plant.

Mesmarian faces charges of committing an act of terrorism, arson, destroying personal property and escape by a felony prisoner.

Police said the investigation is ongoing as questions linger over a motive and how Mesmarian ended up so far from the scene of the crime when his car was destroyed.

No one was injured in the accident, but police said that plant had suffered 'major damage' that could take up to two years to fix.

The facility currently provides energy to MGM properties in the area.

Pictured: The remains of the suspect's car at the power station, where employees estimated that it would take two years to undo the damage

Mesmarian's arrest comes a few days after two men were charged over attacks at four Washington state power substations that left 14,000 people with no power on Christmas Day.

Matthew Greenwood, 32, and Jeremy Crahan, 40, were arrested Saturday and have been charged with conspiracy to damage energy facilities and possession of an unregistered firearm.

The duo told investigators that their plan was all in order to steal a cash register at a local business, according to the criminal complaint filed Saturday in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington at Tacoma.

After cutting off power to the area - subjecting people to a cold and dark holiday weekend - the men drilled a hole in the lock of a business and stole its cash register.

The overnight attacks on the Pierce County substations cut out power to customers during the holidays and caused about $3 million in damages.

Jeremy Crahan, 40, was one of the two men arrested and charged for attacking Washington state power substations over the holidays

The four power stations in Washington state were attacked within hours on Christmas Day

The four substations that were targeted were the Graham and Elk Plain substations and the Kapowsin and Hemlock substations.

Crahan and Greenwood face up to 20 years in prison for the conspiracy charge and 10 years for possession of an unregistered firearm.

In recent weeks, there have been eight attacks on power stations in Washington and Oregon.

The attacks were preceded by a warning from federal law enforcement of a threat to the local electrical grid.

Deputies in previous weeks have been hesitant to label the attacks as domestic terrorism without suspects having been named.

Many, however, believe that is the case.

Eight attacks targeting power plants have been recorded in Washington and nearby Oregon in recent weeks, leading to them coming under scrutiny by the FBI

In December, Washington state law enforcement sources said they received a memo from the FBI warning them about possible attacks in the area.

Before the Washington attacks, North Carolina experienced a grid attack potentially triggered by opponents of a drag show.

The shooting attack took place in the small town of Southern Pines on December 3 and took out power to more than 40,000 residents.

The Department of Homeland Security officials has warned that extremists have harbored 'credible, specific plans to attack electricity infrastructure since at least 2020.'

Others have argued that the US power grid - comprising over 7,300 plants and connecting more than 145 million Americans - needs better security to prevent such attacks.

The trope of attacking power infrastructure, the electrical grid or critical infrastructure 'is an old tenet of the American extreme right-wing,' said Ali Winston, a journalist who has tracked terrorist threats.
The parents of Natalie McNally, a pregnant woman who was murdered in Northern Ireland a few days before Christmas, say her killer may have fled the country.

Natalie's father Noel told Sky News today that women in Lurgan, Co Armagh 'must be terrified that there's a monster still out on the streets', but said he thought his daughter's murderer could have left the region as investigators remain without a suspect.

Ms McNally, who was 15 weeks pregnant, was stabbed in her home in the Silverwood Green area of Lurgan on December 18.

Police arrested two 32-year-old men in December but both were later released and no-one has been charged.

Natalie McNally, who was 15 weeks pregnant, was stabbed in her home in the Silverwood Green area of Lurgan on December 18

Natalie's parents, Noel (L) and Bernie (R) say her killer may have fled the country and told of their heartbreak at their daughter's murder just days before Christmas

Undated handout file photo issued by the Police Service of Northern Ireland of Natalie McNally

Natalie's mother Bernie told Sky News of her heartbreak at her daughter's murder just days before Christmas.

'All her presents we had for her, all wrapped up, they're all upstairs and you look at them, it's heart-breaking.

'This was an innocent girl and her baby's life and I have to think God, in her last few minutes, was she pleading for her life? Was she pleading for her baby's life?'

Meanwhile police were searching areas close to Natalie's home in Lurgan to try to ascertain more details about the grisly killing as they released CCTV footage of the as-yet-unknown suspect.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said detectives also went to a business property in the Armagh and Craigavon area on Thursday as part of their investigation.

On Thursday, Detective Chief Inspector Neil McGuinness, leading the investigation, said his main line of inquiry was that Ms McNally, 32, was killed by someone she knew and was comfortable allowing into her home.

Mr McGuinness also said he did not think there was a risk to other women in the area.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) have released CCTV footage of the suspect they believe is responsible for Natalie's murder

Family members carry the casket of murder victim Natalie McNally following her funeral service at her parents' home in Lurgan, Northern Ireland, December 26, 2022

Detective Chief Inspector Neil McGuinness from the PSNI arriving to speak to the media on the murder of Natalie McNally, at Seapark Police Building, Carrickfergus, Co Antrim, Thursday January 5, 2023

On Friday, a PSNI spokesman said: 'Detectives investigating the murder of Natalie McNally are carrying out searches of the Silverwood Green area in Lurgan as part of the ongoing investigation.

'Detectives attended a business property in Armagh and Craigavon yesterday to carry out inquiries as part of the investigation.'

It is understood the inquiries at the business premises related to the seizure of CCTV footage from public transport.

Ms McNally worked for Translink. A spokesperson for the company said: 'We were shocked and deeply saddened by the loss of our colleague and friend Natalie.

'We will assist the PSNI in every way possible.'

Police said earlier in the week that they believe they have recovered the weapon used in the murder.

A silent vigil for Ms McNally, at Parliament Buildings, Stormont, was held on Thursday, attended by her three brothers.

Her brother Declan McNally told those at the vigil: 'Whatever differences of opinions there are in this country we know there is no difference of opinion and everybody wants to see an end to violence against women and girls.

'And everybody in society has to redouble our efforts to end violence against women and girls in memory of our sister Natalie.'

Sinn Fein vice president Michelle O'Neill with Natalie McNally's brothers (left to right) Declan, Niall and Brendan during a vigil for women who have died in violent circumstances outside the Parliament Buildings, Belfast. Ms McNally 32, was fatally stabbed at her home in Lurgan in December. Picture date: Thursday January 5, 2023

Natalie McNally's brothers (left to right) Declan, Niall and Brendan during a vigil for women who have died in violent circumstances outside the Parliament Buildings, Belfast, January 5

Declan McNally thanked all who have supported his family as they seek justice for his sister. 'Whatever differences of opinions there are in this country we know there is no difference of opinion and everybody wants to see an end to violence against women and girls,' he said.

The brothers held on to each other as a minute of silence was held outside the landmark building in Belfast.

The silence was observed for Ms McNally as well as Bruna Fonesca, who was found dead in an apartment in Cork on New Year's Day.

Declan McNally thanked all who have supported his family as they seek justice for his sister.

'Whatever differences of opinions there are in this country we know there is no difference of opinion and everybody wants to see an end to violence against women and girls,' he said.

Sinn Fein vice president Michelle O'Neill organised the vigil at Stormont.

'We are very conscious today that we need to remember all victims of gender-based violence, all those who have lost their lives,' she told the gathering.

Ms O'Neill added: 'We have a problem in our society with misogyny and we need to tackle it and I know this is the strong message that we are here today to send to the families of all those who have lost loved ones to show them that support and say enough is enough and that we're not going to tolerate this in our society.'

The Sinn Fein Stormont leader visited Ms McNally's parents at the family home on Wednesday evening.

'What they crucially want today is that we actually make that direct appeal... that anybody that has the slightest bit of information, no matter how insignificant you may think it is, please bring it forward because it so important that they get justice for Natalie,' she said.

'So today we want to reinforce that strong message - please come forward, if anybody has information please get in touch with police or Crimestoppers.'

The relatives of other women who have died in violent circumstances who attended included Claire Doran, whose sister Jennifer Doran, 30, was killed at her home in west Belfast in 2019, and Joanne Dorrian, whose sister Lisa has been missing since 2005 and is believed to have been murdered.
Hackers have demanded 15million in ransom money after hitting at least 16 British schools over the Christmas holidays.

Teachers returning to work this week were left unable to log in to their computers after the attack by the online gang.

The incident, which has been described as a 'nightmare' at the start of the new year, has affected 15 schools at Hope Sentamu Learning Trust.

Hymers College, an independent school in Hull which charges fees of up to 13,000-a-year, was also hit with the demand to pay the ransom in the form of cryptocurrency.

Hymers College in Kingston upon Hull was one of the schools affected by the online attack

Hackers targeting the schools demanded a 15million ransom to reverse the damage caused

A source at one of the schools told the Sun staff had been told they can't use the school network, with lessons having to be planned using pen and paper.

Hope Sentamu Learning Trust told the paper it had turned off some of its systems, but that some have already been brought back online.

A spokesperson said: 'We take the security of our IT systems extremely seriously.'

In a statement given to the Sun, Hymers College said: 'We quickly became aware of the incident and responded immediately and appropriately, working with all the correct authorities.'

In a ransomware attack hackers targeting an IT network and often disable it or take it offline, before demanding money or a reward for turning it back on again. Experts recommend never caving in to these demands.

It is not the first time hackers have targeted schools in the UK - in July 2021 six schools on the Isle of Wight saw their IT servers crippled after an online gang attacked.

Lanesend Primary (pictured), one of the six schools affected by a hack in July 2021 on the Isle of White, announced that pupils would return three days later than planned due to the disruption

At least one school in the Island Education Federation was forced to delay the start of term, with suggestions it would take 'months of work' to retrieve the lost information.

A spokesman for the group said at the time: 'We are working with officers from the police cybercrime unit to pursue the cyber criminals and understand the full impact of the attack.

'There are obviously some significant implications of this, which we are managing and will take measures to secure our systems even further in the future.'

And in March that year 37,000 pupils at Harris Federation academies in London were left unable to access their emails after a similar attack.
A school has been slammed by parents for being woke after it banned teachers from using sarcasm.

Skegness Academy in Lincolnshire stopped the use of irony to convey contempt as part of a 'guide to support staff'.

The doctrine, known as the 'Skegness Academy Way', outlined that sarcasm cannot be used when talking to pupils.

The ban applied to all pupils, however parents said some of the 'sarcastic teachers' are their favourites.

Skegness Academy (pictured) in Lincolnshire stopped the use of irony to convey contempt as part of a 'guide to support staff'

'The whole point of school is to prepare children for the world outside, not to wrap them in cotton woke wool,' one parent told The Sun.

'And talk about putting staff at a disadvantage  sarcasm is one of the only fun and kind ways to deal with some difficult pupils.'

Another parent claimed the policy was 'ridiculous' and that sarcasm can be used to bring 'unruly kids into line'.

A spokesperson for the Academy said: 'The document referenced is not a policy but a guide to support staff with delivering on our ethos.

'The reference to sarcasm is because it can be difficult for children with special educational needs to process or interpret it, and we want to ensure our pupils with special educational needs are nurtured in an inclusive environment which includes language and ways of speaking which are accessible to them so they feel fully supported.

'As we are a fully inclusive academy, our pupils of different needs and abilities learn alongside each other, so we strive to ensure plain language is used so it is fully accessible to all pupils.'

In 2014, a professor at a top university was suspended for nine months after he was accused of sighing and being sarcastic during job interviews.

Thomas Docherty was banned from the University of Warwick following allegations he had given off 'negative vibes' and undermined the authority of the former head of the English department.

The English and Comparative Literature professor was said to have been 'making ironic comments' and 'projecting negative body language' when interviewing candidates for a job.

Professor Docherty was banned from the campus and from writing references for students without permission during the suspension.
A trainee policeman whose hearing aids turned police sirens into 'torture' has won a discrimination claim against the Met.

Shafi Karim was sacked from the Met after his poor hearing led to fears that he was unsafe on the job, an employment tribunal heard.

The probationer officer struggled to hear instructions over his police radio and experienced feedback through his hearing aids.

In one 'blue light' exercise, Mr Karim complained that patrol car sirens were like 'torture' and during a simulated police chase he had to stop to change the batteries in the device.

Probation officer Shafi Karim was sacked from the Met after his poor hearing led to fears that he was unsafe on the job, an employment tribunal heard. [File image]

He was made to complete a series of role play tests to prove his ability - with senior officers concerned that his poor hearing could endanger himself and other officers, the panel was told.

Mr Karim remained on probation for five years before he was fired in 2021.

He is currently in line for compensation after successfully suing the force over his dismissal, and for making him pay some of the costs related to his hearing aids.

The tribunal in central London heard the trainee joined the Metropolitan Police in 2015 as a probationer police constable, and passed an initial hearing test.

It comes as Rookie police officers are usually on probation for 24 months and must have experienced a number of different scenarios in order to pass, the panel was told.

In 2016, Mr Karim was referred to The Met's occupational health department because he was struggling with 'hearing while training outside... [and] all he could hear on the radio was echoing,' so his training was paused.

Later that year, he was allowed to continue working and was posted to Finsbury Park before becoming part of an 'emergency response' team.

Mr Karim began saying that he received 'feedback' if objects came too close to his hearing aids, while other officers noticed he 'did not always hear when spoken to,' the panel was told.

The police officer was referred to a private hearing health provider, who advised him to obtain a Rogers Pen - a wireless microphone that helps the user understand more speech in noise and over distance.

As part of the agreement, Mr Karim was required to pay nearly 30 per cent of the cost, as well as insurance for the device, the panel was told.

Meanwhile, the police officer was also made to complete role play tests to prove his ability to work at an operational level.

Senior officers conducting the tests were concerned Mr Karim was over-reliant on the Rogers Pen and that if he used it in a real street policing scenario, someone could knock it out of his hands, the tribunal was told.

During a 'police chase' test, the officer's hearing aid battery ran out, and Mr Karim had to stop and change it, the panel heard.

In another test scenario, moreover, Mr Karim had to ask for messages to be repeated and said the blue lights were giving feedback to his hearing aids - describing the sound as 'torture.'

All the officers who conducted the tests believed 'Mr Karim was not capable of becoming a fully operational and effective police officer'.

Mr Karim was dismissed with immediate effect in July 2021, the panel heard, after continued concerns about his ability to perform.

He had been subjected to disability discrimination arising from his dismissal, and the force had failed to make reasonable adjustments by not paying for his advanced hearing aid kit and insurance, the tribunal concluded.

A further claim of direct discrimination - in which he accused the Met of making a 'stereotypical assumption' that his hearing impairment 'rendered him incapable' of doing the job - was dismissed, however.

Employment Judge Jillian Brown said: '[Mr Karim] was put at that particular and substantial disadvantage.

'The test was a 'pass or fail' test and, because he failed it, he was dismissed... there were less discriminatory ways of achieving those legitimate aims, including making reasonable adjustments.

'[The Met] should never have required [Mr Karim] to pay this cost [of the advanced hearing aid kit.]* requiring [him] to insure the hearing aids was completely unjustified.

'As work equipment, they should have been insured by [The Met] in the same way as all [his] other equipment.'

A hearing to decide Mr Karim's compensation will be held at a later date.
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A deadly California storm has taken the lives of six people as the damaging weather continues to knock out historic piers, cause mudslides, and close down highways.

Gary Yules, 72, Mei Keng Lam, 57, Katherine 'Kathy' Martinez, 61, Steven Sampson, 45, Aeon 'Goldie' Tocchini, 2, and a 19-year-old Solano County woman have lost their lived since the bomb cyclone crashed into the West Coast.

The region has been slammed with deadly storm after deadly storm since New Year's Eve, leading to high water levels, flash flooding, mudslides, destroyed piers and leaving thousands without power.

As of Friday evening, 48,000 Californians were still without electricity, as the state braces for another 'atmospheric river,' which is expected to hit San Francisco later on Friday.

Aeon 'Goldie' Tocchini, 2, (pictured) was one of the six people to have lost their lives in the deadly storms that have devastated California since New Year's. He died after three redwood trees fell on his family's mobile home

Katherine 'Kathy' Martinez, 61, of Orland, and Mei Keng Lam, 57, of San Leandro lost their lives, in addition to Gary Yules, 72, Steven Sampson, 45, and a 19-year-old Solano County woman

Tocchini, a toddler, lost his life after three redwood trees fell on his family's mobile home on Thursday.

When Volunteer Fire Chief Ronald Lunardi arrived on the scene, he said the child's father Dan Tocchini came outside holding an unconscious Aeon.

'A frantic father came out of the house holding the child. He was kind of covered in debris and he said my child is not breathing,' the chief told ABC News. 'We are in a rural location out here so my first thought was get him into my truck and let's get him out to the main road because he is on a long dirt driveway.'

As they worked their way to the main road, Lunardi gave Dan CPR instructions until they met up with rescue crews, who took over. However, Aeon eventually succumbed to his injuries.

His father and mother Aisha and his siblings Eden and Danny were not injured.

His family remembers the blonde child as 'Goldie' because 'he shined like the sun', the GoFundMe read.

'If you ever had the joy of meeting Goldie, you would know the light that I speak of. His light still shines so brightly in our hearts, and always will,' it read. 'Goldie loved to dance, music moved his soul. He was kind, gentle, and had the most loving spirit. He loved the outdoors like his mama and his daddy was his hero. He was deeply adored by his family and he instantly stole the hearts of those around him.'

Martinez, 61, of Orland, California, was found dead in her submerged car on New Hope Road in Sacramento on Wednesday.

Her family found her car two days after they reported her missing.

A pier was destroyed in Seacliff State Beach (pictured) after the deadly storm on Thursday

Massively flooding ruined homes in Soquel Creek in Capitola, California. This is the second big storm to hit the state since New Year's

The bomb cyclone caused major damage in Capitola (pictured) as part of the Capitola Warf collapsed

'It's upsetting in this trying time that we were doing all the footwork to find her,' her son told KCRA.

Hours later, Lam , 57, of San Leandro, California, was discovered in a field near Dillard Road around 10pm in Sacramento.

Steven Sampson, 45, of McAlester, Oklahoma, and Gary Yules, 72, were found earlier in the week after the New Year's Eve storm.

Sampson was found inside his submerged vehicle near Highway 99 on Sunday.

Yules was found a few days after his 72nd birthday after cypress tree fell on him at Lighthouse Field State Beach in Santa Cruz on New Year's Eve.

The upcoming storm will be the third storm to devastate the state since New Year's Eve and bring another round of high wind gust and rain. It is likely to dump several more inches of rain on a region already saturated from repeated downpours since late December, renewing risks of flash flooding and mudslides, the NWS said.

Crews have rescued several people due to flooding and high water levels

A business in Capitola was left in ruins after the storm. The state is bracing for another 'atmospheric river' storm to hit this weekend

Zelda's restaurants had a mountain of debris in their dining areas after ocean swells pushed it through the window and front wall

In addition to heavy rains, up to two feet of snow was expected to fall over the weekend in higher elevations of the Sierras, where accumulations of a foot to 18 inches or more were measured earlier this week, the weather service said.

On Friday, much of the northern two-thirds of California, the most populous state in the United States, was under flood watches, gale-force wind advisories, and winter-storm warnings as forecasters urged residents to prepare for the deluge and stay off roads in flood-prone areas.

The ominous forecast comes on the heels of a massive Pacific storm that unleashed hurricane-force wind gusts, pounding surf, soaking rains and heavy snow across California for two days. The northern portion of the state was hardest hit.

Howling winds uprooted trees already weakened by prolonged drought and poorly anchored in rain-soaked soil, taking down power lines with them and blocking roadways across the region. Road travel was also disrupted by flash floods and rock slides.

High surf and runoff from heavy rains combined to flood several blocks in the seaside city of Santa Cruz, and heavy waves tore up wooden piers in the adjacent town of Capitola and nearby Seacliff State Beach.

One man leapt from his car after he slid into trees on Thursday. He did not suffer any injuries

A couple clear up debris outside their home on Thursday. More than 40,000 Californians are still without power

A man walks on a bridge next to high water in San Francisco. The city is expected to get more rain today after a week of intense rainfall

Cal Fire San MateoSanta Cruz Unit shared a video of the dangerously high surf splashing water onto the roadway, where drivers slowly traversed near El Granada on Thursday.

El Granada remained under a high surf advisory until 9pm local time on Friday.

Further north, pounding waves broke through the rear doors of the historic Point Cabrillo lighthouse in Mendocino County, flooding its ground-floor museum, the Mendocino Voice newspaper reported.

The two-day storm, which ended Thursday night, was powered by an immense atmospheric stream of moisture from the tropical Pacific and a sprawling, hurricane-scale low-pressure system known as a bomb cyclone.

High wind gust damaged a gas station in San Francisco on Wednesday

It marked the third and strongest atmospheric river to strike California since early last week. Research predicts that climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of such rain storms, punctuating extensive periods of extreme drought.

The rapid succession of storms left downtown San Francisco drenched in 10.3 inches of rain from December 26 through January 4, the wettest 10-day stretch recorded there in more than 150 years, since 1871, according to the NWS.

The highest all-time rainfall total ever documented over 10 days in the city's downtown was 14.37 inches, an 1862 record the NWS said would likely stand through the downpours to come.
Prince Harry has sensationally claimed he was forced to go along with his brother's 'bare-faced lie' that he was the best man at his wedding in 2011.

The Duke revealed his rift with his older sibling meant 'Willy didn't want me giving a best man's speech', according to his bombshell memoir, Spare.

In an extraordinarily personal revelation, Harry claims he was made to act out the role of best man to spare the blushes of Prince William's two closest friends.

The Duke was officially considered his brother's best man at the nuptial and even travelled with his father and future King to Westminster Abbey in a Bentley that day.

But in the latest in a string of 'truth-bombs' lobbed at the Royal Family, Harry declares the best man stunt was all for show and his brother's friends, James Meade and Thomas Van Straubenzee, gave the traditional speech at the reception.

Prince William and his wife Kate on their wedding day on April 29, 2011, followed by Prince Harry and Kate's Maid of Honour and sister, Pippa Middleton

Prince Harry has sensationally claimed he was forced to go along with his brother's 'bare-faced lie' that he was the best man at his wedding in 2011 (pictured at Westminster Abbey above)

Prince William's close friends, Thomas Van Straubenzee (left) and James Meade (right), gave the traditional best man's speech at the couple's reception - rather than Prince Harry

In an extraordinarily personal revelation, Harry claims he was made to act out the role of best man at his brother's 2011 wedding to spare the blushes of Prince William's two closest friends

Harry's remarks are the latest in his deeply personal war of words with William, whom he has already accused of pushing him over onto a dog bowl during a blazing row at Nottingham Cottage in 2019

In other claims, the Prince tells how William was meeting people who had assembled on the Mall by Buckingham Palace while 'tipsy on last night's rum' just hours before his wedding to Kate.

Harry recalls he said to him: 'You smell of alcohol', before he offered him mints as he lowered the windows of the car, describing the smell of 'the aftermath of last night's rum' on his 'tipsy' brother's breath.

His remarks are the latest in his deeply personal war of words with William, whom he has already accused of pushing him over onto a dog bowl during a blazing row at Nottingham Cottage in 2019.

Harry's claims are the latest devastating broadside against his older brother, with William the central target for much of the Duke's ire within the 557 pages of Spare.

Harry has also alleged that there was a fight between him and the Prince of Wales after his brother called Meghan Markle 'difficult', 'rude' and 'abrasive'.

His bombshell book claims the row in Nottingham Cottage  his Kensington Palace flat  ended with William grabbing him by the collar and throwing him to the floor, shattering a dog bowl. His back was scraped and bruised, he said

Harry has talked openly of wanting to reconcile with his father and his sibling, despite his extraordinary claims plunging the Royal Family into its worst crisis since the death of his mother in 1997.

Harry has also alleged that there was a fight between him and the Prince of Wales after he called Meghan Markle 'difficult', 'rude' and 'abrasive'. Pictured together after the Queen's death in September 2022

MailOnline has contacted spokespersons for Prince Harry and Prince William.

In a newly released clip from ITV's forthcoming interview with Harry, the duke said his brother was so frustrated during the 'Nott Cott' incident which reportedly took place in 2019, he saw 'red mist in him'.

'He wanted me to hit him back, but I chose not to,' he said of his brother. In the clip released early today, Harry said to his friend Mr Bradby: 'What was different here was the level of frustration, and I talk about the red mist that I had for so many years, and I saw this red mist in him.'

The short clip from the ITV interview, which is due to be aired on Sunday, also had Harry addressing the drug use detailed in Spare.

Mr Bradby said to the duke: 'There's a fair amount of drugs [in the book]. Marijuana, magic mushrooms, cocaine. I mean, that's going to surprise people.'

The duke appeared to agree and says it was 'important to acknowledge'.

The royal also stated he wants to reconcile with his family  something which he says cannot happen without 'some accountability'.

'I want reconciliation,' he says, 'but, first, there needs to be some accountability'. The duke also said: 'The truth, supposedly, at the moment, has been there's only one side of the story, right? But, there's two sides to every story.'

Other rows have also emerged in Harry's book. William is said to have tore into Meghan after she made comments about 'baby brain' during a meeting which was meant to 'relax the atmosphere' between the couples.

The Prince and Princess of Wales invited Harry and Meghan to their flat at Kensington Palace after a series of rows including one where Kate was reportedly reduced to tears during a bridesmaid dress fitting for Charlotte.

But the chat over tea and biscuits in June 2018  weeks after the Sussexes' Windsor wedding  descended into another conflict because the Duchess of Sussex told Kate that she must have 'baby brain because of her hormones', according to Harry's new bombshell memoirs.

William then called Meghan 'rude' to her face and 'pointed a finger at her' and explained: 'These things are not done here'. In an excerpt, which lays bare the rift between the Sussexes and the Wales, Meghan then told William: 'If you don't mind, keep your finger out of my face'.

Defending his wife, Harry writes in his new book: 'Meg said that she had never intentionally done anything to offend Kate and that if she had, she begged her to let her know so she could avoid a reoccurrence'.

Harry laid out in extraordinary detail the meeting with William and Kate in June 2018 which was an attempt to mend the growing rift between the Sussexes and the Waleses.

But both couples would end up sharing more gripes rather than patching things up.

Harry claims William was said Meghan was rude in a shouting match (Pictured: Harry and William arrive to hold a vigil in honour of the Queen last year)

The Nottingham Cottage kitchen, where Harry claims his brother grabbed him by the collar and threw him to the floor, smashing a dog bowl

He describes arriving at their Kensington Palace flat and said that Meghan's mouth was open because of the decor, priceless art on the walls, books and furniture, saying 'wow' repeatedly.

Harry said that they had been thinking to themselves that their neighbouring flat had Ikea lamps and furniture 'we had recently bought on sale with Meg's credit card on sofa.com'.

They then sat down for a cup of tea and some biscuits where they asked after the Wales' children, and they in turn had been asked about their honeymoon.

But after that Meghan decided to raise the question of their relationship and tensions going back to when she started dating Harry, suggesting there had been crossed wires when Kate thought Meghan wanted to use her connections in the fashion industry, when in fact she already had her own.

Meghan suggested that these problems had been magnified by the wedding preparations and the discussions over bridesmaids dresses.

Harry then claims that Kate became upset and demanded an apology from Meghan for offending her when she mentioned her hormones after giving birth and suggesting it had affected her memory.

Meghan initially said she couldn't remember but then added: 'I remember: you had forgotten something and I said that it didn't matter, that it was because of pregnancy. Because you just had a child. Because of the hormones'.

Harry said Kate then said back: 'We are not close enough for you to talk about my hormones'.

Meghan then said she spoke to all her friends that way and then William weighed in, pointing at the duchess and saying it was rude and she was wrong to say it. Meghan then told him to stop pointing in her face.

The Duchess of Sussex is then said to have declared that she had not wanted to offend Kate. They all hugged and left, Harry said, because they thought it best to head home rather than row further.
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Utah's Great Salt Lake will disappear within five years if left alone as an ongoing megadrought and failure to replenish it has left water levels plummeting by 73 percent.

A coalition of dozens of scientists have called on the state to enact 'emergency measures' to save the Great Salt Lake, warning that unless it sees a 'dramatic increase' in inflow within a year, the lake will be gone by 2028.

In their report calling for a rescue, the scientists say the lake's 'disappearance could cause immense damage to Utah's public health, environment, and economy.

'The choices we make over the next few months will affect our state and ecosystems throughout the West for decades to come.'

The dire warning comes after the driest summer on record caused water levels in the lake to hit historic lows amid a megadrought devastating the West.

 Slide me  Scientists warned that Utah's Great Salt Lake will disappear in five years as water levels have dropped by 73 percent

The historically low water levels have left 60 percent of the lakebed exposed amid a megadrought in the West

Researchers said the lake will need 1 million acre-feet of water, or about 326,000 gallons, per year to reverse the receding water levels. Pictured: A park ranger for Utah's Department of Natural Resources walking in exposed areas of the lake

The Great Salt lake is known as America's Red Sea. Pictured: the dividing line between the lake's red and blue hue water in 2021. The summer of 2022 was the hottest and driest for the area, which caused water levels to continue dropping

According to the report, the Great Salt Lake has lost 73 percent of its water, with the lake now 19 feet below its average level as 60 percent of the lakebed lies exposed.

Because the lake is shallow  about 35 feet at its deepest  less water quickly translates to receding shorelines.

More dry lakebed getting exposed could also send arsenic-laced dust into air breathed by millions. Breathing in high levels of arsenic can cause a sore throat, irritated lungs, arsenic poisoning, or even death, according to the American Cancer Society.

The scientists said the lake will need an additional 1 million acre-feet of water, or about 326,000 gallons, per year to reverse the slump.

To expedite the rescue, the researchers are calling on Utah Gov. Spencer Cox to declare a state of emergency. They are also urging lawmakers to implement an emergency water conservation measure.

The scientists warned that if the drought affecting the West persists, which experts say it will, saving the lake would require water-use cuts of up to 50 percent in the Great Salt Lake watershed area.

Pictured: Dry lake bed along an abandoned docking area in the Great Salt Lake in the spring of 2022

A chair was placed along the lake's southern shore in March as the water levels continued to recede

Pictured: Utah lawmakers and DNR heads walking by a mirabilite spring bound as they surveyed the lake in May

The report's lead author, Benjamin Abbott, a professor of ecology at Brigham Young University, told CNN that the status of the lake today is shocking.

'It's honestly jaw-dropping and totally disarming to see how much of the lake is gone. The lake is mostly lakebed right now.'

The receding waters are already affecting the natural wildlife, exposing the nesting spot for pelicans, which are among the many bird species dependent on the lake.

Jaimi Butler, coordinator for Great Salt Lake Institute at Westminster College in Salt Lake City, told the Associated Press that pelicans, the largest birds in North America, typically flock to Gunnison Island, a remote outpost in the lake.

But the falling lake levels have exposed a land bridge to the island, allowing foxes and coyotes to come across and hunt for rodents and other foodfrightening the birds into fleeing their nests and leaving eggs at hatchlings to be eaten by gulls.

Pelicans aren't the only birds dependent on the Great Salt Lake: It's a stopover for many species to feed on their journey south.

Brine shrimp in the lake support a $57 million industry in Utah, but in the coming years, less water could make the salinity too great for even those creatures to survive.

'The lake's ecosystem is not only on the edge of collapse. It is collapsing. '

Pictured: Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson looks over a mirabilite spring mound while surveying the Great Salt Lake

The receding water levels threaten to devastate the wildlife in the area, as well as the local shrimping industry

Pictured: an American flag standing in an area of the lake that used to be underwater

Cox, a Republican, has begged people to cut back on lawn watering as for years, residents have been diverting water from rivers that flow into the lake to water crops and supply homes.

The Great Salt Lake is fed from the Jordan, Weber and Bear Rivers, which deposit roughly 1.1 million tons of minerals into it every year.

The scientists urging for action say the governor has the right approach, echoing that water conservation is the best way to save the lake rather than just building new pipelines to help replenish it.

'We really encourage everyone from an individual water user up to the governor's office and the federal government to focus on conservation,' Abbott told CNN. 'That is the only way that we can get enough water to the Great Salt Lake in time to save it.'
A former Dragon's Den star who once said Chris Whitty should 'hang' for recommending Covid jab to children has set up a 'safe haven' for anti-vaxxers'.

Rachel Elnaugh, 58, has raised nearly 1million with a group called Phoenix Rose to buy 70 acres of Derbyshire forest.

The group, which is also called the 'Inner Sanctum' initiative, bought the Cressbrook Dale Estate in June 2022 and are holding 'shamanic rituals' on the land.

The sanctuary is the latest unusual move for the businesswoman, who faced severe criticism in 2021 for her anti-vax opinions.

Rachel Elnaugh, 58, is part of an anti-vaccination group that has purchased the Cressbrook estate in Derbyshire

The dale was part of the land around the Cressbrook Mill, which went bankrupt in the 1930s. The land was then purchased by the Stanton Estate

In a prospectus published by Phoenix Rose, intentions for the land, which include 'forest bathing, shamanic wisdom and natural healing' as well growing vegetables, are outlined.

In videos published on the content-sharing site Odysee, Ms Elanugh said Cressbrook will become a 'safe haven away from the threat that humanity [is] facing' and described the vaccination programme as part of a 'great reset'.

The Red Letter Day developer said on her marketing website that the decision to buy the land had not been planned.

'This opportunity came about quite by chance via one of our local Bakewell 'Stand in the Park' regulars who knew the Estate Management Team at Stanton Estate.'

The Stanton Estate had purchased the land in the 1930s when the Creesbrook Mill went bankrupt.

A tee-pee and an area of hardstanding have been erected on the site, which sits in the Peak District national park.

The Peak District National Park Authority has issued an emergency tree preservation order and a temporary stop notice, meaning that Ms Elnaugh will need planning permission for any further changes.

The Covid conspiracy zealot has described the estate as 'an incredible vagina of land', according to The Times.

She said the group had 'manifested a temple' on the land which was aligned to the planet's magnetic field and that magic mushrooms that grow 'abundantly' in the woodland would help people open their 'third eye'.

Ms Elnaugh said the land 'necessitated a complete shift in our initial vision' as there are no buildings on the 70 acres of agricultural land.

'However it is rich in all the resources required for self-sustainability with natural springs plenty of wood and sheltered from the harsher elements of weather.'

The 58-year-old businesswoman said '22 beautiful peace and nature loving souls' had come together to buy the plot

The 70-acre plot, which Ms Elnaugh purchased with the help of a crowd fundraiser, is part of the Peak District National Park

An order has been issued by the Peak District National Park Authority to prevent any further work taking place without planning permission

Investors are encouraged to get in touch with the former Dragon's Den star in order to contribute to the projet

The 70-acre estate will become a 'safe haven' from the threat that the group believes vaccines pose, despite concerns from community campaigners about people with extreme religious views being attracted to the area

The anti-vaxxer said '22 beautiful peace and nature loving souls' had invested in the project but the group are looking for more investors to cover the remainder of the cost.

Those who financially support the land purchase will be given access to the estate based on how much they donate.

Community campaigners have spoken out about their worry that their local area will be 'threatened' by the plans for the 'quiet backwater'.

Jenny Caven, 59, who is part of the Save Cressbrook Dale campaign, said that one of her biggest concerns was the fear that the area would become a beacon for people with extreme and potentially dangerous views.

Caven said Elnaugh was a 'scary figure to have on your doorstep'.

The community group has received threatening emails, one of which read: 'Rachel is saving your space. If the new world order get hold of it you haven't got a chance of even having an opinion.'

The businesswoman and mother-of-five faced condemnation in 2021 after saying Professor Chris Witty would 'hang' for recommending that children be vaccinated.

Responding to a Tweet by Good Morning Britain, which viewers if they were happy for their children to be vaccinated, the businesswoman, who is the founder of experience day firm Red Letter Days, wrote: 'Child abuse. Whitty will hang for this.'

A former Dragon's Den star has sparked fury by saying Chris Whitty (pictured left) 'will hang' for recommending Covid jabs for children. Ex-'Dragon' Rachel Elnaugh (pictured right), 56, took to Twitter to call the decision to launch a UK-wide vaccination programme for children aged 12-15 as 'child abuse'

In a later tweet, flagged by Twitter as 'Misleading', Ms Elnaugh said that her qualifications included being a 'deeply concerned mother of five boys' and that she had the same medical qualifications as Bill Gates

Ms Elnaugh made her fortune as the creator of Red Letter Days, a gift company that offered certificates for special experiences.

The former dragon sold the company in August 2005 after it went into administration.

Her television colleague, Peter Jones, and Theo Paphitis saved the business from bankrupcy before selling it to competitor SmartBox in 2017.

She describes herself on her website as a 'creator, communicator and changemaker'.

Ms Elnaugh wrote a memoir following the collapse of her business and said that those who had been 'abusive' towards her had come to a 'sticky end'.

She also blamed an 'army of faceless, jealous people' for the gift business going into administration.

In 2012 she became the business manager for the alternative medicine practitioner and TV personality Stephen Russell, known as the Barefoot Doctor.

Russell stopped practising after he admitted having had sex with former patients and died in 2020.
King Charles is still hoping to build bridges with his son Harry, Palace sources say, despite the damaging claims made by the prince in his upcoming memoir Spare.

The head of state is said to be willing to take the Duke of Sussex's call and heal the rift in the hopes that he will attend his Coronation on May 6.

The Royal Family has so far remained silent on the explosive revelations from the autobiography, which accidentally went on sale early in Spain this week.

Published extracts include an alleged physical altercation between William and Harry, details of the feud between Meghan and Kate and other disparaging passages, including about Queen Consort Camilla.

King Charles is still hoping to build bridges with his son Harry, Palace sources say, despite the damaging claims made by the prince in his upcoming memoir Spare (Pictured: Charles, Harry and William at Princess Diana's funeral in 1997)

The King is currently residing at Sandringham and is said to displaying a 'perfectly understandable' response to Harry's memoir (Pictured: Harry, Charles and William at the Illegal Wildlife Trade Conference in 2014)

But mental health experts warned last night that the mud slinging must come to an end if the Royal Family is to ever heal, adding that such a task is made all the more difficult under the glaring spotlight of the world's media.

On the book, a Palace source told the Daily Express: 'This is clearly very upsetting but there is time between now and May.

'Charles is King, but first and foremost, he is a devoted albeit worried father, and naturally, wants this resolved.'

The King is currently residing at Sandringham and is said to displaying a 'perfectly understandable' response to Harry's memoir.

It comes before the prince's sit-down interview with ITV's Tom Bradby, in which he will say: 'I would like to have my father back. I would like my brother back.'

Dickie Arbiter, 82, who acted as the late Queen's spokesman for 12 years, told The Express: 'Charles is a dad and this is a family rift, it's not an institutional or constitutional rift.

'Harry has gone ballistic, that's his right. But we're only hearing one side. We will not hear anything else because if the Royal Family are wise they will remain silent.

'Charles will be angry and upset because he loves his son. He is a dad, a parent. Siblings fight and do not necessarily get on with each other. But for a parent to lose his son in this way is very sad.'

In a teaser for Sunday's ITV exclusive, Harry is unable to commit to attending his father's Coronation.

Mr Arbiter added that it would 'churlish' if he wasn't there but that the King would have no choice but to go ahead.

He said that if Harry did go he would have to swear an oath of royal allegiance while 'the polls show the great British public is hostile.'

But those hoping for a happy reunion may have to wait longer still, with one psychologist suggesting it is often impossible for those who are in the public eye.

Not referencing Harry directly, Linda Blair, a clinical psychologist, told the Times that even the worst relationships can be healed 'quietly and with time', but only without the pressure of the spotlight.

The associate fellow of the British Psychological Society (BPS) said people change their behaviour when they are being watched, often ruining chances of reconciliation when under public scrutiny.

It is what is known as the Hawthorne Effect, where people act differently when they know their awareness is being watched.

Ms Blair said: 'By being observed we are different in how we react because of how we're feeling. You just can't be without awareness or relax.

'There's not a chance for the emotions to cool and logic to step in. It takes the spotlight going off and effort from both sides to be able to forgive each other. You can't go back to square one, because new things have happened, but you can come back to a compatible and comfortable time. It's always possible.'

She added: 'Whenever there's hurt, it's never one way. Both parties need to come together if things are to improve.'

Letizia Perna, a psychotherapist and director of services at Winston's Wish, a children's bereavement charity, told the Times that Harry emitted signs of what experts call 'complex grief', which may have stemmed from losing his mother as a child and which can remain 'unresolved and really raw for so, so many years'.

She added: 'It's not because he's not dealing with it  he talks openly about having sought counselling  but because it's tapped into some really deep-rooted sense of self and sense of self within the world, it is really hard to break. It's a constant trigger.

'Potentially there's some aspect of him which is experiencing ongoing images, thoughts and sensations that effectively overwhelm his body and his mind and make him feel out of control.'

It comes after the Duke of Sussex described William's 'red mist' in a fight over Meghan Markle before admitting that he took cannabis, magic mushrooms and cocaine in another clip from his ITV interview, out on Sunday.

Harry also insisted to presenter Tom Bradby that he wants reconciliation with his relatives, even though his memoir has damaged the King and plunged the Royal Family into its worst crisis since the death of his mother in 1997.

And in a separate teaser released by Good Morning America this week, he admitted the rift with William would make their late mother 'sad'.

Former Vanity Fair editor Tina Brown, a biographer of Princess Diana, said Friday: 'Harry's turned into a human hand grenade It's raining down on the House of Windsor just at the start of his father's reign'.

The Duke of Sussex has spoken out again over the alleged confrontation between himself and his brother, the Prince of Wales, in an interview with ITV's Tom Brady

Harry claims William was said Meghan was rude in a shouting match (Pictured: Harry and William arrive to hold a vigil in honour of the Queen last year)

Prince Harry reveals his final words to the Queen when he visited her body at Balmoral hours after she died Advertisement

Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace have declined to comment on anything Harry has said on TV or in his book. But an insider told The Times: 'It is exhausting, it is exasperating, but it is not distracting. It will burn itself out.'

Harry has alleged that there was a fight between him and the Prince of Wales after he called Meghan Markle 'difficult', 'rude' and 'abrasive'. Harry's book also reveals that William warned him against proposing.

Royal expert Jack Royston said: 'William will be furious and I cannot see William wanting Harry at the Coronation after everything that's been said.

'I think it's a decision that will be made jointly after discussion. Charles is obviously the King and the Prince of Wales does not trump the King.

'But William is Charles's son, Charles and Camilla are both mentioned as well, I think this will be discussed by the three of them together and probably Kate as well.

'William's voice does count within that conversation, it doesn't trump the King but his voice counts.

'It would have to be a long road because public opinion swings so slowly and one thing we've seen is every time they go for the royals, every time they take a swing at them, it damages their reputation in Britain'.

Harry claimed the stand-up row in Nottingham Cottage  his Kensington Palace flat  ended with William grabbing him by the collar and throwing him to the floor, shattering a dog bowl. His back was scraped and bruised, he said.

In a newly released clip from ITV's forthcoming interview with Harry, the duke said his brother was so frustrated during the incident which reportedly took place in 2019, he saw 'red mist in him'.

'He wanted me to hit him back, but I chose not to,' he said of his brother. In the clip released early today, Harry said to his friend Mr Bradby: 'What was different here was the level of frustration, and I talk about the red mist that I had for so many years, and I saw this red mist in him.'

The short clip from the ITV interview, which is due to be aired on Sunday, also had Harry addressing the drug use detailed in Spare.

Mr Bradby said to the duke: 'There's a fair amount of drugs [in the book]. Marijuana, magic mushrooms, cocaine. I mean, that's going to surprise people.'

The duke appeared to agree and says it was 'important to acknowledge'.

The royal also stated he wants to reconcile with his family  something which he says cannot happen without 'some accountability'.

'I want reconciliation,' he says, 'but, first, there needs to be some accountability'. The duke also said: 'The truth, supposedly, at the moment, has been there's only one side of the story, right? But, there's two sides to every story.'

Other rows have also emerged in Harry's book. William is said to have tore into Meghan after he insulted his wife during a meeting which was meant to 'relax the atmosphere' between the couples.

The Prince and Princess of Wales invited Harry and Meghan to their flat at Kensington Palace after a series of rows including one where Kate was reportedly reduced to tears during a bridesmaid dress fitting for Charlotte.

But the chat over tea and biscuits in June 2018  weeks after the Sussexes' Windsor wedding  descended into another conflict because the Duchess of Sussex told Kate that she must have 'baby brain because of her hormones', according to Harry's new bombshell memoirs.

William then called Meghan 'rude' to her face and 'pointed a finger at her' and explained: 'These things are not done here'. In an excerpt, which lays bare the rift between the Sussexes and the Wales, Meghan then told William: 'If you don't mind, keep your finger out of my face'.

Defending his wife, Harry writes in his new book: 'Meg said that she had never intentionally done anything to offend Kate and that if she had, she begged her to let her know so she could avoid a reoccurrence'.
A school principal accused of sending a 'd*** pic' to an undercover cop posing as a teenage girl had frequently warned his students of the dangers of online predators.

Shayne Harris, 53, was dropped as principal of Aveley North Primary School, in Perth's outer-northern suburbs, this week after he was charged with exposing a child to indecent matter and drug possession.

He is alleged to have used the username 'Die Hard' while chatting to someone he thought was a 14-year-old girl, Perth Magistrates Court heard on Thursday.

When the conversation continued on Google Chats, Harris is alleged to have posted two photos of his face before sending a photo of his genitals.

The 53-year-old, who became school principal in July, authorised fortnightly newsletters that urged parents to monitor how their child used the internet.

Shayne Harris, 53, (pictured) was dropped as principal of Aveley North Primary School this week after he was charged with exposing a child to indecent matter and drug possession

In September, a newsletter warned that children who revealed too many details about themselves online could attract predators, the West Australian reports.

'Revealing this type of information can make them easy targets for online predators and others who might mean them harm,' the newsletter said.

'In fact, many kids say they have been contacted online by someone they didn't know in a way that made them feel scared or uncomfortable.'

In December, the newsletter singled out the website Omegle, a popular video chat site, and asked students to avoid using it.

'It has come to our attention that some students are talking about or perhaps using this website to talk to strangers,' it said.

'We strongly discourage student use.'

In a newsletter published in August, students were asked to consider the type of content they were posting on the internet.

'Whenever you're online, you are potentially speaking to an unlimited audience, even if you think your conversations are private,' it read.

On Thursday, the WA Department of Education called for the long-time educator to be stood down as principal of Aveley North (pictured) over the 'incredibly serious' allegations

Mr Harris faced Perth Magistrates Court (pictured) charged with exposing a child to an indecent matter and drug possession. He was granted bail with strict conditions and will face court next month

'Taking a few moments to think about the content you post could save upset, embarrassment  and even possible legal action or police involvement.'

Police raided the principal's home on Wednesday where officers allegedly discovered cannabis and drug paraphernalia.

He was arrested and charged with exposing a child to indecent matter and drug possession and was granted bail on Thursday, on the condition he surrender his passport, did not leave the state and gave access to his internet devices.

Harris's defence lawyer referred to the principal's clean criminal record and extensive career as a principal and teacher in his counterargument.

On Thursday, the WA Department of Education called for the long-time educator to be stood down immediately over the 'incredibly serious' allegations.

'We expect the highest standards of behaviour from all school staff at all times, especially from our school leaders,' acting director general Melesha Sands said.
The Queen Consort did not tell the press about her first meeting with Prince William, royal insiders have insisted, after The Duke of Sussex wrote in his memoirs she leaked the story to media.

In his new autobiography Spare, Prince Harry makes a series of bombshell revelations about the Royal Family, including the claim that Camilla gave 'pinpoint accurate details' to the press about the first time she met the heir.

'None [of the details] had come from Willy, of course. They could only have been leaked by the one other person present,' Harry wrote, insinuating Camilla spilled the beans to journalists.

But royal insiders today told The Telegraph that it was in fact Camilla's private secretary who mistakenly shared the details, and later resigned.

The Duke of Sussex (right) wrote in his memoirs that Camilla (left) leaked the story of her first meeting with Prince William to the media

(L-R) Prince William, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Harry and Prince Charles, Prince of Wales attend the unveiling of a memorial of Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother, on the Mall on February 24, 2009 in London, England

Royal sources said Camilla's personal aide Amanda MacManus (pictured in 1998) was responsible for the leak of details about the now Queen Consort's first meeting with William

Harry's autobiography Spare is set for release on January 10 but a copy has been leaked ahead of the publication date

A source told The Telegraph that Harry 'creates a very crisp narrative which in parts is a conflation of different versions of stories,' before going on to claim that Camilla's personal aide Amanda MacManus was responsible for the leak of details about the 1998 meeting.

Camilla Parker Bowles as she was then known allegedly told MacManus, who later told her husband who worked in the media.

A newspaper then obtained the details from a former colleague of MacManus' husband, the source insisted.

Camilla was said to be 'furious' when she discovered the leak and MacManus resigned.

The aide, who was later re-hired by Camilla, said at the time: 'I am so very sorry for the distress this has caused. Above all, my shame is that I have failed those who demand loyalty and trust, particularly my remarkable employer Mrs Parker Bowles.

'I am very sorry to be leaving but as the person responsible for this unhappy chain of events, I cannot with honour remain in this position.'

Britain's Prince William, right, and Prince Harry, left, after the marriage of their father Britain's Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, at the Guildhall in Windsor, England, after their civil wedding ceremony, on April 9, 2005

Prince Charles, Princess Camilla and Prince Harry watch poppies dropped from a Lancaster bombe as she stands next to Prince Andrew on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during the celebrations marking the end of World War II in London 10 July 2005

Charles and Camilla married in 2005. Harry claims that William wished he had said something to prevent it

In another excerpt from Spare, Prince Harry accused Camilla of plotting to wed Charles and take the Crown.

In an extraordinary passage, the Duke of Sussex writes: 'Shortly after our private meetings with her, she began to develop her long-term strategy, a campaign directed at marriage and with time, the Crown (with the blessing of our father, we supposed).

The Duke also claims that he and his brother William 'begged' the then-Prince of Wales not to remarry after Princess Diana's death, fearing that she would be their 'wicked stepmother'.

Charles had tried to win over his sons before asking the public to accept Camilla, the book claims. Harry then astonishingly says that meeting the future Queen Consort for the first time was like an 'injection'. He later says that ultimately he and William approved of Camilla.

He writes: 'I remember wondering... if she would be cruel to me; if she would be like all the wicked stepmothers in the stories'.

In his book, which has been released in Spain, Harry also calls William his 'archenemy' and his 'polar opposite', and described the moment he was told by his father Charles that their mother Diana had been killed in a car crash in Paris, MailOnline can reveal.

Harry accuses his older brother of being the aggressor during Megxit, claiming their relationship has become so strained and damaged that the Prince of Wales would only 'scowl' at him.
Versace's owners calling the bird '[The] best guard dog we've ever bought'

The blue and yellow macaw, Versace screeched at the invaders until they fled

A family parrot has successfully thwarted a home invasion on New Years Eve

A family parrot has scared away potential home invaders by letting out a series of terrifying shrieks after it heard a window being smashed.

The blue and yellow macaw named Versace was in her cage in the Kavanagh's family home in Mickleham, north of Melbourne, while they celebrated New Years Eve.

A security camera pointed at Versace captured the moment a would-be intruder tried to break in before the bird let out a series of shrieks.

A family parrot, Versace (pictured), has thwarted a potential home invasion on New Year's Eve in Melbourne's north after screeching at intruders once she heard a window breack

The family had already left the house to attend a New Years Eve celebration.

It was the first time they had left their nearly three-year-old pet parrot at home alone.

Already on edge, Versace shrieks as the intruders break the glass window in the room.

She clings to the side of the cage as her shrieking becomes louder prompting the intruders to flee leaving behind a crowbar and a large screwdriver in the backyard.

'[The] best guard dog we've ever bought,' owner Alexandra Kavanagh told 9News.

Versace's bravery came at a cost, as she was reportedly so shaken up by the incident that she wouldn't leave her cage for hours after the family returned.

'Eventually she did and I just kissed her for ages,' Ms Kavanagh said.

'I haven't let her go since.'

Versace's owners, the Kavanaughs (pictured with Versace), had left Versace alone for the first time to celebrate New Years Eve and plan to shower the macaw with treats for her protection

Thankful for their crime-stopping bird, the Kavanagh's are indulging Versace in her favourite treats and toys for saving their home.

Ms Kavanagh said the heroic bird 'doesn't mind a bit of KFC' and eats chicken and chips for treats.
A 77-year-old man had to be saved after spending 90 minutes trapped inside a wrecked vehicle at a Pennsylvania car wash after his car flipped over in a shocking crash.

The man, who has not been identified, was at the Wave Car Wash in Colmar, Pennsylvania - about 35 miles north of Philadelphia - Tuesday afternoon.

He's seen on video paying for the carwash but when he heads inside, he accidentally put his foot on the gas.

The vehicle then crashed into a piece of cleaning equipment and flipped over onto its left side.

A 77-year-old man had to be saved after spending 90 minutes trapped inside a wrecked vehicle at a Pennsylvania car wash, in a shocking crash that flipped the car

Firefighters were called to the car wash at around 2:15 p.m. on Tuesday to rescue the man, who was trapped inside.

Emergency crews discovered the 77-year-old driver had his leg stuck between the car and the driver's side door.

Fire Marshal Mikele Waldron said that it was likely his leg was outside the car and the door was open when he hit the accelerator.

It took crews about 90 minutes to extract the man using air bags, blocks and jacks to slowly lift the car out of the wash.

The victim was escorted to a local hospital for injuries to his leg, but ABC6 reported that he is expected to survive. Authorities described his condition as serious but stable.

Wave Car Wash was forced to temporarily close following the Tuesday accident, saying in a statement on Facebook that 'several pieces of equipment' had been destroyed in the crash.

They were unable to reopen until Thursday, when they wrote: 'Huge thanks to the Wave team and car wash family to help us get back open so quickly.'

The man, who has not been identified, was at the Wave Car Wash in Colmar, Pennsylvania - about 35 miles north of Philadelphia - Tuesday afternoon

He's seen on video paying for his wash but then when he heads inside it, he accidentally puts his foot on the gas

The vehicle then crashed into a piece of cleaning equipment and completely flipped over

Firefighters were called to the car wash at around 2:15 p.m. on Tuesday to rescue the man, who was trapped inside

Emergency crews discovered the 77-year-old driver had his leg stuck between the car and the driver's side door

Fire Marshal Mikele Waldron said that it was likely his leg was outside the car and the door was open when he hit the accelerator

The owner, Darin Kapanjie, said in a statement: 'We are relieved that nobody was seriously injured. This was a severe accident that is extremely unfortunate for our customers, and our equipment.'

He added: 'Being a small business owner isn't easy, accidents like this don't make it any easier. But hey, we have an amazing customer base that is committed to us as much as we are committed to them. We also have an amazing staff, great support team, and great connections in this amazing industry.'

Kapanjie also said that 'we'll get through it together and end up on top.'

Bill Ashmead, who was behind the victim in line at the car wash and waiting to send his vehicle through, was stunned.

'I can't even imagine the process of having a car turn over inside a car wash,' he said. 'I don't think it's ever happened before.'

The car wash was unable to reopen until Thursday, when they wrote in a Facebook post: 'Huge thanks to the Wave team and car wash family to help us get back open so quickly'
European health agency told in an address about the Chinese COVID-19 surge, which is like to impact Europe.

European Health Agency's Say on COVID-19 Outbreak

And though the European Commission has tried to offer Beijing vaccine doses, the EU's health agency has mentioned that the rise in COVID-19 cases in mainland China is unlikely to result in an outbreak of pathogens throughout the EU, reported Euractiv.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) stated on Tuesday, January 3, that the influx of cases in China should not impact the COVID-19 epidemiological situation in the EU/EEA due to strong herd immunity.

A few member states, like France, Italy, and Spain, are now taking measures like COVID-19 certification requirements on tourists coming from China, while the others will wait for a coherent response.

England will start demanding pre-departure screening for travelers from the Chinese mainland beginning this Thursday. A specimen of the arrivals will also be evaluated to improve current procedures and keep an eye out for new variants, citing Ground News.

Steve Barclay, the UK's Secretary of State for Health, said on Friday that it is necessary to take an equitable and precautionary position by declaring such temporary solutions while trying to assess the data, noted Gov UK.

EU Offers Donations of Variant-Adapted Vaccines

Last Tuesday, an EU spokesperson stated that Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides offered EU assistance to her Chinese counterparts in the form of public health experts as well as variant-adapted EU vaccine contributions to deal with the sharp rise. Thus far, there has yet to be a response from the Chinese side.

Read Also: Volodymyr Zelensky Children: Does the Ukraine President Have Kids?

Kyriakides added that how Beijing would respond would determine how it would proceed. After the mass protests against the hardline measures of the Chinese government, the controversial three-year 'zero COVID' policy was dropped in December. Nearly all prohibitions are now lifted, and the isolation requirements for foreign visitors will also be removed this January.

Chinese COVID-19 surge

Based on the ECDC cited the low population as what caused the sharp rise in serious cases. Nevertheless, low population immunity has led to a significant rise in cases. Early December 2022 saw an all-time high in documented infectious diseases, as reported by the ECDC.

Since then, the figures have also decreased; however, the EU's health agency suggested that this could be due to a decrease in screening potential. The ECDC noted that there needs to be more reliable information on COVID-19 cases, hospital stays, lives lost, and the capabilities and availability of the intensive care units (ICUs) in China.

According to sources, China's health commission needs to share the daily reports on COVID-19 cases starting December 24, mentioned NHC Gov.

On December 30, the World Health Organization (WHO) urged that Chinese officials regularly share specific and up-to-date details on the epidemiological scenario, such as extra genetic sequencing information and data on the effect of maladies, including hospitalizations, ICU admissions, and casualties.

Jakob Forssmed, the minister of health for Sweden, mentioned in a press statement that the presidency is seeking a coherent policy strategy for the possible implementation of entry criteria.

According to a European Heath Agency, an eye will be on the Chinese COVID-19 surge that will not likely impact Europe.

Related Article: Ports in China Shows Strong Economic Performance Despite Global Pandemic's Effects in 2022

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Brian Walshe, the husband of Ana Walshe, 39, who disappeared on New Year's Day after failing to catch a work flight to Washington D.C. is a convicted art swindler

The husband of Ana Walshe, 39, who disappeared on New Year's Day after failing to catch a work flight to Washington D.C. is a convicted art swindler.

Brian Walshe, 48, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Boston in 2021 after being arrested a few years earlier for selling two fake Andy Warhol paintings to a South Korean buyer for $80,000, federal prosecutors say.

Walshe took the paintings from a friend and sold them on eBay, only to switch them out for fakes.

Cohasset Police Chief William Quigley said in the press conference on Friday that the case appears to be completely unrelated to Walshe's disappearance who has not been seen since January 1.

Meanwhile, a huge fire broke out at the Walshe's former family home, a $1.4million mansion in Cohasset.

Ana Walshe also lived at the residence until just a few months ago. Police say that it is too soon to know whether the fire is connected to her sudden disappearance.

The fire started in the attic of the home. Three adults and one child who were all living in the home at the time of the blaze managed to make it out unharmed.

'It's a very strange coincidence, but we have the fire marshal's office and our detectives will be assigned here to investigate this fire,' Quigley said. 'We'll get to the bottom of things.'

A huge fire broke out at the Walshes' former family home, a $1.4million mansion in Cohasset

The fire started in the attic of the home. Three adults and one child who were all living in the home at the time of the blaze managed to make it out unharmed

The Walshe family lived in the home until comparatively recently. It is not known yet if there is any connection between Ana's disappearance and the blaze

Police say that it is too soon to know whether the fire is connected to her disappearance

Ana Walshe also lived at the residence until just a few months ago. Pictured, investigators from the state police and fire department were on the scene of the fire

Brian Walshe (right), pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Boston in 2021 after being arrested a few years earlier for selling two fake Andy Warhol paintings to a South Korean buyer for $80,000

In Walshe's criminal case, it was November 2016 when an eBay user - Ron Rivlin, the owner of Revolver Gallery in Los Angeles - found Walshe selling two Andy Warhol paintings for $100,000 each, reported the Boston Herald.

Rivlin claims that his gallery is the the world's largest gallery-owned Andy Warhol collection.

The paintings Rivlin saw on eBay were from Warhol's Shadows series, abstract paintings the pop artist created in 1978.

On the listing, Walshe also included a photo of an invoice from the Warhol Foundation, where he claimed he bought the paintings, and which allegedly showed he paid $240,000 for them.

Walshe allegedly told Rivlin he was selling the works at a great loss in order to pay for home renovations, reported the Herald.

Rivlin believed they were authentic and contacted Walshe in early November, arranging to purchase both paintings outside of eBay for $80,000.

In November 2016, Walshe put the paintings up on eBay for $100,000 each, after which art gallery owner Ron Rivlin agreed to buy them for $80,000. Picutred; Rivlin at his Andy Warhol gallery

Walshe got the paintings from his friend, who had recently bought them, and convinced him he could sell them for a good price - but then he disappeared and his friend never received any money in return for them. Pictured: One of the fame Warhol paintings

The pair signed a contract, which explicitly stated that Rivlin had three days to get a full refund, according to the Massachusetts DA's office.

On November 7, Rivlin's assistant flew to Boston to collect the paintings and gave Walshe an $80,000 cashier's check, which was deposited that day.

The next day, Rivlin unwrapped the paintings and found there were no authentication stamps on the back from the Warhol Foundation and that the canvasses looked new.

Next, he compared the paintings to the photographs on eBay and determined they were different.

After concluding the paintings in his possession were inauthentic, he made repeated attempts to contact Walshe.

The Herald reported that phone records show Rivlin called and texted Walshe from November 8 to 12, all of which went unanswered.

According to the DA's office, when Walshe did reply, he made several excuses for not refunding the money immediately.

After Walshe refunded Rivlin just $30,000 of the $80,000, the gallery owner said he had he had contacted the FBI.

Court documents show there have been various issues surrounding Brian Walshes sentencing, which initially was scheduled for home confinement and it is not clear what the current status of the case is.

After buying the paintings, Rivlin realized the artworks he purchased were fakes, When Walshe wouldn't return all the money, Rivlin called the FBI. Pictured: One of the fake Andy Warhol paintings

In the search for Ana Walshe, state police have suspended the hours-long search for a missing Cohasset mother of three who was last seen on New Years Day.

Police said they will continue the search on Saturday after covering just under one square mile on Friday afternoon into the evening.

Cops launched the desperate search after Walshe failed to catch a work flight to Washington DC.

She was last seen at about 4am at her home just over 40 minutes' drive from Boston.

Police have already used K-9s to search the grounds of the family's home in the 500 block of Chief Justice Cushing Highway and adjacent properties and have no extended the search to wooded areas a short distance from the home.

Police described Walshe as a woman with brown hair, brown eyes, five feet and two inches tall and weighing about 115 pounds and said she's left no digital footprint since she went missing.

The desperate search continues for a 39-year-old Massachusetts mother-of-three who vanished after on New Year's Day and failed to catch her work flight to Washington D.C

Police have urged anyone with information to come forward and said her husband, Brian Walshe, has been cooperative in the investigation and they have nothing to support anything 'suspicious or criminal' at this time.

Walshe was known to travel to Washington D.C. weekly for work and had booked a flight for January 3, not January 1, but authorities have presumed she was hoping to get an earlier flight before she went missing.

Leaving her home at about 4am on New Year's Day Walshe caught a rideshare bound for Logan International Airport in Boston before her flight to D.C. to work her job at a real estate company.

Chief Quigley said Walshe never got on that plane and search for the missing 39-year-old have turned up no signs of her.

'At this point it's a missing person investigation,' Quigley said.

'We're just trying to locate Ana and get her home safely. We have nothing to support anything suspicious or criminal.'

Friends of Walshe said that she is a wife and mother to three young boys - her social media platforms reflecting the life of a happy family

Walshe was known to travel to Washington D.C. weekly for work and had booked a flight for January 3, not January 1, but cops say she may have been hoping to get an earlier flight

Brian Walshe, who said he was asleep at the time his wife walked out the door early Sunday, has been cooperating with investigators, he added.

'It's not normal she is missing. We automatically feel she is in danger by the mere fact she is missing, other than that there is no evidence to support anything illegal,' Quigley said.

Walshe is reported to have left no digital footprint since leaving her home, and her phone has been shut off since around New Year's Day.

Police searches of her homes in Cohasset with a K-9 unit and in Washington, D.C. took place after she went missing with no sign of her

Police in Cohasset have also been coordinating with authorities in Washington D.C., who searched and found no trace of Walshe at her property there

'[Her] cell phone has been off since the first of the year,' Quigley said, adding that none of her credit or debit cards have been active since the first of the year.

Police described Walshe as a woman with brown hair, brown eyes, five feet and two inches tall and weighing about 115 pounds and said she's left no digital footprint since she went missing

Friends also said Walshe's normally active social media presence went silent on Sunday, WCVB reports.

Police in Cohasset have been coordinating with authorities in Washington D.C., who searched and found no trace of Walshe at her property there.

'The focus right now is trying to locate her,' Chief Quigley said.

'Whether she just needed a little break or time out. If that's the case we're just looking for her to call, all it takes is a phone call to let us know she's okay.'

A new search emanating from the parking lot of a nearby Stop and Shop store at 400 Chief Justice Cushing Highway was launched Friday afternoon.

One that involved State Police and regional police units trained in search and rescue efforts, officials said.

Walshe is normally active on social media, according to friends, and often posts pictures of what appears to be her happy family life

Friends told NBC Boston that she is a wife and mother to three young boys - her social media platforms reflecting the life of a happy family.

'Ana is a remarkable woman,' her friend Peter Kirby said.

'She's a powerful executive, she's a loving mom, she's just loving wife, she's one of the most remarkable humans we know, and we've very scared.

'We miss her a lot and we're just praying for her to be safe.'

'Everyone that knows and loves Ana, we just want her home safely,' Evan Turell, a friend of Walshe's who used to work with her at a hotel in Boston, told Fox News.

'Her husband and her boys were someone she talked to every single day and the fact that she hasn't been in touch with them is concerning and it's not like her to not be in touch with anyone. It's just really scary.'
A self-proclaimed 'sovereign citizen' wrote a series of chilling letters while behind bars on remand for bomb threat charges.

The letters, penned by Matthew James Evans, targeted several country Queensland courthouses, claiming the courts had 'no jurisdiction' to punish him before warning the courthouses would be 'blown up' by 'information bombs'.

'This bomb will blow up your building (LOL),' he wrote in one.

The letters - each page signed by him and fingerprinted with red ink - also featured vile accusations against judges.

Most of his handwritten notes began with 'Dear Re***ded, illiterate Trustees' while branding them 'kid f***ers' and 'peadophile (sic) trustee Judges'.

Matthew James Evans, targeted several country Queensland courthouses, claiming the courts had 'no jurisdiction' to punish him

The extent of his jail mail can be revealed after Evans, from Runnymede in Queensland's South Burnett region, was sentenced at Brisbane District Court last month.

In court documents obtained by NCA NewsWire, Evans pleaded guilty to more than 40 charges including making a bomb hoax, using a carriage service for a hoax threat, using a carriage service to menace, harass or cause offence, and multiple charges of using a postal service to menace, harass and cause offence.

Thirty-seven other summary charges - ranging from breaching bail to evasion, public nuisance and obstructing police - were also dealt with.

In an agreed statement of facts tendered to the court, Evans first phoned the police station in Nyngan - a small rural community more than 500km northwest of Sydney - in June 2020.

Evans told the answering officer, 'Hi, you bunch of c***s, there's a bomb in your station, you f***s', before hanging up.

Matthew James Evans's threatening letters made vile accusations against judges and threatened to 'blow-up the facts' with 'information bombs'

He then called the station another 26 times, hanging up each time they picked up the phone.

Evans' phone was traced to Logan in Queensland, where police checked his mother's house at Logan Village.

The court documents state he answered a call from investigating officers, claiming he made the empty threats because NSW Police had 'kept him in the sun for one hour with no water'.

Evans then called Policelink the next day, saying he didn't mean to make the threats.

'He stated he meant that NSW Police were 'bong heads' and police thought he meant 'bomb',' court documents state.

Matthew James Evans' bizarre letters to courts across Queensland claimed bombs were planted in their buildings

Undeterred, Evans phoned the Stanthorpe Courthouse in southwestern Queensland in September 2021, angrily telling a staff member the court should not be open and was 'committing treason'.

'After a moment of silence, Evans then yelled through the phone: 'There's a bomb in the courthouse' and hung up,' court documents state.

The building was subsequently evacuated.

A month later, Evans started a live chat with an employee of the Family Law Court in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta.

He asserted a woman was committing child abuse and 'birth certificate fraud', before threatening to blow up the building.

He claimed courts had 'stolen his property' and demanded his children's return

A police investigation led to Evans' arrest at an Aldi store in Kingaroy, Queensland.

His Runnymede property was also raided, where police discovered more than 27.2g worth of marijuana was growing.

Officers also found diazepam tablets, fertiliser, and water crystals used to grow the drugs.

During the raid, police seized a loaded pistol, crossbow, a homemade baton with nails sticking out the end, a water pipe, a pair of scissors, and a knife in his car positioned 'like it could be easily grabbed by the driver'.

While on remand in pre-sentence custody, Evans penned several letters from the confines of his prison cell at Maryborough Correctional Centre.

The self-proclaimed sovereign citizen made a series of outlandish claims in his threats

He forwarded copies to courts in Beenleigh, Warwick, Stanthorpe and Goondiwindi over several days between February and March - each page signed by him and fingerprinted with red ink.

The handwritten letters also contained statements such as: 'THIS BOMB WILL BLOW UP YOUR BUILDING (LOL)'.

In another letter to Warwick Magistrates Court, Evans blasted 'illiterate peadophile (sic) judges' while claiming he would use 'information bombs' as a 'lawful defence against your provoked assualt (sic).

When interviewed, Evans admitted he sent the letters as part of an attempt to defend the 'unlawful charges' police had laid against him.

Evans claimed they were not bomb threats and gave officers an information sheet, which contained the definition of the word 'bomb'

He claimed they were not bomb threats and gave officers an information sheet, which contained the definition of the word 'bomb'.

The court documents reveal Evans had also engaged in other dangerous behaviour, including evading police on the D'Aguilar Highway while driving 117km/h.

On that occasion, he also phoned police communications, claiming he was a 'sovereign citizen' and police had no power to intercept him.

Others included speeding away from police in excess of 150km/h - filming himself while saying 'it's a f***ing high speed chase' - and tearing down Covid-19 QR posters at a Nanango IGA store while yelling staff had 'no authority'.

District Court Judge Brad Farr sentenced Matthew James Evans to three and a half years' jail, with a non-parole period of one year and two months

During court appearances before his sentencing on December 16, Evans claimed the courts had no jurisdiction over him because he was an 'imperial crown subject' whose grandfather swore an oath to King George V, the great-great-grandfather of King Charles III.

He also threatened to sue a magistrate for 'damages for fraud, treachery and treason' and asserted he could only be tried at the International Court of Justice at The Hague.

District Court Judge Brad Farr sentenced Evans to three and a half years' jail, with a non-parole period of one year and two months.

With time already served, he will be eligible for parole in January.
A Jetstar flight has been forced to make an emergency landing in central Japan after receiving a bomb threat, according to local media.

The aircraft was reportedly travelling from Narita airport near Tokyo to Fukuoka on Saturday, when it was forced to divert to Aichi prefecture, public broadcaster NHK said.

No injuries were reported, however footage posted to social media appeared to show passengers disembarking via emergency slides and walking across the tarmac.

A Jetstar plane holding 149 passengers has been forced to make an emergency landing in central Japan after receiving a bomb threat on Saturday

The aircraft was reportedly travelling from Narita airport near Tokyo to Fukuoka on Saturday (pictured, crowds in Akihabara, Tokyo)

The broadcaster said 149 passengers had made reservations for the flight.

NHK said police had received information of the threat and that the emergency landing prompted Chubu Airport to temporarily suspend takeoffs and landings.

Jetstar Airways has stakes in sister airlines Jetstar Asia Airways and Jetstar Japan, which is joint owned by Qantas, Japan Airlines and Tokyo Century Corporation.

A Jetstar spokesperson said: 'A Jetstar Japan flight travelling from Tokyo (Narita) to Fukuoka diverted to Chubu Airport, landing normally at 7:41am local time today after a potential security incident.

'Out of an abundance of caution, passengers disembarked via emergency slides. We know this would have been distressing for passengers and thank them for their cooperation.

'Our teams are supporting them and working to get them on their way as quickly as possible. Jetstar Japan is also working closely with Chubu Airport and local authorities to investigate the situation.'
Zwerner was taken to Riverside Regional Medical Center in critical condition and remains there. She was the only one injured in the shooting

'Even after she'd been shot she was thinking about the safety of her children,' Gonzalez-Hernandez said

After being shot, the teacher 'screamed at her kids to run away,' parent Sebastian Gonzalez-Hernandez told DailyMail.com

One of her six-year-old students, who was not publicly identified, allegedly deliberately shot her after the pair got into an altercation, police said

A first-grade teacher who cops say was deliberately shot in the chest by a six year-old boy is a 25 year-old heroine who screamed for her students to run to safety.

Abby Zwerner is the educator who was struck by the bullet in her classroom at Richneck Elemtary School in Newport News, Virginia, around 2pm Friday, DailyMail.com can reveal.

She was rushed to hospital for surgery after. Officials said earlier this evening that Zwerner was critically-injured, and no further updates have been shared.

Police said the boy, who has not been publicly identified, got into an 'altercation' with Zwerner, of Williamsburg, before shooting her.

Parent, Sebastian Gonzalez-Hernandez confirmed Zwerner's identity to DailyMail.com and also detailed her selflessness in the immediate aftermath.

He said 'she screamed at her kids to run away' after the student fired a single bullet.

'Even after she'd been shot she was thinking about the safety of her children,' Gonzalez-Hernandez said.

Abby Zwerner, 25, of Williamsburg, Virginia, was shot in the chest at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News around 2pm on Friday

Parent, Sebastian Gonzalez-Hernandez, who confirmed Zwerner's identity to DailyMail.com, said 'she screamed at her kids to run away' after the student fired a single bullet

His own six-year-old, who he did not wish to name, was in the classroom when the gunshot went off.

'My son didn't see what happened, he heard the gunshot go off, and turned around to see Miss Zwerner on the floor,' he told DailyMail.com on Friday.

'She is an amazing teacher, so dedicated. My son absolutely loves her, and we're devastated about what's happened. We are all thinking of her and hoping that she gets better soon.'

Zwerner was taken to Riverside Regional Medical Center in critical condition and remains there. She was the only one injured.

Police confirmed a six-year-old student had been the one to fire the terrifying shot, but authorities are still looking into how the first-grader managed to get a gun.

'This was not an accidental shooting,' Newport News Chief Steve Drew said at a press conference on Friday. 'It was in a classroom, an altercation took place there. We did not have a situation where someone was going around the school shooting. We had a situation in one particular location where a gunshot was fired.'

A grandmother of one of the students told DailyMail.com that a student brought 'shiny gold bullets' to school last week, but it is unclear if it is the same child who was taken into custody today.

Gonzalez-Hernandez said the 25-year-old is an 'amazing teacher, so dedicated'

Zwerner was taken to Riverside Regional Medical Center in critical condition and remains there. She was the only one injured

The shooting occurred in the classroom and was an isolated incident. Officers are still trying to determine how the student managed to get the weapon

The school (pictured) would be closed on Monday to work on the 'mental health of our staff and students'

The grandmother, who asked not to be named, said the child had allegedly 'brought bullets to school last week and said he would bring his gun.'

'A parent told the school they did nothing, now look,' she wrote on Facebook.

Speaking to DailyMail.com, she said: 'The parents outside stated that their child told them a kid brought golden shiny bullets to school and was thinking about bringing his gun. The student told the parent, who informed the school. And the school just yesterday got back to the parent saying the parent of the kid said it was a nerf bullet and the parent said nerf bullets aren't shiny and gold.'

She was not positive if the child who brought the bullets is the same child allegedly involved in the shooting today.

The school, however, does have the capability of metal detecting students, Superintendent George Parker said at the press conference. They do not perform the test on every student, every day, but said every school in the district has the capability to do so.

'When we have a perceived threat or issue, we do random metal detection on those days,' Parker said on Friday.

It is unclear if the school had enhanced testing after the bullet claim the week prior.

'Today, our students got a lesson in gun violence,' Parker said. 'We need to keep the guns out of the hands of our young people.'

A British parent of one of the students, who is currently based in the US as her husband is in the military, is now demanding the town do something about the gun problem.

'Guns, that's the biggest problem in this country,' she told WTKR. 'Why is there a seven-year-old with a bloody gun? ... How does a seven-year-old have a gun?

'I'm only here because my husband is in the military. Otherwise, I would not have chosen to come to this country.'

Chief Scott Drew said there was an alteration between the student and teacher before the shooting

Carlos Glover, nine, (pictured) was seen leaving the school with his mother Joselin after the shooting. A student has been taken into custody, but police have not released the student's name

A crowd of parents waited outside Richneck Elementary School after the 2pm shooting where a six-year-old allegedly shot his teacher on purpose after an 'altercation'

Parker said the school would be closed on Monday to work on the 'mental health of our staff and students.'

Police say the incident is no longer an active situation, and it was an isolated incident.

A six-year-old student told the Daily Press the shooter was a classmate.

The six-year-old girl who witnessed the shooting said her classmate shot the female teacher 'on purpose' and the educator fell to her knees.

A parent of a fourth-grade student said she received a text from the school that the shooting happened and that the suspect was in custody.

'My heart stopped. I was freaking out, very nervous. Just wondering if that one person was my son,' Joselin Glover, who son is Carlos Glover, told the Daily Press.

Despite her worry, she said the school handled the situation well.

Mayor Phillip Jones agreed, saying: 'The police did an amazing job, they were here very, very quickly along with the Sheriffs Office. We are ensuring that everyone is safe, we are ensuring that everyone is accounted for.'

The Uvalde Foundation For Kids also commented on the devastating incident, saying in a statement: 'Today's incident highlights, yet again, the need to prioritize in this nation, the protection of our schools, our students and the communities who care for them.

'Yet again, in another school in this nation; students are facing fear - instead of joy; lessons in violence - instead of peace. UNTIL those lessons change, our work continues."
A teenager is in hospital with life threatening injuries after falling from the back of a travelling car.

Emergency services were called to Campbell Road in Elizabeth Downs in Adelaide, South Australia, just after midnight on Saturday.

They had received reports a 17-year-old boy had fallen from the back of a moving car.

A 17-year-old Adelaide boy was rushed to the Royal Adelaide Hospital (pictured) after he fell from the back of a moving car on Saturday night

The teenager sustained life threatening injuries despite police saying the car had been travelling at 'low speeds'.

The Elizabeth South resident was rushed to the Royal Adelaide Hospital where he continues to receive treatment for his injuries.

Major Crash Investigators also attended the scene.

SA Police said the teenagers were all known to each other, and were having some fun before the accident occurred.

The vehicle was towed from the scene and police are continuing to investigate.

Anyone with further information is urged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
A former FBI investigator has suggested that Bryan Kohberger, who is accused of slaying four Idaho college students, joined online groups discussing the killings.

Jennifer Coffindaffer said she had been following the comments of a Facebook user with the handle Pappa Rodgers, who along with a Redditor with the handle InsideLooking, made chilling speculations about the murders that turned out to be true.

In an archive about the two online personas who frequented discussions about the brutal slayings, both users accurately pointed out the timeline of the killings and the fact that police found a knife sheath, all before the details were publicly revealed.

Both users also appeared to repeatedly insist that their speculations were accurate, and were both accused of being the real killer in their respective groups.

Coffindaffer appeared to side with those who believed that at least one of the accounts belonged to Kohberger, 28 - who has maintained he's innocent.

'He drove his own car, carried his phone, and didn't Clip in his sheath tight enough, so I do believe he could leave a digital trail,' she wrote in a Tweet. 'He was a hot mess. Intelligence w/no common sense equals a criminal bound to be caught.'

The scrutiny into the online discussion groups comes as Kohberger was denied bail while prosecutors revealed his DNA was found on the knife sheath lying next to one of the victims' bodies.

Former FBI investigator Jennifer Coffindaffer suggested that Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger (above) joined social media discussion groups about the grizzly case

Coffindaffer believed that given the evidence against Kohberger, it was not far fetched to believe the criminology student left behind a digital trial

Coffindaffer is among many who think Kohberger used the handle Pappa Rodgers on Facebook to talk about the killings

In the popular r/MoscowMurders Reddit group, the user InsideLooking made several speculations about the murder as police remained quiet about the full details of the murders.

One of the posts read: 'Killer parked behind the house. Approached property through tree line. Entered sliding door and left it open.

'Committed murders and exited sliding door. One knife according to corners [sic] statement. Time of murder approximately 3:20am - 3:40 am according to car fleeing scene and on camera on highway 8 approximately 3:45am. Vehicle left skid marks upon exit. '

InsideLooking also accurately pointed out that the pictures of a shoe print police were investigating belonged to the suspect.

The prints did not match those of the victims or anyone in the house, leading investigators to believe they were left by the murderer.

The user also insisted that the white Hyundai Elantra would be the key to cracking the case, predicting that it would lead police to the suspect.

Amid their speculations, InsideLooking appeared to draw attention to themselves, with many remarking about their detailed posts.

One sure commented: 'Dude is solving his own crime... Psycho.'

Some have also pointed out that a profile picture for InsideLooking features a person dressed in all black, wearing gloves and a headlamp.

On Reddit, a user with the handle InsideLooking made chillingly accurate predictions about the case reportedly before the information was released publicly

It led to many questioning why the speculations were so detailed

In one post, InsideLooking said the killer must have felt 'very excited' after the murders

The Redditor also pointed out the importance of the Hyundai Elantra

Some also pointed to the eerie profile InsideLooking used

A similar incident occurred with the Facebook user Pappa Rodgers, a member of the University of Idaho Murders-Case Discussion group.

In one post to the group flagged by Coffinadaffer, Rodgers wrote: 'Of the evidence released, the murder weapon has been consistent as a large fixed blade knife. This leads me to believe they found the sheath.'

Rodgers appeared to insist that the sheath was real and even butted heads with other members about it, who accused him of communicating 'like a serial killer.'

An admin of the group later clarified that despite Rodgers' apparent authority in the group, he was never an admin or moderator.

Kristine Cameron, wrote: 'He was on her and argued incessantly with people and said some really creepy stuff and posted similar questions to Bryan's crime questions.

'We removed Pappa Rodgers at 7:10 the evening before Bryan's arrest. He created a group page and had 6 people in it.

'No one has heard from Pappa Rodger since the arrest.'

Over on Facebook, Papa Rodgers was a prominent figure in a discussion group who adamantly believed police had found a knife sheath

Rodgers argued with people about the sheath, with one saying he talked like a 'serial killer'

An admin for the group said Rodgers has been silent ever since Kohberger's arrest

Kohberger, 28, was charged with the murder of Ethan Chapin, 20, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Madison Mogen, 21, and is being flown to Moscow, where the students were found dead in their off-campus home.

Kohberger was seen smiling during a brief court appearance on Thursday, that came as police and prosecutors revealed their bombshell case against him, including how his DNA was found on a knife sheath at the scene.

He was denied bail Thursday during a brief court appearance in Moscow shortly after an affidavit detailing prosecutors' case against him was shared online.

Kohberger spent most of the 10-minute hearing looking directly at Judge Megan Marshall as she read him his rights and the five counts and answered 'yes' when asked if he understood each count.

At one point, Kohberger was pictured smiling at his lawyer Anne Taylor. It is unclear what prompted the grin, which comes six days after he shot to notoriety as America's most infamous alleged mass murderer.

Kohberger remained impassive throughout but briefly began rocking back and forth as the judge told him he was facing the death penalty. He will return to court on January 12 for a status hearing.

The manner in which the killer navigated the three-story home to kill the four students  who were sleeping in separate rooms and floors  in the early morning hours of November 13 has raised questions about his motives

Investigators were seen removing a bloodied mattress from the home where four University of Idaho were murdered in November

The court papers included details on how Kohberger's DNA was found on a knife sheath close to the bodies of Maddie Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves.

The documents also detailed how a surviving roommate, Dylan Mortensen, came face-to-face with a masked man believed to be Kohbegrer in the hallway of their shared home around the time of the killings, shortly after 4am on November 13.

Mortensen heard what she believed to be her roommate's cries, left her room and saw a man in a black mask with bushy eyebrows. She froze with fear, and watched as he walked past, then waited six hours before calling cops.

Further details on Kohberger's alleged stalking of his victims were shared. His phone was found to have been in the vicinity of their Moscow home 12 times before the November murders, starting in mid-August.

The family of Kaylee Goncalves was also in court, with her mother shaking her head and sobbing as the homicide charge related to her daughter was read out.
An Hawaii MAGA supporter has sued the state for repeatedly trying to revoke his FCKBLM license plate.

Edward Odquina, 48, cruises around the streets of Honolulu in a red Pontiac Firebird, sporting a license plate short for 'F**k Black Lives Matter.'

The City of Honolulu approved the plates in January 2021. Seven months later, the city has been fighting to revoke his vanity plates, arguing that they were 'mistakenly' issued and the shortened expletive violates the rule against 'publicly objectionable' plates.

'Your personalized special license plate has been determined to be publicly objectionable due to an implied expletive in the first three combination of letters on the license plate,' a letter sent to Odquina, viewed by the San Francisco Gate, said.

Honolulu's licensing administration office has threatened vehicle citations, penalties and vehicle seizure.

The plates were supposed to be returned by August 2021 or the vehicle would be considered illegal.

Edward Odquina, 48, cruises around the streets of Honolulu in a red Pontiac Firebird, sporting a license plate short for 'F**k Black Lives Matter'

Odquina (pictured in red) sued the city after it to revoke his plates on multiple occasion. The City of Honolulu countersued and won, as a judge ruled Odquina did not have a constitutional right to profanity

'Furthermore, you will not be able to register your vehicle again in the City and County of Honolulu until the recalled license plate is surrendered,' the letter said.

In June 2022, the city threatened to take legal actions against Odquina, which he continued to ignore until he launched his own lawsuit against the city in September.

The Hawaiian is claiming his First Amendment rights are being violated, but the city countersued him, stating the plates were 'mistakenly' issued as supervisor who issued the plates didn't know what BLM stood for.

When the supervisor asked over the phone what it meant, Odquina reportedly told them it was an acronym for his business.

Odquina does have two business that follow the acronym, however, they were both filed after the license plates were issued. Film Consulting Krav MAGA Bloomberg LLC, was filed for on August 13, 2021, and Fight Communism and Knucklehead B**ch Liberal Marxists was filed on September 22, 2021, according to the San Francisco Gate.

However, before he even had a chance to put the plates on his car or filed his nonprofits with Department of Commerce, his plates were flagged by a representative, when he went to pick up the plates.

'It didnt matter what he said it stood for, since "FCK" is an abbreviation for a swear word and thats not allowed,' the representative testified, according to the San Francisco Gate.

He has appealed the decision, despite his license plates being reportedly stolen on the December 26 (pictured)

He claimed a man wearing an FBI shirt stole the car before ditching it and stealing the plates

Despite flagging the plate, the representative's supervisor issued the plate because they were afraid 'Odquina may become aggressive or out of hand,' court documents said.

'"He would rather have the plate issued and then recall it" so that he "could thereafter deal with Mr. Odquina directly rather than have him be aggressive to Satellite City Hall staff,"' the documents said.

However, Odquina is arguing in his own lawsuit that, although, his 'messages include one that is strong, personal, and others may find it offensive' that the 'First Amendment protects messages that are strong, personal and that others may find offensive.'

The Hawaiian (pictured) plans to continue with his appeal, despite losing his plates

Two months after the Hawaiian filed his lawsuit, a judge ruled in the favor of the city, stating that 'government speech not subject to First Amendment review' and that he does not have the constitutional right to profanity.

Odquina has appealed the decision.

He also claimed someone wearing an FBI shirt stole his Pontiac on December 26, but there is no evidence an actual FBI representative touched his car. A police report was filed with Honolulu Police Department and the car was later found abandoned with no license plates, according to the San Francisco Gate.

The police are still investigating the incident.

Despite the missing plates, Odquina is still proceeding with the legal case.

If he wins the appeal and the plates are recovered, he would be able to get the plates once all legal matters are settled.
A major Australian fashion brand has issued a warning to their online customers after scammers imitated their website.

Fashion chain Dotti urged its customers not to purchase any products from a fake website in a dire warning posted to Instagram on Friday night.

'We have been made aware that there are websites illegally using the Dotti name and logo in an attempt to scam customers and obtain personal information,' it read.

Dotti (pictured) also warns their customers not to respond to social media counts imitating them without a verified blue check

Australian fashion chain, Dotti, have issued a statement (pictured) urging their online customers that fake websites imitating Dotti are being used to steal customers information

Dotti urged customers to only buy from their Australian or New Zealand online stores and beware of websites posing as the fashion label.

'These websites are not affiliated with Dotti,' the post read.

They also warned of scammers messaging potential customers through Instagram accounts that look similar to their own.

'That any communication from Dotti social media accounts will have a blue verified tick next to their name,' the post read.

'If you receive messages on social media from accounts that look like Dotti but they do not have the blue verified tick, they are not from our brand and we advise you not to respond.

'We hope you all continue to enjoy shopping with us and remain safe online.'

Dotti urged customers to only buy from their Australian or New Zealand online stores and beware of websites posing as the fashion label

It comes after a year where Australians lost billions of dollars to scammers.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's Scamwatch received 166,000 reports between January and September of 2022.

The figure is a 90 per cent increase from the previous year.

'We know scammers are relentlessly targeting Australians. Research commissioned by the ACCC shows that 96 per cent of the population was exposed to a scam in the five years to 2021,' ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard said.

'In addition to costing consumers, businesses and the economy billions a year, scams are emotionally devastating for victims and their families.'

Daily Mail Australia contacted Dotti for comment.
George Santos was revealed to be a pathological liar after he won the 2022 midterm elections to represent New York's 3rd congressional district.

His lies and fabricated stories span almost every topic from his education background to his family's heritage.

Santos flipped the New York seat red and is on track to make history by being sworn in as the first openly gay Republican member of Congress.

The New York Times originally broke the story of Santos' resume embellishments on December 19. They reported that there was no evidence Santos had ever worked at Citigroup and Goldman Sachs and did not attend Baruch College.

Now he is under investigation by both federal and local New York prosecutors, while more accusations about his history surface.

DailyMail.com breaks down the lies Santos has been caught in - so far:

Santos says he is of Ukrainian Jewish descent

In one interview, Santos said his family name on his mother's side was the historically Jewish name 'Zabrovsky.'

'My grandfather was born in Kyiv and left in the late 20s and migrated to Belgium where he met my grandmother and then started a family,' Santos told Fox Digital in February. 'We don't carry the Ukrainian last name, for a lot of people who are descendants of World War II refuges or survivors of the Holocaust, a lot of names or paperwork were changed in the name of survival.'

George Santos was revealed to be a pathological liar after he won the 2022 midterm elections to represent New York's 3rd congressional district. His lies and fabricated stories span almost every topic from his education background to his family's heritage

Reports indicate that there have been no successful efforts to find any Jewish or Ukrainian heritage in his family tree according to the Forward.

Santos said in a separate interview in 2020 that he was raised by 'a white Caucasian mother, an immigrant from Belgium. But Santos' mother, Fatima Devolder, was born in Brazil, according to her obituary in 2016.

Additionally, newly resurfaced tweets show that Santos, who is Brazilian-American, claimed in July 2020 on Twitter that he was biracial, meaning 'Caucasian and black.'

Santos' claims his mother died in the 9/11 terrorist attacks

Santos wrote in a July 2021 tweet that he was 'blocking' an account with the handle '9/11 was a victimless crime' because his mother was a victim of the terrorist attack.

He wrote, '9/11 claimed my mother's life so I'm blocking so I don't ever have to read this again,' after the user responded to a tweet from Santos regarding immigration.

An obituary for Santos' mother, however, states that she died in December 2016, which is more than 15 years after the attack took place.

He also confirmed the real date in a December 2021 tweet where he said: 'December 23rd this year marks 5 years I lost my best friend and mentor. Mom you will live forever in my heart.'

Santos' campaign website said his mother 'survived the tragic events of September 11th' in the South Tower office of the World Trade Center and died 'a few years later when she lost her battle to cancer.'

A New York Times report had described Santos' mother as a 'domestic worker' or 'housekeeper.'

His campaign website described his mother as a top executive.

'George's work ethic comes from his mother, who came from nothing, but worked her way up to be the first female executive at a major financial institution,' the website states.

The congressman-elect said in a 2021 tweet that, '9/11 claimed my mother's life,' however Fatima Devolder died in 2016 of cancer and it's unclear if it was 9/11-related. It's also unclear if she was an executive or a housekeeper

Santos said he attended a prestigious New York prep school

The Representative-elect said that he attended Horace Mann School  an elite private school in the Brox where tuition costs $59,800 per year.

'He began Horace Mann preparatory school in the Bronx, however, did not graduate from Horace Mann due to financial difficulties for his family,' read a 2019 biography during his first campaign for Congress, which Santos lost.

'He obtained a GED during his senior year,' it added.

The school said, according to CNN, that he never attended.

'We've searched the records and there is no evidence that George Santos (or any alias) attended Horace Mann,' spokesperson for Horace Mann Prep School Ed Adler said.

CNN reported late Wednesday that the New York Republican never attended Horace Mann School (pictured), an elite private school in the Bronx

Former call center worker Santos' resume includes time at Goldman Sachs and Citigroup

Santos said that he worked on Wall Street for Goldman Sachs and Citigroup but now says he used a 'poor choice of words' when describing his relationship with the two firms.

The incoming congressman worked at a DISH Satellite call center from October 2011 to July 2012.

He also worked for LinkBridge, where, in an attempt to justify his lie, Santos said that he did business with Goldman and Citi and made 'capital introductions' between clients and investors.

Santos said he 'never worked directly' for either firm.

George Santos (right) poses with his then fiance at Mar-a-Lago on New Year's Eve

Santos' claim his family-owned real estate portfolio of 10+ properties

Santos posted on Twitter in February 2021 that 'my family and I' had not received any rent on 13 properties allegedly owned by him.

A review property taxes owed or paid for in New York state shows no evidence of ownership.

He claimed to have a brain tumor

On March 30, 2020, at the start of the U.S. coronavirus pandemic, an interview with Santos was published on YouTube titled 'George Santos: A Corona Story.' The video has since been set to private

In the video, according to Newsweek, Santos tells two men, one wearing a 'Guns and Freedom' hat and the other seated by a 'Don't Tread on Me' flag, that he had 'battled a brain tumor.'

Discussing his health Santos said: 'I have an immunodeficiency and I also have acute chronic bronchitis. I also battled a brain tumor a couple of years ago and I had radiation done which really lowers your immunity in general.'

Claimed that he lost four employees in Pulse nightclub massacre

During an interview with WNYC, Santos alleged that four 'people that work for me' were killed during the June 2016 mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, which left 49 dead.

No connection has yet to be establish between any of the victims and Santos.

Said he was the founder of a charitable foundation

Santos said he founded a tax-exempt animal rights group, Friends of Pets United, which rescued more than 2,500 cats and dogs.

But no records relating to the group's charitable status could be found by the IRS, nor could either the New York or New Jersey attorney general's offices uncover documentation confirming Friends of Pets United had been registered as a charity.

Public records, however, show that Santos was previously married to a woman named Uadla Vieira, a native of Brazil, until 2019

In 2016, he claimed $2,250 was stolen in a mugging on his way to pay rent - but cops have no record of the incident

Santos claimed that in 2016 he was mugged on his way to pay his apartment rent in Queens.

In a sworn statement battling eviction, he said $2,250 was stolen. According to Gothamist, he wrote: 'I have been mugged at approx 1:15 p.m. on 01/15/16 on Queens Boro Plaza, as I was on my way to pay the lawyer.'

'I have gone to the checks cash location located on 31st and 23rd Ave in Astoria to request a stop payment.

'I am unable to provide a police report today as I was requested to go back Tuesday to pick it up.'

The NYPD, however, have no record of the incident, the outlet reported.

Santos eventually moved out of the apartment as a result of the case and paid the rest of what he owed in rent.

-- by Katelyn Caralle
A hardworking teen that balanced three jobs to save up for her dream home has lost her entire life savings after falling victim to a sophisticated phone scam.

Aurora Casilli, 18, has been saving every cent possible since landing her first job four years ago in her Western Australia south coast home in Albany.

But all her hard work went down the drain in early December when she received a text message warning her someone was trying to access her bank account.

The text message seemed to come from her National Australia Bank and appeared in the same chat as previous legitimate messages.

Aurora Casilli (above) lost her life savings to a sophisticated 'spoofing' phone scam in December

Ms Casilli realised she'd been scammed after transferring her money from a NAB account to a Commonwealth Bank account

The frightening technique is known as 'spoofing' and is used by scammers who change their caller ID number to look as if they are the genuine companies.

Panicked she was going to lose her savings, Ms Casilli quickly called the freephone number given in the text.

'If it was from a random mobile number, I wouldn't have believed it. But it seemed so real,' she told news.com.au.

Ms Casilli said she was put on hold for an hour before she could finally get through to the number, all adding to the apparent authenticity of the scam.

The scammer pretended to be a NAB worker and told Ms Casilli her account had been accessed by an unknown person and told her to transfer her funds into a new account he'd created for her.

The 18-year-old completely bought into the man's words and transferred all her $36,561 life savings into the new account.

Ms Casilli (left) claims both NAB and Commonwealth Bank said they're unable to help her retrieve her money

It was only after she hung up that she'd realised her money had been transferred into a Commonwealth bank account.

'I felt sick, I just got this gut feeling that something was terribly wrong,' she said.

She tried to call the number back but the 'NAB worker' on the other end quickly hung up once he realised Ms Casilli had worked out his scamNow, Ms Casilli wants to share her story so others can avoid the heartache of having their life's saving stolen from them.

'While my friends were going out and buying nice things like makeup and clothes, I was saving. I was saving for my future,' she said.

'Now I have nothing. I have to start all over again.'

Both NAB and Commonwealth Bank told Ms Casilli they are unable to retrieve her money because she authorised the transfer.

NAB has reminded customers to call the bank's official phone number if they received a phone call request, even if it appears to be from a trusted number.
Poland calls Germany's denial of compensation during World War 2 is becoming a serious issue for the two nations.

Poland Demands Germany To Pay for WW2 Damages

Poland's losses in World War II also weren't compensated by Berlin, and Warsaw turned down this posture on Wednesday, reported Al Arabiya.

Warsaw asserted on Tuesday that Berlin had officially rejected a Polish demand for remuneration for losses suffered that the Polish government marked down at $1.38 trillion (1.3 trillion euros).

Mularczyk's response on Wednesday cited Berlin's response as surprising and remarked that it could not close the subject since it has never been raised before. The Polish government, he contended, perceives no readiness or urge to make up for its losses. The minister mentioned that Poland would respond to Germany in written form.

The Polish foreign ministry has implored the UN to "collaborate and endorse Poland's attempts to obtain restitution again for losses suffered all through German occupation in 1939-1945" together in a statement released on Tuesday. Berlin has continually dismissed the allegations, asserting that Poland officially relinquished them inside a 1953 accord, noted Barrons.

During one visit to Warsaw through October, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock accepted Germany's historical responsibility and affirmed that the restitution problem was settled for Berlin.

Conservatives in Eastern Europe argue that the Soviet Union pressured their country into agreeing with the 1953 accord. Participants in the country's Independence Day march, which nationalist parties in Warsaw organized on November 11, 2022, will start burning flares and waving Polish flags.

Read Also: Vladimir Putin Issues Chilling Warning That the EU, US Is Next After Kyiv Was Left Defenseless, Begging for Assistance

Germany Ignores Poland's Demands

The newest concerted effort by Poland's nationalist government for significant post-World War Two restitution has indeed been turned down by Germany, which reacted to a diplomatic note by announcing that the issue was settled, the foreign ministry in Warsaw said on Tuesday, per Euro News.

Warsaw predicts its World War Two losses incurred by Germany at 6.2 trillion zlotys ($1.40 trillion), and it has requested redress. Still, Berlin has repetitively said that all financial demands related to the war have now been resolved.

Arkadiusz Mularczyk, Poland's deputy foreign minister, commented that it showcases a blatant lack of respect for Poland and Poles.

Furthermore, Berlin has a hostile policy towards Poland and seeks to expand its influence sphere while classifying Poland as a vassal state. Mularczyk responded that interaction with Germany about remuneration would proceed through international institutions.

Approximately six million Poles, along with three million Polish Jews, were killed during the conflict. Warsaw had been burned to the ground following a 1944 insurrection in which approximately 200,000 civilians were killed.

Under pressure from the Soviet Union, Poland's then-communist leaders surrendered all claims to reparation payments throughout 1953. East Germany, another Soviet satellite, was also released from all obligations.

Berlin and PiS have tense relations because of PiS's common use of an aggressive stance against Germany to galvanize its foundation. Poland says it is unacceptable that Germany refuses to compensate for the damages in World War 2.

Related Article: Russian Deputy FM Says Japan's Russophobia Is Preventing Any Peace Treaty Talks

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Staff at publisher heard rumours of 'no way back' if released while Queen alive

US publishing source said his 'second thoughts' came after UK visit for Jubilee

Prince Harry 'wanted to cancel the publication' of his bombshell memoir Spare after he visited the UK for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations last year, it has been reported.

The Duke of Sussex's second thoughts may have come after he was told by the royal family there would be 'no way back' if it was published while the Queen was still alive, sources at the book's publisher speculated.

After his visit to Britain in June last year with his wife Meghan, the team at Penguin Random House working on Spare were reportedly told the Prince had 'pulled it' and that 'he doesn't want to do it'.

Prince Harry received a multi-million pound advance for his memoir which went on sale by accident nearly a week early in Spain ahead of its January 10 release date.

Prince Harry 'wanted to cancel the publication' of his bombshell memoir Spare after he visited the UK for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations last year. Pictured: The Duke and Duchess of Sussex at the St Paul's Cathedral during the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations on June 3 last year

The Duke of Sussex's second thoughts may have come after he was told by the royal family there would be 'no way back' if it was published while the Queen was still alive, sources at the book's publisher speculated. Pictured left to right: Prince Charles, Prince Andrew, Camilla, Queen Elizabeth II, Meghan, Prince Harry, Prince William, and Catherine watch the RAF flypast on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, to mark the centenary of the RAF on July 10, 2018

Prince Harry received a multi-million pound advance for his memoir Spare (pictured) which went on sale by accident nearly a week early in Spain ahead of its January 10 release date

Despite the book being 'ready to go' the duke had 'second thoughts' after seeing his grandmother, a US publishing source told The Times.

The source told the paper that it was 'dark day' for the team after they had worked on Spare in 'utmost secrecy', believing it would be 'one of the biggest and most historic books' they would publish in their careers.

The team at Penguin Random House was 'devastated' after the news, which came two weeks after he and Meghan visited London.

While an official reason was never given, it was rumoured at the publisher Harry was given an 'ultimatum' not to publish while his grandmother was alive.

But 'that all changed with the monarch's death in September,' the publishing source reportedly said.

Despite the book being 'ready to go' Prince Harry (pictured with wife Meghan during their visit to the UK for the Platinum Jubilee celebrations) had 'second thoughts' after seeing the Queen, a US publishing source reportedly said

Prince Charles and Queen Elizabeth II watch a flypast from the balcony of Buckingham Palace during Trooping the Colour on June 2 last year

Harry claims he hallucinated that a bin was talking to him during a bad mushroom trip in his memoir Advertisement

They also claimed that it was 'extraordinary' how the text had to be translated from American to British English - and they had to go through the whole book to 'make it sound like [Prince Harry] was actually English'.

It was reported the original draft used the word 'awesome' to describe 'everything', and used other Americanisms not typically used by a member of the royal family.

Spare - which is ghostwritten by JR Moehringer - was lauded as 'well written... heartfelt and convincing' by the Time's source - and more so than the 'repetitive and one-dimensional' Netflix docuseries Harry & Megan.

The memoir, which opens with an account of the 1997 funeral of his mother Diana, Princess of Wales, was said to give 'historic context' for the duke's feelings about his family.

Prince Harry feels he 'grew up in a closed and dysfunctional institution' and he holds it - at least in part - responsible for his mother's death, the source reportedly said.

Reportedly during a Zoom call the young children of a senior executive walked past the screen, making Harry 'furious' - and he demanded the publisher was taken off the project as his 'whole thing is about control' as 'he feels he's never had it'.

Prince Harry's book also reveals he once believed that Princess Diana faked her own death by staging the tragic Paris tunnel car crash to escape her 'miserable' life. Pictured: The pair above in Majorca, Spain in 1987

Despite not being released yet, Spare has already caused controversy after PR experts warned Harry's 'truth-bombs', revealing he took cocaine and killed 25 Taliban fighters in Afghanistan, could have dire consequences for Meghan's political hopes.

The Duke of Sussex also revealed he once believed that his mother faked her own death by staging the tragic Paris tunnel car crash to escape her 'miserable' life.

The Duke of Sussex writes in his bombshell memoirs Spare that he also wanted the inquiry into the Princess of Wales's fatal accident to be reopened.

Harry, then 13 and staying at Balmoral, learnt that his mother was killed in a car crash and admits he wondered if the incident had been a 'trick' played by his late mother.

'Her life's been miserable, she's been hounded, harassed, lied about, lied to. So she's staged an accident as a diversion and run away,' Harry wrote.
Friend of Meghan Markle Omid Scobie has launched a staunch defence of Prince Harry's controversial memoir Spare as he argued the prince was right to write his own story - just as King Charles and Diana both did.

Writing in a column for Yahoo, Mr Scobie criticised media coverage for casting the book, which details alleged fights with Harry's brother the Prince of Wales, as a 'tawdry tell-all'.

He said: 'Reading it from start to end tells a much more nuanced and layered story. One with heart as well as fire.'

It came as he shared photographs of Prince Harry's comments on Afghanistan, in which he revealed he killed 25 Taliban members, saying: 'And this is why context matters.'

Omid Scobie, a close friend of Harry and Meghan, argued Prince Harry's memoir is no different from similar works published about his parents in the 1990s

Mr Scobie came to Harry's defence on social media, arguing 'context is key' as he shared an extract from Spare describing the prince's time in Afghanistan

The memoir Spare, which was due to come out within days, was leaked when Spanish stores began selling the Spanish version of the book ahead of its official launch on January 10 - despite being in clearly labelled boxes warning it was not for sale prior to that point.

Revelations so far include fights with Prince William, conversations in which he begged his father not to marry Camilla, and the final words he said to his grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth II.

The Duke of Sussex has been accused of airing 'dirty laundry' in public - but Mr Scobie has once again supported the couple.

Taking aim at the royal family's 'short-term memory loss', Meghan's trusted friend pointed to biographies of both Diana and Prince Charles written after their divorce.

He went on to draw parallels between the press and public's response to then-Prince of Wales King Charles' work: 'For Charles, the negative response from the British press and public was intense.

'Accused of ferociously attacking his family and disgracing the monarchy, newspaper polls and opinion pieces declared him unfit to be king and some journalists even suggested he should be stripped of his titles. (Sounds familiar again?).'

He added: 'Harry has spent most of his life being written and talked abouta spare to the heir whose darkest secrets, regretful moments and struggles have repeatedly been revealed to the world by a press with an insatiable appetite for him and his family.

'Having never been able to share that life in his own words, it was inevitable the prince would want to put pen to paper the moment he stepped back from his role three years ago.'

Omid Scobie tweeted in support of Prince Harry's memoir, saying that context 'matters' when reporting on the contents of the book

But Mr Scobie went further with public statements on his own social media, criticising the media in a similar way to the Sussex's own comments in their tell-all docuseries on Netflix, Harry and Meghan.

Discussing the series of revelations about Harry's time in Afghanistan, which included the revelation that he killed at least 25 Taliban militants and saw them as 'chess pieces' to be removed from the board, rather than people, Mr Scobie said: 'I'm anti-war, so any talk of killing is not for me.

'But it's wild to see how in 2013, papers called Harry "hero prince", "action man", "swashbuckling royal" when he spoke about killing Taliban insurgents.

'A decade on (and now the enemy) he's attacked for repeating the same claim.'

In his tweets, Mr Scobie continued: 'And this is why context matters. #SPARE may have leaked early but (as would be the case with any book) the tiny snippets being reported don't do the text justice.'

He then shared a leaked extract from the book, which detailed Harry's 'problematic' army training to 'other-ize' Taliban insurgents.

Prince Harry wrote: 'Afghanistan was a war of mistakes, a war of enormous collateral damage - thousands of innocents killed and maimed, and that always haunted us.

'So my goal from the day I arrived was never to go to bed doubting that I'd done the right thing, that my targets had been correct, that I was firing on Taliban and only Taliban.'

He also described how helicopter technology allowed him to know exactly how many people he had killed, and that his kill count did not give him 'satisfaction', nor did it make him 'ashamed'.

The book comes just weeks after Harry and Meghan's bombshell docuseries on Netflix, in which Harry accused the rest of the royal family of leaking stories about his wife to the press in order to direct attention away from themselves

Prince Harry's memoir will hit the shelves on January 10 in the UK and across the world

The Duke of Sussex wrote: 'While in the heat and fog of combat, I didn't think of those twenty-five as people. You can't kill people if you think of them as people.'

Some former soldiers have publicly criticised Harry's candid comments, saying he has broken an 'unwritten rule' by revealing his number of kills.

As well as his time in Afghanistan, Harry's memoir revealed details of an alleged incident in which his brother physically pushed him to the floor, leaving him dazed and lying on a smashed dog's bowl.

He also claimed the now-Prince of Wales had called Meghan 'difficult', 'rude' and 'abrasive'.

Harry alleges that he and William told Charles they would welcome the now-Queen Consort into the family on the condition he did not marry her, and 'begged' him not to do so.

The Duke alleges that his father did not respond to their pleas.

As well as royal secrets, the book contains a series of startling revelations about the young prince's drug use, which included cocaine and magic mushrooms, and that he supposedly lost his virginity to an older woman in a field behind a pub.

Omid Scobie wrote that the personal anecdotes contained within Spare's pages 'humanise' the royals, who he claims have been 'reduced to caricatures in a very public circus.'

The book comes just weeks after Harry and Meghan's bombshell docuseries on Netflix, in which Harry accused the rest of the royal family of leaking stories about his wife to the press in order to direct attention away from themselves.

Buckingham Palace refused to comment on the allegations made in the series.
A male nurse accused of killing Toya Cordingley in October 2018 is finally set to be extradited from India to Australia and face trial for the alleged murder.

Toyah, 24, was found dead on Wangetti Beach near Cairns in far north Queensland with the man accused of killing her, Rajwinder Singh, 38, allegedly fleeing to India two days later.

After a four-year hunt, he was finally tracked down to a village in India and arrested in November.

On Saturday, Singh entered a 'willingness statement' which means the Indian court accepted his desire to return to Australia and face trial.

The extradition order must now be signed off by the Indian government before Singh can return and it is unclear when that will happen.

Singh told local reporters in Delhi that he will 'explain everything over there in Australia'.

On Saturday, Singh (pictured outside court in Delhi) entered a 'willingness statement' which means the Indian court accepted his desire to return to Australia and face trial

Toyah Cordingley (pictured) was 24 when she was found dead in a shallow grave at Wangetti Beach in October 2018

Ajay Digpaul, the government's prosecuting counsel, previously told AAP: 'We will seek to ensure this case proceeds with maximum speed.'

Australian police allege Singh stabbed Ms Cordingley to death on Wangetti Beach, north of Cairns, as she took a morning walk with her dog.

Singh allegedly boarded a flight to India, leaving his wife and three children, a day after Ms Cordingley was reported missing.

Ms Cordingley's father found the body of the pharmacy worker half-buried in the sand, with her dog tied up unharmed to a nearby tree.

Local Indian media report Singh allegedly told Delhi police he got into an argument with Ms Cordingley because her dog barked at him.

The prosecution is 'very focused on this case,' Mr Digpaul said.

Rajwinder Singh, 38, was finally tracked down to a village in India and arrested in November

An Indian court on Saturday ruled that Singh is to be extradited to Australia to face trial over Toyah's death

Toyah had driven to Wangetti Beach, north of Cairns, to walk her dog. She never returned home

But Singh 'will have the right to appeal,' he added.

In November, Delhi Police shared a photo of the suspect, showing him sporting a turban and long white-streaked beard.

His appearance is completely different to photos that circulated of him after Toyah's death in 2018.

He was arrested following an extradition request by Australia in 2021 and a $1million reward offered by Queensland authorities which attracted the attention of bounty hunters.
King Charles told Prince Harry his wife was not welcome at Balmoral on the day the Queen died, according to the latest bombshell claim from the Duke of Sussex' memoirs.

In his explosive new biography Spare, Harry wrote that his father instructed him not to bring his wife Meghan to visit the dying Queen Elizabeth II, citing 'nonsensical and disrespectful' reasons.

Enraged by Charles' perceived snub, Harry retorted: 'Don't ever speak about my wife that way!', prompting the now-King to offer an apology.

It is just one of many shocking revelations made by the Duke in his memoirs, a copy of which leaked days before its UK publication date of January 10.

The Duke of Sussex arrived at Balmoral at 7.52pm, after the palace had issued a statement confirming the Queen's death

King Charles told Prince Harry his wife was not welcome at Balmoral on the day the Queen died, he claims in his new book

Prince Harry, pictured with Meghan and the late Queen in 2018, revealed his emotional final words to his grandmother when he visited her body at Balmoral just hours after she passed away

Prince William led the way off the plane (circled left) followed by Edward and Sophie (pictured centre) and finally Prince Andrew (pictured right)

The death of Queen Elizabeth II: A timeline of how events played out on September 8 12.35pm: A statement is released by Buckingham Palace, announcing that the Queen is under medical supervision at Balmoral after doctors became 'concerned for her health'. 12.47pm: A statement is released by Clarence House, confirming that Prince Charles and his wife Camilla would travel to Balmoral. 12.48pm: A minute later, Kensington Palace announces that Price William will be travelling to Balmoral. 1.37pm: It is reported that Prince Andrew is travelling to Balmoral Castle in Scotland. 1.38pm: Sources confirm The Princess Royal is at Balmoral. 1.55pm: A spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex confirms that the couple will be 'travelling to Scotland'. 4.14pm: A news alert says the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are believed to be travelling to Balmoral 'separately' from other royals. 4.39pm: Less than 30 minutes later, an unnamed source says the Duchess of Sussex will not travel to Balmoral with the Duke of Sussex. The source says that Prince Harry will make the trip by himself. 4.44pm: Omid Scobie writes on Twitter: 'A source has shared an update stating that only Prince Harry has made the trip up to Balmoral. Like the Duchess of Cambridge, the Duchess of Sussex is staying back in England.' 6.30pm: The Royal Family announces via social media site Twitter that Queen has died 'peacefully' at Balmoral at the age of 96. After 6.30pm: Prince Harry is believed to have arrived at Balmoral following the public announcement of the Queen's death. Advertisement

Harry, 38, and Meghan, 41, were in London for to attend the WellChild Awards ceremony when the Queen's health deteriorated at her home in Scotland.

At 1.55pm on September 8, just 90 minutes after Buckingham Palace announced the Queen was unwell, a spokesperson confirmed the couple would travel to Balmoral together.

But just hours later at 4.39pm, a clarification was issued stating the Duke would be travelling alone.

He flew via private jet to Scotland alone, and arrived at Balmoral shortly after the Queen's death was publicly announced.

Harry has now claimed that during this window, he was give direct instructions from then-Prince Charles not to bring Meghan.

In a moving passage in his autobiography, the Duke describes how he learned of the Queen's passing after checking the BBC news website.

But was incensed at his father's request that he leave the Duchess of Sussex behind.

At the time, a source claimed Harry was still at Frogmore cottage when he received a call from his father asking for Meghan to stay at home.

'Charles told Harry that it wasn't right or appropriate for Meghan to be in Balmoral at such a deeply sad time,' a source said.

'It was pointed out to him that Kate was not going and that the numbers really should be limited to the very closest family.'

Upon arriving at Balmoral, Harry was greeted by Anne, the Princess Royal, who then took him upstairs to a room where the late Sovereign was lying.

He detailed how he told her he hoped she was happy, and that he admired her.

The Duke left Balmoral after 12 hours of mourning alongside his father and brother. He was pictured alone in the back of a Range Rover on his way to Aberdeen airport at 9.20am on September 9.

In Spare, Harry outlined a number of conversations he shared with his father and now-King in which Charles is said to have expressed negative feelings towards Meghan.

In one sensational claim, Harry accused his father of worrying he'd be 'overshadowed' by Hollywood star Meghan and voicing concerns about having to support her financially.

Harry said Charles warned him his family was 'not made of money', and he could not afford to support anyone else.

But Harry felt Charles' concern was less rooted in economics and more to do with jealousy.

The Prince said he considered sarcastically telling his father the cost of providing Meghan with food and shelter was minimal, given that she did not have a large appetite and could make her own clothes.

Queen Elizabeth II waits in the Drawing Room before receiving Liz Truss for an audience at Balmoral, in Scotland, Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022. The Queen died just days later

Harry and Meghan were already in the UK when the Queen's health deteriorated, meaning Harry was able to travel quickly to Scotland

Catherine, Duchess Of Cambridge, leaves Windsor Castle as she stayed behind in England where her three children are having their first day at school

Prince Harry received a multi-million pound advance for his memoir Spare (pictured)

Instead, Harry said it was obvious his father couldn't stand someone who would 'take centre stage', according to The Daily Telegraph's interpretation of the memoir.

The King is said to be hopeful of one day reconciling with his youngest son in spite of the claims levelled against him in the book in the hopes that Harry will attend his Coronation on May 6.

Other shocking revelations made in Harry's autobiography include details of an alleged physical altercation between William and Harry, an explanation of the feud between Meghan and Kate, and the admission the Duke took cannabis, magic mushrooms and cocaine.

The Royal Family has so far remained silent on the explosive claims, and palace sources say the mud slinging must come to an end before any reconciliation could take place.

King Charles feared being 'overshadowed' by Meghan Markle and was worried about having to pay for her upkeep as he said Royal Family is 'not made of money', Prince Harry says

By Ryan Hooper for The Daily Mail

King Charles feared being 'overshadowed' by Meghan Markle and expressed concerns about having to support her financially, according to Prince Harry.

Charles said he was already worried about the cost of helping William and Kate as Harry's relationship with Meghan blossomed  and asked whether the Suits actress wanted to continue in her profession, the duke claimed.

In his Spare memoirs, Harry said Charles warned him his family was 'not made of money', and he could not afford to support anyone else.

But Harry felt Charles's concern was less rooted in economics and more to do with jealousy.

King Charles allegedly feared being 'overshadowed' by the Duchess of Sussex, and expressed concerns about having to support her financially, Prince Harry claimed (Pictured: The then Prince of Wales, now King Charles III talking with the Duchess of Sussex and the Duke of Sussex and the then Duke of Cambridge (left) as they attend the Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey, London in March 2019)

Writing in his memoirs, Spare, Harry said his father then warned him that his family was 'not made of money', and that he could not afford to support anyone else

The Duke of Sussex said that his father had a healthy income from the 'lucrative' Duchy of Cornwall estate.

And he added that Charles did not support either the Sussexes or the Cambridges financially, with the exception of gifts.

He said those gifts were in recognition of his sons' dedication in carrying out royal engagements.

But Harry likened the set-up to being kept 'in a golden cage', unable to move and being 'fed and clothed' in return by their guards.

The prince said he considered telling his father the cost of providing Meghan with food and shelter was minimal, given that she did not have a large appetite and could make her own clothes.

Instead, Harry wrote that it became obvious that his father 'couldn't stand' someone who would 'take centre stage'. He felt convinced Charles was concerned Meghan would 'overshadow' him and Camilla.

The reality, Harry claims to have realised, was the King could not face 'a novel and resplendent' royal who would take the limelight from him and Camilla and 'dominate the monarchy', according to The Daily Telegraph's interpretation of the memoirs which prematurely went on sale in Spain this week.

The Duke of Sussex claimed his father said he was already worried about the cost of helping William and Kate as Harry's relationship with Meghan blossomed, and asked whether the Suits actress wanted to continue in her profession (Pictured: The trio at Meghan's first Trooping The Colour in 2018)

The duke said his father experienced such a thing before, and 'had no interest' in letting it happen to him again.

The book does not explicitly state who had previously overshadowed his father, although Harry's mother Diana, the late Princess of Wales, was dubbed the People's Princess due to her strong affinity with the public.

Charles is believed to be worth 900million after the death of his beloved mother Queen Elizabeth last year. Meanwhile, his son William, now Prince of Wales, is predicted by The Sunday Times to be worth 1billion after inheriting his father's Duchy of Cornwall estate.

In addition, Harry and Meghan are estimated to be worth 20million, although brand experts have said that their new life in the US, coupled with their royal connection, could earn them many times that number.

According to the latest figures, the Royal Family's cash and assets have been estimated to be between 20billion and 24billion.

However, this includes 1.4billion of property such as Buckingham Palace, which only belongs to the monarch in an official capacity.

The Crown Estate of property and land is worth 16.5billion.
New details of the 25 kills he made in Afghanistan have come to light

He says he walked away from Afghanistan with a clean conscience after tours

Bosses were scouring for mistakes but Harry claims each kill was justified

New details providing context to Prince Harry's revelation he killed 25 Taliban fighters during his tours of duty in Afghanistan have come to light.

In an extract of his leaked memoir Spare published by Yahoo, the Duke of Sussex, 38, paints a picture of a reality in which he and his colleagues did what they believed necessary for the good of humanity.

Harry said: 'I was part of six missions that ended in the taking of human life, and they were all deemed justified... I deemed them the same.'

He walked away from his time in the military with a clean conscience and only one regret: that the job was not finished.

'I had questions and qualms about the war, but none of these was moral. I still believed in the mission, and the only shots I thought twice about were the ones I hadn't taken.'

Prince Harry pictured making early morning pre-flight checks in the cockpit of a helicopter

Prince Harry pictured alongside an Apache helicopter on October 31, 2012. He revealed in his memoir all of the kills were caught on video, which was later played back and analysed

In the new extract, Harry, who was known as Captain Wales during his service, also detailed how every kill was caught on camera and reviewed extensively after each mission on a plasma television mounted to a wall in a gun tape room.

'Every kill was on video,' he said. 'The Apache saw all. The camera in its nose recorded all. So, after every mission, there would be a careful review of that video.'

Squadron commanders would scour the footage to ensure none of the soldiers had made a mistake, misfired, or misjudged something in the heat of the moment.

Harry claims it was a time all soldiers dreaded, that he was haunted by the fear of ever harming a civilian.

The prince's frank admissions have also made it dangerous for westerners who remained in Kabul. Animal charity boss Pen Farthing revealed on Friday night he's been forced to flee the city over fears of reprisal attacks.

Harry pictured during his second tour of duty at Camp Bastion, southern Afghanistan, in 2012

Prince Harry in Helmand province Southern Afghanistan in 2008

His revelations marked the first time Harry specified the number of insurgents he personally killed during his time in Afghanistan, where he went in both 2007-8 and 2012 and flew an Apache attack helicopter during his second tour.

In the memoir, Harry acknowledged that many of his fellow soldiers would not be able to say precisely how many people they killed during the war.

But he said he made it a priority to keep tally from the moment he arrived, to keep himself accountable and to keep his conscience clear.

The prince was first deployed to Helmand province as a forward air controller in 2007, but his first tour of duty was cut short when an Australian magazine broke a media embargo by mistake.

He returned in 2012 with the Ministry of Defence publicising his second deployment on the understanding that the media would allow him to get on with the job at hand.

Harry sitting in an armoured vehicle in Helmand province in February 2008

After he learnt to fly Apache helicopters, Harry was deployed to Camp Bastion in southern Afghanistan in 2012 where he stayed for 20 weeks.

During his 2012 tour, Harry helped provide helicopter support to the International Security Assistance Force and Afghan forces operating throughout Helmand province.

Based out of Camp Bastion, 662 Squadron Army Air Corps, to which he belonged, flew more than a hundred deliberate missions over 2,500 flying hours, providing surveillance, deterrence and, when required, close combat attack capabilities as well as escort duties for other aircraft.

Captain Wales qualified as a co-pilot gunner in February 2012.

He was posted to 3 Regiment Army Air Corps, part of 16 Air Assault Brigade, to gain further flying experience and to operate the Apache on a number of exercises before deploying to Afghanistan in September 2012.

Harry trained to fly in the front seat as the mission or aircraft commander but the majority of the time operated the Apache's sights, sensors and weapons systems.

Upon his return to the UK, he was hailed by his colleagues and superiors as being 'on top of his game' during the tour.

He was given no special treatment and worked, ate and slept in the same basic conditions as the other pilots. It was, in his own words, 'as normal as it's going to get. I'm one of the guys, I don't get treated any differently'.

The revelation of how many enemy combatants he killed could escalate fears for his personal safety as Prince Harry has been long-regarded as a terrorist target due to his royal status and military links.

Prince Harry on patrol in the deserted town of Garmsir, southern Afghanistan, in 2008 on the left, and during his deployment in 2012 on the right

It comes amid an ongoing legal battle with the Home Office not to provide full police protection for Harry and his family when visiting the UK.

The Taliban have already taunted Harry and described him as a 'big mouth loser' for his revelation.

In the summer of 2021, the Taliban took control of Afghanistan with a lightning offensive that swept across the country in a matter of weeks, overthrowing the Western-backed government that was installed by the US, UK and their allies.

Leaders of the government fled the country as Western coalition forces pulled out, culminating in the collapse of the Afghan military and the Taliban capturing Kabul on August 15, 2021.

Despite promising a more progressive regime than when they were last in power in 2001, the Taliban have eroded the rights of women and minority groups in the country, most recently banning women from attending university - a move that drew fierce condemnation from the international community.

The Duke of Sussex pictured in Helmand province during his first tour of duty in 2008

Harry also faced criticism from military veterans and MPs in the UK over the content of the upcoming book.

Former UK national security adviser Lord Darroch told Sky News: 'I would have advised him against the kind of detail he goes into. I understand and appreciate how he has justified to himself what he was doing, but personally I wouldn't have gone there.'

Former British Army colonel Richard Kemp said that the Duke of Sussex's writing amounts to a 'betrayal of the people he fought alongside'.

Former Royal Marine Ben McBean, who Harry hailed as a 'hero' after he lost an arm and a leg in a bomb blast during the war, urged the duke to 'shut up'.

Mr McBean tweeted: 'Love you #PrinceHarry but you need to shut up! Makes you wonder the people he's hanging around with. If it was good people somebody by now would have told him to stop.'
A circus performance had to be halted after two female tigers battled in a fierce fight in front of an audience of children and parents.

Trainers repeatedly hit the tigers with poles and threw props at them to try and separate the beasts in deeply disturbing footage from Kislovodsk State Circus in Russia.

One female tiger named Eru was attacked by a nine-year-old white tigress Gina which went on the rampage in the ring during an act.

Stricken performing animal Eru was badly injured but climbed back on a ring stool before collapsing with blood pouring from gaping wounds in front of hundreds of watching children and their parents.

Vets are now 'fighting to save her life'.

The distressing episode led to immediate calls for a ban on live animals in circuses in Russia.

Members of the audience watched in horror over several minutes as the vicious fight ensued, and then witnessed the wounded beast as trainers sought to get it into a cage.

Other tigers were in the ring but did not join the fight.

A Russian circus performance was brought to a halt after a fight broke out between tigers

Atiger named Eru was attacked by nine-year-old tigress Gina at the Kislovodsk State Circus

Trainers hit the tigers with poles and threw props at them to try and separate the beasts

Famous tiger trainer Yaroslav Zapashny, 32, from Moscow, who was performing with his troupe on tour, apologised for the ugly scenes for which the audience paid between 8 and 23 per ticket for a New Year show.

Circus experts claimed that abnormally warm weather in the south of Russia led to Gina 'going into hunting mode ahead of time'.

'Today, a very fierce conflict broke out between two tigresses during my performance with predators,' said Zapashny, who is from the fifth generation of a famous circus dynasty.

'One of the tigresses attacked another one.

'To avoid terrible wounds me and my tamers started pulling them apart

'Security guards behind the [safety] net got involved.

Experts claimed that unusually warm weather led to Gina 'going into hunting mode' early

'They were pulled apart

'One of the tigresses, unfortunately, has very serious wounds.

'She was loaded in a cage and taken [away].

'Vets are now fighting for her life.

'I express my apologies to the audience for such an incident.

'This is the first case in my experience.

'Fights happen but such a fierce one was for the first time.'

Vets are now fighting for the life of the badly injured tigress after she was seriously wounded

The appalling big cat fight came one day after another a lion attacked a well-known circus trainer elsewhere in Russia.

The beast 'clawed and sank its teeth' into Alexey Makarenko, 42, during a performance in front of children and their parents.

His wife Olga Borisova, 43, also a trainer, 'saved his life' in chasing away the predator when it forced him to the floor of the circus ring in Black Sea resort Sochi.

After the tiger fight, there were a flood of online calls in Russia for a ban on live animals in circuses.

Milana posted: 'They are torturing animals.'

Another commenter said: 'Ban circuses. This is a mockery and sadism!'

Lara added: 'Close circuses with animals. It is torture for animals.'

Irina Novozhilova, of animal rights group VITA, has long called for the prohibition of all circuses with live animals, which remain popular across Russia.

'No circus conditions will be humane for one simple reason,' she said.

'Training goes hand in hand with cruelty.

'Circuses are always cruel beyond limits.

'And circuses with animals should be banned.'
A 13-year-old British girl who went missing in Trinidad while on a trip to the corner shop has been found safe and well almost three weeks later.

Delika White Lezama, of Greenford, London, disappeared while on a visit with her mother and brother to the Caribbean on December 17.

Desperate relatives unsuccessfully searched for days and tried to contact her by phone, leaving them fearing for her safety.

In joyous photos published by a local search and rescue crew, who managed to track her down, Delika can be seen hugging her emotional mother Delia White and grandmother.

Delika White Lezama, of Greenford, London, is reunited with her mother on Friday, December 6

Delika went missing while on a visit to Trinidad to visit her grandmother with her mother and younger brother

The teenager had been last seen on a back road after going to a corner shop to buy a SIM card for her phone, near her grandmother's house in Sangre Grande town at around 4pm.

A police investigation into her disappearance remains ongoing. The circumstances under which she vanished are still unknown.

Speaking from the Southern Caribbean island Captain Vallence Rambharat, who was leading the search for Hunters Search and Rescue Team, said: "Delika White Lezama has been safely located at 5.15pm this evening.

'After weeks of hard work by her family, the anti-Kidnapping unit of the Trinidad police, the Sangre Grande police officers, and the Hunters Search and Rescue team, it has paid off. She has been found. The matter is still receiving the attention of the TTPS [Trinidad and Tobago Police Service].'

Relative Melonie Brown shared her relief that Delika had been found to her friends and family online: 'FOUND and home safe. God is good I appreciate all support and spread of awareness. We as a family are truly grateful.'

Delika's aunt also thanked everyone who had helped raise awareness about her niece: 'I appreciate all the help from Facebook friends and family in spreading awareness and we are truly grateful for all the help thank you all.

'My niece is home safely thank Jehovah.'

According to The Mirror, Delika's family desperately began searching for her after realising she had not come home ten minutes later, but were unable to locate her.

Police officers from the local force's anti-kidnapping unit joined the search whose family has been receiving support from the UK foreign office.

A local search and rescue group, Hunter Search and Rescue Team, confirmed late on Friday that Delika had been found and reunited with her family.

The happy scenes took place at 5.15pm local time - 9.15pm UK time - 20 days after she first vanished.

They had shared a renewed appeal just hours before finding the teen, asking for the public's help and saying they had been searching for her 'non-stop'.

Photos posted by the team showed the moment that her mother saw her again at Delika's grandmother's house.

Hunters Search and Rescue Team said: 'Weeks of hard work by her family, the Anti Kidnapping Unit, the Sangre Grande Police and Hunters Search and Rescue Team has just paid off.'

They added further updates will come as more information becomes available.

Delika (right), pictured with members of the search and rescue team that found her

Delika (right) walked to the local corner shop before vanishing while visiting her grandmother

Delika's mother (left) had been particularly concerned for her daughter because she did not know the area or speak the local language

Delika was found at around 5.15pm local time on Friday evening before being reunited with her family

Since the teenager's disappearance, the family have sent several messages addressed to Delika's phone which have been delivered but not read

The teenager was last seen on a back road after going to a corner shop near her grandmother's house in Sangre Grande town, pictured, at around 4pm on December 17

Delika's family had made repeated appeals to find her on social media, saying they are 'beyond desperate'.

Delika's aunt, Melanie Moore, told The Mirror she hoped Delika had 'run away' adding: 'Otherwise it's not going to be good.'

Ms Moore said Delika's mother, Delia White, is 'looking everywhere she can', and is deeply upset.

She added: 'I'm just praying for her safe return. A lot of time has passed in between, which is not a great thing for anybody.

'At this point I'm hoping that she's run away and will come back before her plane ticket runs out. That's the best case scenario. Otherwise it's not going to be good.'

Ms Moore said she and other relatives had repeatedly sent messages and tried to call Delika's phone, but despite being delivered it appears she has not read any of them.

Her aunt began messaging her at midnight after she disappeared.

She added Delika's mother is 'very protective over her children', especially when on holiday, saying: 'It's not like she goes out and does many things on her own.'

Delika's mother, Delia White, told the paper: 'She didn't seem upset or angry when she left - there was nothing that would have made her run away.

'I can't think of anyone who could abduct her in particular, but everyone knows us, the whole community knows us, and that I come and go from the UK to see my mum all the time.

'My seven-year-old son is here as well, and I'm just trying to stay strong for him. At the moment I don't have the energy even just to say how I'm feeling.'

Ms White said the family began a manic search when her daughter failed to return home.

She said that CCTV cameras in the area were not working, making it harder to locate her daughter.

After darkness fell, Ms White said: 'I started to get worried as she doesn't know the area, she doesn't really speak the language, so I'm thinking anyone could have seen her or any driver could have picked her up.

'I don't know if she went somewhere and got lost.'

Delika was last seen wearing a pink top and black skirt, and had recently removed her braids

The teenager's mother said the family began a manic search when her daughter failed to return home

Delika is a British national from Greenford, London, and was visiting Trinidad with her mother and brother to see her grandmother

Ms White added that when it got dark she went to the police station to make a report, before driving around and looking for her all through the night.

She explained that her daughter had visited the corner shop to buy a SIM card because she was having trouble with her phone during the holiday.

The shopkeeper confirmed she had attended the store but she was unable to find the card she needed and left.

Since the teenager's disappearance, police have been tracking down any CCTV footage, and have reportedly searched nearby houses, as well as rivers and bushes, for evidence of what happened to her.

The case is being investigated by the area's anti-kidnapping unit.

Vallence Rambharat, Captain of Hunters Search and Rescue Team, said: 'We can confirm that Delika White Lezama is still missing.

'We can also confirm that investigations are continuing by the Anti Kidnapping Unit of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service.'

Delika's older sister had taken to social media to share numerous pictures of her sibling via social media in a bid to help people recognise her.

She recently posted: 'There are a few different looks she could have right now but we aren't sure so if you see her or think you've seen her call the police. Please.

'Been just over 2 weeks and she's still missing. Has anyone seen or know of her whereabouts?

'If you would like to remain anonymous that's definitely an option. Family, friends and police will follow any and every lead at this moment in time.

'Could someone, anyone just stand up with some sort of information please. We are beyond desperate to find her.'

Delika was wearing a pink top, black skirt, and pink and white Nike Air Force trainers at the time of her disappearance. She was also wearing glasses and had recently removed her braids.
Prince Harry 'ambushing' the Royal Family on an 'almost weekly' basis harmed the frail Queen's health in the last year of her life, sources close to the late monarch claimed.

Public attacks on the Royal Family by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex 'took its toll' on the late Queen - who disliked confrontation - and impacted her wellbeing before her death in September last year, her friends reportedly said.

Queen Elizabeth II considered Harry a 'much-loved grandson' which made his frequent criticisms of the royals even more agonising for her to bear, they added.

The Duke of Sussex writes about his grandmother with love in his memoir Spare, which went on sale by accident nearly a week early in Spain on Thursday ahead of its January 10 release date, but those close to her say she suffered due to his fights with the Royal Family.

Prince Harry 'ambushing' the Royal Family on an 'almost weekly' basis harmed the frail Queen's health in the last year of her life, sources close to the late monarch claimed. Pictured left to right: Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace in June 2018

Queen Elizabeth II (centre) considered Harry (second-right) a 'much-loved grandson' which made his frequent criticisms of the royals even more agonising for her to bear, a source said

'She never wanted to deal with confrontation, even going as far back as the start of Prince Andrew's troubles, and this stuff was shoved in her face on an almost weekly basis,' a friend of the Queen's told the Telegraph.

They said that it had an 'impact' since the death of Prince Philip and 'at that stage in your life and your reign, you just don't need that on top of everything else.'

Allegations made by Harry and Meghan was detrimental to the Queen's health, another 'well-placed' source told the paper they were 'absolutely' sure of.

The Duke of Sussex is unlikely to reconcile with his family now, after sticking 'this enormous machete in their backs', the first source also said.

They added that Meghan's desire for her and her children to be part of a family is now 'out of the question'.

Queen Elizabeth II as she invited Liz Truss to become Prime Minister on September 6 - just two days before her death

Prince Harry received a multi-million pound advance for his memoir Spare (pictured) which went on sale by accident nearly a week early in Spain ahead of its January 10 release date

Harry arriving at Balmoral shortly after the Queen died in September last year

Prince Harry has also revealed his emotional final words to his beloved grandmother the at Balmoral just hours after she passed away, in his upcoming memoir Spare.

Harry scrambled to Scotland to see the Queen on September 8 last year after Buckingham Palace announced that she was gravely ill. However, he failed to reach the estate before she passed away aged 96.

He writes: 'I advanced with uncertainty and saw her. I stayed still, watching her carefully for a good while.

'I whispered that I hoped she was happy and that she was with Grandfather now. I said that I admired her for having carried out her duties until the end. The [Platinum] Jubilee, the welcoming of the new Prime Minister'.

But the Prince reportedly 'wanted to cancel the publication' of his bombshell memoir after he visited the UK for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations last year.

Prince Harry 'wanted to cancel the publication' of his bombshell memoir Spare after he visited the UK for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations last year. Pictured: The Duke and Duchess of Sussex at the St Paul's Cathedral during the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations on June 3 last year

The Duke of Sussex's second thoughts may have come after he was told by the Royal Family there would be 'no way back' if it was published while the Queen was still alive, sources at the book's publisher speculated.

After his visit to Britain in June last year with his wife Meghan, the team at Penguin Random House working on Spare were reportedly told the Prince had 'pulled it' and that 'he doesn't want to do it'.

Despite the book being 'ready to go' the duke had 'second thoughts' after seeing his grandmother, a US publishing source told The Times.
Ukraine continued its mission to remove remnants of Russian and Soviet culture

Council utility workers removed the statue from its plinth in the centre of the city

A statue of Russian scientist Mikhail Lomonosov has been torn down in Dnipro

Ukrainians have torn down a statue of the Russian scientist Mikhail Lomonosov, the last monument in Dnipro associated with the Soviet era.

Council utility workers in the city of Dnipro were seen dismantling the giant statue previously placed in the centre of the city in the 1970s as a monument to the Russian scientist.

As the war continues, the country has continued its mission to remove any remnants of Russian and Soviet culture throughout modern-day Ukraine.

Local Ukrainian news outlets reported that this was the last monument to stand in the city that had an association to the Soviet era.

Utility workers dismantle the monument to Russian scientist Mikhail Lomonosov with the help of special equipment, Dnipro, Ukraine, January 6, 2022

Council utility workers in the city of Dnipro were seen dismantling the giant statue of Mikhail Lomonosov, January 6, 2022

Who was Mikhail Lomonosov? Mikhail Lomonosov was a Russian scientist and writer. He was known as a polymath, making significant contributions to science, literature, education and language. He was born in 1711, when Tsar Peter the Great was ruling Russia, and died in 1765. One of Lomonosov's most famous discoveries was that Venus had an atmosphere. In a small observatory near his home in St Petersburg, he observed an arc of light surrounding the planet. Lomonosov also made discoveries in chemical reactions and the conversion of mass. As well as his contributions to science, Lomonosov was also a poet and writer, and is credited with his contributions to the modern Russian language. Advertisement

Workers in Dnipro have previously taken down eight other monuments following online voting and decisions from the city's executive committee.

The other dismantled statues include Alexander Pushkin, a playwright and poet in the 1800s, and Maxim Gorky, a writer, socialist academic and five-time Nobel Prize nominee.

Statues of Andrei Bulygin, Valery Chkalov, Alexander Matrosov, Yefim Pushkin, and Volodia Dubinin were also taken down.

Council utility workers dressed in high-vis orange jackets and hard-hats were seen pulling down the statue from its plinth outside a university building in Ukraine's fourth-largest city.

The statue was unveiled in June 1971, some twenty years before the Soviet Union formally collapsed in 1991. It is made of bronze and appears to stand at around 12ft.

Some of the workers stood on a cherry-picker as a crane lowered a large tether to wrap round the monument to the scientist. Others cordoned off the area from gathering locals.

When the tether was in place, the crane driver skilfully eased the statue off of the plinth before slowly placing it down on to the ground and laying it face down.

Many watched on as the city's last remaining statue of the Soviet era was dismantled, as the country's blue and yellow flag flickered through the wind in the background.

Some of the workers stood on a cherry-picker as a crane lowered a large tether to wrap round the monument to the scientist. Others cordoned off the area from other locals

Many watched on as the city's last remaining statue of the Soviet era was dismantled, as the country's blue and yellow flag flickered through the wind in the background

As the war continues, the country has continued its mission to remove any remnants of Russian and Soviet culture throughout modern-day Ukraine

The toppled statue will now be temporarily stored away by local officials, Dnipro, Ukraine, January 6, 2020

The toppled statue will now be temporarily stored away by local officials

This follows other Soviet era statues that have been torn down across Ukraine.

Just weeks ago, council workers in the Ukrainian port city of Odessa pulled down a monument to Russian empress Catherine the Great.

After an online public vote to get rid of the Catherine II monument approved the decision, workers removed it from the city.

The statue of Catherine the Great, was erected in 1900 in Odessa to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the city's founding.

Council workers in the Ukrainian port city of Odessa tore down a monument to Catherine the Great after a public vote to get rid of it, December 28, 2022
Two grown men were busted having a 'Harry Potter style' fight with tree branches over a road rage incident.

The two men reportedly broke out into a fight after one man honked at the other from his car while he attempted to cross the street in Cabramatta, southwest Sydney, on Saturday afternoon.

Witness-captured footage of the strange fight has been viewed more than 34,000 times since it was uploaded on Saturday night.

The video shows the two men ran off the road into a small park.

Two men were spotted fighting each other with sticks, reportedly over a road rage incident

The man in a yellow high-visibility jacket repeatedly swiped at the man in a white shirt who readily swung back, both are armed with small sticks.

The men continued to lash at each other before the man in white ducked to the side to grab a bigger branch.

The man in yellow immediately stepped back from the fight and attempted to use his phone but the man in white continued to follow and hit out at him.

Eventually a third man stepped in to break up the fight and sent the men off to walk in opposite directions.

Commenters wrote under footage of the incident that the men looked like children recreating 'Harry Potter' fights

While the fight could have easily turned dangerous, commenters were quick to have a laugh at the men's unusual weapons.

'That's quite the sticky situation,' one person commented.

'What in the Harry Potter is going on?,' another asked.

'They look like kids playing in the park with sticks! Where are their parents?' one posted.
Jeremy Renner underwent two operations and is on his way to recovery from severe injuries after being "totally crushed" by a snow plow. The Avengers actor was brought to a Nevada hospital after the "tragic" event.

He had been running a heavy-duty snow plow when he unintentionally ran over himself while attempting to free his vehicle from the snow.

Jeremy Was Completely Crushed

Renner attempted to assist in freeing a family member's automobile that had been trapped in the snow on January 1 before the disaster happened. The actor was badly injured when his snow plow ran over him. Variety reported that the Jeremy's PistenBully or Sno-Cat was at approximately 14,330 pounds.

As stated in their first statement of the Jeremy Rener accident, his family confirmed that he has sustained acute chest damage and orthopedic injuries. The Marvel actor has been brought back from surgery and is now in a "critical but stable condition" in the intensive care unit.

Data from the 911 call, acquired by TMZ on Wednesday, provide further light on Renner's initial injuries and are included in the record prepared by emergency personnel at the time.

The media outlet reported that 51-year-old Renner could be heard moaning in agony in the background of the emergency phone conversation, according to The Independent.

The 911 log also indicated that Jeremy Renner was "completely crushed" beneath a huge snowcat vehicle and he was experiencing "extreme" difficulty in breathing. It also noted that the right portion of his chest has collapsed and his "upper torso is crushed."

Renner was placed on a chopper and sent to the hospital 49 minutes after the first call. Renner was "breathing" despite his extensive injuries, as per a report from CNN. According to a neighbor, the actor suffered severe blood loss when the plow ran over one of his legs in the Jeremy Rener accident.

Read Also: TJ Holmes' Estranged-Wife Releases Explosive Statement Amid Amy Robach Affair, Days After Hosts Seen Kissing in Public

Staying Positive While Recovering

On Thursday, the actor shared a clip from a scalp massage, which he called an "ICU spa moment," he had in the hospital on the Instastories section of his verified Instagram account.

Jeremy Renner, who was known for his portrayal of the comic character Hawkeye, said that it was his "first shower" in a week. The video was also uploaded on Renner's official Twitter account.

A not no great ICU DAY, turned to amazing spa day with my sis and mama. Thank you sooooo much pic.twitter.com/pvu1aWeEXY  Jeremy Renner (@JeremyRenner) January 5, 2023

In a statement sent to the press, Renner's family expressed gratitude to great physicians and nurses caring for him, Truckee Meadows Fire and Rescue, Washoe County Sheriff, Reno City Mayor Hillary Schieve, and the Carano and Murdock families. Moreover, they thanked the actor's fans for their enormous support after the Jeremy Rener accident.

Renner's Avengers co-stars have been very supportive of him as a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and his role as Hawkeye for over a decade. Actors like Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth as well as the Russo Brothers and Chris Pratt have taken to social media to express their concern and well wishes for Jeremy Renner following his slow plow accident.

"Continued prayers your way brutha," Chris Pratt, one of the protagonists in the Guardian's of the Galaxy movies, said, while Josh Brolin, who portrayed the evil tyrant Thanos in the MCU also voiced support for the actor on Twitter. "Close but no cigar. You're blessed," he stated.

Related Article: King Charles Begs Prince Harry, Prince William To Stop Making His Final Years 'Miserable'; Duke of Sussex's Memoir Continues To Hit the Royal Family

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Food banks have banned a celebrity chef's cook book after they told people in poverty to use a dangerous technique involving a knife and a hammer to open cans if they can't afford a tin opener.

Jack Monroe was slammed by critics after she offered alternatives which food banks brand as dangerous- techniques included using a frozen glass bottles filled with water as a rolling pin.

The writer from Southend, Essex, used her Thrifty Kitchen cook book to further advise struggling people on other techniques which included using a 'large clean square of cotton' to drain rice and pasta.

The activist, who claimed this book is genuinely for those living in poverty, also recommended glueing ring-pulls to handbags to secure sunglasses and stuffing cardboard rolls with the fluff from a tumble dryer to make firelighters.

Jack Monroe was slammed by critics and her cookbook Thrify Kitchen was banned from being distributed to food banks by the Trussell Trust after she offered alternatives which food banks brand as dangerous. Techniques included using a hammer and knife to open a tin and using a frozen glass bottles filled with water as a rolling pin

This isn't the first time the mother-of-one as been criticised online as she once claimed to earn less than workers at McDonald's but as a celebrity speaker she is advertised to cost between 10,000 and 15,000 per event

Jack promised for each copy sold through a network of independent bookshops one copy will be given to the UK's largest network of food banks, the Trussell Trust.

The charity, which supports 1,200 food banks, said that it would not distribute the book until amendments were made, later clarifying that an updated version of the book with an addendum addressing the health and safety concerns would be stocked by their food bank network.

'We don't have any editorial control of the content. The safety of people who use food banks is our priority and food banks aim to help people access essentials such as tin openers if needed,' it said in a statement.

'The publishers have assured us that they're taking action. The books that will be donated to our food banks will contain an addendum that addresses any health and safety concerns and we will not be distributing any books via our food banks in the current form.'

Matthew van Duyvenbode, Chief Strategy Officer at the Trussell Trust, said:

'The Trussell Trust received some enquiries about potentially unsafe kitchen hacks in Thrifty Kitchen and we have raised these with the publisher Bluebird and Pan Macmillan.

'The publisher has assured us that they are taking action, including ensuring that the books that will be donated via Bookshops.orgs promotion to our food bank network will contain an addendum that addresses any health and safety concerns.

We will distribute the books to our food banks once the publisher has included the addendum.

'The publisher, Bluebird, has also amended text in the e-book edition, and will do the same for future reprints, removing or amending some of the content that has been flagged, and adding enhanced safety information at the back of the book.

'The safety of people who use food banks in the Trussell Trust network is our priority and food banks would always aim to help people access essentials such as tin openers if needed.

Whilst Jack Monroe and BookShop.org have kindly agreed to donate a number of books for our food banks, we do not have any editorial control of the content.

Jack has been a huge supporter of the Trussell Trust and we remain grateful for all Jack has done to campaign and raise awareness of the challenges faced by people who cant afford the essentials.'

The mother-of-one once claimed to earn less than workers at McDonald's but as a celebrity speaker she is advertised to cost between 10,000 and 15,000 per event.

The Trussell Trust said: 'We don't have any editorial control of the content. The safety of people who use food banks is our priority and food banks aim to help people access essentials such as tin openers if needed.' This comes after Jack who is pictured outside 10 Downing street pledged for each copy sold through a network of independent bookshops one copy will be given to the trust

Bluebird, Monroe's publisher, said it 'amended text in the e-book edition and will do the same for reprints'.

This is not the first time her cookbooks were burnt online as Vegan(ish) was also slammed for some of its 'revolting' recipes.

Bluebird, Monroe's publisher, said it 'amended text in the e-book edition and will do the same for reprints'.

It said that the frugal advice came from when Monroe 'found herself in extreme circumstances of food poverty, and necessity required creative solutions'.

Monroe said: 'I have a decade-long relationship with the Trussell Trust and am happy to put any measures in place necessary to ensure that my work is as helpful as possible.'

Jim McMahon, the shadow secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs, defended Monroe and described the cook as a 'tireless and effective campaigner on food poverty'.

This criticism came not long after Monroe was slammed in a blog post by an alleged NHS staff worker @AwfullyMolly.

The blogger accused Monroe of not being transparent about the timings of when her own financial difficulties have occurred, and having an 'ever-changing back story'.

For example, the online writer references a Facebook post by Monroe on December 11th 2011, that appears to invite fellow parents in her hometown over with their children for 'coffee, cake and CBeebies'.

A column published in 2013 in the Mirror sees Monroe reflecting on her experiences on Christmas Day 2011, saying: 'I was alone in a freezing cold flat, with no television, no presents and no food in the fridge - it had been turned off at the mains.'

When similar accusations were tweeted by Awfully Molls and others in summer 2022, Monroe responded, calling the comments 'deliberately inflammatory abuse' and saying the 'attention-seeking' criticism was 'relentless' and 'intolerable'.
The ITV journalist handpicked by Prince Harry to interview him about his new book Spare used the furore over the memoir being leaked to plug his own novel - ahead of the full interview airing on ITV tomorrow night.

Tom Bradby, 55, anchor of the News at Ten on ITV, has created a relationship of deep trust with Harry and Meghan Markle since his bombshell interview with the Duchess when she revealed she was not 'ok', and the adjustment to royal life had been difficult.

After news of the memoir's contents being leaked to the Guardian, and Spanish copies going on sale days early, Mr Bradby posted a series of tweets about Harry.

But rather than addressing the memoir or its contents, the journalist was in fact plugging his own spy novel, featuring washed-up secret agent Harry Tower.

Prince Harry sat down to discuss his memoir Spare with ITV journalist Tom Bradby in a programme to be aired on Sunday

On the day Spare was leaked, Mr Bradby posted tweets advertising his own novel amidst the furore

Prince William had previously been close with the news anchor, but this relationship soured after the journalist accompanied the Duke and Duchess of Sussex on a tour of South Africa in 2019.

It was at this point he spoke candidly with a clearly struggling Meghan about her mental health, a conversation in which she was visibly emotional.

On Friday Mr Bradby posted: 'The big news of today; it is paperback publication day for the critically acclaimed Yesterday's Spy!'

He continued: 'A heartfelt thank you to all those readers of the hardback who have previously posted such great reviews.

'And ditto to the newspaper reviewers. And here's to the bruised, regretful Harry Tower, a spy whose best years are behind him.

'A man desperately in search of his son - and redemption.'

He posted the comments alongside photos and a promotional video to his Twitter followers.

The move came as the very memoir he was handpicked by Prince Harry to discuss in detail was leaked following early sales in Spanish bookshops.

Mr Bradby used to be very close with Prince William, but this came to an end after he accompanied Harry and Meghan on a tour of South Africa

Tom Bradby (right) with his wife Claudia Bradby (left) at the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's wedding in 2018

The Duke of Sussex had previously sat down with Mr Bradby to talk about his claims in the memoir, which will be aired on ITV in a programme on Sunday night.

In a teaser ahead of the release, Prince Harry told the journalist: 'It never needed to be this way.

'They've shown absolutely no willingness to reconcile.

I would like to get my father back, I would like to have my brother back.'

The interview is expected to see Harry defend his claims in the book, which has been staunchly criticised by royal commentators.

In Spare, Prince Harry discusses intimate details of his personal life as well as life within the royal family.

Some of the most controversial claims to be revealed so far include an alleged physical altercation which saw William knock his brother to the floor, insults that the Prince of Wales is said to have hurled at Meghan, and that both Harry and his brother begged their father, King Charles, not to marry Camilla.

Bradby was born in Malta, the son of a British naval officer. He was an only child and at the age of eight was sent to board at Westbourne House School, West Sussex, and then Sherborne School in Dorset.

He went on to study history at the University of Edinburgh, where he became involved in student journalism and edited the paper.

While at university, Bradby did work experience at several local newspapers but ultimately accepted a place on the ITN training scheme and has remained with the company ever since.

In 1994 he married Claudia Hill-Norton, whose father was Vice Admiral Sir Nicholas Hill-Norton and her grandfather Admiral of the Fleet, Lord Hill-Norton.

The pair were introduced by Claudia's older brother Simon, who, with his wife, would go on to found the sportswear company Sweaty Betty, which they sold to a US company last year for 300 million.

Bradby moved to Hong Kong as ITV's Asia correspondent in 1998 and it was there that Claudia found her calling as a jewellery designer.

Covering a riot in Indonesia in 1999, he was struck in the right leg by a flare that left him badly injured.

By this point he was a father of three and realised he did not want to be based abroad.

He therefore accepted the position of royal correspondent and returned to the UK.

Bradby was eventually promoted to be ITV's political editor, then anchor.
They called for laws to ban drones during nesting season

Experts said drones can cause serious injury to birds

An amateur photographer managed to captured a one-second clip of the cheeky feathered thief that stole his drone.

Matthew Wood had spent a day filming in the beautiful Pioneer Valley, west of Mackay in Queensland, when he suddenly lost control of his unmanned aircraft.

He got one last glimpse of its new owner before it vanished forever - with a perfect selfie of the eagle staring straight down the camera at him.

Matthew Wood caught the moment an eagle (above) stole his drone in Pioneer Valley, Queensland

'I was just flying along the grassy hills up there and it was looking really nice and really nice lighting ... then the drone took a hit,' he told ABC.

'I was watching it all while it was connected to my controller and all I saw was the camera pretty much looking at the ground as the eagle flew away with it.'

Unfortunately Mr Wood's drone was taken out of GPS range so he was unable to retrieve it.

However, Gisela Kaplan from the University of New England said the situation had a lucky result overall as the eagle appeared to remain unharmed.

Mr Wood said he was photographing the valley (above) when he watched as an eagle pulled his drone from the sky

Professor Kaplan explained drones are impose an increasingly high risk to birds as they can cause severe injuries upon collision.

With more affordable drones in the sky and birds often unable to see them during flight, Prof Kaplan said there is an urgent need for new drone flight laws.

'The drone is the saddest set of activities that humans have yet rendered (against birds) ... We've taken the land from them, we were cutting down roosting and nesting trees,' she said.

Prof Kelly recommended drones be banned from flying in wildlife dense areas during nesting season to lower the risk of hurting breeding birds.

'You don't allow fishing when there's spawning season, so don't allow drones when there's a breeding season because it will stop the birds from breeding,' she said.

Gisela Kaplan from the University of New England said drones (like above) should be banned from flying in wildlife dense areas during nesting season to avoid collision with breeding birds
The mother of an eighth-grade student is suing an Ohio middle school after her daughter was forced to strip to her underpants and 'held against her will' by teachers searching for vape pen.

The family filed a lawsuit against the Willoughby Eastlake Schools Board of Education and three East Lake Middle School staff members in the US District Court for the Northern District of Ohio on December 28 regarding the incident on September 7.

According to the lawsuit, the 8th-grade student allowed a friend to put a vape pen in her locker. Later that day, the schools principal questioned her in her office and then ordered an untrained nurse's aid to carry out a body search.

Jarod Klebanow, Managing Member of Klebanow Law LLC, who is representing the family, told DailyMail.com that 'the search was not reasonable.'

'Students do not check their constitutional rights at the door when they walk into school,' the lawyer said. 'Subjecting a teenage girl to a strip search over an object which posed no threat of violence to students or staff was unreasonable and in violation of her civil rights.'

Kristen Yeckley (pictured) whose daughter was illegally strip searched by her Ohio middle school has filed a lawsuit against three school staff members at East Lake Middle School and the Willoughby-Eastlake City Schools Board of Education

Klebanow said 'the main priority is to ensure that this does not happen to any other child moving forward. The students damages are still being assessed.'

The complaint states the school violated the students constitutional rights namely the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution of the United States.

'Students and parents must be able to trust that public school districts and the adults working within those districts will do everything possible to protect the rights of our students, not violate those rights,' Klebanow said.

'In this instance, the district and each of the adults involved in this case failed. People say time heals all wounds, but it is important to remember that, almost always, a scar is left behind.'

East Lake Middle School Principal Colleen Blaurock, Nurse Megan Kuhlman, and Nurse's aide Rosalyn Rubertino were the three school officials named in the complaint obtained by DailyMail.com.

The suit alleges that on September 7, 2022 the eighth grader - who has two lockers - arrived at school around 8am and went directly to her gym locker to put away her belongings.

One of her lockers was for her volleyball equipment and located in the girls' locker room. The other assigned locker was in the school's hallway.

While the student was in the the girls' locker room, she was approached by another student, whose name was not released, 'to see and smoke her new vape pen,' the suit states.

The eight grade student declined, but the other girl asked if she could leave a shirt and the vape pen in her gym locker.

The suit claims the student 'feeling uncomfortable but afraid to upset her friend, begrudgingly agreed,' before she headed to class.

Just before lunch on the same day, the eighth grader was pulled out of class by the principal, Colleen Blaurock, who questioned her about the existence of the vape pen.

The suit states the student 'was honest with Blaurock and told her the truth about what occurred in the girls' locker room that morning.'

Colleen Blaurock (pictured) is the principal of East Lake Middle School and one of the defendants in the case

The principal then asked the student where the vape pen was. The student told the principal 'the vape pen was not hers, that she did not have the vape pen and that she did not know where the vape pen was,' according to the complaint.

The principal then instructed the student to accompany her to the girls' locker room where she searched her gym locker.

The suit alleges that although there was a school resource officer located in the school, the principal did not inform the officer or request the officer's assistance in the search.

During the locker search, the principal did not find any inappropriate or illegal materials. She then went to the second locker located and found a sweater, but nothing else.

'Blaurock's searches all turned up empty, as the student had been honest about what had happened throughout the day,' the suit claims.

'The principal subsequently admitted that the student was an honest girl who had a history of being truthful with her, would not give up the search,' according to the complaint.

After the locker searches, the principal took the student to the nurse's office.

A photo of East Lake Middle School located in the suburb of Eastlake, Ohio

Eastlake Middle School nurse Megan Kuhlman was not present on September 7, 2022 the day of the incident and was reportedly at a different building.

Nurse's aide Rosalyn Rubertino was there where she is stationed on a regular basis. According to the suit, Kuhlman is believed to be a registered nurse, but Rubertino is not a licensed registered nurse.

When the principal arrived at the nurse's office, she instructed Rubertino to search the student for the vape pen despite already checking her lockers.

'Blaurock knew that there was no reason for a strip search of the student as there was no imminent risk of harm to any students,' the suit states.

Additionally, Blaurock also 'knew or should have known there were less invasive means of searching for the vape pen, if a more thorough search was necessary at all.'

Rubertino informed the principal that she would need to call Kuhlman to ask about the search. After she called Kulhman, she was told to conduct a body search.

Kulhman did not explain to Rubertino what a body search meant or how to conduct one on a student, the suit.

Rubertino then asked the student to take off all of her clothes except her underpants, the complaint states.

'Rubertino was never, and has never been, trained by anyone at the Willoughby-Eastlake School District about conducting searches of students,' the suit claims

'No policy or procedure existed at the Willoughby-Eastlake School District regarding conducting body or strip searches of students' the suit states.

While the strip-search was taking place, the principal stood outside the door and 'was aware of what was occurring inside the nurse's office,' the suit states.

The student asked Rubertino why she had to take her clothes off. The student was not given an option to leave or refuse the search, the complaint said and Rubertino ignored the students question.

'Feeling helpless, the student took off her clothes down to her underpants,' according to the suit. 'Rubertino then looked at the student from numerous angles. Rubertino did not find anything.'

'The student then asked Rubertino if she could put her bra back on,' court documents reveal.

Rubertino told the student to wait while she was still undressed with no bra on, while she went outside the room to speak to the principal, the complaint states.

The nurses aide returned and then proceeded to check the student's eyes with a UV light before telling her she could get dressed.

According to the court documents, 'Kulhman subsequently admitted that she would have never strip searched the student in light of the circumstances presented.'

'She said her prior procedure for conducting a search was to ask the student to hold their clothes tight to their skin and if an object becomes visible under the student's clothes, ask the student to remove the item and hand it to her,' the suit claims.

Jarod Klebanow, Managing Member of Klebanow Law LLC, (pictured) is representing the family, told DailyMail.com 'the search was not reasonable.' He filed a lawsuit on behalf of the family against the Willoughby Eastlake Schools Board of Education and three East Lake Middle School staff members which were filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of Ohio on December 28th

Court documents reveal that 'Kulhman failed to instruct Rubertino of how she had handled searches in the past and instead told her to just conduct a 'body search.''

'It is Kulhman's responsibility and duty to protect students' rights and as the nurse of the school, ensure that proper search procedures are followed to protect students' rights,' the suit states.

'It is Blaurock's responsibility and duty to protect students' rights and as the principal of the school, ensure that proper search procedures are followed to protect students' rights.'

Court documents state that 'instead of requiring Kulhman to drive the short distance to the Middle School to conduct the search herself, Blaurick passed that duty off to an unlicensed, untrained aide, who took it upon herself to strip search a student who posed no risk to the school.

Kulhman fully acknowledged that a strip search of the student was inappropriate, the suit said.

The superintendent of the Willoughby-Eastlake School District subsequently admitted that he would need to get employees trained in the proper procedure to search students, acknowledging that the strip search should not have occurred.

Following the strip search, the student was then suspended from school.

The student's rights were violated as Kuhlman admitted there was less invasive search tactics routinely used within the Willoughby Eastlake School District, the complaint states.

Additionally, the court documents claim that the students rights were violated as an unlicensed, untrained aide was tasked with conducting her strip search.

'The acts and conduct of Defendants have been in wanton and reckless disregard of the rights and feelings of the student,' the complain states.

The lawyer said the student returned to school following the two-day suspension but said he was 'unsure about the status of the three school officials.'

'The next step will be to receive a responsive pleading from the defendants,' Klebanow told DailyMail.com.

The lawyer said the girl's mother, Kristen Yeckley, was not available when DailyMail.com attempted to reach out to her.

When asked how the student was doing since the disturbing ordeal, Klebanow told DailyMail.com. 'As you can imagine, she is still struggling with what occurred. She has a strong support system at home which will hopefully help her continue to heal,' he said.
A Utah man who fatally shot his five children, mother-in-law and wife and then killed himself removed guns from the home just days before the murder-suicide, leaving the family 'vulnerable,' a relative said on Friday.

Michael 'Mike' Haight, 42, took the guns from the home two weeks after his wife, Tausha Haight, 40, filed for divorce, she had told extended family, according to sister-in-law Jennie Earl.

Earl told The Associated Press that she did not know how Tausha felt about the removal of the guns but said it 'left the family vulnerable,' because Tausha and her mother, Gail Earl, 78, were trained in gun safety and personal protection.

Jennie Earl's comments came after the Earl family issued a statement lamenting the tragedy and revealing that guns had been removed.

The Haight family pictured in June 2022 at the Kolob Canyons in Zion National Park in Utah

The Earl family issued a statement lamenting the tragedy, revealing guns had been removed

'Protective arms were purposely removed from the home prior to the incident because all adults were properly trained to protect human life,' the Earl family said in a statement on Friday.

'This is the type of loss that will continue to occur in families, communities and this nation when protective arms are no longer accessible.'

Enoch city manager Rob Dotson said local law enforcement were not involved, adding in an emailed statement that police 'has never had reason and has never had to remove firearms.'

The revelation provides more insight into what happened in the days leading up to a shooting in a southern Utah home that occurred after Tausha Haight had filed for divorce on Dec. 21 from her husband of 19 years.

The victims were found Wednesday when police did a welfare check at the residence, according city officials in Enoch, a small town of about 8,000 people located 245 miles south of Salt Lake City.

The children were only identified as three daughters, aged 17, 12, and 7, and two sons, aged 7 and 4 years old.

Online records show that Michael Haight worked as an insurance agent for Allstate and ran a financial services business out of the family's home along North Albert Drive in Enoch.

The victims were found Wednesday when police did a welfare check at the Enoch, Utah home

It was revealed that Tausha had filed for divorce from her husband, Michael, on December 21

Tausha mother, Gail Earl, 78, was also killed in the massacre, her husband, Boyd, died in 2020

Relative Jennie Earl (pictured) told the Associated Press that Michael Haight removed guns owned by himself and his wife days before the murder-suicide

Without knowing the details about how the shootings unfolded it is not clear whether having those firearms in the home could have helped stop the bloodshed, Jennie Earl said.

However, if either Tausha Haight or Gail Earl had a chance to defend their family, they would have been able to use the guns, she said.

'They could have because they had the skills to do it,' she said.

Matt Munson, the attorney representing Michael Haight's family, did not respond to questions about the firearms in the home but sent a statement from his clients mourning the loss of the family and sending condolences to the Earls.

The family revealed the information about the guns being removed in a statement issued Friday.

It also lamented the 'unthinkable tragedy' and called on the media and public to refrain from using the shooting for any 'advocacy of political agendas.'

'We would encourage reporting about the value of all human life, the great works of God that can render a forgiving heart, how religion can heal and enlarge our capacity for love, and a return to foundational principles of peace within our nation,' the Earl family wrote.

Enoch officials have said they are aware of the divorce filing but don't know if that was the motive in the killings.

Enoch Police Chief Jackson Ames also said this week that officers investigated the 42-year-old man and his family a 'couple of years prior,' suggesting possible earlier problems inside the household, but he would not elaborate.

The victims were found Wednesday when police did a welfare check at the residence

Welfare checks usually take place when neighbors raise concerns or when individuals have not been seen for an extended period of time

Officials said the family was known to law enforcement and that they had been to the home previously for unspecified reasons. None of those visits occurred recently

Enoch is a small town of 8,000 people 245 miles (394 kilometers) south of Salt Lake City

James Park, who represented Tausha Haight in the divorce case, said she had not expressed any fear that her husband would physically hurt her but he declined to elaborate, citing the investigation into the killings.

Park said he only met with her twice, mostly recently on Tuesday, and said she 'was an incredibly nice lady.'

Officials said the family was known to law enforcement and that they had been to the home previously for unspecified reasons. None of those visits occurred recently.

Neighbors of the family told KSL that they were active in the town's Mormon community and described them as 'very welcoming.'

Tausha's Facebook page is littered with images of her family, the most recent shows her with her husband in June 2022.

Her mother, Gail, lived with the family. Her husband, Boyd Jay Earl, died in 2020 at the age 77. He was a veteran of Desert Storm and was a Green Beret, according to his obituary.

Tausha's Facebook page is littered with images showing how her family grew in recent years

Neighbors of the family told KSL that they were active in the town's Mormon community and described them as 'very welcoming'

A neighbor, Tina Brown, told Fox Salt Lake City: 'Tausha was the most kind and generous person and she never ever said anything ill about anyone. She would give the shirt off of her back for anyone and she served people tirelessly'

A neighbor, Tina Brown, told Fox Salt Lake City: 'Tausha was the most kind and generous person and she never ever said anything ill about anyone. She would give the shirt off of her back for anyone and she served people tirelessly.'

While another neighbor, Tom Deville, told the station: 'I just feel terrible, they were just really nice people and I mean, it's going be one of those things that who knows.'

Archives from the local newspaper show that Haight's first birthday was commemorated with an announcement in the local newspaper in 1981 alongside a baby picture of him laughing.

He was in Boy Scouts as a young boy and earned the 'Faith in God' award as a fourth grader. Two years later in 1992, another newspaper article showed that he had won a 'Gospel in Action' award from his church.

His picture appeared again in the newspaper in 1998 when he was finalist for an academic award in high school for business and marketing.

Five stuffed animals left by the the Enoch Elementary School PTA are pictured at a makeshift memorial near the police tape at a home where the family were killed in Enoch, Utah

A pot of flowers along with a police crime scene trailer sits outside the home in Utah

After high school, he served a church mission in Brazil and then married Tausha at a church temple in St. George, in 2003. She was from Overton, Nevada, located just two hours south of Cedar City, where he grew up.

City leaders in a small Utah town choked up this week as they expressed shock after the murder-suicide carried out by a fellow church member left eight people dead in their close-knit community, including five children who were classmates with their kids.

Though shocking, family mass killings are an all-too-common tragedy across the country. They've happened nearly every 3.5 weeks for the last two decades on average, according to a database compiled by USA Today, The Associated Press and Northeastern University.

Enoch, Utah, is one of more than 30 communities sent reeling by a family mass killing in the last two years, a list that includes communities of wealth and poverty and spares no race or class.

A family mass killing - where four or more people were killed, not including the perpetrator - happened each of the last two years in places as large as Houston or as small as Casa Grande, Arizona, the database shows.
She is under pressure to reveal why she failed to call cops earlier on Nov 13 2022

Mortensen waited six hours before calling cops after allegedly seeing the killer

A woman who found her college roommate near to death in her blood soaked room in 1992 has defended the survivors of the University of Idaho quadruple murder - saying she too had a delayed response.

Alanna Zabel, 50, revealed the 'eerie similarities' of the attack she survived more than 30 years ago and exclusively told DailyMail that living with 'survivors guilt' has haunted her throughout her life.

She has slammed critics of Dylan Mortensen, who lived through the murder of her four friends on November 13 along with Bethany Funke, saying people 'don't know how they'd react' in a similar situation.

Idaho victims Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, both 21, Xana Kernodle and her boyfriend Ethan Chapin, both 20, were stabbed to death while in bed at a house in Moscow, Idaho - Mortensen and Funke the only survivors.

Alanna Zabel, 50, found her college roommate near to death in her blood covered room in 1992 and has defended the delayed reaction of University of Idaho quadruple murder survivor Dylan Mortensen

Zabel lived in a house with five sorority sisters off campus from the University of Buffalo and said she can relate to the 'anguish' Mortensen and Funke are feeling.

She said that she too had a delayed response and felt guilty that she went to sleep despite hearing muffled heavy breathing in her roommates room - and only called cops the next day.

'Someone was stalking us and broke in one night while we were out partying and drinking late,' she said.

'They brutally beat and raped my housemate. I found her six hours later and she nearly died.'

The 50-year-old said she had 'heard heavy breathing' from her roommates room but had assumed that she was with her boyfriend.

The next morning at around 9 am, Zabel entered the victim's room to ask her to move her car and said that she had been overpowered by the stench of vomit.

'I didn't see any blood at first, even though the room was covered in it,' she said.

Emily (left) lived on the second level of the Buffalo home with Zabel (center), a girl named Keri and the victim, who remained nameless. While Kristin (right) lived in basement with another roommate named Donna

Zabel made a hand drawn image of the floor the girl's lived on, noting that her room was on the other side of the living room from where the gruesome attack took place

'I only saw liquid, her hair caked on her face, tongue sticking through her teeth.

'I called 911 to report my housemate unconscious and assumed she had choked on her vomit from drinking too much. I then called [her] parents.'

It was only when the paramedics arrived and commented on the amount of blood in the room that Zabel noticed the room covered with it.

'The psychologist said it was a protective mechanism. The wall had what looked like red broom marks,' she said.

'[The victim's] hair was soaked in blood, so was the bed and the floor. They think he used a hammer.'

Zabel has noted the 'eerie similarities' to the University of Idaho case.

Dylan Mortensen (left), Kaylee Goncalves (second from left), Madison Mogen (on shoulders) smile together with Ethan Chapin (center), Xana Kernodle (second from right), Bethany Funke (right) before the quadruple homicide

This week a probable cause affidavit revealed that Mortensen had heard several scuffles throughout the night her roommates were murdered and opened her door.

Mortensen told police that she saw a suspect dressed in all black with a mask covering his face and heard one of her housemates say, 'there's someone here.'

She also heard the suspect say, 'it's ok, I'm here to help you' as the person wandered through the house committing the atrocity.

Police confirmed that a 911 call was made by one of the surviving roommates at 11.58am who requested help for an unconscious person  though it has not been confirmed who spoke to police.

Mortensen is now under pressure to reveal why she failed to call the authorities earlier, with some arguing that she may have been 'frozen' by fear.

Zabel said she can relate having also had a delayed response as she pieced together the horrific 1992 attack.

Dylan Mortensen, pictured, did not call the authorities until six hours after she spotted a masked person in her home and heard them say 'it's ok, I'm here to help you'

HOLD FOR RUTH - Pictured:Dylan Mortensen, xana kernodle, Bethany Funke, Kaylee Goncalves, and madison may mogenThe four University of Idaho students knifed to death in the early hours of Sunday morning were killed so brutally, blood was left oozing through the walls of their rented home, DailyMail.com can reveal.

'For those coming down on the roommate who saw him inside the house and didn't call police, I understand completely, and I too am in anguish that she hadn't,' she said.

'But I can also say that you don't know how you would react or respond in a similar situation until you're there.'

Zabel said having been through a similar situation living with the guilt of not calling 911 sooner haunts her.

'I've lived with the guilt of not calling 911 sooner my entire life. I never saw the attacker or saw signs of the break in until I found my housemate the next morning,' she said.

'I can imagine the guilt this surviving roommate in Idaho must be feeling. I too called 911 reporting an unconscious person because I didn't understand the extent of what was happening.'

She went on to say when you're living in an environment, like college, where having strangers in your house become normal it's hard to 'fathom' a tragedy like this.

'You don't want to believe it to be true. Being so young I can imagine she went into shock, it's a true defense mechanism for survival,' she said.

Police this week unsealed an arrest affidavit revealing why they've pointed the finger at Bryan Kohberger more than a month after four students were stabbed to death

A memorial was set up for the college students who were slain in their beds following Thanksgiving break 2022

'I am praying for her healing and all families involved in this senseless tragedy. I request people not to judge her, she's going to be judging herself for the rest of her life.'

Goncalves, Mogen, Kernodle and Chapin's blood-soaked bodies were found by cops just before noon after Mortensen and Funke - two housemates who survived the slayings - awoke around 11am to find their friends dead.

The savage killings shocked Moscow - a small college town in Idaho with a population of just 26,000 - that had not seen a murder since 2015.

Police this week unsealed an arrest affidavit revealing why they've pointed the finger at Bryan Kohberger, 28, more than a month after four students were slain in their beds.

The explosive document show the painstaking work by Moscow Police and the FBI tracked down the 28-year-old criminal justice graduate student.

He was denied bail during a brief court appearance in Moscow on Thursday, shortly after the affidavit outlining some of the case against him was shared online.

The papers included details on how Kohberger's DNA was found on a knife sheath close to the bodies of Mogen and Goncalves.
All 50 states have laws allowing mothers to forfeit babies and not face charges

Some 134 of the controversial boxes have been installed in states around the US

To maintain the privacy of the parent, drop-off details have been withheld

A newborn baby was left in the only 'safe haven baby box' in Florida - the first time it has been used since it was installed in November 2020.

The box, inset into the wall of a fire station in Ocala, is one of 134 Safe Haven boxes in the US that enable a parent to anonymously hand over unwanted babies. They have been used 23 times since the first was launched in November 2017.

Safe Haven Baby Boxes' Founder and CEO, Monica Kelsey, thanked the person who used the box, but would not reveal the gender of the child or the time and date of the drop-off to preserve their anonymity.

'When we launched this box in Florida, I knew it wasn't going to be an if - it was going to be a matter of when,' Kelsey told NPR. 'This does not come as a surprise.'

A newborn baby was deposited in a 'baby box' in Ocala, Florida. It is the only box in the state that allows parents to anonymously hand over an unwanted newborn

Ocala Mayor Kent Guinn (left) and Safe Haven Baby Boxes' Founder and CEO, Monica Kelsey (right)

All states in the US have 'safe haven' laws that allow mothers to surrender their babies to authorities without fear of criminal charges. More than ten states have introduced laws in recent years that permit the installation of baby boxes.

However, they have attracted controversy. Last August the New York Times published a story that was critical of the baby box, calling it 'a concept dating back to medieval Europe.'

It also described them as being a 'conservative' initiative designed to oppose abortion and to place greater emphasis on adoption instead.

Kelsey said on Thursday: 'We want to address the parent who legally surrendered this infant, and right now I'm going to talk directly to her or him.

'Thank you. Thank you for keeping your child safe. Thank you for bringing your child to a place that you knew was going to take care of this child.'

The 'baby box' in which the unidentified newborn baby was deposited is attached the Ocala fire station in Florida

Kelsey found inspiration to start the organization came after she saw a box in South Africa, according to her website. She then founded the organization in her native state of Indiana.

'The process, the procedure worked,' said Ocala Fire Chief Clint Welborn.

The Ocala Mayor Kent Guinn also took the time during a press conference to encourage other cities to integrate the boxes into their hospitals or fire stations.

'I'd recommend to mayors and city council people across the state of Florida to do it on your own, just like we did,' he said.

Kelsey (pictured) found inspiration to start the organization came after she saw a box in South Africa

When surrendering their baby a parent opens the metal door to reveal a temperature and air controlled environment. As soon as they do an alarm goes off alerting authorities, but it is silent so as to not startle the parent.

Once the baby is placed inside and the door is closed it automatically locks, preventing the parent from reopening it. The child can then be recovered from the inside the hospital or fire station.

According to Kelsey the average amount of time a child is inside the box is less than two minutes. A Safe Haven box costs $10,000 and is leased for $200 a month.
Prince Harry wrote that he thought of them as 'chess pieces' taken off a board

In his book 'Spare', the Duke of Sussex said he killed 25 Taliban fighters

Pen Farthing said Prince Harry's book has meant he has had to flee Afghanistan

An ex-Marine who has worked to rehome some 170 stray cats and dogs from Afghanistan says he has had to flee Kabul over fear of attack after Prince Harry admitted to killing 25 Taliban fighters.

Pen Farthing, 53, called Prince Harry an 'idiot' and said he had not thought through the security implications of his revelations in his new autobiography.

Farthing made headlines in August 2021 when he desperately tired to rescue stray animals his charity Nowzad had rescued from the streets of Kabul. He succeeded in bringing the animals back from Afghanistan as UK forces evacuated the country, but clashed with the British government who called his campaign distracting.

In his controversial autobiography 'Spare', the Duke of Sussex wrote that he had killed some 25 Taliban fighters while serving as a helicopter pilot in Afghanistan, and that he did not think of those he killed 'as people' but as 'chess pieces' that had to be taken off the board.

Several high-ranking military veterans and experts have also blasted Prince Harry for his comments, with one former British Army Commander, Colonel Richard Kemp, saying that what the Prince has written will be 'seized on by lawyers who want to prosecute British soldiers' for war crimes.

Pen Farthing, 53, called Prince Harry an 'idiot' and said he had not thought through the security implications of his revelations in his new autobiography. Pictured: Farthing with dog Nowzad in Afghanistan in 2006

Prince Harry sits atop a Spartan armoured vehicle in the Helmand province, Southern Afghanistan, February 18, 2008

Pen Farthing, who had been in Afghanistan for the past 18 months as part of his Operation Ark campaign to rescue animals from shelters in the country, said the 'badly judged memoir' had created grave security concerns for him.

In 'Spare', the Prince said that he flew on six missions that resulted in the 'taking of human lives'.

This is the first time Prince Harry has specified the number of insurgents he personally killed during his time in Afghanistan, where he went in both 2007-8 and 2012 and flew an Apache attack helicopter during his second tour.

Farthing took to Twitter to share his disgust and anger at the book, writing: 'Well I was a Royalist until today. Cheers #PrinceHarry You have been very badly advised I would probably say. And glad you thought through the security implications of those of us still out in #Afghanistan trying to bring about some good. #idiot #notmyprince.'

His Tweet was seen hundreds of thousands of times by users, with many voicing their own opinion, both in support of Farthing as well as the Prince.

One user told him to 'get off the bandwagon' and that the Taliban would not be 'unaware that he dispatched some of them'.

But Farthing explained that it was only after Prince Harry's revelations in the new book that he 'had to bail from Kabul', having previously been in Afghanistan 'working with the new government' in his Operation Arc campaign.

Pen Farthing called Prince Harry an 'idiot' and said he had not thought through the security implications of his revelations in his new book, Tweeting January 6, 2023

Pen Farthing explained that he had to evacuate from Kabul because of the risk of attack on ex-forces sparked by Prince Harry's new book, Tweeting January 6, 2023

Pen Farthing had been in Afghanistan for the past 18 months as part of his Operation Ark campaign to rescue animals from shelters in the country. Pictured: Farthing in Pakistan, September 12, 2021

Pen Farthing shows the Nowzad donkey sanctuary in Afghanistan to his Twitter followers, January 6, 2023

Farthing asked his followers to keep their donations coming in so that the donkeys and horses from the streets of Kabul could be looked after, January 6, 2023

He later Tweeted again after some Twitter users suggested that Prince Harry's book would not have caused any further risk than there already was.

Farthing said: 'To the idiots who made dumbass comments in support of #PrinceHarry in my tweet below, know I have had to evac from #Kabul tonight in case of potential reprisal attacks on ex-forces people like me in the wake of his badly judged memoir.. the animals suffer not me. You happy?'

Farthing made headlines in 2021 when he desperately tried to get stray animals that his charity had rescued in Afghanistan out of the country as UK forces pulled out of Kabul.

Farthing drew both support and criticism from the Operation Arc campaign. Defence Secretary Ken Wallace labelled the campaign as distracting and said it was diverting attention from a humanitarian disaster.

He became one of the very last Brits to leave the country as the Taliban regime took back Kabul.

Prince Harry has also drawn criticism from other military veterans and experts.

Former British army Commander Colonel Richard Kemp said 'publicly announcing that he had killed 25 Taliban fighters in Afghanistan is like shooting himself in the foot', he wrote in the Express.

He added that it would 'rekindle jihadist animosity' and would 'incite some who want to take revenge'.

In 'Spare', the Prince said that he flew on six missions that resulted in the 'taking of human lives'. Pictured: Prince Harry at the British controlled flight-line in Camp Bastion southern Afghanistan, October 31, 2012

Prince Harry has also drawn criticism from military veterans and experts over his book's revelations. Pictured: Prince Harry at Camp Bastion in southern Afghanistan, where he served as an Apache Helicopter Pilot, September 2012

Prince Harry to scramble his Apache helicopter with fellow pilots at the British controlled flight-line in Camp Bastion southern Afghanistan, November 3, 2012

Col Kemp also said that Prince Harry saying he saw Taliban fighters as 'chess pieces' to take off the board would be 'seized on by lawyers who what to prosecute British soldiers on allegations of unlawful killing and ill-treatment of prisoners'.

He said in his Express column that the Duke of Sussex's comments 'paint a picture of a military that indoctrinates its troops to act against the Geneva conventions requiring enemy dead, wounded or captured to be treated with respect'.

Rear Admiral Chris Parry, retired Royal Navy officer, also criticised the Duke of Sussex for saying that he had killed 25 Taliban fighters.

Speaking to Sky News, he said: 'Over 35 years of service myself, I've never heard anybody in the Armed Forces say what their score is. I think it's highly unusual and I think, if we're going to be kind, it must be the ghostwriter which has put these words into Harry's mouth.

'I'm afraid to say that it's clumsy, tasteless and doesn't afford respect to the people who have been killed. 25 is a suspiciously round number as far as I'm concerned and I just wonder if this is some of the hype associated with the book.'

He added: 'You don't have to itemise what you say you've done. I think there are enough descriptions of what life is like in combat, there's enough good people around to actually tell you what goes on. You don't have to get down to the individual deaths.'

Colonel Tim Collins (left), known for a pre-battle speech he made in Iraq, thundered: 'Harry has now turned against the other family, the military, that once embraced him, having trashed his birth family'. Ex-Army chief Colonel Richard Kemp (right) called Harry's comments 'ill-judged' and said soldiers are not trained to regard their targets as 'subhuman'

Major Chris Hunter, a decorated former army bomb disposal officer who served in Afghanistan, told GB News: 'Very rarely will any soldier, sailor or airman, serving or a veteran, talk about numbers of kills.

'I think that, coupled with the fact it uses terms like chess pieces, dehumanises them, I think that could very, very easily cause some serious repercussions.

'Not just for his own security, but the wider security, to the Royal Family and actually to the servicemen and women on operations across the world at the moment.

'The comments are sad and very much a betrayal. Everyone in the Army swears an oath of allegiance to the monarch, he's betrayed his own family for money. It is just truly sad. I'm very, very disappointed.'

Colonel Tim Collins, known for a pre-battle speech he made in Iraq, told Forces News: 'Amongst his assertions is a claim that he killed 25 people in Afghanistan.

'That's not how you behave in the Army; it's not how we think.'

He later added: 'Harry has now turned against the other family, the military, that once embraced him, having trashed his birth family.'

He also accused Harry of taking a path that is 'alien' to those in the UK and the Commonwealth, adding that the duke is 'pursuing US identity politics and casting slurs or racism around where none exists'.

'I wonder whose path he has chosen? In the end I see only disappointment and misery in his pursuit of riches he does not need and his rejection of family and comradely love that he badly needs,' he said.

Speaking to ITV's Good Morning Britain, ex-Royal Marine Ben McBean said that his revelations could have significant security repercussions

Prince Harry meeting former Royal Marine Commando Ben McBean, who he called a 'hero'

Ben McBean tweeted: 'Love you #PrinceHarry but you need to shut up! Makes you wonder the people he's hanging around with. If it was good people somebody by now would have told him to stop'

Ben McBean, who Harry hailed as a 'hero' after he lost an arm and a leg in a bomb blast, urged the Duke to 'shut up'.

McBean told ITV's Good Morning Britain: 'To bring it back and speak to civilians about it... they don't need to know what you're really up to out there.'

Major General Jonathan Shaw, previously an assistant chief of the Defence Staff, became the most senior British officer to condemn Harry's remarks.

Speaking exclusively to the Mail, the former SAS commander said: 'Soldiers don't talk about killing for good reason. Harry's comments break an unwritten code. I suspect this is motivated by his PR people's drive for money.'
The full details of Prince Harry's 'Tiara-gate' row with one of the Queen's closest advisers have been revealed in his memoir.

In the book, Spare, he denies that he angrily told Angela Kelly, his grandmother's dresser, 'What Meghan wants, Meghan gets', in a clash over a tiara the Queen lent to Meghan for her wedding to Harry.

He says his mother's sisters had earlier offered Meghan one of the Princess of Wales's tiaras.

Meghan was 'touched' and spent 'hours and hours' with her wedding dress designer to get the scalloped edges of her veil to match the Spencer tiara.

The sparkling tiara Meghan wore on her wedding was the Queen Mary's Diamond Bandeau, which was loaned to her by Harry's grandmother the Queen from the Royal Collection

Princess Diana pictured in the Spencer family tiara in 1983. Meghan had planned to wear the Spencer tiara before the Queen offered her to borrow one from the Royal Collection for her wedding

But shortly before the wedding in May 2018, Harry says the Queen 'reached out' to the couple, offering Meghan access to her collection of tiaras.

Harry says: 'She even invited us to Buckingham Palace to try them on. "Do come over", I remember her saying.'

What unfolded, Harry says, was 'an extraordinary morning'.

They were shown into his grandmother's private dressing room, next to her bedroom  a place Harry had never been before.

The Queen was standing alongside a jewellery expert who knew the history of each stone in the Royal Collection.

Also in the room was Ms Kelly  a docker's daughter from Liverpool who had become indispensable to the Monarch as her personal dresser and confidante, but who was known to courtiers as 'AK-47' because of her forceful personality.

Harry says the Queen asked Meghan to view five stunning tiaras, including one with emeralds and another with aquamarines.

The Queen then told Meghan: 'Tiaras suit you.'

After Meghan chose one, the Queen advised her to try the piece on with her hairdresser before the wedding day.

But Harry says that when he tried to contact Ms Kelly later to get hold of the tiara for the practice session, the dresser didn't respond.

The Queen's dresser Angela Kelly (pictured at the Queen's funeral), known by some as 'AK-47', allegedly didn't respond to Harry's messages about Meghan's chosen tiara

The Queen was pictured attending London Fashion Week alongside her trusted confidante, Angela Kelly

Harry also claims there 'had been spirited arguments in the back corridors of the Palace about whether Meghan could  or should  wear a veil'

In his memoirs, Harry denies saying the previously reported line: 'What Meghan wants, Meghan gets'

Princess Diana had a love of tiaras, such as this one on her wedding day, and Harry has revealed she was originally destined to wear the Spencer tiara as a tribute to her

When he finally tracked her down, Ms Kelly told him taking the tiara out of the Palace for an appointment with Meghan's hairdresser 'can't be done' because it would require an orderly and a police officer to guard it.

Harry  who admits to being exasperated  says Ms Kelly eventually 'appeared out of thin air' at Kensington Palace to make him sign a release form before handing over the tiara.

He writes: 'She fixed me with a look that made me shiver. I could read in her face a clear warning. This isn't over.'

Markle instead wore Queen Mary's Diamond Bandeau, the centerpiece of which is a 10-diamond brooch that Mary of Teck received as a wedding gift from the County of Lincoln in 1893.

The tiara saga was just one of the many difficulties Meghan is said to have faced when trying to prepare her wedding ensemble.

Harry claims there 'had been spirited arguments in the back corridors of the Palace about whether Meghan could  or should  wear a veil'.

For a divorcee to wear a veil was, for some courtiers, out of the question, he says.

But Harry goes on to say that 'the powers that be, unexpectedly, showed some flexibility' and relented.

His telling of the Tiara-gate story shows the extent of the power wielded by the Queen's dresser.

Ms Kelly first came into the Royal Household as an assistant dresser, but worked her way up and was entrusted with the keys to the Queen's priceless jewellery collection.

She served Queen Elizabeth II for almost 30 years and was pictured at her state funeral on September 19.

The Queen is said to have given royal provision to allow Ms Kelly to remain in her house for the rest of her life, even after she passed away.

The pair were known to exchange light-hearted banter with each other, as the Queen once jokingly told her dresser 'you're sacked' during a trip to Australia.

Her heavy influence was said to lend her considerable power over other senior staff and junior members of the household.

It was previously reported that the row over 'tiara-gate' involved another tiara which Meghan was not given the option to choose from - but this latest telling by Prince Harry appears to question this.

Harry says the Queen asked Meghan to view five stunning tiaras, including one with emeralds and another with aquamarines

Queen Mary's Diamond Bandeau, the centerpiece of which is a 10-diamond brooch that Mary of Teck received as a wedding gift from the County of Lincoln in 1893, was specifically made for the Queen's grandmother Queen Mary (pictured) in 1932

The diamond and platinum bandeau tiara worn by Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, on her wedding was displayed on exhibition at Windsor Castle

The younger daughter of the Duke and Duchess of York wore a stunning gown by British designer Peter Pilotto on her wedding day; teamed with the Greville Emerald Kokoshnik Tiara, lent to her by her grandmother the Queen

There were also reports the row involved the same tiara that Princess Eugenie wore at her wedding ceremony in 2018, which featured a stunning array of sapphires.

The Greville Emerald Kokoshnik Tiara was passed down to the Queen following her mother's death in 2002.

So favoured was she by the Monarch that Ms Kelly was also granted extraordinary permission to secure a three-book deal.

Two volumes have been published and another is set to be released.

The Spencer Tiara, which it is claimed Meghan originally planned to wear, was worn by Princess Diana at her wedding to Prince Charles in 1981, and worn by her on numerous occasions after her big day.

The tiara is a family heirloom that was also worn by all of Diana's sisters on their wedding days.

The headpiece, which was made by Garrads in the 1930s, has an elaborate design of stylised flowers decorated with diamonds in silver settings.

The tiara is now owned by Diana's brother, Earl Spencer.

It is understood that Ms Kelly was not consulted by Harry's publishers about the episode in his memoir.

Today she could not be reached for comment, and Buckingham Palace declined to comment.
Newly-release body cam footage shows the shocking moment a sheriff's deputy threatened to shoot an unarmed man as he sat in his car in South Los Angeles.

The man involved in the New Year's Eve is reportedly Feezy Lebron, a Los Angeles-based rapper who later posted about the incident on his Instagram account.

Lebron said he was using his cell phone while sitting in his parked car when two passing deputies approached him, and ordered him to exit the vehicle.

'If you take off in this car, I'm going to shoot you,' the deputy is heard telling the rapper in the video. 'I'm going to make it super easy on you. You put this car in drive, you're getting one right to the chest.'

Lebron was not arrested, but later cited for a missing license plate and then released. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said Friday that it is investigating the incident.

Rapper Feezy Lebron has identified himself as the driver sitting in his vehicle in Los Angeles on December 31 on his cell phone when two deputies ordered him to exit and threatened to shoot

Newly-release body cam footage shows the shocking moment a sheriff's deputy threatened to shoot an unarmed man as he sat in his car in South Los Angeles

Lebron was not arrested, but later cited for a missing license plate and then released

Deputies stopped the man at 5:45 p.m. in an unincorporated area of South Los Angeles, the Sheriff's Department said in a statement.

Video released by the department from the deputy's body camera shows the driver sitting in the car with the door open and another deputy next to him.

The deputies order LeBron to get out of the vehicle and when he refuses, he is told that if he doesn't comply, he'll be arrested and his car would be towed.

The first deputy tries physically removing him from the driver's seat, and then the second deputy tells him, 'I'm just going to spray you. Get out or you're getting sprayed,' as he points a pepper spray can at the rapper.

When the driver reaches for the open door, apparently to shut it, KTLA reported, the deputy pulls his gun, points it at him.

The deputy tells him, 'I'm just going to spray you. Get out or you're getting sprayed,' as he points a pepper spray can at the rapper

When the driver reaches the open door, apparently to shut it, the deputy points a gun at him

The deputy tells him: You take off in this car, I'm gonna shoot you. I'm gonna make it super easy on you: You put this car in drive, you're getting one right to the chest'

The deputy tells him: You take off in this car, I'm gonna shoot you. I'm gonna make it super easy on you: You put this car in drive, you're getting one right to the chest.'

Lebron is seen on the video seated with both hands raised and says: 'So you're gonna shoot me? I'm sitting in the damn car, bro.'

'Move your hands from right there, and you're done,' the deputy tells him.

The driver finally gets out with his hands still raised and is handcuffed.

As he was being handcuffed, the deputy is heard telling him: 'Unfortunately for you, you shouldn't smoke so much weed in your car and then we wouldn't have to search you.'

While Lebron wasn't identified by authorities as the driver, the rapper said in an Instagram post that he was the driver involved.

In the post, he identified the two deputies and urged followers: 'Let's get this guy's face out there before he gets a chance to MURDER a young Black male sitting in his PARKED car ..Unarmed.'

'Remember they just want a reason to KILL you,' the post said.

While Lebron wasn't identified by authorities as the driver, the rapper said in an Instagram post that he was the driver involved, and urged followers to share the deputies' faces on social

Lebron is seen on the video seated with both hands raised and says: 'So you're gonna shoot me? I'm sitting in the damn car, bro'

As he was being handcuffed, the deputy is heard telling him: Unfortunately for you, you shouldn't smoke so much weed in your car and then we wouldn't have to search you'

On Friday, the Sheriff's Department confirmed it is investigating the incident, but did not immediately say why the car was stopped and declined to identify the driver because of the ongoing investigation.

'While the department does not make statements related to ongoing investigations, Sheriff (Robert) Luna has made it clear that he expects department personnel to treat all members of the public with dignity and respect, and that personnel who do not uphold our training standards will be held accountable,' the statement said.

The driver was handcuffed and placed in a patrol car but not arrested. He was eventually cited for a missing license plate and released.
Russian President Vladimir Putin recently ordered a 36-hour ceasefire to allow the peaceful celebration of Orthodox Christmas, a move that Kyiv has called hypocritical and has firmly rejected.

The order was announced on Friday to observe the Russian holiday but Ukrainian officials said that they had no intention of stopping the fight. The latter rejected the purported truce as a stunt by Moscow to give their military troops some time after taking heavy losses this week amid the conflict.

Russia's 36-Hour Ceasefire Order

In a statement, a Ukrainian soldier, who used the nom de guerre Vyshnya, said, "What ceasefire? Can you hear? What do they want to achieve if they keep on shooting? We know, we have learnt no to trust them."

On the other hand, Russia's Defense Ministry said that its military personnel has begun observing the ceasefire from noon Moscow time "along the entire line of contact." It argued that Ukrainian forces continued to shell populated areas and military positions.

There were explosions reported that Ukrainian troops at the front lines described as incoming Russian rocket fire that prompted them to fire back from tanks. Kyiv's military personnel added that it was quieter than most days because of the snowy weather that made it difficult to fly drones and spot targets from a distance, as per Reuters.

One Ukrainian soldier said that the situation they were in was the same as yesterday, last week, and last month. They added that there was no point in trying to talk to Moscow or their troops or believing in their promises, orders, and decrees.

Despite Putin's order of a ceasefire, there were no immediate reports of the potential reduction in the intensity of fighting in other regions. One witness, who was in the Russian-occupied regional capital Donetsk, said that outgoing artillery fired from pro-Russian positions on the outskirts of the city following the truce was still happening.

In a statement, Serhiy Haidai, the Ukrainian governor of the front line in the eastern Luhansk province, said that in the first three hours after the ceasefire order, Russia already shelled Ukrainian positions 14 times and stormed one settlement three times.

Read Also: Ukraine To Allies: Send Us More Tanks To Fight Russia

Celebrating Orthodox Christmas

According to BBC, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Putin's order was simply an attempt to stop his troops from advancing in the eastern parts of the country. A statement from the Kremlin also appeared to stress that Putin wanted his troops to stop fighting not because he was de-escalating.

Instead, the Russian president had listened to an appeal from the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill. The latter had, earlier in the day of the announcement, called for a Christmas truce to allow worshippers to attend services for the holiday.

The situation comes as France announced that it was giving Ukraine light tanks, AMX-10 RCs, and Bastion armored personnel carriers. On the other hand, the United States said it would provide Kyiv with Bradley Fighting Vehicles. However, the two still falls short of the modern, heavy tanks that Ukrainian authorities have been requesting, CNBC reported.

Related Article: US, Germany To Send Infantry Fighting Vehicles to Ukraine Following France's Military Support for Kyiv

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Britain has been hit by 103 flood warnings and alerts after heavy downpours hit parts of the country.

As a band of rain sweeps across the UK on Saturday, January, 7, there were 24 flood warnings and 79 flood alerts.

It comes after the Met Office issued yellow weather warnings for rain in Wales and south-west England overnight.

It forecast that 'many' places had been expected to see around an inch of rainfall over six to nine hours, with around two inches falling over higher ground.

The Met Office issued yellow weather warnings for rain in Wales and south-west England overnight as many places expect around an inch of rainfall

It forecast that 'many' places had been expected to see around an inch of rainfall over six to nine hours, with around two inches falling over higher ground. This lorry driver is chancing his bets while driving near Salisbury

After heavy overnight rainfall the river Wye burstsit's banks at Builth Wells in Powys, Wales

South Wales was hit by heavy downpours in the 12 hours to 9am Saturday.

Libanus and Gorslas had just under two inches of rain. There was 'significant rainfall' in south-west England at the same time, said Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill.

This included the inch of rain which hit Harbertonford and the inch downpour in Cornwood overnight.

Recent rain had made some areas 'more susceptible' to disruption, said Mr Burkill.

He said: 'The rain was heavy but I think it was that it lasted for quite a long period of time.

'It was quite a big band of rain that slowly moved across the UK. It was less the intensity of the rain but how long it lasted which led to those rainfall totals building up.

Drivers brave the rain and attempt to drive on the A338 in Fordingbridge between Salisbury and Ringwood

There were 24 flood warnings and 79 flood alerts across Britain as some areas have already been hit with two inches of rain

'It has come off the back of some unsettled weather as it has not been very dry recently and so river catchments everywhere are quite saturated - that would have made any problems worse.'

Earlier this week a 71-year-old woman narrowly escaped injury after a tree crashed into her home in Blackpill, Swansea.

Maureen Edwards was sitting on the sofa of her residential park home on the evening of January 5, when she heard the huge crash of her roof shattering above her.

The tree, which came down due to bad weather, only just missed the part of the sofa she was sat on with her Yorkshire Terrier Tommy in her home in Mill Gardens Residential Park.

Wires hung down from the remnants of her ceiling and all the lights had gone off, and Maureen was trapped in her home unable to get to the front or back door which were both locked with keys in the door.

Earlier this week a 71-year-old woman narrowly escaped injury after a tree crashed into her home in Blackpill, Swansea

Maureen Edwards (pictured) was sitting on the sofa of her residential park home on the evening of January 5, when she heard the huge crash of her roof shattering above her

The tree, which came down due to bad weather, only just missed the part of the sofa she was sat on with her Yorkshire Terrier Tommy

The tree's root was ripped out from the earth, after which it came crashing down onto Ms Edward's home, trapping her inside

Further 'unsettled weather' is set to come this weekend, which could see some heavy cloud and rain replaced by a mixture of sunshine and showers.

Heavy wind and rain has caused disruption on local roads in Cornwall and Devon, prompting police to urge drivers to be careful, according to Cornwall Live.

It reported a message from police in Callington which said: 'Good morning! The weather isn't too great today.

'Please be careful if travelling. There is a lot of standing water on the main routes in and out of Callington. Please adjust your driving in line with the conditions! Stay safe.'

High water pulls at picnic benches at torrential River Teign, Fingle Bridge, Dartmoor, Devon

The Met Office has also said that 'some showers (are) likely to be heavy with hail and a chance of thunder'. It could be windy and turn colder later.

The showers could be 'heavy at times' by Saturday night but some clear spells are likely across the east, according to the forecasters.

They added that it is expected to 'remain windy with severe gales developing in north-west Scotland'.

Regions from western Scotland to south-west England may be hit by 'shorter-lived but more intense' downpours as heavy bursts of rain could see over half and inch in a few hours, said Mr Burkhill.

There may also be some 'hefty showers' further east.

Blustery showers are also forecast for the rest of the weekend and temperatures may drop to 9C to 10C on Sunday, down from about 14C.

Mr Burkill added: 'The highest temperatures will be in the South but even in the North it is still going to be mid-to-high single figures so it is not going to be cold but just a bit chillier than it has been.'
Broadcaster Jonathan Dimbleby, a friend of King Charles III, has revealed he is 'perplexed' by Harry's decision to publish a book

Prince Harry's disclosures in his new book are the sort that usually 'come from B-list celebrities', veteran broadcaster and friend the the King, Jonathan Dimbleby said.

Dimbleby, who interviewed Charles in 1994 when the then Prince of Wales admitted having an affair, added that he was 'perplexed' by Harry's decision to publish a book.

The memoir, 'Spare', which was accidentally released early in Spain, includes personal details of his love life, drug-taking and rifts within his family.

Mr Dimbleby, 78, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme he imagines the King, as Harry's father, is 'extremely pained' and 'very frustrated' by the situation and 'would be very anxious to bring it to an end'.

In 1994 Charles confessed to adultery in the televised interview with Mr Dimbleby, after his marriage had 'irretrievably broken down'.

Of the book, Mr Dimbleby said: 'I'm concerned incidentally that everyone uses the word 'revelations'.

Charles and Jonathan Dimbleby at Highgrove during the filming of a 1994 television documentary

Prince Harry's disclosures in his new book are the sort that usually 'come from B-list celebrities', veteran broadcaster and friend the the King, Jonathan Dimbleby said

'Yes, there are obviously revelations about how he lost his virginity, taking drugs and how many people he feels he might have shot down in Afghanistan from his Apache, but those are the kinds of revelations in part that you would expect, I suppose, from a kind of B-list celebrity.

'Much more significant are not what you would call revelations but allegations  complaints, the anger and pain of what he is saying.

'His assertion that this is his side because so far there has only been one side. It seems to me that I have not heard the other side at all because the other side is always silent.'

Harry has said in promotional interviews for the memoir that he would like to reconcile with his family.

Mr Dimbleby added: 'So I am perplexed.

'I genuinely can't believe it is merely to make a great deal of money because of the perfectly natural urge to want to protect his family, his wife and his children in a very uncertain future.

The then Prince of Wales, now the King, with the Duchess of Sussex and the Duke of Sussex and the then Duke of Cambridge in 2019

Prince Harry's memoir, 'Spare', which was accidentally released early in Spain, includes personal details of his love life, drug-taking and rifts within his family.

'I think there is much more to that, but if he wants reconciliation, I don't understand how you do it by, as it were metaphorically, sitting in your Apache and firing pot shots at people who are not going to fire back, as he must very well know.'

He also told the programme that Charles is possibly 'deeply pained by it but he will get on with the job  that's what they do'.

Harry has 'perfectly understandably constructed a narrative of his life' which goes back to 'the acute enduring distress of the loss' of his mother Diana, Princess of Wales, who died in a car crash in 1997, according to Mr Dimbleby.

He told the programme that a 'wise counsellor' could have advised Harry not to go public with his feelings, if he hoped to salvage his relationship with Charles and his brother William, the Prince of Wales.

Mr Dimbleby also said he would be 'very surprised' if Harry was not invited to the coronation, because to do otherwise would 'simply fuel the flames'.

He added that questions over a range of issues in the royal family such as transparency, funding, and its scale and size, remain, but Mr Dimbleby did not feel it is under threat or that Charles's reputation has been damaged.
Fears are growing for a mother and her new born child who broke down on a motorway on Thursday night.

Greater Manchester Police are appealing for Constance Marten to make contact and seek medical assistance.

Ms Marten, her partner Mark Gordon and their infant child were last seen walking near junction 4 of the M61 in Bolton after their car broke down.

GMP said evidence suggested Ms Marten had 'very recently given birth and neither her or the baby have been assessed by medical professionals'.

Constance Marten and Mark Gordon (pictured), along with their recently born child, are missing after their car broke down near junction four of the M61, near Bolton, on Thursday night

Police appealed to Ms Martin, saying their 'number one priority' is to keep her 'beautiful newborn safe'

Police have released photographs of Ms Marten and Mr Gordon and are appealing for the public's help in locating them.

Officers said after their car broke down, the couple walked towards Anchor Lane bridge which links the Highfield and Little Hutlon areas Bolton.

Greater Manchester Police's head of protection Chief Superintendent Michaela Kerr said her priority was to keep the 'beautiful newborn safe'.

Mr Gordon is described as wearing dark clothing while Ms Marten, who has a southern accent, was wearing a burgundy coat. The baby was swaddled.

Chief Super Kerr said: 'As a mum, I would like to make a direct appeal to Constance. Constance, I know this is an exceptionally hard time for you and you are likely feeling scared, but I promise that our number one priority is the same as yours - to keep your beautiful newborn safe.

'As you know, it's really important that both you and your baby are assessed by medical professionals as soon as possible, so please make contact with emergency services or make your way to your nearest hospital, wherever that may be.

'I would also like to appeal to members of the public - not just in Bolton but across Greater Manchester and beyond.

'If you have any information about this family's whereabouts, please do nothing more than contact emergency services. GMP can be contacted via Live Chat on our website or 999. Even the most minor detail might help us keep this mum and baby safe.'

Police appealed for anyone with information to contact Greater Manchester Police on 999 quoting 2657 05/01/23 or via gmp.police.uk.

Information can also be shared anonymously via the independent charity  Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Democratic Rep. Katie Porter was seen peacefully reading a book amid chaotic scenes in the House Chamber yesterday as Alabama Republican Rep. Mike Rogers was restrained when he lunged toward fellow Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz.

Porter sat in a bright orange dress as she appeared to be reading the first chapters of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck. The color of its dust cover matched both her attire and the name of the district she represents - Orange County.

The book, which has the subtitle, A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life, is a bestselling self-help manual by American blogger Mark Manson that advocates letting go of the things that are out of one's control.

Democratic Rep. Katie Porter was seen peacefully reading a book amid chaotic scenes in the House Chamber yesterday

Rep. Mike Rogers of Alabama is restrained after yelling at Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida

These were the scenes on the floor on January 6 - the fourth and final day of voting for a house speaker which ended in Kevin McCarthy finally being elected after 15 rounds of voting.

Porter addressed the Republican in-fighting in the run-up to McCarthy's protracted election later on Twitter, saying: 'The 15th time's the charm, apparently.'

'Americans deserve more than House Republicans' inability to govern,' she added.

Her color co-ordination earlier in the day caused some users to accuse her staging the scene and one to call her an attention seeker.

The move was divisive however, as many of her supporters rallied behind her. Democratic social media activist Jack Cocchiarella labeled her an 'icon.'

Another Twitter-user wrote: 'Freaking love Katie Porterjust doing her thing while the children on the other side of the House are fighting.'

However, one person joked that the title of the book could pertain to a recent scandal she was involved in.

'Rep. Katie Porter reading The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck,' they said. 'Which, according to former staff, is also her attitude towards sexual harassment complaints in her office.'

Porter addressed the Republican in-fighting in the run-up to McCarthy's protracted election later on Twitter, saying: 'The 15th time's the charm, apparently'

Democratic social media activist Jack Cocchiarella labeled Porter an 'icon'

Rep. Mike Rogers of Alabama is restrained after yelling at Matt Gaetz of Florida

'That was easy, huh?' McCarthy began in his victory speech - moments after Rogers had to be held back from attacking Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz.

The two Republicans almost came to blows over Gaetz's refusal to back McCarthy during the 14th vote, costing him that contest.

The California Republican immediately walked up to Gaetz and Boebert, presumably with the intent of persuading them to change their 'present' votes to 'yes.'

That's when Rep. Mike Rogers of Alabama approached and appeared to lunge at Gaetz, causing Rep. Richard Hudson of North Carolina to hold him back dramatically.

In another striking photo taken in the House on Friday, Trump ally Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia could be seen trying to pass her phone over to Rep. Matt Rosendale of Montana so he could answer to Trump as to why he was refusing to vote for McCarthy.

She reportedly went up to Rosendale and told him that Trump was on the phone and that Rosendale needed to speak with him. 'Don't you ever do me like that,' Rosendale reportedly told her.

Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia could be seen trying to pass her phone over to Rep. Matt Rosendale of Montana so he could answer to Trump as to why he was refusing to vote for McCarthy

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of Calif., gestures towards the newly installed nameplate at his office after he was sworn in as speaker of the 118th Congress in Washington

McCarthy said that the issues he will face head on include the national debt and the 'Chinese Communist Party'

Rep. Katie Porter denied firing a staffer for giving her COVID-19 after a text message exchange emerged

Porter was also accused at the end of December of banning a staffer from attending their office in the last months of a two-year fellowship for giving her COVID-19.

Screenshots of text messages claimed to be between Porter and former staffer Sasha Georgiades suggest Porter told Georgiades 'you gave me Covid' and did not acknowledge the staffer's apology or her explanation that she had not tested because she was preoccupied with the death of a friend.

The text exchange occurred in July, and Porter's office said the staffer was working on a two-year fellowship at the time that was scheduled to end in August. Georgiades confirmed to Politico she was not fired and had been planning to leave.

'Congresswoman Porter was informing her that she would work from home for the remaining three weeks of her fellowship,' Porter spokesperson Jordan Wong told DailyMail.com.

The first part of an alleged text exchange between Porter and former staffer Sasha Georgiades from last June in which she later tells Georgiades she will not be allowed to come back to the office

The second part of the alleged text exchange between Porter and former staffer Georgiades

'Why did you not follow office protocol on testing? It's really disappointing,' Porter said in July. 'I'm terribly sorry. You're right I should have done better. Just because I felt okay in the moment doesn't mean I was,' the staffer wrote back.

'Sasha -- I cannot allow you back in the office given your failure to follow office policies. Cody will be in touch anout (sic) having your personal effects shipped or delivered to your home, and will lay out your remote work schedule and responsibilities for the last few weeks,' Porter said.

Georgiades went on to thank Porter and tell her: 'I hate to have disappointed you in the manner, as I know it isn't an excuse I had found out a friend from the navy had been murdered and my head wasn't in the right place. Not an excuse but the reasoning for the lack of forethought. I appreciate everything this office has done for me.'

Porter shot back: 'Well you gave me covid. In 25 months, it took you not following the rules to get me sick. My children have nobody to care for them.'

Georgiades was a Wounded Warrior Fellow who worked as a veteran and service member liaison in Porter's office. She told Politico she was not fired but was effectively banned from the office after the incident.
Sailors on a Royal Navy warship have saved five people from drowning after their ocean-going tugboat sank in choppy seas in the Caribbean.

HMS Medway - the Royal Navy's permanent vessel in the region - saved the crew members who had taken refuge on a large band of sand their tug was towing when it began to flood.

The warship responded to the tug's SOS message, which was sent at about 5pm UK time on Friday, January 6, while it was 20 miles west of the island of Sint Maarten, near to the British Overseas Territory of Anguilla.

Medway launched its sea boat, which a navy spokesman said was put to the limits of its capability with 30 knot winds and 5ft waves.

Sailors on a Royal Navy warship have saved five people from drowning after their ocean-going tugboat sank in choppy seas in the Caribbean

HMS Medway - the Royal Navy's permanent vessel in the region - saved the crew members who had taken refuge on a large band of sand their tug was towing when it began to flood

Medway's boatswain Petty Officer (Seaman Specialist) Sarah Griffiths said: 'Whilst we were cautious as we made our approach to the barge and tug, we were able to reassure the crew and transfer them clear of the barge safely.

'They were hugely grateful.'

The five crew were described as uninjured but shaken and were transferred to a search-and-rescue boat which took them to shore at Anguilla.

Lieutenant Commander Carla Higgins, Medway's executive officer, said: 'The whole ship's company leapt into action as soon as we made the decision to respond.

'The swift-thinking and actions of the team were fantastic and we were thankful to be conducting routine maritime security operations in the area to become the on-scene commander working with the local authorities and assist the crew to safety.'

The warship responded to the tug's SOS message, which was sent at about 5pm UK time on Friday, January 6, while it was 20 miles west of the island of Sint Maarten, near to the British Overseas Territory of Anguilla

Medway's boatswain Petty Officer (Seaman Specialist) Sarah Griffiths said: 'Whilst we were cautious as we made our approach to the barge and tug, we were able to reassure the crew and transfer them clear of the barge safely'

The five crew were described as uninjured but shaken and were transferred to a search-and-rescue boat which took them to shore at Anguilla
Rogers then lunged toward Gaetz after McCarthy finished chatting with the Florida congressman, who had withheld support for McCarthy's bid

When the 14th ballot left McCarthy one vote short of the speakership, Rogers immediately walked over to 'present' voters Lauren Boebert and Matt Gaetz

The final tally was 216 for McCarthy, 211 for Democrat Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries and six 'present' votes

It has been reported that Rogers told Gaetz he was 'finished' for continuing to sabotage the Speaker's vote

The House floor was in pandemonium when U.S. Republican Mike Rogers had to be held back by one of his colleagues after confronting Rep. Matt Gaetz

U.S. Republican Mike Rogers told Rep. Matt Gaetz he is 'finished' when he furiously lunged at him as Congress descended into pandemonium during the 14th vote for the Speaker of the House.

A visibly angry Rogers, one of Kevin McCarthy's top backers of the California congressman's bid for speaker, had to be restrained by Rep. Richard Hudson, R.-N.C., after confronting the Republican congressman from Florida on Friday night.

Rogers lunged toward Gaetz after McCarthy finished chatting with Gaetz, who had withheld support for McCarthy's bid.

He then told Gaetz he would be 'finished' for continuing to wreck the speaker's vote, according to CNN. He was also heard saying 'I won't forget this!' reported Fox News.

Rep. Mike Rogers of Alabama is restrained after yelling at Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida

Gaetz was seen flexing his arm alongside Rep.-elect Anna Paulina Luna after getting into the argument with Rogers in the House Chambers

Hudson described the moment he had to hold back Rogers from Gaetz on the House floor as 'very tense', adding that he was 'just trying to play a role and keep the tensions down,' the Hill reported.

While U.S. representative for Tennessee's 2nd congressional district, Tim Burchett, who was in between Gaetz and Rogers during their confrontation on the House floor, spoke to CNN about the blow out.

'Rogers was making threats about ending careers. People shouldn't be drinking, especially when you're a redneck, on the House floor,' Burchett said to CNN's Kate Sullivan.

'I would drop him like a bag of dirt,' Burchett said of Rogers.

'Nobody's gonna put their hands on me. Nobody's gonna threaten me.'

Burchett continued: 'It's just one of those things, you've been around fights before, you've seen it. Some guy gets in your face and then it's just an unfortunate moment is all it was. It shouldn't have happened. He shouldn't have crossed that line.'

Republican Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, another McCarthy ally, is expecting some sort of consequence after the scuffle, Fox News reported.

'Mike Rogers lost his temper and was basically going to, you know, put his hands on Matt,' Greene said to reporters early Saturday.

'And it was actually Richard Hudson  grabbed Mike Rogers from behind and pulled him away.'

The congresswoman added, 'So yeah, that was completely out of line. And then I'm sure it'll be dealt with.'

Rep. Patrick McHenry of North Carolina said, 'Cooler heads prevailed in a really intense moment.'

Republican Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, another McCarthy ally, is expecting some sort of consequence after the scuffle

U.S. representative for Tennessee's 2nd congressional district, Tim Burchett (left back), who was in between Gaetz (seen here later shaking McCarthy's hand) and Rogers during their confrontation on the House floor said 'people shouldn't be drinking... on the House floor'

'I've seen three or four moments, that would even approach that in my 18 years, and that, that might have just taken the cake,' McHenry said.

The two Republicans almost came to blows over Gaetz's refusal to back McCarthy during the 14th vote, costing him that contest, with the violent clash coming as tempers frayed over the mammoth voting-process.

McCarthy's opening speech sparked uproar when he was finally sworn in as Speaker of the House following four days of chaos and a near-punch up.

'That was easy, huh?' McCarthy began in his victory speech - shortly after Rogers had to be held back from attacking Gaetz.

He looked over at Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, whose party was united behind him throughout the race for speaker.

'Hakeem, I gotta warn ya, two years ago I got 100 percent of the vote from my conference,' McCarthy continued in a bid to act as peacemaker.

'Leader Jeffries there will be times we agree. And many times we will differ. I promise our debates will be passionate but they will never be personal,' McCarthy said.

'Now, the hard work begins.'

'We're going to pass bills to fix the nation's challenges from wide open southern borders, to American last energy policies to woke indoctrination in our schools,' he added. 'We will use the power of the purse and the power of the subpoena to get the job done.'

McCarthy said that the issues he will face head on include the national debt and the 'Chinese Communist Party'

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of Calif., gestures towards the newly installed nameplate at his office after he was sworn in as speaker of the 118th Congress in Washington

The new Speaker added: 'We will also address America's long-term challenges: the debt and the Chinese Communist Party. Congress must speak with one voice on both of these issues.'

He said one of the House's 'very first hearings' would be on the U.S.-Mexico border and the first bill it brought forward would be to 'repeal funding for 87,000 new IRS agents.'

After the longest vote for the gavel since the Civil War, McCarthy's victory was confirmed on the final ballot at 12.30am on Saturday morning when four Republican hardliners caved in by voting 'present.'

His victory followed absolute mayhem on the House floor when Republican Rep. Mike Rogers lunged at Matt Gaetz and had to be held back by his colleagues.

Speaking to reporters, McCarthy paid tribute to the support of ex-President Donald Trump during the voting process.

McCarthy said of Trump, 'He was with me from the beginning  somebody wrote the doubt of whether he was there  and he was all in. He would call me and he would call others. And he really was  I was just talking to him tonight  helping get those final votes.'

While taking about Rep. Matt Gaetz, McCarthy told CNN, 'At the end of the night, Matt got everybody there from the point that nobody voted against the other way, so it actually helped unite people.'

In the interview, McCarthy also said that he attempted to put a positive spin on the voting chaos this week, saying that by getting the disruption out of the way early, the GOP has 'learned to work together' after having 'built trust.'

After the longest vote for the gavel since the Civil War, McCarthy's victory was confirmed on the final ballot at 12.30am on Saturday morning when four Republican hardliners caved in by voting 'present'

Rep.-elect Katie Porter (D-CA) reads a book in the House Chamber during the fourth day of elections for Speaker of the House at on January 6

The Republican House got to his win by making major concessions to the group of rebels who have demanded more power in the party.

After four protracted days of multiple elections and flagging patience, McCarthy flipped more than a dozen conservative holdouts to become supporters, including the chairman of the chamber's Freedom Caucus, leaving him just a few shy of seizing the gavel for the new Congress.

As the House resumed for the late night session of Friday, the California Republican had been on the cusp of victory in the 14th round but fell one vote short.

But after the 15th ballot a 'USA' chant broke out among raucous Republicans as the House Clerk, Cheryl Johnson, announced McCarthy would lead the 118th Congress.

On the final ballot, four Republican holdouts - Reps. Bob Good, Va., Eli Crane, Ariz., Matt Rosendale, Mont., and Andy Biggs, Ariz., all switched their votes to 'present,' giving McCarthy the majority vote he needed for victory.

They joined Reps. Matt Gaetz of Florida and Lauren Boebert of Colorado in switching to 'present' votes after days of voting for a candidate other than McCarthy.

The final vote tally was 216 for McCarthy, 212 for Democrat Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York and six 'present' votes.

On the final vote, even Gaetz stood to clap with the most of the rest of the caucus when McCarthy cast his vote for himself. It had been reported that Gaetz would vote 'yes' for McCarthy on this final round, but he did not do so after it became clear McCarthy would win even if he continued to vote present.

McCarthy holds the gavel at long last

Moments earlier absolute mayhem broke out on the House floor as the 14th Speaker's ballot left McCarthy one vote short.

The California Republican immediately walked up to Gaetz and Boebert, presumably with the intent of persuading them to change their 'present' votes to 'yes.'

Rep. Mike Rogers of Alabama then lunged at Gaetz and had to be held back by Rep. Richard Hudson of North Carolina before an all-out fist fight could break out on the House floor.

'Stay civil!' someone shouted.

Republicans quickly moved to adjourn, but then McCarthy rushed forward to switch his vote to remain in session as colleagues chanted 'One more time!'

Greene of Georgia, reportedly went up to Rosendale and told him that was Trump on the phone and that Rosendale needed to speak with him. 'Don't you ever do me like that,' Rosendale reportedly told her.

Trump reportedly also spoke with Biggs and Gaetz.

After a whirlwind back-and-forth where 21 anti-McCarthy holdouts were whittled down to just four by the 14th ballot, McCarthy was on the precipice of finally taking the speakership where the business of the House under Republican control could begin, before he fell one vote short.

Rep. Mike Rogers of Alabama is restrained after yelling at Matt Gaetz of Florida

U.S. House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (left) talks to Rep.-elect Matt Gaetz of Florida in the House Chamber after Gaetz voted present during the fourth day of voting for Speaker of the House at the U.S. Capitol Building on January 06, 2023 in Washington, DC.

During vote to adjourn Matt Gaetz talks to Kevin McCarthy.



McCarthy changes his vote to adjourn.



Appears a 15th vote for speaker will take place shortly.



WATCH LIVE on C-SPAN https://t.co/ilQQvA1GLA #118thCongress pic.twitter.com/e7JzJwDOaN  CSPAN (@cspan) January 7, 2023

During that vote, Gaetz waited till the end of the roll call to cast his 'present' vote, keeping the chamber on edge as the clerk ticked off all 435 names.

Reps. Eli Crane of Arizona and Matt Rosendale of Montana cast their vote for Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona and Rep. Bob Good of Virginia cast his vote for Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio.

Rep. Wesley Hunt, Texas, got a standing ovation for casting his vote for McCarthy. He'd missed earlier votes as his wife gave birth but returned to Washington to set the California Republican on a path to victory. McCarthy walked across the House floor and gave him a hug.

Rep. Lauren Boebert also got a round of applause for switching her vote from Rep. Kevin Hern of Oklahoma to 'present.'

Ahead of the vote, longtime McCarthy defector Gaetz said on Fox News: 'I'm running out of things to ask for.'

For days, the firebrand from Florida bragged that the only way he would vote for McCarthy is if the rules concessions made it so that he was wearing a 'straitjacket.'

The debate played out on the second anniversary of the January 6th attack and the irony did not go unnoticed.

McCarthy told reporters earlier he would have the votes to become Speaker as the House moved to adjourn until 10 p.m.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia pulls out all the stops: the initials 'DT' for Donald Trump are seen on her phone

Greene tries to shove her phone over to Rep. Matt Rosendale of Montana so he can answer to Trump on why he refuses to vote for Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California

'You'll be calling me the Comeback Kid,' the California Republican boasted after losing an unprecedented 13 elections for Speaker.

Asked how he knew he'd have the votes by the 14th ballot, he snarked: 'Because I counted.'

In a startling development, the GOP leader won more votes than he has seen in the last four days of the farce after his party held a conference call to try and strike a deal with the hardliners who have sunk his bid.

McCarthy managed to score 214 votes in the last round of elections, leaving him short of winning the gavel but tantalizing close to victory.

The leeway comes after days of stalemate and crucial negotiations over concessions on Friday morning.

The rebels flipped after McCarthy made more concessions in the package that includes votes on lawmaker term limits and border security, the motion to vacate the speaker and more roles on House committees.

Rep. Keith Self of Texas switched his vote because he supported the 'significant' rules changes that were made overnight.

'It has become clear to me that a couple of individuals are simply obstructionists, more interested in self-promotion than restoring the republic,' he said.

Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., reacts after being nominated for a 14th time in the House chamber as the House meets for the fourth day to elect a speaker

McCarthy seems in a far better mood as he expected to have the votes to pull off the Speaker's bid Friday night

Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado changed her anti-McCarthy vote to 'present' helping McCarthy by lowering the threshold of votes he needs to win

McCarthy had previously agreed to allow more members of the conservative Freedom Caucus to serve on the House Rules Committee, which dictates what bills make it to the House floor.

Last ones standing - these are the final GOP McCarthy dissenters  Andy Biggs (AZ)  Lauren Boebert (CO)  Eli Crane (AZ)  Matt Gaetz (FL)  Bob Good (VA)  Matt Rosendale (MT) Advertisement

He also agreed that his leadership PAC would stay out of safe primary races, therefore allowing conservatives to challenge more moderate Republicans in red districts.

McCarthy also agreed to a Church-style committee to go after weaponization of the Department of Justice and FBI, named after late Sen. Frank Church, who oversaw investigations into intelligence agencies.

GOP Rep. Mike Waltz of Florida told DailyMail.com he has 'some issues' with the concessions McCarthy made to the House Rebels, but 'nothing that can't be worked out.'

He said he absolutely would not support the reported $76 billion cut to Defense spending that was reportedly part of the Freedom Caucus deal McCarthy made.

No House Speaker vote has gone on this long in modern US political history, and it's set Republicans' new majority in the chamber off to a rocky start.

In 1856, it took former House Speaker Nathaniel Prentice Banks two months and 133 rounds of voting for the House of Representatives to settle on a leader - the longest stretch on record.

In the first round of voting on Friday, Rep. Matt Gaetz nominated Jordan and tore into McCarthy, causing approximately two dozen furious members of his caucus to stage a walk-out of the House floor.

Rep. Kevin McCarthy reportedly offered the 20 rogue Republicans a list of concessions he would make in exchange for their votes in the speakership race

Rep. Kevin McCarthy is captured leaving the House chamber Thursday night after losing another round of votes in bid to become next Speaker of the House

Gaetz called McCarthy 'the Lebron James of special interest fundraising. He said McCarthy's bid for Speaker was an 'exercise in vanity' driven by 'personal ambition.'

'That ambition is paralyzing the House now,' Gaetz said.

'You only earn the position of Speaker of the House. If you can get the votes. Mr. McCarthy doesn't have the votes today. He will not have the votes tomorrow and he will not have the votes next week, next month, next year.'

At one point, GOP Rep. Mike Bost of Illinois stood up and started shouting at Gaetz before being quieted by House Clerk Cheryl Johnson.

In a petulant manner, Rep. Matt Rosendale of Montana walked out the chamber by beginning his vote with 'Kevin...' and pausing before adding 'Hern!' followed by groans from the GOP delegation supporting McCarthy.

Lawmakers appeared exhausted as the House Speaker vote dragged out across a third day

Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona sits by himself during the tenth vote for Speaker, and fourth vote of Thursday

McCarthy spent much of the third day of votes walking around the chamber speaking to both allies and holdouts (seen speaking with Republican Rep.-elect Cory Mills of Florida)

Firebrand GOP Reps. Matt Gaetz of Florida and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia were seen sitting next to each other, despite their public break over McCarthy's Speakership bid

For the seventh round, McCarthy was nominated by Michigan Rep-elect John James

Each time a McCarthy dissenter switched their vote on Friday, the rest of the pro-McCarthy faction of the conference stood up and applauded.

Rep. Tim Burchett, Tennessee earned a standing ovation and cheers when he cast his vote by saying: 'Based on the fact no one cheers when I speak, and I've never been asked to give a nomination speech - but I'm not bitter about it - Kevin McCarthy.'

The historic gridlock has paralyzed Capitol Hill; with no Speaker, the 118th House of Representatives cannot be sworn in, and new legislation cannot move to the floor or through committees - which do not have formal chairs yet.

And on Wednesday, a group of Republican military veterans held a press conference warning that the disarray was leading to significant national security vulnerabilities.

Florida Rep. Michael Waltz said from the podium, 'Authoritarian regimes all over the world are pointing to what's going on in the House of Representatives and saying, 'Look at the messiness of democracy, look at how it doesn't work, can't function.''
Hours after Rep. Kevin McCarthy was finally crowned Speaker of the House following four days of voting chaos and a near-punch up in Congress, former President Donald Trump was quick to take credit for the success.

McCarthy had earlier paid tribute to Trump for his support during the voting process while speaking to reporters.

He said: 'He was with me from the beginning  somebody wrote the doubt of whether he was there  and he was all in. He would call me and he would call others. And he really was  I was just talking to him tonight  helping get those final votes.'

Trump responded by posting a video of McCarthy thanking the former president on his Truth Social platform and wrote: 'Thank you Kevin. It was my great honor!'

He added: 'The "Speaker" selection process, as crazy as it may seem, has made it all much bigger and more important than if done the more conventional way.' He also said: 'Congratulations to Kevin McCarthy and our GREAT Republican Party!'

After the longest vote for the gavel since the Civil War, McCarthy's victory was confirmed on the final ballot at 12.30am on Saturday morning when four Republican hardliners caved in by voting 'present'

Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform: 'The "Speaker" selection process, as crazy as it may seem, has made it all much bigger and more important than if done the more conventional way'

The tally was 216-212 with Democrats voting for leader Hakeem Jeffries, and six Republican holdouts to McCarthy simply voting present.

McCarthy ran afoul of hardliners when he publicly acknowledged that Trump bore responsibility for the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, days after the violence. He later walked back those comments and repeatedly voiced allegiance to the former president.

The California congressman had been a long time supporter of Trump, going to back to when the former host of The Apprentice first announced his candidacy for the presidency.

During the chaos on Friday night, Rep. Mike Rogers of Alabama lunged at Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz and had to be held back by Rep. Richard Hudson of North Carolina after McCarthy was left just one vote short of victory.

Later, when discussing Gaetz, a loyal Trump follower, McCarthy told CNN: 'At the end of the night, Matt got everybody there from the point that nobody voted against the other way, so it actually helped unite people.'

Gaetz, who voted present during the final vote that sent McCarthy over the line, earlier said: 'We do not trust Mr. McCarthy with power, because we know who he will use it for. And we are concerned that it will not be for the American people.'

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia pulls out all the stops: the initials 'DT' for Donald Trump are seen on her phone

In the CNN interview, McCarthy also said that he attempted to put a positive spin on the voting chaos this week, saying that by getting the disruption out of the way early, the GOP has 'learned to work together' after having 'built trust.'

During the voting Friday, Trump acolyte Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene could be seen on the phone to someone with the initials 'DT.'

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, a McCarthy ally and Trump acolyte, reportedly went up to Rep. Matt Rosendale of Montana and told him that was Trump on the phone and that Rosendale needed to speak with him. 'Don't you ever do me like that,' Rosendale reportedly told her.

Trump reportedly also spoke with Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona and Rep. Gaetz of Florida.

Rep. Kevin McCarthy reportedly offered the 20 rogue Republicans a list of concessions he would make in exchange for their votes in the speakership race

McCarthy said that the issues he will face head on include the national debt and the 'Chinese Communist Party'

McCarthy agreed to major concessions to get a role that is second in line to the Oval Office behind Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, including a rule that means that any of the 435 members of the House could force a vote for his removal at any time.

Republicans' weaker-than-expected performance in the November elections left them with a narrow 222-212 majority and gives outsized power to a small group of right-wing hardliners.

They railed against McCarthy, who served as minority leader since 2019, accusing him of being soft and too open to compromise with President Joe Biden and his Democrats, who also control the U.S. Senate.

On the final vote, even Gaetz stood to clap with the most of the rest of the caucus when McCarthy cast his vote for himself. It had been reported that Gaetz would vote 'yes' for McCarthy on this final round, but he did not do so after it became clear McCarthy would win even if he continued to vote present.

Moments earlier absolute mayhem broke out on the House floor as the 14th Speaker's ballot left McCarthy one vote short.

The California Republican immediately walked up to Gaetz and Boebert, presumably with the intent of persuading them to change their 'present' votes to 'yes.'

Rep. Mike Rogers of Alabama then lunged at Gaetz and had to be held back by Rep. Richard Hudson of North Carolina before an all-out fist fight could break out on the House floor.

'Stay civil!' someone shouted.

Republicans quickly moved to adjourn, but then McCarthy rushed forward to switch his vote to remain in session as colleagues chanted 'One more time!'
Rows with Prince William dogged the weeks leading up to Harry's wedding, the Duke of Sussex claims in his memoir.

They even clashed over whether he could keep his beard.

Discussions about the venue and the date also became causes of concern at the Palace.

Harry suggests he and Meghan had even wanted to elope for a 'barefoot Botswana' ceremony, adding: 'We wanted to get married quickly. But the Palace couldn't seem to pick a date. Or a venue.'

In his book Spare, Harry said: 'We wanted to get married quickly. But the Palace couldn't seem to pick a date. Or a venue'

After returning from an 'engagement tour', for which Meghan and Harry travelled to the four home nations, he says he discussed plans with his brother William.

Harry told William that he and Meghan were thinking of one of the grander venues in London.

Describing the exchange, he writes: 'I told him we were thinking of Westminster Abbey.'

'No good. We did it there.'

'Right, right. St Paul's?'

'Too grand. Plus Pa and Mummy did it there.'

'Hm. Yes. Good point. He suggested Tetbury. I snorted. Tetbury? The chapel near Highgrove? Seriously, Willy? How many does that place seat?'

Prince and Princess of Wales got married on April 29 in 2011 at Westminster Abbey

It was alleged that the Prince of Wales said St Paul's was 'too grand' to host the wedding of Harry and Meghan

'Isn't that what you said you wanted  a small, quiet wedding?'

Harry claims that what he and Meghan really wanted was to escape Britain altogether, adding: 'In fact we wanted to elope. Barefoot in Botswana, with maybe a friend officiating, that was our dream. But we were expected to share this moment with other people. It wasn't up to us.'

Palace insiders, however, have dismissed the claims, saying that the decisions around the wedding, including which family members to invite, were down to the couple.

In his book Harry goes on to say: 'They finally accepted our request for the location  St George's Chapel.'

When a date was set for May 19, 2018, there was yet another hurdle for the groom.

'After all the stress of asking Granny for permission to marry Meg, I thought I'd never have the courage to ask her for anything else.

'And yet I now dared to make another ask  Granny, please, may I, for my wedding, keep my beard?

When Harry said he had already been granted permission by their grandmother to keep the facial hair for the event, William 'became livid', it was claimed

'Not a small ask either. A beard was thought by some to be a clear violation of protocol and long-standing norms, especially since I was getting married in my Army uniform. Beards were forbidden in the British Army.'

In the memoir, ghost-written by Pulitzer Prize-winning author J.R. Moehringer, Harry philosophises about whether his beard was 'Freudian  beard as security blanket' or 'Jungian  beard as mask'.

Regardless, he says that the beard made him feel 'calmer' and the Queen understood.

'Yes, she said, you may keep your beard. But then I explained it to my brother and he... bristled?

'Not the done thing, he said. Military rules, so forth.'

Harry said he gave his older brother 'a quick history lesson' with the help of Google  showing William images of Royal ancestors who were bearded and uniformed, such as Edward VII and George V.

Harry adds that William 'wouldn't let it go' and that the argument surrounding facial hair continued 'in person, on the phone, for more than a week'

When Harry said he had already been granted permission by their grandmother to keep the facial hair, William 'became livid'.

Harry reports his brother saying: 'You put her in an uncomfortable position, Harold! She had no choice but to say yes.'

Harry adds that William 'wouldn't let it go' and that the argument continued 'in person, on the phone, for more than a week'.

It culminated, according to Harry, with William ordering him to shave his beard off.

Harry says he replied: 'For the love of God, Willy, why does this matter so much to you?'

'Because I wasn't allowed to keep my beard.'

Harry concludes: 'Ah, there it was. After he'd come back from an assignment with Special Forces, Willy was sporting a full beard, and someone told him to be a good boy, run along and shave it. He hated the idea of me enjoying a perk he'd been denied.'

Kensington Palace declined to comment.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy will give a new subcommittee, which will investigate the 'weaponization' of the federal government, unprecedented powers to access classified information and review 'ongoing criminal investigations.'

The newly-minted Speaker agreed to the move as part of a raft of concessions to group of fellow Republicans who had voted against him in 14 ballots during four days of chaos in Congress.

McCarthy is going to allow this select subcommittee access to any information shared with the House Intelligence Committee, which receives the highest-level of classified intelligence and briefing of any committee in Congress.

The provisions appear to have been added during final negotiations between McCarthy and a band of hardline detractors that denied him the speakership.

An earlier version of the proposal made no mention of ongoing criminal investigations or the Intelligence Committee and limited the probe to the FBI, Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice.

Kevin McCarthy yielded to a series of demands by conservative rebels in his bid to become Speaker. One is a select subcommittee that he will allow to have access to any information shared with the House Intelligence Committee

Rep. Kevin McCarthy reportedly offered the 20 rogue Republicans a list of concessions he would make in exchange for their votes in the speakership race

Hours after McCarthy finally clinched the U.S. House speaker role, his party was already rolling out its initial legislative steps: the creation of committees to investigate China and the 'weaponization of the federal government,' and a bill that could potentially limit abortion care nationwide.

According to Politico, the panel is being created amid the ongoing prosecution of rioters who breached the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and the criminal investigations connected to former President Trump.

The probes into Trump, including the effort to overturn the 2020 election and the possession of security documents at his Mar-a-Lago are being overseen by special counsel Jack Smith.

McCarthy will name 13 members to the panel, which would be empowered to investigate how executive branch agencies 'obtain information from, and provide information to the private sector, non-profit entities, or other government agencies to facilitate action against American citizens,' Politico reported.

The proposal would also allow the panel to pursue 'any other issues related to the violation of the civil liberties of citizens of the United States' and 'any other matter relating to information collected pursuant to the investigation conducted under this paragraph at any time during the One Hundred Eighteenth Congress.'

McCarthy won the election for speaker of the U.S. House in the 15th round of voting in the early hours of Saturday, after four solid days of negotiation with a group of hardline conservatives in his caucus - the longest speaker's election in 160 years.

Composition of the outgoing and new US House of Representatives and Senate, after November 8, 2022 midterm elections

After a weaker-than-expected performance in the November midterm elections, Republicans control the House with a narrow majority of 222-212, giving just a few hardline members outsized leverage to force through their political and legislative goals.

The protracted intraparty battle highlighted the deep rifts between mainstream conservatives and hard-right members of the Republican caucus, and was resolved only after McCarthy agreed to major concessions that will severely curtail his power compared with the previous speaker, Democrat Nancy Pelosi.

Highlights of the new rules of the House, which will get a vote on Monday, include a 72-hour waiting period before the introduction of a bill and a vote on it; and allowing any member to trigger a vote of confidence in the speaker.

The final concessions that McCarthy negotiated were enough to bring over a group of fellow elected lawmakers who had voted against him repeatedly on 12 successive votes, amid the prolonged televised spectacle.

They got nearly everything they asked for  beyond subcommittee gavels that other members of the Conference rejected as an unfair boost, although McCarthy still wasn't able to prevail on the 13th vote to elect him as Speaker.

Rules Committee representation

Members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus got commitments to be added to the Rules panel. The committee exerts tremendous power by setting the terms of debate, but usually operates as a tool of the Speaker. (It traditionally has a 9:4 ratio, so the majority never loses).

With more representation, the conservatives will be able to help allow for floor amendments on policy issues and messaging opportunities from abortion to government spending.

The panel also decides which members get the floor time and prestige of having their amendments debated  another opportunity to build up the profile of their faction.

Single member can move to 'vacate the chair'

If McCarthy thought overcoming a band of holdouts was tough this week, things could get even harder if he becomes speaker.

A single member would get to move to 'vacate the chair.' This reverts to prior procedure, which Freedom Caucus to threaten former Speaker John Boehner.

McCarthy had already agreed to a five-vote requirement to make the motion, which sets up essentially a vote of no-confidence in the Speaker, and agreed to lower it to a single lawmaker.

Rep.-elect Scott Perry, R-Pa. helped hammer out concessions with McCarthy allies

Rep.-elect Chip Roy, R-Texas was another holdout who helped negotiate a deal and flipped to supporting McCarthy

Hard line on debt limit

McCarthy has agreed to take a hard line on increasing the statutory debt limit  which Congress must lift to accommodate spending it has agreed to through appropriations.

Lawmakers weren't direct about what the exact deal was. But one of the holdouts who flipped, Rep.-elect Ralph Norman, had demanded a very tough line.

'Is he willing to shut the government down rather than raise the debt ceiling? That's a non-negotiable item,' Norman said before switching to back McCarthy.

Rep.-elect Chip Roy (R-Texas) wouldn't reveal the precise nature of the deal, which was reported by the Washington Post and other outlets. 'I'm not going to get specific about that because I'm still having conversations here for a few hours. But what I'll say is, it's safe to say is that we believe there are specific concrete limits on spending attached to the debt ceiling increase,' he told reporters, blasting the $1.7 trillion omnibus bill that passed as the last major act of the Democratic Congress.

That suggests the House may try to force the administration into accepting spending cuts  something Democrats are sure to resist.

Votes on term limits and border security

The holdouts reportedly got a pledge to get floor votes on term limits and border security. The former in particular could drive a wedge through the conference. McCarthy himself was elected to the House in 2006.

The legislation would likely die in the Senate, where they would be subject to a filibuster.

The concessions to conservatives on spending bills could set up a clash with the Democratic-run Senate, where Republicans including Sen. Mitch McConnell will carve a different posture

Open Primaries

The Conservative Leadership Fund, a PAC backed by McCarthy, brokered a deal with the Club for Growth that will impact Republicans that join the House in the future.

The CLF committed to stay out of 'open' primaries when a lawmakers vacates a seat. That gives arch conservatives a chance to prevail in a primary without getting pounded by leadership, which sometimes weighs in on behalf of candidates deemed more 'electable.'

'CLF will not spend in any open-seat primaries in safe Republican districts and CLF will not grant resources to other super PAC's to do so. CLF has never spent a dollar against a Republican incumbent before and obviously will continue that policy in the future,' according to a statement on the Club for Growth web site. The group has backed many of the conservative holdouts. The group threw its support to McCarthy, assuming the terms of the deal held.

Appropriations

McCarthy reportedly agreed to allow 'open rules' on spending measures, which could lead to lengthy debates and efforts to zero out funding for programs unpopular with Republicans.

But the votes can also give Democrats weapons to use in campaign ads, and may spilt GOP appropriators from Freedom Caucus members.

According to Politico, the deal includes a commitment to bring up stand-alone appropriations bills. Conservatives loathe the 'omnibus' bills that wrap multiple spending bills together when shutdowns loom. Passing individual bills is something both parties routinely try, and fail, to do by the end of the fiscal year.

Another commitment was to allow votes on spending 'earmarks,' projects inserted by individual members. House Republicans brought back the practice in 2021 by a vote in their conference. According to Politico, it wasn't clear if they would get voted on individually or as a bloc.

Though despised by good government groups, leadership in both parties has relied on the practice to secure support for legislation.

Discretionary spending cap

Another concessions is a cap on discretionary spending, CNN reported. although spending levels are usually negotiated by both chambers  and get influenced by the president's budget requests.

'Weaponization' of DOJ and Select Committee on CCP

Republicans are girding to take on the Biden administration, and the rebels forced a commitment to set up a committee on the 'weaponization' of the government. The idea had been floated as a subcommittee on the House Judiciary Committee. Its exact structure and membership was uncertain.

According to the House Rules package leaders prepared, the a procedure creates a 'Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government as a select investigative subcommittee of the Committee on the Judiciary.' It also creates a Select Committee 'on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party.'
Joe Biden, 80, has reportedly said he is 'all in' for a second run of the White House with an official statement expected in the coming weeks, the New York Post reported.

Biden who previously served as vice president under Barack Obama, took office following his victory in the 2020 election over Republican incumbent president Donald Trump.

Upon his inauguration the 80-year-old politician became the oldest president in American history and would be 86 by the end of his second term if he won.

He and senior aides are preparing to make the announcement for release in February - around the time of the State of the Union address to Congress, multiple sources told The Hill.

U.S. president Joe Biden has reportedly said he is 'all in' for a second run of the White House with an official statement expected in the coming weeks

Biden who previously served as vice president under Barack Obama, took office following his victory in the 2020 election over Republican incumbent president Donald Trump

'I think it's all about timing at this point,' one Biden ally told The Hill on Saturday.

'It seems like he's all in. It's not really 'if' he runs anymore.'

The president and his family are said to have decided his re-election bid during their Christmas trip to St. Croix, where they stayed in the ritzy tropical island home of wealthy business owners Bill and Connie Neville.

On Monday, the 80-year-old didn't take questions from reporters as he boarded Air Force One with first lady Jill, 18-year-old grandaughter Natalie and 16-year-old grandson Hunter after a low-key week spent mostly in the luxury three-bedroom property with a private beach.

As he approached the plane's steps he stopped to speak to the Nevilles to mark the end of the trip where rare public sightings included a round of golf with grandson Hunter, dinner at a local restaurant and a church service.

Biden's return to Washington is met with new challenges ahead of him - with the Republicans taking control of the House of Representatives.

Biden, who is expected to run for a second term after winning following his campaign in 2020, (pictured) has hit his highest approval rating in more than a year at 43.3 percent in new polling

Upon his inauguration Biden, 80, became the oldest president in American history and if inaugurated a second time would be 86 by the end of his potential second term

House Republicans have threatened a litany of investigations, including into Biden's son Hunter's foreign business dealings.

Thanks to better than expected midterm results for the Democrats, the GOP will have just a small House majority, while Democrats maintain control of the Senate, even flipping a formerly held Republican seat in Pennsylvania.

Biden's approval rating hit its highest in more than a year on Thursday, coming in at 43.3 percent in new polling. He did not break 43 percent in 2022 and hit his lowest point in July around 37 percent.

But, experts say, his current approval rating shouldn't factor into his decision to run again this far out.

The plans have been kept under wraps however, while they waited for House Republicans to conclude their battle over their new Speaker of the House, one Democratic lawmaker said.

Biden was seen speaking to Bill and Connie Neville, the Democratic donor couple whose St Croix villa he stayed in for a low-profile seven days with members of his family

The date of the State of the Union speech is traditionally set by the House of Representatives  a task that will now fall to newly installed Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

McCarthy's opening speech sparked uproar when he was finally sworn in as Speaker of the House following four days of chaos and a near-punch up on the House floor.

'That was easy, huh?' McCarthy began in his victory speech - shortly after U.S. Republican Mike Rogers had to be held back from attacking Rep. Matt Gaetz.

The U.S. president this weekend will visit El Paso, Texas, 'to address border enforcement operations and meet with local officials, who have been important partners in managing the historic number of migrants fleeing political oppression and gang violence in Venezuela, Haiti, Nicaragua and Cuba,' the official said.

Since becoming president, Republicans have hammered Biden on his handling of immigration and the persistent migrant crisis at the southern border, making it a top campaign issue in last year's midterm elections.

Despite that pressure, Biden has resisted calls to actually visit the border.

Biden had already planned to visit Mexico City on Monday and Tuesday to meet with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The North American Leaders Summit will focus on climate change, migration, the environment, the economy and other topics, the White House said.
A Federal court has ruled that South Carolina's First Congressional District is an unconstitutional racial gerrymander, forcing the redrawing of maps before future elections are held.

The panel, consisting of three federal judges, unanimously ruled on the matter on Friday and rejected arguments that two more of the state's seven House districts were also illegally gerrymandered. They said that voting rights advocates have failed to show that their boundaries were predominantly drawn to dilute Black voting power.

South Carolina District Gerrymandering

In a statement, legal scholars said that the federal court's ruling was notable because it relied on a legal doctrine that has been largely used by conservatives to limit the creation of political districts that empower minorities and not, as in this case, to justify them.

For a long time, both local and state legislators have sought to draw political maps that give minority voters a chance to elect leaders of their choosing. This was both for moral reasons and to avoid lawsuits under the Voting Rights Act, as per the New York Times.

However, in a series of decisions dating back to the early 1990s, the United States Supreme Court has said that while mapmakers can take race into account in drawing such districts, making it the predominant factor would violate the constitutional rights of white voters.

The South Carolina ruling also embraces the predominance test to conclude that the Republican-dominated Legislature of the state deliberately barred tens of thousands of Black voters from one congressional district to another for bipartisan gain. Judges said that in doing so, they denied those voters equal protection under the law as guaranteed by the 14th Amendment.

In a statement, an election-law expert at George Washington University and a senior Justice Department official during the Obama administration, Spencer A. Overton, said that the panel was flipping the opposition on its head.

According to The Hill, the federal judges ruled that after carefully weighing the evidence that has been shown, race was a predominant factor in the General Assembly's design of Congressional District No. 1.

Read Also: House Speaker Election: Should the Speaker of the House Come from the Majority Party?

Redrawing of Maps

The court also gave state lawmakers until Mar. 31 to submit a new map and prevented further elections from taking place in the district until the new boundaries have been approved. The district, which runs along much of South Carolina's coast, experienced a major upset that resulted in the election of former Reo. Joe Cunningham in 2018.

A resident of the district and the NAACP's South Carolina wing was responsible for challenging the new maps. They also brought claims of racial gerrymandering in two other congressional districts that the federal judges threw out.

The panel consisted of Judges Richard Gergel, Mary Geiger Lewis, and Toby Heytens and their ruling came less than two months after the case trial ended in a downtown Charleston courtroom. They described the removal of the tens of thousands of Black voters as an "exile" and said that the discriminatory map created a "stark racial gerrymander."

The judges' ruling also noted that Will Roberts, who drew the maps, used race to achieve the partisan goal of making the 1st District safer for the GOP. This kind of tactic was not allowed under federal law, The Post and Courier reported.

Related Article: US Congress Commemorates Jan.6 Attack Amid Paralyzing House Speaker Debacle

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Prince Harry's boasts that he killed 25 Taliban fighters have been condemned as a 'terrible mistake' by the grieving father of one of his Afghanistan comrades, who killed himself after returning home.

Derek Hunt, whose son Nathan served as a bomb-disposal expert with Harry's unit in 2008, said: 'A lot of soldiers and veterans will find his comments about killing very upsetting  and perhaps [they] may even trigger some people into having flashbacks of their time in combat.'

It comes as an ex-Army mental health expert told the Mail on Sunday he had been contacted by upset former patients who read about the Duke of Sussex's comments in his forthcoming memoir, Spare.

In the book, Harry breached a long-standing military custom by going into detail about shooting insurgents from his Apache helicopter gunship. He said he rationalised the killing by regarding the enemy fighters as pieces on a chess board.

File photo dated 27/02/08 of Warrant Officer Nathan Hunt during his deployment to Helmand province in southern Afghanistan

File photo dated 27/02/08 of Warrant Officer Nathan Hunt (front right) with Prince Harry (back centre), Dean Smith (back left) and other members of their battle group on deployment in Helmand province in southern Afghanistan. Mr Hunt, who was mentioned in dispatches for his courage in locating roadside bombs while serving alongside Prince Harry in Afghanistan was found hanged after suffering years of nightmares and sleepless nights

Derek and Maria Hunt, parents of Nathan Hunt, Royal Engineer, who took his own life in Jan 2018

In his memoir 'Spare', Harry breached a long-standing military custom by going into detail about shooting insurgents from his Apache helicopter gunship

Nathan Hunt, a warrant officer in the Royal Engineers, is said to have saved Harry's life on numerous occasions when he discovered hidden roadside bombs buried by insurgents.

But he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder after coming home from war, and took his own life in January 2018 while still serving in the Army.

Soon afterwards, Harry penned a moving letter to Mr Hunt and his wife, Maria, writing: 'Grief can be a long and burdensome road. Please know you and your family remain in my thoughts.'

Mr Hunt, also an Army veteran, said his son would have been 'disappointed' by Harry's comments about killing insurgents, adding: 'Many of those still serving or who are veterans would have spent years trying to forget about the fact that they have killed people.

'Taking someone's life is a very difficult thing to live with for most people  it's not something to boast about. That's why they never talk about it.

'My son Nathan never told us about what he had seen or done because he knew it would be upsetting for us and he didn't want to relive it.

'He suffered from nightmares because of what he had witnessed and he also suffered from PTSD. Harry's boasts about killing people and removing them from the battlefield will not sit comfortably with a lot of people and will bring back a lot of bad memories.

'I really can't understand why Harry has done this. It's thoughtless. He doesn't seem to have given it any consideration.'

Previously unissued picture dated 12/12/2012 of Prince Harry at Camp Bastion southern Afghanistan, where he served as an Apache Helicopter Pilot/Gunner with 662 Sqd Army Air Corps

Prince Harry mans a 50mm machine gun aimed at Taliban fighters on January 2, 2008 in Helmand Province, Afghanistan

Taliban fighters patrol along a street during a demonstration by people to condemn the recent protest by the Afghan women's rights activists, in Kabul on January 21, 2022

Leading military figures have already criticised Harry's remarks, voicing their concern that they could 'trigger' trauma for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Last night, such fears were confirmed as it emerged that veterans with mental health issues who had seen news reports about Harry's claims have called on professionals for support.

Former Army Major Cormac Doyle, a mental health nurse who served for 25 years and specialised in treating service personnel with mental health problems including PTSD, said: 'I've already received calls from many of my former patients who are very upset by what Harry has said. In all my years serving and treating troops I've never heard anyone speak like this.

'Harry is meant to be a mental-health campaigner, so what he said was badly thought out. This is not what I expected from him as a member of the Royal Family, but also, more importantly, as a former Army officer. Words have implications, and he has upset a lot of people struggling mentally.'

It will come as a devastating blow to Harry, who spent years building up his reputation as a mental-health campaigner.

Taliban fighters guard outside the airport in Kabul on August 31, 2021

Prince Harry being shown the Apache flight-line by a member of his squadron (name not provided) at Camp Bastion in Afghanistan, where he operated from during his tour of duty as a co-pilot gunner

One Guards officer said: 'Most of us have spent the last decade dodging probing dinner party questions by drunk guests with the gory fascination of the hardest part of service life.

'By revealing his war tally in such a public way he will no doubt drag up many of the ghosts of this conflict for other veterans.'

Former Army Major Wayne Owers, 52, a highly decorated soldier who was discharged with PTSD, said: 'As a campaigner for mental-health awareness, he should be acutely aware of the impact his comments will have on those he apparently strives to support. Harry's comments are insensitive and unnecessary.'

Trevor Coult, a Colour Sergeant who was awarded the Military Cross, warned: 'There is a reason why most veterans don't like to talk about what they did in combat and that's because it takes them back to a very dark place.

'For a so-called mental-health campaigner to talk like this is shameful and his words will trigger very many bad memories for a lot of traumatised veterans.'

Falklands veteran and former Royal Marines Sergeant-Major Jeff Williams, 64, of the support group Veterans United Against Suicide, added: 'For many veterans this will bring back terrible memories of killing and losing friends in combat.

'I'm amazed that Harry, who is meant to be a mental-health campaigner, has not realised this. It is crass in the extreme.'

Last night, a spokesman for the veterans charity PTSD Resolution, which has helped more than 3,500 cope with PTSD, said the organisation was working to 'manage' the fallout from Harry's book.
Iranian officials yesterday executed a former karate champion and a volunteer children's coach who allegedly killed a paramilitary volunteer amid nationwide anti-regime protests.

Mohammad Mehdi Karami and Seyed Mohammad Hosseini were both hanged in the latest wave of executions aimed at halting the widespread demonstrations challenging the country's theocracy.

The executions followed a rapid trial that was decried by defendants' family members for its alleged reliance on forced confessions, drawing staunch criticism from Western powers and human rights groups.

Four men are now known to have been executed as a result of the enduring protests which broke out in September after the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a young woman who was detained by Iran's morality police.

Seyed Mohammad Hosseini (pictured), who allegedly took part in anti-regime protests last year, was reportedly hanged on Saturday morning

Mohammad Mehdi Karami (pictured) was not given final rights to speak to his family before his execution, according to a lawyer who advocated for him

Iran's Mizan news agency said the men had been convicted of killing Ruhollah Ajamian, a member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard's volunteer Basij force, in the city of Karaj outside of Tehran, on November 3.

The Basij have been deployed in major cities, attacking and detaining protesters, who in many cases have fought back.

'Mohammad Mehdi Karami and Seyyed Mohammad Hosseini, principal perpetrators of the crime that led to the unjust martyrdom of Ruhollah Ajamian were hanged this morning,' the judiciary said in a statement carried by the official IRNA news agency yesterday.

Their killing came despite pleas for clemency from Karami's parents and an international human rights campaign which argued the men were subjects of a sham trial.

Amnesty International said the court that convicted Karami, a 22-year-old karate champion, relied on forced confessions.

Hosseini's lawyer Ali Sharifzadeh Ardakani said in a December 18 tweet that Hosseini had been severely tortured and that confessions extracted under torture had no legal basis.

He said Hosseini was beaten with his hands and feet tied up, kicked in the head until he passed out, and subjected to electric shocks on different parts of his body.

Iran denies that confessions are extracted under torture.

Mohammad-Mehdi Karami speaks in a courtroom before being executed by hanging, along with Seyyed Mohammad Hosseini, for allegedly killing a member of the security forces during nationwide protests that followed the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini

Iran's Revolutionary Courts handed down three other death sentences in the same case, as well as 11 prison sentences for other defendants.

The tribunals do not allow those on trial to pick their own lawyers or even see the evidence against them.

Amnesty International said the trials 'bore no resemblance to a meaningful judicial proceeding'.

State TV also showed footage of Karami and Hosseini talking about the attack, though the broadcaster for years has aired what activists describe as coerced confessions.

The men were convicted of the killing, as well as 'corruption on Earth', a Koranic term and charge that has been levied against others in the decades since the 1979 Islamic Revolution and carries the death penalty.

Iran, which has blamed the ongoing civil unrest on its foreign foes including the United States, sees its crackdown of protests as preserving national sovereignty.

The first protester known to be executed was 23-year-old Mohsen Shekari on December 8, less than three months after his arrest.

He was accused of burning a trash bin, blocking a road, stabbing a member of the Basij militia with a machete and threatening public safety.

Majid Reza Rahnavard, 23, was hanged from a crane in public on December 12 in the northeastern city of Mashhad, less than a month after his arrest.

He was accused of stabbing to death two Basij members and wounding four other people in Mashhad.

Family members of Ruhollah Ajamian mourn over his body before the burial, after he was allegedly killed by Seyyed Mohammad Hosseini and Mohammad-Mehdi Karami

Mahsa Amini (pictured), 22, passed away in Iran's Kasra Hospital after being arrested by morality police. Her death in September sparked nationwide protests which are still ongoing

UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly on Saturday issued a statement responding to the executions.

Mr Cleverly said: 'Iran must immediately end the violence against its own people.

'The execution of Mohammad Mahdi Karami and Seyed Mohammad Hosseini by the Iranian regime is abhorrent.

'The UK is strongly opposed to the death penalty in all circumstances.'

German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock said on Twitter that Karami and Hosseini were 'more than just two names'.

She wrote: '(They were) hanged by the regime in Iran because they didn't want to submit to its brutal and inhuman actions. Two further terrible fates that encourage us to increase the pressure on Tehran through the EU.'

The European Union's top diplomat on Saturday condemned the executions and called on Iran to immediately stop carrying out death sentences against protestors, and annul existing sentences.

'This is yet another sign of the Iranian authorities' violent repression of civilian demonstrations,' Josep Borrell said in a statement.

The U.S. special envoy to Iran, Robert Malley, also condemned the executions, saying they followed 'sham trials'.

'These executions must stop,' Malley said on Twitter.

A picture of Ruhollah Ajamian is seen as Seyyed Mohammad Hosseini and Mohammad-Mehdi Karami are executed by hanging for allegedly killing Ajamian

Family members of Ruhollah Ajamian mourn over his body before the burial

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly (pictured) on Saturday issued a statement responding to the executions. He said: 'The execution of Mohammad Mahdi Karami and Seyed Mohammad Hosseini by the Iranian regime is abhorrent'

The French foreign ministry called the executions 'revolting' and urged Iranian authorities to heed the 'legitimate aspirations of the Iranian people'.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak warned last month that the UK will need to spend an 'increasing amount of time' on Tehran amid its destabilising actions and nuclear programme.

Human Rights Activists News Agency said that as of Friday, 517 protesters had been killed during unrest, including 70 minors. It said 68 members of the security forces had also been killed.

As many as 19,262 protesters are believed to have been arrested, it said.

Iranian officials have said that up to 300 people, including members of the security forces, have died.

The protests began in mid-September, when 22-year-old Ms Amini died after being arrested by Iran's morality police for allegedly violating the Islamic Republic's strict dress code.

Women have played a leading role in the protests, with many publicly stripping off the compulsory Islamic headscarf, known as the hijab.

Security forces have used live ammunition, bird shot, tear gas and batons to disperse protesters, according to rights groups.

Pictured: An unveiled woman standing on top of a vehicle as thousands make their way towards Aichi cemetery in Iranian Kurdistan, the home town of Mahsa Amini

Pictured: A rally in solidarity with the protests in Iran, held in Zurich, Switzerland on January 7, 2023

Also on Saturday, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appointed a new hard-line chief of police, the official IRNA news agency reported.

General Ahmad Reza Radan replaced outgoing General Hossein Ashtari after the latter's eight-year term of service ended.

General Radan, who served as acting commander of police from 2008 to 2014, is known for his harsh handling of protesters during post-election turmoil in 2009.

He also imposed measures against women wearing loose Islamic veils and young men with long hair.

The US and Europe imposed sanctions on General Radan for human rights violations in 2009 and 2010.

He has been in charge of a police research centre since 2014.

Death sentences in Iran are typically carried out by hanging.

Activists say at least 16 people have been sentenced to death in closed-door hearings over charges linked to the protests.

Amnesty International said last month that Iranian authorities are seeking the death penalty for at least 26 others in what it called 'sham trials designed to intimidate protesters'.

It said all of those facing death sentences had been denied the right to adequate defence and access to lawyers of their choosing. Rights groups say defendants have instead had to rely on state-appointed attorneys who do little to defend them.
Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has warned of 'consequences' for her colleague who lunged at Rep. Matt Gaetz during the chaotic final day of voting for the House leadership.

Amid the mayhem, Congressman Mike Rogers of Alabama attempted to physically confront Gaetz and had to be restrained by North Carolina's Richard Hudson.

The confrontation occurred following the 14th ballot which left Rep. Kevin McCarthy just one vote short of enough to push him over the line to become speaker.

Rogers is expected to be appointed as the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, and multiple reports have suggested that Gaetz was holding out on supporting McCarthy until he was promised the role.

When asked about this, McCarthy told the media 'no one gets promised anything.' In the fallout, Greene, an ardent McCarthy supporter told reporters: 'There will be consequences' for Rogers' actions.

Trump acolyte Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene warned of 'consequences' for Rogers' actions in attempting to get at Gaetz

Rep. Mike Rogers of Alabama is restrained after yelling at Matt Gaetz of Florida

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia pulls out all the stops: the initials 'DT' for Donald Trump are seen on her phone

The California congressman was eventually elevated to the role on the 15th vote early on Saturday morning.

Gaetz however abstained from the vote elevating McCarthy, answering 'Present' when called upon to cast his ballot.

Rep. Greene said: 'Mike Rogers lost his temper and was basically going to, you know, put his hands on Matt. And it was actually Richard Hudson  grabbed Mike Rogers from behind and pulled him away.'

She added, 'So yeah, that was completely out of line. And then I'm sure it'll be dealt with.'

While Rep. Patrick McHenry of North Carolina chimed in about the scuffle saying, 'I've seen three or four moments like  that would even approach that in my 18 years, and that, that might have just taken the cake.'

McCarthy said that the issues he will face head on include the national debt and the 'Chinese Communist Party'

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of Calif., gestures towards the newly installed nameplate at his office after he was sworn in as speaker of the 118th Congress in Washington

Fellow Republican, Tim Burchett of Tennessee said, 'I'm honestly  I'm not going to be threatened by anybody, and if somebody puts their hands on me, I will drop them like a bag of dirt," Burchett told reporters early Saturday. "I really will, man. That is not  I am not one to back down from a fight.'

Earlier in the night, Greene reportedly went up to Rep. Matt Rosendale of Montana and told him that was Trump on the phone and that Rosendale needed to speak with him. 'Don't you ever do me like that,' Rosendale reportedly told her.

Trump reportedly also spoke with Andy Biggs of Arizona and Gaetz.

McCarthy had earlier paid tribute to Trump for his support during the voting process while speaking to reporters.

He said: 'He was with me from the beginning  somebody wrote the doubt of whether he was there  and he was all in. He would call me and he would call others. And he really was  I was just talking to him tonight  helping get those final votes.'

Trump responded by posting a video of McCarthy thanking the former president on his Truth Social platform and wrote: 'Thank you Kevin. It was my great honor!'

He added: 'The "Speaker" selection process, as crazy as it may seem, has made it all much bigger and more important than if done the more conventional way.' He also said: 'Congratulations to Kevin McCarthy and our GREAT Republican Party!'

In his victory speech, McCarthy said, 'That was easy, huh?'

'Hakeem, I gotta warn ya, two years ago I got 100 percent of the vote from my conference,' McCarthy continued in a bid to act as peacemaker.

'Leader Jeffries there will be times we agree. And many times we will differ. I promise our debates will be passionate but they will never be personal,' McCarthy said.

'Now, the hard work begins.'

'We're going to pass bills to fix the nation's challenges from wide open southern borders, to American last energy policies to woke indoctrination in our schools,' he added. 'We will use the power of the purse and the power of the subpoena to get the job done.'

The new Speaker added: 'We will also address America's long-term challenges: the debt and the Chinese Communist Party. Congress must speak with one voice on both of these issues.'

He said one of the House's 'very first hearings' would be on the U.S.-Mexico border and the first bill it brought forward would be to 'repeal funding for 87,000 new IRS agents.'

After the longest vote for the gavel since the Civil War, McCarthy's victory was confirmed on the final ballot at 12.30am on Saturday morning when four Republican hardliners caved in by voting 'present.'
Harry detailed the encounter in his memoir but didn't identify the woman

Ms Harvey shared a photo of ginger nut biscuits to deny involvement in the affair

The Duke said he first had sex with a horse-loving woman in a field behind a pub

Suzannah Harvey has denied being the 'older woman' who took Harry's virginity

Suzannah Harvey has denied being the 'older woman' who took Prince Harry's virginity in a 'humiliating' encounter behind a busy pub.

The former model posted a photo of Ginger Nuts biscuits to her Instagram stories today with a caption stating: 'The only ones I've EVER touched...'

Miss Harvey told her followers to 'believe zero of what you read,' implying she was not the horse-loving woman the Duke of Sussex 'mounted' in a field at the age of 17.

Royal fans began speculating Miss Harvey - who is six years Harry's senior - may have been his first-ever lover after the Duke detailed intimate details about his first time in his bombshell memoir.

Suzannah Harvey has denied being the 'older woman' who took Prince Harry's virginity in a 'humiliating' encounter behind a busy pub. Suzannah Harvey is pictured with Prince Harry at the Beaufort Christmas Ball when he was 17

Miss Harvey posted a photo of Ginger Nuts biscuits to her Instagram stories today with a caption stating: 'The only ones I've EVER touched...'

In his book Spare, Harry revealed how he lost his virginity when discussing how a royal aide had paid him a visit to discuss a potential scandal.

In a translation from the Spanish edition of the book, he wrote: 'I suspected he was referring to my recent loss of virginity, a humiliating episode with an older woman who liked macho horses and who treated me like a young stallion.

The royal claims he 'mounted' his lover, an older horse-loving woman, behind a busy pub  thought to be the Rattlebone Inn in Wiltshire.

'I mounted her quickly, after which she spanked my a** and sent me away. One of my many mistakes was letting it happen in a field, just behind a very busy pub. No doubt someone had seen us.'

However, the real reason the aide had been sent to check up on Harry was because his father's office had been informed that a newspaper had evidence of him taking drugs  which Harry said was 'lies'.

Harry's surprising account has fuelled feverish rumours over who the mystery woman could be.

Several royal fans speculated Miss Harvey, who has been described as a keen horsewoman, was

Some royal fans suspected Miss Harvey - who was 23 at the time and described as a keen horsewoman - was the woman described in Harry's memoir.

Miss Harvey, now the chief executive of Cotswold Airport, told The Daily Mail last night that Prince Harry's memoir was not something she wished to discuss.

She declined to talk to a reporter who called at her Cotswold home yesterday, adding that she was away but her boyfriend was there.

Moments later, a man walked up the driveway of the four-bedroom stone property and said: 'Please leave now before I call the police.'

Today the ex-model posted the photo of Ginger Nuts to her profile, seemingly denying that she and Harry ever had sex. MailOnline has approached Miss Harvey for comment.

Her humorous denial came after she posted two memes to her stories - which have since expired - seemingly mocking the Duke and his older brother Prince William.

One meme clearly targeted Harry. It featured a photo of Jay from The Inbetweeners with the caption: 'Snorted coke, s***ged three birds behind the pub then killed 25 Taliban on my way home.'

The other took aim at William who was pictured in a B&Q uniform baring the words: 'Who wants wants decking?'

Miss Harvey's humorous denial came after she posted two memes to her stories mocking Harry and his older brother Prince William

Miss Harvey, now the chief executive of Cotswold Airport , told The Daily Mail last night that Prince Harry's memoir was not something she wished to discuss. She is pictured in a photo she posted to her Instagram account seven weeks ago

Harry pictured here walking his dog in California earlier this week, claims in his new book he lost his virginity to an older horse-loving woman in a field behind a pub

The incident referred to in Harry's book could have happened at the Rattlebone Inn, near King Charles' Highgrove home

Harry was said to have hit on Miss Harvey - now a 44-year-old successful businesswoman and mother of two, who is engaged to be married - at the Beaufort Hunt Christmas Ball held in a marquee in the grounds of Badminton House in Gloucestershire.

She told the Mail at the time that the then-teenager, who was still a pupil at Eton, had showered her with compliments before leading her outside and across a muddy field.

'I couldn't believe it when he made a beeline for me,' she said at the time.

They pair enjoyed several intimate dances before sitting down together to drink champagne when Harry suggested they 'get some air'. She said he 'handled her like a grown man'.

'It was very nice, but as we were kissing I started to get worried that his bodyguards would be looking for him. I didn't want to get him into trouble,' Miss Harvey said.

'He's a wild child and William was helpless to stop him. Outside he handled me like a grown man.

'He grabbed me by the waist and pulled me into to him. It felt like his hands were going round my whole waist.

'The kissing was full of passion. My mouth was numb and couldn't move,' she said in a 2002 interview.

She said the confident teenager said he 'loved her sexy body' and put his arms around her to warm her up in the cold night.

'When he started to get more passionate I began to worry. He was feeling my bum and my back was in the direction we had come from so a guest could have seen us.

'I tried to keep my hands to myself but I was tempted to let myself go,' she admitted.

'It was so heated, steam was rising from us into the freezing cold air. He was definitely experienced in handling a woman.'

Miss Harvey said she had told Harry she was six years older than him but that did not seem to bother him.

She added that he had tried to take her behind a minibus but she was worried about ruining her 1,500 ball gown.

By the time they returned to the marquee, her dress was muddy from walking in a field and they carried on dancing before going their separate ways.

Ms Harvey, pictured here in 2002, declined to talk about Harry's new memoir or the claims in the book when approached by the Mail

Ms Harvey, pictured, is now the CEO of Cotswold Airport. She once breathlessly revealed that Harry left her mouth numb with passionate kissing in a muddy field

Harry's penchant for older woman is well known, with the young prince previously being linked to a string of women who were several years his senior.

He has previously been linked to the late Caroline Flack who was six years older than him and presenter Natalie Pinkham who was seven years his senior.

He was also said to have pursued interior designer Catherine Ommanney  13 years his senior  when he was 21 in 2006.

After rumours swirled for some time, actress Liz Hurley ruled herself out as the mystery woman before the book even appeared on shelves in Spanish bookshops this week.

Like Miss Hurley, others may come out to distance themselves from the embarrassing encounter recounted in Harry's book.

The actress was quick to quash rumours in an interview with The Times, saying: 'Not me. Not guilty. Not me. Absolutely not.'
The BBC has been accused of nepotism after casting the real-life son and niece of one of the main stars on its popular prime-time drama Waterloo Road.

Parents of young actors are furious that Teddy and Scarlett Thomas were given roles as the on-screen children of Adam Thomas, who plays Donte Charles, one of the shows main characters.

Scarlett, 13, is the daughter of Thomass older brother Ryan, who previously starred in Coronation Street, and Tina OBrien, who still appears in the ITV soap.

Scarlett was hired to play teenager Izzi Charles  its her first acting role. Meanwhile, Adams son Teddy, eight, was handed the role of Tommy.

Teddy Thomas, eight, and Scarlett Thomas, 13, the real-life son and niece of Adam Thomas (right) have been given roles in the new series of BBC prime-time drama Waterloo Road

The Mail on Sunday has been contacted by parents of other young actors who went for the roles and they describe the casting as a fix.

In an echo of the nepo-baby story that rocked the American celebrity world last year, one said: It is a blatant fix. My daughter went for the role and she didnt hear anything back at all. Now we know why. It seems very suspicious that two children from the same very close-knit acting family got two of the important parts.

Adam Thomas, who previously appeared on Emmerdale, admitted in an interview last week that he helped Teddy and Scarlett win their roles, saying: If I can help put a foot through the door, then Im going to do it.

'But at the end of the day theyve still got to do the talking and they do that on the show.

He also admitted that Teddy was drafted in after another actor pulled out.

Thomas, who came third on reality show Im A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here in 2016, also starred in Waterloo Road as a teenager between 2006 and 2009 and is understood to still be close to some of the production executives.

Waterloo Road is made by production companies Wall To Wall and the Manchester-based Rope Ladder Fiction, founded by Skys former head of drama, Cameron Roach.

Actor Adam Thomas previously starred in the series as a teenager between 2006 and 2009

On the Rope Ladder website, it says that among its biggest priorities is social inclusion, which is defined as the process of improving the terms of participation in society, particularly for people who are disadvantaged, often connected with factors affecting a persons or communitys social or economic circumstances.

The current series Waterloo Road which is based around a high school in Greater Manchester, tells the stories of the challenges experienced by teachers, parents and pupils.

It also highlights the problems that teenagers face today, including the cost-of-living crisis, navigating being LGBTQ+, racism, sexism and mental health.

Katie Griffiths plays Chlo, the mother of Izzi and Tommy. Angela Griffin is the head teacher, while Strictly star Kym Marsh makes her debut on the show as a troubled school kitchen employee and mother of two teenagers.

A still from the new series of BBC prime-time drama Waterloo Road, which returned this week

A spokesman for Wall To Wall and Rope Ladder Fiction said last night: Following our open casting-call online, Waterloo Road auditioned hundreds of young actors for over 15 roles as pupils, many of whom attended open auditions at schools and youth clubs in the North of England, ensuring that roles in the new series were open to all.
ABC News producer Dax Tejera was laid to rest in Florida today two weeks after he suffered a heart attack and collapsed outside a Manhattan steakhouse.

Tejera, 37, who produced This Week With George Stephanopoulos, was enjoying an evening out with his wife Veronica just two days before Christmas when he died.

Veronica Tejera, 33, had a solemn expression on her face and was comforted by loved ones as she watched her husband's casket being lifted into a hearse following the service in Coral Gables, Florida on Saturday.

Earlier this week, it was revealed that Veronica had been arrested and charged just hours after her husband's death when it was discovered the couple had left their children, aged five months and two years-old, alone at the hotel while they were out.

Veronica Tejera, 33, watched her husband ABC producer Dax Tejera's casket was put into a hearse in Coral Gables, Florida on Saturday, two weeks after he died of a heart attack

Earlier this week, it was revealed Veronica had been arrested and charged just hours after her husband's death when it was discovered the couple had left their children alone at the hotel

Tejera's casket was put in the hearse after a service at St Thomas Episcopal Church in Florida

Tejera suffered a heart attack moments after the couple left Bobby Van's restaurant on Park Avenue on December 23. He was rushed to Bellevue Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Veronica traveled in the ambulance with her husband, while the couple's friends went to the Yale Club to collect their children, who were alone in the room. Veronica was later arrested by the NYPD and charged.

Veronica, a senior producer at the Washington Post, has insisted the couple 'had two cameras trained' on the children as they slept, but admitted it was a 'poor decision' to leave them alone.

In a statement released on Monday night, Veronica Tejera said: 'My family and I are devastated by Dax's sudden passing. He has left behind a heartbroken family, and two daughters he loved with all his heart.

'When Dax collapsed on December 23rd, I accompanied him in an ambulance to the hospital. I asked both a close friend and my parents to rush to my children's hotel room to attend to them as I monitored them by camera. The hotel would not allow my friend in and instead called the NYPD.

'We had two cameras trained on my children as they slept, and I monitored them closely in the time I was away from them. While the girls were unharmed, I realize that it was a poor decision.

Dax Tejera with his children and wife Veronica, who was arrested on child endangerment charges just hours after his death on December 23

Dax Tejera shared an adorable picture of his daughters on instagram when they visit Rockefeller Center before his death on December 23

Family and friends gather in Coral Gables, Florida for Tejera's funeral on Saturday

'When Dax collapsed on December 23rd, I accompanied him in an ambulance to the hospital. I asked both a close friend and my parents to rush to my childrens hotel room to attend to them as I monitored them by camera. The hotel would not allow my friend in and instead called the NYPD.

'We had two cameras trained on my children as they slept, and I monitored them closely in the time I was away from them. While the girls were unharmed, I realize that it was a poor decision.

'Our family has suffered a terrible tragedy. I respectfully ask for privacy while my children and I mourn Daxs death.'

Veronica has been charged with two counts of 'acting in a manner injurious to a child'.

She was given a desk ticket which will require her to appear in court at a future date, police said.

Tejera's wife Veronica comforted by friends and love ones at her husband's funeral Saturday

Veronica wipes away tears after family and friends comfort her at her husband's funeral

Veronica Tejera clings onto a loved on while watching her husband's casket placed in a hearse

ABC News Producer Dax Tejera's funeral was held on Saturday at the St Thomas Episcopal Church in Coral Gables, Florida

It was just two days before Christmas when the Tejera family was in New York celebrating the holidays and had plans to visit friends and go to Rockefeller Center, it is understood.

The NYPD said it received a 911 call at 11pm over 'unattended children' at 50 Vanderbilt Avenue in Manhattan, home of the members-only Yale Club hotel.

They discovered 'a two-year-old female and a five-month-old female were left alone inside of a hotel room for an extended period of time.'

The Yale Club is an exclusive club for alumni of Yale University. It includes guest rooms that range from budget studios to luxury 556 sq ft suites.

The Yale Club has luxury rooms for weddings and private events, along with fitness facilities and a library.

It was just two days before Christmas when the Tejera family was in New York celebrating the holidays and had plans to visit friends and go to Rockefeller Center

Tejera with ABC colleagues at a meeting with President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden

Tejera had worked at ABC since 2017, when he started as a Senior Producer at the network's Washington DC bureau

Veronica's LinkedIn currently lists her as a senior producer at the Washington Post, which she joined in October 2022.

Before that, she spent nearly six years as a at CNN. Her profile states that her achievements there include producing an interview with President Joe Biden on The Lead with Jake Tapper.

She has since launched a fundraiser for the Tejera children's 529 college fundraiser account. A link to the giving page, set up through Fidelity Investments, is included in her Instagram bio.

The page says: 'Dax Tejera passed away suddenly, leaving 2-year-old Sofia and 6-month old Ella without their father. Please support the girl's education.'

Dax Tejera died suddenly after suffering a heart attack. He worked with George Stephanopoulos and Martha Raddatz, recently traveling to London to contribute to the network's coverage of the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

The couple were staying at the Yale Club in Manhattan and the children were left in one of the rooms while the Tejeras went out. Pictured: A generic picture of a room at the Yale Club

The Yale Club is open to university's students, alumni and professors, as well as their guests

In a memo to staff on Christmas Eve, ABC News President Kim Godwin said: 'Its with a heavy heart and great sadness that we share that our friend and colleague, Dax Tejera passed away suddenly of a heart attack last night.

'As EP of This Week with George Stephanopoulos Daxs energy, passion, and love for that show, ABC News, and you, shined every Sunday morning. That same love was extended to his precious girls.

'Our thoughts are with his wife, Veronica, the couples two young daughters, and the entire Tejera family.'

Tejera had worked at ABC since 2017, when he started as a Senior Producer at the network's Washington DC bureau.

He previously worked at NBC and held degrees from both Dartmouth and Columbia.
'Harry: The Interview' will be broadcast at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX on Sunday

The Duke said that he cried once in the wake of his mother's death - at her burial

The Duke of Sussex has described the guilt he felt while walking outside Kensington Palace following his mother's death.

In a clip from Harry: The Interview, which will be broadcast at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX on Sunday, Harry speaks about his memories of meeting mourners following the death of his mother, the Princess of Wales, in 1997.

The Duke said he and William were unable to show any emotion as they met the mourners.

'Everyone thought and felt like they knew our mum, and the two closest people to her, the two most loved people by her, were unable to show any emotion in that moment,' he tells presenter Tom Bradby.

Undated handout screengrab issued by ITV of the Duke of Sussex (left) during an interview with ITV's Tom Bradby in California, US, for the programme Harry: The Interview

Undated handout screengrab issued by ITV of Prince Harry and Prince William meeting mourners following the death of their mother Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997

He continues: 'Everyone knows where they were and what they were doing the night my mother died.'

Harry also says that he cried once in the wake of his mother's death - at her burial.

'I cried once, at the burial, and you know I go into detail about how strange it was and how actually there was some guilt that I felt, and I think William felt as well, by walking around the outside of Kensington Palace.'

Harry went on to describe feeling the mourners' tears on their hands when he shook them outside Kensington Palace in 1997 following Diana's death.

'There were 50,000 bouquets of flowers to our mother and there we were shaking people's hands, smiling,' he says.

'I've seen the videos, right, I looked back over it all. And the wet hands that we were shaking, we couldn't understand why their hands were wet, but it was all the tears that they were wiping away.'

'I cried once, at the burial, and you know I go into detail about how strange it was and how actually there was some guilt that I felt,' Harry says

Prince Harry (pictured with William and now-King Charles at Princess Diana's funeral in 1997) has recalled the moment he was told about his mother's death by his father, whom he claims did not hug him while breaking the news

In a separate teaser for an interview with Good Morning America, Harry added that the 'rift' in his relationship with his brother would make his mother 'sad'

In his new autobiography 'Spare', Harry also revealed that his father did not hug him when he broke the news that Diana had been in a car accident.

The Duke, 38, writes about how the King sat him down on the bed to break the news of the car accident, calling him 'my dear son' as he told how Diana had sustained head injuries that didn't look likely to improve.

He writes: 'What I do remember with stunning clarity is that I did not cry. Not a tear. My father did not hug me.'

Harry recalls how the King 'examined the folds of the old quilts, blankets, and sheets' on the bed while breaking the terrible news.

As it dawned how grave his mother's condition was, he recalls 'silently begging my father, or God, or both' that it wasn't true.

Charles told him that there had been 'complications' with Diana's condition after she had been 'seriously wounded' in the crash.

Harry recalls asking to go and visit his mother in the hospital, before Charles explained she 'hasn't recovered any more'.

After his father left, The Duke said he sat by himself while his brother William, whom he affectionately calls 'Willy', sat in a separate room.

Undated handout screengrab issued by ITV of the Duke of Sussex (left) during an interview with ITV's Tom Bradby in California, US, for the programme Harry: The Interview

Undated handout screengrab issued by ITV of Prince Harry (left) and Prince William meeting mourners following the death of their mother Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997

Harry (pictured with Princess Diana and Prince William in 1995) recalls asking to go and visit his mother in the hospital, before Charles explained she 'hasn't recovered any more'

Prince Harry's highly anticipated memoir is set to be released on January 10, but copies have already been leaked

Harry claims his memory has undergone 'decades of effort to reconstruct that morning', but after all this time he has come to an 'inescapable conclusion' - that he stayed alone in the room until 9am the following morning when the piper began to play outside.

Harry's heartbreaking recollection of his mother's death comes as one of many explosive claims from Spare, his long-anticipated memoir which is set for release in the UK on Monday 10 January.

The emotive passage comes after Harry speaks about Diana's relationship with Dodi Fayed after he and William had met him while on holiday with their mother in St Tropez.

Harry recalls seeing his mother light up in Dodi's presence as he described the filmmaker as 'cheeky' and 'nice'.

He reflects on a conversation he had with William about their mother's new partner - and how they both agreed that, as long as she was happy, then they were happy for her.

Elsewhere in the book, Harry relives his memory of the days following his mother's death and how he battled with himself to accept the truth of the situation.

He recalled how he and William were forbidden from watching the TV so they could be shielded from news reports about the car crash.

After Diana's sisters had gone to France to identify her body, Harry recalls being reunited with his father and aunties in London, at which point Aunt Sarah (Lady Sarah McCorquodale) handing each brother a little blue box which contained a lock of Diana's blonde hair.

Harry recalled not believing the hair belonged to his mother, and convincing himself it was someone else's so he did not have to come to terms with the reality of her death.
Late one summers evening, a middle-aged woman headed off into the woods for a walk with her two dogs. She hadnt gone far when one of them froze in its tracks.

Nelly just stopped, looked in one direction, and then turned around and wanted to go home, Nicki told The Mail on Sunday. She was very frightened and wouldnt walk any further. I guessed she might have smelled something.

I didnt want to hang around, so we hurried home. I knew that there had been two deer killed in the woods a few weeks earlier. Locals found the bodies  one deer had its stomach ripped open.

The mother-of-two didnt have to wait long to discover just how lucky an escape shed had.

An estimated 20,000 wolves are roaming the European mainland amid calls to cull the animals

The next morning, word spread through Beinhorn, a hamlet in the German region of Lower Saxony, of a grisly discovery in a nearby meadow.

There, lying in the long grass, were the bloodied remains of a pony, savaged to death by a wolf.

The pony, it transpired, was called Dolly and was 30 years old. More significant was the identity of its owner: the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, who owns a farmhouse in the village.

At the time, the story received only a passing mention in the German press. Mrs von der Leyen, a keen horse-rider and mother- of-seven, revealed that her family was horribly distressed by the loss.

But what emerged last week were the wider ramifications of Dollys death  not just for the killer wolf but for all 20,000 wolves roaming the European mainland and breeding at an alarming rate.

Because in the weeks that followed, Mrs von der Leyen set herself on a collision course with conservationists by appearing to back growing calls to relax laws protecting wolves in Europe.

The Commission recognises that the return of the wolf and its growing numbers lead to conflict, she wrote to fellow members of the European Peoples Party.

At the same time, members of the European Parliament secured a resolution calling for laws protecting wolves to be eased.

Back in her homeland, more direct action was being taken to solve the problem.

DNA samples taken from Dollys body were able to identify the wolf responsible for killing the pony after officials matched them to other samples taken at a dozen killings of livestock in the area.

Questions have been raised over whether Ursula von der Leyen personally intervened for a special permit to hunt the wolf that killed her beloved 30-year-old pony, Dolly (pictured)

As a result, officials in Hanover issued a permit for the wolf to be hunted and shot dead.

Such permissions are only rarely granted under EU rules, prompting questions as to whether Mrs von der Leyen  possibly seeking revenge for Dollys death  might have personally intervened.

While both she and the German authorities have denied that is the case, the incident has only added to the debate about the wisdom of reintroducing species into environments where they impact human activities.

Some European countries are seeing wolf populations grow by more than a third each year, with tens of thousands of sheep, goats and cattle killed annually.

Banned from killing the predators, all frustrated farmers can do is build bigger fences or deploy guard dogs to protect their stock.

While there are no immediate plans to reintroduce wolves in the UK, rewilding experts here claim there is sufficient land for them to be released in Scotland, with some suggesting it could happen within 20 years.

The idea is they would naturally control deer numbers.

But  as farmers such as Kay Krogmann, a shepherd from Lower Saxony, have discovered to their cost  deer are not the only thing that wolves eat.

After losing numerous sheep in 17 separate wolf attacks, he has given up his 800-strong flock altogether.

The attacks were horrific, the 42-year-old said. Sometimes the entrails were spread over several kilometres.

Surviving sheep are left panicked for months. Many males cant mate, many ewes cant fall pregnant. Some lambs born straight after an attack ran head-first into walls so hard they killed themselves, or ran out into traffic and caused accidents.

Its all very well these VIPs like von der Leyen suddenly saying now that something should be done  but where were they when we were crying out for support and action?

Wolves were hunted to extinction in the UK in the 18th Century, with the packs that survived in Europe forced to the fringes of the Continent.

In the weeks following Dollys death, Mrs von der Leyen ordered Commission officials to re-evaluate the rules strictly protecting wolves in Europe, with numbers thought to be at 21,500

However, in the past 50 years, the species has made a dramatic comeback, thanks to conservation efforts and habitats previously used for agriculture again becoming available.

Wolves are now recorded in almost all continental European countries, with numbers put at 21,500  up from 16,000 in 2016.

They are protected under EU law, meaning all forms of deliberate capture or killing of them in the wild are prohibited.

But as wolves have spread across Europe, so livestock losses have mounted.

In 2020, wolves killed more than 11,000 sheep or goats in France, as well as 224 cattle and four horses.

Meanwhile, Italian farmers lost 8,400 sheep and goats, 1,400 cattle and 300 horses and donkeys.

Even in densely populated Belgium, at least two packs comprising nine wolves are active. In 2021, they killed a Shetland pony  an incident described in something of an understatement by its owner as not a gentle affair.

We suspect they dragged the animal through the meadow for more than 100 metres, he said. The drag marks, blood, guts and bones are scattered everywhere.

As for Germany, wolves were extinct there for about 100 years. But that all changed at the turn of the millennium as packs migrated from Poland.

Today, they number about 1,300  split into 160 packs, with a further 40 pairs and 20 lone wolves roaming the countryside.

Again, farmers have railed against the impact on their livestock. In 2006, German farmers lost just 40 animals to wolves.

Last year 2,881 sheep and goats, as well as 251 cattle, were killed.

While attacks on horses are rare, Dolly was one of 16 attacked.

The involvement of a wolf in the ponys death on September 1 was confirmed by an examination of the bite marks. The local authorities suspected a particular animal known as GW950m, which is also responsible for killing a dozen other sheep and cows.

This was verified by DNA samples taken at the scene. At the same time, permission was given by the authorities in the Hanover Region for GW950m to be shot.

When news of the permit first emerged, the authorities would not comment on whether Mrs von der Leyen had been involved in seeking it.

But, in fact, the application to cull the wolf was made on August 31  the day before Dollys body was discovered. Who made it is unknown.

The 21-page permit, which has been seen by The Mail on Sunday, was granted on October 6 and is valid until January 31.

The licence permits the lethal removal of the wolf, allowing the use of night-vision goggles.

It states that the licence is being granted because the wolf is responsible for the ripping of three cows, nine sheep and a goat as well as a single horse, adding: It has learned how to attack over several years.

Chillingly, it says the wolfs pattern of behaviour shows it is perfecting its hunting technique, and is likely to continue to do so in the future Wolves hunt the animals which they can overwhelm the easiest. Unprotected farm animals are particularly easy to capture.

In the weeks following Dollys death, Mrs von der Leyen ordered Commission officials to re-evaluate the rules strictly protecting wolves in Europe.

Pictured: The body of Ursula von der Leyen's prized horse, named Dolly, is seen lying dead in a pasture in Germany after it was savaged by wolves in September last year

In a letter sent to Christian Democratic MEPs, she wrote: There have been numerous reports of wolf attacks on animals and of increased risk to local people.

Understandably, this situation raises questions in the affected regions about whether the current protection status of wolves is justified.

It is a question that her neighbours in Lower Saxony are quick to answer. It is clear that we have too many wolves now, said Nicki, who declined to give her surname.

Another neighbour, Volker Hofmeister, 65, a retired horse-breeding association official, said: I have a friend who has seen paw prints left by the wolves. They were as big as his hand.

He also found a deer that had its throat ripped open.

The problem is that wolves are so well protected in Europe. The European Parliament needs to find a solution and Ursula von der Leyen is right to look for one.

What happened to her pony was very sad, but maybe its death will mean something will be done.

For Insa Bartels, any action cannot come soon enough. Her 13-year-old pony Peru was killed by a pack of three wolves in August 2020, in a field eight miles away from Mrs von der Leyens farm.

We had five horses and two foals in a large field with six cows and six calves, behind a barbed wire fence and a separate electric fence, she said.

We heard wolves howling in the forest and our dogs started going crazy at around 11pm. The next morning, my husbands son was driving to work when he saw something lying in the field. He called us and we went to have a look.

We found my pony dead. Her foal Murphy was further up the meadow with the other horses. He was still alive, but had flesh ripped away from the back of him.

A local hunter found prints from at least three wolves which weighed 70kg each. They were really powerful and big.

The foal was treated in a veterinary clinic for two weeks and is still heavily scarred.

We believe Murphy would have been attacked first as the wolves go for the smallest and weakest, Mrs Bartels said.

The experts who spoke to us believe that Peru must have put herself between them, so as to protect her foal.

She was always a fighter and would not have given up, but it meant that the wolves attacked her and that allowed Murphy to get away.

Mrs Bartels said there were too many wolves in Lower Saxony, adding: We have more wolves here than they do in the whole of Sweden. This needs to be changed.

Hermann Grupe, a farmer and former member of the Lower Saxony regional parliament, said: Wolves are currently increasing at a rate of 33 per cent a year.

'The problem is that wolves have been classified as having strictly protected status and as a result no one has been able to prevent them settling and breeding at such a rapid rate. It is like a mass plague.

Environmental groups such as the World Wildlife Fund disagree, however, and accuse campaigners of promoting the fairy tale that shooting wolves will solve all problems.

Dr Peter Blanche, chairman of Germanys Society for the Protection of Wolves, claimed that issuing hunting permits fails to tackle the problem and often just results in the wrong wolf being shot.

He said: What is needed is good shepherding, proper fences, and proper funding.

Whatever the solution, clearly something needs to change.

But only time will tell whether the death of Dolly the pony will be the catalyst.

Additional reporting: Rob Hyde
Police desperately searching for missing Massachusetts mother Ana Walshe have turned their attentions to the swimming pool behind the home she shared with her husband Brian Walshe.

The 39-year-old mother of three was last seen on the morning of January 1 after she was due back in Washington DC for work. She was reported missing on January 4 by both her husband and employer, Cohasset Police Chief William Quigley said.

On Saturday, video showed investigators furiously coming through debris that had gathered at her home's pool after they had drained it as part of the search.

A day earlier a bizarre incident occurred when during a search at her former home, the house went up in flames with authorities gathered on the property.

The desperate search continues for a 39-year-old Massachusetts mother-of-three who vanished after on New Year's Day and failed to catch her work flight to Washington D.C

On Saturday, video showed investigators furiously coming through debris that had gathered at her home's pool after they had drained it as part of the search

A huge fire broke out at the Walshes' former family home, a $1.4million mansion in Cohasset

The fire was later deemed to not be suspicious and related to faulty piping around a gas fireplace. The adult and three children who were inside at the time were unharmed.

Also on Friday, it emerged that her husband Brian Walshe, 48, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Boston in 2021 after being arrested a few years earlier for selling two fake Andy Warhol paintings to a South Korean buyer for $80,000, federal prosecutors say.

Walshe took the paintings from a friend and sold them on eBay, only to switch them out for fakes.

Authorities do not believe her husband's actions are related to her disappearance. The couple has three children aged between two and six.

Online records show that the couple sold their home in March 2022 for nearly $1.4 million.

According to her LinkedIn profile, Walshe worked as a regional manager for real estate behemoth Tishman Speyer.

In a brief statement on her disappearance, the company said, 'We are actively assisting the local authorities in their ongoing search for our beloved colleague, Ana, and are praying for her safe return.'

Brian Walshe, the husband of Ana Walshe, 39, who disappeared on New Year's Day after failing to catch a work flight to Washington D.C. is a convicted art swindler

Walshe has been with Tishman Speyer since February 2022, having previously worked at other real estate companies. She is a graduate of Cornell University and of the University of Belgrade in her native Serbia.

Police have already used K-9s to search the grounds of the family's home in the 500 block of Chief Justice Cushing Highway and adjacent properties and have now extended the search to wooded areas a short distance from the home.

Walshe is described as having brown hair, brown eyes, five feet and two inches tall and weighing about 115 pounds. Police said she's left no digital footprint since she went missing, with her cell phone turned off and credit cards unused.

Authorities have urged anyone with information to come forward and said her husband, Brian Walshe, has been cooperative in the investigation and they have nothing to support anything 'suspicious or criminal' at this time.

Walshe was known to travel to Washington D.C. weekly for her job and had booked a flight for January 3 before she was called back sooner due to a work emergency.

Leaving her home at about 4am on New Year's Day Walshe caught a rideshare bound for Logan International Airport in Boston before her flight to D.C. to work her job at a real estate company.

Chief Quigley said Walshe never got on that plane and search for the missing 39-year-old have turned up no signs of her.

'At this point it's a missing person investigation,' Quigley said.

'We're just trying to locate Ana and get her home safely. We have nothing to support anything suspicious or criminal.'

Friends of Walshe said that she is a wife and mother to three young boys - her social media platforms reflecting the life of a happy family

The fire started in the attic of the home. Three adults and one child who were all living in the home at the time of the blaze managed to make it out unharmed

'[Her] cell phone has been off since the first of the year,' Quigley said, adding that none of her credit or debit cards have been active since the first of the year.

Friends also said Walshe's normally active social media presence went silent on Sunday.

Police in Cohasset have been coordinating with authorities in Washington D.C., who searched and found no trace of Walshe at her property there.

'The focus right now is trying to locate her,' Chief Quigley said.

'Whether she just needed a little break or time out. If that's the case we're just looking for her to call, all it takes is a phone call to let us know she's okay.'

A new search emanating from the parking lot of a nearby Stop and Shop store at 400 Chief Justice Cushing Highway was launched Friday afternoon.

It involved State Police and regional police units trained in search and rescue efforts, officials said.

Friends told NBC Boston that she is a wife and mother to three young boys - her social media platforms reflecting the life of a happy family.

'Ana is a remarkable woman,' her friend Peter Kirby said.

'She's a powerful executive, she's a loving mom, she's just loving wife, she's one of the most remarkable humans we know, and we've very scared.

'We miss her a lot and we're just praying for her to be safe.'

'Everyone that knows and loves Ana, we just want her home safely,' Evan Turell, a friend of Walshe's who used to work with her at a hotel in Boston, told Fox News.

'Her husband and her boys were someone she talked to every single day and the fact that she hasn't been in touch with them is concerning and it's not like her to not be in touch with anyone. It's just really scary.'
Newly elected Speaker Kevin McCarthy made a beeline for Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz during the vote on Friday night and pleaded with him to not further delay a decision.

High political theater had unfolded for days and by Friday - after 13 failed ballots and painful negotiations - anti-McCarthy holdouts were down from twenty to six.

But before a jubilant triumph on Saturday, the house was sent into disarray when McCarthy fell just short on the 14th ballot - prompting Republicans to move to adjourn until Monday.

After Gaetz tanked McCarthy, the California congressman charged up the aisle to confront the Florida man himself.

Newly elected Speaker for the U.S. House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy had pleaded with Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz not to further delay a majority on the 14th vote

'Matt, come on,' said McCarthy, a person who had been present in the moment, told Politico. 'You've made your point. People have to go home.'

Gaetz replied this wouldn't be happening if they'd adjourned until Monday as he'd suggested.

As the chaos continued, Rep. Mike Rogers of Alabama lunged at Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz after McCarthy was left just one vote short of victory and had to be held back by Rep. Richard Hudson of North Carolina.

It's been reported that Rogers told Gaetz he is 'finished' for continuing to wreck the speaker's vote and was also heard saying 'I won't forget this.'

A visibly angry Rogers, one of Kevin McCarthy's top backers of the California congressman's bid for speaker, had to be restrained by Rep. Richard Hudson, R.-N.C., after confronting the Republican congressman.

After Gaetz tanked McCarthy on the 14th ballot, the California congressman charged up the aisle to confront the Florida man himself

During the chaos on Friday night, Rep. Mike Rogers of Alabama lunged at Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz and had to be held back by Rep. Richard Hudson of North Carolina after McCarthy was left just one vote short of victory

Gaetz was seen flexing his arm alongside Rep.-elect Anna Paulina Luna after getting into an argument with Rogers during the fourth day of elections for Speaker of the House

At 11:03pm on Friday, after confronting Gaetz in the back benches, a defeated McCarthy headed back to his seat at the front of the chamber.

Georgia Rep. Marjory Taylor Greene, reportedly went up to Arizona Rep. Matt Rosendale and told him that Trump was on the phone. Trump reportedly also spoke with Biggs and Gaetz.

According to Politico a person familiar with the exchange said Trump told the group to 'knock it off.'

Gaetz, who had already voted to adjourn until Monday, walked to the clerk's desk at 11:31pm Friday and pulled a red slip to change his vote.

He found McCarthy and told him the group would clear the way for him to get the gavel.

McCarthy's opening speech sparked uproar when he was finally sworn in as Speaker of the House following four days of chaos and a near-punch up.

'That was easy, huh?' McCarthy began in his victory speech - shortly after Rogers had to be held back from attacking Gaetz.

He looked over at Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, whose party was united behind him throughout the race for speaker.

Gaetz was seen congratulating House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy after he was finally elected Speaker of the House in the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol Building on Saturday

After the longest vote for the gavel since the Civil War, McCarthy's victory was confirmed on the final ballot at 12.30am on Saturday morning

'Hakeem, I gotta warn ya, two years ago I got 100 percent of the vote from my conference,' McCarthy continued in a bid to act as peacemaker.

'Leader Jeffries there will be times we agree. And many times we will differ. I promise our debates will be passionate but they will never be personal,' McCarthy said.

'Now, the hard work begins.'

'We're going to pass bills to fix the nation's challenges from wide open southern borders, to American last energy policies to woke indoctrination in our schools,' he added. 'We will use the power of the purse and the power of the subpoena to get the job done.'

The new Speaker added: 'We will also address America's long-term challenges: the debt and the Chinese Communist Party. Congress must speak with one voice on both of these issues.'

He said one of the House's 'very first hearings' would be on the U.S.-Mexico border and the first bill it brought forward would be to 'repeal funding for 87,000 new IRS agents.'

After the longest vote for the gavel since the Civil War, McCarthy's victory was confirmed on the final ballot at 12.30am on Saturday morning when four Republican hardliners caved in by voting 'present.'
China-Egypt economic cooperation yields fruitful results, mutual benefit: forum

Xinhua) 09:51, January 07, 2023

CAIRO, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- The pragmatic economic cooperation between China and Egypt has yielded fruitful results and mutual benefit in recent years, Chinese and Egyptian officials said at a bilateral forum held in Cairo.

Organized by the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Egypt and the Egyptian-Chinese Friendship Association on Thursday, the China-Egypt Economic and Investment Forum was attended by more than 290 officials and entrepreneurs from the two countries, who discussed "golden opportunities" for bilateral economic and trade cooperation covering new energy, infrastructure, manufacturing and automotive industry, among others.

"The pragmatic cooperation between China and Egypt has achieved a historic leap in recent years, as China has been Egypt's largest trading partner for nine consecutive years," Chinese Ambassador to Egypt Liao Liqiang said at the forum.

China is one of the countries with the most active and fastest-growing investment in Egypt in recent years, he added.

Speaking of China-Egypt TEDA Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone, Liao said the zone has attracted 134 Chinese enterprises to settle in and provided job opportunities for more than 50,000 Egyptians, constituting an important platform for investment and technological cooperation between the two countries.

In addition, Chinese financial institutions have provided more than 10 billion U.S. dollars in funding to Egypt in support of a large number of key projects in the North African country, according to the Chinese ambassador.

Chinese companies have also undertaken the Central Business District project in the new administrative capital city and built the light rail transit system for 10th of Ramadan City, Liao said.

"These fruitful results fully demonstrate that the economic and trade cooperation between China and Egypt is mutually beneficial in nature," he noted.

For her part, Egyptian Minister of Planning and Economic Development Hala Al-Saeed highlighted the success of the two countries in strengthening the bilateral economy and investment in the face of international and regional challenges.

"China has an inspiring development experience characterized by a great deal of inclusiveness in economic and social aspects, through which the Chinese economy has achieved great successes, especially in driving industrialization, increasing exports, attracting domestic and foreign investment, and maintaining high and sustainable economic growth," the minister said.

Amr Moussa, former secretary-general of the Arab League and honorary chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Egyptian-Chinese Businessmen Association, also pointed to the mutually beneficial cooperation between Egypt and China, "which gives impetus to future cooperation between the two countries."

Waleid Gamaleldien, chairman of Egypt's Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZone), said the Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone has become a model of China-Egypt cooperation, as the more than 130 Chinese companies in the zone that operate in different fields have played a significant role in major projects in Egypt.

"We intend to launch a promotional tour to China this year to highlight what has been achieved in the infrastructure in the SCZone to attract more Chinese investments," Gamaleldien told Xinhua.

(Web editor: Xian Jiangnan, Wu Chaolan)
China's recent COVID-19 crisis has highlighted Beijing's healthcare gaps, which has forced families to burn the bodies of their deceased loved ones in the streets as the number of fatalities continues to rise.

The Asian nation has understaffed and underfunded clinics standing half-empty in parts of the countryside even as hospitals in major cities heave under an unprecedented COVID wave. It has shown a glaring disparity in the country's healthcare system.

China's COVID-19 Crisis

In the past two weeks, visits by AFP journalists have shown a sharp difference in the demand for urban and rural hospitals in several parts of northern China. The situation comes as many in the countryside head to big cities for a quality of care that they would simply not be able to get from hospitals closer to their homes.

China's centralized healthcare system drives money and resources toward urban hospitals but comes at the expense of rural clinics. This disparity has become even more intense as COVID-19 cases in the country continue to surge, as per the Bangkok Post.

In Beijing, China's capital, and the northern megacity of Tianjin, emergency wards have become so overwhelmed that several dozens of mostly elderly patients have been accommodated on gurneys in public areas.

The patients were crammed shoulder to shoulder while gasping for breath and many of whom were hooked up to intravenous drips or oxygen tanks while machines monitored their vital signs. A few of the people found there appeared to be unconscious or unresponsive.

On the other hand, in the neglected rural town of Xin'an, the sparsely equipped local hospital was operating well below full capacity. There were around half a dozen elderly people inside a poorly heated room near reception who were huddled in thick overcoats that were seen with drips protruding from their arms.

Read Also: New COVID-19 Omicron Subvariant Should Concern Americans: Here's Why

Disparities in Healthcare Demand

According to Fox News, on the other hand, a hospital in Beijing has already run out of beds that has forced patients to rest on stretchers or lay on the hallway floors. In a statement, a healthcare worker in Beijing Chaoyang Hospital's emergency room said that they had no beds, no oxygen, and had rooms full of sick people waiting to be treated.

The situation comes as Chinese authorities watched as COVID-19 cases spiked following the rollback of the nation's "zero-COVID" policy after mass protests against the draconian protocols. The abrupt shift occurred without any increase in vaccinations, resulting in the rapid decline of health and safety.

Chinese officials instead opted to bolster hospitals in anticipation of a new COVID-19 surge by establishing hundreds of "fever clinics" to increase testing. However, the hospitals were not prepared for just how many more cases the wave ended up causing, with the Chuiyangliu hospital in eastern Beijing getting new arrivals and was unable to properly sequester them on Jan. 5.

The new wave has also prompted logistics managers to warn clients that because of the rise in infections, factories are unable to complete orders. This comes even though the United States manufacturing orders from China have already gone down by 40% due to an unrelenting demand collapse, CNBC reported.

Related Article: China Surging COVID-19 Deaths Overwhelm Funeral Homes Prompting To Give Families Only 10 Minutes To Mourn

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A cabal of far-Left young medics has hijacked the doctors union to push for dangerous strikes and demand a jaw-dropping pay rise of up to 30 per cent, a Mail on Sunday investigation reveals.

Ballot papers go out tomorrow to 48,000 junior doctor members of the British Medical Association (BMA) in England ahead of an unprecedented 72-hour walkout in March.

They will not provide emergency care during the strike should it get the go-ahead, raising fears among health leaders that lives will be put at risk.

An investigation by the MoS reveals the militant industrial action is being driven by a far-Left faction that has infiltrated the unions leadership.

Firebrand: The BMA Councils Deputy Chair, Dr Emma Runswick, uses the online moniker RedRunswick

The group appears to have deployed entryist tactics similar to those used by the far-Left group Momentum to take over Labour and install Jeremy Corbyn as leader in 2015.

The ringleader of the far-Left junior doctors is self-described unashamed socialist Dr Emma Runswick, 27. She managed to get herself voted to the powerful position of Deputy Chair of the BMA Council  its executive committee  last July.

Her views suggest her ambitions go far beyond simply increasing junior doctors pay and are politically driven. She has spoken of how successful unions are in dispute often, adding: Organising for pay restoration also improves our strength as a union to fight for all sorts of changes, locally and nationally.

Dr Runswick seems to accept that industrial action may put patients at risk, having said: There is harm that comes from delayed elective care and the responsibility for that is not on strikers, its on the Government who push us into a position where we have to take strike action.

The Manchester-based mental health trainee has spearheaded a far-Left faction called Broad Left, which derives its name from a Communist Party strategy developed after the Second World War.

Broad Left has worked hand- in-hand with Doctors Vote, a likeminded organisation set up to campaign solely for what both call pay restoration. The aim  to restore junior doctors pay to what they describe as 2008 levels in real terms  is now official BMA policy. Asked on an online forum how much a 30 per cent pay increase would cost, Dr Runswick said that full pay restoration for all NHS staff would be in the order of tens of billions per year. She claimed this was an affordable choice.

Top doctor blasts risk-averse NHS By Stephen Adams, Medical Editor for The Mail on Sunday The NHS is dogged by incredible inefficiency and just throwing money at it will not solve the problem, a leading doctor has told The Mail on Sunday. Consultant anaesthetist Sean Bennett, who has decades of experience working in the health service, said a molly-coddling, tick-box culture has led to a massive decline in productivity. Operating theatres had been transformed from can-do environments to being highly risk-averse with operations frequently cancelled for trivial reasons, he said. Dr Bennett said: I see money being wasted in our operating rooms, which run on almost twice the number of staff they used to, but do half the amount of work. An expert in pre-planned cardiac and cancer surgery, Dr Bennett worked as an NHS consultant for 20 years before spending eight setting up a clinic in the Middle East. He recently returned but has found the experience frustrating. He went on: We now frequently cancel for trivial reasons  like the operating room temperature isnt right. He said in the past, consultants led decisions about what surgery would take place, but now nurses tended to do so. And while many experienced nurses were happy with that responsibility, others were not. The result was a rise in very defensive [medical] practice  leading to more cancellations. Delays meant more ended up down the road at private hospitals leaving the NHS paying twice  once for cancelling the case and then to have it done privately. His message to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is simple: Id tell him to look at the culture: its now massively bureaucratic, massively defensive, and hugely costly. Advertisement

In a podcast interview and a series of online messages unearthed by the MoS, Dr Runswick and fellow activists also bragged about how they have achieved multiple changes at multiple levels of the BMA thus changing the direction of the [trade] union. And they congratulate themselves for being politically very astute by inserting candidates sympathetic to their agenda in positions of power.

The origins of the current action lie in the ashes of the last junior doctors strikes in 2015/16, when the BMA largely capitulated after resistance from Jeremy Hunt, then Health Secretary. But in the last two years, Left-wing juniors including Dr Runswick started agitating. In spring 2021, they castigated the BMA for its inaction over pay and demanded it lobby for a 15 per cent pay rise. Chastened, BMA leadership adopted a firmer tone  describing a two per cent pay rise for 2022/23 as unacceptable. Using the online moniker RedRunswick, Dr Runswick wrote that October: This change in attitude has happened because of a concerted organising effort among Lefties over the past year, and we have pushed the BMA to a slightly more militant position.

More than 5,000 junior doctors have joined the BMA in England since 2019.

Membership costs just 10.08 a month for the first three months. There are no restrictions on new members voting, leaving it open to entryism.

Yesterday, the BMA website stated: If you are not a member, join up so you can take part in the ballot.

A defining moment came last spring, when union members voted on who would make up the BMA Council for the next four years. Broad Left/Doctors Vote candidates secured 26 of 69 places.

In the podcast in June, Dr Runswick said they now made up a substantial proportion of the national executive committee of the BMA and were changing the direction of the union.

Dr Runswick described their 26 as a significant bloc  so that means we are going to have a significant say in the senior leadership team. Two weeks later she was elected Deputy Chair. Broad Left/Doctors Vote is also strongly represented on the BMAs Junior Doctors Committee, which helps decide what industrial action is taken.

The BMA says real terms pay cuts since 2008 amount to a 26.1 per cent decline in pay. Junior doctors basic pay in England ranges from 29,384 for those in their first foundation year to 58,398 for specialist registrars, whose next step up the career ladder is to become consultants.

They can earn more on top of this, for example if they work unsociable hours, plus extra if they work in pricey areas such as London.

Last night, Tory MP Brendan Clarke-Smith said: Doctors deserve better than to have their trade union hijacked in this way by far-Left activists.

The BMA said it was a democratic organisation and that all of its internal elections followed proper due process.
An Indian nurse accused of killing Toyah Cordingley has asked to be extradited to Australia so he can fight the allegation.

Rajwinder Singh, 38, is accused of murdering the 24-year-old on Wangetti Beach, in far north Queensland, in October 2018.

He then allegedly fled to India two days later sparking a four-year manhunt before he was tracked down to a village and arrested in November.

Singh denied the allegation and said he was prepared to fight it after officially submitting a request to return to Australia in a New Delhi court on Saturday.

An Indian male nurse (centre, Rajwinder Singh) accused of killing Toyah Cordingley has asked to be extradited to Australia so he can fight the allegation

Rajwinder Singh, 38, has been accused of murdering the 24-year-old teenager (pictured) on Wangetti Beach, in far north Queensland, in October 2018

He told media he has 'done nothing wrong' and that he is 'an eye witness to a murder'.

'I am not the killer, I didn't kill her (Toyah),' he told Courier Mail. 'I will tell the court why I ran from the country over there.'

Singh said he wanted the Australian Federal Police to take over the investigation from Queensland Police and insisted on a 'thorough investigation'.

His father Amar has thrown his support behind his son saying that he believed in his innocence.

'I fully support my son's decision to go to Australia and contest the charges,' he said.

The extradition order must now be signed off by the Indian Government before Singh can return and it is unclear when that will happen.

Singh told local reporters in Delhi that he will 'explain everything over there in Australia'.

Singh (right, with his father Amar) told media he has 'done nothing wrong' and that he is 'an eye witness to a murder'

On Saturday, Singh (pictured outside court in Delhi) entered a 'willingness statement' which means the Indian court accepted his desire to return to Australia and face trial

Toyah Cordingley (pictured) was 24 when she was found dead in a shallow grave at Wangetti Beach in October 2018

Ajay Digpaul, the government's prosecuting counsel, previously told AAP: 'We will seek to ensure this case proceeds with maximum speed.'

Australian police allege Singh stabbed Ms Cordingley to death on Wangetti Beach, north of Cairns, as she took a morning walk with her dog.

Singh allegedly boarded a flight to India, leaving his wife and three children, a day after Ms Cordingley was reported missing.

Ms Cordingley's father found the body of the pharmacy worker half-buried in the sand, with her dog tied up unharmed to a nearby tree.

Local Indian media report Singh allegedly told Delhi police he got into an argument with Ms Cordingley because her dog barked at him.

The prosecution is 'very focused on this case,' Mr Digpaul said.

Rajwinder Singh, 38, was finally tracked down to a village in India and arrested in November

Toyah had driven to Wangetti Beach, north of Cairns, to walk her dog. She never returned home

But Singh 'will have the right to appeal,' he added.

In November, Delhi Police shared a photo of the suspect, showing him sporting a turban and long white-streaked beard.

His appearance is completely different to photos that circulated of him after Toyah's death in 2018.

He was arrested following an extradition request by Australia in 2021 and a $1million reward offered by Queensland authorities which attracted the attention of bounty hunters.
Labour strategists have warned Sir Keir Starmer that the return of Boris Johnson as Tory leader poses the biggest threat to his chances of entering Downing Street.

Private polling studied by Labour high command suggests that the key swing voters who switched to the Tories in the 2019 General Election are increasingly discounting the negative publicity surrounding the Partygate rows which dogged Mr Johnsons time in office, and are placing more emphasis on his leadership during the Covid crisis.

It comes as former Cabinet Minister Nadine Dorries, a Boris loyalist, tells The Mail on Sunday that the Tory Party will die if Mr Johnson does not return as leader.

Labour strategists have warned Sir Keir Starmer that the return of Boris Johnson as Tory leader poses the biggest threat to his chances of entering Downing Street

Key swing voters who switched to the Tories in the 2019 General Election are increasingly discounting the negative publicity surrounding the Partygate rows

The ex-Culture Secretary writes: Its bring back Boris Johnson or die because the first priority of any Labour government will be to ensure that there will never be a majority Conservative government ever again.

One Labour strategist tells MoS columnist Dan Hodges today that the ousting of Mr Johnson last year was like gold dust for us. The strategist said: It brought into play this whole group of voters who were out of reach. There are a clump of seats we thought we could win that we now think we should win.

Ms Dorries adds: The fact is, he is the most impactful, charismatic, progressive and productive leader the Conservative Party has known since the days of Margaret Thatcher. The future of Conservative MPs rests in their own hands and they have a simple question to ask themselves: do they want to remain as MPs, or not? He is still our political rock star out on the streets.

Cabinet Minister Nadine Dorries, a Boris loyalist, tells The Mail on Sunday that the Tory Party will die if Mr Johnson does not return as leader

Sources close to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak play down the credibility of a Boris comeback, which they say is being stoked by his acolytes  and by Labour strategists hoping to destabilise the current administration.

The news comes as former Chief Whip Mark Spencer said Mr Johnson could have a big role in politics in the future.

When asked whether the former PM would make a comeback, the Environment Minister said people should never write him off.

The Conservative MP for Sherwood told GB News in an interview to be broadcast today: If you look back, everybody said he could never become Mayor of London, and he did it. And then they said, Well youll never get re-elected. Look at the polls, the polls are telling you youll never get re-elected. And he did it. Well, youll never solve Brexit, Boris. The Theresa May government was completely paralysed. Theres nothing you can do, Boris, to solve this problem. And he did it.

You know, I think you write Boris Johnson off at your peril. Hes a hugely, hugely talented politician.

Without Boris, Tories will die

By Nadine Dorries, Former Culture Secretary

It should be no surprise to anyone that the thing the Labour Party fears most is the return of Boris Johnson.

Enough of their MPs let that slip at the time he was being removed as Prime Minister and were unable to contain their delight.

And not just Labour MPs  the Remain media, too. We all witnessed the gleeful reaction of BBC presenter Martine Croxall the day Boris resigned.

He is the most impactful, charismatic, progressive and productive leader the Conservative Party has known since the days of Margaret Thatcher. The future of Conservative MPs rests in their own hands, and they have a simple question to ask themselves: do they want to remain as MPs or not?

It is an undeniable fact that with Boris at the helm, more would return to Westminster following a General Election than with any other individual leading the party. He is still our political rock star out on the streets. The Prime Minister who got every single big decision right, from personally driving the vaccine programme to arming the people of Ukraine and standing up to Vladimir Putin.

With Rishi in No 10, we are heading into the long, cold and brutal wasteland of thankless opposition.

For the Conservatives, its bring back Boris or die because the first task of any Labour government would be to ensure that therell never be a majority Conservative government ever again.
No students were hurt and police confirmed it was 'not an accidental shooting'

The six-year-old boy's identity has still not been released

Police chief Steve Drew met with Zwerner this morning and said she is improving

Zwerner was shot in the chest by a student, 6, at Richneck Elementary School

The Virginia teacher who was intentionally shot in the chest by her six-year-old student on Friday afternoon is now in a stable condition, the Newport News police chief said.

Chief Steve Drew met with Abby Zwerner, 25, and her family this morning and revealed in a statement on Saturday afternoon that her condition is improving.

Zwerner, a first-grade teacher at Richneck Elementary School, was rushed to hospital with critical injuries on Friday after she was shot by a 6-year-old boy during an 'altercation' in a classroom. The child remains in police custody.

Chief Steve Drew (pictured) met with Abby Zwerner, 25, and her family on Saturday morning and said in a statement her condition is improving

Abby Zwerner (pictured), 25, a first-grade teacher at Richneck Elementary School, was rushed to hospital with critical injuries on Friday after she was shot in the chest by a 6-year-old boy

Newport News Police Department said in a statement this afternoon: 'In reference to the January 6 shooting at Richneck Elementary School, Chief Steve Drew met with the victim and her family this morning.

'She has improved and is currently listed in stable condition. Chief Drew asked that you continue to keep her in your thoughts and prayers.'

'The individual is a six-year-old student and is right now in police custody,' Drew said at a press conference on Friday. 'This was not an accidental shooting.

'It was in a classroom, an altercation took place there,' he said. 'We did not have a situation where someone was going around the school shooting. We had a situation in one particular location where a gunshot was fired.'

A crowd of parents waited outside Richneck Elementary School after the 2pm shooting where a six-year-old allegedly shot his teacher on purpose after an 'altercation'

Zwerner was shot in the chest at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News around 2pm on Friday

The shooting happened at Richneck Elementary School, a school for kids aged five to nine, just before 2pm. No children were harmed and police are working to find out how the child had access to the gun.

A grandmother of one of the students told DailyMail.com that a student brought 'shiny gold bullets' to school last week, but it is unclear if it is the same child who was taken into custody today.

Speaking to DailyMail.com, she said: 'The parents outside stated that their child told them a kid brought golden shiny bullets to school and was thinking about bringing his gun. The student told the parent, who informed the school.

'And the school just yesterday got back to the parent saying the parent of the kid said it was a nerf bullet and the parent said nerf bullets aren't shiny and gold.'

She was not positive if the child who brought in the 'bullets' is the same child allegedly involved in the shooting today.

Carlos Glover, nine, (pictured) was seen leaving the school with his mother Joselin after the shooting. A student has been taken into custody, but police have not released the student's name

The shooting occurred in the classroom and was an isolated incident. Officers are still trying to determine how to managed to get the weapon

Parent, Sebastian Gonzalez-Hernandez confirmed Zwerner's identity to DailyMail.com and also detailed her selflessness in the immediate aftermath.

He said 'she screamed at her kids to run away' after the student fired a single bullet.

'Even after she'd been shot she was thinking about the safety of her children,' Gonzalez-Hernandez said.

His own six-year-old, who he did not wish to name, was in the classroom when the gunshot went off.

'My son didn't see what happened, he heard the gunshot go off, and turned around to see Miss Zwerner on the floor,' he told DailyMail.com on Friday.

'She is an amazing teacher, so dedicated. My son absolutely loves her, and we're devastated about what's happened. We are all thinking of her and hoping that she gets better soon.'
The hate preacher who inspired the murderers of soldier Lee Rigby has vilified Prince Harry as a Muslim killer in an inflammatory outburst that has sparked security fears for the Royal Family and UK Armed Forces.

Extremist Anjem Choudary claimed the Duke of Sussex has shown his true colours by confessing he took the lives of 25 Taliban fighters while serving as an Apache helicopter pilot in Afghanistan.

Reacting to the revelations in Harrys memoir Spare, the infamous preacher accused the Royal Family of having a dark history of occupying Muslim lands and urged his followers to target British troops across the world.

Last night, leading politicians condemned the comments and warned of a raised threat to the Royal Family and Armed Forces.

Extremist Anjem Choudary (pictured) claimed the Duke of Sussex has shown his true colours by confessing he took the lives of 25 Taliban fighters while serving as an Apache helicopter pilot in Afghanistan

Choudary has remained relatively silent since his release from prison almost four years ago, having been jailed over his support of Islamic State terrorists.

But in an online response to Harrys memoir, he said: The latest revelations from Harry that he murdered 25 Muslims in Afghanistan followed by his comment that he has no remorse and that he just saw these human beings as chess pieces tells us everything we need to know about the Royal Family and their thinking about Islam and Muslims. In reality, the British Royal Family has a long and dark history of supporting the occupation of Muslim lands, the usurpation of its resources and the oppression of Muslims.

In the rambling statement, he adds: The world now knows of the wickedness that the US, UK and others engaged in, including repeatedly murdering innocent unarmed Muslims Nevertheless, Harry still saw fit to plunge his knife further into the hearts of Muslims with his callous boastful comments.

The imam ends by issuing a threat to British troops stationed in Islamic countries, urging Muslims to target them in Syria, Iraq and North Africa where many British soldiers are deployed.

Former Tory leader Iain Duncan-Smith said: This is an absolute example of not just hate speech, but direct and indirect threat to our constitutional head of state, our monarchy, and for that matter our Government and all public servants. The police and security services now need to move on this man, and he should no longer be free to act accordingly in the UK.

Reacting to the revelations in Harrys memoir Spare, the infamous preacher accused the Royal Family of having a dark history of occupying Muslim lands and urged his followers to target British troops across the world

Whatever your views on Harrys comments, the real danger is right there with this hate preacher, trying to whip people up to violent actions. These people have no place in a peaceful democracy.

Khalid Mahmood, Labour MP for Birmingham Perry Barr, said: This statement by Choudary is abhorrent, and puts lives at risk. I condemn it. He has to understand that British troops are out there to serve our interests, and so he should not be calling for their heads.

Dr Alan Mendoza, the executive director of the Henry Jackson Society foreign policy think tank, said: Blood and thunder statements like this from Choudary have historically been responsible for radicalising people to commit terrible crimes, especially against British troops here and abroad.

Tobias Ellwood, Tory MP for Bournemouth East, urged Prince Harry to issue another statement clarifying his earlier remarks that will stop others from issuing extremist rants like Choudary.

Mr Ellwood said: I would encourage Prince Harry to follow up with a statement of humility to clarify it was unwise to make such comments and out of step to what the rest of the Armed Forces do.

I believe he needs to recognise it was ill-construed, will be interpreted the wrong way and to ratchet up hate. Otherwise there will be others in addition to Choudary who will try to stir up hatred.

Choudary has been a prominent British extremist since the late 1990s, first becoming an active member of the hardline Islamic group Al-Muhajiroun, and then its leader from 2005 onwards until it was banned in 2010.

The hate preacher who inspired the murderers of soldier Lee Rigby (pictured) has vilified Prince Harry as a Muslim killer

Some of Choudarys followers were the most dangerous Islamic terrorists in Britain, including two who beheaded British soldier Lee Rigby outside Woolwich barracks in South-East London in May 2013.

Michael Adebolajo, now 38, and Michael Adebowale, 31, were both members of Al-Muhajiroun and were inspired by Choudarys rants to kill Drummer Rigby, 25, as revenge for British troops being present in Afghanistan.

Dozens of his followers ended up fighting for IS in Syria in about 2015, including his bodyguard, Mohammed Reza Haque, nicknamed Jihadi Giant.

But in 2016, Choudary was finally jailed for five-and-a-half years for publicly supporting IS. He was released in about 2018, after serving less than half the term.

Choudary, 55, who lives in Ilford, East London, had stringent licence conditions for about two-and-a-half years after his release, but is now free to preach. His assets are frozen by the Treasury and he is designated as a global terrorist by the United Nations, which prevents him from travelling abroad.
A New York school principal acted unprofessionally and was 'arguably cruel' when she publicly posted the test results of under-achieving kids and denied them field trips, an investigation has found.

The incidents occurred during the 2019-2020 school year at PS 333, the Longwood Academy of Discovery in the South Bronx section of New York City and were first reported by the New York Post.

In 2020, it was claimed that Najera's actions resulted in one young girl writing that she would commit suicide and a boy crying so much that he struggled to breathe. The students in question were in the third grade.

At the time of writing, Najera remains the principal of the school. But Anastasia Coleman, the Special Commissioner of Investigation for the New York City School District, has recommended that the department take 'appropriate action' against Najera, a new story by the New York Post revealed.

An investigation into Principal Victoria Najera's behavior found that she was 'unprofessional and arguably cruel' after embarrassing underachieving students

According to the Post, Najera claimed her behavior was part of a 'goal setting' program that would give students 'incentives' to improve. While an employee of the school said that it was the principal's belief that students 'needed to be embarrassed.'

Earlier it was reported that during assemblies, Najera was known to bring students on stage who had performed well enough to go on field trips to Cirque du Soleil and New York Knicks' games, and flaunt them in front of under achieving students.

In a letter to parents to welcome the community back to the school in 2021, Najera wrote in part: 'We will work together, staff and parents, to support every student every day. As we support our students, we have a plan to support every student academically.'

The letter concluded with the words: 'As a school community we believe we can Learn, Achieve, Discover together. I look forward to continuing our work together in making The Longwood Academy of Discovery one of the best schools in the South Bronx.'

The Longwood Academy of Discovery in the South Bronx has a low math and reading scores in statewide tests

A former PTA president associated with the school has also accused Najera of misusing funds

At the same time, Najera's initiative to test student's literacy upon returning to class learning following the Covid-19 pandemic was featured in a report by NY1.

Her school has a state math test passing rate of just four percent and a reading test pass result of just ten percent.

Meanwhile, a former PTA president who was involved in the school, LaTicia Thompson, accused the principal of misusing funds.

Thompson told the Post, 'Obviously, she wasnt disciplined, because nothing has changed. Its actually getting worse. They are allowing a principal to create and foster a traumatic, toxic, and chaotic environment for our children.'

The concerned parent has gone a step further and initiated a Change.org petition asking for action to be taken against Najera. At the time of writing, there are 250 signatures, the goal of the page is 500 signees.

In the blurb, Thompson writes that the Longwood Academy has a huge literacy problem.

She blames Najera for this saying, 'What Principal Victoria Najera is doing inside the school is a subset of the larger issues we face in our communities of color and is a breeding ground for the division and long term effects of discrimination.'

Thompson continued, 'We have no confidence that if she becomes a tenured principal that her behaviors and impacts will change or improve to the benefit of any community that she serves, but certainly and specifically not PS333x.'

The campaign is titled, 'Save Our District 8 Public School.'

Najera's case will now be referred on to the Department of Education's Office of Special Investigations.
Meghan Markle kept a diary during her turbulent years in the Royal Family which may form the basis of her own book.

Prince Harry's memoir 'Spare' reveals the Duchess of Sussex recorded her thoughts and feelings in a journal.

Writing about the birth of daughter Lilibet, Harry said: 'She jotted some thoughts in a kind of journal. Which she shared. I read them as a love poem. I read them as a testament, a renewal of our vows.

'I read them as a citation, a remembrance, a proclamation.'

Prince Harry's memoir 'Spare' reveals Meghan Markle recorded her thoughts and feelings in a journal, which some speculate may form the basis of her own autobiography

Last week the MoS revealed the duchess may already be writing her own memoir as part of a four-book deal the couple has with publishers Penguin Random House.

Harry received a reported $20 million advance for Spare, the duchess has already published her children's book 'The Bench' and a third book, a health and wellness guide, is said to be in the works.

It is thought the fourth and final book will be Meghan's autobiography.

A source in the US said: 'Meghan has always kept diaries, from the time she was a child. Harry saying she kept a journal is unsurprising.

'She has journaled all her life. It would make total sense for Meghan to do her own book and base it on diaries she kept during her time in the Royal Family.'

Harry may have purposely left out allegations of racism against the royal family which the couple first raised during their infamous Oprah Winfrey interview - to give Meghan a 'clear run' at the topic in her book.

During the 2021 interview Meghan claimed there was concern within the royal family about her baby's skin tone when she was pregnant with son Archie.

During her Oprah Winfrey interview in 2021, Meghan claimed there was concern within the royal family about her baby's skin tone when she was pregnant with son Archie (pictured).

There were several 'concerns and conversations about how dark his skin my be when he was born,' she said, in one of the most explosive claims in the Oprah interview.

A publishing source in the US told the MoS: 'Because of the shocking nature of that claim, a story which everyone around the world was talking about and still talks about, it was assumed that Harry would address the incident in Spare.

'It's one of the main stories in their narrative and it's the one question everyone wants an answer to.

'Which member of the royal family questioned the colour of Archie's skin?

'But there is not a single word about it in Spare.

'The assumption in the publishing world is that he must have left it out of his book to allow Meghan to have as a bombshell for her book.

'Harry barely addresses racism in Spare. That feels calculated. Meghan will have a clear run at addressing all the alleged racism.'

Harry reportedly wanted to cancel publication of his book after visiting Britain for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee last summer.

The team working on Spare were told: 'He's pulled it. He doesn't want to do it.'

While Harry later changed his mind after the death of the Queen in September, sources say the original manuscript was packed with 'Americanisms' and had to be 'translated' into 'British' English.

One said: 'It was extraordinary. A member of the royal family describing everything as 'awesome' and using phraseology like: 'We had gotten ourselves into a difficult situation.'

'We had to go through the whole manuscript to make it sound like he was actually English.'

Some have speculated that Meghan contributed passages to Harry's book and may have even helped edit the manuscript.
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem appears to be showing off her bona fides ahead of what's expected to be a competitive 2024 Republican presidential primary as she gave her second inaugural speech Saturday.

Noem, who won re-election by 26 points, spoke ahead of the speech, which included a reference to David Letterman's famous 'Top 10' lists and discussed how her leadership can offer lessons for the rest of the country.

She was asked Saturday if she wasn't ruling out a 2024 run and responded that 'that's fair to say. But there are a lot of people out there talking about running for president. I also know that politics changes quickly and things change on a dime on who's going to run and who's not going to run. I want the best person.'

Among her presidential rivals will be Florida Governor Ron DeSantis - whom her press secretary lashed out against earlier this week - and former President Donald Trump, a Noem ally.

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem appears to be showing off her bona fides ahead of what's expected to be a competitive 2024 Republican presidential primary as she gave her second inaugural speech Saturday

Noem was non-committal about Trump's presence in the race, but added that 'we need a better president than Joe Biden' who she termed 'a disaster.'

The South Dakota governor spent eight years in the House of Representatives before running for statewide office.

She had previously been rumored to be plotting a challenge to RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, but ended up not running.

Earlier this week, Noem's communications director ripped into Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis suggesting the Republican rising star's abortion stance was too liberal.

'Governor Noem was the only Governor in America on national television defending the Dobbs decision,' aide Ian Fury told the National Review for a story published Thursday. 'Where was Governor DeSantis? Hiding behind a 15-week ban. Does he believe that 14-week-old babies don't have a right to live?'

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem's (left) communications director ripped into Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (right) suggesting the Republican rising star's abortion stance was too liberal

Live: South Dakota Inaugural South Dakota dignitaries gather in Pierre for the 2023 South Dakota Inaugural. Posted by Dakota News Now on Saturday, January 7, 2023

In April, DeSantis - considered a top 2024 GOP presidential contender - signed a 15-week ban on abortion in the Sunshine State.

Florida's Republican state lawmakers defeated amendments that would have allowed for exceptions in the cases of rape, incest, human trafficking and mental health, according to the Tallahassee Democrat.

Exceptions were kept in place for cases where the mother's life is at risk, there are fetal abnormalities or 'irreversible physical impairment.'

In December, after DeSantis cakewalked to reelection by about 20 points, the Florida Republican indicated he would be open to signing even more restrictive abortion laws, The Orlando Sentinel reported.

In his note to National Review, Fury claimed that DeSantis 'just terminated his pro-life Secretary for AHCA, Simone Marstiller, the most pro-life member of his cabinet.'

Earlier this week, Noem's communications director ripped into Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis suggesting the Republican rising star's abortion stance was too liberal

In April, DeSantis - considered a top 2024 GOP presidential contender - signed a 15-week ban on abortion in the Sunshine State

Marstiller, the now former Agency for Health Care Administration secretary, departed the administration in November, with Politico reporting that her exit had to do with a new lobbying ban, not bad blood with the Florida governor.

DeSantis' office called the claim that Marstiller was let go under bad terms 'absolutely false,' according to FloridaPolitics.com.

'Florida Right to Life is embarrassed by Gov. DeSantis's record, so they invited Governor Noem to speak at their annual conference in October 2021,' Fury also said.

Fury later took to Twitter to attack the reporter he sent the message to, the National Review's Nate Hochman.

'Nate is a shill for Gov. DeSantis. He attacks Gov. Noem using the once-proud masthead of National Review because he sees her as a threat,' Fury said.

Noem, too, has been considered a Republican rising star.

At the Conservative Political Action Conference in February, she was voted No. 2 by attedees, after DeSantis, when former President Donald Trump wasn't in the mix, in the event's annual presidential straw poll.

Of course, Trump has already announced a 2024 presidential bid.

Recent polling, however, has largely ignored Noem as a potential contender.

Instead the Real Clear Politics polling average includes Trump - who still has a 18.2 percent advantage - and DeSantis, followed by former Vice President Mike Pence, former U.N. Amb. Nikki Haley, former Rep. Liz Cheney, Sen. Marco Rubio, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan.

Besides Trump and DeSantis, all the other candidates are polling in the single digits.

When asked about Trump specifically Saturday, Noem told Fox News 'I still believe that he's a good man and has good perspective on this and I think he is going to be part of the conversation going forward.'
Meghan accepted freebies while at Kensington Palace, Prince Harry reveals in his memoir.

The usual practice within the Royal Family is to send back unsolicited gifts which have been sent to the palace for free.

Yet in his book, Harry admits that Meghan took free gifts, but also distributed them to her staff.

Harry says: 'She shared all the freebies she received, clothes and perfumes and make-up, with all the women in the office.'

Meghan accepted freebies while at Kensington Palace, Prince Harry has revealed in his memoir, Spare. Pictured: The Duchess of Sussex as a serving royal (left) in 2018

If a member of the Royal Family is seen wearing an item of clothing, it can be worth thousands of pounds in advertising, marketing executives say.

Dresses worn by the Princess of Wales often sell out within minutes of her being pictured in a particular brand or designer item.

With this in mind, members of the Royal family pay for their own clothes in order to avoid being seen as a commercial enterprise.

Harry includes the admission presumably to counteract previous reports that Meghan was rude to palace staff.

He says: 'I never heard her speak a bad word about anybody, or to anybody. On the contrary, I watched her redouble her efforts to reach out, to spread kindness.

'She sent out handwritten thank you notes, checked on staff who were ill, sent baskets of food or flowers or goodies to anyone struggling, depressed, off sick.'
The older woman who took Harrys virginity in a field when he was 17 is believed to be a vet at a horse stud, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

In his memoir Spare, the prince revealed that his lover treated me not unlike a young stallion behind a busy pub  thought to be the 17th Century Rattlebone Inn in Wiltshire, according to locals.

Franck Ortet, a former manager at the pub, last night told the MoS that he believes the mystery woman was an attractive member of the local polo set who enjoyed rowdy nights at the pub with both Harry and Prince William when she was in her mid-20s.

The woman started going to the Rattlebone, in the pretty village of Sherston, with the two princes and a group of players from the nearby Beaufort Polo Club in April 2000.

In his memoir Spare, the prince revealed that his lover treated me not unlike a young stallion behind a busy pub  thought to be the 17th Century Rattlebone Inn in Wiltshire

About ten years older than Harry, she is now an equine vet at a successful stud and looks after  perhaps fittingly  several stallions.

Mr Ortet, 48, described the woman as very confident and the leader of a group of friends who Harry socialised with in his late teens in the pubs near his fathers Highgrove estate in Gloucestershire.

She was nearly always there when Harry and William were there, he said. Quite often she was sitting in between the two of them, or next to Harry. She would tell him off by saying Oh shut up, Harry when he was saying something that was nonsense. They had a good giggle, quite often, which made me think that she was the person. She was quite flirtatious as well.

She was lovely and she was always very close to them. Whenever she was at the pub she was shadowing them. In my personal opinion, she would be the perfect candidate. She is not super famous but she is not a commoner either.

Everybody was kind of seeking her approval  she was the kind of person you want to make laugh. All the guys fancied her.

The MoS yesterday approached the womans home but a man who answered the door, believed to be her husband, said she would not comment.

Leaked copies of Spare in Spain raised eyebrows last week with Harrys apparently crass language. I mounted her quickly, after which she spanked my ass and sent me away, a translated copy of the book said.

But the MoS is the first to see an English version of the book in which it is clear the prince was using a light-hearted metaphor. Comparing the encounter to being treated not unlike a young stallion, he added: Quick ride, after which shed smacked my rump and sent me off to graze.

The backdoor of the pub is just two footsteps away from the 'grassy field' where Harry had his first sexual encounter with an older woman.

The backdoor of the pub is just two footsteps away from the 'grassy field' where Harry had his first sexual encounter with an older woman

The small paddock - now known as Baker Thompson's Field - has been taken over by the Village Hall and is now used for weddings and other public events.

But residents of the village of Sherston recall it being used as a regular haunt for couples having a quickie behind the pub.

The MoS first revealed in 2002 how William and Harry enjoyed raucous lock-ins at the Rattlebone with their friends.

The group would hold their drinking session in the pubs so-called magic room  a back bar away from the front windows.

During one particularly drunken night, Mr Ortet, originally from Biarritz in France but now living in Shropshire, lined up an extraordinary 36 pints of snakebite lager and cider for the princes and their friends to drink after hours.

We were doing this game where we had to drink three or four pints in under a minute When you are in your 20s, you do silly things like that, Mr Ortet said.

Current landlord of Jason Read, 54, who took over the pub 17 years ago, said: 'I know Prince Harry drank here but this is the first I've heard of him losing his virginity in the field at the back

The partying, however, turned sour one night in the spring of 2001 when a drunken Harry repeatedly hurled racial slights at Mr Ortet, who barred Harry from the pub and has not seen him since.

He said he believed a field behind the Rattlebone, which is surrounded by a stone wall, would have been the perfect spot for Harrys brief liaison. But others are not so sure.

After Harry was barred, he and his friends began drinking at The Vine Tree, in nearby Norton. But the popular pub has a large window in the middle overlooking a field, meaning revellers could have spotted any fornicating outside.

In his memoir Spare, Harry revealed that he lost his virginity to a horse-obsessed older woman in the field behind the pub

Another contender named by locals is The Cat and Custard Pot in Shipton Moyne, which also has a large field behind its car park.

Some of those who knew Harry through polo are dismayed at his recent behaviour.

He has lost his brain  it has slipped about three feet, said Beryl Clampton, 82, who lives in Sherston. He will come to his senses one day.

Meanwhile, one woman pensioner, who has lived in the village for 47 years, told MailOnline: 'No one living here at the time is surprised that Harry got up to mischief in the field.

'He and William used the pub as their local - Harry was a young man doing what young men do.'

The woman, 72, who didn't want to be named claimed to know the identity of the older woman who treated the teenage prince 'not unlike a young stallion' according to his memoir Spare.

She said: 'There were rumours in the village at the time, she wasn't from the village itself but worked at stables not far away. As far as I know she doesn't live here any more.

'The pub was very different in those days and there were also rumours that he smoked drugs while he was here.'

The woman said the Cotswolds village was not particularly proud of its association to the errant prince and they won't be putting up a blue plaque to mark Harry's first sexual encounter.

The backdoor of the Rattlebone Inn is opposite the ivy-clad entrance to the field which these days is blocked by a black wrought-iron gate.

But when Harry and Prince William used the pub while staying with their father at Highgrove House seven miles away there was no gate.

Villagers said Harry wouldn't be the only drinker to slip out of the pub's back door with one of the local girls.

Current landlord Jason Read, 54, who took over the pub 17 years ago, said: 'I know Prince Harry drank here but this is the first I've heard of him losing his virginity in the field at the back.

'There is popular mythology about the brothers coming here but it's before my time. It might be good for business though.'

The field runs alongside Sherston village hall where a yoga class was in full swing today. The grassy area now belongs to the village and is named after local charities that funded its purchase 12 years ago.
Bryan Kohberger reportedly joked that he came to the area where four University of Idaho students were murdered because "shopping is better in Idaho" while being threatened with death by a fellow inmate in a Pennsylvania jail.

A source told NewsNation that the quadruple murder suspect was intimidated while he sat behind a glass screen in his cell following his arrest at his parents' house in Albrightsville on December 30.

Idaho Student Murders Suspect Denies Killing Anyone

According to the informant, when questioned why he murdered the University of Idaho students, Kohberger responded, "I did nothing." A news source said he was wearing a suicide smock, which stops convicts from killing themselves. When questioned why he was in Moscow, some eight miles from his residence in Washington state, Kohberger responded, "The shopping is better in Idaho," according to a source.

During his five days at the Monroe County Jail, Kohberger was able to take daily showers without handcuffs, but his leg shackles were not removed, according to the report. According to a source, jail officials also accepted his request for vegan meals, which included peanut butter & jelly, applesauce, veggies, beans, rice, and cereal.

After being placed into the Latah County Jail following his extradition from Pennsylvania, Kohberger made his initial court appearance in Idaho on Thursday. He is charged with first-degree murder and burglary in the murders of Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, on November 13.

Latah County Sheriff Richard Skiles told NewsNation that the jail staff is attempting to meet Kohberger's nutritional demands, "but we will not be purchasing new pots and pans or anything like."

His remark follows an exclusive revelation in The New York Post in which a former aunt stated that Kohberger's relatives had to purchase new pots and pans because he refused to consume anything that had previously been used to cook meat. The former aunt described Kohberger's food restrictions as "very, very weird" and "far beyond vegan."

Read Also: Utah Murders Solved: Tragedy That Killed 7 People Found To Be a Murder-Suicide Over Divorce Talks

Bryan Kohberger's Dark Past

Meanwhile, former high school classmates of the man accused of murdering four students at the University of Idaho say that Brian Kohberger was tormented prior to becoming a bully and reportedly taking heroin. The former classmates made the remarks in an upcoming episode of 48 Hours entitled 'The Idaho Student Murders' that will air on Paramount+ on Saturday.'

One former student at Washington State University regarded Kohberger as outspoken but otherwise unremarkable "comfortable in social situations, according to a CBS News report on the incident.

According to Kohberger's old high school friends who talked with 48 Hours, he was tormented until his senior year, when he shed 100 pounds. Casey Arntz, one of his former classmates, stated that after he lost weight, "many people saw a significant difference."

"When Bryan became somewhat furious with [her brother], he would gaslight him and get physically abusive," she claimed, adding that Kohberger would chokehold her brother. Another student, Bree, who requested anonymity for her last name, stated that Kohberger reportedly began taking heroin. Since then, Kohberger has been sent to Moscow, Idaho to face murder accusations. In this instance, he has not yet filed a plea.

Per The Independent, during Kohberger's extradition hearing, Monroe County public lawyer Jason LaBar stated, "These charges are out of character for Bryan."

Related Article: Idaho College Murders: DNA Found on Knife Sheath Led Cops to Bryan Kohberger Arrest

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Adorable video footage of the experiments show the rodents becoming excited

Rats not only enjoy being tickled by humans, but they do happy little jumps when watching other rats get tickled, a new study shows.

In experiments in Germany, rats were filmed while watching an experimenter tickle another rat on the other side of a transparent barrier.

When rats saw others get tickled, they experienced something known as 'Freudensprunge'  a German term meaning 'to jump for joy'.

What's more, the mere observation of others being tickled induced 'laughter' in the rats, inaudible to the human ear.

Researchers in Germany made rats watch others being tickled and studied their responses. When rats saw others get tickled, they experienced something known as 'Freudensprunge' - a German term meaning 'to jump for joy'

The new study was conducted by experts at the Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin in Germany.

Do rats like being tickled? Rats like playing with humans and enjoy being tickled, according to experts at Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin. When being tickled, rats emit ultrasonic 'laughter', show 'Freudensprunge' (joy jumps) and chase the hand doing the tickling. Activity of the trunk somatosensory neurons - nerve cells in the brain - can also increase too. However, according to a 2020 University of Bristol study, not all rats like to be tickled, and that by listening to their vocalisations it is possible to understand individual emotional responses. Advertisement

'While negative experiences like pain, fear or diseases are intensively studied, positive experiences like fun are understudied,' lead author Shimpei Ishiyama told MailOnline.

'Our study on rat playfulness would contribute to understanding the brain mechanisms of playful behaviours.'

Ishiyama and colleagues think rats may have the capacity to share the feelings of other individuals, which plays a 'critical role' in social interactions between humans.

'Emotional contagion as a way to gain rapid emotional connectedness has been proposed to have its origins in parental behaviour and is thought to be the root of empathy,' they say.

'There is a growing field of research on rodent empathy, but until now these studies have mainly been focusing on negative emotions.'

Leading up to their lab experiments, all rats were handled for 20 minutes and tickled for 10 minutes individually once a day for six to eight days.

For the experiments, the researchers used a box separated into two compartments by a transparent barrier, both fitted with ultrasonic microphones.

'Observer' rats  the ones doing the watching  was placed into one of the compartments.

The observer rat first witnessed 'air tickling', where the experimenter made a tickling motion in the second compartment while it was empty.

Observer rats then witnessed audiovisual footage on a TV screen of rat being tickled, before another rat (the 'demonstrator' rat) was placed into the other compartment.

Experimental set-up: The researchers used a box separated into two compartments by a transparent barrier

Pictured, the observer rat witnesses 'air tickling', where the experimenter made a tickling motion in the second compartment

Pictured, an observer rat witnessing audiovisual footage on a TV screen of a rat being tickled

Rats can 'bop their heads in time to the beat of music' Rats can bop their heads in time to the beat of different genres of music, a recent study shows. Researchers from the University of Tokyo played the rodents clips of Lady Gaga, Queen and Michael Jackson as well as a Mozart Sonata at four different tempos. Any bopping was recorded both on camera and with a miniature sensor strapped to their heads. The rodents were best at keeping in time when it was between 120 and 140 bpm. Read more Advertisement

When the demonstrator rats were tickled, the observer rats showed interest and displayed 'playful behaviour', including faster movement, chasing the human's hand and doing 'joy jumps'.

The ultrasonic microphones also picked up ultrasonic vocalisations that were not audible to the experimenter, thought to be akin to laughter.

Interestingly, the air tickling  when the experimenter's hand tickled the air  also induced these vocalizations but not joy jumps.

Meanwhile, audiovisual playback of tickling footage on the TV screen had little effect on observer rat reactions.

The fact observer rats showed little response to audiovisual playback of tickling footage but more to the live demonstrator rat being tickled suggests 'vicarious playfulness', according to the researchers.

'It is remarkable that playfulness contagion is not merely carried by the sound and vision, but it requires the presence of a live demonstrator,' they say in their paper.

Electrodes in the brain also showed an increase in the observer rats' neuronal responses  the activity of neurons in the brain.

Back in 2016, the research team found that neurons in the brain region called the 'trunk somatosensory cortex' are strongly activated when the rat is being tickled by familiar humans.

The researchers say: 'Observer rats vocalize and show Freudensprunge during witnessing tickling'

With this new study, they've shown that this extends to simply watching fellow rats being tickled too.

'We found that rats emit ultrasonic vocalizations and exhibit joy jumps, when another rat is tickled in front, as if they are tickled,' Ishiyama told MailOnline.

'We conclude that ticklishness and tickle-induced playfulness are contagious in playful rats, and the trunk somatosensory cortex represents "tickle-mirror" neurons.'

However, according to a 2020 University of Bristol study, not all rats like the experience of being tickled.

This study found that by listening to rat vocalisations it is possible to understand their individual emotional responses to the experience.

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A Stockholm-based startup showcased a $400,000 electric-powered hydroil foil boat at the Consumer Electronics Show that has been described as Teslas of the sea.

The C-8 model cruises for two and a half hours and tops speeds of 23 miles per hour, but this futuristic boat is just one of several at the Las Vegas event.

Swedish company Candela unveiled a 28-foot electric-powered hydrofoil speedboat that can cruise for over two hours at 20 knots, or about 23 mph.

California startup Navier tried to outdo its Scandinavian rival by bringing an electric hydrofoil that's a little bit longer, though Candela is further along in getting its products to customers.

Even the recreational motorboat conglomerate Brunswick Corporation tried to make a splash in Nevada this week by showing off its latest electric outboard motor - an emerging segment of its mostly gas-powered fleet.

A chief reason for the electric-powered boat boom is environmental, as well as to save on rising fuel costs. But electric-powered boats - particularly with the sleek foiling designs that lift the hull above the water's surface at higher speeds - can also offer a smoother and quieter ride.

A Stockholm-based startup showcased a $400,000 electric-powered hydroil foil boat at the Consumer Electronics Show that has been described as Teslas of the sea

'You can have a wine glass and it does not spill,' Navier CEO Sampriti Bhattacharyya told The Associated Press last month. 'And its quiet, extremely quiet. You can have a conversation, unlike on a gas boat.'

Candela CEO Gustav Hasselskog said his company has already sold and manufactured 150 of its brand-new C-8 model. The Stockholm-based startup has been scaling up its workforce from 60 employees a year ago to about 400 later this year as it prepares to ramp up production.

But with a roughly $400,000 price tag, neither the C-8 nor Navier's N30 aims to replace the aluminum boat used to fish on the lake.

'They tend to be entrepreneurs,' Hasselskog said of Candela's first customers. 'They tend to be tech enthusiasts, if you like, with an optimistic view about the future and the ability of technology to solve all kinds of societal challenges.'

The C-8 model cruises for two and a half hours and tops speeds of 23 miles per hour, but this futuristic boat is just one of several at the Las Vegas event. It costs roughly $400,000

A chief reason for the electric-powered boat boom is environmental, as well as to save on rising fuel costs. People walk by a Mercury V12 600 HP gas boat motor at the Brunswick booth during the CES tech show

Norbert Brosi drives a boat on the Future Helm boat simulator at the Brunswick booth during the CES tech show Friday

While electric-powered boats that 'fly' on the water sound enticing, experts do not yet see them flying off the market.

These early electric boat models are expensive, heavy and could instill more serious 'range anxiety' than what drivers have felt about electric cars, said Truist Securities analyst Michael Swartz, who follows the leisure boat industry.

'How safe is it for me to go out in the middle of the week with no one around, miles from shore, in an electric outboard engine?' Swartz said.

Swartz said they might make more sense to use electric motors - such as a new CES offering from Brunswick-owned Mercury Marine - to power a fleet of small rental boats, perhaps at the widely-used boating clubs also run by Brunswick.

'Youre not anywhere near the type of electric boat where you can go 50 miles offshore and go fishing for a couple of hours and come back,' Swartz said. 'Theres no technology that can enable you to replicate that experience outside of an internal combustion engine.'

Both Candela and Navier are planning for a secondary market of electric ferries that could compete with the gas-powered vehicles that now carry commuters around populated regions such as the Stockholm archipelago or along San Francisco Bay.

Hasselskog said the same technology powering Candela's new leisure boat will also be used to power a 30-passenger catamaran prototype that could operate in Sweden by summer.

People look at a boat with a Mercury Avator electric outboard boat motor at the Brunswick booth during the CES tech show

But with a roughly $400,000 price tag, neither the C-8 nor Navier's N30 aims to replace the aluminum boat used to fish on the lake. Samuel Seder, with NAVIER, stands next to a video of the NAVIER 30 at the NAVIER booth during the CES tech

For a city like Stockholm, which has already electrified most of its public ground transportation, its dozens of large ferry boats are an outlier in producing carbon emissions.

'They need something like 220 of these (electric) vessels to replace the current fleet,' Hasselskog said. And instead of running on fixed schedules with empty seats, the smaller electric vehicles might be able to be summoned on demand, such as how Uber or Lyft work on land.

Many of the companies developing electric boat propulsion also have teams working on making these vehicles more autonomous. But since most recreational boaters like piloting their own boats - and most ferry passengers likely prefer a human captain at the helm - the self-driving innovation is focused on what happens at the marina.

'There's an intimidation factor with boating and a lot of the intimidation factor you hear from consumers is with docking,' said Swartz, the Truist analyst. 'So if that can be made seamless and automated, its a huge deal.'
Drones flying at up to 90mph could soon be delivering life-saving medical supplies within minutes.

Emergency operators will be trained to send out the machines loaded with EpiPens or defibrillators as soon as someone rings 999.

US firm Blueflite said its drones  which are being trialled  were aiming for 'near instantaneous delivery'.

Flying at a height of about 130ft, the autonomous drones can navigate their way to anyone within a ten-mile radius.

Makers Blueflite said its drones and the platform they run on were the 'first of their kind'

On arrival, they would hover and drop the equipment to the patient, who they would identify with a camera.

Blueflite announced at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas that it had signed a deal with Acadian Ambulance, one of the largest private medical transport companies in the US.

Chief technology officer James McClearen told the Daily Mail it was also finalising a deal with a company in Ireland and hoped to roll the drones out to the UK in the future.

The company said its drones and the platform they run on were the 'first of their kind' and they were still developing how the process will work.

Mr McClearen said: 'We will train up a team of operators so that when someone calls requiring help, they can immediately check the flight path is clear and press the go button. Our target will be to get the supplies to the person in need within three minutes of them calling.

The firm has built two types of drones that will be sent out depending on the cargo  Slate, which can carry about 2lbs at up to 50mph; and Cobalt, which can travel at up to 90mph on a 20-mile round trip.

Mr McClearen said the drones were 'not toys but industrial machines' and would cost between 30,000 and 75,000, depending on how many were bought.

Blueflite chief executive Frank Noppel said: 'Using drones to deliver critical medical equipment will shorten emergency response times considerably. And when every second counts, that can save lives and reduce costs in healthcare.'

He added: 'Drones are becoming more and more mainstream, and there is increasing acceptance from society.

'These are exciting times for us and the sector as a whole, and we believe that we are best positioned with our technology to enable drone operators through innovation.'
She's undergone many different hair makeovers over the years in keeping with her constant style evolution.

And while she's well-known for her glossy raven long locks, Kim is equally suited to the platinum blonde 'do she first sported in 2017 and again for the 2022 Met Gala.

Having previously said 'I don't really do wigs', Kim has put her natural locks through a lot, having dyed it honey blonde, pink, red, blue AND lime green over the years.

The influencer did try clip-on bangs in 2012, an idea her sister Khloe recently copied herself, because it's a way to get the look without the commitment.

And while she has the best hairdressers in the world at her disposal, it was only when Kim's daughter North West, nine, filmed a Christmas TikTok, that the true extent of Kim's damaged locks was revealed.

The reality star's real hair - without extensions, wigs or styling - looked much thinner and drier than normal having been over-styled and over-dyed.

MailOnline has taken a look at all of Kim's many hair transformations over the years to see what looks made the cut.

Natural: North West has filmed a Christmas TikTok revealing her mother Kim Kardashian's real hair

Big difference: Her wet hair looked to be slightly damaged from multiple dye-jobs and a far cry from her natural glossy raven locks

PLATINUM BLONDE

Kim dyed her hair platinum blonde in May last year to fully resemble Marilyn Monroe, as she wore her dress to the Met Gala.

After debuting her lighter locks, Kim detailed the transformation to Vogue the same month,

She explained: 'I did want a physical change, too, so I thought I would wait and do it for this, so I'm spending a day straight dyeing my hair  14 hours straight!  to get it done.

Blonde ambition: Kim dyed her hair platinum blonde in May last year to fully resemble Marilyn Monroe, as she wore her dress to the Met Gala

She later revealed that she feared her hair would fall out after bleaching it for the glamorous event.

It's not the first time Kim has gone blonde, after revealing in 2018 that she bleached her hair as a wedding anniversary 'gift' to her ex-husband Kanye West back in 2017.

'Kanye's favorite is blonde, so I did it for our anniversary,' she said at the time.

She also previously bleached it three times in three weeks in 2015 for an appearance at Paris Fashion Week, and was spotted some time later with her battered locks looking frazzled as a result.

Blonde bombshell: It's not the first time Kim has gone blonde, after revealing in 2018 that she bleached her hair as a wedding anniversary 'gift' to her ex-husband Kanye West back in 2017

Makeover: She also previously bleached it three times in three weeks in 2015 for an appearance at Paris Fashion Week (pictured)

FIERY RED

In 2019 Kim debuted a new flame-haired look, sporting bright red hair in an Instagram video.

She then relaunched the look in 2020, confirming it was her real hair, by saying: 'You guys, I dyed my hair red. Do you love it?'

Her long-time hairstylist Chris Appleton also shared video of her new look and emphatically insisted it was not a wig.

He captioned the post: 'Red head its NOT a wig before you start with that s***.'

Red hot: In 2019 Kim debuted a new flame-haired look, sporting bright red hair in an Instagram video

Lady in red: She then relaunched the look in 2020, confirming it was her real hair, by saying: 'You guys, I dyed my hair red. Do you love it?

ICY BLUE

In 2017 Kim unveiled an icy blue bob hairdo as she took her children to a holiday party on Christmas Eve.

She then opted for another blue look in 2019, with the mum-of-four sporting subtle mermaid blue waves.

She shocked her followers when she posted the dramatic new do to Instagram, captioning it with a mermaid emoji.

Blue Christmas! In 2017 Kim unveiled an icy blue bob hairdo as she took her children to a holiday party on Christmas Eve

Mermaid: She then opted for another blue look in 2019, with the mum-of-four sporting subtle mermaid blue waves

LIME GREEN

After going blue, Kim debuted a long neon green wig during a night out in Miami in 2018.

Her long tresses reached all the way down to her perky behind, as she donned a black metallic PVC dress that made the hairdo stand out.

Kim stepped out of a white Ferrari, switching into a green Lamborghini that matched her new hairstyle.

Green with envy: After going blue, Kim debuted a long neon green wig during a night out in Miami in 2018

BUBBLEGUM PINK

In 2017 Kim sported a bubblegum pink hairdo, debuting the look on Snapchat while working on a photo shoot.

She continued to sport the hairstyle in 2018, seen wearing a slightly darker pink shade at Haneda International Airport in Japan.

The mother-of-three showed off her vibrant tresses on Instagram and Twitter, saying: 'Hey guys, do you like my new pink hair?'

Pretty in pink: She continued to sport the hairstyle in 2018, seen wearing a slightly darker pink shade at Haneda International Airport in Japan

After some of her fans questioned whether it was a wig, the E! star took to Twitter to clear things up.

'I dont really do wigs . Its real.' she wrote.

A month later, she had gone back to her natural hair colour, but posted a throwback saying: 'I miss the baby pink hair'.

Real deal: After some of her fans questioned whether it was a wig, the E! star took to Twitter to clear things up

Missing it: A month later, she had gone back to her natural hair colour, but posted a throwback saying: 'I miss the baby pink hair'

HONEY BLONDE

As well as going platinum, Kim has also gone honey blonde in the past, debuting the golden shade in 2009.

In December 2022 she went back to the warm colour once again, debuting it on Instagram with a honey emoji as the caption.

Recently she took to Instagram to ask her followers for advice, saying: 'Thoughts on Honey? Should I dye my hair platinum again or go dark?'

Warm tones: As well as going platinum, Kim has also gone honey blonde in the past, debuting the golden shade in 2009

Sweet as honey: In December 2022 she went back to the warm colour once again, debuting it on Instagram with a honey emoji as the caption

Advice: Recently she took to Instagram to ask her followers for advice, saying: 'Thoughts on Honey? Should I dye my hair platinum again or go dark?'

BLUNT BOB

For her Met Gala look in May 2017, Kim underwent a drastic chop - losing her long extensions in favour of a sleek lob.

The next year, she went even shorter, debuting a blunt bob in her natural black colour.

She showed off the look once again in 2019, and then in 2022 she showed off the hairstyle with her platinum blonde locks.

Kim posed for a snap with Vogue editor Anna Wintour, who was sporting her signature bob and captioned it: 'BOBBSEY TWINS'.

Looking good: For her Met Gala look in May 2017, Kim underwent a drastic chop - losing her long extensions in favour of a sleek lob

Sleek: The next year, she went even shorter, debuting a blunt bob in her natural black colour

Matching: Kim posed for a snap with Vogue editor Anna Wintour, who was sporting her signature bob and captioned it: 'BOBBSEY TWINS'

EDGY BANGS

Kim flirted with the idea of bangs when she attached a faux fringe at the front of her raven locks in 2012.

She then bravely snipped the style into her hair for real in 2013, debuting a block fringe.

Kim also experimented with a side fringe as her bangs grew out, but seems to have decided that the hairstyle is not for her in recent years.

Thinking about it: Kim flirted with the idea of bangs when she attached a faux fringe at the front of her raven locks in 2012

Fringe benefits: She then bravely snipped the style into her hair for real in 2013, debuting a block fringe

Experimentation: Kim also experimented with a side fringe as her bangs grew out, but seems to have decided that the hairstyle is not for her in recent years

CONTROVERSIAL CORNROWS

In 2018, Kim faced furious backlash from fans, after showing off her new braided hairstyle on social media.

The reality star took to Snapchat to unveil her silver corn rows, which she called her 'Bo Derek braids' - in reference to the actress' appearance in 1979 film, 10.

However, the comment was immediately blasted by her followers, who branded her 'disrespectful' and accused of her cultural appropriation.

Backlash: In 2018, Kim faced furious backlash from fans, after showing off her new braided hairstyle on social media

The TV star was immediately slammed by her followers after revealing in the selfie video she was 'really into' her new look, inspired by the famous American actress.

Nevertheless, she repeated the braided look several times, including in Paris in 2020.

In 2021, Kim said she 'would never do anything to appropriate any culture' in her style, which is sometimes influenced by her oldest daughter, North, nine, who is biracial.

'Honestly, a lot of the time it comes from my daughter asking us to do matching hair,' the reality TV icon - who is also mother to daughter Chicago, four, and sons Saint, seven, and Psalm, three, with estranged husband Kanye West, 45 - said.

Repeat offender: Nevertheless, she repeated the braided look several times, including in Paris in 2020

She explained how she's addressed the issue with North with measured candor.

'I've had these conversations with her that are like, "Hey, maybe this hairstyle would be better on you and not on me,"' she said. 'But I also want her to feel that I can do a hairstyle with her and not make it that big of a deal either if that's something that she's really asking for, and really wants.'

Kim pointed out her own cultural background, noting that 'there's also a history of braiding hair in Armenia, and people forget that I am Armenian as well.'

In the chat with the publication, she said she has 'definitely learned over time, and ... tried to pass that culture of learning onto [her] kids too.'

Twinning: In 2021, Kim said she 'would never do anything to appropriate any culture' in her style, which is sometimes influenced by her oldest daughter, North, nine, who is biracial

LIGHT BROWN

While Kim has often favoured dramatic looks, she has also opted for more natural hair changes.

In 2013 she went for a light brown ombre look, with dark roots and blonde tips.

She also went for a medium brown shade in October 2019 and October 2020, reflecting the autumn season.

Subtle: While Kim has often favoured dramatic looks, she has also opted for more natural hair changes

Toned: In 2013 she went for a light brown ombre look, with dark roots and blonde tips

Autumnal: She also went for a medium brown shade in October 2019 and October 2020 (pictured), reflecting the autumn season

DRAMATIC EXTENSIONS

Kim is also partial to long extensions to add extra drama to her striking looks.

She's frequently sported extensions to give her hair added length, sometimes all the way past her waist.

In 2017, the Keeping Up With The Kardashians star stepped out in New York with hair that reached all the way down to her legs.

Dramatic: Kim is also partial to long extensions to add extra drama to her striking looks. She's frequently sported extensions to give her hair added length, sometimes all the way past her waist

Wow! In 2017, the Keeping Up With The Kardashians star stepped out in New York with hair that reached all the way down to her legs

THE OG

Despite her many different hairstyles, wigs and extensions over the years, Kim has often reverted back to the original Kim Kardashian look - raven black.

Her natural long tresses are her go-to and it appears she has gone back to black for the new year.

On Monday, she took to Instagram to show off her dark hairdo in a string of selfies, writing '2023' as her caption.

Original: Despite her many different hairstyles, wigs and extensions over the years, Kim has often reverted back to the original Kim Kardashian look - raven black (pictured in 2011)
Oprah Winfrey showed off her 'new knees' while on another hike with her longtime best friend, Gayle King, in Hawaii on Thursday afternoon.

After having both knees replaced last year, the television personality, 68, was seen wearing a white t-shirt with thin black stripes and off-white sweatpants on her latest excursion.

She accessorized her casual look with a wife-brimmed hat, oversized sunglasses and black fanny pack.

'New knees': Oprah Winfrey showed off her 'new knees' while she went on another hike with Gayle King in Hawaii on Thursday afternoon

The Mississippi native was joined with King, 68, who wore a purple floral tank top and neon pink shorts, as they trekked through dirt on a scenic trail.

They both used walking sticks to help themselves make it up the hill as they enjoyed some fresh air in the Aloha State.

'Hey everybody. On another hike today because it's my new passion,' Oprah said to the open the clip alongside King, who added that she has 'new knees.'

Casual outfit: The 68-year-old television personality donned a white t-shirt with thin black stripes running horizontally

Passion: 'Hey everybody. On another hike today because it's my new passion,' Oprah said to the open the clip alongside King who added that she has 'new knees'

Winfrey underwent two knee surgeries during the latter half of 2021. She then went through many difficult months of rehabilitation.

'So I've been hiking since literally March of this year,' Oprah continued in the clip. 'Now, for the first time ever, I moved to another island. I never go off island.'

She then revealed that she and Gayle had decided to go to Kauai to look for new hikes, and they encouraged others to come out to the gorgeous island as well.

They both agreed that the hike they'd chosen wasn't too difficult though Gayle joked that she 'certainly didn't look' like she was going on a relaxing stroll.

Oprah talked about some of the movies which had been shot on the island including Jurassic Park before coming up with the phrase 'State of Hawaii is the state of health.'

New island: She then revealed that she and Gayle had decided to go to Kauai to look for new hikes, and they encouraged others to come out to the gorgeous island as wel

One of many hikes: Gayle and Oprah have been hiking a ton over the last week or so. Winfrey shared a number of clips from hikes earlier in the week

Gayle and Oprah have been hiking a ton over the last week or so, with Winfrey documenting a number of clips from their adventures earlier in the week.

The pair even joined up with a group of friends for an end-of-year gratitude hike, as a way to bid farewell to 2022 and hello to the year ahead.

The television icon documented the 10-mile trek in a series of four videos posted on her Instagram page, which were full of fun and light moments where the two longtime friends joked with each other and their fellow hikers.

Off the top of the first video, Winfrey stood with the group, who were all decked out in their hiking gear, as they prepared to take on the hills and mountains with a spiritual mantra in mind.

Spiritual hike: Oprah Winfrey and BFF Gayle King headed out on what they called a 'gratitude hike' to show appreciation for 'the year you've had' and 'for the blessings you've received'

Smells like victory: The television icon raised her hands high into the air on more than one occasion to signify her triumphant spirit during the hike

'So here's the deal,' The OWN founder began dressed in a pink sweatsuit and hat. 'We're doing an end-of-year hike. This isn't just hiking up a mountain, this is a gratitude hike.

'So, the whole intention of this hike is to show gratitude for the life you live, for the year you've had, for the blessings you've received, so it's a gratitude and praise hike.'

'I'll be doing this in the name of Barbara Walters, who has been a great mentor and friend to me' she added.

The group then all shared their 'mantras' for going up the hill, with Winfreys being, In God I move and have my being.'

Taking the lead: 'So here's the deal,' The OWN founder began dressed in a pink sweatsuit. 'We're doing an end-of-year hike. This isn't just hiking up a mountain, this is a gratitude hike

Hike dedication: 'I'll be doing this in the name of Barbara Walters, who has been a great mentor and friend to me' she added

The group then all shared their 'mantras' for going up the hill, with Winfreys being, In God I move and have my being'

Winfrey shared to her 21.8 million fans and followers that the hike would be 'uphill for 5 miles straight. 10.2 miles round trip.'

Impressive: Winfrey powered through the gorgeous countryside hour after hour

Writing in the caption, Winfrey shared to her 21.8 million fans and followers that the hike would be 'uphill for 5 miles straight. 10.2 miles round trip.'

For the second video, Winfrey had obviously put in a significant time hiking, considering her heavy breathing and sweat on her face, when she stopped to give an update.

'Here's the big deal. A year ago I had knee surgery. So November of last year, I couldn't walk period. So I am an [advertisement] for new knees,' she boasted.

After sharing about her health struggles with her knees and recovery, the television icon proceeded to turn around and continue on hiking up a steep green mountain.

Update: For the second video, Winfrey had obviously put in a significant time hiking, considering her heavy breathing and sweat on her face, when she stopped to give an update

Progress: 'Here's the big deal. A year ago I had knee surgery. So November of last year, I couldn't walk period. So I am an [advertisement] for new knees,' she boasted

Pushing ahead: The Mississippi native only paused for a couple of minutes before turning around and head back out on the hike

The longtime talk show host and her group tackled plenty of steep hills with the assistance of ski poles, which helped with her recovering knees

The third video was shot when the group made it to the top and celebrated with a bread and cheese picnic.

While laying on the green lush grass, Winfrey and King showed off their incredible chemistry, which oftentimes includes lots of comedy and laughter.

'This is confirmation: I love bread,' Winfrey declared, while seemingly still catching her breath, as she opened up a white covering to reveal a gorgeous loaf of bread.

King then chimed in about how she was 'poo-pooing bread but now it sounds like a good idea.'

In the caption, Winfrey offered a bit of words of wisdom: 'As you walk into this new year, take this as a reminder to put one foot in front of the other. One foot in front of the other. One foot in front of the other. And whether youre hiking an actual mountain or just tackling a problem, remember to look at how far youve come and not how far you have left to go. Happy 2023'

Top of the mountain: After reaching to the top of the mountain, the group stopped to celebrate and eat a snack, which Oprah indulged herself with a bread and cheese picnic

Tasty: 'This is confirmation: I love bread,' Winfrey declared, while seemingly still catching her breath, as she opened up a white covering to reveal a gorgeous loaf of bread.

Jokester: King joked about how she was 'poo-pooing bread but now it sounds like a good idea'

'Words of wisdom: As you walk into this new year, take this as a reminder to put one foot in front of the other... And whether youre hiking an actual mountain or just tackling a problem, remember to look at how far youve come and not how far you have left to go,' Winfrey shared in the caption

The fourth and final video showcased the group as they finished the Gratitude Hike.

The clip focused largely on King, who sounded winded in the final homestretch. And like many of the other moments, the two BFFs still found the time to joke about how they took longer than expected to do the trek.

'How did @gayleking do during our 5-hour hike? (7 hours for Gayle, actually.) Here you goshe says her toes hurt today,' the former host of The Oprah Winfrey Show shared in the caption of the last post.

The two ladies' friendship dates back more than 46 years when they met in the early 20s while working at WJZ-TV in Baltimore in 1976 Winfrey as a news anchor and King as a production assistant and writer, according to Yahoo.
Andy Cohen looked back on some of Lisa Rinna's most iconic moments on The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills when he bid her a fond farewell on Friday.

The 54-year-old Watch What Happens Live host posted an illustration of the many faces of Lisa, 59, to his Instagram Stories, following the revelation on Thursday that she was leaving the series.

Cohen wrote that Rinna had had an 'iconic run' on the cartoon collage by the Instagram user @DrunkDrawn.

The illustration highlighted the actress-turned-reality star's instantly recognizable puffed-up lips and her spiky hair.

Saying goodbye: Andy Cohen, 54, bid Lisa Rinna, 59, a fond farewell on Friday by reposting a cartoon collage collecting some of her most iconic moments after she confirmed she was leaving RHOBH after eight seasons; seen in October

Some of the drawings appeared to originate with real-life moments featured on RHOBH, but all of them showed Rinna at her over-the-top best.

One drawing showed her with massive, teary eyes as she threw a drink, which seemed to be a reference to her dramatic season five fight with Kyle Richards' sister Kim Richards

During the confrontation, Lisa tried to share her belief that Kim was no longer sober, but after Kim tried to change the subject to talk about Lisa's husband Harry Hamlin, she exploded.

'Dont you ever talk about my husband!' Rinna shouted in a rage she lunged at Richards and tossed her drink in her face, before smashing the wine glass on a table.

Legendary: Cohen wrote that Rinna had had an 'iconic run' on the cartoon collage by the Instagram user @DrunkDrawn. The illustration highlighted the actress-turned-reality star's instantly recognizable puffed-up lips and her spiky hair; seen in 2021

'Iconic': One drawing showed her with massive, teary eyes as she threw a drink, which seemed to be a reference to her dramatic season five fight with Kyle Richards' sister Kim Richards

Hours after Cohen's post, Lisa shared her own goodbye to the series on Instagram.

She posted herself in a shot from RHOBH as she showed off a satisfied grin.

'We had a good run,' she wrote, followed by a string of emojis. 'Love you! See you soon!'

Rinna also reposted Cohen's post, suggesting that there weren't any hard feelings between the two.

Farewell: Hours after Cohen's post, Lisa shared her own goodbye to the series on Instagram. She also reposted Andy's Insta Stories post, suggesting there was no bad blood

End of an erea: Rinna confirmed that she is departing from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills on Thursday, following a dramatic feud with with Kathy Hilton; seen in October 2022

Lisa confirmed on Thursday that she was saying goodbye to her fellow housewives after eight seasons amid her ongoing feud with Kathy Hilton.

Following a rough season, in which she grieved the loss of her beloved mom Lois, the reality star revealed that she is 'grateful' for her time on the popular series.

'This is the longest job I have held in my 35 year career and I am grateful to everyone at Bravo and all those involved in the series,' the reality star told People in a statement.

She continued: 'It has been a fun eight-year run and I am excited for what is to come!'

The outlet reported that 'she and Bravo mutually decided that she would not return to RHOBH' after her contract expired last season.

In October, she was booed at BravoCon following backlash from fans over saying she would 'get cancer' if she didn't expose Hilton's 'vile' comments on the show's finale.

Doing okay: Following a rough season, in which she grieved the loss of her beloved mother Lois, the reality star revealed that she is 'grateful' for her time on the popular series

'This is the longest job I have held in my 35 year career and I am grateful to everyone at Bravo and all those involved in the series,' the reality star told People in a statement (pictured in December)

When asked by DailyMail.com about her reaction to those calling for her to be fired, the mom-of-two said she didn't know what to think and branded herself a 'rockstar.'

'We are the number one show on cable, and on television... That's all I have to say,' she concluded.

At the time, Lisa was slammed by cancer survivors and doctors alike after she used the disease as an excuse to spill Hilton's personal secrets.

Moving on: The outlet reported that 'she and Bravo mutually decided that she would not return to RHOBH' after her contract expired last season

Her feud with Hilton seemingly began when Rinna accused Hilton of attacking her sister Kyle Richards during a 'psychotic break.'

During the three-part RHOBH reunion, that aired on October 12, Hilton called Rina 'the biggest bully in Hollywood.'

Previously, she got into a massive fight with Hilton's sister Kim Richards over dinner, which resulted in her hurling a wine glass at Kim, who threatened to say something unkind about her husband, Harry Hamlin.

Additionally, she accused Yolanda Hadid, who was diagnosed with Lyme disease in 2012, of having Munchausen syndrome on RHOBH season 5.

Rinna has since apologized and said the claim 'was very wrong, on all levels.'

Rough few months: In October, she was booed at BravoCon following backlash from fans over saying she would 'get cancer' if she didn't expose Hilton's 'vile' comments on the show's finale; seen in December

In 2020, she also had a public falling out with Denise Richards, who starred on two seasons of RHOBH, after two decades of friendship on the show.

While she will not be returning to RHOBH, which is currently on hiatus after a heavy season, Rinna recently revealed she 'booked a movie role.'

The last time she played a role other than herself was in 2021, when she appeared in the Days Of Our Lives: Beyond Salem miniseries.

She appeared in five episodes of the spinoff that is now streaming exclusively on Peacock.

Previously, the actress-turned-entrepreneur rose to fame by playing the role of Billie Reed on the drama sitcom Days Of Our Lives.

Big news! While she will not be returning to RHOBH, which is currently on hiatus after a heavy season, Rinna recently revealed she 'booked a movie role'

Since the hit series' debut in 1965, the show has gone on for 58 seasons that is still ongoing.

Rinna joined the daytime soap opera in September 1992.

The role of Billie Reed was later recast when she left the show in September 1995.
Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown gushed over her 'partner for life' Jake Bongiovi as she rang in the new year.

The 18-year-old Netflix starlet has been romantically involved with Jon Bon Jovi's 20-year-old son since the summer of 2021.

In a new Instagram album celebrating the dawn of 2023, Millie included a number of loved-up snaps with her longtime beau.

So in love: Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown gushed over her 'partner for life' Jake Bongiovi as she rang in the new year

One heartwarming picture showed a strip of photo-booth images in which the could could be seen kissing and cuddling up to one another.

Another snap was of Millie clutching her chest in feigned surprise as Jake wrapped his arms around her during their trip to a winter wonderland display.

She also threw in a romantic scene of her and Jake leaning in for the kiss in a car as sunlight streamed in through the windshield.

Millie gave her nearly 61 million followers a few glimpses of her extensive menagerie, which Netflix reports includes but is not limited to two cats and five dogs.

History: The 18-year-old Netflix starlet has been romantically involved with Jon Bon Jovi's 20-year-old son since the summer of 2021

Winter wonderland: In a new Instagram album celebrating the dawn of 2023, Millie included a number of loved-up snaps with her longtime beau

The look of love: She also threw in a romantic scene of her and Jake leaning in for the kiss in a car as sunlight streamed in through the windshield

She wrote: 'endlessly in love with the year I've had! grateful for my friends, family, donkey (bernard), my doggies, my puppies teeth, and my partner for life.'

Millie effervesced: 'here's to another year with you and the wonderful people and animals around us let's do it again but better!'

Her festive message came before her Stranger Things co-star and childhood pal Noah Schnapp, 18, publicly came out as gay.

Noah made the announcement with a TikTok video of him looking bemused under the caption: 'When I finally told my friends and family I was gay after being scared in the closet for 18 years and all they said was "we know."'

Animal lover: Millie gave her nearly 61 million followers a few glimpses of her extensive menagerie, which Netflix reports includes but is not limited to two cats and five dogs

Loved ones: She wrote: 'endlessly in love with the year I've had! grateful for my friends, family, donkey (bernard), my doggies, my puppies teeth, and my partner for life'

Having a ball: Millie effervesced: 'here's to another year with you and the wonderful people and animals around us let's do it again but better!'

Multitasking: Millie appeared in a sweet picture that showed her cuddling up to one of her beloved dogs while getting a bit of computer time in

Meanwhile Millie's boyfriend has decided not to follow his father Jon Bon Jovi into the music business and is embarking on an acting career instead.

When asked by Man About Town magazine about a potential music career, he said: 'I think I'll leave that to my dad! There's really no following the act there.'

Jake, 20, reflected: 'As long as you can have your identity  who you are and what you originally set out to do  and keep that strong, that's the goal.'
Jason Oppenheim and his girlfriend Marie-Lou Nurk enjoyed lunch with his identical twin brother Brett in West Hollywood on Friday afternoon.

For their outing, Brett, 45, who found fame alongside his sibling on Netflix's Selling Sunset, wore a white sweater from the brand Essentials, which was written across his chest.

He added black pants to the outfit as well, and big sunglasses protected his eyes from the harsh California sun.

Afternoon out: Brett and Jason Oppenheim enjoyed an afternoon out together with Jason's new girlfriend Marie-Lou Nurk in West Hollywood on Friday afternoon.

His brother, 45, stepped out in a simple gray polo shirt, accented with red fabric.

The reality star, who is the president and founder of The Oppenheim Group, wore jeans and gray sneakers to the outfit, and carried a gray sweater in the crook of his right arm.

They were joined at the restaurant Great White by Jason's new squeeze, who rocked a white button-down shirt and blue jeans.

Sweater: Brett, 45, wore a white sweater from the brand Essentials, which was written on the left side of his chest

Polo shirt: His brother, 45, stepped out in a simple gray polo shirt, accented with red fabric

Her blonde hair, parted in the middle, fell gracefully down her back, and she tied a white sweater around her shoulders.

Jason and Marie-Lou were first linked in July 2022  six months after Jason split from his Selling Sunset co-star Chrishell Stause, 41.

Chrishell has since moved on with Australian musician G Flip and she is very supportive of Oppenheim's new relationship.

'Chrishell and I are in a really good place,' Jason told People. 'We're both in love and happy for each other.'

Jason and Marie-Lou reportedly met in Greece, where they were both enjoying Mediterranean vacations.

Lady love: They were joined at the restaurant Great White by Jason's new squeeze Marie-Lou Nurk who stepped out in a white button-down shirt and blue jeans

Long locks: Her blonde hair, parted in the middle, fell gracefully down her back, and she tied a white sweater around her shoulders

They were spotted packing on the PDA during their trip abroad and later shared a photo posing together.

It didn't take the couple long to make their red carpet debut and go Instagram official.

Marie-Lou primarily resides in Paris, where she works as a model, while Jason is known as the perennial bachelor on Selling Sunset.

The group's lunch engagement came a day after Brett was spotted with model Adot Gak.

Together: white sweater around her shoulders. Jason and Marie-Lou were first linked in July 2022  six months after Jason split from his Selling Sunset co-star Chrishell Stause, 41 (pictured 2021)

The leggy woman towered over Brett wearing the luminous pink number which featured a plunging neckline.

Her slender pins were on full display, and she slipped her feet into a pair of bright pink strappy heeled sandals to add even more inches to her frame.

She threw a beige furry jacket over her shoulders and held onto a black leather chain bag which contrasted her bright outfit choice.

The real estate broker has had a few public relationships in recent years, but has previously shown he is an amicable ex.

Supportive: Chrishell has since moved on with Australian musician G Flip and she is very supportive of Oppenheim's new relationship (pictured 2021)

In August, Brett and his ex-girlfriend Tina Louise put on an amicable display as they stepped out in Los Angeles on Monday - with their new love interests.

Tina was spotted holding hands with her new boyfriend while Brett, 45, stepped out with the tattoo artist he has recently been linked to, Samantha Abdul.

There was no sign of any drama between the exes as they enjoyed iced beverages with their new love interests.
She announced that she was leaving The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills after eight seasons on Thursday, following a turbulent season.

And on Friday, Lisa Rinna, 59, was seen for the first time since dropping the big news, as she stunned at the 80 For Brady film premiere, at the 34th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival in California.

The reality TV star looked chic in a classy black blazer dress, belted at the waist, which she paired with sexy thigh-high black boots with a feather trim.

Chic: Lisa Rinna was seen for the first time since announcing her exit from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, as she stunned at the 80 For Brady film premiere in Palm Springs

The actress was there to support her husband Harry Hamlin, 71, who stars in the upcoming quirky comedy, set to be released on January 28.

The Days Of Our Lives star had her short brunette tresses slicked down and combed to one side for a classy look.

She added a fun flair to the outfit by accessorizing with a sparkling rhinestone bunny purse.

Classy: The reality TV star, 59, was chic in a classy black blazer dress, belted at the waist, which she paired with sexy thigh-high black boots with a feather trim

As for glam, the mom-of-two wore shimmery brown eyeshadow on her lids and pink gloss on her famous pout.

She added another touch of sparkle with small diamond hoop earrings.

Meanwhile her other half looked dapper as ever in a black suit, and accessorized with a matching scarf and eyeglasses.

Support: The actress was there to support her husband Harry Hamlin, 71, who stars in the upcoming quirky comedy, set to be released on January 28

Bunny bag: She added a fun flair to the outfit by accessorizing with a sparkling rhinestone bunny purse

The day prior Rinna confirmed that she is departing from RHOBH amid her ongoing feud with Kathy Hilton, 63.

Following a rough season, in which she grieved the loss of her beloved mom Lois, Rinna revealed that she is 'grateful' for her time on the popular series.

'This is the longest job I have held in my 35 year career and I am grateful to everyone at Bravo and all those involved in the series,' she told People in a statement.

End of an era: The day prior, Rinna confirmed she is departing from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills after eight seasons, following a dramatic feud with with Kathy Hilton, 63

She continued: 'It has been a fun eight-year run and I am excited for what is to come!'

The outlet reported that 'she and Bravo mutually decided that she would not return to RHOBH' after her contract expired last season.

In October, Rinna - who took part in some of the show's most memorable moments - was booed at BravoCon following backlash from fans over saying she would 'get cancer' if she didn't expose Hilton's 'vile' comments on the show's finale.

When asked by DailyMail.com about her reaction to those calling for her to be fired, the mom-of-two said she didn't know what to think and branded herself a 'rockstar.'

Doing okay: Following a rough season, in which she grieved the loss of her beloved mother Lois, the reality star revealed that she is 'grateful' for her time on the popular series

'This is the longest job I have held in my 35 year career and I am grateful to everyone at Bravo and all those involved in the series,' she told People in a statement (pictured in December)

'We are the number one show on cable, and on television... That's all I have to say,' she concluded.

At the time, Lisa was slammed by cancer survivors and doctors alike after she used the disease as an excuse to spill Hilton's personal secrets.

Her feud with Hilton seemingly began when Rinna accused Hilton of attacking her sister Kyle Richards during a 'psychotic break.'

During the three-part RHOBH reunion, that aired on October 12, Hilton called Rina 'the biggest bully in Hollywood.'

While she will not be returning to RHOBH, which is currently on hiatus after a heavy season, Rinna recently revealed she 'booked a movie role.' The last time she played a role other than herself was in 2021, when she appeared in the Days Of Our Lives: Beyond Salem miniseries.
Hailey Bieber has spoken candidly about struggling with PTSD after suffering a mini-stroke last year.

The 26-year-old model - who was admitted to the hospital with stroke-like symptoms caused by a blood clot in her brain - detailed the scary experience in The Run-Through With Vogue podcast released Friday.

She said: 'I struggled with a lot of anxiety after. I struggled with a little bit of PTSD [Post Traumatic Stress Disorder] of just like the fear of maybe it was gonna happen again.

'I struggled with a lot of anxiety after': Hailey Bieber (pictured in November) has spoken candidly about struggling with PTSD after suffering a mini-stroke last year as she detailed the scary experience in The Run-Through With Vogue podcast released Friday

'It was just a feeling that I was, like, I never want to experience that ever again. I mean, it was so terrifying, so jarring, so discombobulating in every single way that you could imagine.'

She added that even if she is 'open to talking about the experience if it could help somebody else' it was still 'really hard to talk about' shortly after the experience.

Hailey explained: 'Even the Youtube video that I had made for my Youtube channel was hard for me. It brings back the feelings for me of going through that experience. It gets easier, and easier with time to be able to talk about it.

'I'm just really grateful that I was able to have had amazing doctors, and nurses, and people that helped me get to the bottom of what actually happened.'

'I look back at it and it could've been so much worse': The 26-year-old model added that even if she is 'open to talking about the experience if it could help somebody else' it was still 'really hard to talk about' shortly after the experience, she is pictured in LA on Friday

She went on to say that she has slowly begun to enjoy life again without the anxiety of what may happen health-wise in the future.

Hailey is optimistic as she said: 'I look back at it and it could've been so much worse. So many worse things could have happened in that moment.'

Back in April, Hailey revealed how she underwent a procedure to fix a hole in her heart after suffering a 'mini-stroke' the month previously, while she was having breakfast with her husband Justin.

In a video posted to her YouTube Channel at the time, the supermodel recalled feeling a 'weird sensation' in her right arm and numbness in her fingertips before she was admitted to hospital.

Scary: Back in April, Hailey revealed how she underwent a procedure to fix a hole in her heart after suffering a 'mini-stroke' the month previously, while she was having breakfast with her husband Justin

After explaining to her fans that she wanted them to hear about terrifying incident in 'own words,' the Vogue cover girl said her spouse noticed that something was off and repeatedly asked if she was okay.

When she tried to respond, Hailey revealed she 'couldn't speak' but was thinking she must be 'having a stroke.'

'The right side of my face started drooping, I couldn't get a sentence out,' she said.

Quickly, Justin had someone call 911 and a medic nearby came to examine her as she struggled to formulate words as he asked if he knew her name and other basic questions.

Scary: In a new video, posted to her YouTube Channel on Wednesday afternoon, the 25-year-old supermodel recalled feeling a 'weird sensation' in her right arm and numbness in her fingertips

Alarming: After explaining to her fans that she wanted them to hear about terrifying incident in 'own words,' the Vogue cover girl said her spouse noticed that something was off and repeatedly asked if she was okay

She also noted that her anxiety made 'everything worse' but by the time she made it to the emergency room she 'was pretty much back to normal.'

Ultimately, she was kept overnight at the hospital to be tested for the cause of her blood clot in her brain.

Thankfully, she scored a 0 on the stroke checklist in the ER and her scary symptoms stopped.

'Perfect storm': Hailey, who has a history of migraines, says she was told by doctors that the combination of her new birth control, a recent battle with COVID and traveling 'from Paris and back in a really short amount of time' likely caused the blood clot

The hospital confirmed that she suffered a Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA), more commonly referred to as a mini-stroke

The hospital confirmed that she suffered a Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA), more commonly referred to as a mini-stroke.

Hailey, who has a history of migraines, says she was told by doctors that the combination of her new birth control, a recent battle with COVID and traveling 'from Paris and back in a really short amount of time' likely caused the blood clot.

While medical professionals were unable to determine how the blood clot had traveled to her brain, they believe that she had a small opening, known as a PFO, in the heart that usually closes after birth.

Her rock: It was reported last month that Justin would not leave Hailey's side during her traumatic ordeal

Her PFO, which measured between 12 and 13 millimeters, was 'Grade 5' which is the 'highest grade' possible. The small hole measured between 12 and 13 millimeters.

As she reflected on her diagnosis, Hailey said she was 'grateful' to know the cause and how the blood clot 'escaped' through the hole in heart to her brain.

Upon her doctor's recommendation, she had to PFO closed and has since fully recovered.

Distraught: Sources told People Justin 'is probably more traumatized than even she is'

Ahead of the repair, she suffered a lot of anxiety, which has mostly passed.

'The biggest thing I feel is I just feel really relieved that we were able to figure everything out, that we were able to get it closed, that I will be able to move on from this really scary situation and just live my life,' she said.

Out of an abundance of caution, she takes aspirin and blood thinners every day.

She also explained her desire to wait until 'everything had gone smoothly' to talk publicly about her health scare.

'When it happened, there was a lot of panic. Justin was crying, because you don't expect your young wife to have symptoms that resemble a stroke. Justin texted everyone he knew and asked everyone to pray for her, and he never left her side,' the insider said; seen in February 2020

It was reported last month that Justin would not leave Hailey's side during her traumatic ordeal.

Sources told People Justin 'is probably more traumatized than even she is.'

'When it happened, there was a lot of panic. Justin was crying, because you don't expect your young wife to have symptoms that resemble a stroke. Justin texted everyone he knew and asked everyone to pray for her, and he never left her side,' the insider said.
Air France and KLM Flying Blue customers may want to fix

The two airliner companies recently notified its Flying Blue loyalty customers of a recent data breach that may have exposed their personal information.

Flying Blue is the loyalty program of Air France, KLM, and other airliner companies, including Transavia, Aircalin, and Kenya Airways, per its official website.

Air France, KLM Data Breach Details

Air France and KLM mentioned in the notification it sent to its affected customers that their security operations teams had detected suspicious behavior by an unauthorized entity regarding their accounts, per Bleeping Computer.

Unfortunately, both companies mentioned that the entity in question managed to acquire customers' data before they implemented corrective actions that prevented the entity from obtaining more of their customers' data.

According to Jeroen Burgerhout's screenshot of the notification, which they posted on Twitter, the unauthorized entity maned to acquire the following information about affected customers:

First and/or last names

Flying Blue number and level

Miles Balance

Phone Number

Email address

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Burgerout is a KLM Flying Blue customer also affected by the entity's account hack.

Fortunately, the entity was unable to obtain the affected customers' credit card and/or payment information, and the companies' Information Security department is taking preventative actions to protect affected customers' accounts from any further suspicious activity.

Read More: Kuo Predicts that Apple Mixed Reality Headset Might Debut at Spring Media Event or WWDC 2023

Meanwhile, KLM mentioned on its official Twitter account that the account hack was blocked in time, and no miles were charged. However, the company does encourage affected customers to change their Flying Blue password through its official website to prevent any more unauthorized access to their accounts.

Affected Flying Blue customers must change their accounts' passwords on Air France's and KLM's official websites if they want to restore their access to them. Both companies had locked their affected customers' accounts due to the breach.

To do so, affected customers are requested to go to their respective airliner company websites and select "Forgot Password" on the login page to create a new password for their account and restore access to it.

Air France, KLM, and their Flying Blue loyalty program assure customers that they take the protection of their personal data "very seriously."

The two companies have yet to address the matter on their respective websites.

Customer Reception Of The Leak

Following Burgerout's screenshot of the message, many Flying Blue customers have also reported having acquired the same email. However, that is not the only issue Flying Blue customers have in mind.

Burgerhout noted that they could only create a 12-character password to regain access to and secure their own account.

As such, the lack of two- or multi-factor authentication makes the idea of another unauthorized entity hacking into Air France and KLM's Flying Blue loyalty program again to illegally access and acquire customers' personal data likely.

Air France and KLM have yet to address this lack of account security options on their official websites and in the comment section of Burgerhout's tweet.

Related Article: Kaiser Permanente Hack: Health Data of 69,000 People Exposed - How Did It Happen
Colin Farrell is sharing some details about his upcoming role in the new Penguin series for HBO Max.

The Irish actor, who was honored for his work in The Banshees Of Inisherin during the Palm Springs International Film Festival, revealed that he starts to shoot The Batman spin-off series in February, which is just weeks away.

And while on the red carpet at the gala event, Farrell confessed to Variety that he had no idea he would be asked to star in a stand-alone series about The Penguin while shooting The Batman.

Colin Farrell, 46, opened up about reprising his role as The Penguin in the upcoming series for HBO Max during his appearance at the 2023 Palm Springs International Film Festival

'The only thing I had an idea was that I wasn't nearly getting to explore the character as much as I wanted to,' Farrell, 46, told reporter, Marc Malkinat, the gala event.

'There was all this extraordinary work done by [makeup and prosthetics artists] Mike Marino and Mike Fontaine and his team, and I just thought it was the tip of the iceberg, pardon the pun, that we were getting to do the six or seven scenes that we did in the film. I was grateful for them, but I wanted more.'

The Castleknock, County Dublin, Ireland native added, 'Honest to God, any thoughts I had about an extended series was to do with Mike Marino's work. I Just know there was so much to do with this. Age it up, age it down. He's just a genius, Mike, so it was his work that was the inspiration really.'

Open book: The actor revealed why he decided to sign on to play Oswald 'Oz' Cobblepot/ Penguin in The Batman spin-off series

His reasoning: 'There was all this extraordinary work done by [makeup and prosthetics artists] Mike Marino and Mike Fontaine and his team, and I just thought it was the tip of the iceberg, pardon the pun, that we were getting to do the six or seven scenes that we did in the film. I was grateful for them, but I wanted more,' Farrell said of his inspiration to reprise the Penguin role

It was Variety that first reported Farrell had signed on to star in The Penguin in December 2021, which was then followed up this past March by HBO Max officially ordering the show to series.

The details for the series have been kept under wraps, but it is believed to be take place in the immediate aftermath of the events of The Batman, which starred Robert Pattinson in the title role.

It has been confirmed that Cristin Milioti will star as Sofia Falcone, the daughter of Gotham mob boss Carmine Falcone, who was played by John Turturro in the film.

Honoree: On Thursday, Farrell received the Desert Palm Achievement Award for his acclaimed role in The Banshees Of Inisherin at the 2023 Palm Springs International Film Festival

More acclaimed work: Written, directed and co-produced by Martin McDonagh, The Banshees Of Inisherin stars Farrell and Brendan Gleeson as two lifelong friends who find themselves at an impasse when one abruptly ends their relationship, with alarming consequences for both of them; the actor is seen discussing his role at the film festival

On Thursday, Farrell was honored with the Desert Palm Achievement Award for his acclaimed role in The Banshees Of Inisherin at the 2023 Palm Springs International Film Festival.

Written, directed and co-produced by Martin McDonagh, the dark tragicomedy film stars Farrell and Brendan Gleeson as two lifelong friends who find themselves at an impasse when one abruptly ends their relationship, with alarming consequences for both of them.

In the wake of its world premiere at the 79th Venice International Film Festival this past September, the movie has garnered plenty of critical acclaim.
An Australian Big Brother winner has got into a public Twitter spat with former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Lisa Vanderpump.

Benjamin Norris, who won the reality series in 2012, kicked off the feud after responding to a shady tweet that Vanderpump had posted in relation to Lisa Rinna's exit from RHOBH.

After Rinna announced her departure from the reality series on Thursday, a shady Vanderpump cryptically tweeted: 'Ding dong'.

Australian Big Brother winner Benjamin Norris (pictured) got into a public Twitter spat with former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Lisa Vanderpump on Saturday

Ben then responded: 'Lisa Vanderpump is looking for attention because thats her deal. She feeds off it. She was starving.'

After being swarmed in the comments section by Vanderpump's loyal fans, Ben fired back at one: 'I have real life experience of Vanderpump - where you are defending a person on television. #GirlBye.'

At this point, Vanderpump herself weighed in on the drama, clapping back at Ben: 'Where is the real life experience? ..I dont think I know you.'

Explaining himself to the Vanderpump Rules star, Ben said that they had indeed met, and that he also knew a producer she'd worked with in the past.

'Lisa Vanderpump is looking for attention because thats her deal. She feeds off it. She was starving,' Norris said of the Vanderpump Rules star (pictured)

'We have met and I was a fan of yours on TV but from MY interaction I was shocked how different you are in real life: maybe it was a bad day I dont know but another friend of mine was a producer on RHOBH & they said "nope thats just her."

'Messaging Ding Dong is just typical LVP!' he added.

Defending herself against Ben's shade, the 62-year-old said: 'Mustve been a bad day.

'I interact with hundreds every day, funny Ive always had good relationships with producers, especially as I am a producer on Pump Rules myself. I pride myself on having people work for me for years.'

Norris claimed to have had an awkward run-in with Lisa, but the American reality star fought back by insisting that she has 'good relationships' with everybody she meets

Ben isn't the only Australian reality star to weigh in on Lisa Rinna's exit from the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

On Friday, former Bachelor star Abbie Chatfield said that the Bravo show would be 'so boring' without Rinna on the cast.

'If any of you dare to say, Lisa Rinna is awful, no duh, but she made the show f****** great, she spoke her truth, she owned it, and honestly she slays, I love her,' Abbie explained on Instagram.

After Lisa Rinna announced her departure from the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills on Thursday, a shady Vanderpump cryptically tweeted: 'Ding dong'

'I f****** love Lisa Rinna. Would I trust her? No. Do I f***** love her? Yeah. Do I love watching her? Yeah,' she went on.

'Do I wanna have a surface level, once a year rose with Rinna Rose? F*** yeah,' she added, referring to the Melrose Place star's new wine line, Rinna Wines.

'Her and Harry Hamilin, at her beautiful house, that's what I want,' she went on.

It comes as the veteran TV star confirmed that she is departing from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills after eight seasons amid her ongoing feud with Kathy Hilton.

Norris is known for his close relationships with many of Australia's Real Housewives stars, including Gamble Breaux (left) and Janet Roach (right)

Following a rough season, in which she grieved the loss of her beloved mom Lois, the reality star, 59, revealed that she is 'grateful' for her time on the popular series.

'This is the longest job I have held in my 35 year career and I am grateful to everyone at Bravo and all those involved in the series,' the reality star, 59, told People in a statement.

She continued: 'It has been a fun eight-year run and I am excited for what is to come!'
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Elle Fanning, Michelle Williams and Cate Blanchett led the stars attending Louis Vuitton and W magazine's glittering awards season dinner in Beverly Hills on Thursday.

The trio of blonde bombshells made their presence felt amid a cavalcade of celebrities parading through the event, held just days before the Golden Globes kick award season off next Tuesday.

For her latest public appearance Elle, 24, cemented her reputation as a Hollywood fashionista in a showstopping black ensemble that featured a pleated skirt shimmering with sequins.

Blonde bombshells: (from left) Elle Fanning, Michelle Williams and Cate Blanchett led the stars attending Louis Vuitton and W magazine's glittering awards season dinner in Beverly Hills on Thursday.

Baring her sculpted midriff in a black crop top, she accented the look with what appeared to be a velvet or velour blazer, plus kinky leather boots and a matching handbag.

Cate, who has garnered worldwide critical acclaim for her searing performance in Tar as a classical conductor implicated in a #MeToo scandal, worked a bit of monochrome magic with her fashion forward look.

Michelle, who this year played a character loosely based on Steven Spielberg's mother in his semi-autobiographical feature The Fabelmans, slid her petite frame into a swank little cocktail dress.

Disgraced actor Jussie Smullett's sister Jurnee went for boho chic in an oversized black vest, while Elvis Presley's granddaughter Riley Keogh swanked about in a gleaming gold crop top with a simple black skirt.

The great: For her latest public appearance Elle, 24, cemented her reputation as a Hollywood fashionista in a showstopping black ensemble that featured a pleated skirt shimmering with sequins

Family business: Disgraced actor Jussie Smullett's sister Jurnee (left) went for boho chic in an oversized black vest, while Elvis Presley's granddaughter Riley Keogh (right) swanked about in a gleaming gold crop top with a simple black skirt

Danielle Deadwyler, who just one night earlier was at the Palm Springs International Film Festival accepting an award for her performance in Till, cut an unforgettable figure at Thursday' fete.

The White Lotus actress Haley Lu Richardson modeled a hippie chic print dress with a neckline that plunged to bare her bra, while her co-star Meghann Fahy flashed her cleavage in head-to-toe black.

Tollywood heartthrob Ram Charan, whose latest Indian movie RRR has been hitting the headlines over the attention it has received in the west, brought a flourish of international glamour to the proceedings.

So did German actress Nina Hoss, who played Cate Blanchett's wife in Tar, and Malaysian thespian Michelle Yeoh, who has earned a Golden Globe best actress nod for Everything Everywhere All At Once.

On the town: Danielle Deadwyler, who just one night earlier was at the Palm Springs International Film Festival accepting an award for her performance in Till, cut an unforgettable figure at Thursday' fete

Acclaimed: The White Lotus actress Haley Lu Richardson (left) modeled a hippie chic print dress with a neckline that plunged to bare her bra, while her co-star Meghann Fahy (right) flashed her cleavage in head-to-toe black

Sizzling sensation: Tollywood heartthrob Ram Charan, whose latest Indian movie RRR has been hitting the headlines over the attention it has received in the west, brought a flourish of international glamour to the proceedings

Going global: So did German actress Nina Hoss (left), who played Cate Blanchett's wife in Tar, and Malaysian thespian Michelle Yeoh (right), who has earned a Golden Globe best actress nod for Everything Everywhere All At Once

The band Haim, a sister act comprised of Danielle, Alana and Este Haim, gathered together for a group shot to remember in front of the quilted backdrop during the evening's festivities.

Bridgerton star Phoebe Dynevor, who used to date Pete Davidson, flashed the flesh in a peekaboo LBD while Swedish pop act Lykke Li, who was once linked to Brad Pitt, was draped in a voluminous black leather coat.

Mayor Of Kingstown actress Emma Laird was a sight to see in a black and off-white gingham number vaguely reminiscent of the 1940s, teamed with a distinctly 1970s set of metallic knee-high boots.

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom actress Taylour Paige clashed sky blue with rust in a striking ensemble, YouTuber Emma Chamberlain tucked a crimson sweater into a black mini and Babylon's Li Jun Li put her chiseled midriff on display.

Party of three: The band Haim, a sister act comprised of Danielle, Alana and Este Haim, gathered together for a group shot to remember in front of the quilted backdrop during the evening's festivities

So many stars: Bridgerton star Phoebe Dynevor (left), who used to date Pete Davidson, flashed the flesh in a peekaboo LBD while Swedish pop act Lykke Li (right), who was once linked to Brad Pitt, was draped in a voluminous black leather coat

Mayor Of Kingstown actress: Emma Laird was a sight to see in a black and off-white gingham number vaguely reminiscent of the 1940s, teamed with a distinctly 1970s set of metallic knee-high boots

Strut: (from left) Ma Rainey's Black Bottom actress Taylour Paige clashed sky blue with rust in a striking ensemble, YouTuber Emma Chamberlain tucked a crimson sweater into a black mini and Babylon's Li Jun Li put her chiseled midriff on display

Miranda Kerr trendily threw her walnut brown leather overcoat casually over her shoulders without putting her arms in the sleeves as she flaunted her vertiginous legs in a ravishing blue and gold miniskirt.

The Woman King actress Thuso Mbedu modeled a flared black leather blouse, Top Gun: Maverick sizzler Kelsey Asbille swung a Louis Vuitton bag and Zola dreamboat Colman Domingo smoldered in a clinging nude turtleneck.

Nymphomaniac starlet Mia Goth, who has an infant child by her longtime on-off love Shia LaBeouf and is the star of last year's film Pearl, was also among the boldface names on the guest list.

Timeless chic: Miranda Kerr trendily threw her walnut brown leather overcoat casually over her shoulders without putting her arms in the sleeves as she flaunted her vertiginous legs in a ravishing blue and gold miniskirt

Stunners: (from left) The Woman King actress Thuso Mbedu modeled a flared black leather blouse, Top Gun: Maverick sizzler Kelsey Asbille swung a Louis Vuitton bag and Zola dreamboat Colman Domingo smoldered in a clinging nude turtleneck
Miranda Kerr rocked a show-stopping leather coat on Friday night when she attended an award's season dinner hosted by Louis Vuitton and W Magazine.

The supermodel, 39  who recently showed off her slender legs in $1550 leather pants  commanded attention when she arrived in her chic ensemble.

Miranda appeared to be on the mend after scaring her fans on social media in December by posting a picture of herself wearing a neck brace.

Leather for Louis: Miranda Kerr, 39, rocked a show-stopping leather coat on Friday night when she attended an award's season dinner hosted by Louis Vuitton and W Magazine

Wearing her brunette locks up in an elegant top bun, the Australian stunner showcased the gold hoops on either side of her famous face.

Her features glowed with flawless glam as she sported a matte burgundy lip and blushing cheeks.

Miranda's jet-black polo shirt feature a golden chain at the neck while her vibrant skirt was made of holographic scales of blue and gold.

The former Victoria's Secret Angel carried a tan 'Capucines' bag, which runs in the realm $7K$10K, depending on the style.

She finished off her look with Calzedonia tights and a metallic pair of pumps.

Pricey: The supermodel's jet-black polo shirt feature a golden chain at the neck while her vibrant skirt was made of holographic scales of blue and gold. She carried a tan 'Capucines' bag, which runs in the realm $7K$10K, depending on the style

Before she attended the A-list event, Miranda took to her Instagram story and documented her glam process.

'Mom's night out,' wrote the mother of three, captioning a picture of four different stylists fawning all over her, executing makeup, hair, fingers and toes.

'It takes a village,' she wrote, captioning a selfie of her hair getting perfected.

The stunner shares three children: 3-year-old Miles and 4-year-old Hart with her Snapchat billionaire husband Evan Spiegel, and 12-year-old Flynn with ex-husband Orlando Bloom.

Pampered: Before she attended the A-list event, Miranda took to her Instagram story and documented her glam process. 'Mom's night out,' wrote the mother of three, captioning a picture of four different stylists fawning all over her, executing makeup, hair, fingers and toes

Queen of the village: 'It takes a village,' wrote the Australian beauty, captioning a selfie of her hair getting perfected

Mom's night out: The stunner shares three children: 3-year-old Miles and 4-year-old Hart with her Snapchat billionaire husband Evan Spiegel, and 12-year-old Flynn with ex-husband Orlando Bloom

Not only did Kerr look incredible, but she appeared to be on the mend after sparking concern last month when she shared an Instagram photo of herself wearing a neck brace.

She posed for a sombre selfie while sitting on the couch, but gave no explanation as to how she'd injured herself.

Instead, the mother-of-two simply captioned her post with the word 'Ouch'.

The Victoria's Secret Angel appeared to be makeup free in the image and wore a comfortable white camisole and knitted cream cardigan.
Chloe Fisher stunned in a photoshoot for her new alcoholic seltzer brand, Hard FIZZ, this weekend.

The 32-year-old model strutted her stuff in a black bikini as she showed off her incredible figure.

The beauty worked her angles as she hammed it up for the camera, holding onto a pineapple seductively.

Chloe Fisher (pictured) stunned in a photoshoot for her new alcoholic seltzer brand, Hard FIZZ, this weekend

Her brunette locks were worn in soft waves around her face and she opted for a bronzed makeup look with a nude lip gloss.

Chloe is the wife of chart topper DJ Fisher and also hosts the popular Darling, Shine! podcast with Chumpy Pullin's widow, Ellidy Pullin.

Paul Nicholas Fisher, who goes by the moniker FISHER, started out his career as a music producer.

The 32-year-old model strutted her stuff in a black bikini as she showed off her incredible figure

The beauty worked her angles as she hammed it up for the camera, holding onto a pineapple seductively

She was tended to by a makeup artist on set

Fisher is best known for his 2018 hit Losing It, which reached No. 35 on the Australian charts and No. 1 on the U.S. dance charts.

He also topped the Billboard dance charts with his follow up single, You Little Beauty and was nominated for both an ARIA Award and a Grammy Award for Losing It.

The pop star was a pro surfer before turning his hand at music.

Her brunette locks were worn in soft waves around her face and she opted for a bronzed makeup look with a nude lip gloss

The beauty checked out the photos between snapping sessions

Fisher recently embark on his Its Fkn On Australia tour which launched in November.

The Aussie artist had to cancel his Bigger Than a Beach Party tour due to waves of Covid restrictions.

Fisher is being joined by other artists including Booka Shade, PNAU, Little Fritter, Richard Penny & Tina Says, Loco Dice & HoneyLuv on the tour.
Davina Smith has spoken up on how mental health counselling 'saved her life'.

The Channel Nine reporter, 41, was filling in on the Today show on Saturday, where she was critical of the decision to pull back on Medicare-subsidised psychology visits from 20 a year to just 10.

'If you break the numbers down, 10 is less than one a month. That's not enough for someone who is critically ill with a mental health problem,' she said.

Davina Smith (pictured) has spoken up on how mental health counselling 'saved her life'

Davina then added that it was a very personal issue for her, too.

'I know, from my own situation as well, I see a psychologist, I accessed more than 10 services in the last 12 months, it saved my life in the last 12 months too,' she said.

From January 1, patients have only been able to claim Medicare rebates for 10 visits to a mental health professional.

Davina was filling in on the Today show on Saturday, where she was critical of the decision to pull back on Medicare-subsidised psychology visits from 20 a year to just 10

Davina is an ambassador for the Gidget Foundation, who raise awareness of perinatal anxiety and depression.

It's not the first time the television presenter has discussed her mental health battle.

'I ask that question and not just as a journalist but someone who has suffered mental health problems before,' she said last year.

'If you break the numbers down, 10 is less than one a month. That's not enough for someone who is critically ill with a mental health problem,' she said

'And I know in my darkest most terrible moments, when you have the courage to pick up the phone and ask for help though, sometimes it's not always there.

'Lifeline is always there but the call to the GP, the psychologist, the psychiatrist  you could be waiting three to four months to get access to someone and when you need help and you need help right now' she added.

For confidential support call the Lifeline 24-hour crisis support on: 13 11 14

Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800
Kate Moss is clearly unconcerned about the row over 'Nepo Babies'  people who have benefited from nepotism thanks to their parents' careers.

She's reportedly signed up another daughter of a famous pal to her modelling agency.

The new recruit is Bliss Chapman, 17, who is daughter of model-turned-nutritionist Rosemary Ferguson and the artist Jake Chapman and ex-girlfriend of Cruz Beckham.

Not bothered: Kate Moss is clearly unconcerned about the row over 'nepo babies' as she's reportedly signed up another daughter of a famous pal to her modelling agency

Bliss was a bridesmaid at Kate's 2011 wedding to musician Jamie Hince and is also the ex-girlfriend of youngest Beckham boy Cruz.

The young couple split in March of last year after 18 months of dating, which became public when they were pictured hand-in-hand at the Reading Festival.

And the young beauty is now joining her half-sister, Elfie Reigate, 22, who was the debut signing of the Kate Moss Agency.

The term nepo babies was coined online and is used to describe celebrity offspring who land easily in the world of showbiz, cushioned by their parents' famous names.

New signing: The new recruit is Bliss Chapman (right), 17-year-old daughter of model-turned-nutritionist Rosemary Ferguson and the artist Jake Chapman. Bliss joins her half-sister, Elfie Reigate (left), 22, who was the debut signing of the Kate Moss Agency

Famous ex: Bliss is the ex-girlfriend of youngest Beckham boy Cruz, with the couple splitting in March of last year (pictured in 2021 at Reading Music Festival)

Tom Hanks recently hit back at claims his children were beneficiaries of nepotism as he insisted they all were merely entering the 'family business'.

Speaking with Reuters via The Sun, he drew comparisons to small businesses run by families where everyone in the household was expected to contribute.

His defence came amid the recent 'nepo babies' uproar surrounding the offspring of Hollywood stars who have found fame with a leg up from their famous parents.

Lily-Rose Depp, Maude Apatow, and a slew of others were among those plastered on the front cover of New York Magazine's The Year of the Nepo Baby cover.

The furore-causing article was published in December and featured other children of the rich and famous who lucked out in the genetic lottery.

Celebrity nepotism is nothing new but the insult 'nepo baby' has become increasingly popular as shorthand to deride it.

Nepo Babies: It is a topic that has been trending on Twitter thanks to a cover story in New York Magazine. Pictured: The Beckhams, including son Brooklyn

Last month, Kate's sister Lottie Moss provoked social media followers after lending her support to Lily Allen amid the ongoing debate.

Lottie declared she is 'sick of people blaming nepotism for why they aren't rich and famous or successful', but did concede she is in a 'privileged' position because of Kate, 48.

Entering the debate on Twitter, she wrote: 'I'm so sick of people blaming nepotism for why they aren't rich and famous or successful - obviously it's not fair that people who come from famous families are getting a leg up because of that but guess what?

'Life isn't fair - if you put your mind to something you can accomplish anything! So instead of being negative about other people's success go and try and create your own!'

Getting involved: Lottie Moss provoked social media followers on Wednesday after lending her support to Lily Allen in the ongoing debate over socially-connected 'nepotism babies'

The comment posted an inevitable backlash from followers, with many referencing her connection to supermodel Kate as the basis for her own modelling career.

Making light of the reaction, she added: 'I loveeee that people get so pressed about something that I tweet GET A LIFE.'

The young model later conceded her supermodel sister had provided her with a sizeable stepping stone into the industry, but maintained she led a comfortable life in spite of Kate's undeniable assistance.

She wrote: 'And am privileged for numerous other reasons and as I say I am grateful for it all but s****ing on others because of it makes NO sense. Obviously I'm privileged being related to a huge model also.

Runs in the family: Kate Moss's daughter, Lila Grace Moss Hack, is following in her mother's footsteps

'I obviously am so grateful that I have had the opportunities I've had don't get it twisted.' [sic]

This comes after her sister Lottie appeared to take aim at Kate for a second time.

Lottie launched another attack on Kate last month in Glamour Magazine UK, insisting she's never been close to her.

Lottie recalled: 'When I started out, I was always just Kate Moss's sister. That was really hard for me growing up, especially not being that close with my sister (we still don't really have a relationship now, which is something I never really speak about).

'But back then, I was bombarded with people constantly asking me about my sister  I'd go to my friends' houses and there would be pictures of her on the walls  and it really triggered a lot of abandonment issues.'

Old times: Kate's post comes after Lottie wrote in her article for Glamour UK earlier this week that she does not really have a relationship with her sister (pictured together in 2014)

Kate was plucked from obscurity by Storm Management in 1988 after agency founder Sarah Doukas saw the delicately proportioned model walking through New York's JFK Airport following a family holiday in the Bahamas.

She has since cemented her place as one of the world's most instantly recognised supermodels, an icon revered by fashion-conscious girls across the globe - but Lottie claims she was offered no support from her sister as she made her first tentative steps as a model in her own right.

Lottie added: 'It's hard when you have someone 'close' to you doing the exact same job as you, who's already very prominent in the industry, but not having any advice or guidance.'

The young model finally found a foothold after featuring in photoshoots for Dazed and Teen Vogue magazines, before mirroring Kate's 1992 Calvin Klein underwear campaign by starring in her own promotional launch for the lifestyle brand.

But while there were good times in the fashion industry, she believes they were overshadowed by the constant pressure to be thin, to fit into sample-size dresses and to remain at the constant beck and call of her agents.

She recalled: 'I'd cry on set when I felt too uncomfortable, and they'd just patch up my makeup. I never received the support I needed from the people who were meant to be taking care of me.

'The attitude was more, 'put a plaster over the problem and keep her working; ply her with alcohol or whatever to keep her going', rather than, 'OK, maybe this girl needs help.''

Mixed emotions: While there were good times in the fashion industry, she believes they were overshadowed by the constant pressure to be thin (pictured on the catwalk for Topshop Unique at London Fashion Week in 2017)

After falling into what she describes as a 'deep depression,' Lottie took a break from modelling in April 2021, while sharing a home with close friend Sahara Rey - an OnlyFans content creator -in Los Angeles.

And it was here, within an online community far from the catwalks of London, Milan, Paris and New York that Lottie claims she finally found her niche after joining the site that June.

She added: 'The modelling industry is so glamourised and OnlyFans is so villainised, yet OnlyFans is the only place I've felt this empowered and safe.

'Looking back at how I started this year, I'd never have imagined that I'd end it in the best place I've ever been mentally.

'I'm part of a community on OnlyFans  I love nudity, I love doing naked shoots, feeling good about myself and watching other girls feel proud of themselves, too.'
South Korean girl group NewJeans are currently the hottest act in K-pop.

And now one of the group's Australian members, 17-year-old Danielle Marsh, has been named the new global face of fashion brand Burberry.

The Newcastle-born pop star displayed a youthful sophistication in official promo photos for the campaign.

South Korean girl group NewJeans are currently the hottest act in K-pop. And now one of the group's Australian members, 17-year-old Danielle Marsh (pictured), has been named the new global face of fashion brand Burberry

Danielle donned a brown silk blouse with the signature Burberry print, along with a pair of striped jeans that also featured the same print down the sides.

She accessorised with a stylish leather handbag from the luxury label and struck a dainty pose for the photos.

Fans flooded the post with comments, with one writing: 'Global? OMG this girl is dominating, so proud!'

So pretty like a doll,' gushed another, while one added: 'So cool, I am proud of you Danielle!'

The Newcastle-born pop star displayed a youthful sophistication in official promo photos for the campaign

NewJeans have been racking up endorsement deals since they debuted last year.

The group's other Australian member, Hanni Pham, was named as a brand ambassador for Gucci back in November.

Danielle was born in South Korea to an Australian father and Korean mother.

She spent most of her childhood living between the two countries and going to school in both at various points.

NewJeans have become a K-pop sensation since their debut last year, earning two No. 1 singles and selling over 1.5million albums

Vietnamese-Australian Hanni was born in Melbourne and went to school in the city.

NewJeans have become a K-pop sensation since their debut last year, earning two No. 1 singles and selling over 1.5million albums.

They've also earned attention from Western music critics, picking up praise from Rolling Stone, NME, and Pitchfork.
Hailey Bieber cut a trendy figure as she enjoyed an evening out with her husband Justin in Los Angeles on Friday.

The model, 26, opted for a grey pinstripe blazer and a matching pair of trousers which she wore with a light grey top.

The media personality also sported a pair of chunky black boots and added to her outfit with a matching handbag.

Couple: Hailey Bieber cut a trendy figure as she enjoyed an evening out with her husband Justin in Los Angeles on Friday

Styling her brunette locks into a bun, Hailey completed her outfit with a pair of gold earrings and matching necklace.

Justin went for a laid back look, wearing a light grey hoodie and baggie jeans with a multi-coloured print.

The hitmaker, 28, also sported a white top and matching trainers along with a burgundy beanie hat.

Justin and Hailey first began dating in December 2015 and split a month later before reuniting in June 2018.

Outing: The model, 26, opted for a grey pinstripe blazer and a matching pair of trousers which she wore with a light grey top

They became engaged the following month and obtained a marriage licence in September of that year.

The lovebirds recently returned from a holiday trip to Aspen, Colorado, where they enjoyed snowboarding and time with friends.

Hailey took to social media to share a slew of outtakes from the getaway in which they were joined by friends Kendall and Kylie Jenner.

Style: The media personality also sported a pair of chunky black boots and added to her outfit with a matching handbag

Casual: Justin went for a laid back look, wearing a light grey hoodie and baggie jeans with a multi-coloured print

One of the images showed the lovebirds snuggled up as the supermodel sat on her husband's lap.

Set in black and white, Justin sat on a chair outdoors while Mrs. Bieber lovingly wrapped her arms around him as they both wore snowsuits.

She captioned the post: 'Holiday Dump. best times. best friends. Happy New Year.'
Tasha Ghouri donned a racy black bikini and zebra-print wrap for a series of carefree snaps on Saturday as she enjoyed a holiday in Brisbane.

Taking to Instagram to post the shots, the Love Island star, 24, smiled and pouted, draping her arms over the balcony and posing for a close-up selfie.

She gave a flash of underboob and sported a pair of matching black earrings for her eye-popping look.

Daring: Tasha Ghouri donned a racy black bikini and zebra-print wrap for a series of carefree snaps on Saturday as she enjoyed a holiday in Brisbane

Carefree lifestyle: She captioned her post 'I'm good here' with a leaf emoji as she enjoyed her Australian getaway

Going make-up free, the reality star let her natural beauty shine through, showcasing her golden tan and slender arms.

Tasha wore her blonde locks slicked into an up-do as she enjoyed her relaxed holiday as she visits her brother Alexander, who she hadn't seen for seven years.

She captioned her post: 'I'm good here' with a leaf emoji.

Racy: Taking to Instagram to post the shots, the Love Island star, 24, smiled and pouted for the images, draping her arms over the balcony and posing for a close-up selfie

Happy: She flashed her underboob and sported a pair of matching black earrings for the shots as she went make-up free

It comes after Tasha shared gorgeous bikini-clad snaps on Monday from her day trip to Tangalooma Island Resort, off the coast of Brisbane.

She showed off her enviable physique in a skimpy cream two-piece, which she styled with a crocheted skirt and a sea-shell choker necklace.

Tasha wore her glossy golden tresses loosely in natural waves and showed off her natural beauty with a light dusting of bronzed make-up.

Beauty: Tasha wore her blonde locks slicked into an up-do as she enjoyed her relaxed holiday lifestyle in Australia

Glowing: The reality star let her natural beauty shine through, showcasing her golden tan and slender arms

The reality star is on holiday with boyfriend Andrew Le Page, 27, who she met on the 2022 series of Love Island.

Andrew joined Tasha in Australia for a holiday, after she previously jetted out to spend the New Year Down Under.

Tasha took to her Instagram Stories on Monday to document Andrew's arrival, sharing a black and white video of him waving as he walked through the airport.

Beauty: The Love Island star, 24, took to Instagram on Monday to share gorgeous bikini-clad snaps from her day trip to Tangalooma Island Resort, off the coast of Brisbane

He's here! Tasha took to her Instagram Stories on Monday to document Andrew's arrival, sharing a black and white video of him waving as he walked through the airport

The pair then wasted no time as they headed out to the sun-soaked island, where they enjoyed a trip quad-biking with Tasha's father Tarek.

Tasha cut a stylish figure in a pink floral mini dress and chunky trainers for the outing, while Andrew kept it casual in grey shorts and a white T-shirt.

Model Tasha, who became the first deaf contestant on Love Island, also shared a sweet picture of her and Andrew sharing a kiss in front of the sunset.

Tasha jetted out to Australia for the New Year, where she reunited with her brother Alexander after she had not seen him for seven years.

Smooch: Tasha, who became the first deaf contestant on Love Island, also shared a sweet picture of her and Andrew sharing a kiss in front of the sunset during their incredible holiday

She took to Instagram shared a video of herself hugging Alexander as the siblings met again at the airport.

Captured on her Instagram Stories, Tasha embraced Alexander, who states in his bio that he's the 'proudest big brother', captioning the clip 'seven years later. My brother' alongside three white heart emojis.

The video, which she also shared as a part of a compilation of 2022 memories, showed Tasha smiling as she snuggled within her brother's arms.

Family: Tasha jetted out to Australia for the New Year, where she reunited with her brother Alexander after she had not seen him for seven years

It comes after Tasha and Andrew proved their commitment to each other as the real estate agent gifted his girlfriend a promise ring.

Tasha was moved to tears after Andrew gave her the silver ring on Christmas Day, which was their first together as a couple.

The jewellery, from luxury brand Tiffany & Co., was described by Tasha as a 'gorgeous promise ring', telling fans watching her YouTube channel that she 'loves it so much.'

She mistook the box for an engagement ring when it was first presented to her, saying she did not expect to be gifted such a meaningful present.

Giving fans a glimpse at the jewellery on her YouTube channel, Tasha told her subscribers: 'Everybody is probably thinking this is an engagement box - Andrew got me a gorgeous promise ring and I love it so much.

'It's so simple and I love silver. I did not expect that at all, I nearly started crying.

'When I first saw the box I was like... because that is an engagement box.'

The couple flew to Guernsey to spend the festive period with Andrew's family.
Citizen, an app that lets users monitor crime and breaking incidents in real-time, leaked the home address of pop superstar Billie Eilish, according to Vice.

On Thursday night, the app published the specific home address of Elish in Los Angeles' Highland Park neighborhood.

A push notification was sent to 178,000 people informing them of an attempted burglary at Eilish's address. Based on the metrics that Citizen shows its users, nearly 78,000 people viewed the address.

Thousands of People Were Notified of Billie Eilish Address

On Thursday night, an incident in Highland Park, California was reported at 9:15 p.m. PST. After the police received a 911 call that there is a residential burglary, a notification was sent out on the Citizen app.

According to Gizmodo, the call was made by the home's housekeeper, who was not at home during that time but received an alert from the device showing the suspect on camera.

After 15 minutes, the police were able to apprehend the suspect. According to reports, the suspect fought with law enforcement before he was taken into custody.

Shortly after the incident, the police revealed the identity of the homeowner to be Eilish's family home.

By that time, thousands of people already received and viewed the push notification containing the home address of Eilish.

However, on Friday morning, the Citizen app suddenly changed the address of the incident. The app removed the actual address and instead only include the cross streets.

As per Gizmodo, at 7:24 a.m. PST, the app notes that "the address reported for this incident has changed to Meridian St & N Avenue 57."

Read Also: Amazon Prime Day Show 2021: Requirements and Where to Watch Billie Eilish, H.E.R, Kid Cudi in Music Festival

Citizen's Revelation of a Celebrity's Address is Alarming

While it is not difficult to find celebrity addresses on the Internet, it is still alarming that the Citizen app was able to actively identify the address of a popular celebrity. Moreover, it notified 178,000 users of that address.

Based on Citizen's privacy policy, the app will make mentions of location data but with claims of storing personal data to "as short a duration as possible." However, this only applies to app users, and not those involved with crimes reported on the app.

The ability for Citizen to reveal home addresses on its platform does set an alarm, particularly for a public figure like Eilish.

In the past, the homes of celebrities such as Sandra Bullock, Mariah Carey, Taylor Swift, and Simon Cowell have all been reportedly broken into.

With incidents like this, where a celebrity's address is revealed to thousands of people, stalkers and criminals might break into the homes of these popular people. It's a potentially destructive move from Citizen.

Citizen was launched as Vigilante in 2016. During that time, Apple quickly pulled the title from the App Store out of concerns that it might encourage users to involve themselves in dangerous situations.

Later on, the app rebranded itself as Citizen with a new focus on safety. With the rebranding, Apple decided to welcome the app.

The app then began advising users to avoid incidents in progress. In addition, it is also providing tools to help people who were caught in a dangerous situation.

Related Article: Upcoming 'The Simpsons' Disney+ Short to Feature Billie Eilish and Lisa Simpson
Brad Pitt is reportedly stepping back from his Hollywood business ventures as he strives towards a 'relaxed life' after 30 years in the spotlight.

The actor, 59, is thought to be trying out 'semi-retirement' after selling a massive stake of his production company Plan B.

But despite taking a step away, he still plans to continue acting - with sources claiming 'he just wants to live in peace'.

'He just wants to live in peace': Brad Pitt, 59, is reportedly stepping back from all Hollywood business ventures but plans to continue acting'... after selling huge stake in his production company

The news is according to Page Six, who claim that he is looking to settle down on the business front.

A source told the publication: 'Brad has decided that he wants to live a peaceful life going forward and is deciding what semi-retirement looks like for him.'

'One thing he's decided is that he will likely continue acting, but that he is staying away from other business ventures,' they added.

While another explained that the Babylon actor is considering leaving Hollywood and looking to 'move to France and do his vineyard and art and make furniture', 'he just wants to live in peace', they added.

Sticking with it: But despite taking a step away, he still plans to continue acting - with sources claiming 'he just wants to live in peace'

A source told Page Six: 'Brad has decided that he wants to live a peaceful life going forward and is deciding what semi-retirement looks like for him'

Brad co-owns the Chateau Miraval wine estate with ex-wife Angelina Jolie, and runs businesses out of the property.

Back in September, it was announced that Angelina's former company was suing the actor for $250million for allegedly stealing their wine business from her.

The cross-complaint by Nouvel LLC is a legal clap-back after Pitt sued Jolie claiming she illegally sold her stake in Chateau Miraval, a French castle and wine brand.

On the big screen: He recently starred alongside Margot Robbie in Hollywood flick Babylon

Owners: Brad co-owns the Chateau Miraval wine estate with ex-wife Angelina Jolie, and runs businesses out of the property

And the reports come weeks after Brad sold 60 per cent of his company Plan B to French media conglomerate Mediawan.

He founded Plan B in 2001 with his now ex-wife Jennifer Aniston and his then-manager Brad Grey, who died in 2017. With Brad becoming the sole owner after he and Aniston divorced.

But amid the many reports from various sources, they all remain clear that he is committed to his 30-year-long acting career.
Lori Harvey looked stylish as she left Giorgio Baldi in Santa Monica after dinner with a friend on Friday.

The model, 25, sported a grey top and long brown leather trench coat as she left the upmarket venue.

She paired the look with ripped blue jeans, layering up with a grey Maison Margiela scarf.

Evening out: Lori Harvey looked stylish as she left Giorgio Baldi in Santa Monica after dinner with a friend on Friday

Lori wore her brunette locks swept into a bun and kept her essentials in a square Louis Vuitton bag.

She complemented her look with a pair of gold earrings and a glowing make-up palette.

The model also sported a pair of fluffy black and beige stilettos for the evening out in Santa Monica.

Stylish: The model, 25, sported a grey top and long brown leather trench coat as she left the upmarket venue

It comes after Lori enjoyed the warm temperatures of Rio di Janeiro over the Christmas holidays.

The model, who recently participated in the Burberry holiday campaign, showed off her bikini body as she cruised around the Brazilian city on Monday.

The influencer looked relaxed in a red and white string bikini with black trim as she leaned against the rail of the boat.

Rest and relaxation: Lori Harvey, 25, showed off her bikini body as she cruised around Rio de Janeiro Monday, looking relaxed in a red and white string bikini

She showcased her toned abs and long legs in a photo showing green hillsides in the background.

Lori put on a pair of white high waist pants as she moved around the ship, taking a selfie inside an elevator.

Her friend, Nikki Hightower of Sac De Lux, joined her on the trip, and looked comfortable as she laid out in the sun in a black and white striped bikini.

Taking a siesta on the boat: Here the looker was laying down on a blue and white towel

Lori, who has been single since her highly publicized breakup with former beau Michael B Jordan, 35, in June, told Essence magazine she is taking time for herself.

'I feel like it's always been about me attached to something or someone,' she says. 'This time, it's about me. Self love, self-care, self-reflection.

'I'm being a little selfish right now. It's my time.'

Taking time: Lori, who has been single since her highly publicized breakup with former beau Michael B Jordan, 35, in June, told Essence magazine she is taking time for herself

That includes taking time to be hands-on with her beauty line SKN by LH, which she founded in 2021.

'This is the first thing that Ive really been able to call my own thing that Ive really been able to call my own, that I built from the ground up.

'I wanted to be very hands-on with everything I was doing, and I wanted to make the mistakes, so that I could learn from them and really know how to be a businesswoman at the end of the day.'
It was previously revealed that she would be appearing as a guest judge on the highly-anticipated 15th season of RuPaul's Drag Race.

And the time for Ariana Grande to make her big reveal finally arrived on Friday as the 29-year-old pop megastar left the contestants in complete shock with her quirky arrival.

The participants were stood in the iconic Werk Room when Ariana came in disguised under a mannequin chest and head, inspired by former contestant Vivacious's mannequin outfit, called Ornacia.

She's here! Ariana Grande has finally made her big reveal on RuPaul's Drag Race - leaving the contestants in complete shock

No way! The contestant's jaws were on the flaw of the Werk Room when Ariana came in disguised under an out-there oversized mannequin chest and head

As she strutted in confidently in disguise, One Last Time hitmaker Ariana looked effortlessly gorgeous with a full face of makeup in the unique outfit.

Designed to hide her top half to throw off the contestant's suspicions of who the newbie may have been, Ariana donned her signature mini skirt and thigh-high boot combination on the bottom half.

The black and white circular print skimmed her thighs and the material matched her heeled boots which added some inches to her tiny frame.

She slicked her raven tresses into a half-up, half-down hair-do to reveal her beautiful facial features.

'Mother has arrived!': Designed to hide her top half to throw off the contestant's suspicions of who the newbie may have been, Ariana's blue top was huge on her

Who could that be? The mannequin head on the top had some gems and pink lipstick to keep to the glamorous theme of the show

Big reveal... Ariana pulled a panel away from the mannequin outfit to pop her head out of it, with the contestants left in shock

To add a touch of sparkle to her glamorous make-up look, she applied a few sprinkles of glitter to her eye area and accessorised with some simply silver hoop earrings.

The contestants could not believe their eyes at the sight of Ariana in the studio with them as they prepared for their maxi challenges.

As she revealed her identity, Ariana repeated Vivacious' signature catchphrase 'Mother has arrived!' and put her hands up in the air with glee.

Hidden: It was previously revealed that Ariana would be appearing as a guest judge on the highly-anticipated 15th season of RuPaul 's Drag Race

Strut: Ariana strutted in with confidence before popping her head out of the top much to the contestants' surprise

Appearance: To add a touch of sparkle to her glamorous makeup look, she applied a few sprinkles of glitter to her eye area and accessorised with some simply silver hoop earrings

Earlier in December, a 15-second clip featuring the popstar made the announcement, captioned: 'pov: your fave is guest-judging the #DragRace season premiere [cloud and sparkle emojis]

'Ariana Grande joins us Friday January 6 at 8/7c  NOW ON @MTV [crown emoji]'

The highly popular series will be debuting on MTV after years on sister network VH1.

Ariana channeled 1980s and 90ss era Madonna as she rocked a black cone-shaped bra, however, it had a bit of a twist as there were golden balls all over it.

Can't believe it: The contestants could not believe their eyes at the sight of Ariana in the studio with them as they prepared for their maxi challenges

Overjoyed: As she revealed her identity, Ariana told the Queens: 'Mother has arrived!' and put her hands up in the air with glee

She teamed the midriff-baring look with a black midi skirt, pantyhose, and suede heels.

Her brunette tresses were pulled back in her signature high-ponytail as she completed her make-up with a bit of dramatic eye make-up.

Ariana could be heard in a voiceover saying: 'Season 15 is here and so am I.'

The reality competition series is hosted by iconic drag queen RuPaul as contestants are vying for the crown and title of becoming 'America's next drag superstar.'

Stunner: A 15-second clip featuring the 29-year-old pop megastar - who Jennifer Coolidge recently credited for reviving her 'flat-lining' career - was released on Wednesday to make the exciting announcement

Inspiration: Ariana channeled 1980s and 90s era Madonna as she rocked a black cone-shaped bra, however, it had a bit of a twist as there were golden balls all over it

RuPaul, 62, is one of the judges along with the guest judge, Michelle Visage, and either Carson Kressley or the hilarious Ross Mathews.

Previous winners include Jinkx Monsoon, Bianca Del Rio, Bob The Drag Queen, Sasha Velour, Symone, and last year's winner Willow Pill.

RuPaul's Drag Race season 15 debuted on MTV at 8pm on Friday, January 6.

Watch RuPaul's Drag Race season 15 available now only on Stan in Australia.
Molly Smith showed off her incredible figure as she put on a loved-up display with her beau Callum Jones on a spa trip this week.

The former Love Island star, 28, took to Instagram on Saturday to share the stunning images as she slipped into an orange bikini while Callum, 26, doted on her.

She had her ample assets and toned abs on display in the mirror selfies while flaunting her gym-honed physique.

Stunning: Molly Smith showed off her incredible figure as she put on a loved-up display with her beau Callum Jones on a spa trip this week

Molly wore her long blonde tresses in loose waves over her shoulders and opted for a glamorous makeup look for her spa trip.

Meanwhile former scaffolder Callum showed off his chiselled and tattooed physique in black swimming shorts.

The pair couldn't keep their hands off each other as Callum planted a kiss on his girlfriend's cheek.

Happy: The former Love Island star, 28, took to Instagram on Saturday to share the images as she slipped into an orange bikini while Callum, 26, doted on her

Molly and Callum are one of Love Island's major success stories, meeting on the first-ever winter edition of the ITV dating show in 2020, where they left before the finale.

The couple moved into a lavish four-bedroom house in Manchester that November after meeting on the show.

Despite their rushed start, the lovebirds seem to be going from strength to strength, recently celebrating their second anniversary together.

Busty: She had her ample assets and toned abs on display in the mirror selfies while flaunting her gym-honed physique

Radiant: Molly wore her long blonde tresses in loose waves over her shoulders and opted for a glamorous makeup look for her spa trip

It hasn't always been smooth sailing for the couple, however, as their get-together caused a stir on the ITV2 show.

Callum entered the show as one of the original contestants and connected with Shaughna Phillips at the beginning.

The couple's relationship continued to blossom until the infamous Casa Amor came along - which saw Molly's arrival to the show.

Molly and Callum hit it off upon meeting, and he decided to return to the villa with her - leaving Shaughna devastated as she was left to fly solo.
Andy Bridges was 'Kevin's mentor' and took him to his first ever gig as a teen

He was reportedly surrounded by family, including the Scottish comedian, 36

Comedian Kevin Bridges is mourning the death of his father after he passed away aged 75.

The Scottish funnyman, 36, is said to have been at Andy's side when he died on Thursday January 5, along with his mother Patricia and the rest of the family.

According to The Sun, a source revealed: 'Andy was Kevin's mentor and took him to his first ever gig when he was a teenager. He was still bouncing new material off him in recent weeks.

Heartbreaking: Comedian Kevin Bridges is mourning the death of his father after he passed away aged 75

'Andy was absolutely hilarious and that's where Kevin got his comedy skills from.'

The insider also went on to explain that Andy had the 'biggest influence' on Kevin's career.

'He was without question the biggest influence on Kevin's career and drove him to pub gigs all over the UK in the early days,' they added, 'They were a team.'

Kevin's representatives have confirmed the death of his father to MailOnline.

Terrible news: The Scottish funnyman, 36, is said to have been at Andy's side when he died, along with his mother Patricia and the rest of the family

Kevin has previously spoken about his beloved father when he appeared on the Graham Norton Show in 2015.

Graham mentioned that he understood how important Kevin's dad was in making his career.

'My dad, he used to drive me to the gigs because I was too young to perform in the clubs so they'd [let me] as long as I brought a parent, which was pretty uncool,' he told the TV host.

'Having to bring a note in and say you're alright to go on stage in these comedy clubs.

'He used to drive me everywhere, all over Scotland.'

Nostalgia: In September 2021, Kevin shared a picture of himself and his dad Andy stood outside The Stand, a comedy club in Glasgow - where his dad drove him for his first gig

Since his career kicked off, Graham added that Kevin has thanked his parents for their support over the years, and on one occasion buying them a ticket on the Orient Express.

'My dad's always had a thing for trains,' he explained. 'He always wanted to go on the Orient Express. So for their anniversary a couple of years ago I got them the trip.

'And my dad is the only guy whose ever missed the train.

'He got off at Innsbrook station, he sent me a long text before the train's about to depart.

'He goes, "Son, we've been wined and dined, I've been gazing at the tyrolean mountains"... and I'm looking at this text thinking "ah he's really had a good time".

'Then he just goes, "S***e!". Then it's just went, "The train has just left, Kevin. Call me son".'

Strong bond: Kevin's dad was 'without question the biggest influence on [his] career' and 'drove him to pub gigs all over the UK in the early days', a source revealed (Kevin pictured in 2015)

His dad then got a standing ovation when he finally caught the train up after calling in help from locals to meet it at another station.

In September 2021, Kevin shared a picture of himself and his dad Andy stood outside The Stand, a comedy club in Glasgow.

He revealed that it was the first place he did his open mic spot - and his dad was the one to drive him there.

Captioning the post, Kevin wrote: 'Over 17 and a half years since this man drove me up here for my first open mic spot. Good to have him back in da cluuuub last night. There we were now here we are... #Da #BigAndy'.

Only last year, Kevin welcomed his first child with wife Kerry.

He has kept his son out of sight since he was born in summer 2021, only sharing one photo of him carrying his little one out from one of his shows.

Celebrate: Only last year, Kevin welcomed his first child with wife Kerry. He has kept his son out of sight since he was born last summer, only sharing one photo of him carrying his little one out from one of his shows

Wearing a blue jumper and carrying a black backpack as he walked through a back corridoor, Kevin carried his baby boy in his arm, who wore a cute beige beanie hat with a bobble on top.

With a dummy in his mouth, the youngster looked ahead to the camera as he was being photograph.

The first-time dad told the Scottish Sun that they named the baby boy Liam.

Speaking to his fans in the caption of his post, Kevin writes: 'Five arena tours done! Mental. Thank you to everyone who came out. It's been a ride. From the comedy clubs in January right up to the big b****** arenas, we go again and again.

Congratulations: Kevin Bridges is pictured with his wife Kerry before they became parents in summer 2021, with a baby boy named Liam

'A few off field issues to deal with and then there will be some international dates and of course a DVD / special / whatever it's called these days.

'To 2023, man and god bless the heart to the trigger fans, and my mum, dad, brar, wife, and legend of son and my dug - thank you.

'There we were, now here we are. See you all very shortly'

Kevin Bridges is 'absolutely delighted' to become a father as his wife Kerry is pregnant with their first child.

Father: It was revealed that the Scottish comic, 36, and his wife Kerry, were expecting their first child in May last year, but has kept his son out of sight since he was born last summer

The comedian, 34, tied the knot with his partner three years ago in St Peter's Church, Glasgow and they are started a family together when little Liam was born last year.

A source close to the couple told The Sun at the time: 'We can confirm Kevin and Kerry are expecting a child this year.

'They are absolutely delighted and are both looking forward to parenthood.'

A spokesperson for Kevin confirmed to the publication: 'We can confirm Kevin and Kerry are expecting a child this year.'

Kevin and Kerry used their wedding to raise money for charity, asking friends and family to donate to Glasgow's Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre in lieu of gifts.
Sophie Habboo's mother Sarah Wigley met her new puppy Bobbie on Saturday - a week after fiance Jamie Laing's allergic reaction to the animal that left him in hospital.

Taking to Instagram, the former Made In Chelsea star, 29, shared a series of sweet images of her mother cuddling the pup and enjoying a day around London together.

She also grinned as she relaxed with a face mask while Bobbie curled up on the sofa behind her.

Family time: Sophie Habboo's mother Sarah Wigley met her new puppy Bobbie on Saturday after fiance Jamie Laing's allergic reaction to the animal last week

Cute: Taking to Instagram, the former Made In Chelsea star shared a series of sweet images of her mother cuddling the pup and enjoying a day around London with her on Saturday

Love: Sophie captioned the post '@sarahwigley meets Bobbie' after their time together on Saturday

Bobbie was seen in a carrier and giving her owner Sophie a kiss as she posed with them.

Sophie captioned the post: '@sarahwigley meets Bobbie.'

The TV personality also took to her Instagram stories, writing 'Mumma to the rescue' when the duo met and 'She prefers my Mum to me and its quite upsetting tbh.'

Cuddles: Sophie posted a snap of herself lying down beside Bobbie as she enjoyed snuggles with the sleepy pup on Saturday

Adorable: A smitten Sarah enjoyed sitting with Bobbie in a cafe in another snap from their day together on Saturday

It comes after Jamie was rushed to hospital for steroid treatment after suffering an allergic reaction to Bobbie last week.

Sophie took to Instagram to reveal her husband-to-be's asthma became 'out of control' after they adopted the pet, and they had been 'quite stressed' by the health scare.

The hospital dash happened just a week after Jamie revealed he had given into Sophie's 'nagging' and finally adopted a long-haired Dachshund, sharing Instagram snaps as they took him for a walk.

Relaxing: Sarah also sat on the sofa with a face mask on as Bobbie had a lie down behind her on Saturday

Sleepy: The TV personality looked at the camera as little Bobbie hid her face and relaxed next to her on Saturday

Oh no! Jamie Laing was rushed to hospital for steroid treatment after suffering an allergic reaction to his new puppy Bobbie, Sophie revealed last week

In a video posted to her Instagram Stories, Sophie updated her followers on Jamie's condition after being absent from social media for several days.

She wrote: 'Sorry for the MIA on Instagram, had the most wonderful Christmas and I hope you all did as well,' she penned.

'But Jamie has been in hospital for steroids as it turns out he's allergic to the pup and his asthma has been out of control.

'So as you can imagine, I've been quite stressed for them. Going to the doctor tomorrow, so we will keep you all updated. But sending everyone all my love.'

Scary: Sophie Habboo took to Instagram last week to reveal her husband-to-be's asthma became 'out of control' after they adopted the pet

In December, Jamie took to Instagram to share the exciting news that he and Sophie had welcomed a new addition to their family, Bobbie.

Jamie seemed to be quite taken with the pup who was curled up in a doggy sling as he revealed he finally gave in to getting a dog after his fiancee Sophie 'nagged' him for a long time.

He wrote: 'Welcome to the family Little Bobbie. I've said no to a dog for a long time but finally had to give in to Sophie's constant nagging.

'It's peeing everywhere, pooping all over the place, she doesn't know her name and ignores me, she sleeps all day and is awake during the night, wants to cuddle Sophie and not me but somehow I still find her pretty damn irresistible Plus I get to choose her second name which probably was a big mistake, any ideas?'

Cute! In December, Jamie took to Instagram to share the exciting news that he and Sophie had welcomed a new addition to their family, puppy Bobbie

Jamie and Sophie are set to tie the knot next year and are in the midst of planning a 'big wedding'.

The new family addition comes as a needed boost to Jamie who failed his car theory test last month.

The reality star took to Instagram to share a picture of a letter from the Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) which told him he'd scored 41 out of 50 on the multiple choice part of the test, when the pass mark was 43.

Television personality Jamie captioned his post: 'Why is the DVSA playing so hard to get? Actually embarrassing now!'

Jamie also scored 44 out of 75 on the hazard perception part of the test, with the pass mark being 44, but he needed to pass both sections to pass overall.
They're set to appear on screen in the upcoming Agatha Christie adaption A Haunting in Venice this year.

And Kenneth Branagh, Tina Fey and Riccardo Scamarcio were spotted in the Italian city this weekend as they filmed scenes for the new movie.

The trio were all dressed in suit ensembles as they looked over a balcony, before Kenneth filmed some solo scenes on the water.

Kenneth Branagh transforms into character Hercule Poirot as he joins co-stars Tina Fey and Riccardo Scamarcio on the set of new film A Haunting in Venice

Back again: Kenneth brought back his iconic moustache for the role, which sees him transform into detective Hercule Poirot

Kenneth brought back his iconic moustache for the role, which sees him transform into detective Hercule Poirot.

He sported a navy, three-piece suit with a red tie and pocket tissue and homburg hat for the scenes with his two co-stars.

The actor then took to a wooden police gondola for some solo filming through the Italian city's canals.

Detective duties: The actor took to a wooden police gondola while filming some solo scenes through the Italian city's canals

High up: Kenneth was seen making his way up to a high balcony for scenes

On set: Filming with Kenneth, Tina appeared in high spirits during filming as she was dressed in a green blazer and matching skirt with leather gloves

Filming with Kenneth, Tina - who will take on a lead role - appeared in high spirits during filming as she was dressed in a green blazer and matching skirt with leather gloves.

Her brunette tresses were styled in a slight curl as they fell freely, with the beauty opting for a light palette of makeup.

Dressed in a grey suit and a large black coat was Riccardo Scamarcio as he joined his co-stars on the balcony. Riccardo and Tina's character names are not yet known.

Wrapped up: Kenneth wrapped up warm in a blue padded jacket for the chilly temperatures

Close: Kenneth worked closely with the director of Haunting in Venice on the Grand Canal in the Italian city

The film is the third adaptation following 2017's Murder On the Orient Express and 2022's Death On The Nile, after co-star Jamie Dornan described the waxed moustache 'intimidating'.

The project began production in November at Pinewood Studios in London , before location work in Venice, Italy, with it expected to hit cinemas in September.

It is adapted from Agatha Christie's 1969 novel Hallowe'en Party, set in post-World War II Venice on All Hallows Eve.

The story follows Poirot who is now retired and living in self-imposed exile, before he is lured in to solve yet another mystery.

In character: Kenneth added his character's moustache as he filmed scenes down the Venician canal
The Crown's Imelda Staunton has revealed was 'saddened' by The Queen's death last year but admits she felt the cast 'had to continue' with filming season six.

The 66-year-old British actress, who plays the late monarch in the hit Netflix series, is currently working on the final season of the drama.

And a few months after the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the on-screen Queen has told of how she feels 'very responsible' that she has to 'lead from the front'.

Responsibility: The Crown's Imelda Staunton has revealed her heartbreak at The Queen's death last year but admits she felt the cast 'had to continue' with filming season six

Speaking to The Mirror, Imelda said of the moment The Queen died: 'We have to make the bar higher. I feel very responsible that I have to lead from the front.

'One was saddened and thrown off course, but one knew we had to continue.'

Imelda added: 'We are all so proud and hopefully we will please the audiences.'

The actress, who also starred in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix as Dolores Umbridge, is up for a Golden Globe award next week.

Huge show: The 66-year-old British actress, who plays the late monarch in the hit Netflix series, is currently working on the final season of the drama (pictured with Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana and Dominic West as Prince Charles)

She is in line to pick up the Best Television Actress in a Drama Series gong - but is up against House of the Dragon's Emma D'Arcy, Ozark's Laura Linney, Hilary Swank's Alaska Daily and Euphoria's Zendaya.

Imelda also told the publication that taking the Queen's role on from predecessors Claire Foy and Olivia Colman felt like 'a huge responsibility.

She also went on to explain how the Queen's relationship with Prince Philip was of interest to her, saying that their ability to stay with each other despite the chaos surrounding them their entire lives is 'testament to their strength as individuals'.

Series five of The Crown has been subject to plenty of criticism due to the touchy topic of King Charles and his marriage to Diana.

Star: A few months after the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the on-screen Queen has told of how she feels 'very responsible' that she has to 'lead from the front'

Many argued that filming scenes leading up to Princess Diana's death in Paris were insensitive - as well as the series going ahead with its launch not long after the Queen's death in September last year.

Focusing heavily on the fallout between Princess Diana, played by Elizabeth Debicki and King Charles (then Prince of Wales) as portrayed by West, the new series will showcase a number of low points for the royals.

Among them are Charles and Diana's marriage breakdown, the late royal's controversial Panorama interview and the notorious 'tampongate' phone call between the King and Queen Consort.

One of the most controversial aspects of the series is how it will tackle the death of Diana, with Netflix facing scrutiny over the decision to recreate the final days of Princess Diana, shooting some scenes in Paris, where she died.

True love: She also went on to explain how the Queen's relationship with Prince Philip was of interest to her, saying that their ability to stay with each other despite the chaos surrounding them their entire lives is 'testament to their strength as individuals'

It followed accusations of callousness amid reports the show will recreate the Paris car chase that resulted in Diana's death and scenes of young princes William and Harry following their mother's coffin in a future season. The exact moment of the crash will not be shown.

Acting royalty Dame Judi Dench, who is close to King Charles and Camilla, has accused the programme of being 'crude and hurtful'.

Dame Judi, 87, who has played Elizabeth I and Queen Victoria, told The Times the series risked damaging the monarchy. The Oscar-winning actress blamed it for 'crude sensationalism' and blurring fact and fiction.

Former Prime Minister Sir John Major criticised a scene which shows him having a conversation with then Prince Charles about the possibility of the Queen abdicating as 'malicious nonsense'.

Controversy: One of the most controversial aspects of the series is how it will tackle the death of Princess Diana, played by Elizabeth Debicki

Recently, The Crown star Gillian Anderson, who played Margaret Thatcher in series four, hit back at the comments - and argues that the series could have been far more damaging.

Speaking to The Daily Mail's Richard Eden, Gillian said: 'There's a lot of researchers involved, and a lot of people checking and double-checking and triple-checking.

'There's a lot that has not been written about that could be written about. And if you knew the difference in those, you'd see there is a great deal of kindness and restraint.'

She adds: 'At the end of the day, there are incredibly compassionate and well-rounded takes on human beings.

'And what you're left with is properly, maturely drawn, complex characters. And there's a lot that's in there that one has to say, 'If you didn't do it, we wouldn't be writing about it'.'
Real Housewives of New Jersey's Teresa Giudice danced up a storm with her husband, Luis Ruelas, on her family vacation in Mexico Friday night.

The Dancing With The Stars alum showed off her toned legs in a plunging white halter maxi dress as she shook her hips and waved her arms to the beat near a dinner table on the beach.

The 50-year-old beauty - who boasts 2.3M Instagram followers - put her impressive dance moves on display and captioned the post, 'Love having you by my side  #2023 #always&forever.'

Loved up duo: Dancing With The Stars alum, Teresa Giudice put her impressive moves on display as she danced up a storm with her husband, Luis Ruelas, on a family vacation in Mexico

The beauty wore her long locks back in a ponytail, opted for smokey eye makeup, and accessorized with large diamond stud earrings and bracelets.

Meanwhile, Luis, 47, danced along in a coordinated white outfit as the loved-up couple enjoyed the DJ spinning nearby.

In September, while talking with People.com, Teresa discussed how she taught all of her daughters how to dance.

She said, '[My daughter] Gia, she was a dancer. All four of my daughters started out dancing, like two and a half-3 years old. Right now, the only one thats professionally dancing is my youngest, Audriana.'

Her 21-year-old, Gia, said, 'I told her that she needs to be engaged with her partner. She needs to love the dance, feel the music and really connect with the audience.'

Fit figure: Known for keeping up her workout routine, Teresa showed off her toned legs in a plunging white halter maxi dress as she shook her hips to the beat

All glammed up: The beauty wore her long locks back in a ponytail, opted for smokey eye makeup, and accessorized with large diamond stud earrings and bracelets

In September, Teresa was eliminated from Dancing With The Stars in week two of the competition. Giudice and her partner Pasha gave a great effort and put as much passion as they had into their jive, dancing to Presleys All Shook Up, but it was not enough to impress the judges.

Judge Len Goodman commented, 'It was bright, and it was lively. The problem was there were too many faults in your leg action. Not sharp enough in the kicks, one of two mistakes going on.'

The pair ended up with a 23 out of 40, putting Teresa in the bottom two for the second week.

Earlier this week, Giudice posted a group portrait that included her husband and their children from previous relationships.

Group photo: Earlier in the week, Giudice posted a group portrait that included her husband Luis, 47, and their children from previous relationships

The dynamic couple have a combined six children: Giudice shares daughters Audriana, 13, Milania, 16, Gabriella, 18, and Gia, 21, with ex-husband Joe Giudice, while Ruelas is dad to sons Louie Jr., 19, and Nicholas, 21, from a previous relationship.

On Tuesday, Teresa showed off her curves in a tiny black bikini as she posed near a pool at Rosa Negra in Tulum.

Teresa and Luis got married last August in East Brunswick, New Jersey, after getting engaged in October 2021.

Bikini babe: Teresa showed off her fit physique in an Instagram post wearing a black bikini from her family vacation in Mexico on Tuesday

Dynamic couple: The dynamic couple have a combined six children: Giudice shares daughters Audriana, 13, Milania, 16, Gabriella, 18, and Gia, 21, with ex-husband Joe Giudice, while Ruelas is dad to sons Louie Jr., 19, and Nicholas, 21, from a previous relationship

Cute couple: Luis also shared a photo of himself with Teresa in her black bikini

The lead-up to their wedding and Teresa's family drama with brother Joe Gorga, 43, and her sister-in-law Melissa Gorga, 43, will be shown on the upcoming season of RHONJ.

Teresa's fellow RHONJ co-stars Dolores Catania, Margaret Josephs, Jennifer Aydin and Jackie Goldschneider attended the wedding, but her fellow co-star Melissa and brother Joe skipped it.

Luis and Teresa have been enjoying the holidays together for the first time since getting married.

It comes after the loved-up duo admitted that they are still keeping the spark alive in the bedroom, after claiming they have sex five times a day in August.

Beach fun: The couple also relaxed on the beach together

Good times: Teresa and Luis beamed as they posed near a pool

Still newlyweds: Luis and Teresa, shown last month on Instagram, have been enjoying the holidays together for the first time since getting married

Teresa told People on Friday: 'That was on our honeymoon. You figure morning, afternoon, nighttime and in between. But I mean listen, my point is, if you don't do that, then that's not normal. That means you love the person you're with and want to be with ... I mean if not, then why be with that person?'

'It's a normal thing when you love someone,' she added.

Meanwhile Ruelas concurred, stating: '[During the honeymoon] I'm like, "I'm going home with a lot of clean clothes," 'cause we stayed naked a lot of the time, but it was like... I'm attentive to [her] needs.'

The Real Housewives Of New Jersey will return for its season 13 premiere on February 7.
Kym Marsh recalled her own struggles as a single mum as she compared herself to her new character in the Waterloo Road reboot on Saturday.

The actress, 46, who stars as school canteen worker Nicky Walters in the soap, said there are 'elements of Nicky' that she can relate to.

Speaking in an interview with The Mirror, Kym detailed her past as she raise her children David, 27, and Emilie, 25, on her own, after falling pregnant with her son aged 18.

Relatable: Kym Marsh, 46, recalled her own struggles as a single mum as she compared herself to her new character in the Waterloo Road reboot on Saturday

She said: 'I was a single parent for many years when David and Emilie were little. I didnt have anybody. I struggled to make ends meet. I begged and borrowed from family and friends to help me.

'Yes, there are elements of Nicky that I get and understand as Ive been there too,' Kym explained as she spoke about her life before finding fame.

'She's struggling to make ends meet, shes a single parent, shes trying to hold down several jobs to make sure her children dont go without. Its very relatable right now with the cost-of-living crisis.'

On screen: The actress, who stars as school canteen worker Nicky Walters in the soap, said there are 'elements of Nicky' that she can relate to

Waterloo Road was back on our screens on Tuesday night with an episode that Adam Thomas return to his role Donte Charles in the school based series this summer after a 15 year break from the show.

The episode ended in heartache after his partner Chloe dramatically died after being hit by a car.

After seeming alright at first, Chloe, played by Katie Griffiths, took a turn for the worst and collapsed on the kitchen floor, before being rushed to hospital but it was too late.

Throwback: Speaking in an interview with The Mirror, Kym detailed her past as she raise her children David, 27, and Emilie, 25, on her own, after falling pregnant with her son aged 18 (pictured with her daughter)

The secondary school-set show first aired in 2006 and won legions of fans by tackling numerous tough issues over its 200-episode run.

Now it will tackle the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on school kids.

The gritty show - which was written by the creators of ITV prison drama Bad Girls - was originally set in Rochdale but later series saw a relocation to Greenock, Scotland.

The new episodes will be set once again in Greater Manchester.
gettyimagesbank



By Kang Seung-woo



With the global order shifting to a new "Cold War" paradigm, where North Korea partners with China and Russia against a U.S.-led trilateral alliance with South Korea and Japan, Pyongyang is expected to go its own way of advancing its nuclear program, according to diplomatic observers.



North Korean leader Kim Jong-un noted that the structure of international relations has been apparently shifted to the new Cold War system, further expediting a push for multipolarization, and accused the United States of establishing a military bloc similar to NATO, in a plenary meeting of its ruling Workers' Party last week. In addition, he hinted that his country will focus heavily on the security situation and its defense plans.



"I think North Korea views Seoul, Tokyo, and Washington as aligned in their policy approach with the goal of denuclearization and sees little value in dialogue with either of them. Pyongyang is not interested in talks that continue to pursue denuclearization and holds out little hope for concessions that they seek. As a result, North Korea will continue to grow its military capabilities," U.S. Naval War College professor Terence Roehrig said.



China, North Korea's biggest ally, has been engaged in a strategic competition with the U.S., while Russia, another enabler of Pyongyang's provocations, is in conflict with the U.S. and other Western countries due to its invasion of Ukraine, raising concerns that the North Korean nuclear issue has been pushed to the back burner of the Joe Biden administration's foreign policy, giving it the opportunity to concentrate more on modernizing its nuclear arsenal.



However, Ramon Pacheco Pardo, a professor of international relations at King's College London, said differing views between the two have led to the lack of diplomatic attention toward North Korea.



"Traditionally, North Korea has not been the main issue on Washington's agenda. In the past, the Middle East and terrorism were more important, as well as managing China's rise. Today, competition with China and Russia's war on Ukraine are more important than North Korea for the Biden administration," Pacheco Pardo said.



"But past U.S. administrations found the time to deal with North Korea in spite of other, more pressing foreign policy priorities. So this could be the case with the Biden administration. However, the positions of the U.S. and North Korea are very far apart right now. In my view, this is the main reason why the Bided administration see little reason to focus on North Korea, rather than other foreign policy priorities."



Leif-Eric Easley, an associate professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University, said policies of various stakeholders on the North Korean nuclear issue interact with each other, but it is important to clarify whether factors operate more as causes or effects.



"The Biden administration may be more focused on China and Russia, but its lack of diplomatic attention toward North Korea is more a result of the Kim regime's recalcitrance rather than a reason for it," he said.






Romesh Ranganathan appeared in great spirits on Saturday as he gave a thumbs up while arriving at the BBC Studios in London.

The comedian, 44, caught the eye in a bright red tracksuit as he made a cheerful arrival at the venue.

Wrapping up against thee chilly January weather, Romesh donned a black padded jacket over the bright two piece.

Happy days: Romesh Ranganathan appeared in great spirits on Saturday as he gave a thumbs up while arriving at the BBC Studios in London

He finished off his look with white trainers, while storing his essentials in a grey backpack.

The Weakest Link star certainly appeared in a great mood as she flashed a smile before heading inside.

It comes after Romesh joked about working with Katherine Ryan on their new series The Romantic Getaway where they play a couple.

Standing out: The comedian, 44, caught the eye in a bright red tracksuit as he made a cheerful arrival at the venue

Appearing on The Graham Norton show which aired on New Year's Eve, the comedian cheekily quipped that the mother-of-three, 39, had warned him there would be 'no touching' on set.

The duo play an ordinary couple who find themselves caught up in drama after they steal 500,000 from their boss in the The Sky Comedy series.

Asked about his new series on the show Romesh said: 'I've written sitcoms that are very gentle with funny scenarios, but I've never written something that is so driven by plot  you want it to be funny but you also want to drive this twisty story. It was amazing.'

Duo: It comes after Romesh joked about working with Katherine Ryan on their new series The Romantic Getaway where they play a couple

He the added jokingly: 'Despite playing a couple, Katherine (Ryan), who is a really good mate of mine made it clear from the very beginning that there would be no touching  she was adamant.

'In fact I think it was a deal breaker for her!'

Romesh also talked about his new stand-up special The Cynic while on The Graham Norton Show.

Funny: Appearing on The Graham Norton show which aired on New Year's Eve, the comedian, 44, cheekily quipped that the mother-of-three, 39, had warned him there would be 'no touching' on set

He said: 'Most Netflix specials are done at the Apollo, so I thought it would be funny to do it at my local theatre in Crawley, which looks like a leisure centre!'

Romantic Getaway will be on Sky Comedy with NOW from January 1 and has six episodes.

Romesh and Katherine star together as the couple at the centre of the series Deacon and Alison.

They are joined by Johnny Vegas who plays their dodgy and unpredictable boss Alfie.
Frankie Sturm, Public Diplomacy Officer, U.S. Consulate General Hyderabad addresses the students at Aandhra University (Photo by arrangement)

Vishakapatnam: Andhra Pradesh plays a significant role in the strategic partnership between the United States and India, underlined Frankie Sturm, Public Diplomacy Officer, U.S. Consulate General Hyderabad.

Speaking at an interactive session with journalism students from different colleges at the American Corner on premises of Andhra University, Sturm, who is on a three-day visit of Visakhapatnam, explained how the U.S.-India strategic partnership is founded on commitment to democracy, shared values and importance of fostering a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

The U.S. official underlined how the consulate worked with Andhra University to open the American Corner, which helps organise cultural, educational and exchange programmes in Visakhapatnam.

Sturm answered students questions about news media in the United States. He described how students can reach out to the U.S.-India Educational Foundation in Hyderabad to learn more about studying in the United States. He distributed certificates to students who attended a workshop on "Countering Disinformation" last August.

Prof. D.V.R. Murthy, Head of Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, Andhra University, thanked the U.S. Consulate official for his visit. He advised students to make use of the facilities at American Corner, which can help them in shaping their careers.
The M.Tech. programme aims at imparting the learners with thorough knowledge of Big Data, Distributed Computing, Network and Security in Cloud, building Cloud-native applications, Cloud Economics, and other aspects of Cloud Computing to help enhance their career prospects in this dynamic sector. (By Arrangement/Representational Image)

HYDERABAD: The Work Integrated Learning Programmes (WILP) division of Birla Institute of Technology & Science (BITS), Pilani, has launched the M.Tech. Cloud Computing degree programme to help working professionals and their employers keep up pace with the ever-evolving world of digitisation and in particular, the rapid proliferation of Cloud-based solutions. It is a four-semester degree programme designed exclusively for working professionals, so that they can pursue industry- relevant curriculum in Cloud Computing, without having to take a break from work.

The M.Tech. programme aims at imparting the learners with thorough knowledge of Big Data, Distributed Computing, Network and Security in Cloud, building Cloud-native applications, Cloud Economics, and other aspects of Cloud Computing to help enhance their career prospects in this dynamic sector.

Apart from the global impact, large scale Cloud adoption is set to be one of the leading contributors to the Indian economy. Estimates by the National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) value it at $380 billion potential boost to the Indian GDP, with 14 million direct and indirect employment opportunities that are expected to be created by 2026. A rising digital population and increased digitisation are the leading factors, which will likely drive this growth.

Considering the future impact of Cloud Computing and various other factors, BITS Pilani WILP has designed this UGC-approved four-semester M.Tech. Cloud Computing degree programme to help empower engineers and managers, who work in the areas, such as Infrastructure Management, Data Centre Operations, Cloud Deployment, and Network Embedded Systems. The IT professionals in technical roles, such as DevOps Engineer, Systems Engineer, Network Administrators, Cloud Services Engineer, or techno-managerial roles, such as Infrastructure Lead/ Infrastructure Manager will also derive significant value by pursuing this programme.

The M.Tech. Cloud Computing programme will make extensive use of Public Cloud-based lab environments with the best-of-breed compute, database, storage and application lifecycle services, along with modern open source tools/frameworks, including those from Apache.

The education delivery methodology is a blend of classroom and experiential learning, comprising lab exercises, assignments, case studies, and work-integrated activities. The programme also uses a continuous evaluation system for regular assessment to provide timely and frequent feedback to enable working professionals keep track of their progress.

The first, second, and third semesters of the programme cover four courses each. The fourth semester covers dissertation/project work, which enables students to apply concepts and techniques learnt during the programme.

Elaborating on the other key highlights of this programme, Prof. Anita Ramachandran, Head - Computer Science and Information Systems group of BITS Pilani WILP, says, Among various key aspects, the programme offers a set of courses that aid learners in understanding the design and the development of Cloud native applications using existing services and APIs, and design and architectural choices made in a Cloud platform from a provider perspective. It will also help them design and implement a Cloud native application prototype or migrate an existing solution and the continuous lifecycle of an application from development, deployment to management and operations.

The interested working professionals can visit the BITS Pilanis Work Integrated Learning Programmes (WILP) website to learn more about the objectives of different programmes (for which the admissions are now open), register their account, and pursue the process listed on the website accordingly.

The last date for applications for admissions for the M.Tech. Cloud Computing programme is December 5, 2022.
A gang of 59 women allegedly assaulted a man accusing him of circulating morphed photos of another woman through social media

Thrissur: A gang of 59 women allegedly assaulted a man accusing him of circulating morphed photos of another woman through social media in Thrissur district of Kerala.

Police said a case has been registered against all the accused and 11 of them have been arrested.

The accused, all devotees of a spiritual retreat centre here, assaulted Shaji when he was travelling with five others in a car on Thursday evening.

The video of the women, dragging the man and beating and thrashing him mercilessly, went viral on social media platforms.

Some women could even be seen attacking him with sticks in the video.

A native of Muriyad near here, Shaji is still undergoing treatment at a hospital with injuries, police said.

The man and his family recently snapped their association with the divine retreat centre, they said.

Besides him, five other members of his family were also there in the car when the incident happened outside the campus of the Centre.

They also suffered minor injuries and glass of the vehicle was damaged in the attack.

"As per the man's complaint, the women attacked him out of misunderstanding that he had propagated the morphed pictures of a woman related to the retreat centre," police told PTI.

Various sections of IPS including 307, 143, 147, 144, 128 and so were charged against the accused.

As many as 11 accused women were already remanded and sent to women's prison in Viyyur. Investigations are on, they added.
Department of State press secretary Ned Price is seen answering questions during a press briefing at the Foreign Press Center in Washington, Jan. 6, in this image capture. Yonhap



Close cooperation between South Korea, Japan and the United States is crucial in dealing with a range of challenges facing the allies in the Indo-Pacific, including the security threat posed by North Korea, a State Department spokesperson said Friday.



Press secretary Ned Price said ways to enhance this trilateral cooperation will be a major topic for U.S.-Japan discussions next week.



U.S. President Joe Biden is set to hold a summit with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the White House, after their defense and foreign ministers hold their annual Security Consultative Committee meeting in Washington.



"We have an ironclad relationship with our Japanese allies. That will be on full display next week when we have a Two Plus Two format with our Japanese allies and when the president, prime minister convene at the White House on Friday," the secretary said during a press briefing at the Foreign Press Center in Washington.






The Telangana High Court. (Representational Image/PTI)

HYDERABAD: Poachgate accused Ramachandra Bharati, Kore Nandu Kumar and D.P.S.K.P.N. Simhayaji told the Telangana High Court on Friday that the appeals filed by the government, the SIT and BRS MLA P. Rohith Reddy against the transfer of the case to the CBI were not maintainable.

The reason, they said, was that the High Court had dismissed the SIT's criminal revision petition against an ACB court order, which was a criminal jurisdiction side.

Senior counsels L. Ravichander and D.V. Seetharama Murthy, representing the trio, argued that the single judge bench headed by Justice B. Vijaysen Reddy had examined all aspects before entrusting the probe to the CBI. They said the single judge had been very cautious in pointing out the lacunae in the SIT probe, though much could have been said.

Ravichander told the court that the ACB court had dismissed the SIT memo arraying BJP leader B.L. Santosh and three others as accused. When the SIT preferred a criminal revision case against that order, a single judge bench of Justice D. Nagarjun had dismissed it. This clearly established that the case was on the criminal jurisdiction side.

Ravichander pointed out that the state had filed a criminal revision case against the ACB court order but had come before the division bench with a writ appeal. When the High Court had dismissed the SITs criminal revision case, the state's writ appeals were not maintainable.

Questioning Rohith Reddy's appeal, Ravichander asked how the rights of the de facto complainant were violated. He said Rohith Reddy taking an anti-poaching stance was like the devil quoting the scriptures. Ravichander extended the theory to the political party, which he said had 38 MLAs in its ranks who were elected on different political party symbols.

On the issue of law, Ravichander said the division bench cannot, and should not, interfere with the order of the single judge merely because it might entertain an alternate view. As long as the findings of the single judge do not hurt the conscience of the court, it should not entertain the writ appeal.

Reading out from the findings of the single judge, Ravichander tried to show that there was nothing unconscionable that warranted interference.

He said the justice system must bend to procedural safeguards in favour of the accused, and not the complainant. He said the complainant must not be able to choose the investigating agency.

Ravichander said the point raised in the writ petition before the single judge regarding handing over of evidence to the Chief Minister by the ACP Rajendranagar had not been denied by anyone. The additional advocate-general had at one time said that he was appearing for the Chief Minister.

He pointed out that counsel A. Prabhakar Rao had appeared before the single judge on behalf of Rohith Reddy but had told the division bench that he had not been heard.

Ravichander faulted the constituting of the SIT and the wording used in the GO. He submitted that there were no parameters to select the SIT members and questioned the expertise of Rema Rajeshwari, Jagadishwara Reddy and Gangadhar on the panel. "Raiding with 30 policemen the houses of the accused and other persons, issuing of lookout circulars on them . their expertise might be in those fields," Ravichander said sarcastically.

Seetharama Murthy, senior counsel, said the FIR was lodged at 11.30 am on October 26 and dispatched to the court after one hour, but the constable had handed it over only early the next day. This could lead to the suspicion that there might be tampering with facts.

He said there were were no panch witnesses on the documents on October 26, but the same had signatures before the magistrate.

Registering other cases on alleged fake passports and Aadhaar cards and cheating against the accused after the poachgate issue came to court showed that the SIT probe was tainted.

Advocate General B.S. Prasad sought adjournment till Tuesday so that Supreme Court senior counsel Dushyant Dave could rebut the contentions raised by the two senior counsels. The Chief Justice bench adjourned the hearing to Monday for Dave to submit his arguments through a virtual hearing.
In one of the messages sent to 'Air Hostess Madam' there is a screenshot of the transactions of Rs 10,000 and Rs 5,000 and a note which says the payments were made as requested by the woman. Representational Image/PTI

New Delhi: Shankar Mishra, the man accused of urinating on a female co-passenger on an Air India flight from New York, had exchanged messages with her after the unsavoury incident and his lawyers claimed on Friday he even paid her Rs 15,000 as compensation and got her belongings cleaned.

However, WhatsApp exchanges between the woman's daughter and Mishra that emerged on Friday showed the family had returned money.

In a shocking incident, Mishra, in an inebriated condition, urinated on his female co-passenger, a senior citizen in her seventies, in the business class of an Air India New York-Delhi flight on November 26 last year.

In a statement issued through his lawyers Ishanee Sharma and Akshat Bajpai, Mishra said he had got the woman's clothes and bags cleaned on November 28 and the same were delivered to her on November 30.

"The Whatsapp messages between the accused and the lady clearly show that the accused had got the clothes and bags cleaned on November 28 and the same were delivered on November 30.

"The lady in her message has clearly condoned the alleged act and has displayed no intention to lodge a complaint. The lady's persisting grievance was only with respect to the adequate compensation being paid by the Airline for which she has raised a subsequent complaint on December 20, 2022," the statement read.

In one of the Whatsapp messages purportedly exchanged between them on November 27, the woman shared her number with Mishra and acknowledged receipt of Rs 5,000. She, however, added her daughter and son-in-law were very upset about the incident. She told Mishra that she persuaded them not to lodge a complaint as he was very apologetic and quite unaware of the incident.

The woman wrote in the series of Whatsapp messages that she hoped Mishra will mend his ways and keep his word.

Mishra responded by thanking her and promising he will never repeat such an act.

The woman, while appearing to forgive Mishra, said she was unhappy with the Air India staff.

A day later, in another message, he informed her about her clothes and shoes having been sent for cleaning and that they will be "refurbished" in a day or two. He also wrote about having sent her another Rs 10,000.

In one of the messages sent to 'Air Hostess Madam' there is a screenshot of the transactions of Rs 10,000 and Rs 5,000 and a note which says the payments were made as requested by the woman.

A message of December 19 purportedly sent by the woman's daughter says she was traumatized by her experience and that the family was very "upset, outraged and angry". It says the family did not want his money which will be returned via paytm. The woman's daughter asked Mishra not to communicate with her mother any further. There is also a screenshot of the transaction returning the money.

The statement issued by Mishra's lawyers said, "The statements recorded before the inquiry committee by the cabin crew show that there is no eyewitness to the incident and all the statements are merely heresay (sic) evidence. The settlement reached between the parties has also been affirmed in the statements so submitted by the cabin crew.

"The accused has full faith in the judicial system of the country and will cooperate with the investigation process," the statement read.

Meanwhile, Mishra's father said in Boisar near Mumbai that his son is innocent and that he cannot do such a thing to a woman his mother's age.

According to the FIR registered on Wednesday, the woman had informed the crew that she did not want to see her tormentor's face and was "stunned" when the offender was brought before her and he "started crying and profusely apologising".

US financial services company Wells Fargo, Mishra's employer, has terminated him, saying the allegations were "deeply disturbing".
File photo of K. Laxman (DC Image)

HYDERABAD: As the BRS gears up for the 2023 Assembly elections with its campaign slogan 'Ab ki baar, kisan sarkar' hoping that its "farmer-friendly promises" will pay off electoral dividends, the state BJP has drawn up a comprehensive strategy to reach out to the farmers through state-wide agitations by holding 10,000 meetings after Sankranti under the slogan 'KCR hatao, Telangana bachao'.

During the agitations, the BJP's key focus will be understanding the plight of farmers, as well as highlighting the BRS government's failings in keeping promises and causing farmers untold misery, senior BJP leader and Rajya Sabha member Dr K. Laxman stated.

Dr Laxman told reporters on Friday that the draft master plan for the proposed industrial zone in Kamareddy was just one example of how the "KCR government has become a broker for other land grabbers, and is robbing farmers of their lands under the guise of master plans and metros, and other projects. The government was providing Rythu Bandhu funds to such landgrabbers, and real estate businessmen who have occupied farm land in the state.

The government must disclose how much of the Rythu Bandhu funds were disbursed. The Centre provides farmers Rs 6,000 per year, and if the state releases its numbers, the truth about Rythu Bandhu will be revealed, he claimed.

Dr Laxman demanded that the government release a white paper detailing all of the land acquired for all projects in the state since 2014, as well as project-specific details on how the land was utilised.
Special chief secretary Y. Srilakshmi reviewed the preparations being made in Visakhapatnam city and its environs for the global meeting. (FIle Photo: DC)

Vijayawada: The Working Group of G-20 will meet in Visakhapatnam on March 28 and March 29. As the host, Andhra Pradesh government is making elaborate arrangements for the two-day confabulations, in which more than 300 national and international delegates from 40 countries are participating.

Special chief secretary Y. Srilakshmi reviewed the preparations being made in Visakhapatnam city and its environs for the global meeting.

Speaking to media later along with special chief secretary Rajat Bhargava, she disclosed that G-20 countries, such as Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, England, the USA and countries of the European Union with another 19 member countries will participate in the G-20 working group meeting at Visakhapatnam.

Srilakshmi explained that owing to presence of representatives from around 40 countries, steps are being taken to arrange three to four translators for teams from several countries. She said during the meeting, AP government will showcase its various innovative schemes and programmes, including village and ward secretariats, farmers' Rythu Bharosa Kendras, digital libraries, and Nadu-Nedu.

Government will work hard to bring recognition to the beautiful city of Visakhapatnam at the national and international level, the special chief secretary underlined.

She maintained that Covid protocols will be strictly followed during the course of the two-day meet.

Special CS Rajat Bhargava said G-20 working group meetings will be used to let the international dignitaries know APs potential in culture and tourism, especially in the surrounding areas of Visakhapatnam.

Information commissioner T. Vijayakumar Reddy said a special lounge will be set up for media interactions during the G-20 working group meetings. Information will be passed on to media in a timely manner through press conferences and meetings with G-20 representatives.

GVMC commissioner P. Rajababu, transport joint commissioner Venkateswara Rao, and state protocol director Subramanyam Reddy were present at the review meeting. Other higher officials participated through video conference.
Tensions rose in Kamareddy district during a bandh called by the farmers' joint action committee with the arrest of state BJP president Bandi Sanjay Kumar (Twitter)

HYDERABAD: Tensions rose in Kamareddy district during a bandh called by the farmers' joint action committee with the arrest of state BJP president Bandi Sanjay Kumar, who earlier in the day castigated Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, claiming his anti-farmer policies had resulted in the death of a farmer.

"What kind of farmer-friendly government allows farmers to be targeted and victimised by real estate businesses under the guise of master plans, Sanjay questioned and said it was a state murder, after visiting the family of Payyavula Ramulu, a farmer from Adloor Yellareddy village who died by suicide after fearing the loss of his agriculture land to an industrial zone under the new master plan.

Sanjay claimed the government was dismissive of Ramulu's death, which left the farmers wife and two little children devastated. "Ramulu's death cannot be classified as a suicide. His death was tantamount to murder by the government, the Chief Minister, a real estate minister, and the district collector. The BJP will not rest till justice is served to the agitating farmers along with whom Ramulu had been protesting against the master plan. Nearly 2,000 acres of fertile farmland would be turned into an industrial zone," remarked Sanjay.

He said that the BJP was not opposed to development but was against acquiring farmers land for the industrial zone because large parcels of non-agricultural land were available. "In principle, no one in Kamareddy opposes it. We will not, however, allow farmland to be taken over for the benefit of real estate businessmen who are BRS leaders. This government is acting as a middleman for the real estate businesses. This government is targeting poor farmers who it believes have no voice. The officials are in cahoots with BRS leaders in land business. There is nothing more shameful than destroying the lives of poor farmers, Sanjay lashed out.

"Now, officials say Ramulu wasn't even a farmer, despite the family holding patta passbooks. Does the government expect farmers to have a farmer's stamp on their forehead? It was the government's anti-farmer policies that drove Ramulu to commit suicide," he slammed.

Sanjay Kumar demanded that the district collector quit if he is unable to meet farmers and explain the master plan, rather than working on behalf of the BRS leaders in the real estate business. "This plan was in the works for years and only came out when farmers started asking questions, he remarked.
YSR Congress MLA Mekathoti Sucharita. (DC Image)

VIJAYAWADA: Former AP home minister and YSR Congress MLA Mekathoti Sucharita has rejected rumours that she is quitting the YSRC and joining the Telugu Desam. I will continue in the YSRC, she affirmed on Friday.

Rumours that Sucharita along with her husband and former IRS officer Dayasagar would be quitting the YSRC were circulating in political circles and social media platforms. Sucharita dismissed these as false. She clarified that she would remain at home if ever she quit the YSRC and would not join any other political party including the TD.

Sucharita recalled that during the term of the Congress-led government, she wanted to join the YSRC and discussed the matter with her husband Dayasagar. He did not object to it despite facing political pressures, she said.

Sucharita said the news of Daya Sagar joining the TD was also baseless.

Meanwhile, Dayasagar in a press release here on Friday affirmed that the family had a special bonding with the late YSR family and with present CM, Jagan Reddy. He said he took VRS six months ago and from that time on, rumours were circulating about his joining the TD.

He said that hes a super fan of YS Jagan and will continue being loyal to the YSR family. He recalled that CM Jagan gave top priority and a prominent place to Sucharita and he was very much thankful to the CM for that.

Every civil servant cannot become an MP or MLA. If I desire so, I shall publicly inform the same to all, he said.

Dayasagar appealed to the media to stop circulating false and fake news.
Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan. (Photo: Twitter)

HYDERABAD: Upping the ante against the 12 defected MLAs, state Congress leaders said they would take the issue to Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan next week.

A day after lodging a complaint at the Moinabad police station against the 12 who won the 2018 Assembly elections on a Congress ticket and defected to the TRS (now BRS), the Congress leaders will represent the issue to the Governor, Chief Secretary and the DGP. They will also intensify the campaign against the defectors in their respective constituencies.

Three of them are involved in poachgate. We shall be pressing the demand for initiating action against all 12, said former MP Ponnam Prabhakar at a press conference here on Saturday.

Over the CBI investigation into poachgate, Prabhakar urged the BJP government at the Centre to also include names of the other nine defector MLAs in the investigation. He said Sabitha Indra Reddy, one of the defectors, was ineligible to serve as education minister and had to be immediately dismissed from the Cabinet.

Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao, who is now preaching ethics, should dismiss all those who had defected to other parties after winning Assembly elections, he said.

Congress leader M. Anjan Kumar Yadav, Mallu Ravi, Suresh Shetkar, Balram Naik and Sircilla Rajaiah were also present.
Ukrainian servicemen take part in Orthodox Christmas Eve celebrations in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv on January 6, 2023, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo: AFP)

The ceasefire to mark Orthodox Christmas ordered by Vladimir Putin, at the behest of the head of the Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill, who the Pope warned was becoming the Russian Presidents altar boy, might take on a bit of relevance if it leads to the idea of peace in Ukraine.

The call for a ceasefire to mark Orthodox Christmas, which falls on Jan. 7 because they follow the Julian calendar, shant be heeded by the Ukrainians who see it as a cynical ploy after Mr Putin had bombed Ukraine through Dec. 25 and the New Year, despite calls for cessation of hostilities. The Ukrainians claim thousands had died over Christmas and New Year in Russian bombing.

The ceasefire as well as Mr Putin renewing his call this week for peace talks might suggest that 11 months of the war is telling on the aggressor Russia as well while ripping out 30 per cent of Ukraines economy and causing untold damage to civilian infrastructure. It is being cynically said that the 36-hour ceasefire to Saturday midnight has come because Russia is running out of ready ammunition to keep pounding Ukraine.

The military industrial complex of the West must be pleased as Punch as the US, UK and Germany are pouring arms into Ukraine to help it defend itself. The situation is not without pressure building on Putin and the Russians as clever Ukrainian strikes in occupied areas have led to scores of Russian soldiers dying in more than the one major incident in Donetsk that Russia officially acknowledged.

The rest of the world would heave a huge sigh of relief if a peace initiative were to promise a breakthrough after the ravages of war are stretching into 2023. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has had limited success in such matters as prisoner exchanges and both Kyiv and Moscow are talking to Indias Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Can they convince Mr Putin that it is time he gives a chance for peace in a war seemingly without an end?
People wearing face masks take a rest as they tend to their elderly relatives rest along a corridor of the emergency ward to provide intravenous drips at a hospital in Beijing, Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

BEIJING/SHANGHAI: State media in China played down the severity of its surge of COVID-19 infections ahead of an expected briefing on Tuesday by its scientists to the World Health Organization, which is hoping for detailed data on the evolution of the virus.

China's abrupt U-turn on COVID controls on Dec. 7, as well as the accuracy of its case and mortality data, have come under increasing scrutiny at home and abroad and prompted some countries to impose travel curbs.

The policy shift followed protests over the "zero COVID" approach championed by Xi Jinping, marking the strongest show of public defiance in his decade-old presidency and coinciding with the slowest growth in China in nearly half a century.

As the virus spreads unchecked, funeral parlours have reported a spike in demand for their services and international health experts predict at least one million deaths in the world's most populous country this year.

China reported three new COVID deaths for Monday, taking its official death toll since the pandemic began to 5,253.

On Tuesday, the People's Daily, the Communist Party's official newspaper, cited Chinese experts as saying the illness caused by the virus was relatively mild for most people.

"Severe and critical illnesses account for 3% to 4% of infected patients currently admitted to designated hospitals in Beijing," Tong Zhaohui, vice president of the Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, told the newspaper.

Kang Yan, head of West China Tianfu Hospital of Sichuan University, said that in the past three weeks, a total of 46 patients had been admitted to intensive care units, or about 1% of symptomatic infections.

The emergencies area at the Zhongshan Hospital in Shanghai was packed with patients on Tuesday, most of them elderly, a Reuters witness said. Some were in beds in the corridor, covered with blankets and receiving IV treatment, while dozens were queuing around them, waiting to be seen by a doctor. It was unclear how many were there with COVID.

'SIMPLY UNREASONABLE'

The World Health Organization has urged Chinese health officials to regularly share specific and real-time information on the COVID situation.

The WHO has invited Chinese scientists to present detailed data on viral sequencing at a Tuesday meeting of a technical advisory group. It has also asked China to share data on hospitalizations, deaths and vaccinations.

"I dont think China will be very sincere in disclosing information," said Alfred Wu, associate professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at National University of Singapore.

"They would rather just keep it to themselves or they would say nothing happened, nothing is new. My own sense is that we could assume that there is nothing new ... but the problem is Chinas transparency issue is always there."

The United States, France, and others will require COVID tests on travellers from China, while Belgium said it would test wastewater from planes for new COVID variants.

European Union health officials will meet on Wednesday on a coordinated response.

China has rejected criticism of its COVID data and said any new mutations may be more infectious but less harmful.

China's foreign ministry said on Tuesday the entry restrictions imposed by some countries on travellers from China "lacked scientific basis" and were "simply unreasonable."

China will stop requiring inbound travellers to go into quarantine from Jan. 8. But it will still demand a negative PCR test result within 48 hours before departure.

'DANGEROUS WEEKS'

As Chinese workers and shoppers fall ill, concerns mount about near-term growth prospects in the world's second-largest economy, causing volatility in global financial markets.

Data on Tuesday showed China's factory activity shrank at a sharper pace in December.

December shipments from Foxconn's 2317.TW Zhengzhou iPhone plant, disrupted by worker departures and unrest amid a COVID outbreak, were 90% of the firm's initial plans.

A "bushfire" of infections in China in coming months is likely to hurt its economy this year and drag global growth lower, said the head of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva.

"China is entering the most dangerous weeks of the pandemic," warned Capital Economics analysts.

Mobility data suggested that economic activity was depressed nationwide and would likely remain so until infections subside, they added.

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism said the 52.71 million domestic trips during the New Year holiday generated 26.52 billion yuan ($3.84 billion), up 4% year-on-year but only about 35% of 2019 revenue, before the pandemic.

Expectations are higher for China's biggest holiday, the Lunar New Year, later this month, when some experts predict infections will have peaked in many places.

Some hotels in the tourist resort of Sanya are fully booked for the period, Chinese media reported.
Motorbike-borne militants opened fire on a police van in Pakistan's restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province on Saturday, killing a policeman, officials said.

A search was underway to find the attackers who fled the scene in Dogar Umerzai, a village in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

Also Read | Centre bans LeT's proxy outfit 'The Resistance Front'

The incident comes amid a spike in terror attacks in the country after the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban, announced the end of an indefinite ceasefire with the government in November last year.

The militant group has ordered its fighters to carry out attacks across the country.

At least one policeman was killed and another injured after unidentified assailants opened fire at a police station on Friday.

Also Read | Pakistani militants claim killing of two intelligence officials

Last month, the Pakistan Army commandos killed 25 Taliban militants during an operation to free anti-terrorism police officers who were held hostage inside a Khyber Pakhtunkhwa CTD compound in Bannu for three days.

On January 5, five policemen were injured in an attack by unidentified gunmen at a police van escorting a polio vaccination team in the province.
The Jongno area in the first part of the 20th century Robert Neff Collection



By Robert Neff



Bosingak, the bell tower at Jongno, the main street through downtown Seoul, is a popular spot for ringing in the New Year. One of my most vivid memories of this event was on Dec. 31, 1999, when thousands upon thousands of people crowded the streets around the bell in anticipation and fear of the impending new millennium (among those fears was the Y2K bug). The atmosphere was unbelievable and for blocks, it was impossible to move more than a few inches as the crowd surged back and forth as the New Year was hammered by the bell's tolling.



In the late 19th century, this bell was one of the most popular sites for foreign tourists and was frequently described in letters home as well as newspaper and magazine articles. One such writer was Horace N. Allen. Allen first arrived in Korea in 1884 as an American doctor for the diplomatic and Korean Customs Department (he was actually a missionary doctor but kept his affiliation  at least in the beginning  somewhat downplayed) and later served as the American minister to Korea. He was a prolific writer and wrote many interesting articles about Korean culture and events. Not all were accurate, but they were, for the most part, entertaining.



In the mid-1890s, he authored a short article about the history of the bell in the Korea Repository, a monthly English magazine published in Seoul. According to Allen:



When the East Gate (Heunginjimun) was being built in the late 1390s, a large bell was found. The bell was taken and hung over the palace gate, and King Taejo was so impressed with it that he ordered a replica of the bell be made, much larger than the original.



Governors and magistrates throughout the kingdom were commanded to collect the necessary metals and materials needed to cast the new bell. Of course, these materials would come from the people who had the least to give, as evidenced by what happened in Gyeongsang Province. The government collector called upon "an old woman with a three year old boy strapped to her back" and demanded she turn over a quantity of metal. The woman claimed she had no metal to give. She did, however, offer the small boy. (Allen felt it important to add that the woman signified consent for the child to be taken by the tone of her voice.) The collector demurred the offer but later reported it to his superiors and the tale eventually came to be known in Seoul.





The East Gate in the early 1900s Robert Neff Collection
Shankar Mishra, accused of urinating on an elderly woman passenger in a flight on November 26, 2022 was arrested in Bengaluru by a joint team of the Central Crime Branch (CCB) police, Bengaluru and Delhi police.

According to sources, Mishra was detained from his office late on Friday in Sanjay Nagar area in North Bengaluru.

The team under the supervision of S D Sharanappa, joint commissioner of police (Crime) and Delhi police detained Mishra.

Sources said that the Delhi police had contacted the city police two days ago after getting tip off that Mishra is in Bengaluru to evade his arrest. Initially, his location was traced near Whitefield area, but he was changing his locations. The team finally nabbed him in Sanjay Nagar.

The accused was staying at his sister's home in Sanjay Nagar, Bengaluru. The city police assisted the Delhi Police team in arresting him, a Bengaluru police official said.

According to the FIR, shortly after lunch was served and the lights were switched off onboard AI 102 on November 26, 2022, the inebriated male passenger seated in business class seat A walked to the elderly woman's seat, unzipped his pants and urinated on her.

The FIR further said that the accused begged the woman not to lodge a complaint against him, saying he was a family man and did not wish his wife and child to be affected by the incident.

A senior officer said, "we have only assisted the Delhi police in catching him. But, the interrogation will be done by Delhi police as the case was registered IGI Airport police station, Delhi. We will not interfere in their interrogation."

The case has been filed under sections 294 (obscene act in public place), 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) and 510 (misconduct in public by a drunken person) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) as well as under Aircraft Rules.

According to sources, Delhi Police has asked Air India staff, including the pilot and co-pilot of the New York-Delhi flight, to appear before it on Saturday.

Summons were issued to the staff for Friday but they did not appear before the police, the sources had said.

The FIR was registered against Mishra on January 4, based on the complaint filed by the woman.

(With PTI inputs)
Representatives and religious leaders from the Christian community gathered in Kolkata on Saturday to protest the recent violent incidents in Narayanpur, Chhattisgarh and called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to protect Christians.

The Bangiya Christiya Pariseba, a state-level forum that claims collective representation of the community, gathered as a group at the Esplanade, with members raising placards to draw public attention to their grievances.

"Those who are targeting Christians on the ground are not always the main culprits. They are just human robots working under the command of other mastermind organisations," Herod Mullick, state working president, and other Pariseba representatives said in a joint press statement.

The forum alleged that the nature of the vandalism in Narayanpur church "is the manifestation of the evil hearts of the masterminds". "The puppets are being booked while the masterminds are going scot-free everywhere," it added.

The forum has appealed to the prime minister "to assure the protection of life and property of the Christian community across the country", and has demanded that those responsible for the incident be immediately identified and banned, and that damages suffered by Christians be fully compensated.

Meanwhile, the tribal wing of Pariseba has planned a state-level 'Walk of Peace and Harmony' on March 6 in Kolkata.
As the old year gave way to the new year, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar was in Austria on low-key diplomatic business.

In the midst of the relentless war in Ukraine, Jaishankar was there ostensibly to establish India as a major powerbroker in Russias feud with Europe. Instead, his visit was overshadowed by one eye-popping statement from Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg. Last year, we experienced the highest number of asylum-seekers in Austria, Schallenberg said. [In] 2021, we had 600 asylum applications from Indian citizens in Austria, and suddenly they reached 18,000 last year.

That revelation came amidst reports that the US had detained a record 16,000 Indians on the Mexico border in 2022  almost twice as many as during any previous year. But Schallenbergs repeated and purposeful use of the term asylum-seekers sounded intriguing. Why were Indians applying for refugee status or State protection in Austria like Afghans and Ukrainians?

As it turns out, Austria is not the only place Indians are fleeing to. According to the UNs refugee agency, over 82,000 Indians had sought asylum around the world in 2022  up sharply (and progressively increasing) from about 12,000 in 2013. And that figure only accounted for applications filed in the first half of 2022, not even the whole year.

Theres evidently more to the story. For several decades, Indians have sought to migrate to the West primarily for economic reasons. But last October, immigration lawyers in the US told the BBC that they were seeing an increase in the number of Indians fleeing persecution back home.

Among the more prominent cases was a young man who had fled from Punjab with a mutilated arm and a severed thumb after he was attacked for being gay. After trudging painfully through Turkey, France, Mexico and finally into the US over several months, the young man said he had no regrets. I would always fear for my life [while in India], he said. Since I have been here, I have never felt such a thing.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the privilege divide, India has been bleeding an ever-increasing number of millionaires each year who are taking their wealth (and tax money) to other countries. In 2022, India saw a net outflow of 8,000 millionaires  another record (and that doesnt simply mean that 8,000 millionaires left India; it means that the difference between the number of millionaires exiting and the number entering India was 8,000, which means more might have left).

Several thousand Indians also continue to give up their passports  another figure that keeps increasing every year.

To be sure, critics would argue that none of this is bad. India is already overpopulated, they would argue. Towns and villages are overcrowded and public land encroached. The Railways is now pushing to evict tens of thousands of people and render them homeless overnight, ostensibly because it has run out of land. Under the circumstances, shouldnt India be exporting a few million people each year to the empty green pastures in Europe and America, let alone a few thousand?

The problem, though, is that the burgeoning exodus is not a random selection of Indians, because countries dont really allow in foreign immigrants unless theyre useful. What India is in fact losing is upper-class wealth, skilled youth and, increasingly, the diversity of its minorities. You may well argue that even these things are overrated and unnecessary for a developing economy to grow or become a global superpower. But then, if not wealth, youth and diversity, what does it even take for a developing economy to grow and become a global superpower?
As I sampled Swiss Caviar (Oona Caviar from the heart of the Swiss Alps) and took in the sweeping views from my panoramic window, the real magic was happening under my feet. Im not talking about one of Switzerlands many viewing decks or fine restaurants with a view but a new train journey that represents a fruition of the vision of Swiss train pioneers who dreamed of a direct link between three of Switzerlands most scenic destinations  Montreux, Gstaad and Interlaken, more than a century ago.

The magic unfolds in Zweisimmen, a small town that was transformed into a spa and winter tourism destination with the completion of the Spiez-Zweisimmen-Montreux railroad in 1905. The train switches almost magically from a metric track to a standard track thanks to a new technological feat  a variable gauge bogie. It also allows the carriage to rise 20 cm to reach the platforms of the standard track line. Its seamless and its not something I realised while I was ensconced in the cosy interiors of the GoldenPass Express. It typifies the Swiss transportation system that works seamlessly in the background to ensure visitors to this beautiful country enjoy a stress-free holiday. Punctuality, safety and cleanliness are among the hallmarks of one of the worlds most dense rail networks  in 2021 alone, the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) operated 11,260 trains carrying 8,80,000 passengers per day on a 3,265-kilometre-long network with 804 stations. To put things in perspective, Kerala is about the same size (in sq km) as Switzerland.

The GoldenPass Express offers a vista of sorts to Switzerland where the voyage is as scenic as your ultimate destination. The topography swings from shimmering blue lakes to snow-capped mountains with stunning town landscapes between them. The all-new Prestige Class takes the Swiss scenic train journey experience to a new high. With unique 180-degree seats, you can always be in the direction of travel. Freddie Mercury once famously remarked: If you want peace of mind, come to Montreux.

Thats where my GoldenPass Express experience started. Freddie Mercurys legacy lives on at the edge of Lake Geneva where his statue continues to attract Queen fans from across the world. The Queen trails culminate at Queen  The Studio Experience, a must-do for the bands fans. Its located within the Casino Barriere de Montreux, home to the legendary Mountain Studios. Freddie Mercury never fell out of love with Montreux; Queen recorded six albums in Montreux. The Freddie Mercury statue is one of the many stops along a scenic 13 km-long trail along lake Geneva (also known as Lac Leman). One section of the lakeshore also transforms into Montreux Noel during the last few weeks of the year. Montreuxs Christmas market is the second largest in Switzerland.

The Wooden stalls are idyllically set up on the lakeshore with fairy lights and include everything from Christmas decorations, clothes, crafts and jewellery. Dont forget to wrap up your visit with a warm glass of mulled wine, a quintessential Swiss Christmas tradition. Id also suggest taking the short bus ride to Vevey to explore the life and times of another modern genius.

Chaplins World includes an immersive studio experience that makes you part of Chaplins cinematic journey through the decades. Its next door to Manoir de Ban where he spent the last 25 years of his life and is now open to the public as part of the Chaplins World experience.

Yash Chopras obsession with Switzerland is well known. His movies like DDLJ and Chandni continue to inspire Indian holidaymakers to travel to the country. He has been immortalised in Interlaken with a larger-than-life statue. Interlaken is situated between two lakes  Brienz to the east and Thun to the west (hence the name) and is one of the countrys preferred all weather destinations.

Theres no better spot to take in the views around Interlaken than the 2970-metre Schilthorn. You get 360-degree panoramic views of the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and more than 200 other peaks.

Schilthorn was the setting for the 1969 Bond film On Her Majestys Secret Service. With 53 kilometres of pistes, toboggan runs and numerous winter hiking trails it adds to Interlakens reputation as one of Europes most thrilling adventure destinations. If youve always wanted to go hang-gliding, theres no better place for your maiden flight.

The 1020-minute flight with a professional tandem pilot gives you bird's-eye views of the lakes and the Bernese Alps including the famous Jungfrau.

Interlaken isnt just for adrenaline highs. Its also one of the countrys most popular family destinations. The Funky Chocolate Club is one such venue that allows you to rediscover your love for chocolate and turn into a chocolatier with an apron and Chefs hat.

You and your kids can make your own chocolate bar with signature ingredients.

Theres also Trauffer World at Hofstetten bei Brienz, an idyllic village that is the home of the Trauffer cow. This engaging family destination also has a fun workshop where you can craft your own miniature wooden cow.

The GoldenPass train journey culminates at Interlaken and adds to a long list of iconic train journeys and lake cruises in Switzerland.

There are few countries that can match Switzerlands appeal for fairytale train journeys that can sometimes overshadow some of the countrys iconic tourist destinations.
Police hunting the killer of Natalie McNally have been searching areas close to her home in Lurgan.

The PSNI said detectives also went to a business property in the Armagh and Craigavon area on Thursday as part of their investigation.

Ms McNally, who was 15 weeks pregnant, was stabbed in her home in the Silverwood Green area of Lurgan, Co Armagh, on December 18.

Police have made two arrests but no-one has been charged.

A 32-year-old man arrested on December 19 was released unconditionally and is no longer a suspect.

A second man detained on December 21, also 32, has been released on police bail to allow for further inquiries.

On Thursday, Detective Chief Inspector Neil McGuinness, leading the investigation, said his main line of inquiry was that Ms McNally, 32, was killed by someone she knew and was comfortable allowing into her home.

Mr McGuinness also said he did not think there was a risk to other women in the area.

On Friday, a PSNI spokesman said: Detectives investigating the murder of Natalie McNally are carrying out searches of the Silverwood Green area in Lurgan as part of the ongoing investigation.

Detectives attended a business property in Armagh and Craigavon yesterday to carry out inquiries as part of the investigation.

It is understood the inquiries at the business premises related to the seizure of CCTV footage from public transport.

Ms McNally worked for Translink.

A Translink spokesperson said: We were shocked and deeply saddened by the loss of our colleague and friend Natalie.

We will assist the PSNI in every way possible.

Police said earlier in the week that they believe they have recovered the weapon used in the murder.

A silent vigil for Ms McNally, at Parliament Buildings, Stormont, was held on Thursday, attended by her three brothers.

Her brother Declan McNally told those at the vigil: Whatever differences of opinions there are in this country we know there is no difference of opinion and everybody wants to see an end to violence against women and girls.

And everybody in society has to redouble our efforts to end violence against women and girls in memory of our sister Natalie.
Samsung Display announced its new OLED display designed for smartphones during the CES 2023. This display has a peak brightness of 2,000 nits and thereby has a UDR 2000 certification. As Samsung uses the newest screens in its flagship offerings, we might end up seeing this display in the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.

Samsung OLED Display features

News about the UDR screen broke in June 2022, when Samsung applied for the trademark. The new OLED has been verified by Underwriter Laboratories and has the following verification ID V301789.

For context, the Samsung Galaxy S22 has a peak brightness of 1750 nits. The display on the Apple iPhone 14, however, which was manufactured by Samsung, has a peak brightness of 2,000 nits.

Better dynamic range than regular OLEDs

To demonstrate how the display looks, Samsung compared its new UDR 2000 OLED display with a regular OLED screen and showed that the former had more brightness along with better dynamic range.

Samsung also recently unveiled new monitors, the Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 and the Samsung Odyssey OLED gaming monitors. The Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 is an ultra-wide monitor with an 8K resolution. This display comes with DisplayPort 2.1, is HDR-capable (and has a peak brightness of 1000 nits) and supports AMDs FreeSync Premium Pro-tech.

For more technology news, product reviews, sci-tech features and updates, keep reading Digit.in or head to our Google News page.
At the Redmi Note 12 series launch, the price range of the Redmi K60 was revealed. The Redmi K60 series has already been rolled out in China and it is expected that it will be launched in India by April 2023. Redmi K60 lineup carries three flagship phones; Redmi K60, Redmi K60 Pro and Redmi K60E.

The prices of Redmi K60 phones in China are CNY 2,499 for Redmi K60, CNY 3,299 for Redmi K60 Pro and CNY 2,199 for Redmi K60E. As per local conversion rates, the Redmi K60 will cost about 30,000, the Redmi K60 Pro will be priced at 40,000 and the Redmi K60E will set you back by about 26,000. The expected price range of the Redmi K60 series will be more than 30,000, said Xiaomi.

Specifications of Redmi K60 series:

Redmi K60:

The Redmi K60 features a 6.6-inch 2K AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate support. It has Dolby Vision support. The phone is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset and runs on Android 13 OS. The K60 packs a 5500mAH battery with 67W fast charging. It has a 64-megapixel primary camera, 8-megapixel ultrawide lens and 2-megapixel macro sensor.

Redmi K60 Pro:

The Redmi K60 Pro is pretty much the same in terms of specifications as the Redmi K60 except that it is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. It also comes with a 54-megapixel primary camera and a 5000mAh battery with 120W fast charging support.

Redmi K60E:

Redmi K60E is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 8200 SoC and runs on Android 12, and MIUI 13. It has a 6.6-inch OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. The phone has a 48-megapixel primary camera and along with that, it has an 8-megapixel Ultrawide lens and a 2-megapixel Macro lens. It packs a 5500mAH battery with 67W fast charging.

For more technology news, product reviews, sci-tech features and updates, keep reading Digit.in or head to our Google News page.
Late last year, wed speculated that the Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2023 event will take place on February 1. Now, the same has been confirmed via a leaked digital creative that states that the event will be taking place on said date. This is great news for fans of the South Korean manufacturer as the brand will be unveiling the latest Samsung Galaxy S23 lineup, including the vanilla Galaxy S23, Galaxy S23+, and Galaxy S23 Ultra.

Samsung Galaxy S23 specifications (expected)

As were inching closer to the launch date, there have been plenty of speculations and leaks regarding the Samsung Galaxy S23 specifications. A recent leak indicated that Samsung will not be offering a 128GB storage for its base model. The storage options for the Samsung Galaxy S23 and Samsung Galaxy S23+ starts at 256GB. The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is tipped to offer two storage options: 512GB and 1TB. It is also believed that the the Samsung Galaxy S23 and Samsung Galaxy S23+ will come with 8GB RAM. The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, on the other hand, will have 12GB RAM

Samsung Galaxy S23 colours (leaked)

Another leak indicated that the smartphone lineup will include four colour options: pink, black, off-white, and green. These are all highly muted and desaturated.

Samsung Galaxy S23 launch date

Based on the fact that the Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2023 event will take place on February 1, we can expect the same to be the Samsung Galaxy S23 launch date.

For more technology news, product reviews, sci-tech features and updates, keep reading Digit.in or head to our Google News page.
The OnePlus Pad, an unconfirmed tablet made by the Chinese company, may just be in its testing phase in India, as per a report published on Mysmartprice. It is believed that the Android tablet will launch along with the OnePlus 11R. It carries the codename Aries, as well as Reeves - though the latter is an internal codename. At this point, OnePlus has not announced anything about this tablet.

OnePlus Pad specifications (expected)

The OnePlus may be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 SoC, and offer 6GB RAM and 128GB internal storage. It is believed that the tablet will come with a 12.4-inch full-HD+ OLED display. It may run on Android 12L. Rumours indicate that it will have a 13MP primary camera along with a 5MP secondary camera and an 8MP selfie camera. It may come with a 19,090 mAh battery capacity that supports 45W fast charging.

OnePlus Pad price and launch date (estimated)

Rumours started to emerge all the way back in 2022 stating that the tablet is close to launch, however that didnt happen last year. OnePlus may launch the tablet in 2023, and going by its codename, Aries, it may happen between March 21 to about April 19 - this, however, is merely a speculation based on the zodiac dates of Aries, so do take it with a pinch of salt.

It is believed that the OnePlus Pad price will be around CNY 2,000 at the time of launch. This is around 24,062.25, making it a mid-range offering.

For more technology news, product reviews, sci-tech features and updates, keep reading Digit.in or head to our Google News page.
Han Song-mi, the co-author with Casey Lartigue of the book "Greenlight to Freedom," poses with the book. The paperback version of her memoir is scheduled to be released at a book talk, May 14, 2022. Courtesy of Casey Lartigue



By Han Song-mi



I escaped from North Korea in March 2011. The main reason is that I didn't see a future for myself there. Things have not always been easy in South Korea, however. In late 2019, I had hit a low point in my life. I was having many personal problems and I didn't see a future for myself.



I was looking for something to save myself. I had to find a reason to survive, I had to find a reason to live. I needed to find something meaningful in my life.



I did a lot of reading during that time as I tried to find a direction in my life. If I could find something meaningful despite my problems, then I would not commit suicide.



After thinking about my life and future, I decided that I wanted to learn English. The most delightful time in my life was when I studied English in Canada. I discovered a new world. If I studied English again perhaps I could find a reason to live.



I had heard from a friend about an organization named Freedom Speakers International (it was then Teach North Korean refugees). But she didn't give me any information about it, she suggested that I might want to study English there. She had studied there and she said she had a great experience. The organization gives a lot of support to North Korean refugees.



I searched for the organization on the internet, I found so many articles and videos about them. Was this organization for real? At the top of the search results I saw Casey Lartigue, the co-founder of FSI. I sent him a message right away. I told him, "I'm a North Korean refugee and I want to learn English." I kept messaging him, but he was about to board a plane to the USA. I kept messaging him because I felt so desperate. I felt so relieved when he answered after he arrived in the U.S. and talked me through the application process and encouraged me.



A few weeks later, I visited FSI. It was the beginning of my relationship with the organization. My problems weren't over, during the next year I also had psychological counseling that helped me get over my trauma. After learning English and going through counseling, I was a different person. I felt alive.



The next year, I wrote a book with Casey and FSI published it last year. I hoped in telling my story that others, especially North Korean refugees, who are struggling as I did could be comforted.



I have found meaning in life, I no longer have thoughts about suicide. I am too busy to kill myself! I am now a college student, an author, a public speaker, I have gotten over my psychological trauma from North Korea and I am constantly finding more things that are meaningful.



Such as, one thing that is meaningful to me is cooking North Korean food. I started catering North Korean food when people kept asking me to cook for them.



When I was growing up in North Korea, I often starved. Now I can cook and eat whatever I want. I remember the first time some North Korean friends asked me to cook for them. I didn't think about them paying me because I was happy that they ate the food that I cooked. Cooking is a hobby for me now and I am lucky that it is no longer about basic survival.



I now have many meaningful things in my life. It all started when I started studying English in FSI. Learning English saved my life and made many things possible for me.





Han Song-mi is co-author with Casey Lartigue Jr. of her memoir "Greenlight to Freedom: A North Korean Daughter's Search for Her Mother and Herself." (Freedom Speakers International, 2022).




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Revolutionary People's Rep'c of Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Guyana, Republic of Heard and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras, Republic of Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China Hrvatska (Croatia) Hungary, Hungarian People's Republic Iceland, Republic of India, Republic of Indonesia, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq, Republic of Ireland Israel, State of Italy, Italian Republic Japan Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of Kazakhstan, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait, State of Kyrgyz Republic Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon, Lebanese Republic Lesotho, Kingdom of Liberia, Republic of Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein, Principality of Lithuania Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Macao, Special Administrative Region of China Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Malaysia Maldives, Republic of Mali, Republic of Malta, Republic of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania, Islamic Republic of Mauritius Mayotte Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco, Principality of Mongolia, Mongolian People's Republic Montserrat Morocco, Kingdom of Mozambique, People's Republic of Myanmar Namibia Nauru, Republic of Nepal, Kingdom of Netherlands Antilles Netherlands, Kingdom of the New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua, Republic of Niger, Republic of the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Niue, Republic of Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway, Kingdom of Oman, Sultanate of Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama, Republic of Papua New Guinea Paraguay, Republic of Peru, Republic of Philippines, Republic of the Pitcairn Island Poland, Polish People's Republic Portugal, Portuguese Republic Puerto Rico Qatar, State of Reunion Romania, Socialist Republic of Russian Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe
In a seven-day period over the New Year, Public Health North West was notified of 240 Covid-19 cases in Donegal, Sligo and Leitrim.

This is almost double the level in the week before Christmas Day.

For flu, 201 cases were notified in the same period, in comparison to 105 cases before Christmas.

And Public Health North West is investigating more than 20 Covid-19 outbreaks and five flu outbreaks in long-term care facilities with cases among residents and staff.

The health service is under enormous pressure, and the Department of Public Health North West is appealing to people in Donegal to play their part.

As well as reminding people to get their Covid-19 and flu vaccines, the organisation is asking people to stay at home if they are showing signs of cold and flu.

Dr Anthony Breslin, Specialist in Public Health Medicine, Public Health North West, said: We are likely to have higher numbers of people with flu and Covid-19 for the next few weeks throughout January, which will continue to have an impact on our health service.

However, we can reduce this burden by staying at home if we are unwell, availing of Covid-19 and flu vaccines, and avoiding visiting vulnerable or elderly relatives if unwell.

It is vital that the most vulnerable in society and those we care for are protected from these potentially life threatening illnesses. Vaccination protects you, your family and your patients.

You need a new flu vaccine every year as the virus changes slightly each year.

Only 59.7% of those eligible for the childrens flu vaccine and those over 65 years of age have been vaccinated to date.

Dr Breslin said: The vaccine does not give you the flu. If you do get flu and have been vaccinated the illness will be milder.

To be protected, we ask that everyone keeps up-to-date with their free Covid-19 booster vaccines. Of note, those aged 18 to 49 can now get a second booster dose. You can book an appointment for this online.

You can get a flu vaccine from your GP or pharmacy. There is also a free nasal spray flu vaccine available for children aged 2 to 17 years.

Meanwhile, Letterkenny and Sligo University Hospitals are under enormous pressure.

Dermot Monaghan Chief Officer, Community Healthcare Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Monaghan, Sligo said: Community Health Services are supporting the current situation in Letterkenny and Sligo University Hospitals through a number of initiatives including daily meetings between acute hospitals and community services to facilitate admission avoidance and early discharge, increasing the number of step down beds available in community hospitals where possible and liaising with Private Nursing Homes to establish bed availability.

Our community services and staff are actively increasing services to support the response plans of LUH and SUH as and where appropriate e.g. Community Intervention Team (CIT), Frail Intervention Therapy Team (FITT), GP and GP out of hours Service.

The HSE appreciates the work of Pharmacies and GPs and for their continuing support. The GPs continue to run additional clinics during this time of high pressure.

In the last week of December, 286 cases of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) were notified nationally, with 115 hospitalised cases.

In the week to December 31, there were 2262 flu cases reported nationally, and 595 people were hospitalised. Based on the current trajectory it is likely that there will be significant week on week increases in notified flu cases for at least the next three to four weeks.

As of January 5, there were 657 patients with Covid-19 in hospitals around the country.
CheongKwanJang's brand promotional poster / Courtesy of KGC





By Kim Jae-heun







Korea Ginseng Corporation's (KGC) representative red ginseng brand CheongKwanJang topped the global ginseng retail market sales, according to Euromonitor International.







The market research firm's 2022 report showed the size of the global ginseng market reached $2.47 billion (3.12 trillion won) last year. CheongKwanJang took a 41.9 percent global market share with its sales of about $1.03 billion to become the No. 1 brand.







However, the report only studied processed ginseng products such as those made from concentrated extract or ginseng roots sold at retail stores and it excluded sales of fresh ginseng or wholesales records.







CheongKwanJang, which topped the list in 2013 with $731 million in revenue, has achieved sales growth of about 42 percent from a decade ago, winning the honor becoming the No.1 brand in the world for 10 consecutive years.







"We were able to once again confirm the status of Korea, the birthplace of ginseng, and CheongKwanJang, the world's No.1 ginseng brand, through Euromonitor's report. We will continue to take the lead in globalization of Korean ginseng until we can fully take care of people's health around the world," a KGC official said.







The actual sales volume of Ginsana  a Swiss affiliate of the Australian multinational pharmaceutical company SFI, which is often mentioned as an excellent example of the global ginseng industry  was significantly different from what was expected.







Ginsana's total sales in 2022 showed $9.3 million, which accounts for only 0.4 percent of the global ginseng retail market, ranking it 18th.







Meanwhile, KGC's sales and operating profit in the third quarter of last year marked 429 billion won and 74.8 billion won, respectively, up 2.7 percent and 9.2 percent, year-on-year. The company's bolstered overseas exports were largely cited for its achievements. KGC's overseas sales in between July and September in 2022 rose 6.9 percent year-on-year to record 50.8 billion won.


SK Signet CEO Shin Jung-ho speaks to reporters on the sidelines of CES 2023 in Las Vegas, Jan. 6, 2022 in this photo provided by SK Signet. Yonhap





SK Signet, the producer of electric vehicle (EV) battery chargers under South Korea's SK Group, said Friday it aims to double annual sales this year from 2022 pushed by robust overseas demand, and market expansion in the United States.







CEO Shin Jung-ho made these remarks at CES 2023 taking place in Las Vegas this week as he predicted a rosy outlook particularly for overseas markets such as the U.S. and Europe, citing burgeoning EV demand and various government subsidy programs for related products.







"The U.S. has the NEVI subsidy program and Europe has similar EV support initiatives. We expect 2023 will be the first year that we see a rapid growth in the U.S. market," Shin said during a meeting with reporters on the sidelines of the U.S. tech show.







The National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program (NEVI) provides subsidies to EV charger manufacturers that produce locally in the U.S.







SK Signet is targeting 320 billion won ($252 million) in sales this year, up from 160 billion won generated in 2022, which was also double that from the previous year.







The company said in November that it would build a production facility in Texas, with the aim to start pilot operations in the first quarter of this year. When completed, it will annually produce more than 10,000 ultra-fast EV battery chargers.







Shin said the company is also considering expanding production lines to increase capacity to 20,000 chargers per year.







"I met many clients and power bloggers at CES today, and the first question they asked was when deliveries could be made," he noted. "They're practically making pre-orders before negotiating the price."







SK Signet, currently No. 1 in the U.S. market with an over 50 percent market share, is making further inroads into Europe, where EV demand is strong. It set up an office in Frankfurt in 2022 and bagged new orders in the U.K.







At this year's CES, SK Signet presented its V2, an ultra-fast charger that can charge an EV's battery from 20 percent to 80 percent in 18 minutes. (Yonhap)






SW China's Guizhou sets up fever clinics to meet medical needs of villagers

Xinhua) 10:02, January 07, 2023

Medical workers send medicines to villagers in Shuangtang Village of Zhongshan District of Liupanshui, southwest China's Guizhou Province, Jan. 6, 2023.

Guizhou has set up fever clinics in villages and sent medical teams to carry out diagnosis and treatment to meet the medical needs of local villagers. (Xinhua/Tao Liang)

Medical workers send medicines to villagers in Haifa Village of Zhongshan District of Liupanshui, southwest China's Guizhou Province, Jan. 6, 2023.

Guizhou has set up fever clinics in villages and sent medical teams to carry out diagnosis and treatment to meet the medical needs of local villagers. (Xinhua/Tao Liang)

Medical workers visit the homes of local villagers in Shuangtang Village of Zhongshan District of Liupanshui, southwest China's Guizhou Province, Jan. 6, 2023.

Guizhou has set up fever clinics in villages and sent medical teams to carry out diagnosis and treatment to meet the medical needs of local villagers. (Xinhua/Tao Liang)

Medical workers visit the homes of local villagers in Haifa Village of Zhongshan District of Liupanshui, southwest China's Guizhou Province, Jan. 6, 2023.

Guizhou has set up fever clinics in villages and sent medical teams to carry out diagnosis and treatment to meet the medical needs of local villagers. (Xinhua/Tao Liang)

(Web editor: Xian Jiangnan, Wu Chaolan)
SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, center, examines a pair of Zero Glasses while touring his company's booth at the CES in Las Vegas, Jan. 6. Yonhap





SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won made a surprise appearance at the CES, Friday, reversing an earlier announcement that he was canceling his visit to the tech show after one of his aides tested positive for COVID-19.







This is the first time Chey has visited the four-day exhibition; and he is the only leader among those of Korean conglomerates participating in the CES to be attending the show.







"Coming here for the first time, I was able to see various new technologies that I have heard so much about," Chey told reporters.







SK, Korea's second-largest conglomerate, is among several South Korean companies, including Samsung and LG, which are promoting their latest technologies and gadgets at the show.







The energy-to-telecom enterprise, has put its focus on carbon reduction and sustainability at its largest-ever CES pavilion, touting dozens of technologies in sectors ranging from electric vehicle batteries and urban air mobility to renewable energy and sustainably produced food.






A new stamp celebrating Irelands entry into the ECC 50 years ago was unveiled on Friday.

An Posts first stamp of 2023 marking the 50th anniversary of Ireland joining the European Communities (EC), now the European Union (EU), was unveiled by the Minister for European Affairs, Peter Burke TD and the European Commissioner for Financial Services, Financial Stability and Capital Markets Union, Mairead McGuinness.

The stamp design by renowned Irish designer Ger Garland features the flag of what is now known as the European Union.

The design is based on the stars of the EU flag and the six fundamental values of the EU: Human Dignity, Freedom, Democracy, Equality, Rule of Law, and Human Rights. To symbolise the number of members of the EC in 1973, only nine of the twelve stars from the EU flag are visible.

Speaking at the launch, Minister Burke said,

I am delighted that An Post are marking the historic anniversary of Irelands 50 years in Europe with this stamp.

Stamps are a small but tangible part of everyday life and this stamp will serve to remind us all of the many ways the EU has impacted on our own everyday lives  from economic growth, to environmental protection, to gender equality and equal pay legislation, to climate, energy, travel and peace.

The new national rate stamp together with a special First Day Cover envelope is available at selected post offices including the GPO, and at anpost.com/shop. An Post has decorated a number of Dublin city centre post-boxes in the vicinity of Leinster House, Government Buildings, Iveagh House and Europe House to mark the anniversary for which the Department of Foreign Affairs has devised a broad programme of events during 2023.

Following a decade of negotiations, Ireland signed the Treaty of Accession to join the EC on January 22, 1972. Membership meant that the Oireachtas would no longer be the sole law-making power in the State, requiring a change in the constitution. A referendum took place on May 10, 1972, and over 83 per cent of the people voted Yes to joining the European Communities.

The EU was formed in 1993, and the EEC was incorporated into it and renamed the European Community (EC). In 2009, the EC and its institutions were absorbed by the EU.
A Mass to remember Bruna Fonseca, who died in violent circumstances in the city centre on New Years Day, will be held in Cork Penny Dinners on Sunday afternoon.

Ms Fonseca, 28, a native of Formiga in Brazils Minas Gerais province, had moved to Cork last September.

A qualified librarian, she had been working as a contract cleaner at the Mercy University Hospital (MUH).

Ms Fonseca had been socialising with friends in Cork on New Years Eve and was found dead at a flat in Liberty Street at 6.30am the following day.

Miller Pacheco, 29, a Brazilian native, was charged with murder at a special court sitting on Monday evening.

A Mass will be held at the Penny Dinners Craoi na Laoi centre on James Street to remember Ms Fonseca, Caitriona Twomey, Penny Dinners co-ordinator told The Echo.

Caitriona Twomey pictured on Gravel Lane across from Penny Dinners, Cork. Picture Dan Linehan

Ms Twomey said some Penny Dinners volunteers had known Ms Fonseca, who worked only metres from the charity, to see.

We just wanted to remember her, and to let her family know that we are all thinking of them at this time of sorry, Ms Twomey said.

We held a service for the people of Creeslough after the tragedy there last October, we had a Mass for Ashling Murphy, and we thought it would be a kind thing to do for Bruna.

The Mass will be celebrated by Fr Jack Twomey and take place at 2.45pm on Sunday.

A gathering in memory of Ms Fonseca will also take place at the Lough, a place she loved, at 10am on Sunday.

Ms Fonsecas death brought to 254 the number of women who have died in violent circumstances in Ireland since 1996.
The mother of a Cork teenager missing since Christmas Day has appealed to her son to come home.

David OCallaghan, who is 15, has been missing from his home in Cork since 25 December.

He is described as being 53, of slim build and with light brown hair.

When last seen, David was wearing a black Canada Goose jacket, a light grey tracksuit and light grey Nikes.

Gardai say David is known to frequent the north side of Cork city, and it is thought that he may be with friends there.

Davids mother spoke with Virgin Media News, pleading with her son to come home.

A spokesperson for An Garda Siochana said: Gardai are seeking the publics assistance in tracing the whereabouts of 15-year-old David OCallaghan, who is missing from his home in Cork City since 25th December 2022.

David is described as being 5 3 in height, of a slim build and with light brown hair. When last seen, he was wearing a black Canada Goose jacket, a light grey tracksuit and light grey Nike runners. Anyone with information on Davids whereabouts is asked to contact Bridewell Garda Station on 021 494 3330, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or to call to any Garda Station.
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.

This photograph taken on October 27, 2021 near Gletsch shows the Rhone Glacier and its glacial lake, formed by the melting of the glacier due to global warming. Fabrice Coffrini / AFP / Getty Images

The worlds glaciers are in serious trouble.

A new study published in Science Thursday calculated how different degrees of warming would impact the more than 215,000 glaciers that exist outside Antarctica and Greenland. It concluded that almost half of them could melt by the end of the century even if policymakers succeed in limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

This is the most comprehensive and rigorous analysis of future glacier trends to date, University of Bristol glaciologist Professor Jonathan Bamber, who was not involved with the study, told Carbon Brief. There are some sobering statistics, such as half of all glaciers will have disappeared by 2100 even at 1.5C. Based on current national climate pledges, the situation will be a lot worse with serious implications for communities that rely on glacial runoff for water resources.

Glaciers are hugely important. They provide water for approximately 1.9 billion people worldwide, as The Washington Post noted. Losing them deprives millions of people of this vital resource, as well as increasing the risk of glacier-related hazards like floods and landslides, according to a perspective paper on the findings, also published in Science Thursday. Whats more, glaciers currently contribute as much to sea level rise as the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets.

Glaciers provide drinking water, agricultural water, hydropower, and other services that support billions (yes, billions!) of people, National Snow and Ice Center Deputy Lead Scientist Twila Moon, who was not involved with the research, told the Associated Press via email.

The paper was the first to look at how the climate crisis might impact each of the worlds glaciers between 2015 and 2100 and found that they were more at risk than previous estimates suggested, Carbon Brief explained. Study lead author Dr. David Rounce, an assistant professor at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, explained that the research team was able to build on a 2100 study that detailed glacier loss over the past two decades.

By calibrating our model with this data, we have a much more complete and detailed picture of the present-day glacier mass change compared to previous models that used regional data or in-situ measurements from a limited number of glaciers, he said.

They found that, if world leaders manage to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius as per the reach goal of the Paris agreement, around 104,000 glaciers would melt and sea levels would rise by just less than four inches, according to The Washington Post.

If temperatures rise to 2.7 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levelswhich was what national policies put the world on track for ahead of the COP26 climate conferencethat would melt 68 percent of the worlds glaciers and raise sea levels by 4.5 inches, pushing more than 10 million people below the high tide line, the Associated Press reported. It would also essentially wipe out the glaciers of central Europe, western North America and New Zealand, according to Carbon Brief. Four degrees of warming would melt 83 percent of the worlds glaciers.

Any reduction in the temperature increase will have a substantial impact on sea-level rise and the loss of glaciers globally, Rounce told The Washington Post.

In addition to the loss of drinking water or coastline, the disappearance of glaciers will have a devastating impact on many peoples cultural identity.

Significant loss of glaciers means that we are not only witnessing a change in landscape or a loss of natural resources, it means that we are actively complicit in robbing the future from our children, University of British Columbia-based Indigenous anthropologist Dr. Pasang Sherpa, who comes from Pharak in the Nepalese Himalayas and was not a part of the research team, told Carbon Brief. What are mountain peoples without the mountains as we know them?

However, while the news the scientists reported was bleak, they did not see it as an excuse to give up on mitigating climate change.

For many small glaciers it is too late, study co-author Regine Hock, a glaciologist at both the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the University of Oslo in Norway, told the Associated Press. However, globally our results clearly show that every degree of global temperature matters to keep as much ice as possible locked up in the glaciers.
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.

An ESSO gas station is seen on December 29, 2022 in Diegem, Belgium. Esso is a brand associated with the American oil company ExxonMobil. Thierry Monasse / Getty Images

In September, 2022 the European Union (EU) decided that it would tax excess profits from fossil fuel companies in response to the energy crisis.

One of those companies, however, is not taking kindly to the so-called solidarity levy. Exxonmobil announced on December 28 that it was suing the bloc over the windfall tax.

This tax will undermine investor confidence, discourage investment, and increase reliance on imported energy and fuel products, ExxonMobil spokesperson Erin McGrath said in a statement reported by The Hill.

The idea of a windfall tax on fossil fuel profits has gained popularity in the wake of the spike in energy prices prompted by Russias invasion of Ukraine. Fossil fuel companies like ExxonMobil and Shell reported record profits in the aftermath of the invasion, even as extreme weather events worsened by the climate crisis mounted throughout the year. The European Council, therefore, decided it would impose its solidarity contribution on taxable fossil fuel profits from 2022 and 2023 that are more than 20 percent higher than the average taxable profits since 2018. That tax comes to 33 percent, according to The Hill.

Beyond the EU, the UK has also imposed a windfall tax on oil and gas profits, according to Reuters. It raised that tax from 25 to 35 percent in November of last year, and the tax will last from January 1 to March of 2028. President Joe Biden has also threatened to follow suit if oil and gas companies dont work to reduce energy prices.

The EUs tax was part of a broader legislative package designed at controlling energy prices, which included additional taxes on electricity generators and financial aid for some customers, according to POLITICO. However, Exxons suit only targets the fossil fuel windfall tax.

The suit was filed with the EUs General Court through the companys German and Dutch subsidiaries.

Our affiliates, ExxonMobil Producing Netherlands BV and Mobil Erdgas-Erdol GmbH, are suing the European Council in a bid to annul a new windfall tax on oil and gas companies, ExxonMobil spokesman Casey Norton in Texas said, as POLITICO reported.

The suit argues that only national governments may approve a tax. However, the measure was passed via the EU Treatys Article 122, which enables the European Commission to suggest measures that the European Council then adapts via a vote from member states.

The Commission maintains that the measures in question are fully compliant with EU law, Commission spokesperson Arianna Podesta said, as POLITICO reported.

The European Commission has said that the levy would raise 25 billion to help bring down energy bills, as the Financial Times reported. Exxon, which reported record profits of nearly $20 billion in the third quarter of 2022, says the windfall tax could cost it $2 billion by the end of 2023.

The European Court now has to decide whether to take the case, and any decision could be appealed to the European Court of Justice. The levy went into effect on the last day of 2022, and the lawsuit did not have the power to stop it, POLITICO noted. The ensuing legal battle could take years.
HD Hyundai President Chung Ki-sun, left, and Shinsegae Group Vice Chairman Chung Yong-jin pose at the shipbuilding group's exhibition booth at the CES 2023 in the Las Vegas Convention Center, Thursday (local time). Joint Press Corps



By Park Jae-hyuk



LAS VEGAS  Top executives and heirs of family-controlled Korean conglomerates took advantage of the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) to expand their personal networks and seek the new growth engines for their companies.



Making their way through the crowds in the 230,000 square meters of exhibition space at the Las Vegas Convention Center, they did not just promote technologies and products of their own companies at the four-day tech show, but also paid visits to the various exhibition booths of other Korean firms.



Shinsegae Group Vice Chairman Chung Yong-jin was one of the chaebol leaders who drew attention from Korean media on the opening day of the world's most influential tech event, which kicked off Thursday (local time).



Although the retail giant canceled its plans to have a Shinsegae Food pavilion at the CES to showcase its technologies regarding meat alternatives, Chung went to Las Vegas and toured the exhibitions by multiple Korean conglomerates on the opening day.



After meeting with top executives of Samsung and LG Electronics at each of their booths in the Central Hall, the vice chairman moved to HD Hyundai's display in the West Hall located nearly 15 minutes away from the Central Hall on foot.





Shinsegae Group Vice Chairman Chung Yong-jin, right, and LG Electronics CEO Cho Joo-wan, left, exchange business cards at the latter's exhibition booth at the CES 2023 in the Las Vegas Convention Center, Thursday (local time). Yonhap



At the HD Hyundai booth, he met with President Chung Ki-sun, the shipbuilding group's heir apparent, who was also using the CES as an opportunity to meet with the CEOs of various global enterprises, such as TerraPower and AccuWeather.



The HD Hyundai president, who is a grandson of the late Hyundai Group founder Chung Ju-yung, introduced his company's "Ocean Transformation" vision and futuristic technologies to the Shinsegae Group vice chairman, a grandson of the deceased Samsung Group founder Lee Byung-chul.



"Their meeting was held in a very friendly mood, because they have been close friends for a long time," an HD Hyundai executive said.



The HD Hyundai president visited the exhibition booths of Hyundai Mobis, Samsung, LG Electronics and SK Group the following day, expressing his keen interest in each of their technologies.





SK On Executive Vice Chairman Chey Jae-won, right, shakes hands with Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Han Jong-hee at the latter's exhibition booth at CES 2023 in the Las Vegas Convention Center, Thursday (local time). Yonhap



SK On Executive Vice Chairman Chey Jae-won looked around the exhibition booths of Samsung and LG Electronics, also on Thursday.



On the first day of this year's CES, he represented Korea's second-largest business group on behalf of his older brother, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won.



The SK Group chairman did not visit the event's venue on the opening day, as one of his secretaries accompanying him to Las Vegas tested positive for COVID-19, but did make a surprise visit to his company's exhibition booth the following day.



SK Biopharmaceuticals senior manager Chey Yoon-chung, the oldest daughter of the SK Group chairman, and Lotte Chemical Vice President Shin Yoo-yeol, the oldest son of Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin, were also seen at each of their company's exhibition booths.



Shin looked around Samsung Electronics' exhibition booth and met with SK Geo Centric CEO Na Kyung-soo at SK Group's booth, Friday.



Korea International Trade Association Chairman Koo Ja-yeol visited Lotte Data Communication's booth on the first day of the event. His cousin, LS Group Chairman Koo Ja-eun, looked around the exhibition booths of Samsung, LG Electronics, SK Group and Google, Friday, although LS Group did not have a pavilion this year.





Shinhan Financial Group Chairman Cho Yong-byoung, third from right, listens to a Lotte Data Communication employee at the IT firm's exhibition booth at CES 2023 in the Las Vegas Convention Center, Thursday (local time). Yonhap
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.

Major investors want chemical companies to move away from toxic forever chemicals.

In a letter circulated late last year, 47 asset managers worth a total of $8 trillion urged companies to phase out the production of the environmental toxins known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), citing concerns over increased lawsuits and regulations as consumers and policymakers learn more about the dangers of these chemicals.

We encourage you to lead, not be led, by phasing out and substituting these chemicals, the letter read, as chemical industry watchdog nonprofit ChemSec reported at the time. In addition to the financial risks associated with litigation, producers of persistent chemicals face the risk of increased costs associated with reformulating products and modifying processes, which can have significant implications for company performance.

PFAS are a group of around 12,000 compounds that are commonly used in stain-, heat- and water-resistant products, according to The Guardian. They have been found everywhere from rainwater to umbilical cord blood and have been linked to serious health impacts including cancer, immunosuppression and reproductive issues.

As awareness of PFAS prevalence and potential dangers grows, so too has the momentum against them. In 2022, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed two important regulations of two of the most prominent PFAS: setting their safety level in drinking water to near zero and considering them as hazardous substances under the Superfund law.

The corporate backlash against these chemicals follows the tightening regulations. Shortly after the letter from the investors was made public, the U.S.-based company 3M announced it would stop using and making PFAS by 2025.

In addition, the letter, which was signed by investors including Aviva Investors and Storebrand Asset Management, represents growing opposition to the chemicals, as Reuters reported. A previous effort in 2021 had only around half the backing, with 23 investors representing $4.4 trillion standing behind it.

There has got to be concern in boardrooms and among knowledgable and savvy shareholders that continuing to manufacture these chemicals that are creating the Superfund sites of tomorrow is really risky for them financially, Natural Resources Defense Council senior strategic director Erik Olson said, as The Guardian reported, If people getting sick and dying of exposure to these chemicals wasnt enough, the liability should be.

The letter was sent to 54 chemical companies in September, according to Reuters. Other signatories included AXA IM, Credit Suisse Asset Management (Switzerland) AG, Resona Asset Management and Robeco, according to ChemSec. Many of the investors behind the letter were from the European Union, The Guardian noted.

The signatories called on the companies to both phase out the chemicals and share their plans and production data with ChemSec, which assigns companies a ChemScore based on their policies towards the environment and hazardous chemicals, according to ChemSec.

While 3Ms decision shows hope for the corporate turn against PFAS, this isnt reflected in last years ChemScore rankings. Of the 54 companies addressed in the letter, only four had a plan to stop using dangerous chemicals.

The global chemical industry is turning a blind eye to the unfolding chemical pollution crisis, ChemSec Senior Business and Investor Advisor Sonja Haider said. Most companies are taking little or no action to phase out hazardous chemicals despite the risks to public health, the environment and shareholder value.
Jack Ma, billionaire founder of Alibaba Group, arrives at the "Tech for Good" Summit in Paris, France, May 15, 2019. Reuters-Yonhap



Jack Ma will cede control of Chinese fintech giant Ant Group, the company announced Saturday, following a Communist Party crackdown on the nation's tech sector that targeted the charismatic billionaire.



One of China's most recognizable entrepreneurs, Ma once exemplified a generation of Chinese technology moguls with his rags-to-riches personal tale and penchant for public showmanship.



But the former English teacher has retreated from public view since Beijing torched Ant's planned initial public offering in Hong Kong in 2020 following his barbed comments about government regulators.



His company said in a statement on Saturday it was adjusting its ownership structure so that "no shareholder, alone or jointly with other parties, will have control over Ant Group".



Laying out the firm's previous complex structure, the announcement showed Ma indirectly controlled 53.46 percent of Ant's shares and deemed him the company's "control person".



He will hold just 6.2 percent of the voting rights following the adjustment, based on information in the statement.



"The adjustment is being implemented to further enhance the stability of our corporate structure and sustainability of our long-term development," the Ant statement said.



Ten individuals  including the founder, management and staff  will "exercise their voting rights independently", it said.



The adjustment will not change the economic interests of any shareholders.



Ant operates Alipay, the world's largest digital payments platform, which boasts hundreds of millions of monthly users in China and beyond.





This file photo taken on October 13, 2020 shows the Ant Group headquarters in Hangzhou, in China's eastern Zhejiang province. AFP-Yonhap
Samsung may have inadvertently confirmed that it will unveil its next flagship phones early next month. According to 9to5Google, the company's Colombian website has published a page revealing that its next Galaxy Unpacked event is scheduled for February 1st, 2023. "Epic moments are approaching," it read, based on the publication's screenshot of the page, which is now no longer viewable on the website. While the announcement didn't explicitly say that the event will officially introduce the Galaxy S23, it shows the flagship series' expected triple-camera setup.

As the publication notes, the leaves and flowers in the borders of the teaser reflect the colors of the leaked renders that seemed to show Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Ultra units in green and lilac. Previous reports also suggested that we'll get to see the upcoming phones in the first week of February at an Unpacked event, which is likely to take place in San Francisco. In addition, an early February Unpacked for the flagship series is consistent with previous unveilings: For the Galaxy S22 series, Samsung held an event on February 9th, 2022.

Breaking

Galaxy S23 series , February 1st! pic.twitter.com/ACKfp8hFLC  Ice universe (@UniverseIce) January 7, 2023

Samsung is reportedly ditching its Exynos chips and using Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC to power all the Galaxy S23 units sold worldwide. The Korean tech giant typically equips its Asian and European releases with Exynos chipsets, while units sold in the US come with Qualcomm processors. Other reports suggested that the Galaxy S23 will have a 200-megapixel main camera, while the base S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus models will come with a 50-megapixel main shooter. If the leaked Unpacked page is accurate, we won't have to wait long to know for sure.

All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. All prices are correct at the time of publishing.
The government must spell out its strategic vision transparently to arrive at a national consensus.

Mukul Sanwal writes:

Tawang is once again in the news as the country grapples with the ghosts of the past and as different current perspectives compete for national attention. The sober assessment of the event of 9 December 2022 by defence minister Rajnath Singh in Parliament contrasts sharply with the jingoism of television anchors stressing that Indian soldiers prevented Chinese aggression by repeatedly showing a video of 2021. The turn of events has also led to Rahul Gandhi questioning the strategic thinking of the government.

The policy problem is that there is no national consensus on the situation in Tawang. There are various studies on historical, military and political aspects of its situation. One of these is the narrative elevated into national political opinion, and the time has come to review this basic stand that there is nothing to discuss.

This narrative glosses over the facts on the ground highlighted by military commanders. According to Major General Niranjan Prasad, who was responsible for the defence of Tawang in 1962 argues in his book, The Fall of Towang, 1962, that the McMahon Line was drawn with a thick pen on an unsurveyed map and the western corner of Tawang, the Thagla Ridge, where it all began in 1962, was north of that line. Brigadier J P Dalvi, commanding the troops that first came into contact with the Chinese, in his book, Himalayan Blunder: The Curtain-Raiser to the Sino-

Indian War of 1962, also questioned how Dhola post on the Namka Chu at the base of the Thagla Ridge came into existence. Brigadier D K Palit, director of military operations at that time, in his book, War in High Himalaya: The Indian Army in Crisis, 1962, writes that he referred the Thagla dilemma to the director of military survey who found the map coordinates of the new post at Dhola quoted by the patrol leader were of doubtful accuracy. The Ministry of External Affairs confirmed the ambiguities on the boundary.

We have let the national interest on the border in Tawang, as well as in Arunachal Pradesh, to be defined by a thick line on a small-scale map of an unsurveyed Himalayan tract in 1914 and Dhola post set up north of that line by a patrol with inaccurate coordinates in 1962. It is essential to release a redacted version of the Henderson BrooksBhagat Report that looked into the military events of 1962. A leaked version is already on the internet. This exercise should be seen by all political parties as an essential step in building a national consensus on our most important foreign policy problem. No country has become a great power without settled borders.

After the scuffle of 9 December 2022, the foreign ministers of both countries have made public statements that could open the door for a settlement of the north-eastern border. Chinas former foreign minister, Wang Yi, has stated that both countries are committed to upholding stability in the border areas. This sentiment has been reiterated by Qin Gang, the current foreign minister of China. Indias foreign minister has said that we will not agree to any attempt to change the Line of Actual Control unilaterally, suggesting a willingness to give and take.

A nuanced agenda is needed as the un-demarcated northern border has very different dimensions in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh. It has been a strategic mistake to have treated them together implying some sort of quid pro quo. There is none. There is a published map only in the North East, which China has accepted in settling the boundary with Myanmar in 1960. In Ladakh, there are no published maps of a territory over which no one historically ever exercised sovereignty. In the north-eastern sector, the seven odd pockets where there are different perceptions on the alignment are a matter of joint surveys and diplomatic discussion.

The boundary of eastern Ladakh can then be settled along the Karakoram watershed, suggested by former commanders of the XIV Corps, Leh, leaving out Aksai Chin. Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the all-party meet in June 2020 to discuss the Galwan incident along the Line of Actual Control in the Karakoram Range region to the west of Aksai Chin had pointed out that the Chinese had not entered our territory. The implication being, India is no longer insisting on a line drawn unilaterally on our maps by Nehru claiming Aksai Chin. If indeed this is the case, it needs to be spelt out more transparently.

The status of the Dalai Lama also needs to be reviewed. The initial condition of giving him refuge to pursue his religious activities but not participate in political programmes in India needs to be reinforced in line with Indias recognition that Tibet is very much a part of China and Indias well-known concerns with subversive cross-border activities in the region.

The settlement of the border should not be seen through the prism of military deployment, but as a part of the rise of India having the confidence to chart its own course, making hard choices that are an essential condition of such a transformation. The global geopolitical situation provides a unique opportunity to bury the ghosts left over by colonialism.
The campaign for Limbu (or Limboo)Tamang reservation in the legislative assembly of Sikkim, though having its roots from the time the kingdom became part of the Union of India in May 1975, has gathered momentum in recent years. Though couched in constitutional terms, the discourse seemed to be unravelling the communal divides that were sought to be pushed under the carpet over the years in the guise of an overarching Sikkimese identity. The immediate context is Dilli Ram Thapa, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator1 from Upper Burtuk constituency raising the demand for the LimbuTamang reservation in the monsoon session of the legislature in August 2022. The use of the communal card will definitely abet the BJP to expand its ambitions in Sikkim. Indra Hang Subba, the lone Lok Sabha member of Parliament from Sikkim, is expectedly dancing to the tune of the BJP. The existing strange party affiliations in Sikkim, where the main opposition is the BJP and the ruling party also in coalition with the BJP, place the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM), the ruling party, in an awkward position.

Ethnicity and Indigeneity
The Supreme Court upheld the right to self-identification of transgender persons in the National Legal Services Authority v Union of India, 2014. It recognised transgender persons as the third gender for the purpose of safeguarding their fundamental rights. In doing so, it directed the union and state governments to ensure equal protection of law by bringing in policies and schemes for their social and economic benefit, pursuant to which the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 and rules thereunder were passed. The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, through its web portal for transgender persons, facilitates the issuance of certificates and identity cards, announces social benefit schemes, provides scholarships for school and college education, skill development training, and facilitates the establishment of garima greh or shelter homes for transgender persons.

Considering the Supreme Courts directions, a few states have formulated transgender policies for the purpose of the inclusion of transgender persons into the mainstream by state as well as non-state actors. Transgender is an umbrella term for persons whose gender identity does not conform to their biological sex. Such transgender policies include categories such as jogappas, jogatis, hijras, kothis, aravanis, intersex persons, etc, as recognised by the Supreme Court. It covers the entire transgender community, including transmen. They are persons born as females but have come to recognise and identify themselves as male. Unlike their counterparts, transmen are not quite visible in the public. Many of them, however, experience violence and discrimination.
People protest at a Tesla showroom in Chengdu, Sichuan, China, released Jan. 6 in this picture obtained by Reuters from social media. Reuters-Yonhap



Hundreds of Tesla owners gathered at the automaker's showrooms and distribution centers in China over the weekend, demanding rebates and credit after sudden price cuts they said meant they had overpaid for electric cars they bought earlier.



On Saturday, about 200 recent buyers of the Tesla Model Y and Model 3 gathered at a Tesla delivery centers in Shanghai to protest against the U.S. carmaker's decision to slash prices for the second time in three months on Friday.



Many said they had believed that prices Tesla charged for its cars late last year would not be cut as abruptly or as deeply as the automaker just announced in a move to spur sales and support production at its Shanghai plant. The scheduled expiration of a government subsidy at the end of 2022 also drove many to finalize their purchases.



Videos posted on social media showed crowds at Tesla stores and delivery centers in other Chinese cities from Chengdu to Shenzhen, suggesting wider consumer backlash.



After Friday's surprise discounts, Tesla's EV prices in China are now between 13 percent and 24 percent below their September levels.



Analysts have said Tesla's move was likely to boost its sales, which tumbled in December, and force other EV makers to cut prices too at a time of faltering demand in the world's largest market for battery-powered cars.



While established automakers often discount to manage inventory and keep factories running when demand weakens, Tesla operates without dealerships and transparent pricing has been part of its brand image.



"It may be a normal business practice but this is not how a responsible enterprise should behave," said one Tesla owner protesting at the company's delivery center in Shanghai's Minhang suburb on Saturday who gave his surname as Zhang.



He and the other Tesla owners, who said they had taken delivery in the final months of 2022, said they were frustrated with the abruptness of Friday's price cut and Tesla's lack of an explanation to recent buyers.



Zhang said police facilitated a meeting between Tesla staff and the assembled owners at which the owners handed over a list of demands, including an apology and compensation or other credits. He added the Tesla staff had agreed to respond by Tuesday.



About a dozen police officers could be seen at the Shanghai protest and most of the videos of the other demonstrations also showed a large police presence at the Tesla sites.



Protests are not a rare occurrence in China, which has over the years seen people come out in large numbers over issues such as financial or property scams, but authorities have been on higher alert after widespread protests in Chinese cities and top universities at the end of November against COVID-19 restrictions.





People protest at a Tesla showroom in Chengdu, Sichuan, China, released Jan. 6 in this picture obtained by Reuters from social media. Reuters-Yonhap
Friday, January 6, 2023

The pandemic brought the world to a halt, but not Embrace Magazine. I decided to launch anyway, keeping all unpaid ads intact to allow LGBTQ+ owned businesses and their ally businesses a chance to bring awareness to their products and services during the pandemic while launching the magazine as it was intended John Sotomayor Publishing Embrace will always be a labor of love akin to the quote by Mark Twain, find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life, however, it is definitely a business venture John Sotomayor

What happens when you mix in a blender a creative person at heart, with a strong business sense and enjoys the aesthetic appeal of magazine design, along with the intellectual application of the editorial content that can have an outward impact on the world around us? This person also adds every personal and educational experience of his life into the mix. And did I fail to mention he is gay, and also Roman Catholic? This and all is John Sotomayor, the publisher, editor-in-chief, and executive producer of the Florida based Embrace Magazine and Media.

I met John last year at the annual conference of the Florida Magazine Association where I was speaking. His love for magazines and specifically for what he was doing with magazines, was evident in every single word he told me. I could feel the passion, the love, the excitement, but at the same time the fear of the future. How can one survive in this marketplace and how can a great magazine (my words, not his) survive in the midst of all the headwinds?

I have decided to interview John and ask him a few questions about him and Embrace magazine and Embrace media. What follows is my Q and A with John:

Samir Husni: Two years ago, you single handedly launched Embrace, tell me the story of that launch and your memories of that period

John Sotomayor: After the success of a previous brand magazine, I decided I wanted to launch an LGBTQ+ magazine, which was more inline with my identity. I decided to make my formal announcement on June 28, 2019, the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots in my native New York City, which signified the start of the LGBTQ+ civil rights movement. I used the next few months on market research and development. Prepared to launch in January 2020, I had some delays that occur naturally with a startup. I was ready to launch next quarter, April 2020 when the world had other plans. The pandemic brought the world to a halt, but not Embrace Magazine. I decided to launch anyway, keeping all unpaid ads intact to allow LGBTQ+ owned businesses and their ally businesses a chance to bring awareness to their products and services during the pandemic while launching the magazine as it was intended. It paid off. We received public engagement. Emergency relief funds provided us the financial assistance we needed to get the first three issues published.

S.H. : As you reflect on the launch, what are some of the most pleasant moments that you can recall?

J. S. : The most pleasant moments involved working with the contributors and our supporters toward developing the vision and content I desired to achieve the level of publication I sought Embrace to be. Everyone brought their A game. Many contributed at a fraction of their worth, and some contributed for free. Where some might have thought print publishing was on a downturn at best, and a thing of the past at worst, those around me saw this as an opportunity to achieve a next level platform for the LGBTQ+ community. Then, there was the reveal. The premiere issue exceeded all expectations. Minds were blown, and new engagement began instantaneously. My former employer, Kendra Akers, publisher for Akers Media Group publications I wrote for, sent the following message, Hi John, WOW, you have outdone yourself with this publication. Great job! I wish you the best of luck with this new endeavor! I think people will really love it and appreciate it. She was right. Many others shared similar sentiments. On competition level, judges awarded us with the highest honors in every competition we entered for various journalism organizations throughout Florida and the nation.

S.H. : What are the biggest hurdles you faced and how did you overcome them? In case you did not overcome them, what are the plans to do so?

J. S. : The largest hurdle we faced so far was the COVID-19 pandemic that saw a worldwide shutdown and isolation for almost two years. As we all know, businesses were closed from most of 2020  2021. Even when they reopened, for their own survival, they had to drastically reduce their operating budgets. The first for most to go was advertising. That was our bread and butter. We managed to stay afloat by publishing three issues per year rather than four. We planned to publish quarterly. We also kept our operational costs extremely low, again, thanks to the generosity of our contributors. Not only did I not make any earnings for the first three years, but I also contributed financially from my personal savings. It is unwise but necessary. This leads to the next hurdle, becoming sustainable, and even profitable. The solution I am currently negotiating is an acquisition deal with a major media group that sees value in our branding. They have a vast umbrella of luxury brand magazines, but none solely devoted to the lucrative LGBTQ+ audience. Embrace is that asset. If the deal goes through, they will handle all operations  circulation, distribution, advertising, expansion  and I will retain creative control as managing partner, publisher, and editor-in-chief. We will retain our status as a certified LGBTBE (LGBT Business Owned Enterprise), granted to us by the NGLCC (The National LGTB Chamber of Commerce). That status as an LGBTQ+ owned business helps us enormously to attract businesses, including Fortune 500 companies, that wish to do business with a supplier diversity business.

S. H. : The magazine was well received by the magazine community in the state of Florida and in fact it won the magazine of the year in its first year from the Florida Magazine Association. Whats next?

J. S. : Thank you, that was a major moment for us! To give the full effect of winning Magazine of the Year by the Florida Magazine Association in 2021, we need to add that Embrace Magazine won Charlie (first place) for Best New Magazine, Best Overall Magazine, and won Magazine of the Year, all in the magazines inaugural year. That has never happened before and some say, may never happen again. Also, we took top honors in all four Best Overalls, including Charlie for Best Overall Writing and Best Overall Magazine, and Silver (second place) for Best Overall Design and Best Overall Digital Innovator, the latter a new category. No other magazine has ever accomplished that either yet. In total, we were honored with 22 awards, the highest any startup magazine has ever garnered. We also made history at the FMA as the first ever LGBTQ+ magazine member in 2021, the organization established in 1953, and the highest awarded startup. We made history with the Associated Church Press, being the first LGBTQ+ magazine member in 2020 of that Christian-based journalism organization, established in 1916. This year, we added a national award from the NLGJA: Association of LGBTQ Journalists for Photo-journalism Excellence, and a national board position for me, as publisher, with the NLGJA as well. Both occurred in Chicago. The FMA also added me as a board member. As a result of these achievements, Embrace Magazine was approached by the Poynter Institute of Media Studies to do a profile on us as a successful startup LGBTQ+ magazine. That by itself, is a high honor given the status in media the Poynter Institute carries. Whats next in 2023? I have already entered us in the GLAAD Media Awards. We should know the results in early 2023. If we are a finalist, I will attend the ceremony in either Los Angeles or New York City. If we win, anything is possible, as that will indeed be a high honor.

S. H. : Is publishing Embrace still a labor of love or more of a business venture now?

J. S. : Publishing Embrace will always be a labor of love akin to the quote by Mark Twain, find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life, however, it is definitely a business venture. Embrace is designed by Em Agency, owned by my good friend and long-time colleague, Jamie Mark. With them, we work on ads together. Our website, embracemedia.us was designed by A Great Idea, owned by my new close associate, Shane Lukas, who also contributes content to our online resource blog. We added Embrace Media, which in addition to the magazine, includes Embrace On-Air, our radio show broadcast out of 93.6 FM/1370 AM WOCA The Source, in Ocala. We create video content inhouse but are also in negotiations with Gardner Productions based in Toronto, Canada and New York City to create video advertisements. Hopefully, the acquisition deal with the media group goes through. We should see regional distribution grow to include Barnes & Noble for print, then eventually expand to other regional markets, applying national content to regional advertising. Ultimately, I hope Embrace Magazine and Embrace Media take me to a comfortable retirement, while leaving a lasting legacy.

S. H. : What makes John tick and click?

J. S. : I am creative at heart, with a strong business sense. I enjoy the aesthetic appeal of magazine design, along with the intellectual application of the editorial content that can have an outward impact on the world around us. I also apply every personal and educational experience of my life. I am gay, but I am also Roman Catholic. I made it a point to include a Religion department alongside Issues + Politics, International News, Art + Culture, and Activism + Charity. We have made many major advancements socially, politically, and culturally as a community. However, if the LGBTQ+ community is to ever be completely free of oppression, then we need to confront and unify with our largest oppressors, which are religious groups. I would like to be a catalyst of real change. I also am diversely educated. I studied mechanical engineering but have a dual bachelors degree from the University of Rochester in Economics and Political Science with a certification in Marketing and Finance. I studied law at Howard University School of Law in Washington, DC but did not complete my JD degree due to complications from being outed as gay. I am also a natural, self-trained artist with the ability to draw. I apply all of my education and artistry to my magazine. I am hands on with every editorial and design decision in Embrace. I have been told by the COO of the media group I am negotiating with that in essence, I am the magazine. What you see within the pages are all a reflection of me.

S. H. : What are the plans for 2023 and beyond?

The immediate plans are to lock the negotiations with the media group and Gardner Productions. Then hopefully become a finalist at the GLAAD Media Awards and hopefully win. Either way, the plan is to attend the GLAAD Media Awards in LA or NYC and continue to network and bring awareness to Embrace Magazine and Embrace Media. If the deal with the media group goes through, Embrace Magazine will grow regionally, starting with states that have large LGBTQ+ communities, then expand outward. Ultimately, I would like to see a European version of Embrace, and a Spanish language version called Abrazo. There are still many areas in South and Central Americas that do not embrace the LGBTQ+ community yet. When a person comes out to their family, the family either shuns them or tries to have them institutionalized until they denounce being LGBTQ and reassimilate as straight. We need to reach those areas to promote and assist change. From there, assist those in need in other repressed areas of the world for LGBTQ+ people in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Looking further into the future, I would like to see Embrace Magazine have its own televised programming, maybe even a network, like National Geographic. Imagine the potential outreach Embrace could produce then.

S. H. : Anything youd like to add that I failed to ask, or youd like to mention?

J. S. : When I am asked to improvise, I see an opportunity to add my shameless plug. As a startup, Embrace Magazine still needs financial support. We welcome investors, and of course advertisers. Our 2023 Media Kit is available on our website, embracemedia.us. I also welcome story ideas. Please reach me at john@sotomayormedia.com. Finally, I welcome new contributors: writers, columnists, photographers, illustrators, and graphic artists. Two-thirds of our contributors are LGBTQ+, the remaining third are allies. One of my goals was to provide a platform for talented LGBTQ+ artists to showcase their writing, photography, and design skills toward LGBTQ+ related subjects. They may not have the opportunity elsewhere. Allies are welcomed. Why would I not include the best writer or photographer simply because he or she or they are not gay? So long as they support the mission of the magazine, their talent is welcomed in our pages. We are all inclusive, diverse, and unifying.

S. H. : And my typical last question, what keeps John up at night these days?

J. S. : I have two answers. First, I am concerned for all of our LGBTQ+ community, that our hard-earned civil rights are not torn away by the political mechanism that seems hellbent on doing so. Being from Florida, I see that already being enacted on the state level by our current governor, who has his eyes on the presidency in 2024. I have seen and heard the hate spewed by the Proud Boys who meet in rural bars to plan their next protest. They are getting louder, and forceful. They are no longer satisfied with disruption, they seek destruction. We at Embrace exist to counter, using intellect, compassion, and love to persuade people so that peace and prosperity win. These are the nightmares that keep me up at night.

Second, I am always thinking three steps ahead, as I always have played my favorite game, chess. I do not compete against others. I compete against myself. However high I set the bar previously, I focus on how I can raise the bar even higher. I think, what theme or concept can we come up with to excite our audiences? The photo-essay that won our national award in photo excellence was world renown and revered drag photographer, and Embrace Magazine contributor, Magnus Hastings brilliant concept for his book, Rainbow Revolution which we used as the foundation for Thinking Outside the Box. We collaborated on the July 2022 Arts issue, Icons Gone Wild which featured popular LA drag queens reenacting iconic Hollywood actresses in well-known scenes, with a twist. The result will surely garner more awards, as it has received world-wide attention. We have come up with another concept I will keep secret, for now. I can tell you it will be published in our summer Travel issue, and it will be our campiest drag photo-essay yet! These are the thoughts that keep me up at night, that eventually turn to dreams.

S. H.: Thank you.

To learn more about Embrace magazine and magazine media go to http://www.embracemedia.us
Fairfield, MT (59436)

Today

Cloudy with rain and snow this evening, becoming all snow overnight. Low 29F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precip 80%. Snow accumulating 1 to 3 inches..

Tonight

Cloudy with rain and snow this evening, becoming all snow overnight. Low 29F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precip 80%. Snow accumulating 1 to 3 inches.
A 26-year-old man has died following an incident at a farm on Anglesey, Wales, police have confirmed.

Emergency services arrived shortly after 9pm on Tuesday 3 January to a farm located in Carreglefn, Amlwch.

An air ambulance took the injured man to Royal Stoke University Hospital, where he later died of the injuries.

It is not yet known what caused the man's, injuries, but the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has started an investigation into the incident.

North Wales Police said they would continue to assist the coroner in their investigations.

"A 26-year-old man has died following an incident at a farm in Carreglefn, Amlwch," a spokesperson for the force said.

"Police were called at 9.15pm on Tuesday 3 January to report a man had received injuries whilst working on a farm in the Amlwch area of Anglesey.

"The man was taken to Stoke Hospital following the incident but has now sadly died following his injuries.

"The mans family and the coroner have been informed. Police will continue to assist the coroner in their investigations."

Agriculture once again has the poorest performance in relation to non-fatal injuries in the workplace, according to the HSE's latest report.

The farming industry has a workplace injury rate of 4,100 per 100,000 workers employed, compared to an all industry average of 1,110 per 100,00.

Responding to the release, the NFU said the figures made for 'sombre reading', adding that the industry was 'working to change'.

"By helping and learning from each other, we can work towards turning the tide on safety records," the union's vice president, David Exwood said.

"We need to work together on a new approach to kickstart a cultural change in farming and reach our goal to reduce the devastating injuries on farm.

We need to continue to work together to share the simple actions we can all take on farm to make a substantial change in preventing devastating accidents from happening."
Partidazo, controversial and party of goals. Villarreal And Real Madrid have signed one of the parties more 'hot' of what goes of LaLiga Santander 2022-2023. The 'yellow submarine' has carried the victory after 'desactivar' to the group madridista and dominate a party in which it has not been missing at all and in which they have remained to the air the big lacks of the White House.

And it is that the Madrid seha interested the suffering in the return post-World-wide and in a date in which the errors are not allowed, because 'play' the life in the next months, in which they will contest six distinct competitions. In The Ceramics, remained showed that the 'merengues' are not so comfortable, although the Italian went back to bet by his XI of gala, with the novelty of Militaor like right-handed side.

It was merit of a Villarreal that knew how desconectar to the madridistas and launch to the attack, especially in the first-half, for incomodar to Thibaut Courtois that aims to be, again, a pillar indestructible for the Madrid. Both teams went out convinced and in research of the victory, without 'prize' in the first 45'.

The ones of Quique Setien were those that went out to attack and could advance to the six minutes, when Tchouameni 'gave' a balloon in the band so that Alberto Moreno centred to the area for the finish of heel of Coquelin that finished leaving by the long stick of Courtois after intervention of the guardameta Belgian. The Madrid, slept in the exit, saw forced to react but without the feeling that him 'reached' to win to a Villarreal very very positioned.

MilitaOr went the first in testing luck with a shot after a big pass of Karim Benzema that finish in corner, but the party began to be an authentic gone and turn in which the ones of Quique Setien were smarter and dangerous in the rival area, with shots of Yeremy Pino for the stop of Courtois or a zapatazo of Baena to the square, but did not go until the beginning of the second half that changed the command by goal.

And it is that, in the beginning of the second part, began the madness in The Ceramics, with penaltis, goals and a lot of controversy, with Soto Degree and the VAR like protagonists in some 20 minutes of madness. The history began with an earthy error of Ferland Mendy for celeder a balloon to Gerard Moreno to give the pass to Teremy Pino that, entirely only, finished to put the 1-0 that 'woke up' to the Madrid.

The hands, leading

Forced to react, the ones of Ancelotti dumped to the attack and added several opportunities to try move the marker, with a centre of Kroos that cleared Albiol or a finish of Karim Benzema to empty door, that left to corner, to after a big played between Tchouameni andV inicius in which the Brazilian finished asking penalti by hand of Juan Foyth (in the return of the wall of the French to 'Vini'), that the VAR -after review- finish awarding.

Karim Benzema converted with solvency in front of Pepe Reina, but the joy of the tie lasted little because in the following played, David Praises touched the balloon inside the area after slipping and there was penalti in favour of the 'yellow submarine', that resolved Gerard Romero in front of Thibaut Courtois.

Gone and turns in The Ceramics

In the last fifteen minutes of the clash, the Madrid achieved to advance lines and approach to the area of Pepe Reina, but without opportunities in front of a Villarreal very accommodated backwards. Rodrygo Could put the tables after a centre happened of Valverde that did to doubt to the guardameta, but that took advantage of the Brazilian, although it did not find the goal after his finish.
During the final days of 2022, India and Australia entered into the Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA), which is expected to double the bilateral trade between the 2 countries to $50 billion in the next 5 years. But textile sector will need to go an extra mile to have a sizable share as its contribution is currently less than $1 billion.

India exported apparel worth $254.267 million and home textiles worth $217.684 million to Australia in the first ten months of 2022. On the other hand, India imported cotton (HS Code 5201) worth $255.593 million from Australia, bringing the total trade to $727 million for the period under review. The total trade is unlikely to cross the $1 billion mark for 2022. In 2021, India exported apparel worth $273.552 million and home textiles worth $263.134 million to Australia, while cotton imports amounted to $66.011 million in the same period, according to Fibre2Fashions market insight tool TexPro.

Australia was the second largest supplier of cotton to India with 18.55 per cent share in the latters total imports of $1,377.810 million during January-October 2022. Cotton imports from Australia remained volatile in the previous years because of price dynamics. The cotton imports were at merely $6.352 million in 2020 and $33.068 million in 2019, as per TexPro.

During the final days of 2022, India and Australia entered into the Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA), which is expected to double the bilateral trade between the 2 countries to $50 billion in the next 5 years. But textile sector will need to go an extra mile to have a sizable share as its contribution is currently less than $1 billion.

Australia was the tenth largest market for Indias apparel exports with shipment worth $254.267 million during January-October 2022, which was just 1.81 per cent of Indias total exports of $14.039 billion in the same period. However, the shipment of home textiles to Australia was slightly better in terms of its share in the total exports. India had exported home textiles worth $6.505 billion, out of which the shipment to Australia grabbed a share of 3.35 per cent ($217.684 million) in the same period, making Australia the fifth largest market for Indias home textiles.

The data shows that textile sector needs to work harder to tap the opportunities offered by the ECTA. After the implementation of the deal on December 29, 2022, T Rajkumar, chairman of the Confederation of Indian Textile Industry commented, It will help boost textile and apparel exports. The FTA is likely to provide a big relief to Indian textile exporters, who had to pay about 10 per cent customs duty in countries like Australia, Canada, and the UK. The significance of the deal is shown by the comments from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and textile minister Piyush Goyal. PM Modi described the operationalisation of the agreement as a watershed moment and will unlock the enormous potential of our trade and economic ties and boost businesses on both sides.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (KUL)
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 6, 2023) - Miramis Mining Corp. (the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has entered into a letter agreement dated January 5, 2023 with a non-arm's length party, Imperium Consulting LLP ("Imperium"), pursuant to which Imperium has agreed to accept 202,000 common shares of the Company (the "Settlement Shares") at a price of $0.05 per Settlement Share in settlement of outstanding debt totaling $10,100 (the "Debt") owing to Imperium in relation to management consulting services provided to the Company (the "Debt Settlement"). The Company proposed to issue the Settlement Shares in order to preserve cash to fund future operations.

The Company is also pleased to announce that it has completed the Debt Settlement. The Debt was completely extinguished upon the issuance of the Settlement Shares.

All securities issued in connection with the Debt Settlement will be subject to a four-month hold period from the closing date under applicable Canadian securities laws, in addition to such other restrictions as may apply under applicable securities laws of jurisdictions outside Canada.

The issuance of Settlement Shares to Imperium, an entity controlled by Terence Lee, the Chief Financial Officer of the Company, will be considered to be a "related party transaction" as defined under Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Securityholders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). The issuance of Settlement Shares, as it relates to Imperium and Mr. Lee, is exempt from the minority approval and formal valuation requirements of MI 61-101 pursuant to subsections 5.5(a) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

"Morgan Good"

Morgan Good

Chief Executive Officer

T: 604-715-4751

E: morgan@miramismining.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/150512
Dubai, United Arab Emirates--(Newsfile Corp. - January 7, 2023) - Sell Bitcoin in Dubai becomes the leading crypto OTC to buy and sell Bitcoin in Dubai. Visitors are more interested in selling bitcoin in Dubai at the shop.

One trend in the cryptocurrency market in recent years has been the increasing number of institutional and individual buyers entering the space. These customers are looking for new opportunities to diversify their portfolios. One of the key challenges for those parties in the crypto market has been finding reliable and secure crypto OTC shops to buy and sell cryptocurrency in Dubai. This is where OTC (over-the-counter) crypto shops like Sell Bitcoin in Dubai come in.

Sell Bitcoin in Dubai is well-positioned in the Dubai crypto market to provide visitors with the best service. The company has built strong relationships with key industry players and has an experienced team who are professionals in terms of digital currency trading. By offering a reliable and secure platform for OTC trading, Sell Bitcoin in Dubai is able to meet the needs of any customers and has become a leading choice for these types of clients.

The team of crypto experts is available 24/7 to answer any of the questions and assist customers with the process. In addition to top-notch customer support, SBID also ensures competitive pricing for Bitcoin exchange. Customers can choose from a variety of currencies to receive their payment in.

Crypto OTC to Sell BTC in Dubai

The Bitcoin to Cash Shop in Dubai has been operating in the city for many years, offering a range of services to its customers. As a one-stop shop for all things cryptocurrency, they allow individuals to buy or sell Bitcoin (BTC) in Dubai for cash. The team at the shop is dedicated to providing the best support and services to their customers and has built up a reputation as a top-class crypto OTC in the region. With a history of satisfied customers, the Bitcoin to Cash Shop in Dubai has established itself as a trusted name in the cryptocurrency space.

Easy Process to Sell Bitcoin in Dubai

SBID was popularized in Dubai in a short period of time due to the effective, efficient, and fast service they provide. People can buy and sell bitcoin in Dubai in a few minutes at SBID in 3 steps as below:

Visit the shop with the identification card Calculate how much bitcoin can be sold Get cash in different fiat currencies, including AED

The shop is located in the city center where people can easily get access to the premium crypto service in Dubai. Customers can get cash in various fiat currencies such as AED, US Dollar, EURO, Pound and etc.

About Sell Bitcoin in Dubai

SBID, Sell Bitcoin in Dubai, is a crypto OTC shop where customers can quickly buy and sell bitcoin (BTC) with cash in Dubai. Located in Dubai, the store offers a range of cryptocurrencies for purchase, including popular options like Bitcoin, Ethereum, and stablecoins like USDT. The process for selling Bitcoin in Dubai is straightforward, making it accessible for both locals and visitors. In total, SBID offers over 1000 different cryptocurrencies for customers to choose from.

Company Name: Sell Bitcoin in Dubai

Location: Office 10040 10th Floor, Exchange Tower, Business Bay - Dubai - United Arab Emirates

Phone: +971585666767

Email: contact@sellbitcoinindubai.com

Contact Person: Khaled Saeed

Contact Person title: Public Relations

City, Country: Dubai, the UAE

Website: https://sellbitcoinindubai.com/

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/150527
On the afternoon of November 29, 2022, Premier Li Keqiang of the State Council held the China-Kazakhstan Prime Ministers' Meeting with Kazakh Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov at the Great Hall of the People via video link.

Li Keqiang said that China and Kazakhstan are friendly neighbors. Over the past 30 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, the bilateral relationship has made great progress, benefiting the two countries and two peoples. In September this year, President Xi Jinping paid a successful visit to Kazakhstan, boosting new progress in China-Kazakhstan relations. China is ready to work with Kazakhstan to maintain close high-level exchanges and communication at all levels, seek greater synergy between development strategies, deepen practical cooperation in various fields, and enhance coordination and collaboration in international and regional affairs, so as elevate China-Kazakhstan relations to new heights and better safeguard regional peace, stability and development.

Li Keqiang pointed out that China-Kazakhstan cooperation enjoys a sound foundation, apparent complementary advantages, immense potential and broad prospects. He expressed the hope that the two sides will ensure the sound implementation of the intergovernmental economic and trade cooperation plan, speed up the negotiation and conclusion of the new investment protection agreement and the cooperation plan on production capacity and investment, enhance connectivity and increase the volume of border shipments, and continuously promote bilateral trade. Energy cooperation is the anchor of practical cooperation between the two countries. China hopes that Kazakhstan will ensure a stable gas supply to China in accordance with the contract and increase its gas supplies in winter as much as possible. China is ready to import more high-quality green agricultural and livestock products from Kazakhstan. The two sides can explore new growth drivers for cooperation in such areas as finance and cross-border e-commerce. It's important to step up people-to-people and cultural exchanges to strengthen people-to-people ties, and continue negotiations on mutual visa exemption to facilitate personnel exchanges between the two countries.

Smailov said that Kazakhstan attaches great importance to its relations with China, and stands ready to take the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Kazakhstan and China as an opportunity to work with China to deepen political mutual trust, implement the intergovernmental economic and trade cooperation plan, strengthen exchanges and cooperation in fields such as economy and trade, production capacity, energy, agriculture, connectivity, and people-to-people and cultural affairs, increase personnel exchanges, and promote the continuous development of the Kazakhstan-China permanent comprehensive strategic partnership.

Wang Yi and He Lifeng, among others, were present at the event.
On December 8, 2022, H.E. Li Jiming, Ambassador of China to Bangladesh, paid a farewell call on H.E. Sheikh Hasina, the Honble Prime Minister of Bangladesh. Dr. Ahmad Kaikaus, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, and Mr. Yan Hualong, Minister Counselor of the Chinese Embassy, attended the meeting.

HPM Sheikh Hasina appreciated Chinas contribution to the joint fight against COVID-19 epidemic, the construction of major development projects in Bangladesh, and the facilitation to repatriate displaced persons from Rakhine State of Myanmar to Bangladesh. The HPM also asked Ambassador Li to convey her gratitude to Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang for the kind support from Chinese side. She highly commended Ambassador Li for his significant contribution to Bangladesh-China relations during his tenure, and welcomed him to visit Bangladesh anytime in the future.

Ambassador Li promised to convey the messages from HPM to Chinese leaders. He said that China congratulates Bangladesh for its development achievement under the able leadership of HPM Sheikh Hasina and with the joint efforts by all Bangladeshi people. China-Bangladesh relations has made great progress in the past more than three years, which would be impossible without the determined support by HPM Sheikh Hasina and all other Bangladeshi colleagues. Ambassador Li pledged to continuously contribute, under a different title, to the friendly relations between the two countries and two peoples.

The two sides also discussed current international and regional situation, bilateral cooperation on trade and economy, people-to-people exchange between Bangladesh and China, etc. The meeting was held in a cordial atmosphere.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics , 60 years ago close to 97 percent of men aged 25 to 54  the prime working years  were working or looking for work. The rate has declined steadily since then.

In October 2022 the number was 88.5 percent, a slight dip from the previous two months. Heres another way to look at it: Six decades ago, only one in 30 prime-age people identifying as male was not working or looking for work. Today, its nearly one in nine.

Why has this happened and what are the implications for the economy and workplaces here in the Lehigh Valley and across the United States?

One of the big reasons has been a steady decline in American manufacturing jobs, which traditionally have been male-dominated. In June 1979, manufacturing employment reached an all-time peak of 19.6 million.

Submitted by Tina Hamilton, president and CEO

In June 2019, it was at 12.8 million, down 6.7 million or 35 percent according to the BLS. Certainly, we experienced the historical decline here in the Lehigh Valley with Bethlehem Steel and other industrial manufacturers shutting down.

In fact, much of the increase in labor force exit among prime-age males in the past 40 years has been among men without a four-year college degree, often manufacturing or hourly service jobs, according to a recent paper from the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.

The second big reason has been increasing opportunities for individuals identifying as female in the workforce. Since the 1960s, more women have been continuing their education beyond high school. Many women are choosing to marry later and start families later. Child-care options have expanded, allowing both parents or single parents to work full-time and year-round. And many professions that were once nearly exclusively male have become more balanced. More gender equity in the workplace has meant more competition for positions that males have typically sought.

Conversely, men have not been seeking jobs that have been traditionally held by women. As of 2020, 87.4 percent of registered nurses and 79.6 percent of elementary and middle school teachers were female, according to the BLS.

At the same time, as women baby boomers continue to move into retirement, we are seeing a critical shortage of teachers, nurses, caregivers, child-care workers and other professions. These HEAL jobs  health, education, administration and literacy  are growing three times faster than STEM jobs according to Brookings Institution scholar Richard V. Reeves, which is compounding shortages now and into the future.

There are entrenched social forces at work here. Men have been either unprepared or unwilling to look at customarily female-dominated jobs such as education and health care. Self-image and perceived social stature for men are often deeply intertwined with their professions and income. Plus many of the above-mentioned professions have historically paid less than manufacturing jobs or professional positions.

Finally, we wouldnt have a workplace column without mentioning the effects of the pandemic. Many people have been evaluating their careers in the past three years. One consequence has been an increase of men being stay-at-home parents, enabled by their partners ability to earn a family-sustaining income. With the possibility of gig-work, part-time and remote positions, theres even the possibility to find a career or income stream that is more compatible with a renewed focus on family life.

So what does all this mean?

The trends we are seeing will be sustained. We might see fluctuations from year to year, but were not going to see womens participation in the workforce constrict over time. In fact, theres additional room for growth and equity, especially with earnings. Manufacturing has made a bit of a rebound both locally and nationally, but it is unlikely to get close to the 1970s peak.

The big opportunity  and need  is for more males to seek professions in the HEAL categories. We will continue to see the income potential for HEAL jobs rise as demand outstrips supply. We need parents, counselors, mentors and men themselves to reconsider their preconceived notions of professions being associated with one gender or another.

If you are one of those one in nine prime-aged males thinking about reentering the workforce, look to where there is long-term demand. Research educational and retraining options to qualify yourself for open positions.

Our society needs to continue to view work as a gender-neutral activity. A job is a job. A profession is a profession. A career is a career. Weve made steady progress in the past decades, but further improvement is necessary.

Tina Hamilton is president and CEO of myHR Partner Inc., a Lehigh Valley human resources outsourcing firm that manages HR for clients in 34 states. She can be reached at tina@myhrpartnerinc.com.
For Joseph Jurkivo, the customers who came into his Italian restaurant werent just a way to make to make him money.

They were people who really meant something.

I have always created my restaurant to be a place for people to feel like they werent customers, Jurkivo said. We wanted them to feel as if they were family to us. Everyone that comes through the door, you are important to us.

Jurkivo will be able to finally open the doors to his restaurant, Fiamma Italian Grill near Bethlehem, for the first time since a fire forced its closure on Feb. 13.

Opening date is Jan. 18 for the restaurant, which is at 2118 Schoenersville Road in Hanover Township, Northampton County.

Fans of the restaurant could not be happier. Hundreds of comments and reactions on social media poured in when news broke of the restaurants reopening.

Being a small Italian restaurant that sits 90 people, it warms our hearts to have people react the way they have, he said. It makes you more humble and in touch with the whole community. It means so much to us.

A fire ripped through a section of the restaurant the day before Valentines, forcing Jurkivo to cancel nearly 250 dinner reservations.

Jurkivo said for the most part the restaurant should look the same to diners as it did before the fire. The exterior of the restaurant is now a warm beige and the inside has been thoroughly cleaned, repaired, replaced and repainted.

With Valentines Day just around the corner, Jurkivo said the restaurants reopening is even more meaningful.

With the fire happening the day before we ruined a lot of Valentines, Jurkivo said. It was out of our control but it was hurtful for me to know that I had let people down. This is a year of redemption for me, for all those people who I had let down last year.

Info: https://www.facebook.com/FiammaItalianGrill

The return of another popular restaurant

Like Fiamma, Eastons State Cafe and Grille also suffered a fire last year. The popular restaurant, at 14-16 S. 5th S., just around the block from the State Theatre, has been closed since the fire happened in April.

The restaurant posted on its social media that its looking like they will reopen by the end of the month. (And thats welcome news to fans of their famous pancakes, breakfast sandwiches and more.)

Stay up to date: https://www.facebook.com/thestatecafeandgrill

And even more good news

I have had a lot of folks over the past few months reach out to me about Bethlehems Anatolian Kitchen, which specializes in Mediterranean food, particularly Turkish dishes. The restaurant at 3016 Linden St. been closed for the past few months as it expanded.

The project is complete and the restaurant reopened just before Christmas.

Info: https://www.facebook.com/anatoliankitchenbethlehem

Another spot for a slice

For Emmaus residents, theres a new choice in neighborhood pizza.

Affinito has opened in the space formerly occupied by Cavaluzzos.

Affinito Pizza Parlor and Cafe has opened at 1328 Chestnut St., in the space formerly occupied by Cavaluzzos.

Affinito offers a variety of pizza styles  from classic red in thick and thin crust to specialty pies such as prosciutto rucola, featuring crushed plum tomatoes. extra virgin olive oil, fresh mozzarella, all topped with prosciutto, argula and shaved Parmesan. The restaurants menu also features numerous varieties of white pizza with a host of different toppings.

If you want to dine on something other than pizza, Affinitos menu is full of options including stromboli, 12-inch hoagies, hot sandwiches, cheesesteaks and appetizers and sides (including homemade meatballs.) They also have a variety of salads and pasta dishes as well.

The restaurant is having a soft opening with limited hours for now: 4 to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday; 4 to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday. It is also cash only to start.

Site of beloved restaurant gets a new tenant

For those missing south Bethlehems Jennys Kuali, theres something new in its space thats offering a fresh take on Asian dishes.

Wonder Kitchen is now occupying the space, 102 E. Fourth St., left vacated when the popular Jennys Kuali closed its doors after 10 years in early September.

Wonder Kitchen bills itself as offering farm-to-table fare, with a menu full of fresh dishes including pork dumplings with house-made dipping sauce, chicken satay with freshly-made peanut dipping sauce and Singapore noodles (stir-fried rice noodles with vegetables and spicy. Youll also find hot and cold tea drinks and butterfly lemonade, which is lemonade combined with dried pea flowers that have been steeped in hot water and sugar.

Info: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100087636786495.

Had your fill of restaurant news? We have more

Its looking like a new restaurant with a unique menu focus is coming to Bethlehem Township.

88 K-Pot, which bills itself as specializing in the most authentic Chinese Hotpot is coming to 3926 Nazareth Pike. The restaurants website does not list an opening date.

Chinese Hotpot is typically a communal meal that combines a pot filled with a broth thats continuously heated and diners add ingredients and use dipping sauces for extra flavor.

Theres not much info yet on this restaurant but Ill keep checking on it. Heres the website: https://www.88kpot.com/

A grand reopening

As I reported early last month, Eastons Weyerbacher Brewing Company is under new ownership and to celebrate they are planning a grand reopening Jan. 12 to 15.

The four-day event will feature food from The Marquee Kitchen and Cousins Maine Lobster food truck with music from Nite Liters LLC, Jeff Crosson and more. Fans will be excited to learn there will be a new Weyerbacher beer release as well.

Info: https://weyerbacher.com/

A winning hand?

2023 is bringing a new way to win big at Wind Creek Bethlehem.

Wind Creek Bethlehem announced the opening of a new and improved poker room complete with 20 action-packed tables.

The enclosed room boasts luxe finishes and offers high-end amenities including:

A dedicated cage cashier inside of the room

Table side massage service

An upgraded lounge for guests waiting to play

Complimentary beverage service.

The casino opened a new and improved enclosed poker room, featuring 20 tables and amenities including: a dedicated cage cashier inside of the room, table-side massage service, an upgraded poker lounge for those waiting to play and complimentary beverage service.

Info: WindCreek.com/Bethlehem/Casino/Poker.

An anchor says goodbye

As reported by my colleague Evan Jones, Williams-Sonoma is closing its location at Lehigh Valley Mall, the second business to leave the shopping centers outdoor lifestyle section in four months.

Williams-Sonoma is an original tenant in the lifestyle center that opened in 2008. Thirteen of the centers 15 spots remain occupied, including Pottery Barn, an Apple store, Chicos and White House Black Market.

Another wish list item

I started off 2023 with my column on readers top choices for new businesses, retailers and restaurants. Of course, no one was surprised that Trader Joes topped the list.

One other item that folks mentioned past my deadline was a Lehigh Valley Ikea. The closest location of the global home furnishing brand is near Plymouth Meeting, Montgomery County.

Send me those tips

One of the best parts of doing this column are the emails I get from all of you. Please keep them coming! Send me your tips on businesses and restaurants you see closing or opening. Email: jsheehan@mcall.com.
For more than 20 years, June DeTurk has climbed the 13 steps to the top of the wooden gallows at the Kutztown Folk Festival to tell the story of the hanging of Susanna Cox in 1809.

Three times a day, the Kutztown native has related the tragic tale in a 30-minute program that includes hanging a dummy representing Cox, who was sentenced to death for killing her baby. DeTurk often performs the show under the blistering July sun wearing a long-sleeved black velvet jacket and skirt with a matching hat. One particularly hot year, when she climbed down from the gallows, her pastor told her that the temperature registered 103 degrees.

All of this would be taxing for for most people, but DeTurk is 94 years old.

Asked if its a struggle to recite her memorized presentation under such conditions, DeTurk says matter-of-factly, I dont struggle with anything.

This year  for the first time  DeTurk has taken on an understudy. Martha Kuhns of Kutztown will do the 4:30 p.m. show each day.

June DeTurk of Kutztown (left), who has told the story of the hanging of Susanna Cox at the Kutztown Folk Festival for 20 years, with Martha Kuhns, her understudy.

So, the question is, just how do you find an understudy for a hanging?

DeTurk has been a friend of Kuhns family for decades and watched her grow up. Years ago, Kuhns moved to Nevada City, Calif., where she worked as a lawyer but returned to Kutztown for the folk festival. In 2012, she moved back to the borough and told DeTurk if she ever needed help, to let her know.

DeTurk recalls: Last year when Martha appeared, I looked at her and said Martha, I need an understudy and before I could finish [she said] Ill do it!

DeTurk memorized the grisly story from a script written by the late Richard C. Gougler, a Kutztown High School math teacher who also wrote plays. It tells how Cox was born in 1785 to a large, impoverished family and at age 13 was sent to live with the Snyder family in the Oley Valley to work on their farm in exchange for room and board. Cox never learned to read or write.

The script says that a neighboring farmer, who was the father of two children, began visiting Cox at night. On Feb. 17, 1809, the Snyders son-in-law found the frozen dead body of a baby boy in the familys cold cellar. When Cox was questioned, she admitted the baby was hers but said it had been born dead three days earlier.

An inquest showed the infant had a broken jaw and other injuries. Cox was arrested and after a one-day trial, she was found guilty of murder and hanged in what was the last public execution of a woman in Pennsylvania. The crowd at the hanging in what is now City Park in Reading was estimated to be about 20,000.

Not everyone is thrilled with the idea of a hanging re-enactment being part of a folk festival but DeTurk and Kuhns see it as a way of teaching about the past.

Theres always some people that feel its gruesome and should not be portrayed, DeTurk says. The hanging is Berks County history. One of the things at the festival is to keep our history alive. And I want to be a part of it.

Kuhns says she feels the same way. The attorney in her believes Cox was poorly served by her lawyers. The trial lasted one day and the jury deliberated for four hours.

She said the baby was stillborn, Kuhns says. They didnt do autopsies like they would do now. The forensic science wasnt what it is and her lawyers I think did a terrible job for her.

DeTurk has worked at the festival since its early days, initially selling food for her church and then selling programs. Her husband Louis was a wood turner who had a booth. He died in 1989.

In 1996 DeTurk took over the hanging from Fred Saul.

She looks forward to the unusual job, saying: Its nine days of meeting wonderful people from everywhere.

Often people come up afterward to ask questions about Cox and the story.

Whats the most frequent question?

What happened to the man who made her pregnant, DeTurk says.

Her typical answer?

Whatever usually happens to them?

After initially pleading not guilty at her trial, Cox confessed to a minister who visited her in jail while she was awaiting execution. Nevertheless, the case engendered a lot of sympathy for Cox, including from the judge, John Spayd. Poems and songs were written about the story.

More than 200 years later, DeTurk feels compassion for her subject.

I feel she was taken advantage of, she says. I think she was a little simple-minded.

She never in her life had a new dress, DeTurk says. So some Reading women who visited Cox in jail made her a white dress trimmed with black bows.

With the timing and inflection of a storyteller, DeTurk adds: The first day she wore her new dress was the day she died.

DeTurk has had the good fortune to live a long life. She has been teaching yoga for nearly 50 years and still runs classes at her hometown church, St. Johns United Church of Christ.

Asked her secret, she credits Good genes plus yoga, adding that her mother lived to 105.

Yoga creates a lot of peace within, DeTurk says.

Steve Sharadin, director of the folk festival, calls DeTurk amazing and says she does a great job telling the Susanna Cox story.

Its a very delicate topic that she handles very appropriately, he says.

Margie Peterson is a freelance writer.
Albanys If I Were Mayor contest is back on and accepting entries from community youth.

Opening for the second year, the local competition is part of the annual Oregon Mayors Associations statewide If I Were Mayor Contest," according to a news release from the city.

Albany students are asked to present their ideas about what they would do as mayor. The contest is divided into three groups: elementary (grades 4-5), middle school (grades 6-8), and high school (9-12).

Elementary students will communicate their ideas through a poster contest, middle school students will compete in an essay contest and high school students will create a video.

The local contest deadline is Wednesday, March 22, and Albany's winners will be announced before April 7.

One local winner in each group will be selected with prizes available. Local winners will then move on to the statewide competition, where they have the chance to win up to $500.

Last year's local middle school winner, Mikayla, went on to receive third place for her essay in the statewide competition.

For more information about rules and how to submit an entry visit https://www.cityofalbany.net/ifiweremayor.

Related stories:
Are drug gangs threatening the rule of law in the Netherlands? Many Dutch have been asking that question after a string of drug mafia murders, including that of an acclaimed investigative journalist. DW's Jack Parrock reports from the Hague. @DW
A Center Valley man will repay $110,610 of fraudulently obtained unemployment assistance benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Robert Day, 42, agreed to pay to resolve allegations he improperly sought benefits when he worked for the U.S. Postal Service.

Day made materially false and fraudulent statements to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry to obtain PUA benefits, meant for individuals not eligible for regular unemployment compensation or extended unemployment benefits, according to the news release.

In addition to being a full-time postal worker, Day was also earning money as an Uber driver at the time.

Day allegedly submitted weekly certifications falsely representing that he was unemployed due to the pandemic.

The fraud alleged in this case is particularly egregious as it was perpetrated by a federal employee, U.S. Attorney Jacqueline Romero said in a statement. The United States Attorneys Office is ready to investigate and bring to justice any individual who abuses emergency assistance in this way.

Jaire Chance, 27, a postal worker from Philadelphia, also agreed to pay $100,399 to resolve similar allegations of obtaining pandemic unemployment benefits fraudulently, according to the news release.

Morning Call reporter Jenny Roberts can be reached at 484-903-1732 and jroberts@mcall.com.
New York, NY, Jan. 06, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ten Stock Trader editor Greg Diamond is hosting a special Get Out of Cash Event to unveil a strategy that could be the best investment opportunity of the year.

Get Out of Cash Event - Click Here for Details

Greg Diamond Get Out of Cash Event - What Is It?

On January 12, Greg Diamond  the man who predicted both the 2020 and 2022 crashes  will name the EXACT DAY he predicts the market will see a huge turning point this year as part of a rare event thats happened just 3 times in 25 years.

And how you could double your money 10 different times if you see it coming  without touching a single stock along the way.

Since last year's sell-off began, Greg Diamond has shown his readers opportunities to double their money six different times. And now, he's back with a new projection in 2023...

He'll share how a rare market event that has occurred just three times in 25 years could soon ripple through stocks this year. This inflection point offers generational moneymaking potential for folks who understand it... But it also involves a hidden danger for those who don't know what's coming.

Greg will reveal the full details in a free online event on Thursday, January 12. So don't miss it...

Click here to learn more.

Who Is Greg Diamond?

Greg Diamond was the head trader for a $65 billion pension fund and one of the oldest hedge funds in America. During his storied career, he managed up to $900 million a day... booked an average profit of $155,000 a day... booked a $4.6 million profit in 24 hours... a $1,424,800 profit in 24 hours and more. He was so successful, his boss offered him $175,000 to stay on - but he left Wall Street to join Stansberry.

At Stansberry Research, Greg predicted the 2020 crash three months before it began, when COVID-19 was barely a murmur in the press... He predicted the 2022 crash one day before it began... and has booked 34 different gains of 100+%, without ever touching stocks... and has been deluged with thank-you notes.

On January 12, he'll explain why a rare event that's occurred just 3 times in 25 years is coming to the market this year... And how it contains both a historic money-making opportunity - a chance to double your money 10 different times, as he's shown before during similar conditions - along with a nasty threat that could cost you serious money if you don't understand how this will unfold.

What will Greg Diamond share through Get Out of Cash Event?

The man who nailed the 2022 crash  Greg Diamond  will unveil a strategy that could be the best investment opportunity of the year.

Hell reveal the EXACT DAY in 2023 that stocks could see their biggest turning point in 20 years.

in 2023 that stocks could see their biggest turning point in 20 years. Hell give away a FREE recommendation (the last time he did this, in 2022, his pick went up 60% in 1 week.)

Hell be joined by Wall Street legend Marc Chaikin.

When Is Greg Diamond Get Out of Cash Event?

Greg Diamond Get Out of Cash Event is scheduled to take place on Thursday, January 12 at 10 a.m. ET.

How To Sign Up for Greg Diamond Get Out of Cash Event?

To get access to Greg Diamond Get Out of Cash Event, all individuals have to do is enter their respective emails here. In return, youll instantly receive Gregs favorite investment ticker for 2023.

But please: DO NOT act on Gregs strategy until you read his report on how it works. Including which 3 stocks he believes are on the verge of a huge move right now.

You can claim your copy by entering your cell number and joining Get Out of Cash Event's VIP service.

Its a completely free, no-obligation reminder service to ensure you receive access to the big event on January 12.

Keep in mind: Greg predicts a rare event is coming to the market this year, on the biggest scale hes seen in 20 years. So we urge you to claim Greg's report right now to see which 3 stocks he believes will be at the center of it.

Inside, youll see how Gregs strategy works how he used it to predict the 2022 crash and book 6 different 100% gains and 3 stocks to try it on today.

And dont forget

After January 12, youll no longer have access to Gregs report. So we urge to claim your free copy now, while its still available.

Greg Diamond Get Out of Cash: Final Words

Greg Diamond - the man who predicted the 2022 crash a day before it began - now predicts the market will soon see a massive move in 2023. It could be a turning point for millions of Americans. But if you know what's coming, you could double your money 10 different times  without buying a single stock  as he has shown before in similar conditions.

That's why he's hosting a special Get Out of Cash event next Thursday, January 12 at 10 a.m. ET.

There, Greg will name the EXACT DATE he predicts stocks will see a turning point this year.

That's no small thing, considering Greg predicted the 2022 crash 1 day before it began, and the COVID-19 crash, 3 months before it began.

He'll also give away a free recommendation to play it.

The last time Greg gave away a free pick, in 2022, it went 60% in 1 week, so be sure to tune in at 10am ET to get the full ticker.

Plus, he'll air the biggest new prediction of his career: How a strategy that dates back to 1876 (which he's already used to book 34 different 100+% gains) is pointing to a historic market move that could help you double your money 10 different times in 2023, without touching a single stock.

You'll see why (and how lucrative this is) on January 12.

Greg Diamond Get Out of Cash Event - Claim Your FREE Spot Here

Disclaimer: There is no offer to sell, no solicitation of an offer to buy, and no recommendation of any security or any other product or service in this article. Moreover, nothing contained in this PR should be construed as a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any investment or security, or to engage in any investment strategy or transaction. It is your responsibility to determine whether any investment, investment strategy, security, or related transaction is appropriate for you based on your investment objectives, financial circumstances, and risk tolerance. Consult your business advisor, attorney, or tax advisor regarding your specific business, legal, or tax situation.

Media Details:

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Aurora, Jan. 07, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aurora, Colorado -

Denver, CO - Franklin D. Azar & Associates represented an injured military veteran in his three-year battle with his insurance company - a battle over the extent of his injuries. A Denver jury delivered their verdict this month, ordering the company to provide additional compensation to the plaintiff as he deals with the long-term costs associated with the accident.

The case results from a 2019 crash on a rural road in the eastern part of El Paso County. The Frank Azar client, a man in his late thirties and a veteran of multiple tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, survived a T-bone impact by a vehicle that failed to heed a yield sign. He sustained broken ribs and a head injury and was transported by Flight for Life to a hospital, where he received treatment for several days.

The other driver was cited for failure to yield. The Azar client, who had little memory of the incident, filed a claim to address his medical bills and other damages and received $250,000 from the other motorists insurance, the maximum limit of his policy. However, concern over a need for future care because of the head injury also led the client to file a claim under his own insurance policys underinsured motorist coverage. During his military service, the individual had previously suffered a traumatic brain injury, which significantly raised the prospect of complications from the subsequent car crash head trauma, according to a representative of the firm.

The insurance company offered $15,000 to settle the case before trial. "The company took the position that he had already been fully compensated," says Azar senior attorney DezaRae LaCrue. "But there were real concerns about his future care and whether he could do certain activities after sustaining an injury like this."

At trial, LaCrue and the Azar legal team presented evidence regarding the circumstances of the crash, resulting injuries, and the likelihood of future medical needs. The jury awarded the plaintiff close to $35,000 in damages; with interest and costs, the total judgment is expected to be around $75,000. LaCrue says her client is pleased with the result.

"My client is a soldier," she says. "He wants to get on with his life, and we want to make sure he has the means to do that."

According to a representative of the firm, the attorneys at Franklin D. Azar & Associates have helped thousands of injured people obtain complete and timely compensation for their losses. "Our proven track record and expertise have allowed us to grow into the largest personal injury law firm in Colorado, with offices in Denver, Aurora, Thornton, Fort Collins, Greeley, Grand Junction, Colorado Springs, and Pueblo. If you've been injured in a bus, truck, bicycle, motorcycle or car accident, you may be entitled to compensation." For more information, Franklin D. Azar & Associates can be reached at (303) 900-5595, or contacted via their website.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kaBarA1cH88



Related News: Jury Awards Franklin D. Azar Client with $35,000 in Damages Stemming From Auto Accident.

###

For more information about Franklin D. Azar & Associates, P.C., contact the company here:



Franklin D. Azar & Associates, P.C.

Media Relations

(303) 900-5595

info@fdazar.com

https://www.fdazar.com/

14426 E Evans Ave

Aurora, CO 80014
Irvine, Jan. 07, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Irvine, California -

AI powered reputation automation software platform Dandy recently helped a major restaurant chain automate all of their online review replies for multiple platforms, including Google, Yelp, and OpenTable. The company is urging businesses to find out how its AI-automated review reply feature can help them boost engagement and raise their overall review scores.

A large volume of negative reviews can jeopardize any business that relies on its profiles on review websites to drive traffic, either to its retail locations or to its other digital properties such as websites or social media pages. According to the latest 2022 data from TrustPilot, 89% of global consumers check a businesss online reviews before deciding to buy from them.

There are several ways to reduce the damage that the occasional negative review from a disgruntled customer can do. One way is to collect as many reviews as possible from satisfied customers by breaking down their resistance and making it extremely easy for them to post feedback. The positive reviews then offset the few negative reviews that businesses inevitably get. Another strategy is to constantly be engaged with the community by responding to all the feedback. Dandys AI-driven review reply generator has been designed to automate the latter.

The spokesperson for Dandy, Bri Nicole explains why responding to reviews works so well by saying, There are many things at play here that become clear once you understand the psychology of the online consumer who is looking up your business on Google and going through your reviews. First, when you respond to the reviews you get, this includes both the negative and positive ones, it shows visitors that you are always listening to feedback and want to improve your services. A cool and calm response to an emotionally charged critical review also demonstrates that you adhere to a strict standard of professionalism, a quality that customers admire. Finally, there is no denying the fact that most people are just conflict-averse. So, when they see the business owner or someone from management respond to reviews regularly, they are unlikely to post scathing feedback in the first place. The issue is that replying to all of these reviews takes so much time. That's why we built the first ever AI powered automated review reply technology.

Dandys automated AI review reply feature is representative of the transformation that its reputation management software suite can bring to a businesss digital marketing workflow. It automatically detects new reviews posted about the business on popular aggregator websites and then generates a reply using cutting-edge AI technology. The AI can respond positively to criticism by making customers feel like their grievances are being heard or thank reviewers who leave positive feedback.

As a part of the recently highlighted case study, Dandy helped a client boost their many restaurant locations in local SEO rankings organically without any ad spend. Each reply from Dandys AI was personal and optimized for local SEO. Moreover, the engagement via replying to reviews created a bond with the restaurants customers which increased loyalty. Overall, Dandy helped the client save time by replying to over 100,000 reviews and 1,000 new reviews each month across all locations. For the business, this meant tangible savings in terms of over 100 man-hours each month in writing review replies. The software feature also helped the restaurant get more new customers who liked seeing how engaged the brand is.

Dandy has a host of features that allow businesses to spend less time and resources on managing their online reputation while getting much better results. Some of its other reputation management features include review removal, review aggregation, review generation, surveys, reporting, web chat, and more.

Business owners can find out more about the automated review reply feature in Dandys reputation management software suite by heading over to its website at https://getdandy.com/automated-review-reply.

###

For more information about Dandy, contact the company here:



Dandy

Bri Nicole

9492390778

bri@getdandy.com

9891 Irvine Center Drive #200

Irvine, CA 92618
Outgoing Gov. Tom Wolf took a break from packing his bags Friday to call for a special legislative session to finally give victims of long-ago child sex abuse a shot at getting justice.

Wolf, a Democrat, said the special session is needed Monday so the Legislature can finalize a referendum. The referendum would ask voters whether the state Constitution should be amended to retroactively allow victims to sue those responsible for their assaults.

The referendum is sorely needed. But the Legislature shouldnt need a special session to do it. Lawmakers should just do their jobs, swiftly and without playing partisan games.

The state Senate already is scheduled to be in session Monday. Wolfs announcement Friday was just a shameful attempt to rake in some final publicity before his term ends in a few weeks.

FILE  Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf at Independence Mall in Philadelphia on May 4, 2022.

He called on lawmakers to pass the necessary legislation by Jan. 27, so the referendum can be advertised and placed on the May 16 primary election ballot.

This special session is a critical step to allow the General Assembly to focus their work on this important, and potentially lifesaving, task, Wolf said in a statement Friday. No survivor should be denied the chance to hold their abuser accountable, regardless of how much time has passed.

Theres plenty of time for that to happen through the normal legislative process.

Including Monday, the Senate is scheduled to be in session eight days before Wolfs suggested deadline, according to the calendar on its website.

The House hasnt published its session calendar yet. Last year, the House was in session six days before Jan. 27. So its presumable that a similar number of session days will be held this year.

House Speaker Mark Rozzi said in a statement that the House would not consider any other legislation until this matter was resolved.

I am confident this can and will be done, he said.

Pennsylvania Speaker of the House Mark Rozzi is photographed at the speakers podium, Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023, at the state Capitol in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Matt Smith)

Rozzi, a Democrat who has pledged to operate as an independent speaker, ran for public office to seek justice for child sex abuse victims. Three years ago, he filed a lawsuit against the Allentown Diocese and Holy Guardian Angels Parish in Reading, saying he was sexually abused by a priest in the 1980s, when he was 13.

The Legislature has failed for years to give sex abuse victims an opportunity to make their abusers pay. The issue was reignited in 2018 with the release of a grand jury report that disclosed how hundreds of priests sexually abused more than 1,000 children, and that their sins were covered up by the Catholic church and others.

The grand jury made several recommendations, including opening a window for retroactive lawsuits, despite the statute of limitations on those claims having expired.

Lawmakers balked at passing a law to allow that, as other states have done. Instead, they have elected to ask voters whether to permit it through a constitutional amendment.

Finishing the process of getting a referendum on the ballot should not be difficult or time-consuming.

A referendum requires that identical legislation be passed in successive legislative sessions. The Legislature completed the first half of the process in 2021, with minimal objections. And legislative leaders from both parties pledged several months ago to prioritize the completion of the process early this year.

The referendum should have occurred in 2021, but the Department of State blew it.

Lawmakers approved the necessary legislation. But the referendum did not occur because the department failed to adequately advertise it so voters would understand what they would be voting on.

So lawmakers had to start all over.

They are close to the finish line, again. This should an immediate priority in the coming weeks. And it can be accomplished without the drama of a special session, if lawmakers do what they were elected to do.

Morning Call columnist Paul Muschick can be reached at 610-820-6582 or paul.muschick@mcall.com
Philippine president expects "greater, deeper and stronger partnership" with China

Xinhua) 10:03, January 07, 2023

MANILA, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- The "strengthening relationship" between the Philippines and China "can only smooth the way to a greater, deeper and stronger partnership," Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. said on Thursday.

Marcos made the remarks after returning to Manila after a three-day "fruitful" state visit to China.

Describing China as "an important bilateral partner," Marcos expected that bilateral ties will be strengthened in many areas, including agriculture, education, energy, environment, infrastructure, science and technology, trade and people-to-people exchanges.

"As we embark on a new chapter of our bilateral ties," said Marcos, his country and China share the commitment to ensuring that both sides will "continue the positive trajectory of our relations," which have been elevated to a comprehensive strategic cooperation since 2018.

"We are more than willing to cooperate whenever possible," he said.

(Web editor: Xian Jiangnan, Wu Chaolan)
Starting the new year with legislation that prohibits anyone younger than 18 from having a social media account would benefit our youths. In Texas, that could become a reality. A state representative there has proposed legislation that would ban minors from having social media profiles. While it certainly will be met with some criticism, there is enough data to support this legislation.

Consider the rising number of youths suffering from depression and anxiety. From 2005 to 2015, depression increased from 8.7% to 12.7% for those 12-17 years old, data from the National Survey on Drug Abuse reveals. Depression is a mental illness that is often overlooked or not treated.

We often say, They are just being teenagers, when we seen teens exhibit symptoms such as a change in appetite and appearance or demonstrate defiant behavior.

A steady increase in adolescents experiencing anxiety also was reported about the same time: From 2007 to 2012, there was a 20% rise in cases of anxiety. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, from 2016 to 2019 nearly 6 million children were diagnosed with anxiety. The pandemic certainly exacerbated these numbers after 2019.

When you examine the sizable increases in depression and anxiety and compare it with the growth of social media accounts from the early 2000s to the present, its difficult to overlook the connection. The social media site MySpace started the trend in 2003, arguably the most influential platform during that time. In 2004, Facebook grew substantially and went public in 2012. By 2013, the number of Facebook users worldwide totaled more than 1 billion.

Twitter and Instagram came along in 2006 and 2010, respectively. Then the ever-so-popular Snapchat was released in 2011, Its users average age ranges from 15 to 25 years old.

Easily more than half of 11-year-olds own cellphones in the U.S. Unsurprisingly, social media platforms are a fixture on the phones of many preteens and teens. Overindulgence in these sites comes with a price. Being bombarded with likes and dislikes, our youths daily confront the problem of having their self-worth and self-esteem dictated by others.

The story doesnt stop there. Arguments and simple disagreements on social media can escalate into violent altercations that spill over into schools and communities. Shootings in and around schools have been connected to disagreements that originated on social media.

Local leaders in Atlanta, for example, stated in November that they believe social media and youth violence are related. Philadelphia police also have reported connecting acts of violence with social media disputes. And reports have circulated for years about social media fueling Chicago violence in combination with gangs and drugs. These are just a few examples.

A problem clearly exists. State Rep. Jared Patterson of Texas, the author of the proposed legislation, outlined the problem in a profound fashion. He said that algorithms are designed to hook our kids on social media platforms and recommends that only with proof of age from a drivers license should someone be able to create a social media account.

Many across the country would welcome this type of legislation. Perhaps it would go a long way in stemming the violence in schools and communities. Bouts of depression and anxiety may be alleviated to levels that are more manageable for our youth.

Others may scoff at this approach and say that it is too drastic. After all, how can social media be taken away from our youths now? It is interwoven into their daily lives, and the status quo should not be changed.

And there lies the problem: We have allowed our youths to determine what is good or bad for them. We adults should realize that our youths need us to make sound and informed decisions for them. Social media content is having far-reaching consequences hindering the quality of life for far too many youths.

Is it possible for other elected officials to follow this lead across the country? Is federal legislation possible? It will be interesting to see how House Bill 896 fairs in Texas.

Hopefully, 2023 will be a year in which violence will no longer be the leading cause of death for Black males up to 19 years of age, and the second leading cause of death for Hispanics. Perhaps suicide will no longer be the second leading cause of death for youths 10 to 14. And, hopefully, the increase in youths experiencing depression and anxiety will decrease.

Unfortunately, hoping the data will get better is not enough. What steps will legislators, along with the rest of us, take to help our youths in 2023?

Jerald McNair is a school administrator at South Holland School District 151 in Illinois.
Last month, reliable tipster Ice universe said that Samsung would unveil the Galaxy S23 series on February 1, 2023. And earlier today, Samsung's Colombian branch corroborated the date as it set up a page on its website for the Galaxy Unpacked event for the unveiling of the S23 lineup.

That page has now been removed, which suggests Samsung Colombia jumped the gun on the revelation of the Unpacked event's date. But we expect the Korean conglomerate to make an official announcement for the event soon.

Note that Samsung didn't explicitly mention the Galaxy S23 on its website, but the picture it shared pretty much confirms Samsung will unveil its 2023 flagships at the February 1 event.

The Galaxy S23 series is expected to consist of three models - Galaxy S23, Galaxy S23+, and Galaxy S23 Ultra. Samsung hasn't divulged anything about them yet, but thanks to their leaked images, we know what the S23 trio will look like. You can expect more details about the Galaxy S23 lineup to surface in the lead-up to the February 1 Galaxy Unpacked event.

Source (in Spanish) | Via
PDN has teamed up with Chief Hurao Academy to celebrate Mes CHamoru. Tune in to see why the students love speaking their language and sharing their culture.
A day after being released from the Department of Corrections, a man was accused of breaking into his former home in Chalan Pago.

A caretaker for the property called Guam Police Department officers Friday to report the break-in. The house was in the process of being sold, and a real estate agent noticed shutters had been removed.

Wilvic Villanueva Dado, 40, who was evicted from the home in November, was immediately suspected in the case, according to a magistrate's complaint filed in Superior Court.

Dado had been notified that he was not allowed to enter the premises, according to court documents.

Officers found Dado in the area and asked if he had gone into the house.

Dado said he had been released from the Department of Corrections the previous evening, so he walked to the house and went through the second-floor window to take a shower and get some clothes.

As police were arresting him, they found a bag of suspected methamphetamine in his pocket, according to court documents.

Dado was charged with possession of a Schedule II controlled substance as a third-degree felony and criminal trespass as a misdemeanor.

Before Friday's arrest, Dado had pending cases for drugs, burglary, criminal mischief and violation of a court order, according to documents.
Get ready for rain - and a lot of it - over the next couple of days.

The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch for Guam, Rota, Tinian, and Saipan from Sunday morning through Monday afternoon.

A slowly developing broad circulation is approaching the Marianas from the southeast, and a shear line - the remnants of a cold front - is heading our way from the north.

"Its like if you have two cars going to an intersection and they hit," said Patrick Doll, National Weather Service meteorologist.

Guam and the Northern Marianas can expect periods of locally heavy rainfall and gusty winds.

Most of the rain will likely be to the north of Rota, Doll said, but "that shear line could easily push down into Guam."

"Itll be more off and on down here, but when it does rain, its going to be pretty heavy," he said.

Between 3 and 6 inches of rainfall could occur, but some of the higher terrain across southern Guam and Rota could see higher amounts.

"The thing is how quickly it could come down. You could get 2 to 3 inches in an hour."

The Offices of Guam Homeland Security and Civil Defense are advising people in flood-prone areas to prepare now. Clear drainage areas and unblock clogged storm drains to minimize flooding and watch for any additional advisories.

Doll said gusty winds are also expected, so people should remove debris and check canopies and pop-up shelters.

"I would, at the very least, tie them down a little extra, but it wouldnt be a bad idea to take them down," he said.

He also advised people to get their shopping done early, so they aren't driving around in the rain and wind.
Local artists got the opportunity to showcase and sell their products on Saturday at a pop-up shop event hosted by Coffee Slut next to Cost-U-Less in Tamuning.

Tables displaying jewelry, stickers and drawings were set up by enthusiastic community entrepreneurs greeting customers picking up their morning coffee and afternoon snacks.

Jessica Jin, 19, from Dededo, the creator of the jewelry business Freesia Guam, attended the pop-up to expand the market for her business after she heard from a friend that Coffee Slut gets a lot of foot traffic.

Her products specifically do not use brass or alloy metals because she is allergic to them.

Thats why I wanted to make skin-friendly, tarnish-free jewelry. Preferably using stainless steel with real crystals and pearls, she said.

This event is about the 20th pop-up Manuel Tagle, 35, from Dededo, has been to promoting MSKP Scentcerely Yours.

I mainly deal anime-related items. Stickers, posters, T-shirts, everything like that. We just want to bring to the anime community and people of Guam the amazing joy anime brings at a cheaper price than anybody else, he said.

Tagle heard about this pop-up from a small business group chat and jumped at the chance to go.

Vangie Carlos, 30, from Yigo, also learned about the event from a WhatsApp chat dedicated to promoting local entrepreneurs.

I make anime-inspired buttons, stationery and tote bags, said Carlos, the artist behind Bini Bini Arte.

The owner of Get Glammed GU, Anica Mateo, 26, from Mangilao, started the business selling nails in 2019 and has expanded to include other beauty products.

In December 2022, she started doing pop-ups regularly after her first fun and successful one at Tumon Sands Plaza.

If you have an idea for starting a business, I think you should just start now, she said, adding that self-doubt should not get in the way of pursuing your dreams.
The University of Guam hosted a workshop on food safety hazards Saturday featuring experts from the University of Nebraska.

Applied food safety microbiologist Byron Chaves spoke about bacteria found in food, their growth and how to safely handle them.

When we talk about food safety hazards, that could be physical, chemical or biological, he said.

He said his lab studies viruses that are foodborne and noted that at the beginning of the pandemic, there was concern that COVID could be transmitted through food. It cannot.

He said his presentation is meant to spread awareness when dealing with food safety.

Following the food safety workshop, which continues Monday, a workshop on meat processing will be held Monday and Tuesday.

With the growing interest in food security for Guam, this workshop will be a great starting place for people who want to produce meat either for their families or on a commercial basis, said Jian Yang, an extension specialist at UOG with a doctorate in food science. We hope to equip more people on island with the knowledge to rely more on Guams local food resources and to do so safely.
Below are the PDN's top stories of the week for the week of Jan. 2.

2023: A look ahead

Guam can expect military and federal spending to continue as regional security threats from China and North Korea show no signs of abating.

'Witness history, again': Inauguration good to go

Incumbent Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero was sworn in Monday afternoon as the first woman to serve two terms as governor.

DellIsola: Take advantage of Labor programs

As employers struggle to fill jobs post-pandemic, there are programs that allow businesses to hire and retain more skilled employees at a lower cost in the short- and long-term, Guam Department of Labor Director David DellIsola said Wednesday at a meeting of the Rotary Club of Northern Guam at the Hilton Guam Resort & Spa.

Republicans help Terlaje retain speakership

Speaker Therese Terlaje will lead the 37th Guam Legislature into the new term, with the stalemate over leadership coming to a close on Thursday morning.

Man shot in Hagat dies, suspect arrested

A 35-year-old Asan man was arrested on suspicion of murder after a Wednesday evening shooting in Hagat, according to Guam Police Department spokeswoman Officer Berlyn Savella.
By William Schwartz | Published on 2023/01/06

On January 6th, director Lee Won-tae and lead actor Lee Sun-kyun confirmed that "Payback" has finished its international location shooting in Mongolia. The news comes as interest in "Payback" was piqued by some of the drama's marketing material, which showed Lee Sun-kyun riding on horseback in an exotic location.

Advertisement

Director Lee Won-tae stated that he had never done location shooting in Mongolia before. However, the backdrop seemed perfect for establishing the character of Lee Sun-kyun's character, a free-acting, fearless merchant. Lee Won-tae said that when he and the director of photography first looked at their footage, the director of photography declared the project a perfect success.

Lee Sun-kyun was likewise surprised when he saw the quality of the first cut. Lee Sun-kyun noted that filming in Mongolia took four days and three nights, and that he found Mongolia to be a mysterious place that felt like another planet. Lee Sun-kyun said that he had never experienced such broad, wide open space before. "Payback" also aired its first episode on January 6th, bringing in ratings of 8.7%.

Written by William Schwartz

___________

"Payback" is directed by Lee Won-tae, written by Kim Won-seok-II, and features Lee Sun-kyun, Moon Chae-won, Kang You-seok, Park Hoon, Kim Hong-pa, Kim Mi-sook. Broadcasting information in Korea: 2023/01/06~Now airing, Fri, Sat 22:00 on SBS.
Half Moon Bay, CA (94019)

Today

Clear skies. Gusty winds during the evening. Low 43F. Winds NNW at 20 to 30 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph..

Tonight

Clear skies. Gusty winds during the evening. Low 43F. Winds NNW at 20 to 30 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph.
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Christiane and Osmar Melo, left with children Mariana and Douglas have opened Espetinho Carioca, a Brazilian restaurant, on North Street.

Brazilian Cuisine Comes to Berkshire County



Espetinho Carioca's alcatra acebolada from its Facebook page. PITTSFIELD, Mass.  Homemade Brazilian cuisine is now available to Berkshire County patrons thanks to the opening of Espetinho Carioca, located at 48 B North St.

This family run restaurant is working to fill that niche, sharing recipes passed down by generations with the community.

The Melo family first shared their food with friends when they moved here from Rio De Janeiro. Berkshire County has a large Brazilian community but not many areas have authentic Brazilian cuisine, Mariana Melo said.

"It's also an honor to represent the Brazilians in the area and give them a place to come and eat and feel like home. Especially right now during winter. I'm sure the food helps a lot," Mariana's brother Douglas Melo said.

Diversity has been growing exponentially in Berkshire County over the past few years and with the opening of this restaurant, Mariana Melo says she hopes to be part of it.

"I want us to be part of this growth. I want people to get to know more cultures and be open to that. So that's pretty much my main goal in terms of community here in Berkshire County," she said.

Mariana is also looking forward to utilizing the skills she learned while majoring in business at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts to further the restaurant's success.

Restaurants they have gone to in the past may have had "Brazilian" in the name but they weren't very reminiscent of their home.

"It started with the staff, the music and the food. I think they tried too much to be a place for everyone that they ended up forgetting about Brazil," Douglas Melo said. "We wanted people to have Brazilian food, and it's good the way it is. So I feel like that's our goal here. People can come here, have good food, and then feel welcome."

The Melo family wants to provide a welcoming place where people of all ethnicities can come together, meet new people, and experience the diverse culture of Brazil, he said, adding that the diversity that is ingrained in Brazil's history is what makes the country so special and that is reflected in the cuisine that they serve.

It was their father, Osmar Melo, whose entrepreneurial mind kicked in, encouraging his family to share the cuisine that they love with the community.

The family patriarch has always been an entrepreneur, owning a business while living in Rio De Janeiro, Mariana Melo said.

Their mother, Christiane Melo, does not cook with a recipe but rather she utilizes what she learned from her mother and grandmother while cooking with them as a child.

"Food was always very important. Meals, like dinner or lunch, was a time that we would have to sit down and actually spend some family time together," Christiane Melo said through her daughter, who translated.

"So that's what I want the community to have, too. To spend time together and to have a time with food that they like and to just feel welcome and feel safe."

Food is an art that can evoke emotions such as nostalgia and happiness which is a beautiful thing to see, Mariana and her mother said.

"I feel like food, not just Brazilian food, but I feel like food has a special magic to make you feel emotions or remember things just by eating a certain meal or a certain dish," Mariana Melo said. "So that's why I think food is just way more than just satisfying yourself but it has way more components to that."

She shared how it is great to hear that fellow Brazilians are reminded of their home and their families just by eating the Melos' food.

The restaurant features a variety of authentic Brazilian cuisine including items such as Portuguese sausage, a tropeiro bean dish, salgadinhos (fried dough stuffed with cheese or savories), acai bowls, feijoada (a black bean and pork stew), skewers and the popular Brazilian Caju juice, a cashew apple juice.

There are also some American favorites such as macaroni and cheese and mashed potatoes.

Although they do not sell alcohol yet, they are looking to apply for a alcohol license in the future so that they can also start featuring Brazilian cocktails on their menu.

The restaurant (in the former Shiro space) is open Tuesday thru Saturday from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m. and offers a lunch buffet from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m.
Customs officials seized heroin and cocaine worth Rs 47 crore at Mumbai international airport and arrested two persons who were trying to smuggle in the drugs on Friday.

The seizure was carried out in two separate cases. In one case a man arrived on a Kenya Airways flight from Johannesburg in South Africa via Nairobi in Kenya. He had hidden 4.47 kilogram of heroin in 12 folders meant to keep documents. The contraband was valued at Rs 31.29 crore.

Continuing the drive against drugs smuggling, Mumbai Airport Customs seized 4.47 Kg Heroin valued at Rs 31.29 Cr & 1.596 Kg Cocaine valued at Rs 15.96 Cr in two separate cases. Heroin was concealed in documents folder covers whereas Cocaine was concealed in the clothes buttons. pic.twitter.com/shUkxJFUJ7  Mumbai Customs-III (@mumbaicus3) January 6, 2023

In the second case the drug smuggler arrived on an Ethiopian Airlines flight and was caught after a scan of his baggage revealed several buttons placed close to each other on the clothes. This aroused the suspicion of the Customs officials and a thorough search of the bag led to the discovery of 1.596 kilograms of cocaine concealed in the buttons and in false cavities inside handbags, a Customs official said.
On the off chance that you have experienced a hybrid work model pre-COVID, the possibility of not having a desk mate and multiple coffee breaks is abysmal. No matter what industry or the size of the organization, presence was not just mandatory but also equated to a time-efficient work routine.

But now that weve had a great deal of experience without it, why are we keen to add elements of the present culture to the digital world?

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Talent management has shapeshifted drastically over the past couple of years and businesses have had to keep up with the demands to ensure they dont take a larger hit than they already have to.

From reimbursing electricity bills to free COVID care, businesses have tried to tap into the essence of presence culture to continue strengthening relations with employees.

Away but Present

Digital culture allows employees to interact when required and divide their attention to aspects such as fitness, hobbies, family-time, or exploring. The need for balanced work-hours became increasingly significant as the business climate deteriorated at the initial stages of COVID lockdown. The stress of losing a job, finding multiple sources of income, and migrating to build financial strength led to an overall workforce dissatisfaction.

AFP

Companies, emerging and large were affected and had only little time to turn things around. Silos had to be established and employee benefits had to be relooked while managing sources of income and resources overall. More work, fewer employees, better benefits. The trifecta that caused companies to rethink working-models altogether.

Size Does Matter

While smaller companies built silos to establish an organizational structure, larger corporations had to deconstruct hierarchy for better access and approachability across roles so employees continue to feel connected to the companys vision, culture and teams.

Larger corporations additionally had to zero down on individual attention to keep track of contributions, achievements, and goal accomplishments which inevitably resulted in increased leadership interaction, higher peer engagement, and employee-first employer branding while still being customer-centric.

Employee-first culture

Launching programs, and initiatives of course came next. Along with medical care and psychological support, employees demanded recognition, rewards, and more benefits

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What the presence culture lent to the digital space  virtual engagement & events.

The pandemic was a huge blow when it came to physical engagement and events, and while people acquisition was not hit badly, retention started becoming an issue with the lack of engagement. Thats when we saw the rise of various virtual event platforms and soon various start-up also popped up around this emerging sector. Now in the dawn of the new normal, when the majority of workforce is working in hybrid or from their homes, virtual platforms have become the only logical way to engage with employees and retain them

Customer-centricity and moonlighting

UNSPLASH

With the initial phase of pay cuts and layoffs, a major chunk of talent took up a second job or freelancing to make their ends meet and now with working from home as the new normal, they had the time and luxury to compartmentalize their time and jobs accordingly and contribute more. This went on to the extent of becoming a habit more than just a necessity and soon it was one of the emerging as a way forward. Now with the legalization of moonlighting corporates have also started accepting it and providing employees the freedom and flexibility to continue doing so.

Innovation first culture seeping through learning, development, and culture of growth

Organisations should embrace a culture of experimentation and innovation and introduce programs like Employer Value propositions (EVP) etc. It is important from the top down for companies to believe that innovation is everyones job.

The emerging situation also posed an opportunity to redefine the way we functioned, the processes, the benefits we offered to the solutions we provided. So even though it was a lot of effort, it was an exciting task to take on!

About the author: Richa Telang is the Founder and CEO of TrueBlue Advisory-Consulting firm. All views/opinions expressed in the article are of the author.


A 19-year-old girl died due to suspected food poisoning at Kasargod in Kerala on Saturday. The deceased has been identified as Anjusree Parvati, said Police.

The deceased and her family had consumed 'kuzhi manthi' that they ordered from a restaurant online.

REPRESENTATIONAL IMAGE

After the girl and her family started showing food poisoning symptoms, she was taken to a hospital in Kasaragod on January 1 and later to Mangalore for treatment.



Second death in a week

Last week, Rashmi, a nurse from Kottayam, died due to food poisoning after consuming Manthi.

According to her family, Rashmi had consumed Manthi from Malappuram Kuzhi Manthi-Hotel Park in Kottayam, after which she showed signs of food poisoning.

UNSPLASH

What is Manthi?

Manthi (Mandi) is a Lebanese dish, similar to biryani, that is massively popular in the middle east. In recent years, Manthi and Manthi restaurants have spread across Kerala.



Recently, there have also been reports of more Manthi-linked food poisoning cases, for which many have sought treatment.

Authorities crack the whip

Following Rashmi's death, the Kerala Health Department and Food Safety Department of the local bodies have been conducting inspections across eateries in the state.

Several restaurants operating illegally and under unhygienic conditions were ordered to be shut down.

Punitive actions have also been taken against restaurants where stale food was found during the inspection.

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It was also revealed that the restaurant from where the nurse had eaten had its license cancelled last month following complaints.

The establishment was allowed to open after paying a fine of Rs 20,000.

Shawarma death in Kerala

In May 2022, Kerala witnessed similar raids by the Food Safety Department after Devananda, a 16-year-old schoolgirl, died and around 18 others fell sick after having shawarma from a snacks bar in the Kasaragod district.

While Arabian dishes like Shawarma and Manthi have become massively popular in Kerala in recent years, many have pointed out that the preparation, if not done by experts can lead to undesirable consequences.

According to food experts, the main culprit in Shawarma and Manthi-linked food poisoning cases is the poorly cooked meat and mayonnaise, which gets spoiled fast.

UNSPLASH

Guidelines for Shawarma eateries

Following the death of Devananda in September 2022, the Kerala Health Department issued guidelines for the preparation, storage and sale of shawarma.

The guidelines state that shawarma should be kept at a temperature of four degrees Celcius, and the ingredients for shawarma should be certified by the Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).

Chicken used in the shawarma should be cooked for 15 minutes, beef should be cooked for 30 minutes and the kubboos used should have an expiry and manufacture date mentioned, it said.

The shawarma must be prepared hygienically, and the utensils and stands used must be adequately cleaned. The knife used to slice meat must also be cleaned thoroughly, and the leftovers must be removed and disposed of correctly.

BCCL

Those preparing shawarmas must wear a head cap and gloves.

The fitness certificate of the food maker and the one serving it must be submitted to obtain the license.

Use of mayonnaise

The guidelines recommend that raw eggs are avoided for the preparation of mayonnaise served with the dish.

Mayonnaise used in shawarmas should not be stored outside at room temperature for more than 2 hours. It said that mayonnaise should be refrigerated at 4 degrees Celsius and not be used after two days.

For more on the news, sports, and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News.
China's top legislator meets Turkmen president

Xinhua) 10:08, January 07, 2023

Li Zhanshu, chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, meets with visiting Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 6, 2023. (Xinhua/Shen Hong)

BEIJING, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- China's top legislator Li Zhanshu met with visiting Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov in Beijing on Friday.

Noting that China-Turkmenistan relations have achieved steady and rapid development in recent years, Li, chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, said that under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, bilateral relations will achieve greater development for the benefit of the two peoples.

China is willing to work with Turkmenistan to firmly support each other on issues concerning their respective core interests and major concerns, jointly build the Belt and Road with high quality, advance cooperation on energy, connectivity, and people-to-people exchanges, and promote world peace and development.

The NPC of China is willing to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with the Turkmen legislature to promote bilateral cooperation to a deeper and higher level.

Berdimuhamedov said Turkmenistan is firmly committed to deepening cooperation with China in various fields, deepening exchanges between legislative bodies, constantly strengthening the comprehensive strategic partnership with China, safeguarding common interests, and jointly promoting global and regional peace and development.

Li Zhanshu, chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, meets with visiting Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 6, 2023. (Xinhua/Shen Hong)

(Web editor: Xian Jiangnan, Wu Chaolan)
In the first major drug bust in Mumbai in 2023, two people were arrested on Friday for smuggling contraband, estimated to be worth Rs 45-47 crore in the international market.

In the first case, Mumbai Airport Customs Zonal Unit III netted 4.47 kilograms of heroin valued at Rs 31.29 crore, which was seized from a passenger who arrived from Johannesburg in South Africa.

TWITTER

Drugs hidden in document folders

The heroin was concealed in 12 document folder covers.



In the first case, a man was held with 4.47 kilogram of heroin after he landed here on Kenya Airways flight KQ210 from Johannesburg in South Africa via Nairobi in Kenya. He had concealed the contraband in 12 document folders," a Customs official said.

Cocaine smuggled in cloth buttons

On the same day, 1.596 kilograms of cocaine worth Rs 15.96 crore was also recovered from another passenger who landed at Mumbai airport on Ethiopian Airlines from Addis Ababa.

He was intercepted and when his baggage was scanned at the green channel, the officials detected suspicious images with a green tinge in the buttons of the clothes.

TWITTER

"In the second case, a man who arrived on Ethiopian Airlines flight ET-460 was held after a scan of his baggage revealed suspicious buttons. These buttons were excessive in number and placed unusually close to each other on clothes," he said.



A detailed search of the bag led to the discovery of 1.596 kilograms of cocaine concealed in buttons of kurtas and in false cavities inside women's handbags, the official said.

The two were charged under provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and have been remanded in judicial custody for 14 days, he said.

Nigerian nationals arrested with drugs

On December 31, police seized drugs worth more than Rs one crore from a row house in Navi Mumbai and arrested 16 Nigerian nationals in this connection.

ANI

Navi Mumbai Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Amit Kale said the house was raided on Saturday following a tip-off that some Africans were stocking drugs for supply at New Year events.

Drugs smuggling from Ethiopia

In recent years Ethiopia has emerged as the main shipping point for drugs, including heroin and cocaine, worldwide.

The network of Ethiopian Airlines, Africa's largest carrier, flies to over 127 international destinations. The lack of resources to check smuggling in Adis Ababa airport has made it an attractive destination for smugglers.

For more on the news, sports, and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News.
Shyam Mishra, the father of 34-year-old Shankar Mishra, who allegedly urinated on an elderly woman on an Air India flight from New York to Delhi on November 26, denied that his son could have done it.

He alleged that it was a "totally false case."

Indiatimes

Defending his son, Shyam Mishra told ANI:

Air India pax urinating case of Nov | False case. My son hadn't slept for 30-35 hrs. After dinner, he might've consumed the drink given by crew & then slept. From what I understand,he was questioned by airline staff after he woke up: Shyam Mishra, father of accused S Mishra (1/2) pic.twitter.com/j90Ze5wNb1  ANI (@ANI) January 6, 2023

"This is a totally false case. My son hadn't slept for 30-35 hours. After dinner, he might have consumed the drink given by the crew and then slept. From what I understand, he was questioned by airline staff after he woke up,"

I don't think he would do it. She (the victim) is a 72-year-old woman, she is like his mother. He (the accused, his son) is a 34-year-old man. How can he do it? He is married and has an 18-year-old daughter: Shyam Mishra, father of accused S Mishra (2/2) pic.twitter.com/1zoBgmjwMB  ANI (@ANI) January 6, 2023

"I don't think he would do it. She (the victim) is a 72-year-old woman; she is like his mother. He (the accused, his son) is a 34-year-old man. How can he do it? He is married and has an 18-year-old daughter."

The father also said that no one saw what transpired as there were no eye-witnesses:

BCCL

"She (victim) had demanded payment, and it was made. Don't know what happened next. Must have demanded something that perhaps wasn't met that upset her. Perhaps there was blackmailing, there must be something," Shyam Mishra added.



Air India passenger urinating case of Nov 2022 | Delhi Police summons Shyam Mishra, father of accused S Mishra for questioning. After several calls, Shyam Mishra isn't responding. Earlier today Police interrogated 2 people in Mumbai in connection to the case.  ANI (@ANI) January 6, 2023

Internet is outraged with claims made by Shankar Mishra's father :

The father of Shankar Mishra,Shyam Mishra declares that the case is false . When we have parents like this,how can we even expect children to display decent behaviour. His 30-35 year old son urinated on a 70 year old and was unaware of his behaviour.Father says it didn't. https://t.co/SW5wwBV7qH  Sahana (@Sahanasatianaat) January 6, 2023

How can your 34-year old son #ShankarMishra have an 18 year old daughter, Mr. Shyam Mishra? Very weird family! https://t.co/3ejXW3UkTS  ComputerScientist (@SwarupPhD) January 6, 2023

Now #ShyamMishra father of #ShankarMishra is saying that his son didnt urinate on the elderly lady & she is lying. Their WhatsApp chats indicate #ShankarMishra is offering an apology & a compensation to keep the lady quiet. #jhootha parivaar. Ab samjha @WellsFargo  Ekta Viiveck Verma (She/Her/Hers) (@EktaVVerma) January 6, 2023

"I don't think he would do it." Shyam Mishra, father of accused Shankar Mishra. Shameful. Disgusting. pic.twitter.com/cCXAnOBufP  2.0  rundhati... (@Polytikles) January 6, 2023

What a farce.

On one hand we have enthu. media branding the man as 'Urinator'()& calling a 34 yr old as 'middle-aged';on the other hand we have ShyamMishra defending his son with a "Bachcha hai,galti se/neend men aunty pe susu kar diya hoga,maaf kar deejiye"#AirIndiaHorror https://t.co/Tmss2UMNwf  nirupama kotru (@nirupamakotru) January 6, 2023

@MRVChennai@ishkarnBHANDARI

Shyam Mishra need to put behind bar for child marriage.If his son is 34 yrs & his daughter is 18 yrs,at what age did,Shyam Mishra married his son & what would be her wife age?

If shankar Mishra is not guilty,than why did he transferred 15K to women pic.twitter.com/HmoohMJQFI  J V NAIDU (@JVNAIDU) January 6, 2023





He got married at the age of 15 or 16. That too against Indian law. Sankarii Shankar Mishra son of Shyam Mishra https://t.co/ga9F8qZemQ  MdYsfAhmed    (@MdYsfAhmed) January 6, 2023

At the same time, Wells Fargo fired Shankar Mishra.

Accusations made against Shankar Mishra were termed as "deeply disturbing" in a statement released by the US financial services company on Friday.

The #AirIndia case makes me deeply uncomfortable. Moreover, reading comments from men questioning why Shankar Mishra had to be terminated from his job over a small drunk mistake is extremely unsettling. This whole thing is nauseating  Ira (@irationalised) January 6, 2023

"Wells Fargo holds employees to the highest standards of professional and personal behavior, and we find these allegations deeply disturbing. This individual has been terminated from Wells Fargo," the company said.

"We are cooperating with law enforcement and ask that any additional inquiry be directed to them," the statement added.

Despite telling the crew that she did not want to see Shankar Mishra's face, the passenger was "shocked" when the offender was brought before her and "began crying and profusely apologizing."

TOI

He pleaded with her not to press charges, telling her that as a family man, he did not want the incident to have a negative impact on his wife and kid, according to the FIR lodged by the Delhi Police.



What happened on Air India with the drunk man urinating on a female passenger is sexual abuse and violation of the worst kind. Read the victims full account . Its horrendous that there was no one on ground to record the passengers complaint . pic.twitter.com/1T0Pq86rng  Divy M    (@DrDivyG) January 6, 2023

According to the Wednesday FIR filed after the victim appealed to Air India, the victim said that she had been forced to face the accused and negotiate with him, despite her reluctance to do so.

(For the latest trending stories, keep reading Indiatimes)


Would you like some bacon and spuds? asked the skipper cheerily.

Not having dared move around the boat since the Atlantic storm began, let alone attempt the perilous expedition to the galley below, I reluctantly accepted his offer.

I was reluctant because, since the storm began, I had only found safety when sitting with my back to a cupboard on the floor of the bridge. Just standing up, I had quickly discovered, was a tortuous endeavour.

I quietly gulped at what I had just agreed to do.

As he bolted out the door of the bridge and stepped lightly down the wrought-iron staircase through the hatch to the lower deck, my hands shook uncontrollably as I tried to lock the two buckles of my life jacket.

This is one of four articles in Part 1 of the 'Irish Examiner' special report (in print, ePaper, and online) on Ireland's fishing crisis. Click that link to read the rest, as well as Part 2 on Monday, January 9.

As I struggled to get one buckle through the other, I spied the waterproof Lighthouse torch I had I brought in case I needed to be seen after being tossed into the waves.

I thought it could come in handy to signal any... you know... rescuers. I grabbed my phone and stuffed it into a chest pocket, for easy access.

Armed for key eventualities on the epic journey  thats through the door of the bridge onto the deck for a simple plate of humble bacon and spuds  I walked out into the wind and rain and waves crashing up against the side of the boat like a drunken reveller trying to walk home plastered after a night out.

People unused to the sea can find simple things like eating quite a challenge  not so for fishermen Francisco and Louis enjoying a snack in the galley of the Dingle-based Men Scoedec. Picture: Neil Michael

As it seemed to do every minute of the day since wed left the safety of Dingle Harbour just after 12am five days previously, the boat was heaving up and down.

Not only that; it was swaying from side to side and then  just when you caught your balance  surging back and forth.

I finally made it to the hatch, gripped the sides of the ladder and stepped purposefully down through the hatch, as one side of my face took a shower in icy cold spray from Atlantic waves.

Greeting me when I reached the bottom of the ladder, was not the expected warm glow and steaming plate of bacon and spuds.

Instead, yet another freezing cold blast of spray into my face, this time through a hatch the crew use to thrust anchors for the fishing lines.

I let out a strangulated expletive as the icy water shot inside my collar and down my back.

This was one of many last straws on this trip.

Another was the time I was sitting by the door of the bridge and the boat lurched suddenly. My laptop shot off my knees and flew out the door onto the deck.

Luckily, I hadnt changed out of my oilskins or life jacket. On my knees, I crawled through the doorway, and edged over to the laptop as it slid around the back deck. Every time I got close enough to reach it, it would slide away from me. Eventually, I rescued it.

Getting food out of the skippers fridge was another one of those last straws. Something as basic as trying to get cheese and ham to make a sandwich was a trial of ingenuity.

The trick, which I only really got the hang of in the end, was to time the opening of the door for when the boat rolled to the starboard side (thats the right, landlubbers).

Even then, the sea had a knack of thwarting me.

Bosco Mac Gearailt aboard the gillnetter Men Scoedec, which he co-owns, watching the catch being hauled on board during a recent trip to the Atlantic. Picture: Neil Michael

Time and time again, I carefully approached the door, checked to see to which side the boat was about to roll, and then Id quickly open it.

Invariably, the contents would just fly out.

Bottles of water would shoot off the shelves, followed by sliced cheese packets, packets of ham, and yoghurt tubs.

To add insult to injury, as I scrambled around the floor of the bridge to retrieve the contents of the skippers fridge, my phone or some other thing I thought I had placed securely on a ledge above the fridge would shoot either over my head or into my face.

I got sick of it fast, and tried to ease the situation with humour, like the time I asked the skipper if he could just hold the boat steady and stop the rocking and rolling for a while as I was, well, sick of it.

I could tell he thought I was a hoot.

There was a point where I just gave up. There are only so many last straws a man can take  but when youre out on Irish fishing waters, theres no option to go home.

I stopped trying to stand up, or even kneel down and just collapsed slowly back down on the floor, in the middle of the contents of the skippers fridge, various tools that had dislodged themselves, and the contents of one of my dry bags.

As I sat there, defeated but still hungry, rolling first to one side, then another, I picked out a packet of ham from the debris, pulled out a slice, placed it in between two slices of bread, added some sliced cheese and just sat there, closed my eyes and ate it. Forget about making a coffee to accompany it.

For the duration of the trip, the bridge was my safety zone and everything else was my terror zone.

As the five-day trip progressed, I did get more confident on deck and managed to get some photographs, but everything else was a disaster.

Whether we're enjoying a seafood dish in a high-end restaurant or fish and chips out of a bag, we owe it all to fishers who head out on to the ocean. Stock picture

Well, is it a life for you? asked the skipper as we finally faced each other over that sliding plate of bacon and spuds as the cabin rocked violently from side to side  rough enough to, occasionally, lift me off the bench I was sitting on.

Without hesitation, I replied: No.

As the boat later edged its way slowly back into a calm but freezing Dingle Harbour at 2.30am the next day, long after the storm had subsided, I realised a newfound respect for skippers like Bosco Mac Gearailt and crews like his.

Yes, they get paid and  if its a big catch  they can get paid well.

But the Atlantic is like no other working environment I have ever encountered before, and nor have I any wish to encounter it again.

So the next time I pop into the fishmonger to buy some fresh fish for supper, Ill think back to what the skipper and his crew would have endured to get them there.

And Ill remain grateful for the simple pleasures I have grown to take for granted. You know, small things, like a plate of bacon and spuds that stays horizontal on a table, in a kitchen that doesnt rock backwards and forwards or roll from side to side, and a floor that doesnt move at all.

They say the small things are the big things.
Burma Kayah Resistance: 797 Myanmar Junta Troops Killed Last Year

The Karenni Nationalities Defense Force parades in Kayah State. / KNDF

The Karenni Nationalities Defense Force (KNDF) and its resistance allies claim to have killed almost 800 Myanmar junta soldiers in Kayah and Shan states last year.

The KNDF, Karenni Army, the armed wing of the Karenni National Progressive Party, and several resistance groups have been fighting the regime since May 2021 when hundreds of peaceful anti-regime demonstrators were killed across the country.

Clashes have spilled over into southern Shan State.

The KNDF said on Friday that it engaged in 341 clashes with the regime in 2022, in which 797 junta troops were killed and 93 injured.

It said 65 KNDF fighters were killed.

The junta conducted over 150 airstrikes and shelling attacks on resistance forces and civilian targets, the armed group said.

At least 13 civilians were killed and 64 injured, 72 civilian houses and four religious buildings, including a Buddhist temple, were destroyed, according to the KNDF.

The resistance group claimed to have captured 11 regime soldiers, along with 40 weapons in the clashes and seven soldiers defected to the KNDF.

The KNDF vowed to keep fighting until the dictatorship fell.

By last month 544 clashes had broken out with Karenni resistance groups, in which 1,692 regime troops and 211 resistance fighters were killed since the 2021 coup, according to the Progressive Karenni People Force rights group that monitors junta atrocities.

It said 293 civilians had been killed by the regime and 126 displaced civilians died fleeing their homes.

A total of 1,309 houses and other buildings were destroyed, the rights group said.
Burma Monk Linked to Myanmar Junta Chief Killed in Sagaing Raid

Depayin Kwal village in Sagaing Township on Friday. / CJ

A monk from the Sitagu Buddhist Academy, which was founded by Sitagu Sayadaw who is close to Myanmars junta, was among four people killed by regime troops during a raid on a village in Sagaing Township on Friday.

On Friday morning soldiers and pro-regime Pyu Saw Htee militia members raided Depayin Kwal village in Sagaing Region.

Several resistance groups defending the village retreated due to their lack of weapons, said Sagaing District Peoples Defense Force.

During the raid, Ashin Gadarthara, one of Sitagus 10 patron saint monks, was killed at the Shwegu monastery in the village.

The Sitagu Buddhist Academy was founded by Sitagu Sayadaw Ashin Nyanissara, one of regime leader Min Aung Hlaings favorite monks.

He praised the junta chief as a king and head of state of great generosity and wisdom in March last year. Sitagu Sayadaw has remained tight-lipped about junta atrocities.

Resident Ma Khin Su Mon was also killed after she was found hiding in the monastery basement, a resident told The Irrawaddy.

Both were shot in the head or neck, according to sources.

Two resistance fighters were killed while defending the village.

Around 70 houses were burned down by regime forces.

The raid came after a heavy clash between regime forces and resistance groups in the adjacent pro-regime village of Kywe Pon on Thursday.

Myanmars junta faces near-daily attacks from resistance groups and many ethnic armed organizations across the country.

Junta atrocities include arbitrary killings, burning people alive, massacres, extrajudicial killings of detainees, using civilian detainees as human shields and looting and burning houses, artillery and airstrikes on residential areas and acts of sexual violence.

By Friday, 2,707 people had been killed by junta forces and 16,992 people, including government leaders, have been detained since the 2021 coup, said the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.
World Prince Harry Faces Growing Criticism Over Memoir Revelations

A poster advertising the forthcoming publication of the book 'Spare' by Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, is pictured in the window of a book store in London on January 6, 2023. / AFP

LONDONPrince Harry faced a backlash Friday over his memoir Spare, with criticism from the media, commentators, army veterans and even the Taliban, while Buckingham Palace kept silent on its widely leaked contents.

Days before the official publication on Tuesday, disclosures from the book dominated headlines and airwaves after a Spanish-language version of the memoir mistakenly went on sale in Spain.

Revelations, including an alleged physical attack on him by heir to the throne Prince William, how he lost his virginity, took drugs and killed 25 people in Afghanistan, have prompted both condemnation and derision.

Writer A.N. Wilson called the ghostwritten tome  the biggest royal book since Harrys mother Princess Diana collaborated with Andrew Morton for a 1992 biography  calculated and despicable and a work of malice.

Describing his decision to go public idiotic, Wilson said the book had merely succeeded in making the public sympathize with the royal family, not with him.

Idiotic

The book is the latest broadside from Harry and his American wife Meghan after they quit royal duties and moved to California in 2020.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, as they are formally known, have since cashed in on their royal connections with several lucrative contracts for tell-all books and programs.

The Spanish-language version of the book was hurriedly withdrawn from shelves after the blunder on Thursday but not before it had been purchased by media outlets, wrecking the publishers strict worldwide embargo.

The Sun tabloid said public sympathy for Harry over losing his mother as a child could not justify the destructive, vengeful path he has chosen, throwing his own family under a bus for millions of dollars.

In an editorial, it pointed to countless discrepancies in his claims and advised him to listen to friends who have urged him to stop for his own good.

The Guardians Gaby Hinsliff said the book had moved beyond issues of awkward public interest into the washing of dirty linen in public.

The US edition of the left-leaning newspaper was the first to publish a leaked extract of the book this week, in which Harry described his physical altercation with William.

The details of the brothers alleged punch-up in a palace cottage are at once almost ridiculously trivial and heartbreakingly sad, she wrote.

Trashed

Harrys claim to have killed 25 people in Afghanistan and likening his actions to removing chess pieces from a board, has been seen as boastful and inappropriate, and enraged some veterans.

Retired colonel Tim Collins, who led a British battalion in Iraq in 2003, condemned a tragic money-making scam, adding: Thats not how you behave in the army. Its not how we think.

Harry has now turned against the other family, the military, that once embraced him, having trashed his birth family, he added.

Another high-ranking veteran who served in Afghanistan, colonel Richard Kemp, said his comments would feed jihadist propaganda.

Senior Taliban official Anas Haqqani tweeted: Mr Harry! The ones you killed were not chess pieces, they were humans; They had families who were waiting for their return.

Jealousy claims

As the hashtag #ShutUpHarry began trending on Twitter, The Sun quoted sources close to his father, King Charles III, as saying he had been saddened by the book.

But there was no official palace comment.

In fresh claims in the memoir reported by the Daily Telegraph late Friday, Harry alleges that his father wanted to avoid supporting him and Meghan financially because he was jealous of her.

The duke writes he realized Charles feared a novel and resplendent royal who would dominate the limelight after the now-king raised concerns about the monarchy supporting the couple monetarily after their 2018 wedding.

He had experienced that before and he had no interest in letting it happen to him again, Harry writes, referring to Diana, the Telegraph said.

Craig Prescott, a constitutional expert at Bangor University in north Wales, told AFP the scale and ferocity of the current royal rift was unprecedented but the royal family would probably ride this out.

But any moves to remove Harry and Meghans royal titles would require political intervention and new legislation.

The royals would likely regard that as pouring fuel onto the fire at a time when they wanted to focus on Charless looming coronation on May 6, he said.
Junta Watch Junta Watch: Pro-military Parties Line Up for Sham Election; Death Stains Dictators Military Parade; And More

Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing presides over a military parade to mark Independence Day in Naypyitaw on Wednesday. / AFP

Parties meet to help Min Aung Hlaing realize presidency dream

The militarys proxy Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) met with 37 other political parties that attended the junta-organized Independence Day parade in Naypyitaw on Wednesday. The informal meeting followed junta chief Min Aung Hlaings announcement that his regime is determined to hold a so-called election later this year. The parallel civilian government and much of the international community have dismissed the planned poll as a sham designed to cement military.

USDP chair Khin Yi wrote on social media that the parties at the meeting had agreed to use their collective strength to help the country.

The meeting was the first between pro-military parties since August 2020, when 34 political parties met Min Aung Hlaing under the aegis of the USDP before the election in November that year.

Back then, the parties raised concerns about Novembers general election and sought his assurance that they could count on his help if the voting turned unfair. They also called for then Union Election Commission chair U Hla Thein to be replaced, saying they had no trust in him as he was appointed by the National League for Democracy (NLD). Min Aung Hlaing duly staged a coup in Feb. 2021, three months after the NLD won the election by a landslide.

The same parties were among those that met Khin Yi on Wednesday as they sought help to fulfill the junta bosss dream of becoming the countrys president. The election is scheduled to take place in August.

Parachutist sacrificed to junta chiefs ego

Min Aung Hlaings grand military parade to celebrate Independence Day on Wednesday culminated in an unprecedented aerial display, with dozens of soldiers parachuting into the event. However, tragedy struck when one female paratrooper was killed making the difficult jump onto Naypyitaws concrete boulevard. Several others had been injured during rehearsals, according to government employees in the administrative capital.

Seventy-five paratroopers, both male and female, made freefall parachute jumps from an altitude of 7,500 feet, holding flags of the army, navy, and air forces, as well as states, regions, and ministries.

The risks were significant given their lack of freefall experience and the tough landing spot in the middle of a city. Unsurprisingly, some missed the target. Junta media managed to conceal the fatal accident by running video and photos of Min Aung Hlaing and his deputy Soe Win vigorously applauding the paratroopers.

Coup leader lives in fantasy of diplomatic triumph

Min Aung Hlaing used his Independence Day address on Wednesday to boast that his regime is in close communication with world powers. However, only six countries sent congratulatory messages to the regime on Wednesday, up from five last year.

Last years Independence Day celebrations brought messages of congratulation from Cambodia, Russia, Belarus, Serbia and North Korea. This year, Cambodia, Russia, Belarus Nepal, North Korea and Saudi Arabia sent messages.

China, Thailand, and India  which the regime calls good neighbors  didnt bother to send congratulations either last year or this year. Their diplomats did attend Independence Day events, though.

In 2021, 20 countries spanning Asia and the West  including Thailand, China, India, Singapore and the United States  sent Independence Day congratulatory messages to the civilian National League for Democracy government, before it was deposed in a coup. In contrast, Min Aung Hlaing is on the receiving end of international condemnation rather than congratulation and should recognize his status and stop talking big.

Clashes intensify as regime declares ceasefire

Less than one week after the military regime declared a unilateral ceasefire with ethnic armed organizations (EAO) for 2023, fighting has escalated across the country.

Fierce battles have been raging this week in parts of Karen, Chin, Kachin and Shan states and the resistance strongholds of Sagaing and Magwe in central Myanmar.

Meanwhile, New Years Day saw the Kokang-based Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army celebrate the first anniversary of a new national brigade of fighters from various ethnic groups across Myanmar. It also handed out weapons to the second intake of recruits as they graduated from military training.

Five days later, Defence Ministry officials of the parallel National Unity Government (NUG) met with Peoples Defense Force (PDF) battalions in Mandalay to discuss strategy and missions in 2023.

NUG acting president Duwa Lashi La described 2023 as a critical year for the revolution against military dictatorship. With less than a week gone, fighting is already fierce in various locations across the country.
A number of new movies and limited television series will debut this week, including the following titles opening in theaters or premiering via video on demand on various streaming platforms:

House Party

Genre: Comedy

Cast: Tosin Cole, Jacob Latimore, Karen Obilom, D.C. Young Fly, and Scott Mescudi

Director: Calmatic

Rated: R

From New Line Cinema comes your VIP ticket into the hottest event of the year: House Party, the remix to the fan-favorite 90s classic.

Aspiring club promoters and best buds Damon (Tosin Cole) and Kevin (Jacob Latimore) are barely keeping things together. Out of money, down on their luck and about to lose the roofs over their heads  and freshly fired from their low-lift jobs as house cleaners  the pair needs a huge windfall to make their problems go away.

In a what the hell? move, they decide to host the party of the year at an exclusive mansion, the site of their last cleaning job, which just happens to belong to none other than LeBron James. No permission? No problem. What could go wrong?

The film is scheduled to be released Jan. 13 by Warner Bros. Pictures.

Plane

Genre: Action and thriller

Cast: Gerard Butler, Mike Colter, Yoson An, and Tony Goldwyn

Director: Jean-Francois Richet

Rated: R

In the white-knuckle action movie Plane, pilot Brodie Torrance (Gerard Butler) saves his passengers from a lightning strike by making a risky landing on a war-torn island  only to find that surviving the landing was just the beginning.

When most of the passengers are taken hostage by dangerous rebels, the only person Torrance can count on for help is Louis Gaspare (Mike Colter), an accused murderer who was being transported by the FBI. In order to rescue the passengers, Torrance will need Gaspares help, and will learn theres more to Gaspare than meets the eye.

The film is scheduled to be released Jan. 13 through Lionsgate.

Dog Gone

Genre: Drama

Cast: Rob Lowe, Johnny Berchtold, Kimberly Williams-Paisley

Director: Stephen Herek

Not rated

A young man and his father begin a desperate search to find their beloved dog on the Appalachian Trail before its too late. Based on an incredible true story, Dog Gone is the adventure movie of the new year

The film is scheduled to be released Jan. 13 via Netflix.

The Seven Faces of Jane

Genre: Drama and anthology

Cast: Gillian Jacobs

Directors: Gillian Jacobs, Ken Jeong, Gia Coppola, Ryan Heffington, Alexandra Cassavetes, Boma Iluma, Julian Acosta, and Alex Takacs

Not rated

Jane (Gillian Jacobs) drops her daughter off at sleep-away camp, excited for a reprieve from her otherwise mundane life. Little does she know what awaits her on the drive home  from old friends to new, alternate universes, laughter, tears, and a little bit of magic. Janes road trip was created by playing exquisite corpse with eight different filmmakers who were each invited to create a section of the film without any knowledge of what came before or after it. Each director was encouraged to stay true to their own unique life experiences, vision, and style.

The film will be released Jan. 13 on Apple TV.

The Price We Pay

Genre: Action and thriller

Cast: Emile Hirsch, Stephen Dorff, and Gigi Zumbado

Director: Ryuhei Kitamura

Rated: R

After an intense holdup at a pawnshop, Grace (Zumbado) is taken hostage by the thieves. Forced to take refuge at a remote farmhouse late at night, they discover a secret dungeon with evidence of sadistic violence  and when Grandfather comes home, all hell breaks loose. Can Grace muster the courage to escape the gut-wrenching fates that befall her criminal companions?

The film is scheduled to be released Jan. 13 through Lionsgate.

Skinamarink

Genre: Horror

Cast: Lucas Paul, Dali Rose Tetreault, Ross Paul, and Jaime Hill

Director: Kyle Edward Ball

Not rated

Two children wake up in the middle of the night to find their father is missing, and all the windows and doors in their home have vanished.

The film is scheduled to be released in select theaters Jan. 13. The film will be available on demand through Shudder beginning Feb. 10.

Chess Story

Genre: Drama

Cast: Oliver Masucci, Rolf Lassgard, Albrecht Schuch, and Birgit Minichmayr

Director: Philipp Stolzl

Not rated

Vienna, 1938: Austria is occupied by the Nazis. Dr. Josef Bartok (Oliver Masucci) is preparing to flee to America with his wife, Anna ,when he is arrested by the Gestapo.

As a former notary to the deposed Austrian aristocracy, he is told to help the local Gestapo leader gain access to their private bank accounts in order to fund the Nazi regime. Refusing to cooperate, Bartok is locked in solitary confinement. Just as his mind is beginning to crack, Bartok happens upon a book of famous chess games. To withstand the torture of isolation, Bartok disappears into the world of chess, maintaining his sanity only by memorizing every move.

As the action flashes forward to a transatlantic crossing on which he is a passenger, it seems as though Bartok has finally found freedom. But recounting his story to his fellow travelers, it's clear that his encounters with both the Gestapo and with the royal game itself have not stopped haunting him.

The film will be released in select theaters Jan. 13 through Film Movement.

Shin Ultraman

Genre: Superhero and kaiju

Cast: Takumi Saitoh, Masami Nagasawa, Daiki Arioka, Akari Hayami, Tetsushi Tanaka, and Hidetoshi Nishijima, with Anno and Bin Furuya as Ultraman

Director: Shinji Higuchi

Not rated

Theres never a dull day on Japan's newly established SSSP Kaiju defense taskforce, led by Kimio Tamura, played by Hidetoshi Nishijima.

After a particularly challenging encounter, a silver giant descends from the sky to rescue the planet. Dubbed Ultraman, this giants identity and purpose are a mystery. Shin Ultraman is a delightful reimagining of one of Japans classic superheroes, full of cosmic twists, charismatic villains, and giant Kaiju.

The film will be screened in select theaters Jan. 11-12 through Fathom Events.

This report was first published on the website for Tampa Bay Newspapers.
A photo of Parisa Eghbalian and Reera Esmaeilion, from Richmond Hill, Ont., is displayed on a screen during a memorial organized by the Iranian-Canadian charity Tirgan for the victims of the Iranian air crash, in Toronto, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young
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A perfect storm is brewing in the U.S. health care system, and we must prepare to counter the rushing waves. America is facing a potentially catastrophic physician shortfall. All indicators point toward unprecedented times ahead. If I were an attorney, I would state my case something like this.

Exhibit A

According to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), the United States is facing a projected shortage of between 37,800 and 124,000 doctors by 2034. Take a deep breath and let that sink in. In nearly 10 years, your state could lack thousands of physicians to care for its citizens. When this happens, how long will it take to secure a coveted appointment to see a doctor, even for a routine visit? Then, when you get an appointment, how much time will your doctor have to spend with you?

Exhibit B

Americans are living longer, which means there are more people over the age of 65 than there were in times past. In addition, as we age, we are more likely to experience chronic diseases and complex illnesses like cancer. So naturally, a physician will need to spend more time with a typical 70-year-old patient than a typical 30-year-old one, which can significantly reduce the number of open appointments on any given day.

Exhibit C

Physician burnout, stress, and the COVID-19 pandemic have all contributed to countless doctors rethinking their careers. Many are retiring altogether, while others have opted to redirect their course and work in nonclinical settings. In addition, a high number of doctors are aging out of clinical practice. As older physicians leave the practice of medicine, there are not enough young ones to take their place.

While other factors will play a role in the chilling scenario we will face in the not-so-distant future, these are highly significant ones.

So, what can the average person do to protect herself and her family? Become empowered. Patient empowerment can take many forms, but this blog post will focus on making the most out of every minute with your doctor.

America has traditionally had a very paternalistic health care system. The doctor told his patient what to do, and he did it (or privately declined).

Fortunately, these days patients are savvier health care consumers. They realize the importance of partnering in their care. One little-known but highly impactful way to empower yourself is to prepare a brief elevator speech to explain the new symptom that prompted the visit.

When a patient provides a concise yet detailed explanation of the reason for the appointment, it helps the doctor mentally rule out some diagnoses. More importantly, it allows the doctor to pinpoint the most likely causes of the symptoms, translating into a briefer, more focused examination. It can also drastically reduce the need for excessive tests, procedures and medication trials. The result is an expedited, less expensive diagnosis that often results in an abbreviated illness. That may sound good, but how does a person with no medical training achieve this lofty goal? Im so glad you asked.

Whenever you see your doctor for a new problem, he will want to know various details about that problem, a historical account, so to speak. This is called your history of present illness (HPI) in the medical world. There are eight key elements to the HPI. These elements help your doctor narrow down the potential causes of your symptoms. In addition, they are a significant component of national evaluation and management (E/M) guidelines which direct reimbursements from health insurance companies to physicians.

Doctors cannot haphazardly charge your insurer any amount they choose. Instead, they must be able to substantiate the reason for each charge by clearly documenting the level of detail and intensity of service associated with each medical visit. Failing to do so could result in fines or even criminal penalties for insurance fraud.

Below are the key elements to remember, along with examples.

1. Quality  ex: The pain in my stomach is sharp, like someone is sticking me with a fork.

2. Timing  ex: My stomach aches last a couple of hours each time.

3. Location  ex: It hurts just below my navel.

4. Associated signs/symptoms  ex: Whenever I have a headache, I feel sick in my stomach.

5. Context  ex: My back pain started a few minutes after I moved the sofa.

6. Modifying factors  ex: A hot compress reduces pain within 30 minutes.

7. Duration  ex: My knee pain has been constant for three days.

8. Severity  ex: This pain is almost as severe as childbirth.

Once you know these eight elements, you can craft a brief, information-packed account of why you made the appointment. Then, be ready to explain your problem when the doctor walks into the exam room. Realize not all eight elements may be needed for any given illness. Still, it is always better to be over prepared than underprepared.

We, as a nation, are headed toward uncharted waters. While we may not have an advocate in high places, we can learn how to be our own successful health advocate. Waiting until the storm is upon us is not an option. Preparing for what lies ahead is our best chance to weather the storm that threatens the safety net many Americans take for granted. Youll need more than excellent health insurance. If appointments are hard to come by and very short, you can help your doctor help you efficiently and effectively by preparing in advance for each visit.

Ann M. Hester is a board-certified internal medicine physician with over 25 years of experience and can be reached on Twitter @Patient101Book, TikTok @patientempowerment101. She is the author of Patient Empowerment 101: More than a book, its an adventure!
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Patient autonomy, one of the pillars of medical ethics, now shines brightest of the four pillars in modern medicine. While medical ethics was meant to take beneficence, non-maleficence, justice and autonomy in equal consideration, the balance is now offset by the digital age and an increasingly skeptical population that has hurdled American culture into striving for autonomy above all else.

Patients have begun to correct physicians on the standard of care based on what they read on social media, while other patients influenced by political movements have grown weary of the recommendations made by scientists and physicians.

Patients now opt to see midlevel providers or change doctors in hopes that the next provider will give them what they seek. When expertise is seen as subjective, and the population at large does not look to physicians as the authorities, the doctor-patient relationship suffers and ends with worse outcomes. Radical autonomy is now on the path of concierge and provider-consumer relationships that is far from what health care should be.

Every specialty is touched by this trend; however, psychiatry is a specialty in which paternalism has persisted. With the added complexity of involuntary admissions, use of restraints, therapeutic privilege and lack of capacity in some acutely ill patients, psychiatrists have consistent opportunities to decide on beneficence instead of autonomy with an active-passive model of care.

Psychiatrists also tend to use a guidance-cooperation model or paternalistic approach when treating their patients. Patients with psychiatric diagnoses are, in many ways, a vulnerable population. These patients and their diagnoses are heavily stigmatized. Though there has been more acceptance of mental illness in recent years, this has largely been limited to depression and anxiety. Other diagnoses like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder remain largely misunderstood and stigmatized.

If distrust toward their physician is factored in, this leads to disastrous outcomes when it comes to seeking and continuing treatment.

Psychiatrists may avoid this problem through paternalism, establishing themselves as the decision maker who knows best. Still, an overly paternalistic approach with patients who have the capacity to provide consent and engage in shared decision-making is not always the best approach.

When orders are given without understanding, patients may misuse their medications or may underestimate the utility of psychotherapy alongside their medication regimen. Because shared decision-making and autonomy require the patient to understand before becoming involved in care conversations, the patient will often have greater knowledge of their condition than a patient treated in a paternalistic way in which the patient may be blindly following a decision made by another.

Both radical autonomy and pure paternalism present their own problems. Psychiatry presents additional considerations for patients who may be unable to practice autonomy. But for most patients who present to psychiatrists, there is a better approach to take.

Maternalism is an approach that has been offered as an alternative between the two extremes of autonomy and paternalism. Maternalism is like paternalism, with the physician as the decision maker while incorporating helpful components of autonomy such as shared decision-making and a mutual participation model.

This approach is very relevant to psychiatry, in which patients benefit from feeling that their physician is making the right decisions to take care of them but also cares how they feel about the treatment. With maternalism, there is more patient buy-in, and patients feel more comfortable bringing up concerns and asking questions.

At the same time, a maternalistic physician is still making decisions with beneficence while clearly communicating with the patient. This builds trust with the patient and the understanding that the care decided on is what is best, and the patient still, of course, has the right to accept or refuse treatment. With proper patient communication and the development of this maternal-like relationship, patients will not feel the need to consult with online sources or switch to a different doctor. With a maternalistic approach, it is also possible to discuss the pros and cons of medication, psychotherapy, or a combination to guide treatment preferences.

With a maternalistic approach and a strong doctor-patient relationship, patients will likely stay adherent to treatment and feel more comfortable discussing new or worsening symptoms, with the acknowledgment that the psychiatrist would make the right decision of what to do. With other approaches, the patient may have reasons for not wanting to disclose a symptom due to mistrust, judgment or retribution. Patients who may have issues with trust may feel greater assurance of confidentiality and nonjudgmental reactions during psychotherapy, knowing that their physician can be trusted.

In psychiatry, a strong doctor-patient relationship is essential to the highest quality of care and the avoidance of adverse events. The application of maternalism is especially relevant to psychiatry to draw from the best elements of autonomy and paternalism while achieving the clearest communication with a patient and optimizing trust, confidence and understanding to enhance patient outcomes and quality of life.

Aubrey Jackson is a medical student.
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An excerpt from Fifty Years a Doctor: The Journey of Sickness and Health, Four Plagues and the Pandemic.

Our favorite internist and chairman of the internal medicine department was lecturing us on sensitivity to patients suffering when they have a serious illness. He stressed that our sensitivity would increase as we got older and had more life experiences. Then he added a wish that every one of us should have a serious illness from which we would have a complete recovery.

I thought that was a strange thing to wish on us and quickly forgot it.

We were scheduled to begin our pediatric rotation with a visit to the pediatric infectious disease ward at Kings County Hospital. The pediatrician attending told us to call our moms and check to see if we had all the childhood diseases, like chickenpox, mumps, measles and German measles.

I called my mom that evening. She laughed and was emphatic that I had everything. I also remembered my childhood suffering with them, especially the chickenpox I had when I was 6, which caused me to miss three weeks of first grade.

The pediatric infectious ward at Kings County was full of crying children, and bad smells as our attending took us around to see the various different diseases.

She stopped at one crib, picked up a crying child, and asked if we knew what this child had. I said measles when I saw the rash, and she handed me the baby and asked me to pass her around, so we all had the experience of holding a feverish and crying infant. Then we saw other cases of infectious diseases. We were all relieved to finally exit this awful-smelling ward of crying children.

Remember, this was an era before routine vaccinations for these childhood diseases were available.

The lectures on pediatric illnesses were conducted in the usual conference rooms. We did our note-taking and studying as usual because we would be tested at the end of the pediatric rotation.

About a week later, I woke up with a headache, something I rarely get, and I felt chilled as well, but I quickly got dressed as I usually do and went to the lecture hall with my friends to start our daily education.

My headaches and chills continued. I told my friends, who said it was probably a cold, although I was not sneezing or coughing. I took aspirin to relieve my symptoms, but it didnt help much except to reduce my temperature.

When I continued to feel sick with a headache and chills the next day, I decided to go to the student health doctor for an exam and possible treatment.

He didnt find anything wrong with me except for a fever and said we would have to wait to see if this got worse. He recommended that I return to see him in a day or two if my symptoms persisted.

As a medical student, I was already thinking of the worst things this illness could be. My friends were also thinking of a differential diagnosis, like leukemia or Hodgkins disease. My close friends cared, but things didnt stand still in medical school. We continued to attend our classes as usual.

Finally, I noticed spots on my throat while brushing my teeth. That made me think I had caught something from the childrens infectious ward. I returned to the student health physician, who told me I had measles. I was relieved that I could forget about leukemia as a diagnosis.

He then asked me if I wanted to be admitted to the childrens ward at Kings County. I thought he was joking and said, Of course not. He told me that I would become very ill and would need lots of help through the illness. I said my wife and mom would be able to help me at home.

My wife was working to support us and would be away during the day, but my mom could take care of my grandmother, me, and my closest aunt, and they worked out a schedule.

I soon found out why all the babies were crying.

Within a day of the diagnosis, my fever increased, and I developed alternating diarrhea and vomiting. My mom put a large bowl on the bed for me to vomit into because I had become too weak to keep running to the toilet. She would clean the bowl every time I threw up and help me to the toilet when I had diarrhea. I also had a bad sore throat, a runny nose, a cough, and an earache and my headache never let up.

I understood that the measles virus was multiplying and affecting every part of my body. My immune system was producing antibodies as quickly as possible but not fast enough to end my misery.

I had no appetite, but I was always thirsty. Though swallowing was painful, I drank as much ginger ale without bubbles as possible so that I wouldnt get dehydrated and needed to go to the pediatric ward at Kings County for intravenous hydration.

I was very grateful for the work of the four women who cared for me day and night.

Over the next two weeks, I started to improve. My diarrhea and vomiting left, then my fever broke, and my headaches ceased.

I had more strength and could walk around the apartment, and my grandmother and aunt no longer needed to take care of me, and I was able to eat the food left by my wife and mom.

But there was one more discomfort that the measles had for me: severe itching all over my body that lasted for several days.

Finally, I was well enough to go outside and consider a trip to medical school to restart my studies.

My home scale showed that I had lost 20 pounds in these two and a half weeks, something I suspected when my pants fell unless I would really tighten my belt.

I went to the pediatrics dept office to talk about my long absence, and the same doctor who handed me the measles baby was there to greet me and ask how I was feeling. I gave her a little synopsis of weeks of misery and pointed to my loose pants.

Then she told me that I had missed too much of the pediatric rotation and would need to do it over again.

At that point, I told her that after what I went through, I could not conceive of doing this, and I might die from another infection. In any case, I should get honors for my in-depth personal instruction in childhood diseases.

She reluctantly accepted this. I would not have to repeat the course, but she did not give me honors for the experience I had.

I was still curious as to why I had no immunity to measles if I had every disease, as my mom said.

I contacted my old family doctor, who was my moms obstetrician, our familys general practitioner, and my pediatrician. He did have records from that period of my life.

Apparently, when I was exposed to measles as a young child, a new medical innovation to prevent measles had gained some popularity in pediatric practice. This involved an injection of gamma globulin, a mixed blood immune cell product that would grant limited immunity to many infectious diseases.

In that era, and even today, measles could cause severe permanent health problems and even death, so any way to avoid this disease was considered worthwhile.

That explained why I had no immunity 20 years later to that little measles baby.

My medical school friends were happy to see me and were amazed at my weight loss.

So apparently, I was the only student to take the advice of the chief of internal medicine and have a serious and painful disease and get a full recovery.

To this day, that was the worst illness I have ever had.

Ronald Halweil is an otolaryngologist and author of Fifty Years a Doctor: The Journey of Sickness and Health, Four Plagues and the Pandemic.
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The 19-year-old accused of attacking New York Police Department officers with a machete on New Year's Eve was indicted on January 6 on more than a dozen charges, including several terrorism charges, prosecutors announced.
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Travel agents in Tunisia expect Chinese tourists after China's optimization of COVID-19 response

Xinhua) 10:11, January 07, 2023

A man with plastic flowers on his head is pictured in the Medina of Tunis, Tunisia, Jan. 5, 2023. (Xinhua/Xu Supei)

TUNIS, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- China's latest COVID-19 response measures are warmly welcomed by hoteliers and travel agents in Tunisia, which are gearing up for the coming of Chinese guests.

China has optimized its COVID-19 response, with restrictions on international flights to be lifted starting from Jan. 8.

Amir Ben Aribia, general manager of the travel company Tunisia Blue Sky, told Xinhua that he is so happy to hear the good news, as Chinese customers contribute most of the company's business.

Amir is a second-generation tourism practitioner whose father, a travel guide with years of experience, founded his own company, namely Tunisia Blue Sky, in 1996.

The company started to receive Chinese tourists in 2013. Before the pandemic, roughly 90 percent of their clients came from China.

"The Chinese market is huge and growing fast. Chinese people travel all over the world," Amir said.

Nowadays, China is not only the largest travel market worldwide but also one of the biggest spenders globally.

At its peak in 2019, Chinese citizens made 155 million outbound trips. According to London-based The Economist, one in 10 international tourists was Chinese before the pandemic.

"Compared with Europeans, who prefer summer holidays at the seaside, Chinese show more interest in historical sites and natural landscapes, such as the ruins of ancient Carthage and the Sahara desert," Amir said, adding that this has brought them a significant and stable income.

In 2017, Tunisia started to offer visa-free entry to Chinese tourists. Since then, China has emerged as one of Tunisia's fast-growing markets, with Chinese tourist arrivals rising from about 7,400 in 2016 to over 18,000 in 2017.

"Before visa exemptions, Chinese travelers rarely came to Tunisia. But now, more and more people flock to the North African country," Cai Feifei, Tunisia representative at SaishangTour, a travel services company headquartered in Beijing, told Xinhua.

She said Chinese tourists especially enjoy spending the nights in tents in the Sahara desert.

Bordering the Sahara desert and the Mediterranean Sea, Tunisia is renowned for its rich tourism resources.

Tourism is a mainstay of Tunisia's economy. From 2015 to 2019, 7.2 million arrivals per year made it one of the most visited countries in Africa, according to WorldData. Internet statistics company Statista showed that tourism generated 10 percent of its gross domestic product in 2022.

The COVID-19 pandemic had dealt a dramatic blow to the country's tourism industry. In 2020, revenues were down 62 percent to 1.01 billion dollars.

For Amir, the worst time is over. He and his colleagues are preparing for the arrival of a new wave of Chinese travelers in 2023.

"As more Chinese tourists are expected to come, we do hope that there will be direct flights between China and Tunisia one day," he said.

People walk at a plaza in the Medina of Tunis, Tunisia, on Jan. 5, 2023. (Xinhua/Xu Supei)

(Web editor: Xian Jiangnan, Wu Chaolan)
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Washington, January 7: Two years ago the insurrection at the US Capitol on January 6 was an attack on the country's democracy but "we the people prevailed", President Joe Biden has said.

"The US Capitol was breached, which had never happened before in the history of the United States of America, even during the Civil War," he said, remembering the day when a violent mob surged through it, assaulting law enforcement officers and vandalising its hall. US Capitol Attack: January 6 Committee Recommends Criminal Charges Against Former President Donald Trump, Aides.

Former president Donald Trump was charged by the House of Representatives for inciting the unprecedented insurrection and it led to his impeachment. Two years ago on January 6, our democracy was attacked. There's no other way of saying it," said Biden at a ceremony to bestow the Presidential Citizen's Medal, one of the country's highest civilian honours, for the first time in his presidency. He also told the gathering at the White House that the violent mob of insurrectionists not only assaulted law enforcement officers and vandalised sacred halls, but also hunted down elected officials, all for an attempt to overthrow the will of the people and usurp the peaceful transfer of power.

All of it, all of it was fuelled by lies about the 2020 election. But on this day two years ago, our democracy held because we the people, as the Constitution refers to us, we the people did not flinch. We the people endured, the president said. Donald Trump Summoned by January 6 Panel To Testify Over US Capitol Attack.

We the people prevailed. And on this day of remembrance, joined by the Vice President and the second gentleman and all of you, we honour a remarkable group of Americans who embodied the best before, during and after January the 6th, 2021, Biden said.

The award recognises "citizens of the United States of America who have performed exemplary deeds of service for their country or their fellow citizens," he said.

Biden said that soon after his inauguration, he travelled to England for the G-7 summit and there, I sat next to the president of France, across from the chancellor from Germany, etc, and I said America's back. You know what the response was? Not a joke. For how long? For how long? Biden said.

"I just sat there and looked -- and I believe it was the prime minister of Italy who said it, but I can't remember for certain which of the seven -- the six said it, he said.

...said what would you think, Mr. President, if tomorrow you woke up and you had a headline in the press saying that in the British Parliament a mob had come down the hall, broken down the doors of the House of Commons, police officers that were killed or died, the place was vandalized in order to overthrow the election of the speaker of the House or prime minister's election Biden recalled as being asked What would we think if we heard that news today, if any other leading democracy in the world went through this? he asked.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Times Staff Writer

A civilian security officer at the Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station, who claims that he was kidnaped at his home and beaten during a military exercise last year, said Friday that the man who captured him should have been shot.

I should have let my wife drop him, Ronald Sheridan, 52, said in an interview. The Sheridans filed a lawsuit March 17 seeking more than $6 million in damages from the federal government.

I wish I had shot that guy, agreed Sheridans wife, Margaret, who said she had pointed a loaded revolver from the front-porch balcony of their home at a stranger brandishing a gun as he forced her husband into a car in the pre-dawn hours of March 20, 1986. It would have stopped all their games.

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Terrorist Exercise

Sheridan allegedly was held captive at a Costa Mesa motel for more than 30 hours by a special Navy security team during an exercise designed to test the Seal Beach bases response to a terrorist attack.

The Sheridans described the incident during an interview in their Eagle Rock home, where the abduction allegedly occurred last year.

Navy officials have refused to comment on the suit but have acknowledged that an internal investigation into the charges is under way.

Sheridan said he had been briefed ahead of time about the military exercise but was not aware that he would be targeted as a hostage. He said he learned later that he was used to test the militarys reaction to a terrorist attack.

Sheridan, a former Los Angeles police officer who has worked as a civilian at the base since 1984, said a series of incidents, such as bombings and threats, had already been staged over several days at the base when he received a 3 a.m. call at home from a dispatcher who said another threat had been issued.

I took that information, gave some advice and started to go back to sleep, Sheridan said. But I usually get up at 4:30 anyway, so I decided I might as well go in. He said he dressed and left the house at 3:30 a.m. with his wife standing at the front door with a loaded revolver in her hand as she did every morning when he left for work.

Sheridan said that as he walked down the front stairs of his hillside home, he saw a figure holding a gun beside a corner of the garage. At first, there was no thought in my mind that he was part of the exercise, Sheridan said. I had never seen the guy before. I didnt know who he was. All I saw was the gun. I thought he was some street criminal.

Blow Him Away

Sheridan said that when he saw the stranger with shaggy hair and a mustache the first thought that popped in my mind was that the minute this guy steps out from behind the corner of the garage, shes going to blow him away.

Then, he said, the intruder flashed a badge and said, This is part of the exercise--youre it, and told him to get into the car.

Margaret Sheridan said that when she saw the man, she was immediately prepared to shoot. It was like the nightmare that you talk about for so many years, she said. There it was happening right in front of me with this character.

She said she aimed the revolver at the intruder, but her husband raised his arms and yelled, This is part of the exercise. Her voice shaking as she recalled the incident, Margaret Sheridan said that she didnt believe her husband. I thought he was just a street thug, she said. He looked like a street thug.

Sheridan said he kept warning his wife not to shoot as he got into the car. Marge raised the gun three times and took aim, Sheridan said.

Finally, she said, as she watched the two men get into the car, my conscience was telling me, You dont shoot somebody right there, and I had to trust that he was in control, she said.

Frantic Calls

After her husband left, she said, she made several frantic calls to the base but was assured that the kidnaping was just an exercise and was told not to call police. She said she continued to worry until her husband called about an hour later and told her he was safe, although he was not allowed to tell her where he was.

Meanwhile, Sheridan said, he was told to drive a short distance and stop behind another car with three persons in it. He said he was first searched and then handcuffed before being driven in his own car to the Don Quixote Motel in Costa Mesa with the second car following. Sheridan said he was not frightened because he realized what the men were doing. He said he made no attempt to defend himself even though he had several weapons hidden in his car. He said the handcuffs were removed when the men stopped for gas at a service station.

Sheridan said he and the men stayed in the motel room, talking and watching television until about 4 p.m. when the men received a telephone call during which, he said, they were told they would have to stay there the rest of the night. Sheridan said he was refused his requests to leave or to call home and that the men suddenly seemed irritated that the exercise was continuing.

A short time later, Sheridan said, he was told he was going to be photographed with a video camera, apparently to prove that the team had a captive. He said his hands were again cuffed behind his back and a pillowcase was put over his head and tied in a knot behind his neck.

Then a video crew and six to eight men arrived at the motel room. Thats when the beatings began, Sheridan said. The men began yelling and shouting at each other, he said, and his chair was knocked over, and he hit his head against a wall. He said he was picked up and tossed around for several minutes, thrown onto a bed and his clothes stripped off. Sheridan said he decided to stay limp so as not to get injured and didnt say anything.

Slapped and Punched

He said he was kicked, slapped and punched and dragged across the floor into the bathroom where he was knocked around some more. Then one or more of them picked me up by my ankles and put my head in the toilet, said the 5-foot-8, 160-pound Sheridan. He also said he was draped over the tub and his head was dunked in the water several times while someone leaned on his back.

With the pressure on his back, he said, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest as if he had a broken rib. At that point, I began yelling, Sheridan said. I was afraid that if I said anything, it would get worse. But I was also afraid that I had a broken rib and that it could puncture a lung.

Sheridan said the men continued to dunk and punch him for several more minutes before they stopped and asked him to identify himself, all the while filming the incident, which he said had lasted about 15 minutes.

I was stunned, shocked and dazed, Sheridan said. It was as if reality had ceased to exist.

He said he was dragged back into the other room and dumped on the rug. Most of the men then left. Sheridan said the pillowcase and handcuffs were removed, and one man apologized, saying, It wasnt supposed to come to that.

He said he was told that he did not have a broken rib and was kept in the room overnight despite his requests to see a doctor. The next morning, Sheridan said, he was driven back to Seal Beach and around the community for several hours before he was finally taken to the base and released about 10 a.m.

Damned Angry

Sheridan said he complained about his treatment to his commanding officer before he left the base.

I was damned angry, said Margaret Sheridan when she returned home from work that evening to find her husband slumped in a chair, bruised, cut and too sore to move. I had been told everything was all right. When I walked in the door and saw him, I was just shocked. I couldnt believe the military could do that to anyone.

I wished I had shot that guy. It would have stopped all their games.

Sheridan went on disability leave for a month at his doctors orders and underwent physical therapy twice weekly for almost a year, he said.

Sitting in their Eagle Rock home, surrounded by video equipment and weapons, the Sheridans said the incident has affected their lives.

Its not unusual for one or the other of us to wake up in the middle of the night with some weird dream, said Sheridan, who came down with a cold on his vacation and admits that he is not looking forward to returning to the base on Monday.

I keep replaying the whole thing in my head, like a broken record, he said. Im always thinking what if. . . . I should have let her drop him.
The arrest of El Chapo's son and Sinaloa Cartel boss Ovidio Guzman was a big win for Mexico, but it came at a cost. Immediately after he was arrested, cartel gunmen invaded the city of Culiacan, Sinaloa, set up roadblocks in a bid to free him, and engaged authorities. This resulted in the deaths of 29 people.

After his arrest, Ovidio Guzman was flown to Mexico City, but his transfer still resulted in a fierce firefight that saw much carnage, death, and property damage.

According to the BBC, of the 29 deaths, no civilian was listed and 10 of those deaths were Mexican soldiers. Meanwhile, the attack also resulted in the deaths of 19 suspected Sinaloa Cartel members.

Mexican Defence Minister Luis Cresencio Sandoval also confirmed that 35 military personnel were injured in the attack, but they also managed to arrest 21 cartel members,

Members of the Sinaloa Cartel also set fire to dozens of vehicles in an attempt to prevent Ovidio Guzman from being transported outside of Sinaloa. They also attacked the city's local airport and shot at planes. However, the arrested Sinaloa Cartel boss had already been transported via helicopter and was subsequently been sent to a Mexican maximum-security prison.

Aeromexico Passengers Threw Themselves Into the Floor as Cartel Gunmen Shot Up the Airport

The cartel attack on an airport in Culiacan was a harrowing experience for passengers aboard an Aeromexico flight as viral videos shared on social media have shown passengers scrambling to the floor and taking cover as gunfire rang out.

The attack on the airport was part of the Sinaloa Cartel's bid to free their leader, Ovidio Guzman, from the clutches of Mexican authorities. The cartel members reportedly started firing after a military plane landed at the airport.

READ MORE: El Chapo's Son, Member of Sinaloa Cartel, Arrested After Chaotic, Messy Chase in Mexico

"As we were accelerating for take-off, we heard gunshots very close to the plane, and that's when we all threw ourselves to the floor," David Tellez, a passenger on that flight, told Reuters.

He added that he and his family hid in the airport bathroom when they heard that cartel members were already at the airport. However, when they heard that the coast was clear, nervous security guards ushered them into the plane.

Nobody was hurt on the flight, but the plane did sustain some damage so it was not able to fly out. Their flight was canceled as the engine was hit and it triggered a leak. Passengers were then immediately instructed to disembark, though Tellez says he and his family will still try to leave Culiacan.

El Chapo Son's Extradition to the U.S. Halted for Now

The United States is also seeking the younger Guzman and has asked for his extradition. However, a federal judge in Mexico City halted Ovidio's extradition just a day after he was arrested.

Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard confirmed the U.S. arrest warrant but stated that the drug lord's possible extradition might not be immediate because of formalities of the law, as the younger Guzman still has legal proceedings to go through in Mexico.

According to CNN, a Mexican judge also suspended a measure that prevented Ovidio from not only talking to his family but also contacting his legal team, the latter of which now only has three days to decide if they should ratify the measures they have filed in favor of their client.

READ MORE: El Chapo Sons: Notorious Los Chapitos Are on the Rise in Mexico's Powerful Sinaloa Cartel

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Ovidio Guzman, son of 'El Chapo,' arrives in Mexico City after being captured in Culiacan - KSAT 12
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis tapped the state's National Guard on Friday to respond to the Florida mass migration, with migrants arriving by boat in recent weeks.

DeSantis also directed other state law enforcement and other agencies to provide resources in the local government's response to the mass migration, as seen with migrants leading in the Florida Keys.

The office of the governor also announced that the National Guard will be an additional support to the state's initiatives on mass migration.

DeSantis then pinned the blame for the U.S. migration crisis on U.S. President Joe Biden's "lawless immigration policies." The governor described the situation as the "burden of the Biden administration's failure."

The Republican governor then said that the president continues to ignore his legal responsibilities and that the state will step in to "support our communities."

DeSantis also said that Florida will deploy the state's air assets, which included airplanes and helicopters from the Florida National Guard.

He noted that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission marine patrol will be called to support water interdictions while also ensuring the safety of migrants traveling through the Florida Straits.

The executive order also noted that the state of Florida has since assisted refugees, "including Cubans and other fleeing communist regimes."

READ NEXT: Florida Man Arrested After Choking Uber Driver and Stealing Vehicle

Florida Mass Migration

The Florida Keys has seen an influx of migrants and refugees just at the start of the year 2023. Officials estimated that around 500 asylum seekers arrived in the state through a boat ride.

The Monroe County Sheriff's Office said in a statement that the situation amounts to a "humanitarian crisis," with U.S. Border Patrol issuing directions to delay some landings until some federal resources arrive.

The Sheriff's Office also blamed the Florida keys situation with migrants on "federal failure," adding that it showed a lack of "a working plan by the federal government" when addressing the U.S. migration crisis, according to a local Sheriff Rick Ramsay.

From October 2021 to September 2022, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection recorded 224,607 "encounters" with Cuban migrants and refugees, which is a 471% increase over the previous fiscal year.

In October and November, the Border Protection agency logged 65.731 encounters while the U.S. Coast Guard reported 6,182 Cubans seized for the fiscal year of 2022.

U.S. Migration Crisis

In December, the Homeland Security Department revealed an emergency six-point plan to address the migration crisis.

Title 42 was introduced early at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, which allowed officials to refuse admittance to certain categories of migrants.

Critics claimed that it not only abused the "principles of public health," but that the policy was being enforced for so long.

They also noted that the Title 42 policy was a "cruel and unfair infringement of the human right to make an asylum claim."

Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar said people kept on saying that there are more important things than visiting the border.

Cuellar added that one must show up "if there's a crisis."

READ MORE: Disaster SNAP Benefits Update: Are You Eligible for New Florida Payments?

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Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Influx of migrants temporarily closes Florida national park - from NBC News


The Taliban has accused Prince Harry of killing "civilians and ordinary people" after the British royal admitted in his memoir "Spare" that he killed 25 Afghans during his Afghanistan visit.

Taliban leader Anas Haqqani told Al Jazeera on Friday that they checked and found that on the days on which Harry mentioned the killing of "25 mujaheddin," they did not have any casualties in Helmand.

Haqqani said it was clear that "civilians and ordinary people were targeted." He added that Harry's story was a part of the "many war crimes of the 20 years of Western military presence" in their country but was not the "whole picture of the crimes committed by them."

Haqqani accused the duke of committing "war crimes," noting that the royal killed "humans" and not "chess pieces."

He was referring to Harry's description of eliminating people like "chess pieces taken off the board." Harry also described the people as "enemy combatants."

Abdul Qahar Balkhi, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman, also slammed the duke's comments.

Balkhi said Prince Harry "is a microcosm of the trauma experienced by the Afghans" in the hands of internal forces who occupied Afghanistan.

READ NEXT: Prince Harry Claims Royal Family Has 'No Willingness to Reconcile' but Royal Sources Hit Back as King Charles 'Invited' Him at Christmas

Prince Harry on Killing 25 People

Another Taliban official, Suhail Shaheen, said Prince Harry "committed a crime against humanity."

He added that Harry should be questioned by the court for his crimes, adding that the people of Afghanistan "cursed" the British prince.

For his part, the prince said it was not something "that filled me with satisfaction." However, he noted that he was not "ashamed either."

Haqqani said he does not expect that the International Criminal Court will summon the prince nor the human rights activists condemn him as they are "deaf and blind for you."

Retired commanding officer former colonel Tim Collins has already scrutinized the book, saying it was a "tragic money-making scam."

Collins also accused Harry of "turning against" his military family after he "trashed his birth family."

He said the duke's revelation of killing people, like "removing chess pieces" from a board, was "not how you behave in the army," adding that it was not how they think.

Prince Harry's Memoir 'Spare'

Prince Harry has made several revelations in his book, including his first meeting with Camilla Parker Bowles, who made him feel like the spare and not the more important heir, and his deteriorating relationship with his brother, Prince William, among others.

Harry said in his memoir that he and his brother told King Charles III that they would not stand in the way if he decided to marry Camilla, now Queen Consort.

However, he and William reportedly begged Charles not to marry Camilla, who was allegedly Charles' mistress while he was married to Princess Diana.

Harry described meeting Camilla for the first time like an "injection," saying "close your eyes and you won't even feel it."

The duke said Camilla seemed "bored" when she met him for the first time, laying that down to the fact he was the spare and not a vital heir.

Prince Harry also talked about his mom's death, saying that he felt "like a politician" as he faced members of the public after Diana's death.

He also stated that he and William wanted to prompt an investigation into their mother's death but were deterred.

READ MORE: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Royal Titles Could Be 'In Danger' With New Monarch as King Charles - Royal Expert

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Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Prince Harry Killed 25 People in Afghanistan, He Claims in New Book 'Spare' - From Daily Mail




January 6, 2023 marked the second anniversary of the Capitol riot, which many remember as Donald Trump supporters invading the Capitol to keep the former president in power. However, as the anniversary rolled on, Democrats and Republicans observed it differently.

Democrats somberly commemorated the insurrection, with President Joe Biden honoring several Capitol Police officers while House and Senate Democrats held a moment of silence.

Republicans continued their disarray for a fourth straight day, arguing about why Kevin McCarthy should or should not be the House Speaker.

Biden was at the White House East Room to hand out Presidential Citizens Medals to about a dozen recipients across the country, which include local election personnel and state officials who faced fierce intimidation from Trump supporters.

In his speech, the president said that democracy was held and that "we the people did not flinch."

However, the Associated Press reported that democracy was still at stake as the House of Representatives was still at a standstill after failing again on Friday to elect a House Speaker as Republicans continued to bicker among themselves.

California Rep. Kevin McCarthy managed to flip a dozen votes back to his favor, but he failed to secure the Speaker's gavel once again, as he still fell short of the 218 needed to win. He continues negotiations with far-right Republicans.

READ NEXT: January 6 Committee Recommends Bringing Criminal Charges vs. Donald Trump; Former President Involved in Multi-Part Conspiracy

House of Representatives Hold Moment of Silence During January 6 Anniversary

The House of Representatives held a moment of silence on Friday to commemorate the events that transpired on January 6, 2021.

However, according to PBS, it was mostly attended by Democrats led by House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York and former House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California.

Jeffries, who continued to lead in votes for the House Speaker race, ended the ceremony by saying, "May God continue to bless America."

The event was attended by various leaders from the Democratic party, both past and present, and Capitol Police officers.

Joe Biden Awards Presidential Citizens Medals to January 6 Heroes, Including a Well-Known Republican

Joe Biden presented the Presidential Citizens Medals to 14 people who made an effort to "defend the integrity of our elections."

Al Jazeera reported that the award is usually given to ordinary citizens who have "performed exemplary deeds of service for their country or their fellow citizens."

It is considered the second-highest civilian award after the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Biden handed the medal to nine Capitol Police officers who defended the U.S. Capitol against the pro-Trump insurrectionists and five election workers who did not give in to Donald Trump's pressure campaign to overturn the election results.

The biggest name is perhaps former Arizona Speaker of the House Rusty Bowers, who was once one of the most powerful Republicans in Arizona.

He once revealed the former president's plot to overturn the elections and admitted that he was pressured to help, but he refused.

READ MORE: January 6: Special Counsel Jack Smith Subpoenas Local Election Officials, Investigates Donald Trump's Fake Electors Scheme

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Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: House of Representatives Holds Moment of Silence on 2nd Anniversary of January 6 Capitol Attack - From PBS NewsHour
Brian Laundrie's parents on Friday filed a motion to request evidence from Gabby Petito's parents as they prepare their defense in the civil lawsuit scheduled for trial this year.

According to The Sun, Chris and Roberta Laundrie asked for communication between Petito's parents and state and federal agencies.

The elder Laundries are seeking communication that Joe Petito and Nichole Schmidt had with state and federal agencies, including those they had with their son Brian, Gabby, or their family.

Laundrie's parents sought all phone records from Petito and her parents between July 2, 2021, to September 30, 2021.

Their request also includes any documents or communication regarding compensation or contracts related to publishing, movie, or TV rights.

Laundrie's parents reportedly filed a total of 21 requests, giving Petito's parents 30 days to submit the evidence.

A hearing about the matter has yet to be scheduled. Petito's parents filed a civil lawsuit against Laundrie's parents in Florida last March, alleging that Laundrie's parents knew their son killed Petito and were trying to help him flee.

The civil lawsuit is reportedly scheduled to go to a jury trial in August. During the pre-trial hearings last year, Judge Hunter Carroll denied Laundrie's parents' motion to dismiss the lawsuit.

The judge also denied the elder Laundries' request to limit the questions asked during depositions.

In May, Schmidt also filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Laundrie's estate. Petito's family won in the wrongful death case last November and was awarded $3 million.

However, Laundrie's estate is estimated to be about $20,000. Petito's family reportedly plans to donate whatever funds they receive to the Gabby Petito Foundation.

READ NEXT: Gabby Petito Update: Parents Suing Brian Laundrie's Dad, Mom for Helping Son Get Away

Brian Laundrie's Parents Turned on Their Lawyer Who Knows More About Gabby Petito's Death

Last month, Gabby Petito's parents filed a motion to include Brian Laundrie's family lawyer Steven Bertolino as a co-defendant in the civil suit.

Petito's parents filed the Second Amended Complaint to add Bertolino as they believed he was also aware of their daughter's death before her body was found, The Sun reported.

Petito's family lawyer Pat Reilly previously said that it is believed that by the time the attorney issued his statement on September 14, 2021, Bertolino and the Laundries knew that Petito was already dead.

Bertolino representing the elder Laundries released the following statement on September 14, 2021: "On behalf of the Laundrie family, it is our hope that the search for Miss Petito is successful and that Miss Petito is reunited with her family."

Laundrie's parents had since filed a defense against the motion to add Bertolino as a co-defendant.

In their response filed Tuesday, the elder Laundries argued that Bertolino, who acted as their son's lawyer before he died, knows more about the Gabby Petito case than his clients.

"Mr. Bertolino's knowledge is certainly far more than the Laundrie parents," they noted.

However, they claimed that the lawyer cannot disclose what he knows or why he took certain actions because even after Laundrie's death, "Bertolino still owes a duty of confidentiality" to their son.

They added that making Bertolino a co-defendant in the case would partly turn the family and their attorney against one another.

Brian Laundrie and Gabby Petito's Deaths

Gabby Petito disappeared while on a cross-country road trip with Brian Laundrie. The couple was traveling to Oregon when Petito stopped communicating with her family on August 25, 2021, when she was near Grand Teton National Park in Jackson, Wyoming.

Laundrie was named a person of interest by the North Port police after returning home to Florida on September 1 or 10 days before Petito was reported missing by her family.

By September 17, 2021, Laundrie had also gone missing, and the North Porth Police said they, along with the FBI, were searching for him and Petito.

Petito's body was found at the Spread Creek Dispersed Campground near Grand Teton National Park on September 19, 2021.

A Teton County, Wyoming coroner said she was strangled to death by a "human being," and the manner of death was a homicide.

On October 20, 2021, Laundrie's skeletal remains were discovered at the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park in Florida.

His autopsy report showed that he died of a gunshot wound to the head, and the manner of death was suicide.

Last January, the FBI revealed that Laundrie confessed to killing Petito in a message left in his notebook.

The FBI said they found the notebook, along with a "backpack" and a "revolver," upon further search of the area where Laundrie's remains were discovered.

The FBI noted that its investigation has concluded that Brian Laundrie was the only person responsible for Gabby Petito's "tragic death."

READ MORE: Here's How Idaho Murder Suspect Bryan Kohberger Was Eventually Caught for His Killings of 4 College Students

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: Laundries Send List of Requests to Gabby Petito's Parents - From WFLA News Channel 8
Laurel, MS (39440)

Today

Rain likely. Low around 55F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall may reach one inch..

Tonight

Rain likely. Low around 55F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall may reach one inch.
Santa Reindeer hospital in Kildare town has been offered a most beautiful gift to raffle in aid of the school completion programme.

This gift is a bespoke wooden rocking horse, built in the workshops of Midlands Prison Service.

It is an amazing piece of work that would easily command a price in excess of 2,500.

It could be a future family heirloom, or a special toy for any budding Irish jockeys.

All proceeds from the raffle will go to school completion programs. This is a great prize for a good cause.

The committee said; "Christmas is often a time that opens hearts and minds to difficult issues such as restorative justice, the importance of education in breaking cycles of poverty and deprivation which are rooted in many of the backgrounds of those that reside in prison services.

Raffle tickets can be bought on line at www.irishrockinghorse.com

Tickets are 10 and the draw will take place at the end of January.
Former Republic of Ireland international Anthony Stokes was arrested in Crumlin, Dublin on Friday morning following a dangerous driving incident and the discovery of drugs in the vehicle worth an estimated 4,500, according to the Irish Mirror.

The 34-year-old, who had a passenger in the vehicle with him, was brought to Crumlin Garda Station and charged in connection with the dangerous driving incident.

A garda spokesperson said: "Gardai arrested two men (aged in their 30s) in the early hours of Friday morning, 6th January 2023 in relation to incidents of dangerous driving in Dublin 12.

"A quantity of drugs was also recovered from the offending vehicle.

"Both men were detained in Crumlin Garda Station under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984 and have been charged in relation to this.

They have since been bailed and are due to appear before court at a later date.

The ex-Celtic, Sunderland and Arsenal forward won nine caps for the Irish national team during his career.
Chadian anthropologist Remadji Hoinathy. ARCHIVES PERSONNELLES

Remadji Hoinathy was born in 1978 in Sarh, in southern Chad. An anthropologist and former professor at the University of N'Djamena, he is now a researcher at the Dakar office of the Institute for Security Studies (ISS).

What is your first memory of contact with France?

Remadji Hoinathy My most vivid memory is of a friendship with two young teachers who were sent as volunteers to the school I attended at age 14, in 1993-1994. Charles Lwanga College was a Jesuit institution in Sarh. One taught history, geography and French; the other, mathematics. Our friendship went beyond teaching. They talked to me and my cousin about France as it really was. They came to visit us as a family. This was the first direct contact with people from France living in our conditions.

What about your first trip to France?

I had not gone directly to France, but to Germany, to register for my anthropology thesis. I stayed there for a month and, on my way back, I made a point of changing my ticket to go through Paris. This was not accidental. I wanted to see the capital so I could visit all those monuments I had heard about. But it was also because, like any young person who grew up in a French-speaking country, I had this romantic image of France. Our history and literature classes take us back to France, and even when we talk about African literature, it was in Paris where those proponents of Blackness studied and flourished. It was also an opportunity to see an aunt who lives in Argenteuil, a suburb of Paris, as well as friends.

Read more Article reserve a nos abonnes Africa's moment of reckoning with France

In Chad, perhaps a little more than elsewhere, France remains a major political player. How have you seen it evolve over time?

The further you go in life, the more you understand certain things, and the more you change your perception. At the beginning of my graduate studies, I began to see the long-standing relationship between France and Chad more clearly. It is a very tortuous relationship, with changes of direction on who to support. But it's one that has continuity  that of the defense of French interests and those who can provide that defense. It does not matter that this leads to changes in alliances. For example, France supported the regime of Francois Tombalbaye [president from 1960 to 1975] in his fight against various rebellions, before rejecting him. This is also what it did later with Hissene Habre, gradually abandoning him in favor of Idriss Deby.

"France supports a regime that pretends to be democratic, without ever achieving it," Remadji Hoinathy

From Idriss Deby onward, Frances political agenda has not changed and has focused on stability. Deaf and blind, France does not seem to understand anything here except the preservation of this stability, whatever the cost. It feels like the La Baule speech [delivered in 1990 by Francois Mitterrand as part of the 16th Conference of Heads of State of Africa and France ] on the need for African partners to become more democratic was not aimed at Chad.

President Emmanuel Macron and General Mahamat Deby at Idriss Deby's funeral in N'Djamena on April 23, 2021. ISSOUF SANOGO / AFP

Here, France supports a regime that pretends to be democratic, without ever achieving it. However, this does not exclude other forms of relations through cultural, university and academic cooperation, which is not inconsiderable. There are also the French Development Agency projects, which are important for the country. This is the paradox of such an important partner, which makes investments locally but has no clear agenda in terms of democracy and human rights.

When Emmanuel Macron went to Idriss Deby's funeral in April 2021, did you see it as a necessary mark of loyalty to an ally or as the endorsement of dynastic succession?

Symbolically, this trip was unfortunately catastrophic for France's image, especially among Chadian youth and in the eyes of a proportion of Africans. For the sake of military cooperation between the two countries, it was important for Emmanuel Macron to come to the funeral of such a close partner. It was also important to come and get a feel for the situation on the ground and to ensure that the transition would go in the direction that the Chadians wanted.

But this appearance was a failure because once again, Emmanuel Macron came to reiterate that stability will be the main agenda and that this means keeping those who had immediately come to power [after the death of Idriss Deby in combat]. Paris still feels that our country is on a collision course, that it could fall at any moment and that strong regimes and strong men are therefore needed, at the expense of strong institutions. We should go beyond this automatic perception.

Do you think that after the repression of October 20, which according to an official report left about 50 people dead, Paris had the right response?

The condemnation was not strong enough. I am not saying that France supported what happened, but in terms of communication, once again it missed the point. When I say "condemned," I am not necessarily pointing the finger at anyone, because there were significant mistakes by law enforcement and, to a certain extent, by the demonstrators. But the statements were not commensurate with what happened and did not sufficiently emphasize the need for the parties to calm the situation, establish responsibility and return to the negotiating table.

Read more Article reserve a nos abonnes France forced into redefining military presence in Africa

Does it seem to you that France's policy in Chad, and more broadly on the continent, is now trapped by its fear of losing its zones of influence?

In Chad, Paris is not defending economic interests, but geostrategic ones. This rationale is reinforced by the fact that the shadow of Russia is everywhere in Africa. In Chad, it is at the southern gate, in the Central African Republic. The consequence is that this reinforces the more or less blind support for regimes that have understood that it is useful to have jokers in their game. Today, that joker is the threat of turning to the Russians. This brings us back to some of the practices of the Cold War: Back me up or I'll switch sides. Unfortunately, I get the feeling France is overly sensitive to this threat.

How would you like to see French policy toward Chad evolve in 2023?

I would say an effort to refocus on democracy and human rights issues. Supporting stability from a purely military and security point of view, undertaking development projects in areas of agriculture and health and supporting higher education are not enough to get a country out of a rut. Nor are they enough to promote an image of France as a country of human rights if it is unable to see how democracy works among its partners. What is really needed is a shift that allows France to be not only a friend of the regimes that succeed one another in Chad but also a friend of Chadians as a nation.

Cyril Bensimon Translation of an original article published in French on lemonde.fr; the publisher may only be liable for the French version.
FeatureOn the Baltic Sea coast, the village is the endpoint for the Nord Stream pipelines through which Germany can tap into cheap Russian gas. But since the war in Ukraine, the tap has been turned off.

Usually, the Baltic Sea is calm. Along the four kilometers of snow-covered beach that form the coastline of Lubmin, in northeast Germany, there's nothing to suggest the presence of the famous Nord Stream pipelines. However, from this town of 2,100 inhabitants in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, in the former GDR, the underwater infrastructure that connects St. Petersburg, Russia, to the European continent has been providing cheap gas to all of Germany since 2012. In September 2022, a mysterious explosion damaged those facilities and buried this partnership, which had already been called into question by the invasion of Ukraine on February 24. Since then, the price of gas has almost tripled in the region.

Since the beginning of the war, Lubmin has become famous worldwide. 'Even President Joe Biden knows about us,' said a resident.

In the village battered by icy winds, at the entrance of the only hotel in Lubmin, the Hotel Seebrucke, 74-year-old owner Heidrun Moritz asked the question that most of the residents have been wondering about: "Why not simply reopen Nord Stream?" Wearing a flowery apron, and with her eyes fixed on the sea, she was worried about the winter. The temperatures, already negative on this December 14, are expected to continue to drop, and she doesn't know how long she'll be able to heat her 12 rooms, which she has been renting out non-stop since 1983.

The once bustling restaurant in Lubmin has become a shadow of its former self due to rising prices that have deterred customers from indulging in their favorite ice cream or fish dishes while enjoying Christmas music in the background. The owner, a biology graduate who learned Russian in school, expressed frustration at the stalled construction of the planned extension to the one-story building, which has been in progress for years. As she stands at the counter adorned with numerous owls of varying sizes, Heidrun Moritz deplored the fact that the residents of Lubmin are "all victims of geopolitics."

Heidrun Moritz, owner of the only hotel in Lubmin, on December 14 in her hotel. FLORIAN THOSS FOR 'LE MONDE'

'Energy capital'

Lubmin has become a symbol of Germany's energy dependence on Russia. The presence of Nord Stream AG in the municipality has brought in an annual income of between 1.5 and 2 million in local taxes, earning it the nickname of the "energy capital" of the country. However, journalists are now unwelcome in the peaceful and well-maintained streets of Lubmin, as many residents have grown tired of the constant questioning about energy and Nord Stream. When contacted by email, Mayor Axel Vogt declined to meet with Le Monde, stating that the villagers of Lubmin would like nothing more than to return to a state of "peace and tranquility." As a politically unaffiliated mayor responsible for the operation of the municipality's port and a strong supporter of local energy policy, Mr. Vogt's perspective on the matter carries significant weight.

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MILFORD Care Centre has confirmed details of one of its key annual fundraising events - the 10km run/walk.

The run/walk will take place at University of Limerick on Sunday, February 12 with a start time of 12 midday.

The event is supported by DELL Technologies and Stryker and is open to runners and walkers of all levels and abilities with the proceeds going directly to support the work of Milford Care Centre across the Mid-West.

Speaking at the launch, Munster Rugby and Irish Rugby International, David Kilcoyne, said: I am thrilled to be supporting and bring awareness to Milford Care Centres 10km run/walk this year. I am very proud to be associated with this event, the work carried out by Milford Care Centre in our community is extremely important and valuable to the Mid-West region. I hope you can support Milford in raising funds vital to the running of Milford Hospice."

Mary OBrien, CEO of Milford Care Centre says the run/walk is an important fundraiser for the organisation.

Milford Care Centre is grateful for the support of Dell and Stryker in helping us to make this event a success. We are delighted to be planning the 10km run/walk and look forward to participants joining us both onsite in Limerick and virtually from around Ireland and overseas," she said.

Sean OReilly, Dell Technologies Campus Leader in Limerick commented: We are delighted to continue to support Milford Care Centre annual 10km run/walk to raise vital funds for its Hospice services. Dell Technologies has a long tradition of supporting

community work locally and Milford Care Centre has long held a special place in the hearts and minds of all working at our campus in Limerick. We look forward to helping Milford raise much-needed funds to continue to provide essential palliative care for those in need within the Mid-West. Many of the employees here at Dell are looking forward to participating in the

run, please join us on the day and support Milford.

Participants who register at milfordcarecentre.ie before Sunday, January 29 can avail of the early bird rate of 20.

After that, registration will cost 25.

For more information contact the fundraising department at (061) 485860.
A NEW volunteer-based bike hub has opened in Limerick city and is benefitting refugees and asylum seekers.

The hub, located at Singland Cross, St Patricks Road, in the city is an initiative where donated bikes will be repaired, before being distributed to people across the city and county.

Among those who will benefit are newly arrived displaced persons from Ukraine and other parts of the world, including asylum seekers living in direct provision.

The Bike Hub is a collaboration between a number of stakeholders including Limerick City and County Councils Ukrainian Response Team, Doras and PAUL Partnership and is part funded by the Councils Active Travel unit.

An Garda Siochana donated the first 19 bikes which were distributed with the assistance of Limerick Civil Defence to a number of Ukrainian accommodation centres.

Mayor of the city and county of Limerick Cllr Francis Foley said: I am delighted to welcome the opening of the new Limerick Bike Hub. The Hub will help hundreds of people who have arrived in Limerick with very little. The gift of a bike will go a small way to making their new lives here that little bit easier.

The Hub is now ready to accept donations of bikes for refurbishment and distribution free of charge to refugees and asylum seekers in and around Limerick.

Sonja Reidy, of the Ukrainian Response Team at Limerick City and County Council (LCCC), said: The provision of bikes is key to unlocking opportunities for employment, education and recreation for displaced Ukrainians and other refugees in temporary accommodation in and around Limerick.
A man who police allege went on the run after a bomb attack in Northern Ireland more than 30 years ago has appeared in court charged with causing the explosion.

Eamonn Christopher OBoyle, 53, faces two charges in connection with the blast that badly damaged a garage in Randalstown, Co Antrim, in November 1990.

The builder and property developer, who lives in Derrybeg, Gweedore, Co Donegal, was arrested when he arrived on a flight at Belfast International Airport earlier in the week.

OBoyle was charged by detectives from the Police Service of Northern Irelands Legacy Investigation Branch with causing the explosion at Frenchs garage in New Street, Randalstown, at around 10.45pm on November 25 1990, and possessing explosives with intent to endanger life.

He appeared on Saturday morning before District Judge Nigel Broderick by videolink from a police custody suite in Belfast.

OBoyle spoke briefly at the remand hearing at Antrim Magistrates Court, sitting in Ballymena, to confirm he understood the charges against him.

A PSNI detective chief inspector told the court he could connect OBoyle to the counts.

The officer said security forces stopped the accused at a checkpoint driving at speed away from the location of the bomb around 40 minutes before the explosion.

The court heard the passenger in the car was arrested the following day and went on to plead guilty to involvement in the bombing. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison.

The detective told the judge the two men were later observed by Ulster Defence Regiment soldiers at the back of a hotel in nearby Toomebridge 15 minutes after the bomb blast.

He said OBoyle was seen exchanging clothes with another man.

The officer said when police visited OBoyles home the following day he appeared to have fled.

Efforts were made to locate Mr OBoyle at his home address on 26 November, he told the court.

He was not present and is believed to have gone on the run from that address at that time.

The detective said the accuseds Volkswagen was seized on November 26 and forensic tests identified traces of explosives on the front passenger seat and on a polythene sheet in the footwell on the front passenger side.

He said OBoyle was interviewed under caution by the Garda in the Republic of Ireland in January 1994 but made no comment to questions put to him.

A prosecution lawyer told the court there was sufficient circumstantial evidence to support a prima facie case against OBoyle

Its a circumstantial case made up of several strands of which the forensic evidence is one, he said.

The accuseds solicitor Peter Corrigan, from Belfast-based solicitors firm Phoenix Law, challenged the connection with the case, claiming there were several deficiencies with the evidence.

He said there was an equal chance that contamination had resulted in traces of explosives being detected during the forensic examination of the car.

The solicitor also questioned how the forensic evidence had been stored in the years since it was taken.

Theres been no care taken in relation to the integrity of the exhibit, he said.

Mr Corrigan said the quantity of explosive traces found in the car was not known.

We do not know how many particles there were and equally we dont know how those particles were deposited, he said.

The lawyer also said there was no evidence linking the explosive traces to the bomb itself.

He insisted the case should be discontinued.

Judge Broderick noted that prosecutors did not have to prove the case beyond reasonable doubt at this stage of the court proceedings, and only had to establish prima facie evidence to connect the accused to the charges.

He said he was satisfied that sufficient evidence had been presented to connect OBoyle to the counts.

He granted bail on terms agreed by the defence and prosecution.

OBoyle was required to provide his own bail of 950 and a further cash surety of 5,000.

He was ordered to surrender all travel documents and must reside at his address in Gweedore while on bail. The judge told him he also has to sign on at Gweedore Garda station twice a week.

The case was listed again for January 24. OBoyle was excused from attending that hearing.
Amid outrage over the Air India urination case, a Delhi court sent the accused to judicial remand for 14 days while rejecting a plea by police for his custody. The police sought his remand for three days for custodial interrogation - a move that prompted the judge to call for officials to go by the law.

What is ground for police custody? Just because there's public pressure, don't do this. Go by law. PC is not required for recording the statement of witnesses. They can be interrogated in his absence. Statements can be recorded, and there is no requirement of his PC," the court urged on Saturday afternoon.

The police had sought his remand for custodial custodial interrogation, contending that the accused was required to be identified by several cabin crew members as well as two captains and other co-passengers.

Earlier on Saturday, three Air India crew members recorded their statements before the Delhi Police in connection with the November 26 incident onboard an AI flight from New York to Delhi. Reports quoting a senior police official indicate that a total of nine Air India crew members who were on the flight have been summoned.

Shanker Mishra had allegedly urinated on a 70-year-old woman in an inebriated condition in business class of the Air India flight towards the end of last year. The police launched a manhunt to nab him earlier this week, even issuing a look out notice on Thursday. Mishra was arrested by the Delhi Police today from Bengaluru and brought to the national capital.

As the case continues to remain under the spotlight, Air India has issued show cause notices to four of its cabin crew and one pilot and de-rostered them pending investigations.

The aviation company has also imposed a 30-day travel ban against the accused and launched an internal investigation. Meanwhile, his employer - US-based financial services company Wells Fargo - terminated Mishra's role as a senior executive.

(With inputs from agencies)
As China reopens its borders for the first time in around three years, other nations have sounded the alarm. Anticipating a slew of travellers, Thailand is now bringing back COVID-19 restrictions for foreigners. According to reports, the country is expecting around 300,000 Chinese visitors in the first quarter of this year as the vital tourism sector continues its better-than-expected recovery.

China will end its international isolation at 12 am on Sunday, fully opening its airports and ports for travel and trade. The development comes amid a massive coronavirus outbreak in the country, with experts predicting a death toll in the millions.

It is pertinent to note here that the relaxation comes a day after China began chun yun - the 40-day period of Lunar New Year travel known prior to the pandemic as the world's largest annual migration of people. This Lunar New Year public holiday (which officially runs from January 21) will be the first since 2020 without domestic travel restrictions.

What are the restrictions imposed by Thailand?

According to officials, foreigners flying into the country (adults) must now show proof of at least two vaccinations, or have recovered from the virus since July. Unvaccinated visitors will need a medical report justifying their lack of inoculations. The rules apply until the end of January.

Visitors from countries that require COVID-19 tests for arrivals from Thailand must have health insurance during their stay.

Airlines are required to screen visitors eligibility to enter Thailand under the new rules and people with suspected COVID-19 symptoms will be advised to get tested on arrival. Passengers transiting to other destinations are exempt.

Has India re-imposed COVID-19 curbs?

As China reopens amid a sharp uptick in COVID-19 cases, several nations including India have brought back travel restrictions. New Delhi began mandatory COVID-19 tests for fliers from China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Thailand recently.

(With inputs from agencies)
The U.S. will send $3.75 billion in military weapons and other aid to Ukraine and its neighbors on NATO's eastern flank, the White House announced Friday, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine grinds on.

The latest tranche of assistance will include for the first time Bradley armored vehicles for Ukraine. The armored carrier is used to transport troops to combat and is known as a tank-killer" because of the anti-tank missile it can fire.

The biggest U.S. assistance package to date for Kyiv includes Germany announced it would supply around 40 Marder armored personnel carriers to Ukraine in this year's first quarter.

Germany announced its intention to send the Marder APCs following a phone call between Chancellor Olaf Scholz and President Joe Biden on Thursday.

These 40 vehicles should be ready in the first quarter already so that they can be handed over to Ukraine," Scholz's spokesman, Steffen Hebestreit, told reporters in Berlin. Germany plans to train Ukrainian forces to use the vehicles, and Hebestreit said experts expect that process to take around eight weeks.

Germany has already given significant military aid, including howitzers, Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft guns and an IRIS-T surface-to-air missile system, with three more of those set to follow this year.

Scholz has long been wary of pressure to supply the Marder and other, heavier Western-made vehicles such as tanks, insisting that Germany wouldnt go it alone with such deliveries. Officials noted that other countries hadnt supplied any. But this week, France, the U.S. and Germany all announced plans to send comparable armored vehicles that fall short of tanks.

Germany last year championed deals in which eastern NATO allies sent familiar Soviet-era equipment to Ukraine, with Germany in turn supplying those countries with more modern Western-made equipment.

Hebestreit said there had been talks with the U.S. and others since mid-December on how to support Ukraine going forward. He said the possibility of supplying Soviet-produced equipment is slowly coming to an end," while the situation in Ukraine is changing with massive Russian strikes on infrastructure and fighting that could increase when the weather warms up.

Ukraine and a number of German lawmakers inside and outside Scholzs governing coalition also have called for Germany to deliver Leopard 2 battle tanks. Advocates of delivering the Leopard were cheered by the move on Marder APCs and vowed to keep pressing the point.

But Hebestreit said that battle tanks weren't an issue in Thursday's call between Scholz and Biden. He said Germany will stick to its principles of supporting Ukraine as strongly as possible, while not going it alone on weapons supplies and ensuring that NATO doesn't become a party to Russia's war in Ukraine.

Germany also said Thursday that it will follow the U.S. in supplying a Patriot air defense missile battery to Ukraine. That was at the request of the U.S. and also is expected in the first quarter, Hebestreit said.

It comes on top of Patriot systems that Germany has sent or plans to send to Slovakia and Poland.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.
During his speech to the public on the occasion of the New Year, Chinese President Xi Jinping defended his COVID-19 policy, calling it logical and well-thought-out. According to Xi, China has changed its Covid response as far as possible in light of the evolving situation by taking a targeted and science-based strategy.

Xi emphasised that authorities and members of the public, particularly those in the community and the medical profession, had bravely maintained their stances throughout. Everyone's journey had not been simple, he added, but thanks to extraordinary efforts, China had overcome incomparable difficulties and obstacles.

The sudden withdrawal of the zero-COVID policy and the government's lack of preparation, which caused a spike in COVID-19 instances in China, were not mentioned by Xi Jinping in his first public address of the new year.

Xi Jinping avoided discussing the suffering of the populace, their recent rise in rage, or how their reaction pushed the government to reverse its stance in his speech. Notably, China adopted a tight policy that included lockdowns, mass testing and travel restrictions to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Everyone is, according to Xi, clinging on with incredible tenacity, and the light of hope was right in front of us. Perseverance and unity lead to triumph, he said. In his speech, deaths brought on by coronavirus was not even mentioned once. According to the Chinese president, the country has had to deal with natural calamities including earthquakes, floods, droughts and wildfires as well as some occupational mishaps.

Following protests across China, the government changed its stance on the matter. The Chinese President added that China had moved into a new stage of the Covid response, where there are still many difficult obstacles to overcome.

The indignation that people had toward the Chinese president's Covid policy, according to Geo-Politik, had not affected him. He emphasised the value of communication and consultation in reaching consensus throughout his speech.

(With ANI inputs)
Officials with the TBI say the two men were looking for marijuana but shifted to help with the search for a missing person.
See Her Elected, the award-winning Government funded programme to support women in rural constituencies to become county councillors has gone from strength to strength with over 500 women throughout Ireland signing up for free online workshops, events and resources over the past year.

Continuing that success, See Her Elected will provide a free Introduction to Politics course beginning on Wednesday, January 11, 2023 while a new series of Foundation workshops will also take place from Monday, January 23, 2023.

Through the SHESchool model, See Her Elected provides free online community education to women in their homes, and a clear pathway for women taking them from learning about local government through every practicality of running for local office.

The first online SHESchool began in May 2020 with a total of 46 women registered. From that modest base, SHE continues to gain traction and to date has delivered training to over 800 women from every county in Ireland.

Dr Michelle Maher, Programme Manager with See Her Elected explained that the entry point for women into See Her Election is through the SHESchool Introduction to Politics which aims to inform and demystify active citizenship, local government, and the day-to-day job of being a councillor.

The responsive nature of SHESchool leads to complementary political education workshops exactly matching the gaps in knowledge women themselves identify as barriers to running. Recent examples include hearing directly from councillors on balancing family life with council work (March 2022), confidence building (May 2022), and demystifying economic concepts to better understand fiscal policy and public expenditure (April 2022).

The organisation has also published the See Her Elected Guide to Running in the 2024 Local Elections and this publication is supported by a comprehensive series of workshops.

We now have a well-defined and comprehensive SHE Pathway taking women from entry level political knowledge into laying the foundations of their candidacy, followed by building their strategies.

SHEs singular focus on local elections in rural constituencies and providing that clear pathway from entry level political knowledge to election campaign strategy sets us apart. The innovative nature of SHE was recognised by juries across Europe judging the project as the winner of the prestigious Innovation in Politics Award (Democracy category) in December 2021. This award, and the publication in November of 2021 of the See Her Elected Guide have been instrumental in expanding the reach of SHE throughout Ireland and has attracted growing international interest, said Dr Maher.

2022 has been an extremely busy year for See Her Elected as over 800 women throughout Ireland have registered for various workshops including the Introduction to Politics, Foundation and Strategy workshops. The Introduction to Politics course starting on January 11, is for anyone who wants to start to build up a bit of knowledge about what politics is and how politics works. The classes will run twice on each date in a bid to fit into day-to-day life with a morning option from 10-11.30am and an evening option from 7.30-9p.m.

The Foundation workshop beginning on January 23 is for any woman who is considering running for local election in 2024 or indeed any woman who wants to become part of a campaign team to help another woman to get elected.

This course examines key issues and building your profile; the toolbox: maps & stats (analytical work on voting patterns in your local electoral area while it also examines whether you should run for a party or Independent as well as tips for building your team.

On completion, you will be invited to join the Strategy Series which examines canvassing, campaign, and communications strategy.

In the past year, See Her Elected has also built on successful collaborations with County Councils throughout Ireland as a way of bringing women on to the SHE pathway to the 2024 local elections. Examples include work with Westmeath County Council to write A More Inclusive Politics for Westmeath publication, which was launched in June 2022 by Minister Peter Burke.

See Her Elected also worked with Clare County Council to organise their Promoting Gender Equality & Diversity in Local Government conference and design and deliver their pathway into politics from the conference with a bespoke Introduction to Politics for Women in Clare, designed using Clare specific data.

The organisation also worked with Louth County Council to deliver a seminar aimed at increasing the diversity of women in Local Government which included panel discussions with local and national politicians as well as speakers from diverse groups.

The organisation has also forged links with political parties by providing communication strategy workshops to their internal womens networks.

This acts as a gateway directly from political parties into the SHE Foundation and Strategy workshops, with significant interest already apparent from women interested in the See Her Elected Guide and joining the next series of workshops.

SHE has also collaborated with the Association of Irish Local Government (AILG) to establish a regional caucus for 13 local authorities from across the Western, Midlands and Northern regions of the county (the WoMeNs Regional Caucus). The caucus recently adopted their Programme of Work with SHE and AILG jointly providing secretariat services.

Current councillors, especially those co-opted into seats after the 2020 General Election regularly participate in SHESchool and the work with the party womens networks has grown the number of women councillors within SHESchool.

Mairead O Shea, Communications Manager with See Her Elected explained that Voter Education is also part of See Her Electeds work.

One of the Foundation Series workshops focuses on analysing voting patterns in potential candidates local electoral areas. It was apparent that there was a general lack of understanding about PRSTV and the importance of transfers to electoral success. We scripted and designed a mixed media (animation and pieces to camera) video to explain how the PRSTV voting system works and we are now in the post production stage. We anticipate the video will be an extraordinary educational resource for public awareness around voting and gender equality in political representation, said Ms OShea.

The Communications Manager also pointed out that 2022 had witnessed the commencement of a project for secondary schools whereby See Her Elected provides presentations for TY, 5th and 6th year students.

Many of these students will be 18 and eligible to vote in 2024. Encouraging them and their families to register to vote, explaining why the extensive over-representation of men and overall lack of diversity in their counties is problematic, and encouraging them to consider becoming candidates supports the core SHE work programme.

"In the summer term, 2022 we visited five secondary schools and subsequent strong local media coverage has added to SHEs rural reach, said Ms OShea.

Anyone interested in joining the Introduction to Politics Course on January 11 or the Foundation workshops beginning on January 23 is asked to email info@seeherelected.ie or ring 086 0320455 to register their interest.



SHE is a joint initiative between 50:50 Northwest and Longford Womens Link. The project is funded by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
Food, Wine, & Dining

By Ls Cohen Published: January 07 2023

Reviewers are raving about the menu and service.

A sushi joint opened in Plainview last fall and replaced Heike Sushi with new owners. Sushi joints are not hard to find on Long Island but a really good one is worth its weight in gold and reviewers are saying Kinben Sushi is one of the good ones.

Youll find all the classic sushi choices on the menu along with signature rolls like the American Dream Roll with two pieces of shrimp tempura, cucumber with pink soybean pepper topped with spicy tuna, steamed lobster, angus beef spicy yuzu mayo and black garlic ($22). Or the BBQ Squid Roll with whole pieces of barbecued squid, spicy crab meat cucumber, crunch wrapped soybean seaweed with special sauce ($22).

On Yelp, Rita C, from Brooklyn, gave them five stars.

Everyone greeted us and was super friendly, she wrote. My husband had special requests as he does not like certain fish and they were so accommodating. $75 for omakase, absolute gem. My only recommendation is to torch some toro and wagyu pieces right before serving. My wagyu was slightly drier/cold as if it was prepared some time ago, other than that, every piece was fresh and flavorful. It's rare to have good omakase on Long Island so it's definitely our new spot!

Bonnie L, from Forest Hills, agreed.

We happened to come across this newly opened Japanese restaurant in Syosset/Plainview on Yelp and had to give it a try. I am soooo glad we did, this is absolutely what I have been looking for on Long Island, she said. This place offers fish imported from Japan etc and the quality is just phenomenal. All the dishes were prepared with care as we can tell from both presentation and taste. The chef/owner Aiden was awesome and the waitresses were so friendly. It was truly a wonderful experience. I look forward to return soon, so happy to find this gem in my neighborhood.

Location: 1163 Old Country Road, Plainview, (516) 433-5333.
Crime

By Chris Boyle Published: January 06 2023

Former Shore Winds Nursing Home Employee Khadka Pradhan Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison.

New York Attorney General Letitia James has announced the sentencing of Khadka Pradhan, 52, of Rochester, for raping and sexually assaulting an 81-year-old nursing home resident suffering from dementia at the Shore Winds Nursing Home in Rochester in September 2021, where he formerly worked as a housekeeper. This morning in Monroe County Court, Judge Caroline E. Morrison sentenced Pradhan to 25 years in prison on those charges, to be served concurrently, and 20 years of post-release supervision. In November 2022, a jury convicted Pradhan of Rape in the First Degree, Criminal Sexual Act in the First Degree, and Endangering the Welfare of an Incompetent or Physically Disabled Person in the First Degree, and other lower-level offenses.

When a New Yorker enters a nursing home, they and their families expect that they will be treated with care and respect, said Attorney General James. Khadka Pradhan committed hideous, shocking crimes, violating an elderly nursing home resident who trusted she would be safe at Shore Winds Nursing Home. No time served can ease the pain forced upon one of our most vulnerable, but make no mistake, my office will always go after violent criminals and ensure they are held accountable for threatening New Yorkers safety.

Attorney General James would like to thank the Rochester Police Department, the Monroe County District Attorneys Office, and the Monroe County Crime Laboratory for their valuable assistance in this investigation, and the New York State Department of Health for promptly referring this matter to the Office of the Attorney General (OAG).

This matter was investigated by OAG's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU). MFCU Detective Stacey DiSanto investigated the matter under the supervision of Deputy Chief, Commanding Officer William Falk.

The case was presented to the jury by Special Assistant Attorney General William T. Gargan, MFCU Rochester Regional Office Director, under the supervision of MFCU Chief of Criminal Investigations Thomas OHanlon. Senior Auditor-Investigator Kaitlynn Arias and MFCU Electronic Investigative Support Systems Analyst Randall Kent provided support to the trial team. MFCU is led by Director Amy Held and Assistant Deputy Attorney General Paul J. Mahoney. MFCU is a part of the Division for Criminal Justice, which is led by Chief Deputy Attorney General Jose Maldonado and overseen by First Deputy Attorney General Jennifer Levy.

Reporting Medicaid Provider Fraud: MFCU defends the public by addressing Medicaid provider fraud and protecting nursing home residents from abuse and neglect. If an individual believes they have information about Medicaid provider fraud or about an incident of abuse or neglect of a nursing home resident, they can file a confidential complaint online on the OAG website or by calling the MFCU hotline at (800) 771-7755. If the situation is an emergency, they should call 911.

MFCUs total funding for federal fiscal year (FY) 2023 is $65,717,936. Of that total, 75 percent, or $49,288,452, is awarded under a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The remaining 25 percent, totaling $16,429,484 for FY 2023, is funded by New York state. Through MFCUs recoveries in law enforcement actions, it regularly returns more to the state than it receives in state funding.
Crime

By Chris Boyle Published: January 06 2023

Defendant Falsely Billed the Medicare Accounts of Institutionalized Patients.

On Thursday, in federal court in Central Islip, Morris Barnard, a gastroenterologist practicing in Great Neck, New York, was sentenced by United States District Judge Gary R. Brown to 30 months in prison for health care fraud. Barnard pleaded guilty to the charge in March 2022. The Court also ordered over $1.4 million in restitution to Medicare.

Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York and Michael J. Driscoll, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI) and Susan A. Frisco , Acting Special Agent-in-Charge, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), announced the sentence.

Today, Dr. Barnard learned the consequences for his greed-driven scheme in which he took advantage of patients who are disabled and living in residential group homes by falsely billing Medicare for medical procedures on them that he never actually performed, stated United States Attorney Peace. The defendant was not entitled to one penny of the $1.4 million in precious public health care funds that he pocketed and will now have to pay back as part of his sentence.

As the defendant learned today, defrauding Medicare does not pay - it has consequences. The FBI is committed to eradicating all fraud and schemes that abuse government-sponsored health care programs, stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Driscoll.

Health care professionals who fraudulently bill Medicare for services never actually provided divert taxpayer funding meant to pay for medically necessary services for people enrolled in Medicare, stated Acting Special Agent in Charge Susan A. Frisco of HHS-OIG. OIG will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to protect the integrity of federal health care programs.

From October 2015 through February 2020, the defendant submitted over $3 million in billings to Medicare for colonoscopy and gastroenterological procedures that were not performed. Most of these billings indicated that the services were rendered to disabled beneficiaries, who were living in residential group homes. Medicare reimbursed approximately $1.4 million of these false claims, none of which the defendant was entitled to receive.
More new details about Prince Harry's 'Spare' memoir that is coming out on January 10 have been shared after a massive leak. There is so much people will continue talking about for years after it comes out but the leaks we already have are quite interesting. From the fights Prince Harry had with Prince William, to the prince's torture of watching Meghan Markle's sex scenes in 'Suits'. The list keeps on growing and more fun details keep coming out about his life. One incident involved the Royal wedding between Prince William and Princess Kate.

During 2011, Prince Harry went on a long trip to North Pole where he walked an impressive 200 miles in the Arctic. This inevitably resulted in many of his extremities suffering from serious frost bite complications. His hands and feet took a while to recover but the prince revealed his penais was the most affected. Although he calls it something different, Prince Harry called it his 'todger'. Such a British slang word that Americans wouldn't understand if they wanted.

Prince Harry defends making public allegations against his family

King Charles III was worried about Prince Harry's 'todger'

In the memoir, Prince Harry described the situation and revealed that King Charles III was very inquisitive about the frostbitten body part. Eventually, the Prince attended his brother's wedding while still in serious pain. This is what Prince Harry wrote in his memoir: "Pa was very interested, and sympathetic about the discomfort of my frost nipped ears and cheeks. While the ears and cheeks were already healing, the todger wasn't. It was becoming more of an issue by the day."

Considering how many different parts of this memoir are already out, it should be interesting to see which parts will remain a secret until January 10. We are struggling to determine which of all the disclosed secrets is the funniest and most outrageous. Prince Harry truly didn't pull any punches, he is letting the entire world know intimate details about his past life inside the Royal Family.
Prince William is reportedly angry and saddened about the many allegations that have emerged from his brother, Prince Harry's memoir: "Spare".

Page Six is reporting that Royal expert, Katie Nicholls has sources that Prince William is privately seething and devastated by what Harry has done, therefore he cannot just forgive his brother for the things he has written.

What did Prince Harry write in his memoirs?

According to several reports that have surfaced, Prince Harry wrote about how his brother physically attacked him when they both were quarreling over Meghan Markle, Harry's wife.

"It all happened so fast. So very fast. He grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and he knocked me to the floor," the youngest wrote.

Prince Harry then went on to continue and even claim that the attack left him with a visible back injury.

"I landed on the dog's bowl, which cracked under my back, the pieces cutting into me. I lay there for a moment, dazed, then got to my feet and told him to get out."

Royal Family wasn't ready for Prince Harry's revelations

Katie Nicholls says that the Royal Family braced themselves for something explosive, but weren't ready for the attacks made by Harry each time a new fragment goes public.

"They've been taken aback by the level of detail and just how far Harry has gone in all of this," Nicholls explained.

She then went on to explain about how the idea that Prince Harry constantly expresses about wanting to fix things with his brother, Prince William and his father King Charles III, with the constant attacks that come their way, so Nicholls doesn't see a reconciliation on the horizon.

"It just does not appear to be the actions of a man trying to reconcile with his estranged family. It really feels like a line has been crossed."
Since the release of the Netflix miniseries 'Harry & Meghan', the focus has been on the constant testing and questioning of Meghan Markle even before she married Prince Harry, and among those questions posed to the Duchess of Sussex was the one posed to her by the late Queen Elizabeth II regarding her political affiliation and her opinion of former President Donald Trump.

At least that is what Princess Diana's youngest son reveals in his book 'Spare'. In fact, it was in one of the first meetings between the Queen and Meghan when the monarch asked him about Trump, just before the 2016 presidential election.

Harry calls it a "no-win game"

In his biography, Harry notes that he understands his grandmother's curiosity about Trump, knowing that in that year everyone was talking and wondering what was going to happen to the Republican candidate. But for the prince, it wasn't the best idea.

Prince Harry says he wants his father and brother back

In the book, Harry calls this a "no-win game", which could potentially stem from the couple discussing the political ambitions of The Apprentice alumnus. But Meghan preferred to talk about when she lived in Toronto, while working on the series 'Suits'.

"Grandma seemed pleased. 'Commonwealth. Good, good,'" Harry recalled. A few weeks ago, on 'Harry & Meghan', the prince's wife gave her version of events in one of the episodes.

"There wasn't a big moment like, 'And now you're going to meet my grandmother,'" she recalled. "I remember being in the car and Harry said, 'You know how to curtsy, don't you,' and I thought it was a joke," Markle said.

Prince Harry defends making public allegations against his family

Harry's book, titled 'Spare', will hit bookstores in the US and UK on Tuesday 10 January, and two days before that Harry's interviews for ITV and 60 Minutes will be broadcast on TV.
At least 29 people were killed in the violence that erupted on Thursday in the Mexican state of Sinaloa following the arrest of Ovidio Guzman, one of Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman's sons, and on a most-wanted list in the U.S., the government revealed on Friday.

The secretary of defense, Luis Cresencio Sandoval, pointed out that of the 29 dead, a dozen belonged to the Mexican Armed Forces and 19 to the criminal groups that generated the violent disturbances.

"Ten members of the military lost their lives in the line of duty in the interest of guaranteeing security. The Mexican state will give them funeral honors," he said at Mexican president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's daily press conference.

Sandoval celebrated that, according to current information, no civilians lost their lives. As for the number of wounded, the military official counted 35 military personnel injured by firearms, as well as damage to several land and air vehicles of the Armed Forces.

Arrest of 'El Chapo's' son results in 29 deaths

Twenty-one members of organized crime were also detained, Sandoval detailed. The operation during and after the arrest of Ovidio Guzman in the early hours of Thursday morning involved 3,586 members of the Armed Forces, who also confronted the violence unleashed in the streets of cities such as Culiacan (Sinaloa's capital), Los Mochis and Mazatlan.

Lopez Obrador emphasized that the government acted in a "responsible" manner to "take care of the civilian population, so that there would be no innocent victims". He also added that the governor of Sinaloa, Ruben Rocha, informed him that the situation in the region is returning to normal, after suffering a day of blockades, aggressions with bullets and cars set on fire.

"There are no armed groups in Sinaloa, in blockades, who are already removing since yesterday all the cars that were set on fire and that they used to block the streets, practically in the whole city (of Culiacan)", he explained.

The events in Sinaloa have aroused fear among citizens because they are reminiscent of the controversial "culiacanazo", an operation in which federal forces arrested Ovidio Guzman on October 17, 2019, but released him hours later due to violent acts by the Sinaloa Cartel.
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Polluted Air Means More Asthma Attacks for Urban Kids

Children who live in low-income urban environments in the United States are at particularly high risk for attack-prone asthma. Asthma attacks provoked by respiratory virus infections have been studied extensively, but those that occur independently of such infections have not.In the current study, researchers examined the relationship between air pollutant levels and asthma attacks occurring in the absence of a respiratory virus among 208 children ages 6 to 17 years who had attack-prone asthma and lived in low-income neighborhoods in cities.Then the researchers validated the associations they found between air pollutant levels and non-viral asthma attacks in an independent cohort of 189 children ages 6 to 20 years with persistent asthma who also lived in low-income neighborhoods in four U.S. cities.They followed the children prospectively for up to two respiratory illnesses or approximately six months, whichever came first. Each illness was classified as viral or non-viral and as involving an asthma attack or not.Then matched each illness with air quality index values and levels of individual air pollutants recorded by the Environmental Protection Agency in the relevant city on the dates surrounding the illness.They found that asthma attacks had a non-viral cause in nearly 30% of children, two to three times the proportion seen in non-urban children. These attacks were associated with locally elevated levels of fine particulate matter and ozone in outdoor air.The investigators linked changes in the expression of specific sets of genes that play a role in airway inflammation to elevated levels of these two pollutants by analyzing nasal cell samples obtained from the children during respiratory illnesses.Some of the identified gene expression patterns suggest that unique biological pathways may be involved in non-viral asthma attacks.Given the study findings, it will be important to develop and test different strategies to see if they prevent or reduce pollution-associated asthma attacks in urban children.These strategies may include treatments designed to counteract the harmful effects of elevated levels of outdoor air pollutants on airway inflammatory responses linked to non-viral asthma attacks, and devices for personalized monitoring of local outdoor air pollutant levels to inform asthma management.Source: Eurekalert
Wild giant panda rescued after entering villager's courtyard in China's Sichuan

Xinhua) 10:17, January 07, 2023

This video screenshot shows a wild giant panda walking in Xiaohe Village of Lushan County in Ya'an City, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Jan. 5, 2023.(Xinhua)

CHENGDU, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- A wild giant panda in Lushan County in Ya'an City, southwest China's Sichuan Province, has been rescued through the joint efforts of local villagers, forestry authorities, police and experts, after it was found in a villager's courtyard.

On Thursday morning, local police received a report that a giant panda had been found in a villager's courtyard in Xiaohe Village, Dachuan Township. The wild animal did not look well when discovered, laying there motionless, and it was seemingly lethargic and had a poor appetite for the meat and apples it was offered, according to witnesses.

Local police and forestry officials rushed to the site after receiving the report of the giant panda. Though no visible signs of trauma were found, local forestry workers speculated that it was likely unwell or searching for food and water, leading it to travel down the hill and into the village.

At approximately 4 p.m. Thursday, experts from the Bifengxia panda base in Ya'an, under the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, took the wild panda to the center's veterinary hospital for further observation and care.

The animal was later confirmed to be an adult male weighing approximately 58 kilograms. Experts gave the panda preliminary first-aid measures and further physical examination and medical treatment are underway.

Dachuan Township is part of the Lushan section of the giant panda national park, and several villagers have recently reported traces of wild giant pandas.

This is the third time that wild pandas were reported to have visited local villages since December 2022.

(Web editor: Xian Jiangnan, Wu Chaolan)
The Pentagon is for the first time sending Bradley Fighting Vehicles to Ukraine, as well as nearly 300 other armored vehicles as part of a new aid package that will coincide with a new training program for Kyiv's forces.

The Bradleys, as well as American-supplied Patriot surface-to-air missile systems; M113 Armored Personnel Carriers; Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles, known as MRAPs; and Humvees, are part of what defense officials said is the largest Ukraine security aid package yet, worth $2.85 billion.

Those weapons will be joined by ramped-up training for Ukrainian troops within the coming month, preparing them to take advantage of the new tools as the Russian invasion approaches its first anniversary next month.

Read Next: More Than One-Third of Tricare Patients Have Limited or No Access to a Psychiatrist, Study Finds

"We will be able to enable the Ukrainians to take advantage of this capability, and again, not just actually to employ it on the battlefield but to maintain and sustain it," Laura Cooper, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia, said during a press conference at the Pentagon on Friday.

The new combined arms and joint maneuver training is slated to begin within a couple of weeks in Germany and will train roughly a battalion of Ukrainian troops -- around 500 -- each month, Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon's top spokesman, told Military.com during a briefing to the press on Thursday.

"That is going to provide them with advanced training ... training that we had been providing before the invasion that we had to stop doing because of the invasion," Ryder said.

The Pentagon said no additional troops are expected to be deployed to Europe for the training. Before the Russian invasion last year, the U.S. provided years of training and security aid to Kyiv, including placing American troops in Ukraine, escalating in 2015 in the hopes of fending off further aggression by Moscow. U.S. trainers evacuated the country ahead of last year's Russian attack.

Cooper said the combined arms training will help the Ukrainians integrate all of their battlefield capabilities and better maneuver to push back the Russian positions in the east and the south of the country, where heavy fighting has concentrated since Russia abandoned its plans to capture the capital Kyiv.

"So that's what we're looking forward to seeing in the coming months," Cooper said.

Training of Ukrainians on the Patriot batteries, one of the U.S. military's most effective air defense systems, has yet to be worked out after a decision to send those last month, according to Ryder. On Thursday, the Pentagon was considering the possibility of training Ukrainians on the Patriot system within the U.S. or at some locations abroad, or both.

U.S. troops in Germany, as well as other ally nations, have been providing training on the various weapons systems, which have included Javelin missiles; newly unveiled Phoenix Ghost explosive drones; and the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS.

The new U.S. training will also be provided for the Bradleys. France announced Wednesday it is sending AMX-10 RC armored fighting vehicles to Ukraine, and a day later Germany said it is contributing Marder infantry fighting vehicles.

The tally of U.S. weapons sent to Ukraine is growing long, equaling a total of $22 billion worth of hardware and equipment since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion on Feb. 24, 2022.

The decision to give Bradleys to Ukraine comes as the war has turned into a brutal grind during the winter, and the Ukrainians have managed to keep the Russian forces on their heels by clawing back some territory and pulling off a missile strike on a Russian base this month that killed at least 63. Cooper said the Pentagon expects Russia to attempt to gain back territory, and the Bradleys could allow the Ukrainians to move more effectively around the battlefield when countering any offensive.

Bradleys are often used in conjunction with heavier armor, deploying in what are known as "hunter-killer" teams where the smaller, less-armored, but more mobile Bradleys reconnoiter targets then direct tanks to destroy them.

The U.S. package included 45 T-72B tanks, a Soviet main battle tank also used by the Russians, though officials did not specifically say they would be married to the accompanying Bradleys on the battlefield. The U.S. uses the M1A2 Abrams tank, a formidable piece of armor that is on the Ukrainians' shopping list.

The Bradley is not a tank, despite a common misconception based on its tracks, armor and weapon system. Military.com spoke to four senior instructors at the Army's Bradley functional courses, schools at Fort Benning, Georgia, that teach American officers and noncommissioned officers the art of Bradley fighting.

"You can see why there's a misconception, because a picture only tells you so much, but the purpose behind it changes that," 1st Sgt. Michael Waddell, the noncommissioned officer in charge of all the courses, said Friday.

That purpose, the instructors said, is to transport ground soldiers closer to the fight, provide them direct fire support once they get there, defend against tanks, and help rid the battlefield of entrenched infantry.

The vehicle is manned by a crew of three, which includes a driver, gunner and a commander. It can pack seven additional personnel -- most often infantry or cavalry scouts -- in the back, the instructors said.

"The Army needed a way to get its fighting soldiers closer to the battlefield," Sgt. 1st Class Bradley Linder, a senior instructor, said. "And they needed to have the support of a vehicle-mounted weapons system."

The platform boasts three different weapon systems, Sgt. 1st Class Daniel Goeppner, the Bradley Master Gunner senior instructor, said: a 7.62mm coaxial machine gun; a 25mm Bushmaster chain gun; and a tube-launched, optically tracked, wire-guided missile system, known as a TOW.

"So what that really allows is for you to be able to engage and defeat targets or enemy from individual personnel all the way up to tanks," Goeppner said.

But, the instructors warned that, despite the vehicle's mobility, versatility and capability, it -- specifically referencing the TOW, which can destroy an enemy vehicle nearly two and a half miles away -- has limitations.

"It is only used for us as a defensive weapon system because we must be stationary to engage with [the enemy]," Linder said, referencing the TOW's need to have an operator lock onto a target until missile impact while the vehicle is not moving. "It would not be something that I would utilize or that should be utilized as a first resort."

The war in Ukraine has proved to be an armor graveyard, where other U.S.-supplied anti-tank weapons have taken out hordes of Russian tanks.

It typically takes the Army about five weeks to train leaders how to operate, maintain and use the Bradleys -- a time frame akin to what the Ukrainians are expected to have.

American basic trainees usually get some time on the platforms in their final weeks of initial entry training as well, and when battalions get new equipment, they typically take over two months to familiarize themselves with it, the instructors said.

The Pentagon said it's sending 50 Bradleys to Ukraine, about one-third of what is typically in an American Armored Brigade Combat Team. The new aid package includes a quarter of a million rounds of 25mm ammunition for the Bushmaster and 500 TOW missiles.

Though the Bradley has been in the American arsenal for more than 40 years, if it sees direct combat against Russian troops, it could be the first for the platform in a conventional conflict since the first Gulf War.

-- Travis Tritten can be reached at travis.tritten@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @Travis_Tritten.

-- Drew F. Lawrence can be reached at drew.lawrence@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @df_lawrence.

Related: Biden Weighs Sending Bradley Fighting Vehicles to Ukraine
The U.S. Coast Guard is continuing to beef up its presence in the Pacific with an 11th vessel for the Hawaii-based District...
MANILA, Philippines (AP)  Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Saturday cut short the term of the military chief of staff he appointed five months ago and replaced him with a retiring general without explaining the surprise move.

Marcoss office announced the replacement of Lt. Gen. Bartolome Bacarro, who had received the highest military award for combat bravery. A statement late Friday that did not specify any reason for the change in military leadership. Bacarros three-year term was supposed to end in August 2025.

The appointment of military chiefs is a sensitive issue. The military has a history of restiveness, failed coup attempts, corruption scandals and has faced accusations of human rights violations. Efforts have been made for years to instill professionalism in the military and insulate it from the countrys traditionally chaotic and corruption-tainted politics.

Lt. Gen. Andres Centino, the military chief of staff who Bacarro replaced in August last year, was installed by Marcos to the top post of the 144,000-strong armed forces. Centino, who was due to retire next month, was chosen over a dozen senior generals and will have a fresh three-year term.

Asked for reaction on his removal, Bacarro told reporters without elaborating Friday night in a text message that the military would support the new chief.

National police spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo said police forces have been placed on heightened alert mainly to secure an annual religious gathering in Manila. He denied the move was linked to purported military restiveness that has been reported by social media.

A new law that took effect last year fixed the term of the military chief of staff to three years to allow a top general more time to initiate reforms and press a yearslong campaign to modernize an underfunded military confronting Muslim and communist insurgencies and increasingly aggressive actions by China in the disputed South China Sea, where the Philippines lays claim to contested islands, islets and reefs with other coastal states.

In a turnover ceremony at the main military camp in the capital on Saturday, Bacarro handed a saber symbolizing military leadership to Centino and thanked the military, his family and the president. Marcos did not attend but was represented by his close advisers, including Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin.

Bersamin stressed in a speech he was impressed by the smooth military leadership transition, which he said should be emulated by politicians to avoid disruptive post-election unrest like what has happened in America.

Continue with this tradition, where you respect each other, where you give so much consideration to the qualifications of your fellow officers in order to enable your organization  to move forward instead of looking back, Bersamin said.

Marcos, he said, had asked him and other key presidential advisers to show the highest respect to Bacarro for his battlefield exploits and hinted the general may be given another government post after the end of his military career.

In 1991, Bacarro received a medal of valor for thwarting an attack by about 150 communist guerrillas on a northern Philippine town despite his smaller force. Wounded in the thigh by rebel fire, he commandeered a dump truck and rammed a fence to allow government militiamen, who were pinned down, to escape.

His sudden removal follows a decision by the national police chief, Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr., to tender his resignation on Thursday after Marcoss interior secretary appealed to nearly 1,000 police generals and colonels to quit and allow a committee to investigate and weed out top officials involved in illegal drugs.

Azurin asked top police officials to support Interior Secretary Benhur Abaloss drastic move. But he added some generals opposed the call for them to resign within the month because they were not facing any criminal lawsuits and have not been linked to the drug trade.
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A pair of players recently designated for assignment by the Cubs have gone unclaimed on waivers. The team informed reporters (including Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune) that first baseman Alfonso Rivas and catcher P.J. Higgins each cleared.

Rivas had been placed on unconditional release waivers. Hes now officially a free agent. Designated for assignment on December 23 when the Cubs claimed Anthony Kay off waivers, Rivas will now head out in search of new opportunities. He spent three years with Chicago after being acquired from the As for Tony Kemp heading into the 2020 campaign. The left-handed hitter split the past two seasons between Chicago and Triple-A Iowa. He spent the majority of the 2021 season in Iowa, hitting .284/.405/.411 through 237 trips to the plate.

That earned the University of Arizona product an 18-game MLB look later that season. Rivas hit well in that brief audition but only managed .235/.322/.307 line with three home runs over 287 plate appearances last season. He walked at a robust 10.1% clip but didnt hit for much power and struck out in more than 30% of his trips to the plate. Defensive Runs Saved credited Rivas with plus glovework at first base, but he doesnt offer much defensive flexibility.

Higgins was placed on outright waivers and has initially been assigned to Iowa. Its the second outright of his career, though, giving him the right to refuse the assignment and test minor league free agency. The Cubs havent announced whether hell do so.

A product of Old Dominion, Higgins has appeared in the majors in each of the last two seasons. He only logged brief time in 2021 before suffering an injury that required Tommy John surgery. Higgins returned to the organization last year and appeared in almost half the teams games. He hit .229/.310/.383 in 229 trips to the plate, decent production for a catcher. The 29-year-old didnt rate well behind the plate in the eyes of public metrics, though. Those defensive concerns squeezed him off the roster when the Cubs signed Tucker Barnhart to share time with Yan Gomes and apparently dissuaded the remainder of the league from putting in a waiver claim.
The National Head Pastor of the 7th Day Pentecostal Assemblies, Elder Enoch Ofori Jnr. has stressed the need for the government to put measures in place to ensure that full justice is quickly delivered on ritual murders to deter others from committing same.

The man of God noted that apart from the delays in the justice delivery system that sometimes deny the family of the deceased proper justice, the killing of innocent people invokes curses onto the land.

The man of God made the assertion on Friday, December 30, 2022 when he addressed a large congregation at the end of year camp meeting organized by the 7th Day Pentecostal Assemblies at Feyiase in the Ashanti Region.

The program was under the theme: "I have loved thee with an Everlasting Love" quoted from the book of Jer: 31:3.

The meeting was attended by the entire 25 branch churches across the country.

The man of God observed that Jesus Christ died to save mankind from the bondage of sins because of the love He has for the world.

Elder Ofori Jnr indicated that the love upon which Christ laid his soul for the remission of sins is missing in men.

The clergy expressed regret that today people kill fellow human beings just for earthly powers, fame and riches.

Such evil-doers he reiterated most often go unpunished due to the laxity in the enforcement of the laws.

Elder Enoch Ofori cited Mankessim in the Central Region incident where a chief was alleged to have murdered a prospective nurse for ritual purposes.

According to him, such murders also provoke the spirits of the land which also leads to low yield during crop seasons and feminine.

"The land also becomes cursed and cannot produce because it is divinely disallowed to contain innocent blood," he stated. "Our lands are cursed and it is no more producing because of the alleged innocent bloodshed committed against it resulting in economic challenges."

The pastor intimated that it was against this background that he is passionately appealing to the authorities to strengthen and strictly enforce the laws to deal with murder suspects.
06.01.2023 LISTEN

A senior lecturer at the Marketing Department of Kumasi Technical University (KsTU), Dr Collins Kankam Kwarteng has described the decision by the Minister of Trade and Industry, Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen to resign from his post as apt.

"I personally believe the resignation is a win-win situation for him (Alan Kyerematen), the government and the New Patriotic Party (NPP)," he said on Kumasi-based OTEC 102.9 FM's morning show Nyansapo.

He added, "Now Mr Alan Kyerematen will have the opportunity to go down to the grassroots to lay bare his vision if elected to lead the NPP devoid of any additional responsibilities from the Ministry."

Dr Kwarteng during his submission on the show on Friday, January 6, 2023, told the programmes host, Captain Koda, Mr Alan Kyerematens decision to step down as the trade minister will help him focus more on his ambition to lead the governing NPP in 2024.

It has been confirmed that Trade and Industry Minister, Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen has submitted his resignation letter to the Presidency to enable him concentrate on his presidential ambition.

The letter according to the source was submitted on Thursday evening (January 5, 2023) to the seat of government.

The resignation letter has since generated major talking points in the country with many backing the minister for stepping down.
FAKS Investigative Services has adjudged Members of Parliament for Afram Plains North and Ayawaso West Wuogon constituencies, Betty Nana Efua Krosbi Mensah and Lydia Seyram Alhassan respectively as best Female MPs for the year 2022.

The two MPs according to the 2022 report published by the Investigative body topped the list of all 40 women lawmakers in Ghana's Parliament due to their hardwork and level of development championed in their respective constituencies for the year under review.

FAKS Investigative Services annually announces the performance of Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Regional Ministers, Members of Parliament, and Chief Executive Officers of State Owned Enterprises (SOEs).

A statement signed by CEO of FAKS Investigative Services, Fred Yaw Sarpong indicated that its survey focuses on the assessment and work done by the Ministries, agencies, opinions from the public as well as information from the Regional Coordinating Councils (RCCs).

Concerning Members of Parliament, FAKS says it's team considers development in their constituencies and works in Parliament as well.

Our team is made up of researchers, media practitioners and academia that do the assessment based on the outcome of the findings they received. The survey took place between the months of October and December, 2022 and it was the 11th Edition of FAKSs project. Respondents for the survey were civil society organizations (CSOs), teachers, students, business owners, drivers, traders, Journalists, traditional rulers and others.

About 71% of the respondents were between the ages of 18 and 53 while the remaining 29% were between the ages of 54 and 73.

The Western region recorded the highest number of respondents followed by Bono East, Greater Accra, Eastern, Ashanti, Ahafo, Western North, Central, Upper East, Upper West, Volta, Oti, Bono, North East, Northern and Savanna Regions.

In total, 4,572 respondents were recorded in 2022 as against 3,953 respondents recorded in the 2021 survey. Out of the 4,572 feedbacks received, 3,103 of the respondents, representing 67.87% were females while the remaining 1,469 representing 32.13% were males. Meanwhile, the ranking was between 50% and 100%.

It said, some of the issues and projects emanated from the assessment and respondents during the survey included the Norway court ruling in favour of Ghana, residential complex for Court of Appeal Judges in the Ashanti region, reduction in fuel and transport prices, boost to domestic tourism and investment into National Museum, Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, facelift od Cape Coast and Elimina Castles, commencement of STEM education in Ghana, 2022 WASSCE results, Boankra Inland Port project, and Takoradi Port Expansion.

Also includes development in the road sector, Sunyani and Kumasi Airport projects, establishment of two statutory funds by the Attorney General Department, innovation to boost revenue mobilization in Western region, Bono East development plan to woo investors into the region, stable power supply and others.
A former Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Hackman Owusu-Agyemang has dismissed calls for President Nana Akufo-Addo to reshuffle his appointees following the resignation of the Trade Minister, Alan Kyerematen.

The former Member of Parliament for New Juaben North said Akufo-Addo is an astute and experienced politician whose decision not to rush and reshuffle his appointees must be trusted.

Calls for President Akufo-Addo to reshuffle his appointees have resurrected after the sudden resignation of Trade and Industry Minister, Alan Kyerematen.

Some political experts have stated that Alans resignation provides the President with the right opportunity to reshuffle his Ministers and cut down the size of his government.

But Hackman Owusu-Agyemang believes such calls are unnecessary and premature.

He claims that the President must be allowed to decide when and how he wants to reshuffle his appointees.

If he believes that reshuffling is the best way to go, he will do it, on the other hand, if he believes that there is another way to handle it, he will do that. At the end of the day, we must trust the political sagacity of the president.

The president is very experienced and astute and so at all times the president will do what is necessary and what will make this party stay together, work together and win the election in 2024.

Mr. Hackman Owusu-Agyemang said this in an interview on the Pulse on Accra-based Joy TV on Friday.

-citinewsroom
Geneva, Switzerland (PANA) - The heads of many of the worlds biggest social media platforms were urged on Friday to change their business models and become more accountable in the battle against rising hate speech online
Mali's junta leader on Friday pardoned all 49 Ivorian soldiers whose arrest in July triggered a bitter diplomatic row, a government spokesman said, just a week after the courts sentenced them.

"Colonel Assimi Goita... granted a pardon with full remission of sentences to the 49 Ivorians convicted by the Malian justice system", said a statement from government spokesman Colonel Abdoulaye Maiga, the minister for territorial administration and decentralisation.

On December 30, 46 soldiers were sentenced to 20 years in prison, while three women among the original 49, who had already been freed in early September, received death sentences in absentia.

They were convicted of an "attack and conspiracy against the government" and of seeking to undermine state security, public prosecutor Ladji Sara said in a statement at the time.

The trial opened in the capital Bamako on December 29 and concluded the following day.

The court proceedings came in the run-up to a January 1 deadline set by leaders from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) for Mali to release the soldiers or face sanctions.

Mali's junta had branded the troops -- who were detained after arriving at Bamako airport on July 10 -- as mercenaries.

Ivory Coast and the United Nations say the soldiers were flown in to provide routine backup security for the German contingent of the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali.

Escalation

Relations between ECOWAS and Mali had already been strained before the arrests, since elected president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita was toppled in August 2020 by officers angered at failures to roll back a jihadist insurgency.

Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara is considered one of the most intransigent West African leaders towards Mali's putschists.

The junta has so far resisted West African pressure and sanctions and remained in power, pledging to step down in February 2024.

It indicted the 49 soldiers in mid-August and has released no information about their health or well-being since.

Junta leader Goita had said he was open to talks "in the strict respect of the sovereignty of Mali", according to a joint statement from the foreign ministers of Togo and Ivory Coast in July.

After the soldiers were arrested, the UN had acknowledged some procedural "dysfunctions" in a note addressed to the Malian government and admitted that "certain measures have not been followed".

The Ivorian presidency had also acknowledged in September "shortcomings and misunderstandings", after Mali had demanded an apology.

But the row escalated in September, when diplomatic sources in the region said Mali wanted Ivory Coast to acknowledge its responsibility and express regret for deploying the soldiers.

Bamako also wanted Ivory Coast to hand over people who had been on its territory since 2013 but who are wanted in Mali, they said.

Ivory Coast rejected both demands and was prepared for extended negotiations to free the men, the sources said.

"This hostage-taking will not be without consequences," the Ivorian president said at the time.

That led Maiga, who was then interim prime minister, to denounce a "synchronisation of actions" against Mali at the UN General Assembly on September 24.

He attacked UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres for having declared that the Ivorian soldiers were not mercenaries.

He also criticised ECOWAS leader Umaro Sissoco Embalo as well as the heads of state of Ivory Coast and Niger.

Friendship and brotherhood

An Ivorian delegation travelled to Mali for talks on the crisis before the trial opened, and the Ivorian defence ministry said it was "on the way to being resolved".

An agreement reached between Mali and Ivory Coast had left the possibility open of a presidential pardon by Goita.

"The measure of pardon taken by the President of the Transition thus reinforces the momentum created following the signing ... of the Memorandum of Understanding on the promotion of peace and the strengthening of relations of friendship, brotherhood and good neighbourliness between the Republic of Mali and the Republic of Ivory Coast", Maiga said in the statement Friday.

The Malian government thanked Togolese President Faure Gnassingbe -- who has been mediating in the row and had paid a "friendly working visit" to Bamako Wednesday -- "for his tireless efforts and constant commitment to dialogue and peace in the region".

But it denounced the "aggressive position" of ECOWAS leader Embalo.
07.01.2023 LISTEN

The chief of Kokofu Adwumaim in the Bosomtwe District of Ashanti Region, Nana Agyekum Diawuo II has described as "false and unacceptable" the notion that chiefs cannot be Christians because they occupy a special position in the society.

The chief said the chieftaincy institution was ordained by God to help maintain laws and order to benefit society at the time there were no political governments.

He mentioned some prominent Kings in the Bible notably King Ahab, King Solomon, King David among others who were celebrated for their wise rule.

Nana Diawuo II said this on Friday December 30,2022 at Feyiase when he addressed a congregation during the 2022 end of year camp meeting organized by the 7th Day Pentecostal Assembly.

The three days power-packed program under the theme: "I have loved thee with an everlasting love" quoted from the book of Jer: 31:3.

The camp meeting was attended by the 25 branch churches across the country.

The chief who described himself as a humble servant of God stressed that the role of the chieftaincy institution cannot be contrary to the teachings of the Bible and the religion.

He argued some chiefs take inspiration from the life of Christ and the Bible to effectively rule over their land.

Nana Diawuo II indicated that it will not be out of place for a chief to describe himself as a Christian, believer of Christ or servant of God.

"There is nothing wrong when a chief becomes a Christian because he occupies a stool," he stated.
While the idea of Black unity is nice, you are delusional and elementarily useless if you think the Black revolution will not involve us fighting against those treacherous Blacks of our race too.

The khopesh sword of Ra-Herukhuti, also found in the sword of Ogun, is symbolic of the need to sever the infected limb so the rest of the body can heal. Dividing ourselves from the infected toxic members of our race who are toxic to the body of our race is not "divisiveness," but medical science.

Someone asked me if it is being divisive because I said I don't advocate for other traditional African religious organizations aside from the Kushite-Kemetic school.

The reason it is not divisive is because I did not say we should divide ourselves from other African SPIRITUALITIES. If you ever read my blog, you'd see that I utilize other African spiritual philosophies regularly in my Kushite-Kemetic exposition.

What I said (READ CAREFULLY) is that we should divide from the money grubbing exploitation practices and gatekeeping of these other traditional African religions that say you have to pay priests to access the powers of orisa and claim that you must pay for expensive initiations to even know what orisa is crowned in you. Unfortunately, those are very very consistent practices of the Ifa organization and other modern presentations of traditional African religions outside of the Ancient Nile.

I would NEVER tell you to divide from the actual spiritual philosophies of other African traditions. We cannot because they are the foundation of everything in Kemet. But we must stop there and not encourage our lost people who are trying to find spirituality to join these exploitative organizations that act as gatekeepers between them and the Supreme Being.

Any religious organization (including any in traditional Africa) that claims you must go through a man and pay him for access to the deities that already live in you is an exploitative religion and I will speak out against it regardless of whether you think I'm being divisive or not.

While the romantic idea of total unity with all African no matter what they practice sounds nice, it is not realistic. There must be a division between us and all promoters of exploitation, and that includes any traditional African religion that is exploiting people and attempting to gatekeep their path to the divinities.

The truth is there are many traditional African religions that have many exploitative and even evil customs. We can't unite with them all just because they are "African" traditions. Like it or not, but slavetrading was a major African tradition for over a thousand years; it was not only free of condemnation but acceptable. Are we going to unite with religions that believe in human slavery? We must use common sense when recovering African tradition and speak out against those traditions that derived from the chaos of 1,000+ years of African-on-African betrayal.

Do NOT let your desire to unite our race become overly romantic to the point where you are uniting with the practices in our race that made us vulnerable to slavery and colonization. Use common sense. There is absolutely nothing wrong with dividing yourself from the evil traditions while you embrace the traditions that are good and beneficial. If all of African traditions were good and beneficial, we would never have become enslaved. Obviously, there were many things we were doing wrong.

My mission given me by Amen-Ra Olodumare is to divide us (yes, DIVIDE) from those corrupted traditions while we simultaneously embrace the sound traditions. The need to divide the infected limb to save the body is the nature of the world.

I will not apologize nor waver from my divine mission to sever the infected limbs of our sick people so they can become healed. Ase.
At seven feet four inches, Sulemana Abdul Samed stands taller than most buildings in Gambaga in the North East Region of Ghana.

Unfortunately, Sulemana is physically unfit. P opularly known as Awuche, which means lets go, the 29-year-olds height is one feet away from the worlds tallest man.

His gigantic stature also means he must find fitting clothing to protect him from the vagaries of the weather.

Awuche, says he is paying the price of becoming famous, in the sense that he has to be smartly dressed.

However, finding his clothes size on the open market like most men do, remains a challenge due to his height.

As such, he had to resort to Issahaku Musah, a tailor to make his preferred outfit. Mr. Musah has for the past seven years been making clothes for Sulemana.

This he said is taking a toll on his finances. He discloses that his mobile money business has collapsed.

Aside from clothing, Awuche does not have a befitting bed. His double-sized mattress and a student mattress have been combined to give him relative comfort, even that, he has to sleep in a diagonal way.

Yes, from afar, he looks tall and like a giant but a closer view of him reveals Awuche is physically unfit.

He is battling chronic wounds with a bandage tied to his left leg. There is also a visible wound on the right leg plus other health conditions.

Ordinarily, anyone in Awuches fame wouldve been excited, but he admits the thought of his health condition is draining.

Family and friends who provide support to him from time to time are appealing to the general public to assist Awuche to get medical support.

Below is the full report:


An Accra High court has placed an interlocutory injunction on the residential policy decision of the University of Ghana (UG).

This was after some frustrated students of the Commonwealth Hall of UG on Friday January 6, 2023, filed a lawsuit against the university for directing residing students to seek accommodation outside the campus.

There seems to be a perennial housing problem at UG as some freshmen always have to rent outside campus during reopening periods.

UG on October 26, 2022, asked the continuing students of the Commonwealth Hall to find accommodation outside campus.

 All continuing students of Commonwealth Hall and continuing male students of Mensah Sarbah Hall will not return to these halls, or to any of the traditional halls. They are to be randomly assigned to available rooms in any of the UGEL and private hostels.

Beginning from the 2022/2023 academic year, only L evel 100 and graduate students (Masters and PhD level) will be assigned to Mensah Sarbah and Commonwealth Halls . Subsequently, undergraduate students will vacate the halls at the end of Level 100 and may secure accommodation in the private hostels from Level 200 until completion,  UG management said.

But the court in its ruling on the matter said the status quo must be maintained as it used to be before UGs instruction on October 26, 2022.

IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that the Defendant herein is hereby restrained either by itself or its officers, assigns, privies, agents, workmen or anybody working under the Defendants instructions from going ahead to implement the decision of the Defendant, dated 26th October 2022 in respect of the residential policy decision affecting continuing students of Commonwealth Hall, University of Ghana. The status quo must be maintained, as it used to be before the 26th October 2022 decision was taken.

Read here the interlocutory injunction Below is UGs full arrangements for students residence from 2022/2023 academic year

The University Council has deliberated on re commendations from the Residence Board and the Academic Board regarding changes to student residence arrangements. These changes were requested by Council following repeated incidences of violence involving students.

Council approved the following measures to take effect from the start of the 2022/2023 academic year, which are to prevent future occurrences of violence:

All continuing students of Commonwealth Hall and continuing male students of Mensah Sarbah Hall will not return to these halls, or to any of the traditional halls. They are to be randomly assigned to available rooms in any of the UGEL and private hostels. Continuing female students of Mensah Sarbah Hall and students with special needs in both halls will not be affected by this measure.

Beginning from the 2022/2023 academic year, only L evel 100 and graduate students (Masters and PhD level) will be assigned to Mensah Sarbah and Commonwealth Halls . Subsequently, undergraduate students will vacate the halls at the end of Level 100 and may secure accommodation in the private hostels from Level 200 until completion.

Level 100 students who opt for traditional halls will be randomly assigned to the halls.

Progressively, all the traditional halls ( Mensah Sarbah, Commonwealth, Volta, Legon and Akuafo halls) will be reserved for Level 100 and graduate students only, culminating into a full in-out-out-out policy by 2025/2026.

Additionally, the University is installing CCTV cameras and Electronic Access control systems in all halls to improve upon security.

All students are to take note of these arrangements. Further details on these will be announced before the beginning of the 2022/2023 academic year.

citinewsroom
07.01.2023 LISTEN

Public basic schools and Senior High Schools across the country will reopen on Tuesday, January 10, 2023.

Senior High Schools were supposed to have reopened on Monday, January 9, 2023, but have to resume on Tuesday, due to the Constitution Day holiday.

A statement signed by the Head of Public Relations Unit of the GES, Cassandra Twum Ampofo, said, management of Ghana Education Service (GES) wishes to inform students, staff, parents and the general public that due to the Statutory Holiday on Monday, 9th January 2023, the Senior High Schools are expected to reopen on Tuesday, 10th January 2023.

The statement added, heads of basic schools are to note that the reopening date for primary and Junior High schools remains 10th January 2023. Students, staff and the general public are to take note.

Read below the GESs full statement

citinewsroom
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo

07.01.2023 LISTEN

The President of the Republic, H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has wished Ghanaians a happy Constitution Day.

Today, Saturday, January 7, Ghana is commemorating 30 years of Constitutional rule after building a democracy that is envied all around the world.

In an address to the nation, President Akufo-Addo said although this is not how everyone wants the country to be, he is confident that things will get better soon.

According to him, the best days for the country are ahead and it will surely come out of the current economic crisis.

Im confident that with the spirit of fairness, hard work and integrity, and reconciliation, the best days of mother Ghana lie ahead of us. Even though we are presently confronted with difficulties in our economic performance I do not doubt our collective resolve to walk our way out of these challenges and put our nation back on the path of progress and prosperity, H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo said.

The President further admonished the citizenry to come together and work for the evolution of a new Ghanaian civilization.

Let us, therefore, continue to work to create the platform for the evolution of a new Ghanaian civilization which will this give true meaning to the foundational values of freedom and Justice on which our nation was birthed. Long love constitution day, long love Ghanaian democracy, and long love the fourth republic, President Akufo-Addo noted.
The Ghana Police Service has announced the arrest of four suspects including an assemblyman for possessing over 104 bags of substances suspected to be narcotics.

Police intelligence operation on 5th January 2023, led to the arrest of four suspects for the unlawful possession of over 104 bags of substances suspected to be narcotics at Lolonya near Sege in the Greater Accra Region.

The four suspects, Ntow Prince, Felix Owusu, Jery Quartey and Daitey Mashack were arrested while discharging sacks of the compressed plant materials into a boat at the seaside at Sege, parts of an official release from the police said on Saturday, January 7.

According to the release, one of the suspects, Daitey Mashack who is the Assemblyman of the area attempted to bribe the officers with an amount of Twenty Thousand Ghana Cedis (GH 20,000.00).

The officers rejected the bribe and proceeded with the arrests.

Subsequently, the loaded truck with the substances has been impounded at the Tema Regional Police Headquarters together with the attempted bribe money.

The four suspects were put before the Ashaiman Circuit Court on Friday, January 6, and have all been remanded into Police custody to re-appear on January 23.
07.01.2023 LISTEN

"If now a white man would come to rent, I would charge him double," said a landlady in 2013 to my Ghanaian wife Alberta when she inspected a three-bedroom house in Greda Estate. We did not rent!

"You have cheated on me. You did not tell me that you are together with a white man," shouted a Taxi driver in 2004 at my ex-wife a Luo from Kisumu when he was supposed to take us back from the German Embassy to Nairobi City Center. We had to pay him a double fare. The uncles of her, twins, had mastered the plan to rob me of all my belongings upon my arrival, my first time ever to be in Africa, but did not succeed.

Hiding behind bushes or kiosks for taxi drivers not overcharging but letting my wife negotiate is a sad reality and norm. Not shopping at the open market is what my wife commands me to do in Africa strict on our budget is sad but in reality and the norm. In Germany, I have never seen a black man hiding behind bushes or not going to open markets where prices are equal for all.

Nick English, a Nigerian friend of mine in Bremen, Germany:" Karl, relax! When I go to my country, I will be charged double as my people can smell where I come from."

My experience is that Africans see my skin color first, assuming white people all have much money and can be treated accordingly while several white people are also poor.

White critics argue black racism against whites does not exist. Checking their background, it becomes obvious they never lived in Africa but argue from the comfort of their rocking chair in Germany. Other white critics argue there is racism against white people, but the number of incidents is so small that this cannot be the basis for claiming that there is racism in Africa against whites. Checking their background shows they have never been to Africa. At the same time, Maths should help us to understand reality: How many black people live in the world of the white man and how many white people live in the territory of the black man, and based on the figures how many incidents can occur? Do white people in Africa speak out or fear serious repercussions?

2020, Stadtteilschule Berne, Hamburg, Germany I addressed a black girl, 13 years, in Twi. She did not react. So, I said: "Me as a white man I find it always funny that I lecture people like you with your background something about your parent's country of Ghana." Later the same day I was fired had lost my teaching position. The girl had complained to the headteacher about my words and claimed I am a racist. Unlike a killer before the court, I was not given the chance to state my side of the story but got my judgment on the spot. One week passed the school called to say sorry for overreacting and asked me to come back, already too late. At the school, I lecture now in each class I see a minimum of one blackface, and we crack jokes about our racial differences. We have great fun together and they love to hear about my connection with Africa.

2016, in South Africa, brutal scenes of Xenophobia, racism against blacks by blacks hit the media houses of Africa. Nigerian President Buhari evacuated via a charted flight about 200 of his people, other Africans fled home to Ghana, Zambia, Ethiopia, Mosambik, Zimbabwe, etc.

Aminata Toure, 30 years, Minister for Social Affairs in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein is black the daughter of African Migrants. UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunack is from India. Except in South Africa is this possible in any other African country? Do Africans fear corruption and ineffective governance could be exposed from within?

The naked truth is never popular in any society but the beauty it carries is that it stands strong and forever in its time unlike the paint used to cover it up that crack when light hits it.

(sorry Prince Harry to mention that)
Hundreds of residents in Tamale in the Northern region of Ghana have joined the #fixthecountry conveners to demonstrate to demand constitutional reforms.

The protesters who are marching through the principal streets of Tamale want the 1992 Constitution reviewed.

This comes on the back of Ghanas celebration of its 30 years of constitutional rule today.

The organizers who for the past weeks have been in the region met youth groups in some communities and have been collating signatures as part of a petition demanding reforms in the Constitution.

The demonstrators were clad in red and held placards with various inscriptions.

Some of the protesters who spoke to Citi News used the occasion to call on authorities to address other pertinent concerns of Ghana.

Im here in support of all of us, because we deserve a Ghana that works for everybody, and we deserve leaders that are going to lead us into success and prosperity. And I believe that we should hold them accountable. I also believe that people should take personal responsibility for their lives so that we can all smile as a nation, one of the protesters, Ama Yankah said.

Another youth activist, Abdul Fataw, wants a new Constitution that will cater for the current and future needs of Ghanaians.

We want to sound it very hard into the hearings of the leadership of the country that, the 1992 Constitution that was created to take care of Ghanaians for a very short period needs to be reviewed. I mean the true reflection of whatever was happening then has become outmoded.

We are currently agitating that the leadership of the nation should come up with a very new Constitution that will cater for the current and future needs. Lots of injustices happening, misappropriation of resources, we, the voiceless are crying that they should come out with a new Constitution to safeguard the rights of citizens, he appealed.
A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
"I was able to come this year because there is peace," says Asme Mamo as he joins crowds of worshippers celebrating Orthodox Christmas in the historic Ethiopian town of Lalibela.

Two months after a ceasefire deal between the Ethiopian government and Tigray rebels to end two years of devastating war, Africa's largest Christian site is alive with excitement and religious fervour as the faithful flock to Lalibela for the festivities.

A white tide of tens of thousands of worshippers of all ages, draped in their immaculate "netela" (a shawl covering the head and shoulders), thronged the UNESCO World Heritage Site and its magnificent rock-hewn 12th and 13th century churches.

In recent years, the crowds were much sparser in the Amhara town, one of Ethiopia's holiest and most storied places.

Priests and pilgrims join the Orthodox Christmas celebrations in Lalibela. By Amanuel Sileshi (AFP)

Lalibela lies only 40 kilometres (25 miles) as the crow flies from Tigray, where the conflict erupted between government forces and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) in November 2020, spilling over periodically into neighbouring regions.

The town itself was at the centre of a fierce struggle between the warring sides, changing hands four times during the fighting, although the ancient churches appear to have been spared the scars of war.

Seized by Tigray rebels in an offensive in mid-2021, it was recaptured by pro-government forces on December 1, 2021, before falling back into the hands of TPLF fighters 10 days later. The rebels finally left Lalibela at the end of December that year after they announced a withdrawal to their Tigray stronghold.

A surprise peace deal was signed last November 2 in the South African capital Pretoria to silence the guns in northern Ethiopia and allow the gradual resumption of humanitarian aid and the restoration of basic services -- communications, electricity, banking, transport -- in Tigray, long cut off from the outside world.

'So many people'

"I wanted to come last year but I couldn't because of the war," says Asme, who travelled from Wolkait in western Tigray, a disputed area claimed by both the Amhara and Tigrayan ethnic groups.

A pilgrim reads the Bible during the celebrations in one of Ethiopia's holiest places. By Amanuel Sileshi (AFP)

"I didn't expect so many people to be here," says the 30-year-old science teacher of Amhara origin.

The Pretoria agreement has allowed traffic to resume in northern Ethiopia, so Asme came to Lalibela by bus with fellow pilgrims from his home village.

Others arrived on foot from surrounding villages, by car, or by plane from the capital Addis Ababa and abroad from countries such as Britain, German and the United States.

Asme described the atmosphere of the festival as "special".

"Even the greetings among each other are unique because people have missed each other. Everybody is excited about peace."

Lalibela's high priest Kengeta Belay said he was "overwhelmed" by the numbers joining the celebrations.

Pilgrims sit on trees in Lalibela as they celebrate Genna, the Ethiopian Orthodox Christmas. By Amanuel Sileshi (AFP)

"This is the benefit of peace. People are coming from all four directions to worship freely without fear of anything... My joy is boundless."

"I have been attending the festivities for over 40 years. I was born and raised here and became a priest. This year's celebration is the biggest crowd of pilgrims I've ever seen," smiled the 55-year-old clergyman, just minutes before the start of a night of candlelit ceremonies.

'Prayers for freedom'

Massed in and around Lalibela's unique complex of churches -- but also on surrounding hills and even in trees, the faithful sang, prayed, ate, slept or enjoyed long discussions with their fellow pilgrims.

Songs, psalms and ululations rang out from Saint Mary's church, the oldest of the 11 stone houses of worship and the heart of celebrations for Genna (Christmas in Amharic).

Large crowds flocked to Lalibela, a UNESCO World Heritage site. By Amanuel Sileshi (AFP)

With her eyes closed and her head bent over a prayer stick, Bethlehem said she was savouring the "peaceful and joyful atmosphere" of the festivities.

"Our country was unstable in the past few years, there was war. Thanks to God, all that has passed," said the young banker from Addis Ababa, who did not want to give her family name or age.

"Today, I witnessed that peace is worth more than anything. My prayer and my wish is that God grants freedom for my country, for myself, and for all of us."
Mr Joseph Ayikoi Otoo, a former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, says the 1992 Constitution is not to blame for corruption among the political class.

Whiles acknowledging that the Constitution required periodic reviews to improve its performance, he said the provisions of the Constitution were informed by historical events and experiences of previous governments.

Speaking on a news programme monitored by the Ghana News Agency, Mr Ayikoi Otoo kicked against calls for a total overhaul of the 1992 Constitution.

He was responding to concerns raised by some analysts that the constitutional provision, which enjoined the President to appoint more than half of his Ministers from Parliament undermined proper checks and balances and fuelled corruption.

There is a history behind the Constitution. Limann lost his budget because he did not have the numbers to support it. So there is history why the president appoints some of his ministers from Parliament.

But if after 30 years we find issues with it, then we can review it; we should not say that is the cause of corruption, Mr Ayikoi Otoo said.

He said the country must continuously work to improve the Constitution by amending portions that may appear problematic at a particular point in time.

Article 527 was an Act that was passed to amend the Constitution. So the Constitution is not rigid; it can be amended, he said.

Since 2019, every December 7 is observed as Constitution Day, a public holiday set aside to mark the coming into effect of the 1992 Constitution and the birth of the Fourth Republic.

Contributing to the discussion, Dr Amoako Baah, a Political Scientist, called for a total overhaual of the 1992 Constitution, saying: the Constution is not working and has not worked for a long time.

He said the Constituion must not be based on history but should be about principles to ensure that it served the interest of the people at all times.

You cannot write a constitution then later try to put in checks and balances; you put in the checks and balances while writing the Constitution, Dr Baah said.

Mr Martin Kpebu, a private legal practitioner, said the 1992 Constution offered so much powers to the President such that it undermined the ability of Parliament to check the activities of the Executive.

He said the remuneration arrangements for Article 71 Office Holders was unfair, adding that the independence of the Committee that determined the renumeration of such office holders was questionable.

The real problem is the disparity in salaries and not the ex-gratia they receive after every four years, Mr Kpebu said.

GNA
07.01.2023 LISTEN

Former Minister of Trade and Industry, Alan Kyerematen has spoken for the first time since tendering his resignation letter to President Nana Addo Dankwa-Akufo-Addo.

In an official statement on his Twitter page, the leading member of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) stressed that he appreciates the fact that the President accepted his letter of resignation.

He adds that he is grateful President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo gave him the opportunity to serve in his government.

I would like to thank President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for the opportunity to serve and for graciously accepting my resignation as Cabinet Minister responsible for Trade and Industry, effective 16th January, 2023, Alan Kyerematen shared.

The former Trade and Industry Ministry added, I sincerely appreciate the support from my family, colleagues, my party the NPP, the international community, and the general public during my tenure as a Minister. I will be addressing the Ghanaian people in the next few days. God bless.

Meanwhile, after accepting the resignation of Alan Kyeremateng, President Akufo-Addo has directed Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta to act as caretaker Trade and Industry Minister until a substantive appointment is made.
Media rights groups have called for South Sudanese authorities to release six journalists detained over a video reportedly showing President Salva Kiir urinating on himself.

The staff at the state-run South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation were arrested on Tuesday by agents from the National Security Service, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, citing media reports and other sources familiar with the case.

They are under investigation over footage that went viral on social media in December, according to the reports, the New York-based CPJ said in a statement issued late Friday.

A video posted on YouTube shows Kiir, dressed in his trademark black hat and a grey outfit at what is described as a road commissioning ceremony, with a wet substance staining his left trouser leg.

An official from SSBC quoted by independent station Radio Tamazuj said the outlet did not broadcast the footage.

The arrests match "a pattern of security personnel resorting to arbitrary detention whenever officials deem coverage unfavourable", said CPJ's sub-Saharan Africa representative Muthoki Mumo.

"Authorities should unconditionally release these six SSBC employees and ensure that they can work without further intimidation or threat of arrest."

The Union of Journalists of South Sudan also called for a "speedy conclusion" of the investigation into the six, who it said were suspected of "having knowledge of the release of 'a certain footage' to the public".

"If there is a prima facie case of professional misconduct or offence then let authorities expedite an administrative or legal process to address the issue in a fair, transparent (manner) and in accordance with the law," it said in a statement on Friday.

Kiir, 71, oversaw the birth of South Sudan as an independent nation after it broke free from Sudan in July 2011.

But the world's youngest country has lurched from crisis to crisis since then, enduring brutal conflict, political turmoil, natural disasters and hunger.
Special aide to former President John Dramani Mahama, Joyce Bawah Mogtari is baffled President Akufo-Addo did not assign one of the Deputy Trade and Industry Ministers to take over from Alan Kyerematen after his resignation.

On Thursday, January 5, the Trade Minister officially tendered his resignation to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

Subsequently, on Friday, January 6, the President accepted the resignation of Alan Kyerematen and thanked him for his services.

In a release from the Communications Directorate of the Jubilee House, the President named Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta as caretaker Minister of the Ministry of Trade and Industry until a substantive Minister is appointed.

Reacting to that announcement, Joyce Bawah Mogtari has shared that if Deputy Ministers cannot be trusted to get the job done when Ministers are not around then perhaps Ghana needs to scrap that office.

Why do you appoint a Deputy Minister If he or she cannot act as Minister in the absence of the substantive minister, then we must scrap the position of Deputy Minister! Thank you, she shared in a post on Twitter.

Not only Joyce Bawah Mogtari, but several others have questioned the naming of Ken Ofori-Atta as caretaker Trade Minister.

Many continue to argue that one of the Deputy Ministers who worked under Alan Kyerematen should have been given the job in an acting capacity.
Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) says it is determined to crack the whip on all companies defaulting on Value Added Tax (VAT) payments this year, 2023.

This follows distress exercises conducted during the festive season to enforce VAT compliance as part of measures to improve revenue collection for the state.

Speaking to Citi News, the Accra Central Enforcement Area Manager of the GRA, Joseph Annan, explained that so far, his outlet has visited 60 companies and about 28 out of the total number have been assessed.

According to him, the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service is currently preparing the docket to prosecute defaulters.

At the moment, those that we visited, we have done over 60, but those that we have assessed and payments have been made were in 2017 and 2018. Those are the ones the docket is being prepared on. This year, its going to be much more aggressive. Right from September till the end of December when we started, we saw some good improvements in our collection, month after month, we were achieving our monthly targets, the Accra Central Enforcement Area Manager of the GRA indicated.

Mr. Annan entreated business owners to pay their taxes on time to avoid legal issues or any form of embarrassment in the media.

I feel its embarrassing to have your business being mentioned in the media that you are a tax defaulter. To avoid this and other complications with legal issues and all that, we will advise companies to do the right thing, he urged.

By Citi Newsroom
The return to power of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is raising questions over the future of Turkish-Israeli rapprochement, given the tempestuous relations between Netanyahu and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to date.

Netanyahu's election victory  which swept him back to power as prime minister again  comes as Turkish-Israeli relations are warming.

During Netanyahu's previous rule, he and Erdogan routinely exchanged insults.

"I think there is an issue in this history between these two leaders, yes," warned Gallia Lindenstrauss, an analyst at the Institute for National Security Studies, a research organization in Tel Aviv.

"There were rhetorical battles between them," Lindenstrauss added. "Especially after the previous normalization attempt in 2018 reached a crisis point. But both leaders are very pragmatic. They both have been in power for a long time and now this pragmatism will assist them."

Congratulations

Erdogan was quick to call Netanyahu to congratulate him on his election victory in a conversation both sides said was cordial.

Mesut Casin, a presidential adviser at Istanbul's Yeditepe University, says Iran provides common ground, with Erdogan sharing Netanyahu's concerns over growing Iranian regional influence and Tehran's nuclear energy programme.

"There has been a big transformation in relations between Turkey and Israel relations," added Casin. "This is beneficial for two sides.

"Israel has a big headache with Iran. Especially Netanyahu who is very suspicious of Iranian nuclear weapons. According to Netanyahu, they are almost ready to have nuclear forces. Also, this is against the Turkish vital interest. This will be a collapse of the balance of power in the Middle East," said Casin.

With Netanyahu relying on the support of political parties that some analysts describe as having hardline policies toward the Palestinians, a potential flashpoint remains.

"There is, of course, the shadow of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I think we cannot ignore it," cautioned Lindenstauss.

"Any serious deterioration on the Israeli-Palestinian front will also affect Turkish public opinion and will also affect Erdogan and his statements towards Israel.

"And we should be cautious because this is an issue that is a point of contention between the two countries," added Lindenstrauss.

Ankara's 'change of priorities'

Tuesday's visit by Israeli's National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, accompanied by a large security detail to Jerusalem's Temple Mount, one of Islam's holiest sites, drew widespread condemnation across the Muslim world.

The Turkish foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, in a telephone conversation with his Israeli counterpart, Eli Cohen, condemned the visit.

But Erdogan, who in the past rarely missed an opportunity to attack Israel for similar actions, remained silent on the incident.

Asli Aydintasbas of the Brookings Institution in Washington suggests Ankara's priorities may have changed.

"The Palestinian issue is very much on the back burner in terms of the Turkish discussion. over the past few years.

"Over the past few years, various flare-ups on the Israeli-Palestinian front have barely made it to the news in Turkey.

"Traditionally, the Palestinian issue had been a litmus test for the relationship between Turkey and Israel. But I think now times are different. Turkey feels it needs Israel's support, that it has developed a strategic relationship with Israel.

"The truth is, the Palestinian issue is no longer as critical or important or consequential for the leadership of the Turkish government at the moment."

Regional power play

Erdogan's rapprochement with Israel is part of a broader policy of improving ties in the region.

Analysts point out that many of those country's leaders were uncomfortable with Erdogan's strong backing of the Palestinian cause. For now, Ankara's priorities appear to be focusing on cooperation with Israel from energy to defence.

"Turkey is, again, how can I say, eager to establish military cooperation together with Israel," said Casin.

"I worked with Israel in the military service. We made very good agreements between Turkey and Israel."
07.01.2023 LISTEN

The Dormaa East District Chief Executive, Emmanuel Kofi Agyeman, says he will continue to work closely with the media in his quest to galvanise and accelerate the development and growth of his district and the nation at large.

He says as the Fourth Estate of the realm, the role of the media in nation building cannot be over-emphasised and has therefore called for closer collaboration between the various public offices and the media in seeing to the education of the masses on critical government policies and programmes.

Even though a lot of our people have been to school, they still require education in some pertinent governance issues and this is one area that the media come in to break the issues down to the understanding of the ordinary person. When people are well educated and informed on governments policies and programmes, it makes governance quite easy, he stated.

Mr. Kofi Agyeman was speaking at an end-of-year get-together organised in Sunyani for the Bono Regional Press corps.

It was organised under the auspices of the DCE in appreciation of the enormous contributions of the media in projecting his district and also helping to find solutions to some of the developmental challenges in Dormaa East.

Mr. Kofi Agyeman, an Honorary Member of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), said he cherishes the role of the media in nation building and would always work closely with the media fraternity in the interest of the nation.

The Regional Chairman of GJA, Larry Paa Kwesi Moses, thanked the DCE for recognising the critical role of the media and facilitating the end-of-year get-together for his compatriots.

According to him, Mr. Kofi Agyeman is the only DCE to have been admitted into the GJA as an Honorary Member in the Associations 74 years of existence.

The GJA did not make a mistake in conferring the Honorary Membership on Hon. Kofi Agyeman, the Dormaa East DCE, and it has never happened in the annals of the Association that a DCE has been accorded this recognition by the GJA. This should tell you about the man were talking about.

Dedication to duty

Most of the media practitioners present lauded the Dormaa East DCE for openness and readily accessible by the media and the public at large as well as his untiring commitment towards his work.

He is media-friendly, hardworking, enthusiastic about his work and serves with a high sense of humility and is always ready to serve the people," one of the journalists said.

Present were Dr. Leonard Victor Amengor, a former Regional Director of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC); Mr. Charles Koomson, former Regional Manager of the Ghana News Agency (GNA), Mr. Francis Manu Gyan, formerly of the GBC as well as Kwabena Asumin Gyamfi and Albert Adoko, both retired staff of Ghana Television.
Mr Albert Quainoo, the 2022 Agona East District Best Farmer, has appealed to the government to ensure comprehensive land administration reforms to help boost agriculture in the country.

He said access to land was the biggest challenge of farmers and preventing many youths to venture into farming.

He said if access to land was not checked, it could affect the nation's food production.

Mr Quainoo, who made the appeal in an interview with the media, expressed concern about non-availability of farmlands at Agona Kwesitwikrom in the Agona District of the Central Region.

He said majority of the youth, especially the young graduates have realised that there were profits in farming, but access to land had shattered their dreams because they could not afford to pay for the cost of the land, preparation and the planting of crops.

It is extremely becoming difficult for the people to venture into agriculture because the chiefs who are the sole owners of the lands are selling all to estate developers to put up houses.

For example, at the moment, from Greater Kasoa to Winneba Junction in the Central Region, every piece of land has been sold and developed into houses. And I believe same thing is happening in other regions as well, he stated.

The Best Farmer said a comprehensive land policy would go to encourage more people to venture into agriculture to ensure the growth of the economy.

Touching on the effects of chemical application on crops and vegetables, Mr. Quainoo said it was doing more harm than good and called on farmers to switch to organic farming to avoid health complications.

Organic farming is the best way to go. These days snails and mushrooms and others are not available in the bush again due to excessive use of modern agro-chemicals in farming, he stated.

Mr. Quainoo, who is also Assembly member, and Government appointee, urged farmers to use organic fertilizers on their farms, especially those who plant vegetables and fruits to reduce side effects on the part of consumers.

He appealed to the government and other stakeholders in the agriculture sector to create enabling environment for the establishment of organic fertilizer factories in the country.

The production of organic fertilizers in Ghana could reduce importation of foreign ones while bringing down the pressure on the cedi, he said.

GNA
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has deployed forty (40) observers ahead of the January 8, 2023, Legislative Elections in Benin.

The observers were deployed today, January 6, 2023, in Cotonou, Republic of Benin to the capitals of the twelve (12) Regions of the country.

As part of the ECOWAS electoral support to Member States, H.E. Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, the President of the ECOWAS Commission, approved the deployment of forty (40) short-term election observers (STOs) to Benin to support and monitor the entire electoral process. The Observers are drawn from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of ECOWAS Member States, Electoral Commissions, the ECOWAS Council of the Wise, the ECOWAS Parliament, the ECOWAS Community Court of justice, Civil Society Organisations, the media and election experts from the region.

At the pre-deployment briefing, Amb. Amadou Diongue, the Resident Representative of the President of the ECOWAS Commission to the Republic of Benin, during his opening remarks, highlighted that the ECOWAS electoral assistance to its Member States finds its justification in ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance of 2001 and the commitment of the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government to the timely deployment of Pre-electoral and Observations Missions to Member States organising elections. Amb. Diongue assured the observers that ECOWAS takes their Mission seriously and wished them success as they depart to the field.

While thanking the Observers for their sacrifices to participate in the Mission, the Head of the ECOWAS Election Observation Mission to the Legislative Election in Benin, H.E. Raimundo Pereira, former President of the Republic of Guinea Bissau, emphasised that the presence of the observers is very significant to the electoral process. He added that their Mission in Benin is to ensure that this process is transparent, peaceful and inclusive.

In his pre-engagements consultations, President Pereira, Head of the ECOWAS Observation Mission, visited the Ministry of Interior and Security, the Constitutional Court, National Independent Electoral Commission (CENA), and the High Authority for Communication and Audiovisuals for consultations (HAAC) to assess the level of preparedness for the election.

The Head of Mission is supported by an ECOWAS technical Team led by Amb. Amadou Diongue the Resident Representative to Benin and the Director of Cabinet to the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Mr. Abdou Kolley.

ECOWAS has extended support to the democratic process in Benin and is committed to accompanying the government and the people of the Republic of Benin through the Legislative Elections.

Source: ECOWAS
January 07, 2023

Ukraine Open Thread 2023-06

Only for news & views directly related to the Ukraine conflict.

The current open thread for other issues is here.

Please stick to the topic. Contribute facts. Do not attack other commentators.

Posted by b on January 7, 2023 at 18:23 UTC | Permalink

Comments

next page 
A plan to bring back JazzFest is in the works.

Rutherford County Schools is partnering with The Fountains to try to revive the longtime Murfreesboro music festival for this spring.

Youre talking about saving JazzFest, Rutherford County Commissioner Phil Wilson said at a meeting of RCS board members, school district faculty, business leaders and county officials on Friday afternoon. This is huge.

The event was canceled last year by Main Street Murfreesboro, which cited logistical concerns over the events rapid growth.

There are going to be a lot of people, if were able to pull this off, who are going to be very, very happy, RCS board member Claire Maxwell said I got a lot of angry emails from parents, from band directors, from people who just didnt understand. This has been part of our community. When youve been there for 25 years, youre a staple to the community, and people just expect you to be here.

Wilson announced during the meeting that The Fountains owner Scott Grayby is donating the facilities, and stages and sound systems for the event.

Also attending the first meeting to discuss reviving the event were RCS Board Chair Tammy Sharp, RCS board members Maxwell and Katie Darby, RCS Fine Arts Specialist Lindsay Halford, Main Street Murfreesboro Music Committee Chair Karl Wingruber, Wilson and Grayby. The group is aiming for either a Saturday, May 6-Sunday, May 7 date for the two-day event or Sunday, May 7-Monday, May 8.

Time is the element here with middle school, high school and professional musicians, Wingruber said.

Wingruber said that traditionally middle school bands get 20 minutes to perform. High school bands get 30 minutes to perform and headlining professional acts get a full hour to perform.

Sharp agreed that JazzFest is integral for RCS jazz students.

Its so important for our students to be able to show their talent and continue the tradition, Sharp said.

The group tentatively plans to charge $10 per car for parking, plus accept donations for attendance and secure sponsorships for the event.

This is a very giving community, said Maxwell. If they know that theres a need, they step up. They always do.

The group has planned a meeting to select a JazzFest committee. It is scheduled for Monday, Jan. 16 at 2 p.m. at The Fountains, 1500 Medical Center Parkway in Murfreesboro. The meeting is open to the public.
#ReceptioGate and the (absolute) state of academia The Critic (Anthony L)

Whats dangerous about the idea of beauty in architecture? openDemocracy. I am sorry, I dont get upset by Second Empire architecture even if it is often de trop.

Researchers Discover Why Roman Concrete Was So Durable MIT News

Sudden cardiac arrest is leading cause of death in young athletes CBS (Kevin W)

FDA approves Alzheimers drug shown to moderately slow cognitive decline in early stages of the disease STAT. KLG:

This quote [from the Financial Times version of the story] does not engender confidence: This treatment option is the latest therapy to target and affect the underlying disease process of Alzheimers, instead of only treating the symptoms of the disease, Billy Dunn, director of the FDAs Office of Neuroscience, said in a statement. Whether amyloid plaques (what about tau tangles?) are cause, consequence, or correlation is still an unanswered question. A monoclonal antibody that dissolves amyloid plaques in one of the mouse models does that and nothing else. That paper is perhaps 20 years old.

Intermittent fasting can boost your health, but how and when to restrict food consumption is crucial Salon. Hhhm. But probably assumes you go to bed by 11 PM.

Dark chocolate from Trader Joes, Hershey has unsafe levels of lead and cadmium, lawsuits say USA Today (EM)

#COVID-19

Climate/Environment

China?

India

Indias got the BRICS blues Indian Punchline (Kevin W)

For Indian techies, is it the end of the great American dream? Economic Times

European Disunion

Old Blighty

New Not-So-Cold War

Syraqistan

Warning shots fired as Greek, Turkish patrol boats face off Associated Press (BC)

Imperial Collapse Watch

GOP Clown Car

Democrats en deshabille

Democrats worry over potential of retirements in Senate The Hill

Pre-CPI Trading Surge Was Extremely Unusual, Analysis Shows Bloomberg (Li). Bloomberg is alleging front-running by those with access to CPI data pre-publication. Probably not the Dept. of Labor, they are perceived to run a tight shop. Most likely perp is staff at Treasury.

Our No Longer Free Press

Gunz

ChatGPT banned in NYC schools over learning impact concerns Bleeping Computer. BC:

I thought ChatGPT was only barely beginning beta. Why would it be getting implemented anywhere at this point? The tech is very impressive at seeming to be intelligent, but it also seems to have no basis for assessing the accuracy its own conclusions, which for practical use, makes it useless or dangerous.

College Student Made App That Exposes AI-Written Essays Polygon

Trouble at Tesla: the end of a golden age of growth? Financial Times

Mercedes-Benz Gets Approval To Deploy Level 3 Driving Tech In Nevada The Drive

The Bezzle

Bankruptcy Judge Says Celsius Crypto Investors Dont Own Their Accounts Gizmodo (Kevin W). This has more clear cut language, but as we indicated, the FTX terms were contradictory and amounted to the accounts being comingled funds. We warned that unless crypto exchange customers paid an upcharge for their own wallet, they should assume they were in a unregulated mutual fund. Sam Bankman-Fried wants to use Robinhood stake to pay lawyers New York Post. BC: Wowsers! LITERALLY no shame. Moi: A lawyer friend brought this up and said she couldnt believe SBFs lawyers would further run up his presumably never-to-be-paid legal bill on such a patently ridiculous argument. Mr. Bankman-Fried has not been found criminally or civilly liable for fraud, and it is improper for the FTX Debtors to ask the Court to simply assume that everything Mr. Bankman-Fried ever touched is presumptively fraudulent, the attorneys said in a filing, according to Bloomberg.

US recession alarm bells ringing far and wide Asia Times (Kevin W)

McDonalds CEO warns of possible 2023 layoffs as chain leans into fast service, innovation, and operational efficiencies Business Insider

IBM Staff Grumble Redeployment Orders Are Stealth Layoffs The Register

Class Warfare

Antidote du jour. Martha r: An actual gift a friend of mine received, occupied here by her kitten/young cat.

And a bonus:

 A massive brown bear with her cub  pic.twitter.com/QC6uQijMCP  Nature Is Lit (@NatureIs_Lit) January 6, 2023

A second bonus:

See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here.
Yves here. I hate to be a stickler, but meritocracy has always been a myth. See the 2007 Conference Board Review article Fit v. Fitness for a long form explanation. But for reasons of legitimacy as well as performance, its important to make a least a genuine attempt to operate important institutions along meritocratic lines. When I was a kid at Harvard, applicants who thought they would be legacy admissions were turned down. I cant imagine that would happen now. Harvard and many other top schools have become hedge funds with educational subsidiaries. And the fact that the top 10% have become very successful as making sure no one outside their class is welcome, even in entry level roles, is painfully obvious.

I find it hard to get exercised about the idea that Hollywood is not meritocratic, given the long history of the casting couch and many famous examples of children who grew up in or very adjacent to the business doing well.and almost certainly better than they might have otherwise. Liza Minnelli. Nicolas Cage. Jane Fonda. I dont see Hollywood as having those pretenses. Elite schools, which are an entry ticket to the power centers of America, are a different matter.

By Sonali Kolhatkar, an award-winning multimedia journalist. She is the founder, host, and executive producer of Rising Up With Sonali, a weekly television and radio show that airs on Free Speech TV and Pacifica stations. Her forthcoming book is Rising Up: The Power of Narrative in Pursuing Racial Justice (City Lights Books, 2023). She is a writing fellow for the Economy for All project at the Independent Media Institute and the racial justice and civil liberties editor at Yes! Magazine. She serves as the co-director of the nonprofit solidarity organization the Afghan Womens Mission and is a co-author of Bleeding Afghanistan. She also sits on the board of directors of Justice Action Center, an immigrant rights organization. Produced by Economy for All, a project of the Independent Media Institute

There is a common feeling that many of us have experienced in professional or academic environments, especially when we struggle against gender or racial bias. Its called imposter syndromethe feeling that one doesnt deserve ones position and that others will discover this lack of competence at any moment. I felt this way as a female graduate student in a science field in the 1990s. I felt it as a young journalist of color in a white-dominated industry.

The rich and the elite among us appear to feel the oppositethat they are deserving of unearned privilege. A recent series of stories in New York Magazine headlined The Year of the Nepo Baby has struck a chord among those who are being outed for having benefited from insider status. Nepo babies are the children of the rich and famous, the ones who are borne of naked nepotism and whose ubiquity exposes the myth of American meritocracy. Nepo babies can be found everywhere there is power.

The New York Magazine stories have predictably generated defensive responses from nepo babies. Jamie Lee Curtis, actor and daughter of famed Hollywood stars Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis, wrote a lengthy post on Instagram defending her status. Although she admitted that she benefitted from her parents fameI have navigated 44 years with the advantages my associated and reflected fame brought me, I dont pretend there arent anyshe also clapped back at critics, saying she was tired of assumptions that a nepo baby like her would somehow have no talent whatsoever. Curtis went further in claiming that the current focus on people like her was designed to try to diminish and denigrate and hurt.

Curtis is clearly a talented actor, of that there is no doubt. But, in defending her privilege from critique, she reveals just how deserving she considers herself. It is the converse of imposter syndromethe insider syndrome.

The act of calling out nepotism doesnt necessarily imply that nepo babies are not talented. (Nepo babies are sometimes talentedand sometimes not.) It means pointing out that some talented people are able to benefit from family connections and fame that other equally talented people are not able to.

The critique is intended to call out elitism, not diminish, denigrate or hurt, as Curtis accuses journalists of doing. Journalism that exposes power and its corruptive influence among elites punches up, not down. Curtis is hardly a disadvantaged person whose well-being will suffer from such coverage. Rather, stories pointing out her parental advantages could potentially help to even the playing field so that it is unacceptable in the future to consider family connections in film and TV auditions.

Recall the college admissions scandal of 2019 when it was revealedagain through good journalismthat wealthy parents like TV star Lori Loughlin used all the power and money at their disposal to bend the rules of elite school admissions for their children. Many of those children may well have deserved to get into the schools they attended. But, in the face of stiff competition, untold numbers of equally deserving youth who did not have powerful and wealthy parents willing to break rules were not admitted. Now, many of those same nepo babies parents who were tried and convicted are using their money and connections to win shortened prison sentences.

But Hollywood celebrities, however much they enjoy prestige and privilege, are an easy target. Nepotism is rife in all the halls of powerin the world of art, sports, and even journalism, and especially in corporate and political circles.

Billionaires (especially those in tech) may propagate the myth of the merit-based American dream, but some of the most dramatic success stories began with a parent using their wealth or connections to give their child the upper hand. Take Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, who became one of the worlds wealthiest people in his 30s. Gatess early success was largely due to the well-documented connections that his parents flexed on his behalf to get his fledgling company off the ground. Other tech nepo babies include Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, whose father loaned him $100,000 to start his company, and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, whose parents were early investors in his online retail business to the tune of nearly $250,000.

Nepotism is part of the fabric of capitalism. For centuries, unfair advantages were available to those who have historically faced fewer hurdles, through the sheer luck of being born into a family with wealth, connections, or respect within their field. Indeed, in order to beat back the imposter syndrome, many advise channeling the unearned confidence of a mediocre straight white man.

Our economy is rigged to encourage nepotism by ensuring that the already wealthy pass their wealthand by extension the power that their money buysto their children. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) pointed out how the tax code is written in order to benefit the moneyed classes. According to a CBPP report, High-income, and especially high-wealth, filers enjoy a number of generous tax benefits that can dramatically lower their tax bills.

Nepo babies who defend their status reinforce the notion that wealth, fame, and privilege equal brilliance, talent, and genius. The reality is that the privileged among us simply have the means to cheat. The rest of us are sold the lie that working hard will bring rewardsrather than unearned wealth.

This, in turn, encourages cheating among those who cannot rely on nepotism to gain power. One well-known example of the fake-it-till-you-make-it approach is Anna Sorokin, a woman whose fabricated lies about wealth and power landed her in prison and made her the focus of a Netflix show. Sorokin faked being a nepo babya German heiressin order to live a lavish lifestyle. Sorokin learned that to gain the edge that moneyed elites have, one must internalize the insider syndrome.

Republican Congressman George Santos, who was recently exposed as a fraud for lying about his work experience, wealth, and even ethnicity, is another prime example. His political party has made a habit of encouraging (real or fake) nepo babies like Donald Trump, who openly admitted to tax avoidance in a debate and whose company was convicted of criminal tax fraud.

The GOP has for years led the charge to protect the interests of the wealthy while insisting on means testingand drug testing for the rest of us to receive benefits.

In truth, the emperor has no clothes. The meritocracy of American capitalism is a myth built on smoke and mirrors, on lies and false confidence. The current long-overdue conversation around nepo babies may help to further class consciousness among Americans who may see a bit more clearly now just how scantily clad the emperor really is.
(Natural News) Home-goods giant Bed Bath & Beyond announced Thursday, Jan. 5, it may need to file for bankruptcy. The domestic merchandise company released a statement saying it has substantial doubt about its ability to continue.

For the third quarter of fiscal 2022, the Company expects to report net sales of approximately $1.259 billion compared to $1.878 billion in the year-ago period, reflecting lower customer traffic and reduced levels of inventory availability, among other factors, the statement included.

Sue Gove, president and CEO of Bed Bath & Beyond, said the firm is considering all strategic alternatives, including restructuring and refinancing its debt, seeking additional debt or equity capital, reducing or delaying the companys business activities and strategic initiatives, selling assets and filing for bankruptcy.

We have a clear vision for the future of the company. Todays announcement underscores the importance of having initiated a turnaround at the start of the third quarter and why we strengthened our leadership team to execute each step with precision, Gove said in the statement.

But despite more productive merchandise plans and improved execution, she said the financial performance was negatively impacted by inventory constraints as they partnered with suppliers to navigate both micro- and macro-economic challenges.

We continue to manage our financial position amidst a changing landscape and work with expert advisors as we consider all paths and strategic alternatives to accomplish our short- and long-term goals. We look forward to providing an update on these fronts on our formal third quarter earnings call next week, Gove said.

The retail giant already shut down 37 stores in New York, California, Florida, Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Idaho, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, Michigan, New Jersey and Minnesota. Bed Bath & Beyond already has a plan in place to close 200 stores over two years, remodel 450 locations and focus more on e-commerce.

Bed Bath & Beyond stock swinging wildly since start of pandemic

The Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has driven much of consumers into online shopping due to public health mandates.

Bed Bath & Beyond struggled to build a strong digital presence and become one of the worst-hit physical stores during the pandemic. But its shares began surging when retail traders plowed into heavily shorted stocks. The frenzy cooled off when stores reopened following the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions.

Activist investor Ryan Cohen of Chewy and GameStop fame sparked another rally when he bought around 10 percent stake in the company in March last year. This prompted Cohens followers on Reddit and YouTube to pump up Bed Bath and Beyonds stock.

But he suddenly sold his entire stake in August, and the stock fell 52 percent in a two-day wipeout. (Related: SHOP Bed Bath & Beyond bet on China and lost: After kicking Mike Lindells MyPillow to the curb, chain losing money and closing stores.)

Sometimes when things seem too easy, and you see a 100 percent rally for no apparent reason, thats not a sign to get in. Thats a sign to get out, said Greg Taylor, chief investment officer at Purpose Investments. Thats what the lesson should be to anyone to get out of this.

In September, the company fired a fifth of its corporate and logistics staff. Suppliers began hesitating about sending more stuff to Bed Bath, worried they wont get paid. In late summer, the company had secured financing that propelled it through the holiday shopping season. Now the retailer is trying to refinance its debts, facing waning enthusiasm from creditors.

Browse through Collapse.news for updates on companies filing for insolvency due to the failing U.S. economy.

Watch the video below that talks about Bed Bath & Beyond CFO jumping to death after stock fraud allegations.

This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Shipping rates drop 75% amid plummeting US retail demand.

Walmart, major US retailers are canceling orders as consumer demand plunges.

US retailers CANCELING orders worth billions of dollars before the holidays as consumer demand plummets.

Energy prices in Germany soar 1,000% as companies go bankrupt.

Sources include:

NPR.org

BedBathAndBeyond.GCS-web.com

Reuters.com

Bloomberg.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla has branded people who he claims spread misinformation about the safety of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines as criminals responsible for the loss of millions of lives.

The head of the New York-based vaccine manufacturer claimed there is a very small group of people that purposefully circulate misinformation on the injections. This, he added, further misleads those already hesitant about getting the shot.

Those people are criminals, Bourla told Atlantic Council CEO Frederick Kempe back in November 2021. Theyre not bad people, [but] theyre criminals because they have literally cost millions of lives.

Public health experts blame misinformation for millions of American adults refusing the COVID-19 shots, even though most of the doses have been available to most Americans and they are eligible for them.

Bourla claimed in the same interview that many peoples lives can go back to normal once the unvaccinated get injected with the COVID-19 vaccine. The only thing that stands between the new way of life and the current way of life is, frankly, hesitancy to vaccinations, he said.

As per a Kaiser Family Foundation survey, more than three-quarters of adults either believe or arent sure about at least one of eight false statements about COVID-19 or the vaccines, with unvaccinated adults and Republicans among those most likely to hold misconceptions.

Bourla a no-show again at EU COVID-19 panel

The Greek-born Bourla declined to testify before the European Parliaments Special Committee on the COVID-19 Pandemic for the second time. (Related: Pfizer CEO backs out of testifying at EU Parliament after reports of backdoor dealings with European Commission president.)

A Dec. 2 letter from the Pfizer CEO seen by POLITICO stated: Since the October COVID hearing, we have no further information to share with the committee, so [we] respectfully decline the invitation to again revisit these issues. Bourla earlier pulled out of a planned testimony before the committee in October 2022, which would involve tough questions from lawmakers about how secretive vaccine deals were struck.

The Pfizer CEOs decision to not show up followed an audit report into the European Unions vaccine procurement strategy. Following the report, new questions were raised about the multibillion-euro vaccine contract inked by Bourla and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The drug executive testing positive for COVID-19 a second time, despite being fully vaccinated and boosted, also played a factor in his refusal to testify.

Pfizer International Development Markets President Janine Small took the stand in place of Bourla. According to the company, Small has been identified as best placed to support the committee in meeting their objectives. But the committee deemed Smalls answers as lacking, leading to a second invitation for Bourla sent Oct. 28.

Meanwhile, Pfizer confirmed in a statement to the Associated Press that Bourla is still serving as the pharmaceutical companys chairman and CEO. Recent reports alleged that Bourla is resigning from his post.

Albert Bourla continues to serve as the chairman and CEO of Pfizer. Any claims to the contrary are false. The COVID-19 vaccine continues to be safe and effective for protection against severe disease and hospitalization, the company said in an email.

BigPharmaNews.com has more news about Pfizer.

Watch Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla admit to the presence of mRNA in other vaccines, aside from those for COVID-19.

This video is from the TIME WE HAVE LEFT channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Pfizer CEO, conman Albert Bourla tests positive for covid-19 again, after being sick throughout August.

CLOWN SCIENCE: Pfizer and Moderna to self-investigate their own covid jabs for heart risks.

First RSV emergency declared as Pfizer and GSK race to get vaccines approved.

Study finds possible link between Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine and myocarditis in children.

Sources include:

CNBC.com

KFF.org

POLITICO.eu

NewsPunch.com

APNews.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) What many see as a long-awaited crackdown on cryptocurrency companies and exchanges finally appears to be in full swing after the arrest of former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried and the mega-billion-dollar collapse of his company, allegedly thanks to massive fraud and theft of investor funds.

On Thursday, New York Attorney General Letitia James became the latest official to file suit, this time against Alex Mashingsky, after alleging that the co-founder of now-bankrupt crypto-lender Celcius Network LLC defrauded investors of billions of dollars worth of digital currency.

As The Wall Street Journal reported:

The lawsuit alleges that the former chief executive made false statements to investors about the soundness of Celsiuss financial condition then concealed its dire situation when the lender lost hundreds of millions of dollars in risky investments. Mr. Mashinsky falsely claimed that Celsius was safer than a bank and only lent assets to credible entities, the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit accuses Mr. Mashinsky of violating the states Martin Act, a broad law used to combat securities and commodities fraud, and a state general business law that allows the attorney general to investigate fraud.

Alex Mashinsky lied to people about the risks of investing in Celsius, hid its deteriorating financial condition, and failed to register in New York. Mashinsky tricked hardworking people into investing their life savings into Celsius, promising big financial returns and claiming the platform was safer than a bank said James, a Democrat. Instead, Celsius collapsed and New Yorkers were left in financial ruin.

The law is clear that making false and unsubstantiated promises and misleading investors is illegal, she added.

Im suing the former CEO of cryptocurrency platform @CelsiusNetwork for defrauding investors out of billions of dollars. Alex Mashinsky lied to people about the risks of investing in Celsius, hid its deteriorating financial condition, and failed to register in New York.  NY AG James (@NewYorkStateAG) January 5, 2023

Mashinsky tricked hardworking people into investing their life savings into Celsius, promising big financial returns and claiming the platform was safer than a bank. Instead, Celsius collapsed and New Yorkers were left in financial ruin.  NY AG James (@NewYorkStateAG) January 5, 2023

Im suing to get New Yorkers their money back and ban Mashinsky from doing business in New York. We will continue to protect people from the risks of investing in cryptocurrency.  NY AG James (@NewYorkStateAG) January 5, 2023

The only difference, so far, between Mashinsky and Bankman-Fried is that the former has not had any criminal charges filed against him  yet.

A serial entrepreneur, Mr. Mashinsky launched Celsius in 2017, billing it as a safe and subversive alternative to traditional banks. Over five years, the company grew to be one of the largest crypto lenders, managing more than $20 billion in assets at its peak, the WSJ reported. The company filed for bankruptcy protection in July as the crypto market spiraled and after freezing customer withdrawals. Mr. Mashinsky resigned as Celsiuss CEO in September.

It gets worse for investors in Celsius, however. Earlier this week, a bankruptcy judge ruled that $4.2 billion in crypto deposits in the companys interest-bearing accounts belong not to the investors but the firm itself, which dealt a blow to thousands of investor customers who had been fighting to get their money back.

Celsius also revealed in a bankruptcy filing in October that it had received a federal grand jury subpoena in June. Customers have filed a proposed class-action suit against Celsius and Mr. Mashinsky, accusing the company of operating like a Ponzi scheme, the outlet reported.

It should be obvious by now that crypto, for all its initial promise as an alternative currency free from the control and reach of governments, is doomed to fail because the industry has been flooded with frauds, charlatans, and hacks who are only interested in making billions without having to actually earn them.

Sources include:

ZeroHedge.com

WSJ.com
(Natural News) Last month, Dr. Robert Honeyman lost their sister to Covid. They wrote about it on Twitter and received dozens of condolences, over 4,000 retweets and 43,000 likes.

(Article by Matthew Kupfer republished from SFStandard.com)

Exactly one month later, on Dec. 12, Honeyman wrote that another tragedy had befallen their family.

Sad to announce that my husband has entered a coma after being in hospital with Covid. The doctor is unsure if he will come out, they tweeted. This year has been the toughest of my life losing my sister to this virus. This is the first time in my life I dont see light at the end of the tunnel.

Again, the condolences and well-wishes rolled in. But there was a problem: Honeyman wasnt real.

The transgender Doctor of Sociology and Feminist studies with a keen interest in poetry who used they/them pronouns was, in fact, a stock photo described on DepositPhotos, a royalty-free image site, as Smiling happy, handsome latino man outsideheadshot portrait.

Their supposedly comatose husband, Dr. Patrick C. Honeyman, was also fake. His Twitter photo had been stolen from an insurance professional in Wayne, Indiana.

The stock photo used as Dr. Robert Honeymans avatar on Twitter. (Screenshot) The photograph used as Dr. Patrick C. Honeymans avatar on Twitter. (Screenshot)

The two fake doctors, whose accounts urged extreme caution about Covid-19, were part of a network of at least four fake accounts that touted their ties to the LGBTQ+ community, vocally advocated for mask-wearing and social distancing, and dished out criticism to those they felt were not taking the pandemic seriously.

The Honeymans could not be reached for comment, as they do not exist. At publication time, Robert Honeymans account was no longer active.

The fake doctors were uncovered by Joshua Gutterman Tranen, a self-described gay writer pursuing a masters of fine arts at Bennington College. He saw Robert Honeymans tweet about their husband being in a coma, noticed people he followed also followed them, and thought that they might be part of the LGBTQ+ academic community.

But after 10 minutes of googling, Gutterman Tranen concluded that Robert Honeymans photo was a stock image and their biography stretched boundaries of believability: an academic who left no traces on academic websites and had lost two family members to Covid in late 2022, despite masking and distancing.

The character looked like liberal Mad Libs, Gutterman Tranen said.

Im a self-identified leftist, and I understand that people have a lot of different identities, but it felt concocted in the lab about how many identities and horrible experiences can we put on one person, he said.

The Standard ran Dr. Robert Honeymans Twitter photo through a Google reverse image search and found that it was a widely available stock photo. (Screenshot)

Throughout the pandemic, Twitter has been an important, if complicated, platform. Medical experts have used it to speak directly to the public about Covid and to criticize policies that they feel dont do enough to protect people from the disease.

But Twitter has also been a site of disinformation and provocative claims that are based in fact or scientific knowledge but lack context. As the pandemic has dragged on, governments have lifted Covid restrictions, and people have shed their masks, more of the burden of charting a path in the new normal has fallen on individuals. And public-facing experts like UCSFs Bob Wachter and Monica Gandhi have become important sources of advice.

But as the iconic New Yorker cartoon states, On the internet, nobody knows youre a dogor a fake doctor, for that matter.

The Honeymans offer one of the most blatant examples of this. It is unclear who created the two doctors, but their bios and personas signpost identities meant to appeal to a certain type of Twitter denizen: liberal, pro-diversity and concerned about Covid. Or meant to provoke the opposite of that type of person.

Both doctors present themselves as members of the LGBTQ+ community. Robert displayed the trans and Ukrainian flags in their Twitter name. Patrick had a rainbow flag in his bio.

Robert wrote openly about suffering from MPX, an infectious disease that caused San Francisco to declare a state of emergency earlier this year and had largely spread among men who have sex with men. Dont believe what the media have been sharing. [] its a horrible disease that has had me bed ridden, they tweeted in July. They also claimed to have been the victim of a transphobic attack in October.

Another account associated with the group, Dr. Gerold Fischer, displayed rainbow, trans and Ukrainian flags next to his name and described himself as an ally for all in the #LGBQT+ Community. #WearAMask. Fischers account has since been taken down.

A fourth account, Dr. Steve Ste Ville, who claimed an affiliation with the University of Antwerp, described himself as an LGBTQ+ Ally and a Proud Mask Wearer.

All four doctors had a few things in common. Three had created their accounts during the pandemic. Fischers account dated to 2019, but his earliest visible tweet was from July 2022.

The doctors also frequently interacted with one another. Fischers first tweets were, in fact, a retweet, a quote tweet and a response to Robert Honeyman.

Robert Honeyman claimed that Fischer, who said he was suffering from post-Covid brain fog, was the sharpest individual they met at university. The two doctors sent greetings to each others families.

Theres this account  Dr. Robert Honeyman  who says their sister died of covid in Nov and now their husband is in a coma with covid. I cannot find any record of them anywhere, from any academic institution. On the left is a stock photo and on the right is their profile photo. pic.twitter.com/DFwxVqv9HL  joshua gutterman tranen (@jdgtranen) December 13, 2022

All four accounts urged caution about Covid. They also amplified the voices of other Twitter users calling on the public to mask, vaccinate and socially distance. At times, they criticized policies that they felt undermined pandemic safety and individuals who they believed did not take Covid seriously enough.

But as Twitter users responded to Gutterman Tranens thread on the Honeymans, they also discovered the accounts expressing views that appeared implausible.

Come on china! Stop protesting, I wish we had similar lockdown measures here, Robert Honeyman wrote in a Nov. 27 tweet.

They also claimed to have been a consultant who helped to the make the character Velma a lesbian in the new Scooby-Doo movie.

Theres this account  Dr. Robert Honeyman  who says their sister died of covid in Nov and now their husband is in a coma with covid. I cannot find any record of them anywhere, from any academic institution. On the left is a stock photo and on the right is their profile photo. pic.twitter.com/DFwxVqv9HL  joshua gutterman tranen (@jdgtranen) December 13, 2022

The Standard was unable to establish who created the four fake doctors. But perhaps the most alarming aspect of their nonexistence online is that it is also unclear why they were created.

Gutterman Tranen wondered about the motivation behind them.

Is this someone who is well-intentioned but perhaps has a lot of anxiety about Covid, and this is a way for them to act out those anxieties? he asked. Or is this something more nefarious where someone thinks creating accounts like this is a way to point at them and say: Look how crazy the liberals are?

As he watches his initial tweet about the Honeymans go viral, Gutterman Tranen is philosophical about the situation. He believes people are responding so strongly to his discovery because we all know that these kinds of accounts exist, but we seldom delve deeply into whether the person tweeting is actually authentic.

Weve just accepted that disinformation is an essential part of how Twitter works, he said.

But as Twitter users marveled over the four fake doctors, at least one person wasnt having it: Ville.

Disgusting to see the accusations being thrown my way, its truly incredible to see how quick good people can switch up on you in the blink of an eye, he tweeted on Dec. 13, that age old saying rings true, The one thing they love more than a hero is to see a hero fail, fall, die trying.

Rage on, Dr. Steve.

Read more at: SFStandard.com
(Natural News) German police officers chased a Tesla car on autopilot before finding out that its driver was asleep.

Officers of the Bavarian State Police (BSP) spotted the said Tesla driving along Autobahn 70 on Dec. 29. The vehicle was headed eastward to the town of Bayreuth from Bamberg, both located in Germanys Bavaria state. It was driving at a speed of about 70 miles per hour (mph), lower than the motorways recommended maximum speed limit of 80 mph.

Police attempted to stop the Tesla, but the vehicle refused to pull over. Instead, the car traveled at a constant speed and kept the same distance from the patrol car in front. When BSP officers pulled up next to the Tesla drivers side window, they saw the driver  identified as a 45-year-old male  with his eyes closed and his seat reclined.

This strengthened the suspicion that he had left the controls to autopilot and had fallen asleep, the BSP said in a statement. Further investigation by law enforcement found that the driver had placed a so-called steering wheel weight in the footwell of the vehicles drivers side. According to the polices statement, the device is attached to the steering wheel to trick the vehicles safety system by pretending that your hand is on the wheel.

Fifteen minutes into the chase, the male driver woke up and followed police instructions to pull over. Officers determined that the driver was under the influence of drugs at that time.

According to the New York Post, the BSP then filed a complaint with the public prosecutors office in Bamberg against the driver, accusing him of endangering road traffic. As a result, the mans license was suspended and confiscated pending a formal court hearing.

Tesla car on autopilot almost killed its driver back in 2019

While the incident in Germany did not cause any injuries or damage to property, an earlier incident in the state of New Jersey involving the autopilot function on a Tesla vehicle almost killed its driver.

According to a February 2019 report by CBS News, the 32-year-old male driver of the Tesla Model X involved in the accident was traveling in the right lane of Route 1 North in New Brunswick. However, he said the vehicles autopilot sensor mistook a set of road markings for a new lane. The car then went onto the grass on the left side of the Adams Lane exit ramp  traveling across the road, jumping the curb and hitting signs  before stopping in the grass.

The Teslas side-view mirror broke off during the accident, which also knocked several traffic signs to the ground. (Related: TESLA TERMINATOR: Tesla car autopilot veers off highway, crashes into road signs as driver locked out of all controls.)

He wanted to stay on Route 1 North. He said at that point, he believes the vehicle got confused, Capt. Brian Hoiberg of the North Brunswick Police Department said at the time. The driver was shaken up. He was panicked by the accident; just the feeling of not having any control.

According to the driver, the steering wheel locked on him even though his hands were on it the whole time.

Tesla defended itself following the New Jersey accident, claiming that it is not aware of a single instance where the autopilot refused to disengage since launching it in 2015. A driver can easily override autopilot by lightly touching the steering wheel or brakes, the company added.

Watch this Inside Edition report about a Tesla on autopilot hitting a sheriffs car in North Carolina.

This video is from the TKWK T.V channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Video proves that Tesla autopilot can get you killed.

Two killed as Tesla car with no one in drivers seat crashes in Texas.

Self-driving cars are causing traffic incidents all over San Francisco.

Bulls**t exposed: New video calls Teslas full self-driving a clear bait and switch.

Trial involving Teslas autopilot could decide if tech or driver is responsible for fatal crashes.

Sources include:

FOX5NY.com

NYPost.com

CBSNews.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) An internal Twitter document published by journalist Matt Taibbi has revealed that the United States (US) intelligence community warned the tech company about the publicity surrounding a book from a former Ukrainian prosecutor that claimed President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, were involved in corruption in Ukraine.

(Article by Tom Parker republished from ReclaimTheNet.org)

The book, True Stories Of Joe Bidens International Corruption In Ukraine was written by Viktor Shokin, who served as Ukraines top prosecutor between February 10, 2015 and March 29, 2016. In the book, Shokin alleged that Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company that had Hunter Biden on its board, paid Hunter millions of dollars to prevent prosecutors from taking action against Burisma.

Shokin also claimed that then Vice President Joe Biden had ordered Shokin to be fired before he could take action against Burisma. In January 2018, Joe Biden bragged about withholding $1 billion in aid to Ukraine until Shokin was fired.

Yet despite Biden admitting that he had withheld aid to ensure that Shokin was fired, the US intelligence community warned Twitter that in the summer of 2020 members of a Russian influence, which is at least partially directed by Russian intelligence were aware of a production plan associated with the book. The US intelligence community admitted that its unclear at this time how involved Russian intelligence might be in the creation or promotion of the book but cited previous operations as justification for highlighting the potential nexus between this book and Russian intelligence.

The documents released by Taibbi didnt reveal how Twitter responded to this warning from the US intelligence community. However, they did show that this was one of many warnings from the intelligence community. These warnings often contained bulk lists of accounts that the US intelligence community believed to be associated with the Russian state.

These warnings the US intelligence community sent to Twitter are eerily similar to the warnings from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg described during an August 2022 appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience (JRE) podcast. Zuckerberg said the FBI warned Facebook about a dump of Russian disinfo just before the New York Posts Hunter Biden laptop story broke. Facebook censored the story after these warnings and other tech companies, including Twitter, also censored links to the story and memes related to the story. This story covered the same Joe Biden-Hunter Biden corruption scandal that Shokin described in his book.

Read more at: ReclaimTheNet.org
(Natural News) The main perpetrator, Fouad Mekhazni, arrived in Ireland via France from Algeria without any identification or travel documents.

(Article by Amy Mek republished from RairFoundation.com)

A vicious fight broke out between hordes of Algerians and Georgian migrants housed at a luxury hotel in Ireland on New Years Day. The brawl, which included over 20 migrants, led to several of them being stabbed. One victim was left with his finger hanging off.

Hotel Killarney in Co Kerry is being used to house more than 400 migrants, more than half of whom are believed to be men of about 13 different nationalities.

The hotel, which bills itself as one of the top quality family hotels in Ireland, comes equipt with a heated swimming pool, Jacuzzi, steam room, sauna, toddler pools, and fully equipped gym. In addition, there are two restaurants, a game room, an arcade, suites, and rooms with a Digital TV and 70+ channels.

The violence occurred on New Years Day at the Hotel and was sparked by a dispute. Police were called to settle the dispute, which led to removing an illegal visitor from another migrant housing center. After the authorities left, the stabbings took place.

Eights migrant men were arrested and appeared before Killarney District Court charged with violent disorder on Sunday evening, January 1. Seven of the eight accused were granted bail. The men who received bail are:

Rabah Kouchih (31)

Allal Bazizt (27)

Zurabi Muqtiashvili (36)

Mounir Fadli (34)

Rabah Kouchih (31)

Giorgi Basharadze (33)

Levani Guliashvili (32)

Amiran Meparishvili (36)

Georgian nationals Levani Guliashvili and Zurabi Muqtiasvili (front)

The State objected to bail in the case of 27-year-old Fouad Mekhazni, originally from Algeria and being housed at Hotel Killarney for the past two months. An Arabic interpreter was needed for Mekhazni.

Read more at: RairFoundation.com
The two giant and pair pandas in the United Kingdom are expected to return to China this year, according to a recent report.

The two giant breeding pandas have been iconic in the United Kingdom that could breed a cub. The cute pandas were cared for and helped researchers and the zoo.

According to a recent report published in Phys.org, the Edinburg Zoo would return the two giant Panda to China. The pandas came to Edinburg in December 2011.

They are known as Yang Guang (Sunshine) and Tian Tian (Sweetie), which is part of a 10-year program arrangement with the China Wildlife Conservation Association.

The giant pandas have been monumental and popular with visitors that managed to contribute to wildlife conservation. Being the only UK giant panda, they were provided with all support and love from visitors and the management.

Returning to China

It is expected that Yang Guang and Tian Tian will return to China before the end of October 2023.

According to the report and David Field, the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland chief, the two giant pandas contributed to breeding research.

For about 11 years, the collaboration with China and the giant bears helped to bring new scientific research that has become important to protect and conserve the said species.

Before they depart from the country, the report said that the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) would have a giant farewell for the two this year, especially to the people who loved and cherished the two iconic pandas in the zoo.

However, the two giant pandas were not enthusiastic about producing a cub or breed. The article explained that giant pandas would not be easily bred inside captivity.

Recently, the report said that Yang Guang was treated for testicular cancer, leading to an urgent castration.

More about giant pandas

Giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) are cute-looking and photogenic animals. According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), giant pandas are recognized as a national treasure and meaning in China. They are frequently visited in zoos.

WWF explained that pandas are vulnerable to threats. The report said that there are about 1,865 giant pandas in the wild.

Adult giant pandas could still grow up to more than four feet.

They can weigh from 220 to 230 pounds.

They thrive or live in temperate forests in southwest China with bamboo.

They are known as the amazing three climbers despite their sizes.

Also Read: Conservation Zones To Help Mekong River Protect and Save Endangered Irrawaddy Dolphins in Cambodia

The report also added that the population of pandas still suffers from habitat loss. Construction development could impact their existence. Furthermore, habitat loss and forest damage could also affect pandas' survival in the wild.

On the other hand, the BBC reported that conservation efforts would be provided for new species.

In addition, the zoo said anyone would have the opportunity to bid farewell to two iconic pandas.

Related Article: Male Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins Help Each Other Find Potential Females and Mates, New Study Reveals

For more similar stories, don't forget to follow Nature News.
At the end of 2022 Russia announced it would expand and rebuild its bases in the northwest, i.e., the border area with Finland and Norway. This expensive undertaking is in support of Russian propaganda about a purported NATO conspiracy to weaken and destroy Russia. Finland and neighboring Sweden have long been neutral between NATO and Russia, but after the Russian invasion of Ukraine it became clear that Russia was willing to act on its conspiracy theories. Sweden and Finland are joining NATO, which Norway has long been a member of. While Norway and Finland have small populations (5.4 million each), Swedens is over ten million and has long built its own modern weapons and maintained a cadre/conscript mobilization-type army similar to Israels. Finland shares a long border with Russia and long believed its neutrality, unthreatening military and good trade relations with Russia would keep things quiet. That is no longer the case and the mutual defense system offered by NATO membership seems the best move. Oil-rich Norway is a special kind of threat to Russia because the Norwegians have built a force of specialized naval, air and ground-based surveillance capabilities to keep track of what goes on in Russian major naval bases long active in an area near the small (198 kilometers) Norwegian land border with Russia. On the Norwegian side of that border are a few hundred active-duty troops and several hundred more Home Guard reservists that can be quickly activated in an emergency. On the Russia side there are two infantry brigades; the 200th Independent Motor Rifle Brigade and the 61st Naval Infantry Brigade. Both brigades sent a lot of troops to Ukraine (where they suffered heavy losses) or Syria (where there were few losses).

The Russian expansion plan will not only replace the heavy losses the two brigades suffered in Ukraine, but also expand the northern garrison to several divisions and build facilities to house them. This expansion may not happen because it is part of a larger (30 divisions) and much more expensive expansion that Russia cannot afford and cannot raise enough troops for. This announcement is mainly about Putin showing his concern for an area that had always backed him. Since Putin took power he has increased spending on the Northern Fleet and that included expanding and upgrading base areas. The heavy losses suffered in Ukraine by the northern troops were largely accepted by the locals. Putin wants to make sure he can still depend on the northwest for political and other support. A lot of other provinces and cities that have lost a lot of their people in Ukraine are blaming Putin for mismanaging the war or for continuing it.

Despite greatly increasing the military budget, often with high-interest loans, Putin does not have enough cash to meet all his obligations. As a result, Putin tends to over-promise and under-deliver. Putin gets away with this because that approach is a common one in Russian politics. It is worse now because the Russian economy is suffering major damage because of the sanctions and costs of the war. Most Russians still support their government but also recognize that Russia is undergoing another time of troubles where the outcome is uncertain and likely to be bad news for most Russians.
It is time to remind ourselves that in 2023, we have effective tools we didnt have three years ago today, when the first Illinoisan tested positive for COVID-19. And we have something even more powerful: knowledge and experience, IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra writes.
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California state Sen. Susan Talamantes Eggman, a Stockton Democrat who was instrumental in passing Gov. Gavin Newsom's signature mental health care legislation last year, has been appointed to lead the Senate's influential health committee, a change that promises a more urgent focus on expanding mental health services and moving homeless people into housing and treatment.

Eggman, a licensed social worker, co-authored the novel law that allows families, clinicians, first responders, and others to petition a judge to mandate government-funded treatment and services for people whose lives have been derailed by untreated psychotic disorders and substance use. It was a win for Newsom, who proposed the Community Assistance, Recovery and Empowerment Act, or CARE Court, as a potent new tool to address the tens of thousands of people in California living homeless or at risk of incarceration because of untreated mental illness and addiction. The measure faced staunch opposition from disability and civil liberties groups worried about stripping people's right to make decisions for themselves.

"We see real examples of people dying every single day, and they're dying with their rights on," Eggman said in an interview with KHN before the appointment. "I think we need to step back a little bit and look at the larger public health issue. It's a danger for everybody to be living around needles or have people burrowing under freeways."

Senate Pro Tem Toni Atkins announced Eggman's appointment Thursday evening. Eggman replaces Dr. Richard Pan, who was termed out last year after serving five years as chair. Pan, a pediatrician, had prioritized the state's response to the covid-19 pandemic and championed legislation that tightened the state's childhood vaccination laws. Those moves made him a hero among public health advocates, even as he faced taunts and physical threats from opponents.

The leadership change is expected to coincide with a Democratic health agenda focused on two of the state's thorniest and most intractable issues: homelessness and mental illness. According to federal data, California accounts for 30% of the nation's homeless population, while making up 12% of the U.S. population. A recent Stanford study estimated that in 2020 about 25% of homeless adults in Los Angeles County had a severe mental illness such as schizophrenia and 27% had a long-term substance use disorder.

Eggman will work with Assembly member Jim Wood, a Santa Rosa Democrat who is returning as chair of the Assembly Health Committee. Though the chairs may set different priorities, they need to cooperate to get bills to the governor's desk.

Eggman takes the helm as California grapples with a projected $24 billion budget deficit, which could force reductions in health care spending. The tighter financial outlook is causing politicians to shift from big "moonshot" ideas like universal health care coverage to showing voters progress on the state's homelessness crisis, said David McCuan, chair of the political science department at Sonoma State University. Seven in 10 likely voters cite homelessness as a big problem, according to a recent statewide survey by the Public Policy Institute of California.

Eggman, 61, served eight years in the state Assembly before her election to the Senate in 2020. In 2015, she authored California's End of Life Option Act, which allowed terminally ill patients who meet specified conditions to get aid-in-dying drugs from their doctor. Her past work on mental health included changing eligibility rules for outpatient treatment or conservatorships, and trying to make it easier for community clinics to bill the government for mental health services.

She hasn't announced her future plans, but she has around $70,000 in a campaign account for lieutenant governor, as well as $175,000 in a ballot measure committee to "repair California's mental health system."

Eggman said the CARE Court initiative seeks to strike a balance between civil rights and public health. She said she believes people should be in the least restrictive environment necessary for care, but that when someone is a danger to themselves or the community there needs to be an option to hold them against their will. A Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll released in October found 76% of registered voters had a positive view of the law.

Sen. Thomas Umberg (D-Santa Ana), who co-authored the bill with Eggman, credited her expertise in behavioral health and dedication to explaining the mechanics of the plan to fellow lawmakers. "I think she really helped to put a face on it," Umberg said.

But it will be hard to show quick results. The measure will unroll in phases, with the first seven counties  Glenn, Orange, Riverside, San Diego, San Francisco, Stanislaus, and Tuolumne  set to launch their efforts in October. The remaining 51 counties are set to launch in 2024.

County governments remain concerned about a steady and sufficient flow of funding to cover the costs of treatment and housing inherent in the plan.

California has allocated $57 million in seed money for counties to set up local CARE Courts, but the state hasn't specified how much money will flow to counties to keep them running, said Jacqueline Wong-Hernandez, deputy executive director of legislative affairs at the California State Association of Counties.

Robin Kennedy is a professor emerita of social work at Sacramento State, where Eggman taught social work before being elected to the Assembly. Kennedy described Eggman as someone guided by data, a listener attuned to the needs of caregivers, and a leader willing to do difficult things. The two have known each other since Eggman began teaching in 2002.

"Most of us, when we become faculty members, we just want to do our research and teach," Kennedy said. "Susan had only been there for two or three years, and she was taking on leadership roles."

She said that Eggman's vision of mental health as a community issue, rather than just an individual concern, is controversial, but that she is willing to take on hard conversations and listen to all sides. Plus, Kennedy added, "she's not just going to do what Newsom tells her to do."

Eggman and Wood are expected to provide oversight of CalAIM, the Newsom administration's sweeping overhaul of Medi-Cal, California's Medicaid program for low-income residents. The effort is a multibillion-dollar experiment that aims to improve patient health by funneling money into social programs and keeping patients out of costly institutions such as emergency departments, jails, nursing homes, and mental health crisis centers. Wood said he believes there are opportunities to improve the CalAIM initiative and to monitor consolidation in the health care industry, which he believes drives up costs.

Eggman said she's also concerned about workforce shortages in the health care industry, and would be willing to revisit a conversation about a higher minimum wage for hospital workers after last year's negotiations between the industry and labor failed.

But with only two years left before she is termed out, Eggman said, her lens will be tightly framed around her area of expertise: improving behavioral health care across California.

"In my last few years," she said, "I want to focus on where my experience is."

This story was produced by KHN, which publishes California Healthline, an editorially independent service of the California Health Care Foundation.
Researchers at the University of Colorado School of Medicine have discovered a new mechanism for slowing scarring of heart tissue -; a process known as cardiac fibrosis.

Fibrosis of the heart occurs in response to a variety of stresses. It can be good. For example, if you have a heart attack and a significant amount of your cardiac muscle dies, you need to replace that muscle with something. In that case, the fibrotic scar keeps the heart from rupturing and prevents someone from dying. But we're more interested in pathological fibrosis, which is uncontrolled fibrosis that occurs in someone who has long-standing hypertension or other comorbidities. That can cause stiffening of the heart and lead to something called diastolic dysfunction." Timothy McKinsey, PhD, study's corresponding author, professor of medicine, Division of Cardiology

A unique inhibitor

The CU study, published today in the American Heart Association's Circulation Research journal, shows that the compound SW033291 slows fibrosis by inhibiting the action of 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase (15-PGDH), an enzyme that degrades eicosanoids, which are lipid signaling molecules that help to prevent fibrosis.

"Chronic fibrosis is thought to be a major player in the pathogenesis of heart failure," McKinsey says. "Heart failure affects millions of people worldwide, and there aren't any good therapies to prevent or reverse cardiac fibrosis. That's why we initiated these studies."

Showing effectiveness in human samples

McKinsey and his research team started their study by performing phenotypic high throughput screening with a number of compounds, looking to block activation of fibroblasts, the cells responsible for driving fibrosis.

They hit upon nine small molecules that had the common ability to block activation of heart, lung, and kidney fibroblasts. Of those nine, the compound SW033291 seemed the most promising.

In addition to laboratory tests and animal models, the CU researchers worked with Michael Bristow, MD, PhD, professor of cardiology, and Amrut Ambardekar, MD, associate professor of cardiology, and their teams to create a new biobank of failing human cardiac fibroblasts taken from patients receiving heart transplants, as well as nonfailing donor control cardiac fibroblasts. SW033291 exhibited a remarkable ability to reverse the activated state of failing human cardiac fibroblasts, McKinsey says, supporting the notion that 15-PGDH inhibition could be useful for ameliorating existing cardiac fibrosis in patients.

Next steps

As their research continues, McKinsey and his team plan to focus on the roles of 15-PGDH in different cell populations, including fibroblasts, immune cells, and cardiomyocytes. They also want to perform additional efficacy studies with SW033291, testing it in more severe models of cardiac fibrosis and diastolic dysfunction.

McKinsey says the group also plans to look more closely at the functions of different eicosanoids in inhibiting fibroblast activation, and how they activate signaling pathways to prevent fibroblasts from causing fibrosis.

"This research has led to the identification of a new pathway that regulates cardiac fibrosis," he says. "No one has studied 15-PGDH in the heart. This opens a whole new avenue of investigation and suggests ways to target fibrosis in the heart to treat a plethora of cardiac diseases, including heart failure."
Hong Kong: Chris Sun ends Singapore trip

Secretary for Labour & Welfare Chris Sun today concluded his visit to Singapore after getting a grasp on its experience of talent recruitment and manpower development in the past two days.

During the visit, Mr Sun met Chinese Ambassador to Singapore Sun Haiyan and updated her on Hong Kongs latest labour market and economic situation.

He then called on Minister for Manpower of Singapore Tan See Leng and exchanged views on attracting talent amid the dual challenge of an ageing population and shrinking labour force of the two places as exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

They discussed seizing the advantages of the role of Hong Kong and Singapore as part of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the gateway to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, thereby boosting the attractiveness of Asia to talent around the world.

Additionally, Mr Sun visited the Institute of Technical Education to keep abreast of its vocational and professional education and training from pre-employment to in-service programmes, equipping post-secondary students for the digital economy.

He toured an enterprise on life and health technology, which has established a foothold in Hong Kong, Singapore and other parts of Southeast Asia, to take a closer look at facilitation measures needed for high potential enterprises to set up operations in major economies.

The labour chief also met Nanyang Technological University Senior Vice President (Health & Life Sciences) Joseph Sung, representatives of the Hong Kong Singapore Business Association and Hong Kong people working or studying in Singapore.

Noting that the three-year-long global pandemic had impeded the entry of talent to Hong Kong, Mr Sun stressed that the package of measures on talent attraction set out in the Policy Address has been launched.

Such measures include the Top Talent Pass Scheme designed to entice graduates from the world's top 100 universities or talent earning HK$2.5 million a year to pursue their career in Hong Kong.

He added that the online platform of the Talents Service Unit "HK Talent Engage" also commenced operation to streamline and fast-track applications received under various talent admission schemes.

Upon concluding his trip, Mr Sun said the experience of Singapore served as a valuable reference for Hong Kong to trawl for quality talent and improve manpower projections in the future.

This story has been published on: 2023-01-07. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
China's promotion of harmonious co-existence between man and nature wins worldwide acclaim

Xinhua) 10:22, January 07, 2023

BEIJING, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- The year 2022 witnessed a series of disasters: In Europe, historic heatwaves had set the tone for this summer, causing some 15,000 deaths; in West Africa, disastrous floods displaced nearly 1.5 million people; and in Southeast Asia and parts of America, a La Nina event caused increased occurrence of climate chaos.

"Humanity has a choice: cooperate or perish," warned UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the Sharm El-Sheikh Climate Implementation Summit in November.

A succession of international conferences on themes covering wetlands conservation, fighting climate change and biodiversity protection were held over the past months as global concerns on ecological environment kept on rising.

China has been committed to advancing ecological progress, planning its development in the context of promoting harmony between man and nature. As Chinese President Xi Jinping has put it, "we must work together to promote harmonious co-existence between man and Nature, build a community of all life on the Earth, and create a clean and beautiful world for us all." China's achievements in ecological conservation and enhancing biodiversity protection are gaining more recognition and acclaim from around the world.

GREEN TRANSFORMATION

With melting glaciers, rising sea levels and more frequent occurrence of climate-related disasters, the Earth has sounded its alarm. Reducing carbon emissions is a pressing task for all nations.

China, the world's largest developing country, has made strenuous efforts to reduce carbon emissions and tackle climate change. A green transformation is taking place here.

From 2012 to 2021, China's carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP declined by 34.4 percent, and energy consumption per unit of GDP decreased by 26.4 percent, equivalent to saving of 1.4 billion tons of standard coal.

The country has pledged to have CO2 emissions peak before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060, marking the world's biggest cut in carbon emission intensity in the shortest time frame in history.

China has been vigorously promoting energy transformation with installed capacities of hydropower, wind power and solar power generation ranking first in the world. It has become a major producer and buyer of new energy vehicles and established the world's largest carbon market.

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), China has become the world's largest contributor to the growth of renewable energy capacity.

The country is "expected to account for almost half of new global renewable power capacity additions over the 2022-2027 period," said the IEA in its 2022 annual report.

As progress is being made domestically, China also promotes international cooperation in exploiting renewable energy resources, and pushes forward multilateral collaboration on cutting carbon emissions.

Around 35 km away from Abu Dhabi, the Al Dhafra Solar Project is expected to generate 2 gigawatts of clean electricity for the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This UAE-China cooperative project will help reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 2.4 million tons per year and play an important role in the sustainable development of the UAE's economy.

China's strenuous effort in developing renewable energy to replace fossil fuels has been a "story of hope" in fighting climate change, said Kevin Conrad, executive director of the Coalition for Rainforest Nations.

"China for us is a good example of the types of investment that need to be made. China is showing the world hope," he said.

BIODIVERSITY PROTECTION

Earth is the home shared by us all. It is a sad and worrisome discovery that monitored wildlife populations of mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and fish across the globe have seen a devastating 69 percent decline on average since 1970.

There is no time to lose in securing a nature-positive society, the World Wildlife Fund warned in the 14th edition of its biennial Living Planet Report 2022.

"A sound ecosystem is essential for the prosperity of civilization. We must work together to promote harmonious co-existence between man and Nature, build a community of all life on the Earth, and create a clean and beautiful world for us all," Xi said on Dec. 15 when addressing via videolink the opening ceremony of the high-level segment of the second part of the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15) held in Montreal, Canada.

China, a country with some of the richest biological resources in the world, attaches great importance to ecological conservation. Steadfast efforts have been made to preserve the ecological system and protect biodiversity.

Starting in 2015, the country has launched 10 pilot national parks, including parks dedicated to the protection of Siberian tigers and Amur leopards, as well as giant pandas.

Currently, the at-risk status of wild giant pandas in China has been downgraded from "endangered" to "vulnerable," as their population has grown to some 1,800, and the endangered "smiling angel" Yangtze finless porpoise has been seen in the Yangtze River.

A total of 90 percent of China's terrestrial ecosystem types and 74 percent of key state-protected wild flora and fauna species have been placed under effective protection measures, and the wild populations of over 300 rare and endangered flora and fauna species have been restored and increased.

China holds the presidency of COP15. It held the phase-one meeting in Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province in 2021. It chaired the second phase of COP15 in Montreal. Under China's presidency, COP15 has adopted the global biodiversity framework ahead of schedule.

In holding the COP15 presidency, China has shown leadership in global biodiversity protection, Inger Andersen, executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme, has said.

"China has been phenomenal," Andersen said. "I will thank China for its leadership. I think that has been something quite remarkable in complex times. And we have seen China being very steadfast in this regard."

ECOLOGICAL CIVILIZATION

According to World Population Prospects 2022, the global population reaches 8 billion this year. It is an important milestone in human development, and also a test on the stressed ecosystem of the Earth.

The behavior of all human beings and choice of development paths by all nations will determine whether a healthy and sustainable ecological system can be maintained on planet Earth.

With a population of more than 1.4 billion, China is striving to build a modern socialist country in all respects through a Chinese path. The Chinese way values ecological civilization and puts ecological conservation high on the agenda.

The philosophy of harmonious co-existence between man and nature, together with China's efforts to follow it through in collaboration with nations around the globe, has won worldwide acclaim.

Bruno Oberle, director general of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), lauded China for spearheading the concept of ecological civilization.

"Indeed, environmental protection, social progress and economic development are inter-dependent and mutually reinforcing," Oberle said, noting that the concept of ecological civilization is also consistent with the IUCN's vision of a just world that values and conserves nature.

"China is sharing this concept with the rest of the world. It's a contribution that China has already been doing for a long time," he said.

Sommad Pholsena, vice president of the Lao National Assembly, commended China for putting harmony between humankind and nature in development planning, saying it assures the world that China seeks a high-quality and green development.

"Ecological civilization is a key element of the current five-year plan (of China), and I think that's good. We in Norway and many other countries are thinking in the same direction," said Norway's Climate and Environment Minister Espen Barth Eide.

(Web editor: Xian Jiangnan, Wu Chaolan)
As more U.S. states legalize cannabis (also known as marijuana) for medical and recreational use, increasing numbers of people are experimenting with it for pain relief. According to a new study published in JAMA Network Open, almost a third of patients with chronic pain reported using cannabis to manage it.

More than half of the 1,724 adults surveyed reported that using cannabis led them to decrease the use of pain medications, including prescription opioids and over-the-counter analgesics. Cannabis also effected the use of other non-drug related pain relief methods to various degrees: some people indicated that cannabis led them to turn less often to techniques that many clinical guidelines recommend as first-line therapies such as physical therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy, while others with chronic pain increased their use of such treatments.

The fact that patients report substituting cannabis for pain medications so much underscores the need for research on the benefits and risk of using cannabis for chronic pain." Mark Bicket, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology and Co-Director of the Michigan Opioid Prescribing Engagement Network
Puerto Rico National Guard Soldiers from the 125th Military Police Battalion help rescue families trapped by floods during the passing of Hurricane Fiona Sept. 19, 2022. (Puerto Rico National Guard)
Fairbanks, AK (99707)

Today

Snow showers will become more widely scattered overnight. Low near 0F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of snow 70%. Snow accumulations less than one inch..

Tonight

Snow showers will become more widely scattered overnight. Low near 0F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of snow 70%. Snow accumulations less than one inch.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain can never forget its sons who had defended its honour, said HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, affirming that the Martyrs Day represent an immortal national epic and will remain a beacon that illuminates our paths.

The representative of His Majesty the King for Humanitarian Works and Youth Affairs was speaking on the occasion of Bahraini Martyrs Day, celebrated on December 17 each year.

The Day carries forward the stories of sacrifices, pride, dignity, gains and patriarchy written by people of Bahrain in various arenas. Shaikh Nasser added, The leadership, government and people of Bahrain appreciate the sacrifices of its righteous martyrs and will not be forgotten.
Agencies | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

The Heritage Village hosted a Bahraini Ardha show, celebrating the National Days of the Kingdom.

Information Minister, Ramzan bin Abdulla Al Noaimi, attended the performance, in the presence of senior officials and visitors.

The minister extended sincere congratulations to His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, and the people of Bahrain on this national occasion.

He praised the progress and development achieved by the Kingdom in various sectors under the leadership of HM the King and the support of HRH the Crown Prince and Prime Minister.
Agencies | Jerusalem

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

After drawing a barrage of condemnation and concerns over new Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvirs visit to Al Aqsa mosque compound, Israel took another concerning step yesterday, saying it would impose a moratorium on some construction, further infuriating Palestinians.

Israel also said it would use Palestinian funds to compensate Israeli victims in response to a Palestinian appeal at the International Court of Justice. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus office said the measures were a response to the Palestinian Authoritys decision to wage political and legal war against the State of Israel.

Last week, following an appeal by the Palestinians, the UN General Assembly asked the International Court of Justice to give an opinion on the legal consequences of Israels 55-year-old occupation of Palestinian territories.

Israels move also comes soon after UN Security Council members on Thursday stressed the need to maintain a status quo at the Al Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem. The decades-old status quo allows only Muslim worship at the compound, a site also revered by Jews, who call it the Temple Mount.

An Israeli official said Ben-Gvir complied with the arrangement that allows non-Muslims to visit but not pray. Israel, which collects tax money on behalf of the PA, would use 139 million shekels ($39 million) from PA funds to compensate victims of attacks and would also offset the stipends the PA pays to Palestinians who carried out attacks and their families, said Netanyahus office.

The moratorium on Palestinian building, it said, would be for a part of the West Bank called Area C, which is under full Israeli control. These decisions are condemned and rejected both in relation to money and other measures they are planning, said Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for PA President Mahmoud Abbas.
US announces over $3.75b in new military assistance to Ukraine, other countries

US announces over $3.75b in new military assistance to Ukraine, other countries

Agencies | Washington

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday announced more than $3.75 billion in military assistance to Ukraine and countries affected by the Russia-Ukraine crisis.

Blinken said in a statement that Washington will provide Ukraine with Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles, self-propelled Howitzers, armoured personnel carriers, surface to air missiles, ammunition, and other items.

The package makes the largest use  $2.8 billion  of the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) since the crisis started last February, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.

That authority allows the United States to transfer defence items like Humvees, trucks and munitions from stocks quickly without congressional approval in response to an emergency.

The aid includes mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles (MRAPs), guided multiple launch rocket systems (GMLRS), surface-to-air missiles, anti-vehicle land mines and ammunition, Jean-Pierre said.

RIM-7 Sea Sparrow missiles, used for air defence, will also be sent to Ukraine, according to a document seen by Reuters.

The Sea Sparrow is in production by Raytheon Technologies Corp and General Dynamics Corp.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has stressed the need for better air defences to curb Russian missile strikes that have damaged the country's energy infrastructure during winter.

The United States and Germany have also pledged to send Patriot missile systems to repel Russian missile and drone attacks.

"This particular PDA package, and the Bradley Fighting Vehicles, are very significant in terms of being able to do what we call combined arms manoeuvre warfare," said John Kirby, spokesperson for the White House National Security Council.

Ukrainian forces will be trained on the tactic starting in the coming weeks.

The armoured Bradley has a powerful gun and has been used regularly by the US Army to carry troops around battlefields since the mid-1980s.

The Army has thousands of Bradleys.

The United States plans to send about 50.

"The fighting in the east, particularly in the Donbas region has been particularly vicious in recent weeks and we see every indication that the Russians continue to want to propagate their efforts in the Donbas, particularly around Bakhmut," said Kirby.

In addition to the weapons, the aid included $225 million in Foreign Military Financing to help Ukraine build and modernise its military, Jean-Pierre said.

She said the package also included an additional $682 million for "regional partners and allies on NATO's eastern flank" to encourage those that have sent weapons to Ukraine to supply more.

The US funds can be used to help them buy replacement equipment.
The former Governor of Jigawa State and one of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP founding fathers Sule Lamido has said former President Olusegun Obasanjo is nothing without the PDP.

Lamido made the comments in reaction to the recent endorsement of the Labour Party LP presidential candidate Peter Obi by the former president.

Recall that former president Olusegun Obasanjo had endorsed Peter Obi as his presidential candidate.

But Lamido claims it is a shame for Obasanjo to endorse somebody from another party not the candidate of the party that made him what he is today.

All that he is saying is because he was Nigerias former president under the party(PDP) that invented him, honoured him and dignified him and give him an image globally 

Twenty-five years he will not say what he was saying, so its very shame that a PDP invention will now castigate the party

Obasanjo is my boss I know, but he is a human and is bound to make mistakes, so he made a big mistake endorsing a party outside his party

On the issue of power rotation, people are dishonest, when it comes to a sense of justice and fairness.

When he was in office, he tried for the third term. Is that fair, is that justice? Its not. I respect him but we have to stand by our tradition, the history of our political party, our philosophy, and PDP made Nigeria what its today

He is endorsing Peter Obi because he is either angry that Atiku Abubakar and Bola Tinubu, are strong characters and personalities, so the fear of these very strong men is what is haunting him.
Kevin McCarthy has been elected as the speaker of the US house of representatives.

McCarthy was finally elected Saturday morning after 15 rounds of voting following days of horsetrading among his Republican members in the house.

He won with a razor-thin margin of 216 votes against Hakeem Jeffries, Democratic house leader, who secured 212 votes.

McCarthy secured the gavel only after giving in to the demands of far-right legislators.

BACKGROUND

McCarthys speakership bid was blocked by a rebellious group of far-right lawmakers from his party who refused to back him.

In November, the Republicans took control of the US house of representatives by a slender margin of 222 to 212 in the 435-seat chamber  but the Democrats won the senate.

McCarthy had failed to secure the speakership after three rounds on Tuesday. After another eight rounds of contested stalemate on Wednesday and Thursday, McCarthys followership wore thin as the contest was prolonged.

He received 201 votes in Thursdays first two rounds of voting, but they dropped to 200 in subsequent votes.

Interestingly, Matt Gaetz, a Florida Republican and one of McCarthys detractors, had voted for former President Donald Trump to be the speaker in one round of voting on Thursday.

US law does not require the speaker to be a member of the House.

However, the Democrats have consistently voted in unison for Hakeem Jeffries, the party leader in the house.

Jeffries is the first black person ever to lead a party in US Congress.

The voting was then adjourned for a 12th round on Friday.

The impasse is the longest since 1859 when the US house of representatives failed to pick a speaker after 44 ballots.

During the 14th round of voting on Friday night, Gaetz withheld his vote, sparking a confrontation with Mike Rogers, his fellow Republican.

THE CONCESSIONS

To secure the seat of the speaker, McCarthy offered a number of concessions to the far-right lawmakers, including offering them a seat on the rules committee, which sets the terms for debate on legislation in the chamber.

McCarthy also consented to lower the bar for calling a vote on speaker impeachment  that only one lawmaker can raise the motion to remove the speaker.

The concession also includes spending cuts on McCarthys leadership.
Deyemi Okanlawon, the Nollywood actor, says anyone who is getting salary or allowances from him must vote for his candidate in the forthcoming election.

Deyemi spoke about politics and a variety of topics during the latest episode of Mercys Menu, a cooking show by Mercy Johnson, the actress.

During the interview, the actor disclosed that gone are the days when people are allowed to vote who they want, adding that it has yielded little or no results.

Everybody that I pay their salary and give allowances will vote exactly the way Im voting, he said.

As long as I give you money, you will vote my choice.

The truth of the matter is Nigeria needs to change. We allowed people to vote who they want to vote in the past and we have seen where it got us.

Unlike some of his colleagues in the movie industry, Deyemi is yet to publicly endorse any presidential candidate ahead of next months election.

When asked to give his opinion on infidelity, the movie star said cheating is not a deal breaker for him as long as his partner is remorseful.

Its never really about what is done, its about how you try to make amends or either rectify what has been done, he added.

On domestic violence, Okanlawon said regardless of the status of the person who commits the crime, justice should be done every single time theres violence. That person should face the consequences of their actions.
Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers state, has advised the new board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to do things differently.

The new board members were inaugurated on Wednesday.

According to a statement by Kelvin Ebiri, his spokesperson, Wike spoke when Lauretta Onochie, the new board chairman, led other members of the board on a courtesy visit to the governor on Friday.

Wike advised the NDDC to adopt a regional development approach that will strictly commit to the holistic development of Niger Delta states.





The governor urged the board to embrace the conceptualisation and implementation of projects like the construction of highways with bridges to link states.

He said such projects will serve as economic corridors to ease interstate movement and promotion of socioeconomic integration within the region.

Wike also said when projects are awarded, they should not be given to portfolio or political contractors, but to competent ones who will stick to delivering quality projects.

I read what you said that things will be done differently. I want to believe that youre sincere, Wike said.

Sometimes, I feel ashamed where I come from. We talk about underdevelopment, but look at the amount of money that has passed through NDDC, then look at the projects on ground.

There is what we call regional development projects that can link up two states. Those are the kind of things NDDC should go for, and give it to competent contractors.

Leave these political contractors. Leave all these portfolio contractors. Leave them alone. You have come to my state and you have seen what I have done.

If I didnt use Julius Berger and had used these political contractors, you wont have seen anything here. Of course, you know how expensive Julius Berger is.

From 2019 till now, we have done 12 flyovers by Julius Berger. You know how much we are talking about and you can replicate that. Even though they are expensive, youll see the value.

The governor also said NDDC can devote huge sums annually, to executing projects in each state of the region without distorting the existing development master plan.

Speaking further, he said it is shameful to see the unproductive model NDDC had operated.

NDDC has become a cash cow for politicians. Look, part of the money NDDC lost in this state just to win election here. N10 [billion] wasted, he said.

N10 [billion] you could have used to construct a mega project in the state.

In her address, Onochie said the board visited to formally introduce themselves to Wike.

She cited the quality of infrastructure delivered by Wikes administration that has transformed the entire landscape of the state, adding that the board came to ask for guidance on quality project delivering mantra across the region.

We are here to ask for your guidance. You have said and know, and you have spoken about the poor services that NDDC has been known for, Onochie said.

Trillions of naira have been pumped into this commission and we have little or nothing to show for it. We are here now, very determined to do things differently.




The Zamfara State chapter of the Motorcycle Dealers Association has lamented low patronage.





In an interview with newsmen in Gusau, the state capital, the chairman of the association, Alhaji Tanko Muhammad, who spoke through his vice, Jamilu Musa, blamed the low patronage on economic challenges.





He explained that the motorcycle that was formerly sold at N230,000 now costs N480,000.





According to him, the state government does not patronize the association apart from the tenure of the first Executive Governor, Alhaji Ahmad Sani Yarima.





He said that the first Executive Governor gave the association a contract to purchase 1000 motorcycles which he said were distributed to the youths for self reliance.





We only rely on the politicians who purchase motorcycles for their supporters in the name of politics, he said.





When asked about buying stolen motorcycles, the chairman lamented that the association has a laid down policy before it can buy any used motorcycle, saying that they dont buy those without proper investigation.





The chairman added that the association has to collect the documents of the motorcycles before demanding persons who can identify the seller in his area to testify the motorcycle belongs to him.





After the leaders of the Union have been satisfied that the motorcycle truely belong to the owner, then he can be paid.





And before any payment is made, the security operatives must be present. We dont make any payment without the police knowledge for proper documentation.





Just last two weeks, one person brought a used motorcycle for us to buy but during the interrogation, it was discovered that the motorcycle was a stolen one and we quickly invited the police and he was arrested.





In the process of interrogation, he confessed that the motorcycle was stolen in the Bukkuyum Local Government Area of the state.





Speaking further, Muhammad explained that sometimes, some people report to them thay their motocycles were stolen. He said after proper checks, the motorcycles are released if their claims are comfirmed to be true.




The Police in Ondo State has arrested a suspect over his alleged kidnap of a six-year-old girl from her mothers car at a grocery shop in Akure.





Funmilayo Odunlami-Omisanya, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Ondo State Command, said this in a statement made available to newsmen in Akure on Saturday.





She said a case of kidnapping was reported at the police station on Dec. 21, 2022, at 9.00pm, by Mrs Chukwu-Ezedima, the mother of the kidnapped girl.





The PPRO said the complainant alleged that the suspect kidnapped her daughter, Nwasi Chukwu-Ezedima from her Toyota Corolla Car at Lafe Area, Akure, while she was getting groceries for the family.





Odunlami-Omisanya said the suspect, who allegedly demanded N50 million from the family as ransom, was arrested on Dec. 31, 2022 at a POS stand while trying to withdraw part of the money.





During interrogation, the suspect confessed to the commission of the offence while the victim was rescued unhurt.





The suspect will soon be arraigned in court, the police spokesperson said.





Meanwhile, the Nigerian Army has handed over a man arrested in unlawful possession of firearms to the police.





Odunlami-Omisanya said a patrol of the Nigerian Army while on routine check at Elegbeka in Ifon, Ose Local Government Area got information about the man (names withheld) allegedly in possession of a revolver.





She said that the patrol team subsequently investigated the allegation and arrested the man with the locally-made gun.





The suspect initially claimed he found the gun in a farmland, but later confessed that the gun was given to him by a welder (names withheld) currently in a Correctional Centre in Okene.





The suspect has been handed over to the Police and would soon have his day in court, Odunlami-Omisanya said.
Garba Shehu, the presidential spokesperson, has explained why the presidency reacted to the New Year message of Olusegun Obasanjo.

Shehu spoke on Thursday during an interview on Real Talk with Kike .

On Sunday, former President Obasanjo, in his New Year message, criticised the present administration under President Muhammadu Buhari, adding that the last seven and half years have turned out not to be the best for Nigeria.

In the message, the former president also endorsed the candidacy of Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) for the presidential election.

Reacting to Obasanjos message, the presidency, in a statement signed by Shehu, had said Obasanjo is jealous because Buhari is ahead of him in terms of national development.

He also said Obasanjo does not possess the moral credibility to criticise the Buhari administration, adding that the former president destabilised internal democracy and misused political power when he was in office.

Speaking during the Thursday interview, Shehu said the former president failed the records and achievements of the Buhari-led administration.

He didnt do just that. If he had chosen to endorse Obi as his candidate, that is perfectly in order. It is his own choice to do. Nobody would have quarreled with him, he said.

We didnt come into it but for the fact that he has failed the records of our administration, and for this reason, we thought he needed a reply.

Ordinarily, we would have allowed Mr Obasanjo to just say whatever he wants to say; it never really hampers the success and achievement of the Buhari-led administration in any meaningful way.

The records have to be set and the facts must be stated as they were. This is why we had to respond to him. Otherwise, we may not have done so.

Shehu also said Buhari remains committed to supporting Bola Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The president will vote for the APC candidate and that is Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. There is absolutely no doubt about this. The president is a party man, he said.

He has been brought to where he is as a party man. He must be loyal to the party and speak to the decision of the party to put forward Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

It is going to be a secret ballot and I hope the president will do one thing he has not done before  after thumbprinting, display his ballot paper for Nigerians to see.

It is going to be Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. There is no doubt about it.
General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has expressed concern over the massive participation of young people in political rallies, saying that the majority of them were as a result of joblessness in the country.

Speaking during the RCCG January Holy Ghost Service on Friday, Adeboye accused political parties of hiring crowd to attend their rallies.

I watched it on the news. If human beings promote you, oh, I dont know whether I should say this. Im sure you have been watching the campaign rallies. I watched it on the news. I dont know if you have noticed that two different people dont hold their campaign simultaneously in a town. Have you noticed that? You dont know why? Because majority of the crowd, majority are rented. So I come, I pay, you gather. After Ive gone, another man comes, he pays, you gather.

He added, Somebody said Daddy, you keep on saying that you havent heard from God about who will win or who will Maybe because there are several things occupying my mind and one of it is; when I see the crowd gathering and if you look at the crowd majority of them crowd are young. When I see the hundreds of thousands of youths, you have to be jobless to be attending all these rallies. What is going to happen when the campaigns are over?
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The countrys Mass Democratic Movement (MDM) appears to have one thing and one thing only in common - they all want multiparty democracy to be introduced in Eswatini. Apart from this, they are a house divided against itself.

In fact, they have no love lost between them. And this is no childs play. Its a deadly fallout. The competition for space among the political parties has become fatally dangerous. Two recent incidents have led members of some of these political parties to confirm that they are at war with each other.

One of these incidents was the attack, by gunfire, on Sibongile Manyika, the national executive member of the Swaziland Liberation Movement (SWALIMO). Soon after the attack, SWALIMO Spokesperson Thandaza Silolo and SWALIMO President Mduduzi Simelane blamed the attack on the regime.

However, this was to be later contradicted by another SWALIMO member and exiled journalist Thabiso Moloi, who conducted a live broadcast on Swaziland Democratic News online platform, where he blamed the attack on certain individuals and groups associated with the Mass Democratic Movement. This has not been rebutted by either Silolo or Simelane. Neither has it been refuted by those accused by Moloi of being responsible for the attack. That leaves Molois version as the remaining, undisputed truth.

Kidnapped

Today, in the second incident, the Mmema family of Ntondozi is scheduled to lay to rest one of their own members  Muzi  the political activist who was kidnapped from his home by unknown men who later shot him dead at a forest 20 kilometres away. This happened barely two weeks after the attack on Manyika. And it happened at a time when Mmema had just left SWALIMO to join the newly-launched breakaway Swazis First Democratic Front (SFDF). The SFDF has been formed by disgruntled former members of SWALIMO and is led by Busi Mayisela (ex-SWALIMO Chairperson), Dr Siphetfo Dlamini (ex-SWALIMO Secretary General) and Gift Dlamini (ex-SWALIMO Deputy Secretary General). Mmema, who held the position of Manzini Regional Organising Secretary while he was with SWALIMO, became the Deputy Secretary General of the SFDF.

He is no more. Who killed him? Why did they kill him? The answers to these questions are out there with someone. What is clear is that this was a politically motivated hit. Why do I say this? Just go onto social media site Facebook, look into the posts and comments between, in particular, members of SWALIMO and those of the Peoples United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO). These posts and comments will lead you into believing that indeed this was a politically motivated targeted killing.

A report titled Murder by Contract: targeted killings in eastern and southern Africa, which has been published in September 2021 by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime (GI-TOC), defines targeted killings as murders committed for economic, political or personal gain.

The report, which focused on three countries namely South Africa, Mozambique and Kenya, says although these killings are often outsourced to hit men, they can also be undertaken by individuals within political or organised crime groups.

The terms targeted killings, hits and assassinations are used interchangeably in this report. While the motive for the killing of Mmema and the attack on Manyika remain speculation, the GI-TOC report states that in the three countries studied, politically motivated hits were evident and made up a significant portion of the database when compared to organised crime hits. The politically motivated hits are said to relate to abuses of power and the elimination of competition.

Crime

Organised crime hits were also found to be present in all three countries, and this category generally relates to disputes in the illicit economy and the silencing of whistle-blowers, witnesses and activists. One doubts if Mmemas killing was an organised crime hit. Nothing points in that direction. What could have been the reason for the political hit? What are the trends in other counties? Well, in South Africa the study by GI-TOC shows that the violence has mostly been in the KwaZulu-Natal province both during apartheid and in the transition to democracy. The violence was largely between interparty conflict between the African National Congress (ANC) and the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), and mostly linked to political ideology.

However, the trend now seems to be that violence results from intraparty conflict, particularly within the ANC, where targeted killings particularly seem to be fuelled by power struggles and competition for lucrative government tenders. When it comes to the Eswatini situation, it is not in doubt that there has been conflict among the political parties with regard to political ideology. Of late, the political parties have been hugely divided by the upcoming national elections. There are those who are in favour of participating and those who are advocating for a boycott. This has seen allies engaging in conflict.

Even the SWALIMO president, in his 2023 statement, has said battle lines have been drawn by some leaders in the MDM. The Macmillan dictionary says the phrase battle line are drawn is used for saying that two opposing groups each have a clear and definite idea about the things they disagree about and are ready to start competing with each other.

Targeted

But, one might ask, how healthy will that competition be? As the GI-TOC study found, some might resort to eliminate competition through targeted killings. In 2016, a commission of enquiry was appointed in South Africa to look into the political violence that was taking place in the KZN province. This enquiry was known as the Moerane Commission, and it found that criminal elements were recruited by politicians to achieve political ends, resulting in a complex matrix of criminal and political associations that also led to the murder of politicians.

The report made valuable findings and it is hoped that its recommendations will lead to a long-term decrease in political violence in the province.

In Kenya, it was found that gangs are funded by political candidates, who, in turn, use violence and intimidation to help candidates get into office. A total of 133 hits were recorded in Kenya in the data collection period. Political hits made up the largest portion (63 cases; 47 per cent), followed by hits related to organised crime (57 cases; 43 per cent). Personal hits (13 cases) accounted for 10 per cent of the total.

This is a remarkably similar distribution to the South African data set (excluding taxi-related hits), with targeted killings related to political motivations and organised crime also making up a similar portion (21 per cent and 20 per cent, respectively) and personal hits accounting for the smallest percentage. In Mozambique, political hits were also found to make up the majority of cases (35; 88 per cent), with hits related to organised crime (5 cases) accounted for only 12 per cent of the incidents during this period.

Although the total number of cases was found to be too low to support definitive conclusions, the data does shed some light on the nature and location of assassinations in Mozambique. After the countrys independence from Portugal in 1975, FRELIMO and RENAMO fought a protracted civil war, which ended with a negotiated settlement in the early 1990s. However, peace has been far from sustainable since then. Following a series of RENAMO attacks on governments sites in 2013, the government conducted an assault on the RENAMO base, where former leader Afonso Dhlakama was located.

The attack led the opposition leader to announce the end of the peace agreement. The political-military conflicts that erupted in the aftermath of the Rome Peace Agreement had a detrimental effect on Mozambiques economy and security. An atmosphere of fear and instability affected tourism and investors that were willing to put money in the region withdrew, which led to millions of Mozambicans demonstrating in the streets of Maputo against the violence and the surge of kidnappings that occurred in that period.

Conflict

The conflict escalated after FRELIMOs victory in the October 2014 elections. The two main political parties in Mozambique could not reach an agreement, as RENAMO rejected FRELIMOs victory under allegations of fraud and demanded to govern six provinces where it claims to have been victorious. During this period, assassinations seemed to become routine in Mozambique: from October 2014 to 2018, numerous assassinations or attempted assassinations occurred, pertinently illustrated by the assassination of a prominent RENAMO politician, Jose Almeida Murevete.

From these findings by the GI-TOC, it is clear that competition among political organisations leads to violence. And there is currently a lot of such competition in Eswatini at the moment. There is, also, emerging violence that is being witnessed. Those responsible for the violence are known by some members of the political organisations as evidenced by what they have been posting on facebook.

Without mentioning names, let me quote what one prominent member of another political organisation wrote on facebook regarding the death of Mmema: Siyanati babulali ba Muzi nabo bayatati abalali bayachucha futsi  nawuyimpimbi yemaphoyisa ubowati kutsi ayacoca watch the space the net is closing for these bogus comrades (we know the killers of Muzi and they also know themselves, theyre even having sleepless nights and panickingif you are a police informant you should know that they do talk, watch this space the net is closing for these bogus comrades).

Let me leave it right herefor now.
Taking over a neighborhood institution can be a daunting prospect. But thats what Blue Oak BBQ founders Ronnie Evans and Philip Moseley and their partners signed up for when they purchased the Avenue Pub from owner Polly Watts last August. The bar at 1732 St. Charles Ave. had been in her family since 1987, and she took over for her dad when he died in 2006, upping the beer offerings substantially in the process, as well as upgrading the food.

We wanted to make it ours, but we didnt want to really change it to make it look new, Evans says.

Their touches seem spot on. The renewed Avenue Pub opened on Nov. 29, and a complete renovation of the upstairs, with its deep, wraparound balcony will be completed soon. There are some significant changes, but the brightened space is still casual and inviting. The same goes for the streamlined menu, which is purposely not a clone to Blue Oaks.

Avenue Pub What Avenue Pub Where 1732 St. Charles Ave.; theavenuepub.com When Lunch and dinner daily How Dine-in Check it out New owners revamp Avenue Pubs food and drinks

We dont have the space to smoke meat here, so there are only a few items that carried over, says Evans, whose other partners include Steve Jeffcoat and Ryan Noland, partners in the Frenchmen Street bar, The Rambler. Noland also has expertise in construction as principal of the NFT Group.

The sole smoked meat option is smoked wings, available in flavors like jerk barbecue, dry Sichuan rub and Buffalo Inferno. Two other Blue Oak dishes available at Avenue are the chili-glazed Brussels sprouts and the popular spicy chicken sandwich, dressed with white barbecue sauce and Paulas Pickles.

The Great John Hogan is a tribute to the late Parasols owner, an early and frequent customer when Blue Oak operated as a pop-up at Grits Bar in 2012. Flash fried shrimp are piled into a Dong Phuong French pistolette along with rooster chili sauce, blue cheese, lettuce, tomato and Paulas Pickles. Theres also a grilled chicken club sandwich with Hooks cheddar, a Swiss-stuffed bratwurst and a double pub burger with onions, cheese and mayo.

Beef fat potato tots owe their crackle to rendered brisket fat trimmed at the companys central commissary in Uptown. Diners can add brisket gravy and aged cheddar if the spirit moves them. A healthier option is the pub chop salad, a winsome toss of grated cheddar, collard greens, arugula, baby kale and fried chickpeas, and grilled chicken or fried shrimp can be added for an extra $5. The menu is affordable, with items ranging from $7.75 to $15.50.

Fans of Watts beer curation should note the bar program is different. The 40 taps now serve a mix of local and regional brews, along with a handful of American and international pilsners, wheats, sours and lambics. Avenue Pub is not open 24 hours, at least for now. Current hours are 11 a.m. to midnight daily, and the kitchen stays open until 11 p.m. Evans says theyll adjust hours according to demand. The restaurant currently accommodates 40 people downstairs and 40 on the patio, which also was redone. The upstairs dining area and balcony are expected to open soon and will have space for 100.

There is a scattering of colorful Tiffany-style hanging lamps, including a hilarious parrot-perched chandelier. More noticeable is a model streetcar that winds around the perimeter of the dining room and chugs over the bar on elevated tracks. Noland oversaw that project, including finding the track and two model streetcars matching the St. Charles Avenue lines green cars. That bit of whimsy is a bright addition to the room.

The renovated storeroom, with its corrugated walls lined floor to ceiling with liquor, wine and beer, doubles as a private dining room, with accents including an exposed beam and retro tech lighting.

With Carnival underway, the plan is for the upstairs to be open for private parties and to have all hands on deck to deal with the crowds on the parade route. Many locals have been camping out here for years to watch parades. We are still working out the details, Evans says.
A Florida woman on Friday filed suit against the National Federation of the Blind, accusing the group of systemic failures that enabled alleged repeated sexual assault against her and other NFB students, and which allegedly perpetuated a culture of abuse while she attended classes at NFBs Ruston, Louisiana, affiliate as a teenager.

In 2018 at the age of 16, Alyssa Mendez attended a training program at the Ruston center where blind and low vision people go to learn everyday skills. Throughout that two-month program and afterward, she said she was groomed and sexually assaulted by an instructor at the school, Michael Ausbun, who was 23 at the time. Ausbun, who is also blind, was a Louisiana Tech University student, a Louisiana Center for the Blind intern and the vice president of NFBs National Association of Blind Students division.

In June 2021, Ruston police arrested Ausbun and later that month a jury indicted him on 18 counts of molestation of a juvenile by an educator, to which he plead not guilty. The case is ongoing. Mendez is one of dozens of people who have said they were sexually assaulted or harassed while attending LCB or other NFB affiliated programs and events around the country.

+10 Months after National Federation of the Blinds abuse scandal, survivors want accountability More incidents of abuse and misconduct have been uncovered, with little in the way of accountability or systemic change.

Mendez, now 20, is suing NFB for compensatory damages in excess of $75,000, plus pre-judgment interest, post-judgment interest, costs, and any other relief to which this Court finds she is entitled.

The lawsuit argues that NFB breached its duties of care owed to Mendez and was otherwise negligent by failing to hire employees to keep her safe, thoroughly vet Ausbun before hiring him and have suitable policies in place to prevent Mendez from the alleged assault.

The lawsuit also mentions specific leaders, including LCB director Pam Allen and NFB President Mark Riccobono, who it says failed to respond adequately to Ausbuns alleged abuse of Mendez.

Despite complaints to NFB leadership, including Allen, that included pictures demonstrating Ausbuns inappropriate behavior towards Ally, neither NFB, [National Federation of Blind of Louisiana], nor LCB addressed the sexual abuse and allowed it to continue.

It calls the NFBs suspension of Ausbun from the organization for five years a slap on the wrist and alleges that Riccobono said the organization had decided on this punishment given Ausbuns marital status.

+12 Former students allege 'toxic culture' of racism, abuse and assault at Louisiana Center for the Blind The Louisiana Center for the Blind was supposed to help blind people learn vital life skills. But many students say there was a 'toxic culture' of abuse, racism and assault.

Since the end of 2020, waves of current and former members of the national organization, trainees at its three affiliated training centers and attendees at affiliated events have come forward alleging sexual assault, misconduct and other inappropriate behavior within the organization occurring in the last several decades. In a report released in December 2021, NFB said theyd received 84 complaints since December 2020 pertaining to sexual misconduct and assault.

NFBs internal committee of four leaders mentioned at least four instances "where Center staff were made aware of a complaint, but there was minimal intervention or no intervention at all, and the alleged perpetrator later re-offended.

But, the lawsuit alleges, The stories of these incidents yield very little in the way of accountability or systemic change to address the abuse.

The Orlando-based OMara Law Group firm in Orlando, the Minneapolis based-firm Zimmerman Reed, and the Baltimore-based firm Silverman Thompson Slutkin White are representing Mendez in the lawsuit. They filed the suit in Baltimore, where NFB is headquartered.

NFB spokesperson Chris Danielsen declined to comment on the lawsuit, saying The National Federation of the Blind does not comment on pending litigation.
Dallas Morning News file photo by Ron Baselice -- Buc-ees t-shirts and an ice cooler in the shape of a pick-up truck greet shoppers at one of the stores entrances during opening day in Terrell, Texas in 2015. After years of rumors, the wildly popular Texas chain Buc-ees may be looking to enter the Louisiana market, with a location in Ruston.
The family of a Louisiana prison inmate who hanged himself in his cell publicly confronted corrections officials on Thursday, demanding more information and saying he had begged for medical and mental health treatment before his death.
The overall exports from India to Bahrain, one of its key focus markets in the GCC, for the seven-month period from April to October 2022 reached $454.15 million, according to a report by the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO).

The release of the report from the Indian exports apex body is timely as kingdom gears up for the multi-sector expo, Super Sourcing Arabia 2023, which opens tomorrow (Januaraty 8) in the capital Manama.

The three-day event, which will run until January 10 at Crown Plaza Bahrain, offers one-of-its-kind opportunity for retail industry and e-commerce stakeholders both in Bahrain and GCC, to engage with Indian exporters across multiple verticals, including food and non-food FMCG players, stationary products, paper products and packaging, cosmetics, healthcare, home and living, safety equipment and fashion and lifestyle products.

On the Super Sourcing Arabia 2023, Dr Ajay Sahai, the Director-General and Chief Executove of FIEO, said the prospects for Indian exports to Bahrain and GCC have been on an exponential growth curve and the expo will further help accelerate the trend benefitting the bilateral trade relations between both the countries.

Super Sourcing Arabia 2023 will help Indian exporters get connected with decision-makers in the supermarkets, hypermarkets, retail chains, buying agents and importers in the Middle East, GCC and African region, stated Dr Sahai.

He pointed out that Bahrain was one of the key focus markets for India in the GCC as the country expands its free trade agreements in the region, particularly under the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).

Negotiations with GCC countries, including the Kingdom, is at an advanced stage, pointing to a robust growth future accelerating the pace of growth for regional trade relationships in the Gulf and the Middle East and Africa region, he added.

Organised by Dubai-based Verifair, Super Sourcing Arabia 2023 is a unique expo in its diversity of product basket.

"The expo is happening at an opportune time of post-pandemic resurgence and rise in retail spending across the markets," he added.
Etihad Airways, the national carrier of the UAE, is doubling its frequency of flights to Bangkok and will fly twice a day from Abu Dhabi from March 26, providing a total of 14 weekly nonstop services to Bangkok Airport (BKK).



The flights will offer Etihads award-winning service and comfort across both Business and Economy Class cabins.



Arik De, Chief Revenue Officer, Etihad Airways, said: With our convenient morning departure from Abu Dhabi, our second Bangkok flight has optimised timings for those UAE residents wishing to have a break in Thailand.



Moreover, the return departure from Bangkok allows for those Thai residents to arrive in Abu Dhabi in the morning to have a head-start in exploring what the city has to offer in terms of business and pleasure. It further reaffirms our commitment to bringing more guests to enjoy Abu Dhabi.



Bangkok is a world-renowned destination in its own right as well as being the gateway to travel throughout Thailand and further across South East Asia for millions of visitors every year. The new frequency will make it even more convenient for people connecting to flights to and from Thailand through Etihads growing global route network.



Etihad Airways has just been rated third in the list of Top 20 Safest Airlines 2023 compiled by AirlineRatings, the highest placed carrier in the Middle East.  TradeArabia News Service
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra will apparently be treated to four new colorways on top of the colors that have previously been leaked for the upcoming premium flagship smartphone. The Galaxy S23 Ultra is already expected to arrive in black, cream, green, and lavender. In addition, an Estonian retailer has revealed a decent registration gift for future Galaxy S23 device buyers.

4 Reviews

Back in December there was a Galaxy S23 accessories leak that detailed the supposed colors of the S Pen: cream, green, lavender, and phantom black. This obviously led to the conclusion that these would also be the official introductory colors for the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. However, it appears there will be four new colors for buyers to choose from, although they will be offered in lower volume compared to the main colors listed above. The official marketing names for the main colors are allegedly Cotton Flower, Misty Lilac, Botanic Green, and Phantom Black.

Display specialist Ross Young has revealed the other four Galaxy S23 Ultra colors: gray, light blue, light green, and red. He lists the currently expected colors as beige, black, green, and light pink, with there already being some discussion about how the beige/cream and light pink/lavender/lilac color options will look. As pointed out by a commenter, the red choice for the S23 Ultra might be something of a double-edged sword as it certainly looks suspiciously orange-like on the Galaxy S22 Ultra, which also has Graphite (gray) and Sky Blue options.

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra in some or all of its wide choice of colors will be officially launched at the Unpacked event, which has also been recently leaked. An Estonian retailer is offering a set of Galaxy Buds2 Pro earbuds for those early pre-ordering customers who go on to actually purchase a qualifying smartphone, which is presumably any model from the Galaxy S23 series. Its not clear if this is the retailers own initiative or Samsungs, but the promotional material does suggest it might be from the manufacturer. So, there might be a not-too-shabby sweetener incoming for those willing to pay the high price to own a new Galaxy S23 Ultra.

Buy the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE on Amazon
Chinese vice premier meets Turkmen deputy PM

Xinhua) 10:25, January 07, 2023

Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng meets with Turkmen Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 6, 2023. (Xinhua/Yue Yuewei)

BEIJING, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng on Friday met with Turkmen Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov in Beijing.

China is ready to work with Turkmenistan to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state and push China-Turkmenistan cooperation to a new level, said Han.

Han suggested that both sides work toward mutual benefits and achieve new breakthroughs in energy cooperation.

He also suggested that the two sides actively expand cooperation in non-energy fields.

Han called on both sides to share weal and woe, steadily advance security cooperation, forge a stronger bond between the two peoples, and expand people-to-people cooperation.

Meredov said the two heads of state have announced the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership between Turkmenistan and China, which has raised bilateral relations to a new level.

Meredov said Turkmenistan is willing to join hands with China to earnestly implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, further leverage the role of the Turkmenistan-China Cooperation Committee, and deepen bilateral cooperation in various fields.

Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng meets with Turkmen Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 6, 2023. (Xinhua/Yue Yuewei)

(Web editor: Xian Jiangnan, Wu Chaolan)
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The Times has obtained the body-camera footage of the Dec. 15 traffic stop by an Indiana State Police officer of Bryan Kohberger, who has been charged with killing four University of Idaho students Nov. 13.

In the nearly 3-minute video, a trooper is seen stopping the white Hyundai Elantra shortly before 4 p.m. along Interstate 70.

The trooper approaches the vehicle and the faces of 28-year-old Kohberger, who was driving, and his father are visible for a short time at the 1:03 mark.

Traffic noise makes it difficult to hear much of the conversation, but the trooper appears to tell Kohberger that he was stopped for driving too closely to the rear of a semi truck.

The trooper opts not to give Kohberger a traffic ticket or written warning after learning he had been stopped earlier by what the trooper assumed was a county police officer.

"Just make sure you give yourself plenty of room," the trooper says before letting the pair leave.

The Hancock County Sheriff's Department said one of its officers stopped Kohberger and his father at 10:41 a.m. Dec. 15 along eastbound Interstate 70. The vehicle was stopped for following too closely, according to a statement.

Kohberger was reportedly on his way to his parents house in Pennsylvania, where police arrested him Dec. 30, according to The Associated Press. Kohberger is a doctoral student at Washington State University, pursuing a degree in criminology.

The FBI has denied claims that it was behind the traffic stops.

"Contrary to reports, the December 15th traffic stops conducted on the vehicle being driven by Bryan Kohberger in Indiana were not requested or directed by the FBI," the agency said in a statement Thursday.
GARY  The Urban League is asking Purdue University Northwest Chancellor Thomas Keon to resign from his post on its local affiliate's board.

On Dec. 10, during the university's graduation ceremony, Keon jokingly did an impression of a make-believe Asian language. Video of it went viral, causing severe backlash and calls for Keon's resignation, including from a majority of the PNW faculty, the American Association of University Professors and the Association for Asian American Studies.

In a statement issued Thursday, the Urban League  which is based in New York City but has a branch in Gary  asked Keon to step down from the NWI Urban League board, which governs the local operations of the Urban League, because of the Dec. 10 remark.

Keon serves as a director on that board, as do several other education and business leaders.

"As you know, the Urban League of Northwest Indiana is responsible for supporting community activities and actions that promote an appreciation for diversity, equity, and inclusion," President/CEO Vanessa Allen-McCloud and board Chairwoman Yolanda Davis wrote to Keon. "This includes weighing in and responding to incidents of racism, bias and a host of other isms that create barriers, misperceptions and hurt."

The organization also recommended that all Purdue University Northwest senior faculty, staff and leadership participate in diversity, equity and inclusion training and that PNW establish a diversity, equity and inclusion committee.

The Urban League offered to conduct that training and to work collaboratively with the newly established committee.

PHOTOS: Urban League of Northwest Indiana and Ring Video Doorbell Initiative Ring Video Doorbell Donation Vanessa Allen-McCloud Marcella Gregory Kyle DeGiuilio Presenting Check Press Conference
All of the major national banks would prefer to be out of the safe-deposit-box business, said Jerry Pluard, the president of Safe Deposit Box Insurance Coverage, a small Chicago firm that insures boxes. They view it as a legacy service thats not strategic to anything they do, and theyve stopped putting any real focus or resources into it. He estimates that about half of the safe deposit boxes in the country are empty.

The number of bank branches in the United States has been steadily declining  down 10 percent in the last decade  and safe deposit boxes are being relocated, evicted and sometimes misplaced. In Maryland, a large bank closed several branches and lost track of hundreds of safe deposit boxes, according to a lawsuit filed by a customer who said he lost gold and gems valued at $500,000. In Florida, a customer accused Chase of losing her box and all of its contents  coins, jewelry and family heirlooms worth more than $100,000. (She sued; a federal judge ruled that she had waited too long to file her negligence claim and decided in the banks favor.) In California, a Wells Fargo customer said the bank accidentally re-rented her box; the diamond necklace and other jewels she had in it were never found.

Safe doesnt mean safe

When such cases go to court, the bank often has the upper hand. Lianna Saribekyan and her husband, Agassi Halajyan, leased a large safe deposit box at a Bank of America branch in Universal City, Calif., in 2012. They filled it with jewelry, cash, gemstones and family heirlooms that they wanted to keep safe as they renovated their home. They paid $246 for a one-year rental. Nine months later, Ms. Saribekyan returned to the branch and discovered that her box was gone. The Bank of America location was closing, employees told her; the bank had drilled open all of its safe deposit boxes. (The bank said it sent multiple letters to customers about the branch closure. Ms. Saribekyan said she never received them.)

When Bank of America retrieved her items from its storage depot, many were missing. The banks own before-and-after inventories, written by its employees, showed discrepancies, according to court records. Among the items that vanished, Ms. Saribekyan said, were 44 loose diamonds, a gold-and-diamond necklace, valuable coins and more than $24,000 in rare United States currency.

She sued the bank in Los Angeles Superior Court, seeking $7.3 million. Bank of America sought to have the case dismissed, citing language in its lease agreement stating that the renter assumes all risks of leaving property in the box. But in 2017, after a monthlong trial, a jury awarded Ms. Saribekyan $2.5 million for her lost items and an additional $2 million in punitive damages. Bank of America then challenged the verdict, arguing that any recovery should be restricted by the terms detailed in its rental contract: The banks liability for any loss in connection with the box for whatever reason shall not exceed ten (10) times the annual rent charged for the box.
This loss of stature has come as Mr. Ma is facing increasing trouble with the Chinese government. Chinese officials on Thursday said they had opened an antitrust investigation into Alibaba, the powerhouse e-commerce company that he co-founded and over which he still holds considerable sway.

At the same time, government officials are continuing to circle Ant Group, the fintech giant that Mr. Ma had spun out of Alibaba.

Last month the authorities quashed Ants planned blockbuster initial public offering, less than two weeks after Mr. Ma publicly castigated financial regulators for being obsessed with minimizing risk and accused Chinas banks of behaving like pawnshops by lending only to those who could put up collateral. On Thursday, on the same morning that the Alibaba antitrust investigation was announced, four regulatory agencies said that officials would meet with Ant to discuss new supervision measures.

On its surface, the shift in Mr. Mas public image stems in large part from the Chinese governments growing criticism of his business empire. A look beneath the surface shows a deeper and more troubling trend for both the Chinese government and the entrepreneurs who powered the country out of its economic dark ages over the past four decades.

A growing number of people in China seem to feel the opportunities that people like Mr. Ma enjoyed are disappearing, even amid Chinas post-coronavirus surge. While China has more billionaires than the United States and India combined, about 600 million of its people earn $150 a month or less. While consumption in the first 11 months of this year fell about 5 percent nationally, Chinas luxury consumption is expected to grow nearly 50 percent this year compared with 2019.
Those and other methods, which have been condemned as cruel by wildlife advocates, were outlawed on federal lands in 2015 but, since 2020, have been allowed on millions of acres of Alaskan wilderness. Agency officials said the new rule would restore consistency and protect the public.

This proposal would lower the risk that bears will associate food at bait stations with humans and become conditioned to eating human-produced foods, thereby creating a public safety concern, the National Park Service said in a statement.

Activists called it a victory for animal rights.

We have long argued that our government must protect our nations treasured wildlife and not be working hand-in-hand with trophy hunters to sanction some of the most ruthless killing methods targeted at defenseless animals, Kitty Block, president of the Humane Society of the United States, said in a statement.

Sara Amundson, president of the Humane Society Legislative Fund, issued a statement calling the new rule a victory for Alaskas iconic wildlife species.

Baiting bears just to blast them over a pile of doughnuts is just wrong, she said.

The Trump administration prioritized expanding hunting rights on federal lands. Mr. Trumps son, Donald Trump Jr., an avid hunter, championed trophy hunting. In 2020 the Safari Club International, which promotes big-game hunting, auctioned a weeklong dream hunt through Alaska with the presidents son as part of its annual convention.
But change is coming. Two Audubon Terrace institutions  the renamed Hispanic Society Museum & Library and the American Academy of Arts and Letters  are pursuing renovations and expanded programming intended to open the terrace to the mostly Latino neighborhood and to the city at large. Through the years, the institutions have sometimes been seen as aloof from their neighbors, with the Hispanic Society even drawing fire in the 1990s for what critics saw as its leaders Eurocentric dismissiveness of the surrounding, largely Dominican community.

The efforts at inclusivity will gain momentum in March when the doors of the Hispanic Societys architecturally dazzling main building are opened to the public for the first time in six years. The society, which has two buildings on the south side of the terrace and one on the north, is the repository of an extraordinarily rich collection of more than half a million items relating to the art and cultures of the Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking world. The institution, and Audubon Terrace as a whole, were the vision of Archer M. Huntington, a collector and ardent hispanophile who inherited vast wealth from his stepfather, a railroad magnate.

But the signature space of the societys main building, the arcaded, Spanish Renaissance-style Main Court, which features luscious terra-cotta details and a portrait of the Duchess of Alba by Francisco de Goya y Lucientes  known more commonly as Goya  has been closed for renovations since 2017. So has the gallery that houses Vision of Spain, 14 monumental paintings from the Valencian master painter Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida.
Idahos Supreme Court upheld the states prohibition on abortion in a ruling Thursday night that said the State Constitution does not include a right to the procedure.

The decision means the states three abortion bans  including one that outlaws the procedure from conception  can remain in effect.

The ruling came just hours after South Carolinas State Supreme Court went the other direction and overturned an abortion ban there, saying the states constitutional right to privacy includes the right to abortion.

Around a dozen states have abortion bans, many of which are being challenged in courts. Those challenges are the result of a U.S. Supreme Court decision last year to remove the constitutional right to abortion that had been guaranteed for nearly 50 years by Roe v. Wade. That decision handed the matter to the states to decide.
WASHINGTON  President Biden on Friday honored 14 people who stood against election denialism in 2020 and fought the violent mob at the Capitol two years ago, telling them in a White House ceremony that history will remember your names, remember your courage, remember your bravery.

Speaking from the East Room, he awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal to nine police officers  three of whom died after protecting the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021  and five local officials who were subjected to personal violence but resisted pressure to undermine the election in 2020.

Together, Mr. Biden said, the individuals he honored represented the extraordinary Americans whose service to the country helped thwart the efforts of former President Donald J. Trump and his allies as they sought to keep Mr. Trump in power.

A violent mob of insurrectionists assaulted law enforcement, vandalized sacred halls, hunted down elected officials, all for the purpose of attempting to overthrow the will of the people and usurp the peaceful transfer of power, Mr. Biden said. All of it  all of it  was fueled by lies about the 2020 election. But on this day, two years ago, our democracy held because we the people, as the Constitution refers to us, we the people did not flinch.
BAKERSFIELD, Calif.  Representative Kevin McCarthys past runs deep in this Central Valley town, far from the glamour and money of his states metropolises to the north and south. Bakersfield is where he was born and raised, went to college and ran his first business selling sandwiches out of the back of his uncles yogurt shop on Stine Road.

But his agonizing present has been on display here, too.

The Republican divisions that stalled Mr. McCarthys decade-long ambition of becoming speaker of the House through 14 rounds of votes played out on both the national stage in Washington and on a far smaller though equally telling one in his district. It is easier to find detractors on his far-right flank than die-hard supporters, in what should be friendly home turf for Californias top Republican  one of the reddest cities in one of the bluest states in the country.

Mr. McCarthy still wins re-election in the district with two-thirds of the vote, but the passionate minority of the majority has become his Achilles heel, as it was on the House floor. After falling short of winning the post for days, Mr. McCarthy was finally elected speaker early Saturday, on the 15th vote. Even in his hometown, the agonies that his own party put him through failed to garner widespread sympathy.

I think its great that Matt Gaetz has a group up there thats bringing attention to whats wrong, said William Paulovitz, 78, referring to the firebrand Florida Republican who had been one of the far-right rebels blocking Mr. McCarthys bid for speaker. Mr. Paulovitz, a retired businessman, dismissed his representatives run for speaker in a place that representative knows all too well  outside Luigis, a popular lunch eatery that has long been a piece of Mr. McCarthys self-spun Bakersfield lore.
WASHINGTON  They helped lead the efforts to keep former President Donald J. Trump in power after he lost the 2020 election. They refused to certify that President Biden was the rightful winner. They spread lies that helped ignite a mob of Trump supporters to storm the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

On Friday, the two-year anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack, many of the same hard-right lawmakers who served as top lieutenants to Mr. Trump during the buildup to the assault spent the day blocking the bid of Representative Kevin McCarthy of California to be speaker and extracting major concessions before softening their opposition enough to allow him to claim the speakership.

While some had received subpoenas in the Jan. 6 investigations and were later referred to the House Ethics Committee, their power showed they were far from outcasts and had paid little price for their actions.

Among the ringleaders in both the effort to block Mr. McCarthy and the push to overturn the 2020 election were Representative Scott Perry, the leader of the far-right Freedom Caucus, and Representatives Andy Biggs and Paul Gosar of Arizona. (On Friday, Mr. Gosar and Mr. Perry swung behind Mr. McCarthy after he caved to their demands to dilute the power of the post he is seeking and to give their faction more sway in the House.)
For months before the 2022 midterm elections, Democrats fretted that younger voters might fall into old habits and stay home. The analysis is still a little hazy, but as more data comes in, it looks as if enough young people showed up in many key states to play a decisive role.

And now, some Republicans are warning that their partys poor standing with millennial and Gen-Z voters could become an existential threat. But theres no consensus about how much, if at all, Republicans message needs to change.

Were going to lose a heck of a lot of elections if we wait until these people become Republicans, said John Brabender, a G.O.P. consultant who has been sounding the alarm about the partys deficit with younger voters.

By 2024, those two generations combined could make up as much as 40 percent of the voting public, according to some estimates. So far, millennials  some of whom are entering their 40s  are betraying little sign of growing more conservative as they age. If those trends hold, it could make for some daunting electoral math for the right.
Ten soldiers and 19 drug cartel members were killed and dozens of people were wounded in a series of gun battles surrounding the capture of the son of the notorious drug kingpin known as El Chapo, Mexican officials said on Friday.

Ovidio Guzman Lopez, a son of Joaquin Guzman Loera, who is said to be a leader of the Sinaloa drug cartel that his father once headed, was arrested on Thursday in what the government described as a major blow to one of the countrys most notorious criminal organizations. But the scale and high cost of the operation were not made public until a day later, at a news conference led by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

As cartel members shot at soldiers, including with .50-caliber machine guns, and set up roadblocks with flaming vehicles in an attempt to free the younger Mr. Guzman, more than 3,500 troops became involved in the operation, returning fire on the ground and from aircraft, officials said.

In addition to the 29 men killed, 35 soldiers were wounded by gunfire and 21 suspected cartel members were arrested. The authorities did not say if anyone other than troops were wounded. They said the government seized six .50-caliber machine guns, four .50-caliber semiautomatic rifles, 26 other long guns, pistols and 53 vehicles including 26 that were armored, as well as quantities of fentanyl and cocaine.
At Tulane University, 1.5 million books and manuscripts were drenched when Hurricane Katrina swept through Louisiana in 2005. In 2018, the University of California, Los Angeles was in talks to receive a donors collection when it was destroyed in the Woolsey fire. And the following year, the Getty fire sent up thick, black plumes of smoke that threatened to filter into U.C.L.A.s libraries and damage the fragile materials housed inside.

We were lucky that day, recalled Chela Metzger, the schools head of preservation and conservation. Acidic smoke and greasy soot are grave concerns for any conservator, but in this case, the winds held them at bay.

But luck is not a safeguard against the growing threat posed by extreme weather events such as wildfires and floods to book collections, even collections housed in professional facilities. As those events have become more common as a result of climate change, preservationists across the United States know they must adapt their practices to keep books and archives safe. But the solutions can raise their own set of sustainability issues.

Many experts feel they are in a race against time. A 2018 study published in the Climate Risk Management journal assessed 1,232 archival repositories in the United States and found that nearly 99 percent were likely to be affected by at least one climate risk factor.
In addition to creating a bookstore famed for its vast selection and bibliophile-friendly atmosphere, Ms. Meskis often took a stand in matters related to censorship and the First Amendment. Sometimes those positions were not easy ones to embrace.

In 1991, for instance, when she was president of the American Booksellers Association, she testified against the proposed Pornography Victims Compensation Act, a bill introduced by Senator Mitch McConnell, the Kentucky Republican, that would have allowed victims of sex crimes to sue distributors of pornography, including bookstores, if they could demonstrate that pornography had influenced those who attacked them.

Opponents of that bill (which died in committee) were sometimes labeled pro-pornography, but Ms. Meskis said that the real issue was that the law would make bookstores wary of selling anything controversial.

Similarly, the case she took to the Colorado Supreme Court some two decades ago pitted her against law enforcement officials, who were trying to build a case against a customer suspected of making methamphetamine.

In 2000, the police found two books on drugmaking in a trailer home used as a meth lab; they also found an envelope with Ms. Meskiss bookstore listed as the return address. Hoping to link the drugmaking to the recipient whose name was on the envelope, they sought Ms. Meskiss sales records. Again, though her stand read as pro-drug to some, she painted a bigger picture.
The most common remote work situation, according to the S.W.A.A. and a number of other surveys, is now hybrid work, with employees spending some days in the office and some working remotely. Companies, industries and individual situations vary greatly on preferences and the feasibility of remote work, but on average, both sides have similar ideas about the ideal amount of time to spend in the office.

In the December S.W.A.A. survey, workers able to do their jobs from home said they preferred to operate remotely about 2.8 days per week. Their employers planned to allow them to work from home about 2.3 days per week. Thats not a big gap in expectations.

There are obvious reasons employees say they like working remotely: They want to avoid the time and costs of commuting; they focus better without office chatter; they feel its better for their well-being to be at home. When McKinsey, the consultancy, asked 12,000 job seekers last year about their reasons for looking for a new job, flexible working came in just behind greater pay or hours and better career opportunities.

What often gets glossed over  and one reason some economists believe that a recession would have little impact on the shift in working arrangements  is that allowing employees to operate outside of the office can also benefit companies.

In a survey conducted by ZipRecruiter, the employment search site, job seekers on average said they would take a 14 percent pay cut in order to work remotely.

While the labor market remains strong, the economy is slowing down, and companies are looking for ways to make their jobs more valuable without raising pay. And many of them say theyre using remote work to do it.

Its not that there wont be some loss of bargaining power by workers, said Steven Davis, a professor at the University of Chicago and a co-author of the S.W.A.A. Its just that many employers have their own independent reasons to think that the shift, the partial shift, to remote work is beneficial for them as well.
PHILADELPHIA  Over a matter of weeks, Tracey McCann watched in horror as the bruises she was accustomed to getting from injecting fentanyl began hardening into an armor of crusty, blackened tissue. Something must have gotten into the supply.

Switching corner dealers didnt help. People were saying that everyones dope was being cut with something that was causing gruesome, painful wounds.

Id wake up in the morning crying because my arms were dying, Ms. McCann, 39, said.

In her shattered Philadelphia neighborhood, and increasingly in drug hot zones around the country, an animal tranquilizer called xylazine  known by street names like tranq, tranq dope and zombie drug  is being used to bulk up illicit fentanyl, making its impact even more devastating.

Xylazine causes wounds that erupt with a scaly dead tissue called eschar; untreated, they can lead to amputation. It induces a blackout stupor for hours, rendering users vulnerable to rape and robbery. When people come to, the high from the fentanyl has long since faded and they immediately crave more. Because xylazine is a sedative and not an opioid, it resists standard opioid overdose reversal treatments.
This article is part of Overlooked, a series of obituaries about remarkable people whose deaths, beginning in 1851, went unreported in The Times.

Three years before she took her own life, the Danish poet and author Tove Ditlevsen penned a draft of her obituary.

In the piece, which she titled My Obituary (1973), she wrote, Before her untimely death, Tove Ditlevsen was able to write over a score of books, of which the most important are her memoirs.

With ruthless honesty she tells about the men with whom, out of the goodness of her prodigal heart, she shared table and bed, she continued. Unfortunately her contemporaries did not appreciate her honesty, which led in the end to no man daring to converse with her on the street for fear of appearing in her next volume.
The Michigan measure was the one that had reproductive rights supporters on high alert. The state is politically mixed, and failure not only would have had awful repercussions for Michigan residents but also would have had a chilling effect on similar efforts being considered elsewhere.

In states where anti-abortion lawmakers control some of the levers of power, ballot initiatives may offer the best, most immediate hope of salvaging basic reproductive rights. Not all states allow for voters to directly initiate ballot proposals; state legislatures often put them forward. But of the 17 that do, abortion rights supporters in at least 10 states with abortion bans or tight restrictions  Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma and South Dakota  are already discussing strategies and tactics for putting abortion initiatives on the 2024 presidential election ballot, according to reporting from the Pew Charitable Trusts.

This is a daunting mission. Those who work on these campaigns say that they tend to be complicated, labor intensive and expensive. Petition drives for ballot initiatives have been growing more expensive since at least 2016, with the average cost doubling to just over $4 million in 2022 from just over $2 million in 2020, according to Ballotpedia. And the electoral skirmish over a measure can cost millions. (The two main campaigns in the Kansas contest raised a total of more than $11 million.) This is why funding from groups and individuals from outside the state is so vital.

Each campaign needs to be handled differently, based upon the views of the states electorate. There is no one-size-fits-all guide to victory. That said, there are basic lessons to come out of this years contests  especially in the not-so-blue areas  that can help guide future efforts.

To defeat the anti-choice measures in conservative states, reproductive rights proponents had to reach across the red-blue divide. They aimed to persuade rather than polarize, keeping the focus on womens health, safety and fundamental rights rather than on voters tribal loyalties.

Kansas was the first to have citizens vote on abortion post-Roe, and the campaign there faced the most intense national scrutiny. The coalition leading the charge against the proposed amendment, Kansans for Constitutional Freedom, loudly touted its bipartisan nature. And even as local Democratic officials worked to defeat the measure  canvassing voters and distributing yard signs from their offices  they downplayed the usual partisan framing. (It is worth noting that Kansas Democratic governor, Laura Kelly, did not make abortion a focus of her re-election campaign.) By divorcing the issue from a particular party or candidates, reproductive rights supporters smoothed the way for crossover voting.

With an issue as delicate as abortion, success required running campaigns that were aggressive yet attuned to local sensibilities. What appeals to national activists or to voters in Sacramento does not necessarily play well in Omaha or Oklahoma City. Figuring out how best to approach the issue in a given state requires a lot of front-end foundational work  polling, focus groups and other research into what the local citizenry really thinks and feels.
For politicians in some places in the United States, election losses tend to prompt a kind of soul-searching.

In Albany? Not so much.

Just two months after New York voters delivered New York Democrats a drubbing at the polls, its not clear if the message is penetrating the partys thicket of dysfunction and hubris.

The hubris made an appearance over the holiday, when the governor approved a 29 percent pay raise that the State Legislature gave itself in December. And the Democratic Party chairman, Jay Jacobs, remains in his post, never mind the shellacking his party received in November, in which Republicans flipped four House seats and came surprisingly close to taking the governors mansion in a heavily Democratic state.

Most concerning, Gov. Kathy Hochul and the State Legislature, which began its new session this week, appear prepared to return to business as usual, which means cautiously tinkering with policy while they are fixated on crises of their own making. The first questions before the Legislature include whether to approve Ms. Hochuls choice for chief judge of the New York State Court of Appeals, whom liberals oppose because of his conservative-leaning rulings in labor, abortion and criminal justice cases  as well as more mundane headaches, like whether to remove a newly elected Republican assemblyman who is facing questions about whether he lives in the borough he was elected to serve. (Lester Chang, the assemblyman in question, says he does.)
But the 1855-56 battle was different from the current contest in an important way. Although it was fueled by fractured parties, it was grounded in a vital policy difference: the fate of slavery, which was the core of the periods politics, inescapable, growing hotter by the moment and entangled with American fundamentals like the economy, sectionalism and citizenship.

It was for good reason that congressmen wanted to know who they were dealing with given the coming struggle. Once installed, the speaker would be staffing committees, fundamentally shaping Congress in the process.

The speaker election of 1849  the second longest  ended after 63 ballots, the 1859-60 election (the third longest) after 44; both were also centered on slavery. In the latter case, the struggle over slaverys fate had reached its peak. Instead of two parties, there were sectional blocs going head-to-head, with Southern extremists  the so-called fire-eaters  prepared to resort to violence rather than subject themselves to an antislavery speaker.

And indeed, there was violence. In the 1859-60 election, during the first eight weeks of the first session, there were nine physical fights and numerous nonviolent confrontations. One fight broke out on the street. During debate, the Republican John Hickman scoffed that the ardent abolitionist John Brown of Harpers Ferry raid fame had terrified the entire state of Virginia with a handful of men. When the Virginia Democrat Henry Edmundson happened to pass Hickman on the street, he slugged him but was pulled away by Representative Laurence Keitt of South Carolina.

This was out of character for the fire eater Keitt. When the South Carolina governor, William Gist, told his states congressional delegation that if a Republican was elected speaker, he should be ejected by force if necessary, Keitt took his cue. Not long after, he and a group of Southerners made a plan of attack. At the opening of Congress in December 1859, his wife, Susanna, wrote to her brother in a panic. Her husband and three armed Southerners had just left her parlor, vowing to fight to the knife there on the floor of Congress if a Republican was elected and either take possession of the Capitol or fall.
Did you miss the Republican Party that existed before Donald Trump came along? Are you nostalgic for the days of John Boehner battling Tea Party rebels over the debt ceiling or the fiscal cliff, or Ted Cruzs plan to defund Obamacare? Do you pine for the years when the crucial test of conservative purity was a commitment to an implausible deficit reduction plan, the good old days when empty suits and aspiring lobbyists battled libertarian ideologues and aspiring cable-news personalities for the chance to advance an agenda of mild austerity and business-friendly tax cuts?

Good news, then; those days are back. The failure of the red wave in the 2022 midterms and Trumps subsequent diminishment have had a reverse-wave effect: Its like watching a wall of water roll backward, exposing the old coastline, the political topography that the water covered up. Kevin McCarthys embarrassing struggle to claim the speakership, and the week of chaos in the House of Representatives, dont properly belong to the Trump era. Its the old world come again, the G.O.P. ancien regime with all its dysfunctions, stalemates and futility.

Not that the flood didnt change the landscape. Some of the House Republicans who have bedeviled McCarthy are Tea Party throwbacks, but others are more Trumpian figures, creatures of right-wing celebrity and brands unto themselves. The would-be Republican populists in the Senate, figures like J.D. Vance, Josh Hawley and Tom Cotton, arent libertarians in the style of circa-2013 Ted Cruz, which may change the role the Senate plays in intra-Republican battles. The national party and its ambitious governors are now more likely to be fighting over cultural issues than fiscal ones. And Trump himself is hardly finished.

But in the negotiations over the speakership, its been clear that certain pre-Trump patterns are still resilient. On one side, embodied now by McCarthy and his allies, you have a G.O.P. establishment trying to run the House in a centralized fashion without any particular vision or agenda. On the other, in the factions that resisted his speakership, you have conservatives with a lot of legitimate complaints about process joined to a policy vision thats mostly performative gestures and fiscal apocalypticism. The likely result, as in the Tea Party era, is a Congress incapable of governing save through last-minute brinkmanship and a conservatism that manifests itself in demands for implausibly sweeping budget cuts and not much else.
To the Editor:

Re Study Estimates Millions Are Misdiagnosed in E.R. (news article, Dec. 16):

As an emergency medicine physician in New York who fought on the front lines of the Covid-19 pandemic in some of the hardest-hit hospitals in the nation, I am shocked by how you presented the data in the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality study on Diagnostic Errors in the Emergency Department.

The study demonstrated that emergency medicine physicians have an impressive rate of about 95 percent diagnostic accuracy. Its a surprisingly high degree of accuracy considering these diagnoses are made in a rapid time frame with limited resources (nursing shortages, overcrowding), span every single medical specialty (neonatology to neurosurgery) and are sometimes made in conditions that put the doctors own lives at risk (pandemics, workplace violence).

As emergency medicine physicians, we agonize over every one of those remaining 5 percent missed diagnoses and continue to push the boundaries of our young specialty toward the goal of 100 percent accuracy. That drive to be prepared to face any medical threat to humanity is how we have created one of the worlds most enviable and protective health care safety nets.

Katarzyna Falkowska

Brooklyn

To the Editor:

Missed serious diagnoses can have terrible consequences. But we should not ignore the bigger, more important problem with our American health care system.
Three years into the pandemic, the coronavirus continues to impress virologists with its swift evolution.

A young version, known as XBB.1.5, has quickly been spreading in the United States over the past few weeks. As of Friday, the Centers for Disease Control estimated that it made up 72 percent of new cases in the Northeast and 27.6 percent of cases across the country.

The new subvariant, first sampled in the fall in New York State, has a potent array of mutations that appear to help it evade immune defenses and improve its ability to invade cells.

It is the most transmissible variant that has been detected yet, Maria Van Kerkhove, the Covid-19 technical lead at the World Health Organization, said at a news conference on Wednesday.
Before you start imagining a tiny syringe being inserted into a bee, the vaccine  which contains dead versions of Paenibacillus larvae, the bacterium that causes American foulbrood  comes in the form of food. The vaccine is incorporated into royal jelly, a sugar feed given to queen bees. Once they ingest it, the vaccine is then deposited in their ovaries, giving developing larvae immunity as they hatch.

Scientists long assumed that insects could not acquire immunity because they lacked antibodies, the proteins that help many animals immune systems recognize and fight bacteria and viruses. Once scientists understood that insects could indeed acquire immunity and pass it to their offspring, Dr. Freitak set about answering the question of how they did so. In 2015, she and two other researchers identified the specific protein that prompts an immune response in the offspring and realized they could cultivate immunity in a bee population with a single queen.

Their first goal was tackling American foulbrood, a bacterial disease that turns larvae dark brown and makes the hive give off a rotting smell. The disease ran rampant during the 1800s and the early 1900s in bee colonies in parts of the United States. While American foulbrood is not as destructive as varroa mites, the bacterium can easily wipe out colonies of 60,000 bees.

The introduction of a vaccine comes at a critical moment for honeybees, which are vital to the worlds food system but are also declining globally because of climate change, pesticides, habitat loss and disease.

There is no silver bullet, but there is a toxic stew of causation, and some of that includes diseases that are new and some that are old and familiar, said Keith Delaplane, a professor of entomology at the University of Georgia and the director of its honeybee program, which provided research grounds for Dalan. Its death by a thousand cuts.
On TikTok, teenagers and young adults now show off cameras nearly as old as they are and explain how to achieve a new aesthetic. The cameras are not always well received. After the influencer Amalie Bladt posted a video on TikTok telling viewers to buy the cheapest digital camera you find for the over exposure look, some of the more than 900 commenters responded in horror.

NO NO NOOOOO PLS NO, I CANT RELIVE THIS ERA, one person commented. I swear Im not that old.

But the comments by despairing millennials and people with more modern tastes were overwhelmed by those where users had tagged their friends and asked how to upload photos from their digital camera to their smartphone.

Among some Gen Z-ers, the digital camera has become popular because it appears more authentic online, and not necessarily because it is a break from the internet, said Brielle Saggese, a lifestyle strategist at the trend forecasting company WGSN Insight. Photos taken with digital cameras can impart a layer of personality that most iPhone content doesnt, she said.

We want our devices to quietly blend into our surroundings and not be visible, Ms. Saggese said. The Y2K aesthetic has turned that on its head, she added, describing mirror selfies and photos where digital cameras are visible accessories as stylistic choices.

Rudra Sondhi, a freshman at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, started using his grandmothers digital camera because it seemed like a happy medium between film cameras and smartphones. He estimates that he takes one photo with his digital camera for every five with his smartphone.
Five weeks ago, OpenAI, a San Francisco artificial intelligence lab, released ChatGPT, a chatbot that answers questions in clear, concise prose. The A.I.-powered tool immediately caused a sensation, with more than a million people using it to create everything from poetry to high school term papers to rewrites of Queen songs.

Now OpenAI is in the midst of a new gold rush.

The lab is in talks to complete a deal that would value it at around $29 billion, more than twice its valuation in 2021, two people with knowledge of the discussions said. The potential deal  where OpenAI would sell existing company shares in a so-called tender offer  could total $300 million, depending on how many employees agree to sell their stock, they said. The company is also in discussions with Microsoft  which invested $1 billion in it in 2019  for additional funds, two people said.

The clamor around OpenAI shows that even in the most dismal tech downturn in a generation, Silicon Valleys deal-making machine is still kicking. After a humbling year that included mass layoffs and cuts, tech investors  a naturally optimistic bunch  cant wait to jump on a hot trend.

No area has created more excitement than generative artificial intelligence, the term for technology that can generate text, images, sounds and other media in response to short prompts. Investors, pundits and journalists have talked up artificial intelligence for years, but the new wave  the result of more than a decade of research  represents a more powerful and more mature breed of A.I.
I could do it on the phone. But Ive got wet hands, or my wife has flour on her hands. Were opening the oven. I dont want to touch another device  talking to it is so convenient.

If we are having a discussion around the dining room table, and shes in the next room, just shout out Alexa 

Caring for a parent with dementia

Elizabeth lives in Minneapolis. She asked that her last name not be used to protect her mothers privacy. Elizabeth does not use Alexa in her own home, but she has two devices with screens in her mothers apartment. She and her sister use the Alexa app on their phones to manage their mothers devices remotely.

My mother has dementia, and Alexa allows us to keep her safe, to give her companionship, to make her days brighter with music  the list goes on and on. It is not an overstatement to say it is helping us keep her out of a nursing home.

We primarily use the app to make Announcements: These are phrases we type into the app that the machine then says aloud. We use this feature in the moment and also on a repeat schedule. The Echo device also shows the announcement text on the screen, so my mother can read it (a big help). Examples are little announcements about the weather and such that keep her company. The fact that a warm voice is in the room with her seems to give her a sense of companionship that the phone does not.
A man is accused of entering an Arkansas church, smashing a hammer through the center of its altar and stealing two boxes containing 1,500-year-old relics.

Jerrid Farnam, 31, was arrested on Thursday and faced likely charges of property theft, criminal mischief in the first degree, residential burglary, breaking or entering and public intoxication, the Logan County Sheriffs Office said. The altar at Subiaco Abbey in Logan County, in the northwestern part of the state, was made of marble imported from Italy, officials said. Two brass-colored boxes inside contained relics from saints from over 1,500 years ago. The institution is also a Roman Catholic Benedictine monastery.

On Thursday afternoon, guests of the church alerted officials that there was an apparently intoxicated man damaging artifacts. The abbey called the police, and a college-preparatory school connected to the church went into lockdown as officials investigated. Then, the abbey said, the man came back right after the police left. The police were called again, quickly returned and arrested him.

Mr. Farnams vehicle was found by the scene, with tools that had marble dust. One of the missing relic boxes was found in his truck and later returned to the abbey.
Mr. McCarthy spoke sternly to Mr. Gaetz, appealing to him to finally relent and allow the speakership crisis to end; the Florida Republican jabbed his finger as he refused. After two minutes, Mr. McCarthy, seething and head down  the first flash of frustration he had shown all week  returned to his seat. He didnt have the votes.

The astonishing spectacle that played out into the early hours of Saturday morning was a fitting coda to a week that spotlighted the deep divisions in the Republican Party, the power of an unyielding hard-right flank that revels in upending normal operations of government and a leader who has repeatedly capitulated to the right in his quest for power.

The final hours of Mr. McCarthys ultimately triumphant struggle for the speakership featured back-room dealing with the hard right and arm-twisting out in the open; phone calls from Donald J. Trump, the twice-impeached former president, to try to win over holdouts; haggling over how the House would operate in the coming two years; and even a narrowly avoided physical altercation inside the chamber.

Preferably, you do this in private, said Representative Patrick T. McHenry of North Carolina, who acted as Mr. McCarthys chief emissary negotiating with the rebels. The preference in politics is to always suffer your indignities in private, not in public. That was the goal. And the last weekend, it was evident that we would have to suffer this in public.

Suffer they did.

That was easy, huh? Mr. McCarthy said after finally taking the gavel just after 1 a.m. I never thought wed get up here.
The speaker, on behalf of the majority, controls the House floor. The main tool for doing so is the Rules Committee, which sets the terms of legislative debate, including which bills can be considered, for how long and  crucially  what amendments may be offered and by whom.

As part of Mr. McCarthys compromise with the dissidents, he agreed to allow the ultraconservative wing of the party approval power over a third of the Republican members of the panel. In effect, that would give the faction the ability to block any legislation it did not like from the floor, by banding together with Democrats on the panel who are all but certain to oppose most Republican bills.

President Biden proposed a $6.8 trillion budget that sought to increase spending on the military and social programs while also reducing future budget deficits. Recapturing a Centrist Identity: Biden has made curbing the budget gap one of his centerpiece promises. The move is part of a wider shift that sees the president Biden has made curbing the budget gap one of his centerpiece promises. The move is part of a wider shift that sees the president speaking more to the concerns of the political middle

Reducing Deficit: Instead of talking about hard choices and freezing spending, the president has pledged to defend popular federal programs and rely on taxing corporations and high earners. Instead of talking about hard choices and freezing spending, the president has pledged to defend popular federal programs and rely on taxing corporations and high earners. That represents a break with the past

A Missing Plan for Social Security: Like the presidents previous budgets, Like the presidents previous budgets, his new proposal makes no mention of the program , which he promised to shore up during his 2020 campaign.

They could also insist on amendments to gut or otherwise stymie legislation they do not like, effectively rigging the process to make it more difficult to pass. That could be particularly dangerous for spending bills and any legislation to raise the federal debt limit.

Mr. McCarthy insisted his caucus would still be able to get things done.

Dont judge us on how we start, watch how we finish, and I think by having the disruption now really built the trust with one another and learned how to work together, he told reporters, adding that he was 1,000 percent confident that he would hold the speaker job for a two-year term.
The federal government spends far more money each year than it receives in revenues, producing a budget deficit that is projected to average in excess of $1 trillion a year for the next decade. Those deficits will add to a national debt that topped $31 trillion last year.

Federal law puts a limit on how much the government can borrow. But it does not require the government to balance its budget. That means lawmakers must periodically pass laws to raise the borrowing limit to avoid a situation in which the government is unable to pay all of its bills, jeopardizing payments including military salaries, Social Security benefits and debts to holders of government bonds. Goldman Sachs researchers estimate Congress will likely need to raise the debt limit sometime around August to stave off such a scenario.

President Biden proposed a $6.8 trillion budget that sought to increase spending on the military and social programs while also reducing future budget deficits. Recapturing a Centrist Identity: Biden has made curbing the budget gap one of his centerpiece promises. The move is part of a wider shift that sees the president Biden has made curbing the budget gap one of his centerpiece promises. The move is part of a wider shift that sees the president speaking more to the concerns of the political middle

Reducing Deficit: Instead of talking about hard choices and freezing spending, the president has pledged to defend popular federal programs and rely on taxing corporations and high earners. Instead of talking about hard choices and freezing spending, the president has pledged to defend popular federal programs and rely on taxing corporations and high earners. That represents a break with the past

A Missing Plan for Social Security: Like the presidents previous budgets, Like the presidents previous budgets, his new proposal makes no mention of the program , which he promised to shore up during his 2020 campaign.

Raising the limit was once routine but has become increasingly difficult over the past few decades, with Republicans using the cap as a cudgel to force spending reductions. Their leverage stems from the potential damage to the economy if the limit is not increased. Lifting the debt limit does not authorize any new spending; it just allows the United States to finance existing obligations. If that cap is not lifted, the government would be unable to pay all of its bills, which include salaries for military members and Social Security payments.

The exception to the debt-limit drama was the four years of Donald J. Trumps presidency, when Republicans largely abandoned their push to tie increases in the limit to cuts in federal spending. In 2021, Senate Republicans clashed with Mr. Biden as the deadline for raising the limit approached, but those lawmakers ultimately helped Democrats pass a law increasing the cap.
The military junta that controls Mali pardoned 49 Ivorian soldiers and suspended their prison sentences, ending a diplomatic dispute that highlighted the growing isolation of the West African country and its strained relations with its neighbors.

The decision, announced late on Friday, came a week after the soldiers, who had been detained nearly six months ago, had received sentences of 20 years. Mali had accused the soldiers of being mercenaries, but the government of Ivory Coast said they were in Mali to support a nearly decade-old United Nations peacekeeping mission of 15,000 members assigned to protect civilians from armed groups.

Months of negotiations and a mediation led by the president of Togo ensued, but on Dec. 30, a court in Bamako, Malis capital, convicted 46 soldiers of crimes including conspiracy against the government after a closed trial that lasted a day and a half. Three female soldiers, who had been arrested and later released, were sentenced to death in absentia because they did not appear in court for their hearing.

On Friday, however, Malis military leader, Col. Assimi Goita, revoked the sentences of all soldiers, Col. Abdoulaye Maiga, the government spokesman, said in a statement read on national television.
The health of a prominent Senegalese journalist detained on charges of exposing confidential government information is deteriorating after a nearly three-week hunger strike, according to his lawyers, who say that he has refused care from doctors at the hospital where he is being treated.

The journalist, Pape Ale Niang, an investigative reporter with a wide domestic audience on Facebook and on the online news site he manages, Dakar Matin, was arrested in November  and again in December  after he reported on an investigation by the Senegalese security forces into the countrys main opposition leader.

The case of Mr. Niang, who began his hunger strike on Dec. 20, has raised alarm among African journalists, many of whom on Friday wrote in an open letter that his treatment epitomized a steady erosion of press freedom in a country that until recently had been considered an example in West Africa.

His situation worsened this past week after he refused to be on an IV drip, which would have provided vitamins and nutrients, and prevented doctors from checking his blood pressure and sugar levels, according to Moussa Sarr, one of Mr. Niangs lawyers.
The Indian police on Saturday arrested a top executive of a U.S.-based banking company in connection with an episode in late November in which the executive is alleged to have urinated on another passenger on an Air India flight from New York to New Delhi.

The executive, Shankar Mishra  who was recently fired from his job as a vice president of the Indian subsidiary of Wells Fargo  faces charges under several Indian laws, including sexual harassment, obscenity and insulting the modesty of a woman. He has been sent to judicial custody for 14 days, according to local media reports.

News of the episode, which became public after the airline filed a police complaint on Wednesday, has prompted outrage on Indian social media. The delay between the event and the complaint has also raised questions about how Air India handled the situation.

According to a statement from the victim, a 72-year-old woman whose name the police did not release, Mr. Mishra appeared to be drunk on the flight where it happened, in business class.
Worshipers gathered at Ukraines most historically significant monastery on Saturday to celebrate Orthodox Christmas in much the same way that they have for centuries.

Clergymen dressed in silver robes chanted as they made their way through the ornate hall while families prayed alongside one another. Periodically, the congregation broke out in carols that echoed off the golden walls.

But there was a critical difference: For the first time, the sermon was delivered in the monasterys main church by the head of the Kyiv-led Orthodox Church of Ukraine, a symbolic moment that highlighted the deep fracture within the Eastern Orthodox church in Ukraine.

The Moscow-led church that has long dominated religious life in much of Ukraine has traditionally held the Christmas sermon at the monastery, Pechersky Lavra. But that faction has been accused of supporting the Russian forces that have invaded Ukraine, acting as a fifth column for Moscow.
SLOVIANSK, Ukraine  An array of mostly unremarkable items stretched across two wooden tables on the far side of a cramped workshop in eastern Ukraine: double-sided tape, gloves, Allen wrenches, a soldering iron, 3-D printed plastic, ball bearings, a digital scale. Next to them was a German DM51 fragmentation grenade.

They were all important ingredients for Ukrainian troops trying to piece together a puzzle: How do you create a grenade that weighs next to nothing but can be dropped from a drone and destroy a roughly 40-ton Russian tank?

War is an economy. Its money, said Graf, a stout, bearded Ukrainian soldier in charge of his units drone team. And if you have a drone for $3,000 and a grenade for $200, and you destroy a tank that costs $3 million, its very interesting.

Since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine nearly a year ago, technological advancements on the battlefield have mostly centered on both countries increased use of small, remotely operated drones and their growing importance in almost every aspect of the war  including reconnaissance, correcting artillery fire and so-called kamikaze attacks.
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A man who was in a highly intoxicated state in Roscrea, was a source of danger to himself and others, Nenagh District Court was told.

Ivan Scullion, of 64B Assumption Park, Roscrea, was unsteady on his feet at Limerick Street, Roscrea, on March 30, 2022, Sgt Regina McCarthy told the court.

She said he was arrested at the scene and brought to the local Garda station.

A fixed charge penalty notice had issued but but had not been paid.

Sgt McCarthy said Mr Scullion was also discovered highly intoxicated on the same street on December 11, 2021, and was found lying on a public footpath on Main Street, Roscrea, in a similar state on January 20, 2022.

He had been unable to stand due to his level of intoxication and was taken to the Garda station for his own safety. He had five previous convictions.

Solicitor Tom Stamp, for Mr Scullion, said his client had sustained a brain injury when a child and now had very low cognitive ability.

Judge MacGrath imposed fines amounting to 250 for the incident.

The court also heard that Mr Scullion was found banging on a front door at Copperbeach View, Roscrea, on December 1, 2022.

He was intoxicated and was shouting and aggressive and was arrested and brought to Nenagh Garda station.

Mr Stamp said his client had a terrible problem with drink.

Mr Scullion had been leading a good life up to 12 months ago but had since been influenced by people with whom he was now mixing.

Judge Elizabeth MacGrath remanded Mr Scullion on bail in his own bond of 250, ordering him to stay home between the hours 10pm to 7am and to attend his placement at St Cronans in Roscrea.

She adjourned the case to April 27 to see how he got on in the meantime.

She also directed him to refrain from consumption of alcohol.
NewsVoir 20 Feb 2023

JLF Soneva Fushi has revealed the list of speakers for the 2023 edition, bringing with it an inspirational line-up of critically..
Patrolling police were the first on the scene of the head-on collision, which killed one driver and left another in hospital.
The notorious BTK serial killer is pouring cold water on the idea -- floated by his own daughter -- that he has a link to Idaho murder suspect Bryan Kohberger. BTK fired off an email to TMZ from prison after we reached out to him about a recent
Germany discouraged nonessential trips to China, two days after the country said it would impose testing requirements for arrivals from China.
While the early months of the year often mark the peak of flu season, Canada is starting 2023 already through the worst  though physicians are now bracing for more hospitalizations ahead, largely due to a potential spike in COVID-19.
The former Rangers man has emerged as a key star with Sheffield Wednesday and he etched his name in Hillsborough folklore.

Daily Record 07 Jan 2023
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The Congress commemorates the second anniversary of the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the United States Capitol, a tragic day in US history in which five cops were killed and more than 100 others were injured.
LUCKNOW, India (AP)  Authorities in an Indian Himalayan town have stopped construction activities and started moving hundreds of people to temporary shelters after a temple collapsed and cracks appeared in over 600 houses because of sinking of land, officials said Saturday.



Residents of Joshimath town in Uttarakhand state say they started noticing cracks in houses, especially after 2021 floods in the region. No injury was reported in the temple collapse late Friday and those living nearby had vacated the area a day earlier.



Himanshu Khurana, a district administrator, said more than 60 families have been moved to government relief camps. The number is likely to go up to 600 families, media reports said.



Television images also showed cracks in roads, hampering the movement of vehicles.



Ranjit Sinha, a top state disaster management official, said the immediate cause of the cracks seems to be the faulty drainage system, which has resulted in water seepage under the houses that has led to their sinking.



The government will pay 4,000 rupees ($50) per month for six months to those rendered homeless in Joshimath, a temple town of around 25,000 people that sits at an altitude of 1,890 meters (6,200 feet) and falls on key Hindu pilgrim as well as trekking circuits, Khurana said.



Tens of thousands of devotees heading for Badrinath and Him Kund Sahib, key Hindu and Sikh pilgrimage sites, pass through Joshimath, 490 kilometers (305 miles) northeast of New Delhi. The huge flow of pilgrims and tourists saw the town expanding exponentially over the years with the massive construction of buildings and roadways, which some experts have linked to land subsidence.



The construction activities that were temporarily halted include the Chardham all-weather road  a flagship federal...
The Prime Minister will host an NHS Recovery Forum, with experts from the health and care sectors convening in Downing Street on Saturday to discuss how to improve NHS performance and outcomes.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom kicked off his second and final term on Friday by contrasting his leadership of the nation's largest Democratic stronghold with that of Republican leaders he branded as "small men in big offices." (Jan 6)


In a book full of startling revelations, Prince Harrys assertion that he killed 25 people in Afghanistan is one of the most striking  and has drawn criticism
The union representing 15,000 American Airlines (AAL.O) pilots has voiced concerns regarding the new cockpit protocols enforced by the airline, without adequate training. The carrier on Tuesday implemented new procedures for cockpit communications during critical events such as low visibility



#aishwaryanair #bengaluru #americanairlines
Like many others, Vladimir Putin assumes that those who give up their native language will more or less at the same time give up their ethnic as well. But newly released Russian census data show that relationship between the two changes is more complicated and that many retain their identities even after they give up their native...
(EurActiv)  A unilateral ceasefire in Ukraine declared by Russian President Vladimir Putin was came into force on Friday (6 January) but the hours leading up to the temporary truce saw renewed fighting, with Kyiv rejecting the move as a trick.



Russias defence ministry said its troops began observing the ceasefire from...
Eurasia Review 28 Jan 2023

There are currently only two Jewish heads of state in the world. The first, not surprisingly, leads Israel. The second is Volodymyr..
There are now four men known to have been executed since demonstrations began in September over the death of Mahsa Amini. All have faced internationally criticized, rapid, closed-door trials.
The federal government says 1.8 million Canadians travelled to Mexico in 2022. But, like other travel, it's not without risks.
WARNING: This video contains graphic details and footage. Police in Kenya say they have arrested a suspect in connection with the death of a well-known LGBTQ activist. Edwin Chiloba's body was found stuffed into a metal box by the roadside in western Kenya.
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Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The UN Deputy Special Representative and Humanitarian Resident Coordinator for Libya, Georgette Gagnon, has reaffirmed her full support to efforts of the government of national unity in the decentralization process, said an official statement
Todays new article in Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship reviews an essay by a friend and former student of mine (one of the brightest that Ive ever had). It touches on a sensitive and often inflammatory subject:

We Dont Know, So We Might as Well: A Flimsy Philosophy for Same-Sex Sealings, written by Matthew Watkins

Review of Nate Oman, A Welding Link of Some Kind, Thoughts from a Tamed Cynic (Substack, September 27, 2022).

Abstract: Nate Oman claims to demonstrate a theological path that allows for same-sex sealings within existing Latter-day Saint doctrine. In fact, he claims that such an adjustment would be not only compatible with most Church doctrine but more scripturally sound than current teachings and policies regarding same-sex relationships. However, he falls short of his declared objective. His essay sets up an exaggerated pattern of dramatic theological overhauls in Latter-day Saint theology, downplays existing revelation on the subject of sealings and exaltation, and proposes a new theology to justify his policy conclusions. In the end, his essay completely ignores the root cause of the contention surrounding the issue: the nature of doctrine and the truth claims of the restored Church.

After three weeks of heartwarming chaos, we saw the worlds cutest three-year-old (and, oh yes, her father, our son) off at the airport today for the first leg of her return trip to Bogota. Such partings always strike me as a little bit like death. Happily, I dont expect this to be a final goodbye, just as Im confident that mortality itself doesnt end with a final farewell. But, as every parent knows whos ever sent a child off on a mission or to the military or to a distant school or anything similar, the mere confidence that that child will probably return, perhaps even much grown and improved, doesnt altogether eliminate the pain or the empty loneliness of it. Our house seems forlorn. Silent. Even desolate. Were picking up toys that are still scattered in almost every room. Christmas is over, and our granddaughter is far away.

Continuing with my supposed denigration of the late Pope Benedict XVI, I share the following small batch of links:

Letters from Rome: #2: On the Death of Joseph Ratzinger, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI: The True Joseph Ratzinger , written by George Weigel. (Please note the use of the late pontiffs baptismal name, which, when I used it, was said to be grossly offensive to Catholic sensibilities and intentionally insulting to the man himself.)

Benedicts Middle Path: A model of moderation, discernment, and erudition, written by Daniel J. Mahoney

Benedict XVI  Priest, Prefect, Pope, Rest in Peace: With the pope emeritus death, the Catholic Church loses one of the greatest minds in its 2,000-year history.

I quite enjoyed this last linked article, above, which comes from the National Catholic Register and which provides a good and appreciative overview of the late popes life. Having been falsely pronounced guilty of not one but two heinous offenses against Pope Benedict XVI and the worlds Catholics  not only using his baptismal name, Joseph Ratzinger, but having said that he has now entered into a new life, the hereafter, after decades of attempting to serve God in the best way he could. That was supposedly intended as an insult. But its actually just basic Christian doctrine, which holds that all of us, even popes and prophets and saints and apostles, fall short of the glory of God and need the merciful atonement of Jesus Christ in order to be saved. (My critics, I think, may once have been aware of that doctrine, even if theyve since forgotten it.) Its certainly a doctrine that Pope Benedict seems to have understood very clearly, as witnessed in the final paragraphs of the National Catholic Register article:

In a . . . letter responding to the Munich investigation that served as a profound and memorable coda for his ministry as a priest, archbishop and pontiff, the pope emeritus asked for the forgiveness of abuse survivors, noting that he had borne great responsibility in the Catholic Church. Concluding his letter, Benedict looked toward his judgment before God. Quite soon, I shall find myself before the final judge of my life. Even though, as I look back on my long life, I can have great reason for fear and trembling, I am nonetheless of good cheer, for I trust firmly that the Lord is not only the just judge, but also the friend and brother who himself has already suffered for my shortcomings, and is thus also my advocate, my Paraclete, he wrote. In light of the hour of judgment, the grace of being a Christian becomes all the more clear to me. It grants me knowledge, and indeed friendship, with the judge of my life, and thus allows me to pass confidently through the dark door of death. In this regard, he concluded, I am constantly reminded of what John tells us at the beginning of the Apocalypse: he sees the Son of Man in all his grandeur and falls at his feet as though dead. Yet He, placing his right hand on him, says to him: Do not be afraid! It is I 

Reportedly, Pope Benedicts last words  spoken in German, his native language  were Jesus, ich liebe dich (Jesus, I love you) or, alternatively, Lord, I love you, spoken in Italian (the language of his adoptive home in Vatican City or Rome). Either way, theyre significant, and not a bad program for a life.

I wasnt really intending to continue to post about the late pope emeritus. Certainly not even after his funeral. But Im still running across worthwhile reflections on his life and ministry. So, as long I continue to do so, Im likely to keep on posting links to them.

I liked President Nelsons message for the New Year: Be Patient, Be Persistent, Be Prayerful: A New Years Message from the Prophet. For whatever little this may be worth, its somewhat parallel, thematically, to the remarks that I delivered on 17 December of last year to the U.S. Hazara Conference.
Workers have been urged to use the myriad of economic challenges that engulfed the country in the year that has gone by as a stepping stone to economic viability.



We cannot discount or gloss over the economic challenges; nonetheless, we should not let that discourage us, but rather we should use it as a stepping stone to make a strong come back to face and overcome those challenges and make this year economically viable in our individual, corporate, social, and national lives, the workers were told.



General Secretary of the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU), Morgan Ayawine, gave the advice when he addressed members of the union in his New Years message.



He said it is only through hard work that, we can be seen as having fought the good fight as gallant workers and succeeded in rebuilding our national economy for the benefit of all.



Mr. Ayawine said hard work breaks no bone hence workers should continue to work harder for the achievement of organizational and national goals for the full recovery of the national economy.



My colleagues in labour and cherished members of the great and famous Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU), Ghana, I welcome you all to 2023 and wish you all the best for this year, he said.



He said the year 2023 has the prospect of being successful adding that as workers and nation builders, they must play their roles with zeal and dedication to make it succeed.



Having rested a bit from the hard work that characterized our labour last year, let us resume work, this year, with renewed vigour that would enable us to help our employers achieve their organizational goals in line with ICUs longstanding maxim, The Employers Vision, Our Unions Concern.



He stressed the need for stronger co-existence between workers and employers to achieve their common vision and more importantly, all aspects of nation-building.



In the same vein, we call on the government, the single largest employer, and other employers to ensure equitable distribution of the cake for a reciprocal gesture of workers and an increase in productivity.



He asked the government to sustain the measures put in place to ensure the stabilization of the Cedi against its major trading currencies to aid doing business in the country and to reduce prices of goods and services to ameliorate the economic hardship imposed on Ghanaians.



Similarly, steps should be taken to ensure a sustainable fuel price reduction to reflect in the cost of transport fares in the country, he added.

Source: dailyguidenetwork.com









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A Zambian chef has told the BBC's Africa Daily podcast that she does not take seriously international lists that rank the best cuisines in the world.



It comes after Taste Atlas, which describes itself as a "world atlas of traditional dishes, local ingredients, and authentic restaurants published their 2022 list of the best 95 cuisines in the world.



Only three African countries made it to the top 50, including Algeria, South Africa and Tunisia.



Taste Atlas says rankings are based on audience votes for ingredients, dishes and beverages.



Italy, Greece, Spain, Japan and India were the top five countries on the list. But some questioned the order of the list and why so few African countries made it to the top 50.



"Those lists are based on tourists," said Lillian Elidah, a Zambian chef and the owner of Twaala, a restaurant in the capital Lusaka.



The countries at the top of the list are "like top 10 tourists destinations for Europeans" so "obviously they're going to choose them", she said.



Ms Elidah said Zambian chefs need to work on how they present their food and showcase a greater variety of dishes. But it is a tough task to make Zambians embrace their authentic cuisine, she said.



"Most of our ingredients and dishes have really lost their true identity and meaning because most people have associated it with poverty so they have trauma of food poverty, and they dont really want to eat that."



She added that she does not believe people have to physically visit Zambia to enjoy its cuisine.



"They should be able to be intrigued by the food and how we promote it. This starts by having shows, having information and now with the help of social media, this should be so easy."



The tourism boards across the world should also be doing more to promote African cuisine, she said.



"Training our cooks and chefs" will also help to bring African food to a global stage, she said.

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.

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President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has challenged Ghanaians to continue to work to create the platform for the evolution of a new Ghanaian civilisation.



That, he said, would give true meaning to the foundational values of freedom and justice on which our nation was birthed.



President Akufo-Addo stated this in a nationwide broadcast on the eve of the 30th-anniversary celebration of the Fourth Republic at the Jubilee House in Accra Friday.



Milestone



The President described the milestone as a great credit to Ghanaians, saying 30 years ago, all of us resolved to build, under God, a united nation, grounded in democratic values and the rule of law.



We have advanced a great deal in realising this vision, and I am confident that with a spirit of fairness, hard work, integrity and reconciliation, the best days of Mother Ghana lie ahead of us, he assured.





Economic challenges



President Akufo-Addo indicated that although the nation was confronted with difficulties in its economic performance, I do not doubt our collective resolve to work our way out of these challenges, and put our nation back onto the path of progress and prosperity.



Safeguard



He, therefore, urged Ghanaians to do everything within their means to safeguard the countrys 30-year-old democratic process.



He explained that Ghanaians did not have to look far back into history to see that stable period of constitutional government and intelligent management of the economy lead to prosperity.



He said out of duty to the children, grandchildren and generations yet unborn, his government would not give up in deepening the democracy and guaranteeing the integrity of the electoral process, and stressed that the citizenry should not do so either.



Elections



President Akufo-Addo noted that the strength of any democracy was determined by the credibility of its electoral process, and respect for the will of the people, saying:



We cannot overlook the fact that instability has followed disputed elections in many parts of the African continent.



President Akufo-Addo said it was for that reason that Ghanaians must continue to urge the Electoral Commission to ensure that all stakeholders in the electoral process did not have lingering questions about the legitimacy of an election.



On the two occasions in which disputes have arisen over the results of presidential elections, happily it was in the court, and not on the streets, that the issues were satisfactorily resolved, he added.





The President also noted that the country had come a long way which and should not be taken for granted that everybody in Ghana has accepted democracy as the preferred mode of governance.



There are those who would rather have authoritarian rule, because they claim our country is underdeveloped and democracy is cumbersome, and we need to get things done in a hurry. We still have some work to do to convince such people that we are all safer under democracies, he stated.



Fighting corruption



President Akufo-Addo, however, indicated that as the country strove to prolong the democratic journey, it was imperative to enhance transparency and accountability in the governance structures, and build strong institutions that could fight corruption and the dissipation of public funds.



He said his government had undertaken, arguably, the boldest initiatives since independence to reform and strengthen the capacity of the institutions to tackle corruption in the public sector.



That, President Akufo-Addo indicated, included the financial empowerment of the anti-corruption bodies, the passage of the Right to Information Act, and the establishment of the Office of the Special Prosecutor, an independent, non-partisan body, with the relevant professional capability and exclusive mandate to investigate and prosecute acts of corruption.



Beacon of democracy



President Akufo-Addo said Ghana was considered a beacon of democracy and stability in Africa, where respect for the principles of democratic accountability, human rights and the rule of law have enabled the country to oversee eight presidential elections in the Fourth Republic, with five presidential transitions, and three peaceful transfers of power through the ballot box, from one party to another. We have every right to be proud of this, and the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Fourth Republic should inspire us, even further, to hold on to this status, the President stated.



Background



On April 28, 1992, Ghana in a referendum approved a new constitution, ushering in the Fourth Republican dispensation.



More than 3.4 million people voted in favour of the new constitution, representing 92.59 per cent of those who took part in the referendum, with 272,855 people, representing 7.41 per cent of the persons, voting against constitutional rule.



The Constitution of the Fourth Republic set up the institutions of a liberal democratic state, operating on the basis of the separation of powers, with express guarantees of fundamental human rights.



Today, therefore, marks exactly 30 years since the first President, Jerry John Rawlings, elected under the 1992 Constitution, was sworn into office on January 7, 1993, as the first President in the Fourth Republic.

Source: graphic.com.gh









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Manhyia Palace has already issued an official statement disregarding the Asanteman Association USA and severed all relations with the Association forthwith.



The decision by the Manhyia Palace comes after it was alienated from the Asanteman Association USAs governance following a United States courts decision.



The Asanteman Association (USA) earlier urged the general public that the issues have been resolved and are therefore on good terms with Manhyia.



"It is true that the Asanteman Association of New York went to court over a disputed local election issue and inadvertently dragged the name of Manhyia into the dispute. Having realized this mistake, the Asanteman Association of New York has taken steps through intermediaries to apologize to Manhyia and restore normal relations with Manhyia. The Association accepts and recognizes the authority of Manhyia over its affairs. All members of the Association owe unflinching allegiance to Manhyia. The Asanteman Association of New York will never intentionally do anything that will tarnish the good image of Asantehene or Manhyia."



But upon further investigation at the office of Manhyia Palace by the Private Secretary to Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Lawrence Akwasi Prempeh stated that everything in the previous statement still holds hence nothing has changed.



According to him, "the previous release signed by myself clearly discloses that the aforementioned persons who are said to preside over the enstoolment of these US-based Chiefs and Queens are seriously battling court issues with the Asantehene (Otumfuo Osei Tutu II).



"For this reason, any of its scheduled or carried-out activities are illegal. With no exception to its widely circulated swearing oaths (enstoolment) of new Chiefs and Queens slated to hold on January 7, 2023."



The release categorically cautioned the general public to discard any form of business or engagement with the enlisted persons under the pretence of Manhyia Palace or Otumfuo Osei Tutu.



"If you need further clarifications or additional information on this matter you can reach me on +233 55 432 4070, or Oheneba Boachie-Adjei, Otumfuo Hiahene, on +233 24 338 3051. Thank you."



Read the full statement below:



I bring you compliments from Manhyia Palace, and write to express the appreciation of the Palace to the New York Board of Electors (Dr. Koti Antwi Boateng, Dr. Kwame Anyane-Yeboah, Rev. Dr. Yaw Frimpong-Manso, Kwasi Abrcfa Busia, and Regina Bonsu) for the good work you have done to provide guidance for the Asanteman Association, USA in the past year.



Your efforts at getting the association united to follow a clearly defined roadmap which was approved by the general membership has been noted with much appreciation.



Unfortunately, certain persons in the group led by Charles Manu found it necessary to take the matter to Court after Oheneba Boachie-Adjei (Otumfuo Hiahene, representing the Palace in this matter) intervened and instructed the group to unite and follow the Board of Electors roadmap for new elections.



In response to the Court action and the decision of Judge Alison Tuitt on June 29, 2022 in the matter of Asanteman Association of USA vs The Board of Electors, Amaniampong and Hiahene, I am directed by Manhyia Palace to issue the following directives:



As per the Courts decision following plaintiff Charles Manuss argument that it is irrelevant that the King of Asante played a role in the controversy as plaintiffs organization is governed by the Constitution and By-Laws mandated under New York law, hence alienating Manhyia from the Asanteman Association USAs governance, by virtue of the dictates of its own Constitution, Manhyia Palace, by this directive, officially disclaims the Asanteman Association USA and severs all relations with Asanteman Association USA forthwith.



Henceforth, all groupings or associations of Asante citizens in the diaspora shall first apply and seek official recognition and endorsement from Manhyia Palace by satisfying specific conditions.



If you need further clarifications or additional information on this matter you can reach me on +233 55 432 4070, or Oheneba Boachie-Adjei, Otumfuo Hiahene, on +233 24 338 3051. Thank you.



Yours Sincerely,



Lawrence Akwasi Prempeh Private Secretary to Asantehene

Source: peacefmonline.com









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The Member of Parliament for Abuakwa South, Honourable Samuel Atta Akyea, has called for the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) to unite behind Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia as the partys flagbearer for the 2024 elections.



Atta Akyea said Bawumias competence is unmatched, describing it as over the top and said he is uniquely qualified to deliver Ghana from any economic woes.



Atta Akya made his submission during an appearance on Metro TVs Good Evening Ghana programme on Tuesday, January 3rd 2022.



I am of the humble view that Dr. Bawumia will be the first president who is an economist and therefore nobody is going to say that the president didnt understand the economy that is why the economy is a mess.



Now, he is in the saddlenow you are president, deliver us from the economic mess. Who understands the economy better than the one who is an economist himself? So, in terms of competence, I am persuaded that he has it and he is over the top, he told host Paul Adom-Otchere.



Atta Akyea said the NPP must prioritise competence above all in choosing a running mate and not default to tribal or religious considerations.



The legislator said the NPP should simply unify behind Dr Bawumia rather than go through a divisive primary and called for Trade and Industry Minister, Alan Kyeremanten to be named as Bawumias running mate to satisfy all factions.



The NPP is expected to elect a flagbearer for the 2024 elections later this year.



A slew of top party officials are expected to contest including the Agric Minister, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, Assin Central MP, Kennedy Agyapong and former party General Secretary Kwabena Agyei Agyapong.



The race is widely expected to be a two-horse race between Dr Bawumia  who has won the hearts and minds of the party faithful with his economic genius and digital agenda  and Alan Kwadwo Kyeremanten who would be coming for his due after being denied the flagbearer position by Nana Akufo-Addo in 2008.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on Friday, 6th January 2023, accepted the resignation from office of Mr. Alan Kyerematen as Minister for Trade and Industry.



This was after Mr. Kyerematen, on Thursday, 5th January, informed the President personally of his decision to resign, and subsequently submitted his letter of resignation to him.



"President Akufo-Addo thanked Mr. Kyerematen for his services to his government and to the country, and wished him well in his future endeavours," a statement signed by Eugene Arhin, Director of Communications Office of the President said.



The President has asked the Minister for Finance, Mr. Ken Ofori-Atta, to act as caretaker Minister at the Ministry of Trade and Industry, until a substantive appointment is made.

Trade and Industry Minister Resigns

Trade and Indsutry Minister Alan John Kwadwo Kyerematen has resigned from the Akufo-Addo administration.



Peacefmonline's impeccable sources within Mr Kyerematen's camp and at the Presidency say he tendered in his resignation on Thursday, January 5, 2023.



Alan Cash, as he is popularly known, is one of the possible presidential candidates of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).



What remains unclear is if this resignation is linked to Alan's presidential ambition.



In 2007, Mr Kyerematen made an attempt at leading the ruling party as its flagbearer capturing 32.3% of the votes cast.



He secured the first runner-up position after Nana Akufo-Addo had garnered 47.96% of votes cast.



Undettered, Alan Cash made other attempts at the partys leadership in 2010 and 2014. But on both occasions, he placed second to Akufo-Addo who won the primaries.

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.

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The Oliveyard Church led by Pastor Blessed Ennin is commissioning a new church building.



The new Church will hold 200 people during each service and marks a significant accomplishment for the head pastor and the Oliveyard Church.



The head pastor, Pastor Blessed Ennin shared his excitement about moving to a new church building.



I am really grateful and excited about the future of the Oliveyard Church, the Lead and Head Pastor, Pastor Blessed Ennin remarked in an interview. We have gone through many stages of ministry, but I am grateful for all the lessons we have learned since they have tremendously shaped the way we view the world. We now have a place to worship, and it is all the Lord's work. Trust me, its about to be lit, he shared.





View this post on Instagram A post shared by Oliveyard Church - Headquarters (@oliveyardchurch)



He also added that seeing people rescued, healed, set free, disciplined, equipped, and empowered was their top objective.



The new address for The Oliveyard Church is 8481 Bash St Suite 700, Indianapolis, Indiana 46250 with the opening service being 7th January 2023.



Music lovers can also listen to Pastor Blessed Ennins recently released Nsenku, which has received a great deal of attention on radio and the internet and countless positive comments, by streaming it on all digital platforms.



On all social media platforms, Pastor Blessed Ennin may be found at @blessedennin and @oliveyardchurch.

























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.

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Two-time World Poker Tour (WPT) runner-up Steven "Cuz" Buckner was heard screaming as he held his signature cigar stub in one hand and scooped in chips with the other after eliminating an opponent.

"Let's f***ing go! Let's f***ing go! The bounties are comin'," Buckner screamed.

Buckner, who finished second in both the 2022 WPT Choctaw and WPT Five Diamond later in the year, will now look to close out in one of the first events of the new year.
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Within minutes of Kevin McCarthy being elected Speaker of the House, President Biden made it clear that cutting Social Security and Medicare is a no-go.

President Biden said in a statement provided to PoliticusUSA:

Jill and I congratulate Kevin McCarthy on his election as Speaker of the House.

The American people expect their leaders to govern in a way that puts their needs above all else, and that is what we need to do now.

As I said after the midterms, I am prepared to work with Republicans when I can and voters made clear that they expect Republicans to be prepared to work with me as well. Now that the leadership of the House of Representatives has been decided it is time for that process to begin.

Today we learned that my plan to build an economy that works from the bottom up and the middle out has achieved the lowest unemployment rate in 50 years. And that we made 2021 and 2022 the best years for job growth on record.

Its imperative that we continue that economic progress, not set it back. It is imperative that we protect Social Security and Medicare, not slash them. It is imperative that we defend our national security, not defund it. These are some of the choices before us.

As the last two years show, we can do profound things for the country when we do them together.

For example, this week I traveled to Kentucky to highlight the growing benefits that the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is bringing to communities all over the country.

This is a time to govern responsibly and to ensure that were putting the interests of American families first.

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It isnt a coincidence that President Biden immediately put a red line around any cuts to Social Security and Medicare. House Republicans and McCarthy have been suggesting for months that they would use something like the debt ceiling to extract cuts to Social Security and Medicare from Democrats.

The House rules change McCarthy promised to those who made him Speaker of the House, for now, was that he would attach spending cuts to any legislation to fund the government or raise the debt ceiling.

President Biden is already setting the parameters and telling Speaker McCarthy to forget about cutting Social Security and Medicare.
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One of the many caves that McCarthy gave to the far right was a special select subcommittee run under Jim Jordans Judiciary Committee that will investigate the criminal probes into Trump.

Politico reported:

A proposed subcommittee to investigate weaponization of the federal government  a key demand of House conservatives who delivered Speaker Kevin McCarthy the gavel  would be given sweeping investigatory powers that include explicit authority to review ongoing criminal investigations.

The language of the proposed select subcommittee, which would operate under the Judiciary Committee expected to be chaired by Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), also gives the panel power to access any information shared with the House Intelligence Committee. That panel typically receives the highest-level classified intelligence and briefings of any committee in Congress.

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Dont be fooled by language about investigating all current criminal investigations. This select committee is primarily interested in the investigations into Donald Trump. It is clear why Trump was so desperate to see Kevin McCarthy become Speaker. House Republicans will try to shut down the special counsel probe into Trump. If they cant shut the investigations down. they are going to work as Trumps PR machine to muddy the waters and create counternarratives to make it appear that the investigations into Trump are a form of political persecution.

Jim Jordan, who was involved in Trumps plot to overthrow the government, will now use his power as chair of the House Judiciary Committee to try to clear a path for Trump to return to the White House in 2024.

The American people can expect zero productive legislation from House Republicans and their empty-suit Speaker of the House. It is going to be nothing but investigations into Biden and converting the House majority into an arm of the Trump 2024 campaign for the next two years.
Centenarian COVID-19 patient discharged from hospital after week-long treatment

Xinhua) 10:27, January 07, 2023

WUHAN, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- A 103-year-old woman has been discharged from hospital after recovering from COVID-19 in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, hospital sources said.

The woman surnamed Zhou was discharged from the Wuhan Pulmonary Hospital on Monday after receiving a week of treatment, said Chen Guoxi, who was Zhou's attending physician.

The centenarian resident felt tired and lost her appetite on Dec. 28, 2022, but did not develop fever or other typical symptoms of COVID-19. It was her lower-than-normal blood oxygen level that prompted her family to take her to hospital, where she was confirmed to have COVID-19.

Considering Zhou's advanced age and pre-existing health problems such as hypertension, the hospital called on specialists to adapt a treatment plan that uses only modest medication.

"Like many elderly patients, her liver and kidney functions are weak, so many effective medicines are not viable for her," said Chen. Instead, doctors prescribed her oxygen therapies and prone positioning, which aims to improve the patient's respiratory function.

Doctors said it took some time for Zhou to adapt to the prone positioning therapy, which requires her to spend several hours lying in a prone position, but her condition has since improved.

Chen said Zhou's experience could inspire alternative treatments for other geriatric COVID-19 patients and the use of prone positioning, which is being included into the treatment plans of more COVID-19 patients.

(Web editor: Xian Jiangnan, Wu Chaolan)
I would like to piggyback on the recent letters sent in concerning the location of the SRS lab location. My opinion is that the downtown location is not a good fit for this facility. The lab location should be built at the Carrol Warner business park. Read moreLetter: SRS lab should be near site
WASHINGTON  The U.S. government has appointed a group of experts to examine safety practices at Boeing Co., including an aerospace engineer whose sister was killed in one of the crashes involving the planemaker's 737 Max jets.

The Federal Aviation Administration said the panel  required under a 2020 law passed by Congress  includes representatives from the FAA, NASA, airlines and aviation manufacturers but no one from Boeing.

The group will have nine months to issue findings and recommendations.

Among the panel members named Jan. 5 is Javier de Luis, a lecturer in aeronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His sister, Graziella de Luis Ponce, was a passenger on the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing Max that crashed in March 2019.

De Luis has been critical of Boeing for designing, and the FAA for approving, a flight-control system that could tip the jet's nose down based on readings from a single sensor. That sensor malfunctioned on his sister's plane and another Boeing Max that crashed in October 2018 in Indonesia.

All 346 passengers and crew members on board both planes died.

"The fact that this airplane was allowed to fly with a system, that if one sensor failed would kill everybody on board  not once but twice  is a monumental failure not on Ethiopian but on Boeing and the FAA," de Luis told the Seattle Times. "An airplane should not fall out of the sky because one sensor fails. End of story."

Other members of the panel include a NASA safety-culture expert, the manager of the FAA office that oversees Boeing, executives from Southwest, American and United  all of which fly the 737 Max and have orders to buy many more  and representatives from several unions, including one that represents Boeing engineers.

Boeing, which is based in Arlington, Va., said it had no comment on the formation of the safety panel.

Congress directed the FAA to create the task force as part of changes in the agency's oversight of the company after the crashes. An 18-month investigation by the House Transportation Committee was scathing in its criticism of both Boeing and the FAA, which lawmakers said was too cozy with Boeing and paid insufficient attention to the flight-control system implicated in both crashes.

All Max jets were grounded worldwide for nearly two years while Boeing overhauled the system. The FAA cleared the planes to fly again in late 2020.

Boeing is one of South Carolina's largest manufacturing employers, with about 5,500 workers at several plants in North Charleston, where the 787 Dreamliner has been built exclusively since early 2021.

The company has taken several steps to increase safety awareness. For instance, two years ago this month the company named its first-ever chief aerospace safety officer, who reports directly to CEO Dave Calhoun.

Last year, Boeing named an attorney based at the North Charleston plant as the top liaison for workers who inspect airplanes on behalf of the FAA. The "ombudsperson" role assigned to Mark Fava was created under a settlement tied to the 737 Max crisis.

More than 1,000 Boeing employees act as FAA delegates behalf under the Organization Designation Authorization program, or ODA, to inspect planes during the manufacturing and airworthiness certification processes.

The safety agency has increased its scrutiny of the 787 and the North Charleston plant in recent years. In 2020, Boeing agreed to pay $1.21 million to settle allegations that senior managers at the South Carolina factory put undue pressure on ODA workers.

The government increased its oversight in 2021 by taking over a critical factory review for several of the locally made widebodies and certifying the jets for flight.

Boeing was required to halt 787 deliveries for more than a year, partly because of minor manufacturing flaws found in the skin of the planes. The FAA allowed the company to resume deliveries in August. A few months later, United Airlines announced an order for up to 200 Dreamliners.
A family-owned trucking and warehouse firm has been acquired by an investment group that aims to take advantage of fast-paced growth at the Port of Charleston.

Harbor Logistics, part of the New York-based NOVA Infrastructure group of companies, announced its acquisition of ATS Logistics this week.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

It's the second acquisition for Charleston-headquartered Harbor Logistics, following its 2021 purchase of Premier Logistics Solutions in Hanahan.

ATS is an essential component of the Port of Charlestons supply chain and import/export activity, Allison Kingsley, NOVA's founder and partner, said in a written statement. Combining the ... ATS team with Harbor Logistics brings additional operating expertise and complementary customer relationships to a strategically located port market with structural tailwinds.

ATS is the largest trucking firm at Charleston's port, and its warehouse is the only privately operated inspection site for U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

The company's fleet is set to grow to 200 vehicles in the coming months.

"ATS has a great name and it's run by great people, and Harbor's thesis is to invest in companies that are well-respected in what they do, bringing a little bit of capital so they can continue to grow," said Micah Mallace, Harbor's president.

Mallace, the former chief commercial officer for the State Ports Authority, said he's worked with ATS during his tenure with SPA and has been impressed with the company's management team, which includes brothers Andy, Jimmie and Tony Gianoukos.

"You can have the greatest assets, the best location, all the tangible stuff," Mallace said. "But if you don't have a team of rock stars that are dedicated and doing great stuff, the rest of it doesn't matter."

Jimmie Gianoukos, CEO of ATS, could not be reached for comment, but he said in a written statement that he's "excited for our existing team to collaborate with NOVA and its Charleston-based Harbor Logistics business for this next phase of the companys growth."

ATS was founded in 1986 and Gianoukos said he, his brothers and the company's staff "worked hard to build and grow ATS over the last 36 years."

Mallace said NOVA formed Harbor Logistics to focus on acquiring third-party logistics firms in the Charleston area, adding he expects further deals to be announced this year. Its previous acquisition of Premier Logistics Services gave the company an 800,000-square-foot food-grade warehouse and distribution facility as well as a fleet of trucks and chassis.

"The southern port markets and major transportation markets are forecasted to grow dramatically following growth in population, which drives consumption, and growth in manufacturing," Mallace said. "So, we will be opportunistic and follow where the good opportunities are. But right now we are focused on Charleston. There is a lot we can do here to benefit the port and help it and some local companies grow dramatically."

NOVA Infrastructure, which was founded in 2017, targets investments in the environmental services, transportation, energy and communication sectors. Among its holdings is Hawthorne Global Aviation Services, which was founded in Charleston in 1932 and provides maintenance and other services for private aircraft operators in 10 markets nationwide.

NOVA acquired Hawthorne, now headquartered in Ronkonkoma, N.Y., in 2022.
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3 SC top-selling, master-planned communities lost sales in 2022

Two of the Charleston region's largest housing developments and another neighborhood near Beaufort rank among the 50 top-selling, master-planned communities in the nation, but they all saw sales dip in 2022 after the rip-roaring buying frenzy of the previous year.

Both of the Charleston-area developments are in booming Berkeley County.

Cane Bay and Nexton made the list by RCLCO Real Estate Advisors for the most home sales last year in master-planned developments. Also on the list is Latitude Margaritaville-Hilton Head in the lower part of the state at Hardeeville.

Cane Bay, which has made the list for several years running, came in at No. 4 with 959 sales, down 16 percent.

About 10,000 homes are planned for the 4,500-acre Cane Bay tract off U.S. Highway 176. The neighboring 2,000-acre Wildcat Tract was bought by Cane Bay developer Gramling Brothers Real Estate & Development in 2016 and will have 5,700 homes at build-out. The two tracts are both part of the overall Cane Bay development.

The combined tracts had about 7,000 homes on the ground at the end of 2022, according to spokeswoman Kelly Gramling.

Just south of the Cane Bay tract is Nexton. It made its debut on the list for the first time in 2020 at No. 49. Last year, the 5,000-acre development climbed to No. 26 with 467 sales, compared to 576 in 2021, according to Maryland-based RCLCO. That's a 19 percent decrease.

Near the end of 2022, Nexton had 2,150 occupied homes and 1,500 occupied apartments. Another 250 homes and 600 apartments are under construction, according to Nexton spokeswoman Cassie Cataline. At full buildout, Nexton will have 7,500 residences.

Together, Cane Bay and Nexton will bring more than 23,000 new homes to the Lowcountry when completed if all of the approved houses are built.

At 2.5 people per household, the two communities, both almost entirely in unincorporated areas, will have 58,000 residents. Thats more than the town of Summerville, the states seventh-largest municipality, has now.

In the lower part of the Palmetto State, Latitude Margaritaville-Hilton Head appeared on the list for the first time in 2021 at No. 35 with 572 home sales. The tally slipped to 480 last year, down 16 percent, while the rank rose to No. 25.

The No. 1 master-planned community based on sales continued to be The Villages, a community between Orlando and Ocala, Fla., with 3,923 transactions last year, down 2.0 percent from 2021.

Eighteen of the top 50 are in Florida, but Texas has the most, with 19. Together, they make up about 76 percent of the sales among the top 50 master-planned communities.

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A Virginia-based developer wants to build a new retail center on a 22-acre parcel next to Freshfields Village between Kiawah and Seabrook islands. It would include a bigger grocery store to replace the existing Village Market.

By the numbers

5: Number of Andolini's Pizza restaurants that were once across the Lowcountry. The last one is now closed, ending three decades of serving slices, pies, calzones and other items.

10: Acreage on Johns Island where Low Tide Brewing plans to build a new facility.

30: Millions of dollars projected to build a new office development in northern Mount Pleasant.

This week in real estate

+ Flight plan: Charleston International Airport needs more gates and more parking to accommodate the expected continued acceleration of growth. Plans are in the works to expand in both areas, but they will require the moving around of several components to make that happen.

+ On the way: A new restaurant and drinking venue is in the works to replace the former Caroline's Aloha Bar in West Ashley.

+ Coming to King: A new retailer with items that incorporate sections of scarves plans to open by the spring in downtown Charleston.

A Raleigh-based developer is building a large, new multifamily community on a 30-acre site in West Ashley.

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COLUMBIA  Columbia and Richland County firefighters could get paid more in the coming fiscal year, joining sheriff's deputies, county attorneys and paramedics in a series of raises emblematic of a statewide trend.

As private sector companies compete for employees in a tight labor market, governments are trying to keep up. Along with raises for public safety employees, Columbia and Richland County have both hired a consulting firm to evaluate their pay across the board and determine what changes they need to make to stay competitive.

Officials say it's too early to determine where exactly the funds for any raises will come from, but councils and administrators will face tough decisions. Generally, any budget changes mean either cutting spending elsewhere or raising taxes.

"When we do anything, we're going to have to balance the need for the increase versus the appetite of the public to pay for that service," Columbia Councilman Howard Duvall said.

Finding funding

Federal American Rescue Plan Act funds can offset some of the burden in the short-term, said Josh Rhodes, general counsel for the South Carolina Association of Counties. But ARPA funds are finite and must be spent by the end of 2026, leaving cities and counties on the hook eventually for any pay rate increases they make now.

County Council members pointed out that consideration during December meetings in which the council discussed and approved short-term raises for public safety employees.

For the initial raise, which goes until the next fiscal year begins on July 1, the county will reallocate salaries from vacant positions. But as the budget process for the year begins, the council will need to decide whether it wants to use ARPA funds, raise taxes or cut county spending 5 percent.
LEXINGTON  South Carolinas largest United Methodist Church plans to leave the denomination just three weeks after the state organization approved an agreement for congregations seeking separation.

Mt. Horeb United Methodist Church, located on more than 125 acres at 1205 Old Cherokee Road in Lexington, will begin the required period of discernment on Jan. 9, senior pastor Jeff Kersey told The Post and Courier.

We are thankful a plan, path and price has been provided for traditional churches to consider separation from the denomination, Kersey said.

The first step in the agreement is a church council vote to enter separation followed by 30-day discernment period. The church then has until March 1 to hold an information session with the congregation and a separate church conference with the UMC district superintendent.

At the special church conference, two-thirds of the congregation must agree the church can no longer function as a United Methodist Church based on the denominations failure to consistently uphold and abide by its stated doctrine on issues of human sexuality, the agreement states. Mt. Horeb has almost 5,000 members, Kersey said.

Monetarily, the separation agreement requires 10 percent of the churchs liquid assets, 10 percent of its property value, funding their clergys salary until closure and apportionment for an additional year.

Annual apportionments to UMC  requested amounts from the state office based on a congregations size and budget  were $15.8 million in 2021, and the state's budget for fiscal year 2023 is $15.6 million. The requested amounts ranged from $386 at Epworth Memorial UMC in Columbia to $472,377 at Mt. Horeb UMC in Lexington, making Mt. Horeb the largest contributor in South Carolina.

Why churches want to leave UMC
GREENVILLE  A 153-unit apartment building proposed near Unity Park has stalled after Greenville's Design Review Board deferred the project citing numerous concerns with the design.

The structure shown in Virginia-based development group Red Fox's application to the city shows a structure standing 75-tall at the intersection of Westfield and West Broad Street, which would make it the tallest building in the surrounding area. The bottom two floors of the seven-story building would be a parking garage, with one level underground, while the rest would be apartments. The building would be roughly C-shaped, with a raised patio and pool in the middle.

Units at the development would range from 500-square-foot studio apartments to 1,300-square-foot, two-bedroom units with living rooms, according to the application. The main entrance would be on West Broad Street.

The review board voted unanimously during its Jan. 5 meeting to delay a vote on the project until March.

Board member Katie Skoloff said she has concerns about how the building's facade, which as proposed alters between different shades of gray in a modern design, would fit in with some of the more traditional, recognizable buildings near the site just to the east of Unity Park, including the First Citizens Bank building.

"We've got some of our most stately, most traditional, historically textile buildings that really flank this visually," she said. "I'm concerned about the level of contrast."

Board member John Robert Edwards said he shared Skoloff's concerns about how the apartment building would fit into the surrounding area, and listed a number of other issues with the proposal, including the uniform height on the side of the building facing downtown and its lack of color.

"It's a death by 1,000 paper cuts and little things that need to be attended to," he said.

The overall concept presented at the Jan. 5 meeting was sound overall, he said, but there were too many smaller concerns to approve it as it was.

In its application, Red Fox indicated that it hoped to begin construction on the development in November and that it would take about two years to build. The development company plans to retain ownership of the building for at least 10 years after its completion.
The world becomes very small when your body is in crisis. The second we jumped into the Baltic Sea, everything stopped. I gasped for air and started hyperventilating. I waited to catch my breath, but it didnt happen.

I had no choice but to swim like that. Calm body, panicked breath. It was more of a doggy paddle than a swim, any motion to propel me forward.

The waves were high and wide apart. I would ride the crest of one and then slide into the valley of the next, feeling myself get smaller and smaller and my place in the world becoming nothing more than another bubble in the sea.

The sea affected my traveling companion, Earl Bridges, differently. As I hyperventilated, his breath calmed. He started swimming backward and watching me closely.

Ive got you, he said. A wave lifted him high above me and then he slid below as a wave lifted me. Ive got you, he said again.

It made me feel safe and it made me furious. This was my idea after all, to jump into the icy Helsinki water in October and swim from one yellow ladder to another like the locals do. Why was this so easy for him and so jarring for me?

Another wave lifted us. At that moment, the erasure of the world was complete and we were the only people in existence, suspended in a cold womb.

I felt strong and weak. The blood was rushing to the core of my body to keep me alive, leaving empty arms and legs to propel me forward. I could feel the joints of my elbows and the space between the bones in my fingers. I could feel every decision I had ever made and how it had built me into who I was, cell by cell.

The yellow exit ladder came into view with the crest of the next wave. I kicked my legs and pulled myself forward with my brittle arms.

And then it was over. My hand grabbed the cold metal of the ladder wrung and I held on as the sea tried to hold on to me, pulling at my legs while I searched for a foothold.

There were two women on the dock, drying themselves off and changing back into work clothes. We made eye contact as I pulled myself up the ladder and back to solid ground. We all laughed a little bonding laugh but didnt say a word.

Earl and I walked back to the place where we left our towels and clothes.

And thats when I felt it, the reason people jump into the Baltic Sea, day after day.

The blood that had been protecting my core from death in the unforgiving cold water rushed back through my body like a wave onto shore. It was an incredible feeling, like I was being washed from the inside out. I felt every cell resetting. My mind was clear and giddy. The regret and brittleness I felt moments before in the water were replaced by a feeling of fullness. I was fresh and freed. I left something in the water  a shed skin  and I was ready for whatever happened next.

Thats why you go to Finland, to wake yourself up. You come to this stoic corner of the earth to feel something.

***

Finland is about being in your body. Its about extreme cold and heat. Its about eating food that you spent the day gathering  feasts of mushrooms and berries. Freezers full of fish and meat, caught and hunted.

As I lifted a spoon of cloudberries to my mouth, a Finnish friend said, My mother gathered those this week. Think about how you have to bend down to pick each individual cloudberry. It takes a lot of work. Be grateful. Be mindful. The orange cloudberry burst in my mouth with a citric shock of Vitamin C. I tasted it. I noticed it, that one bite.

When people talk about Finns, they always talk about sisu  that Finnish word that describes a stiff upper lip, a toughness in the face of adversity, a quality that people in this Arctic part of the world have that gives them the ability to face anything. Its not happiness. Its not resilience. Its sisu.

But that idea of the quiet, stoic, unaffected Finn is just one aspect. The Finns we met added something else  the pleasure found in discomfort. The taste of the cloudberry after hours of picking. The rush of blood after a swim in the sea. The sweat of the sauna after another ladle of water lands on hot rocks.

I read a book this year called The Comfort Crisis. Its about the importance of discomfort. Comfort is killing us. It dulls our minds and softens our bodies. To bring himself back to life, the author took a 30-day hike into the wilds of Alaska. He spent 30 days outside, without the sound of traffic, without one email or text message, without a pillow or hot shower or heated car seat.

He wrote that it takes three days for the world to really fall away, but by that third day, nature is all thats left. Your senses are heightened. Everything is magnified. The author calls the experience misogi  a Japanese word for a ritual cleansing. Misogi, in this authors context, is the act of creating discomfort, of doing something really hard, in order to wash away the crust of our life of convenience.

On the other side of the difficulty is something next to pleasure. If not happiness, then something very close to it. The feeling of being alive.

***

My attempt at misogi was to add a few days on the Karhunkierros (Bears Ring) Trail to our trip.

The funny thing about adding a backpacking trip  days and nights in the woods with only what you carry  is that you obsess about what you will carry.

In the days before our flight to Finland, I packed and unpacked, and on the day before we set out for the trail, we made one last stop at an outdoor store in Rovaniemi.

What you bring shapes the experience. And it unfolded in a series of good and bad decisions.

For food, I packed oatmeal, energy bars, instant coffee, packets of hot chocolate, ramen and canned fish. All great choices.

I bought a brand-new Thermos that was the best thing I brought. I filled it with hot chocolate each morning and we would stop every couple of miles for something warm to drink.

I bought a water filter, since there are rivers and lakes all through the forest. I bought a pocket knife in Finland. They are known for their knife making.

And we bought two kuksas  handmade cups carved out of a block of birch wood, designed to perfectly fit in your hand. A leather strap is tied around the handle for attaching it to your backpack. Little pieces of art  simple, useful and beautiful, the Finnish way.

I packed my Jetboil camp stove.

I did not pack a tent because I had been told that Finland has cabins all through the woods where you can stay for free. But even that knowledge did not prepare me for what I would find on that hike. Finland has some of the most incredible infrastructure for enjoying the outdoors I have ever experienced.

If I had understood that before I got on the trail, my pack would have been much lighter. I would not have packed snow pants in preparation for cold nights around a fire, because we slept in a cabin with a wood-burning stove and lots of firewood, already chopped. There are wooden bunks for sleeping and a table where you sit for breakfast and watch the reindeer wander through the forest outside the window.

The trail is only 10 miles from the Russian border. As we walked, so many Russian novels and movies came into sharp relief. I could understand the Dostoevsky and Tarkovsky forests now. Birch trees as far as you can see feel like closed curtains, and I understood how a little isolation and imagination turns them quickly into a canvas of spirituality, exile or paranoia, depending on the mind of the artist.

This kind of nature, its not like mountains or oceans where you are reminded with each vista that the world is a vast place. Here, you keep your head down. You notice each step because the trail is full of tree roots. Here, the forest is engulfing. It dampens sound and limits what you can see.

It smells like the must of rotting wet leaves.

I had circled the stops we would make on a map. Ten or 11 miles didnt seem that far to walk to get to a place to sleep when I traced my finger over the line on the map while sitting on a hotel bed. And it didnt feel far for those first few miles.

Every so often, the forest opened up into a marsh or a river or along the shore of a pond. There are boards to get you across the marshes. There are suspension bridges to get you across the raging rivers. Next to the ponds and lakes, there are tracks for sliding your portaged canoe into the water.

There are metal markers every kilometer, letting you know how far youve come and how far you have left to go.

The Finns thought of everything, and it is all meticulously maintained and beautifully designed.

This place is remote. We took a 12-hour, overnight train from Helsinki into Rovaniemi, then rented a car and drove for a day to the edge of the country. It was truly and deeply far away in every sense of the word, but the message on this trail was clear. Being in nature is a gift. Its a right, the Finns say. You belong here. Stay here. Disappear into the forest.

I could hear my wooden cup, hanging from its leather strap, moving from side to side against my backpack as I walked.

Hiking is the perfect environment for deep conversation, mostly because you dont have to talk at all. You can walk for miles in silence and let your mind wander. Then, when one of lifes questions arise, you throw it out for discussion. And, because youre walking for miles and hours, theres no rush to solve it. The ideas get as much room as the forest will allow, broken up by pauses when the trail runs into an outcropping and silence is needed to climb over wet, muddy rocks.

Its one thing to want to experience misogi  created suffering in order to make yourself feel alive. And its another thing to be pulling yourself up an embankment, feet slipping on roots, the pack pulling at your spine, the sun setting and miles to go before you can stop.

I always think I want to do something hard, but when Im in the middle of doing it, I feel something very far from alive. I feel embarrassed to be weak in front of another person. I feel mad at myself for not being stronger or more fit. I wish for the comfort in "comfort crisis."

The sunset at that latitude adds to the tension.

The sun seems that it cant wait to get to the horizon in the early afternoon, but once it does, it sits there and the golden hour lasts and lasts  casting long, sundial shadows. Then suddenly, even though its not quite 5 p.m., all light disappears.

We walked in the dark, hoping the cabin I marked on the map was right around the corner. It wasnt. Down a hill, up a hill. Maybe it will be at the crest of the next rise. It wasnt.

I started to imagine what it would feel like to tell Earl that I had heard there were cabins where you could sleep in the forest of Finland, that I had talked him into coming with me on this long march without a tent, and that I had been wrong. I was practicing my apology around 7 p.m. when I saw a shape in the darkness that looked like a rooftop.

The cabin was feet from a rushing river, with a porch perfect for watching the water. Inside, the wood-burning stove was already hot and a couple was reading by the light of their headlamps. They greeted us and hoped we didnt mind their Australian Shepherd curled up in the corner. The dog lifted its head to be petted, but was exhausted from a long day of hiking. And so were we.

We cooked ramen and canned white fish and I fell asleep instantly as soon as my head touched the pillowless wooden bench that was my bed for the night.

The next morning, we decided to hike another 9 miles and then exit the trail at a spot on the map that said visitor center in Finnish.

We stopped a few times to drink hot chocolate from our wooden cups. The sun was out and made the lichen a bright green and the berries that were still growing in the low bushes stand out in stark red and blue relief. The trail seemed easier on the second day, a mental trick from knowing we would be done soon. We walked and talked about the arc of this journey and all journeys.

And we were lost in conversation when the trail opened up into an empty parking lot and a locked-up, winterized visitor center. We were greeted by a few rutting reindeer.

Because it said visitor center on the map, we didnt imagine that we would find ourselves in the middle of nowhere  meaning 60 miles from the nearest town without another person to hear our voice. We hadnt planned how we would get back to our rented car, because a visitor center is where you walk to a window and ask for advice.

We sat on the steps of the center, itself a mile from the highway, and I started poking through my cellphone for a solution. In case you find yourself in need of a ride in the middle of the forest in Finland, Ill save you the time it took to figure it out. The app Taksi located a driver in a town an hour away and called him. I dont speak Finnish, so I couldnt tell which of the signs was the name of a place. I spelled every sign I could see. The taxi driver patiently listened as I spelled out the Finnish words for reception desk and bathrooms. And then, somehow, I read something that gave him a clue of where we were. He told us to walk to the road and he would find us.

The ride cost $117 but got us back to our car.

That night, we ordered wine and a feast of reindeer and bear meat with potatoes and lingonberries, and a small bowl of salted fish.

Earl asked, What do you want to do now? We had agreed at the beginning of the trip, not to plan too much but to follow our whims and let the journey unfold.

***

We headed north for the town of Inari, population 581.

At that time of year, there was one place open in Inari. PaPaNa was a bar and restaurant. It had an upstairs room for darts, couches for watching TV, a stage for live music. There was a big porch for sitting outside on a warm day, but on this bitterly cold night, it was the place everyone gathered to smoke.

Two men came in from the cold and held on to the edge of a table to get back to their seat, too drunk to walk without help, but not drunk enough to stop for the night.

It felt like the kind of place that had been built over time by the people who drank there  like an old iconic ski town bar, with art hung and drawn on every wall, and jokes behind the bar about where rude customers can go. Everyone sat at long wooden tables and benches  a group of Spanish tourists on a package trip to see the northern lights, a group of locals still dressed from a day of working outside, now drinking White Russians, and two teenage boys  who stood at the bar flirting with the tattooed bartender.

I ordered the Inari Special, a large pizza with smoked reindeer meat, blue cheese and pineapple.

We ordered White Russians in an attempt to fit in.

We sipped our tall glasses of milk and vodka and hoped the locals would invite us over if we looked interesting enough. We moved a few times  from table to table and to a perch at the bar  hoping each move would be the portal to get us absorbed into the social life of Inari.

But we didnt speak Finnish or Sami  the local language  except to say moi or hello. We were chirping birds with our one word greetings and no one was fooled that we were one of them.

We wanted to have one of those adventurous nights, carried on the shoulders of newfound friends. But you cant create those with willpower and meek smiles from the corner of the room.

Still, when we walked back into the beautiful, heavy-logged lodge where we were staying, we were energized and ready to try again. We ordered White Russians  that came in rocks glasses this time with cream and Kahlua. And we approached a group of English-speaking women, sitting by the fire with chocolate martinis. They were from Indiana and were all there to fulfill one womans bucket-list wish to see the northern lights, but it was cloudy and instead they were scrolling on their phones. They had the air of masked disappointment that comes when you travel across the world hoping for one thing and you havent figured out yet how to see what else is there.

***

Just like so many people, we were also in Finnish Lapland to see the northern lights. We watched the Arctic Circle descend below us on the map as we continued to travel north.

I downloaded one of the apps that tracks sun storms and tells you where in the world you need to be that night to see the lights. I signed up for notifications on my phone to tell us when we should run outside and look up.

I read all the listicles of best places to stay to see the northern lights from your window  written mostly by people who looked them up on travel review sites, having never been themselves. We stayed at one of the best places on earth, according to those articles  a hotel called Arctic Treehouse. And it is a beautiful hotel with an entire wall of window looking out into the forest, with shots of beet juice and cloudberry juice greeting you in the morning, with reindeer skins on the ground among the light birch Scandinavian-design furniture. Hiking trails wind through the woods, leading to overlooks  and thats where you should watch the lights, not from the coziness of your room.

Every night in Lapland, we went outside looking for the lights and that was the one place we saw them. We strained through cloud cover on some nights and low solar activity on others.

Instagram is the worst thing to happen to the northern lights. I can tell you now that people take photos through filters and long exposures that amplify what they are seeing, and so when you see them for yourself, youre almost underwhelmed. You realize immediately how much people exaggerate in this era of performative experiences.

But you cant let what you were told to expect ruin what actually happens.

We walked out to the edge of a road to an overlook that let us see all the way to the horizon.

The lights started faintly at first, a line across the sky  white then green. The painted line started to grow and spill across the sky, moving in waves. We were under the sea, looking up. As it rolled over us, bright green now, I knew exactly where I was  not just on the Earth, but in the solar system.

I had been watching the solar activity all day and seen pictures posted from telescopes in Russia and Norway and Alaska of bursts on the suns surface. Those bursts were reaching us now, writing a message across the sky, tracing the outline of the top of the world. I got smaller and smaller. I mattered less and less as my consciousness of my place in the universe grew. The sky filled with moving green light. I forgot how cold it was. I stood perfectly still as one of the few people on earth to be experiencing this display.

And then it was over.

The light retreated and only stars were left. The sky remained the window into space that it always is, but I was more aware of it now. I could see the stars as light reaching us from far away through years of darkness. I could feel myself standing on tiny, cold planet Earth trying to understand it all or at least this corner of it.

***

We tried to see the northern lights one last time by heading as far north as the map would take us.

We drove through an underwater tunnel to the island of Vardo, Norway, and the edge of this part of the world. We stood on a spit on the end of the island, looking out on the Arctic Ocean. There are a few places that make you see the planet as a whole and this was one of them.

The air blew from the sea against my cheeks and it felt like glaciers. It felt like the dry crunch of snow. It felt like it had traveled across the curve of the earth.

There werent any northern lights, but there was a clear night sky.

A lighthouse was blinking  once every two seconds.

Two crab fishing boats headed out to sea in the dark and wouldnt return for weeks.

We stood in the cold as long as our willpower let us and then walked into a bar for some food and a drink. A man walked in  blond and boyish  and said in practiced English, I would like to have one beer.

The pint was poured and he took his seat and before long was doing the thing he came to do. He told the men around him that he didnt have any experience fishing but he had worked in a cannery.

The bartender wiped the counter and gave a nod to a man sitting against the wall. The man reached into his chest pocket, pulled out a pack of Kent cigarettes and offered one to the boy. They walked outside and stood in the cold, smoking, not saying a word.

When they returned, speaking in Russian, the boy had a place on the next boat out.

***

Life is all about who you meet. Its interpreted through the voices of the people you talk to and through the sound of your own voice. And thats doubly true when youre traveling, trying to figure out the puzzle of another country.

One of the reasons Earl came along, or I came along with Earl, depending on whos telling the story, was to scout for a PBS travel show that he hosts.

Before we came, he heard about salmiakki, the favorite candy of Finland, and reached out to the head of the salmiakki association with a request to tour a factory. And thats how we ended up in Ilmajoki, a small town four hours north of Helsinki, staying with a family that owns the Namitupa Candy Factory.

To call it candy is to create immediate cognitive dissonance, because it has a strong taste of black licorice and salt. The salty taste comes from a powder coating of ammonium chloride, which, to the unaccustomed, tastes a little like licking a battery. And the shock hits you especially hard when you bite into a piece of salmiakki candy thats pink and heart shaped  a slap when you expect a kiss.

But maybe thats why its a Finnish obsession.

By comparison, regular sugar candy is bland. Its predictable. You can eat it without thinking. You can be comfortable.

But salmiakki makes you feel something, said Lotta Laine of Namitupa. You cant ignore it. You must stop and taste it.

Its an experience that demands to be lived  just like so many Finnish things.

To get there, we drove 14 hours from the top of Norway to Ilmajoki.

We arrived just in time for dinner. First came glasses of milk. Then came the pastries and homemade preserves and black sausage from Tampere.

Then the conversation. We talked about the candy business, but then we slipped easily into the larger questions.

Finland is listed year after year as one of the happiest countries on earth on the World Happiness Report. The ranking describes happiness as feeling a sense of control over your own decisions, trusting your government, and relative economic well-being.

So, this question of happiness was an easy conversation starter. Are you happy? And what does that mean anyway?

Does a free college education and free health care lift enough of the financial weight of life that you can feel happy? They felt that it did.

The only impediment to happiness these days, in the broader sense, was the darkening shadow of Russia, pressed for 833 miles against their shared border.

Theres a saying about the historic relationship between Finland and Russia that I heard a few times, loosely translated, A Russian is a Russian no matter how much butter you fry him in.

Our hosts confirmed, yes, thats something people say.

Helsinki is full of Ukrainian flags, shouting support. And with that war raging not so far away, someone at the table wondered aloud, what would happen if they had to leave Finland. Where would they go?

Theres nowhere I would love as much as Finland, she said.

And what about the idea that happiness is feeling that you have control of your own life? We heard in response the story of the Namitupa factory  a midlife career pivot for Reijo Laine. The factory is steps away from their house and employs their daughter and son-in-law and sits at the center of their small town. It creates a livelihood, but also speaks of attachment to family and community and culture.

Our dinner plates were cleared and we were each given a small spoon. Reijo opened a small jar full of gray powder and as he did, he talked about being a young boy and walking to the counter at the pharmacy with his friend to buy a couple grams of salmiakki powder. He said they would put a little bit of the powder on the back of their hand and lick it. And that taste was intertwined for him with the memory of childhood friendships and bike-riding freedom.

We passed the jar and used our spoons to do just as he described, a little on the back of our hands and then licking it. The taste was a shock but the powder melted on our tongues and became intertwined with the warm feeling in the room of good food and winding conversation and full glasses of milk.

I reached down and picked up a cloudberry from a small bowl in the middle of the table. I put it in my mouth and thought about how someone bent down and collected it. I noticed the effort of the person who picked it and the burst of vitamin C as I savored the flavor. And I noticed the way it layered over the strong taste of the salty licorice salmiakki still on my tongue.
CONWAY  An outdoor event space proposed on the outskirts of Loris is drawing opposition from nearby residents who claim it would clash with the slow-paced character of the northern Horry County farming community.

With the current population boom in the states fastest-growing county and potential land for development along the coast becoming scarce, westward expansion is underway from the beach. That includes places where former farm-to-market roads originally designed to support the local tobacco economy now face additional traffic from developments sprouting up on vacant farmland.

The Loris and Longs areas have been among the region's most active for real estate sales over the past two years.

The event space would go on a 12-acre site a few miles away from the North Carolina border off of S.C. 141 near U.S. 701 and host weddings, banquets and holiday parties.

But many adjacent lifelong Horry County residents said they want to preserve the rural aspect of the area  alleging the development would bring unwanted noise and traffic.

That was especially evident during the Horry County Planning Commission meeting Jan. 5 where more than 10 concerned residents said they were against a rezoning proposal to allow for outdoor amusement-type uses.

It is a farm agricultural community and it has been that way for years  several generations, and we just dont really see the need for having an amusement type area in our community like that, said resident David Holmes, who was concerned about the potential for alcohol being allowed in the property.

Surroy Hemingway, the landowner requesting the zoning change, said Loris does not have a lot of spots to hold wedding receptions, and noted that he planned to also have various events for area children, as the vacant land is large enough for bouncy houses.

Nothing thats going to be bad for the community, Hemingway said.

Nearby resident Meredith Holmes said her husband has three hunting stands less than 500 feet from the property and was concerned about noise coming from the event space, as well as the added traffic on U.S. 701, especially during the summer months.

U.S. 701 historically has been a popular thoroughfare for tourists headed for the Grand Strand on vacation due to a nearby intersection with S.C. 9.

You probably got about a dozen people that are probably against this, Holmes said. Just mostly the question is if this venue doesnt pan out and this is rezoned. What does it open the door for?

Horry County Planning Director David Jordan said if the 12 acres make it through the rezoning process, other uses for the land could include outdoor amusement parks, paintball facilities, driving ranges and racetracks for go-carts.

The racetracks in the Loris area weve had issues with and complaints on throughout the years, Jordan said.

County Planning Commissioner Pamela Dawson said the board must consider how the land could be used in the future after a zoning change.

This particular owner may have the best intentions in the world, but you never quite know what will happen if (the land) were to transfer ownership to someone else, Dawson said.

The planning commission rejected the rezoning, but commissioners reminded the audience that Horry County Council could approve the change to allow the events space.

The westward movement in developing rural parts of Horry County in towns like Loris started in the late 1990s with Carolina Forest, where thousands of homes were built 10 miles west of Myrtle Beach, to create an area with close to 25,000 residents.

After Carolina Forest became more populated, areas north of Conway along S.C. 90, S.C. 9 and S.C. 905 began attracting development with thousands of homes approved on former farmland in recent years.
MOUNT PLEASANT  Thomasena Stokes-Marshall, the only Black person to have served on Mount Pleasant's 186-year-old Town Council, died Jan. 6 at her home in Snowden. She was 79.

Her death was confirmed by friend and colleague John Wright of the African American Historic Settlement Commission.

Born on Feb. 13, 1943 in the historically Black settlement of Snowden within Mount Pleasant, Stokes-Marshall was raised by her parents in the Bronx of New York City. She graduated college from New York University with a degree in public administration and community organization.

She cut her professional teeth on the streets of New York City, serving nearly a quarter-century within the male-dominated New York Police Department. She started in 1968 as a patrol officer and climbed the department's ranks to detective. Stokes-Marshall retired in 1993 and returned to Snowden, where she took care of her ailing parents until their deaths.

Stokes-Marshall may have spent most of her life away from the Lowcountry, but she quickly embedded herself within the culture and politics of her native land. She anchored the town government's development of a senior center and formed local institutions to preserve Black historic settlements and celebrate Gullah-Geechee culture.

Mount Pleasant Mayor Will Haynie said the entire community mourns the loss of a "true community servant."

"Thomasena Stokes-Marshall devoted herself to the well being of others and her community," he said. "She led with vision and courage."

Stokes-Marshall successfully ran in 1998 for a seat on Mount Pleasant's Town Council, becoming the first Black American to hold the post. She served four terms  17 years  and remains the only Black person elected to the council.

Linda Page, who served as a council member and then mayor during Stokes-Marshalls tenure, described the woman as a fireball.

I can hear her voice now to the point of a tremor, Page said. She would get mad and she would deliver passionate speeches about why this was important and why we should listen to her and we did.

Page recalls she and Stokes-Marshall were sometimes the only women in a chamber full of men.

She had the perfect personality, the former mayor said. She was tireless in her service to this community and with ease went from one role to another whether it was a mens club or not.

Town Councilman Gary Santos was serving his first term on the council when Stokes-Marshall came on the scene.

She was new to politics, spent most of her life in a different part of the country and did not look like the other council members. Those facts did not seem to matter.

She certainly wasnt shy, Santos said. When she spoke, she spoke with authority and she would tell you exactly how she believed  whether you liked it or not.

He recalled her hard work ethic and tireless research, which was crucial to the councils development of a senior center on Von Kolnitz Road, which opened its doors in 2009 bearing her name.

Stokes-Marshall previously told The Post and Courier the center was one of the greatest accomplishments of my life.

Santos most of all remembers his colleague's big smile.

She was fun. We could talk about anything. We didnt always agree but we could agree to disagree and move on, he said. In our political climate I think we need more of that.

Stokes-Marshall did not seek reelection in 2015. After leaving the council, she co-founded in 2016 the African American Historic Settlement Commission with Wright to protect the autonomy and character of settlements such as Snowden that were created after Reconstruction by formerly enslaved Black Americans.

As the new Mount Pleasant evolved, there was no advocacy for these historic settlement communities, explained Wright, who currently presides over the organization. Thomasena and I agreed we needed to get a voice at the table so that these communities could be recognized for their historic significance.

Stokes-Marshall also sought to celebrate Gullah-Geechee culture by creating the Sweetgrass Cultural Arts Festival Association. The association puts on a celebration every summer to highlight the contributions of the Gullah-Geechee people, including their sweetgrass basket art, which originated in Mount Pleasant.

"That was a way for her to embrace her culture here," Wright said. "Growing up in New York, that was her way to ensure that she was a part of promoting culture."

Wright described the late trailblazer as a mother figure.

"We argued on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but we loved each other on Fridays and Saturdays and all the other days," he said.

He added that the commission plans to hold a memorial in her honor.

It's incumbent upon us as a settlement commission to ensure that her legacy lives on, he said.

Stokes-Marshall was preceded in death by her late husband, Claude, and is survived by family members including her cousin, Robert, and her niece, Peggie.
Syndicated and guest columns represent the personal views of the writers, not necessarily those of the editorial staff. The editorial department operates entirely independently of the news department and is not involved in newsroom operations.
Its easy to get pigeonholed in the S.C. House, where lawmakers are expected to become experts in one field, or at most one field at a time.

So for the past four years as chairman and the decade before that as a member of the powerful Ways and Means Committee, Rep. Murrell Smiths job was to be the expert on tax and spending policy. When he served simultaneously as chairman of the House Ethics Committee, he had to focus on ethics law. As the senior House member on the Judicial Merit Selection Commission, it was all things judicial. Before that, a stint as chairman of the House Criminal Laws Subcommittee meant his topic was criminal law.

But in his new gig as speaker, Mr. Smiths portfolio is  South Carolina. Hes no longer bound by the strictures of a committee assignment but instead gets to set his own priorities. So its notable that seven of the nine pieces of legislation that Mr. Smith pre-filed in the run-up to Tuesdays opening of the 2023 General Assembly are designed to make it easier to adopt children.

The two other bills for which he is the primary sponsor deal with bail reform, which lawmakers need to pursue, and paying parents to abandon the public schools, which they dont need to pursue.

Mr. Smith told me Tuesday that adoption isnt his only priority for the coming session. He also plans to prioritize economic development, workforce readiness and pocketbook issues, as you might expect from a former budget writer. Bills on those topics just werent completely developed, and the adoption bills  which hes had his staff working on since they became his staff last summer  were.

He also said it was a coincidence that he became speaker and had a chance to pursue his personal priorities at the moment so many people in his part of the political spectrum started talking about the need to supplement any new abortion restrictions with reforms to encourage adoption. But he agrees with that idea, and the fact that so many Republicans were suddenly talking about making adoption easier gave him an extra push.

Regardless of his intentions or motivations, the message is glaringly clear: Even as he and many of his fellow Republicans try to overcome a wall of objections from the S.C. Supreme Court and several other GOP lawmakers and ban the procedure in South Carolina, the out-of-the-gate priority of the new leader of the House is one of the two best ways to reduce the demand for abortion.

Of course, the more effective way to reduce the demand for abortion is to increase access to contraceptives; look for Sen. Tom Davis to take the lead on that issue. And whatever side of the abortion debate you're on, you ought to be pulling for both efforts, because we should all want there to be fewer women who want an abortion.

Mr. Smiths interest in adoption law goes back 30 years, to a legal seminar he attended as a young lawyer about changes the Legislature had recently made in response to South Carolinas reputation as a baby brokerage state. While those reforms had the good intention of stopping adoptive parents from essentially being able to purchase babies, regardless of the best interests of baby or birth mother, they had unintended consequences, which he would become more familiar with in his law practice and through friends who have described to me how trying it is and how difficult it is and how time-consuming it is and more importantly how expensive it is.

But this is not a simple area of the law; its one where all sorts of rights and responsibilities have to be balanced, and with his other obligations, he was never able to spend enough time on it to feel like he was getting it right. Until now.

H.3553, 3554, 3555, 3556, 3557, 3558 and 3593 streamline parts of the adoption process, reduce some waiting periods, give judges discretion to waive others and create a $5,000 tax credit for adoptive parents. They are the result of what he calls a collaborative process that included family court judges, attorneys who focus on adoption and, since so many adoptions involve children whose parents have had their parental rights terminated, the state Department of Social Services.

But he emphasizes that even if all seven bills pass, this is not a one-and-done issue, but rather what he hopes will be the start of the Legislature paying more attention to the adoption process as legislators all embrace the concept that we need to place children with families as quickly and as safely as we can.

There are lots of children out there that need families, he said. There are lots of families out there who want children. I had my own personal difficulties with having children, our family did, and (we realized) adoption  may have to be an option for us. And fortunately we were able to have children without that. But adoption is a godsend to the children. So its important to me to try to streamline the process, but keep the integrity to it.
ROCK HILL  Fellow members of Congress gave South Carolina Republican Ralph Norman a standing ovation when he voted for Kevin McCarthy in the 12th round of voting for House speaker on Jan. 6, joining a large group of detractors who switched their support to the presumptive favorite to lead the U.S. House.

Norman, who represents a GOP-dominate district based in Rock Hill, has said since November he would not support the California Republican as speaker. He joined a block of hardline party members who had opposed McCarthy in 11 rounds of voting since the process began Jan. 3.

Early in the morning on Jan. 7, after 15 rounds of voting and negotiations with the party's most conservative members, McCarthy was elected as speaker with one vote to spare.

Norman, a local real estate developer who suggested the White House invoke martial law ahead of President Joe Biden's inauguration, said he decided to change his vote when McCarthy assured him he would be able to provide conservatives with a balanced budget.

"We're going to get behind this week," he told reporters on Capitol Hill. "Now's the time to get behind the speaker and go to work."

Leading up to the 14th vote, which was held at 10 p.m. on Jan. 6, Norman told reporters, "We are at the goal line."

But after all the votes were tallied, McCarthy was short one vote. Less than an hour before midnight, a tense scene broke out on the House floor as McCarthy and his allies worked on last-minute negotiations with the remaining holdouts who voted present. Norman appeared to be a part of the late night negotiations, huddling with McCarthy's allies and sitting side-by-side with Florida Representative Matt Gaetz and Colorado Representative Lauren Boebert.

McCarthy's assurances were "good enough to move forward and put this behind us," Norman said. "It was just time to get together."

Exact details of the deal that McCarthy and Norman struck have not been made public. Norman's office did not respond to questions asking for more details on what sort of assurances McCarthy provided.

Norman posted on Twitter after voting in support of the California lawmaker that he was promised McCarthy would take "concrete steps to fix our budgeting and appropriations process, as well as much-needed rules changes in the House."

According to reporting from CNN's politics team, the faction of fringe Republicans were able to convince McCarthy to require that a debt ceiling hike must be paired with spending cuts and to put a cap on discretionary spending.

If McCarthy follows through on his promises, these concessions would be considered a win for Norman who said he believes his purpose in the House is to cut government spending and waste.

Yet some critics say Norman clogged the House process instead for political attention. Mick Mulvaney, a former South Carolina congressman who previously represented Norman's district, told The Post and Courier on Jan. 5 the blockade appeared to be about gaining notoriety.

What Im hearing is that this is part of a plan for him to run for governor. Hes trying to raise his profile back home, Mulvaney said of Normans actions on Capitol Hill.

Normans office denied the claims.
SPARTANBURG  A family-owned coffee shop and bookstore on Reidville Road in Spartanburg is set to close at the end of January after nine months in business.

Beans and Bookmarks on 2811 Reidville Road Suite 21 will shut its doors Jan. 28, according to an announcement on the business' Facebook page Jan. 3.

We would like to thank you for all of your support in the last year, the announcement said. You have stood by us and helped us navigate the ins and outs of running a small business with just the three of us.

The business plans to keep its mobile coffee trailer for events, and the owners said they plan to reopen in the distant future, but dont have a set date.

The coffee shop and bookstore opened in April 2022.
All Points Bulletin

Buenas yan hafa adai to all our readers. As we enter the month of April, I would like to highlight that several of our elected officials, loca Read moreJustice with a trauma-informed approach
Following the recent relaxation of the Coronavirus pandemic safety measures by the Nigerian government, this reporter was on the lookout for vaccination centres on the streets of Lagos, to, at least, know the status of the centres and what has become of them should there be another wave or new infection outbreaks.

But apart from seeing poorly managed facilities, the reporter also encountered brisk businesses by unscrupulous officials who have been feeding fat from the pandemic that once put the whole world on its toes.

One of such corrupt officials is Solomon Oriere, a male nurse attached to the National Primary Health Care Development Agencys (NPHCDA) accredited vaccination centre located in the premises of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja.

It is not known whether he is employed by LASUTH or the Lagos State Primary Healthcare Board (LSPHCB). But as he is popularly called at the health facility, Mr Solomon is a go-to man for anyone in need of either COVID-19 test results or vaccination cards.

You do not need to come here, all that I need from anyone in need of result or card is just the money paid into my account, and they will be provided, Mr Solomon boasted, adding that, In fact, we use courier services to deliver to those outside the state without seeing them.

He also offered a 12.5 per cent discount for referrals on testing, saying the reporter could pocket N5,000 on each person recommended.

For either the card or test result, just send me name, phone number, date of birth, email address and home address of whoever may need it and I will backdate it because, normally if you want to take it, it takes like eight months, for the first dose, second dose and booster doses.

Before you can take booster alone, it takes six months, the first and second takes a month plus each, that is about seven and eight months, he added.

Vaccination card obtained without jab

The quarantine holding bay near LASUTHs main gate may have been temporarily converted to a clinic for diabetes patients following the significant decline in COVID-19 cases, but within it are officials who make brisk business from the pandemic that once caused the world complete lockdown.

These agents are taking advantage of unsuspecting residents who walk in for vaccination which is meant to be free.

Near the bay is a makeshift office which might have served as the registration point for newly admitted COVID-19 patients at the height of the pandemic. It is the place where Mr Solomon now operates and conducts his businesses.

A young woman in mufty, whose identity could not be ascertained, was the first to engage the reporter on the processes to obtain vaccination cards without taking the jabs and the prices for the different services.

Sister, the procedure is that if you want to take the vaccine, you will need to register online and choose a preferred vaccination centre. But if you can pay N25,000 for vaccination cards or N40,000 for test results, we can supply them to you without the protocol, the young woman said.

While the conversation with the woman was ongoing, Mr Solomon entered and invited the reporter to a safe corner where he restated the prices and offered further explanations.

And without fear of any consequence, Mr Solomon provided his Access Bank details with the name; Oriere Solomon Ahunsimhenre, and account number; 0055229357.

As someone who did not prepare for such payment, the reporter promised to return some other day to pay as required.

On 28 December when the reporter returned to the facility and paid N25,000 cash, the process was seamless, giving a strong indication that it is a normal business at the centre, as neither Mr Solomon nor her assistant showed any sign of excitement or worry.

Registered as Arowolo Ifeoluwa, Mr Solomon issued the reporter a COVID-19 vaccination card with VAC ID: NG-KA56555956RD, stating that the first and second jab of AstraZeneca Vaxzevria were taken on 17 January, 2022 and 22 March, 2022 respectively. The batch number of the vaccine was given as 4121z257.

According to the card issued, the third dose, otherwise known as booster dose, was given as BioNTech Pfizer and that it was administered on 23 September, 2022 with batch number fm7378.

Mr Solomon claimed the reporter took the vaccine at Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Area of the state, instead of LASUTH where he works, and uploaded these details on the NPHCDA vaccination site.

Asked about the implication of the local government area claimed, Mr Solomon said: It doesnt matter and no one will ask of it. I wanted to use Alimosho LGA before but anyone is fine.

When the reporter confirmed the authenticity of the card on the NPHCDA website, the details were displayed on the e-certificate.

Mr Solomon, who smiled at the reporters curiosity, boasted that he was one of those health workers earlier deployed to isolation centres in the state when the pandemic broke out in 2020.

While attending to the reporter, Mr Solomon was also busy taking samples for other in-patients as he frequented the wards.

What Solomons action means for vaccination in Nigeria

Since the first case of COVID-19 infections was confirmed in Lagos, Nigerias commercial capital city, in February 2020, the state has remained the nations epicentre of the virus with a consistent surge in infections, accounting for about 40 per cent of the total infections recorded in the country.

As of 1 January, data from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) shows that Lagos State tops the COVID-19 infection chart with 104,219 confirmed cases of the total 266,450 cases recorded across the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Lagos has also recorded 771 of the total 3,155 deaths reported in Nigeria.

As the state with the highest COVID-19 infections and fatalities, the latest data from the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) shows that Lagos State is performing poorly on the vaccination ranking and is far from vaccinating 50 per cent of its targeted population.

While the Lagos State Primary Healthcare Board (LSPHCB) believes the state has and is still doing everything to ensure residents get vaccinated, PREMIUM TIMES found that the activities of unscrupulous agents like Mr Solomon has discouraged many people from getting vaccinated or being tested when they notice certain symptoms.

According to Tundun Oluwatoyin, a computer operator in Ogba area of Lagos, many young men and women who used her computer centre to process their travelling documents in 2022 opted to purchase the vaccination cards rathern than being vaccinated.

They are many and I was surprised when they said like Yellow Card required for travellers to Southern African countries from Nigeria, the COVID-19 vaccination cards are also available for sale, she said.

Also, the vaccinators also discourage residents from taking the vaccines, scaring them with what they described as the ugly reactions the jabs may trigger in individuals.

For instance, Mr Solomon told this reporter that even though he works at the vaccination centre, he could only cope with the first dose, and that he has refused to take the second and the booster doses because of the way his body reacted.

This was a gimmick to discourage the reporter from being vaccinated so that the money required for the cards without the jabs could be paid.

Poor practices at other centres

A visit to other vaccination centres in Lagos shows that the number of people going to get the vaccine has reduced significantly.

At Orile Agege Primary Health Centre, one of the vaccination sites listed under the Agege Local Government Area, the medical attendant who clearly stated vaccination is free told this reporter as of 1 p.m on 19 December that the centre had closed for the day.

A woman with no smartphone, who identified herself simply as Mrs Abiodun, was discouraged when she was told to find someone to register her details on the vaccination site and that she should return the next day.

I do not have a phone to register and I have not done it before. So I dont think I will come back cause I live quite far from here, she told this reporter.

Unlike in LASUTH, the hospital seems to be transparent with its operation. The PHC attendant who said he was unsure whether the COVID-19 test comes with a fee told this reporter that the PHC only gives vaccination between 9 a.m and 12noon.

Meanwhile, a private vaccination centre at Lagoon hospital may have taken a break from the COVID-19 vaccination.

One of the nurses said the hospital only conducts vaccination when the government sends the list of those who registered online and make the hospital their vaccination centre.

At the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), the vaccination attendants were said to have gone on a medical outreach when this reporter visted and there was no one in sight as the centre was rough and dirty.

NPHCDA condemns fraud

When confronted with the findings in this investigation, the Executive Director of the NPHCDA, Faisal Shuaib, described the sale of vaccination cards and test results as fraudulent.

What is happening in that facility is fraudulent and the offender and the clique working with him/her should have been reported, arrested and handed over to the security agencies, Mr Shuaib wrote in an email response to our enquiries.

He also provided explanation of how the fraudulent officials could have put such fake vaccination details in the NPHCDA database.

The COVID-19 vaccination team members have been given login access to the server, so that they can legitimately register persons/clients that have reported at the health facility or vaccination site (fixed or outreach) for the COVID-19 vaccination and have been vaccinated. This is not just for data monitoring and recording, but it is also to ensure that Nigerians who have been vaccinated can show proof of their vaccination no matter where they are in the World.

You will agree with me, that this process made international travel seamless for Nigerians who travel as just by scanning their vaccination cards at the immigration border of the country they would like to visit, their vaccination record was seen.

There will always be people who would want to beat the system. We have been working with security agencies to try and catch state and LGA health officials who are involved in fraudulent activities.

Mr Shuaib said some of the people involved in the fraudulent practice have been caught.

We have caught a few and they have been handed over to the authorities. We have even announced in the National media some of the cases caught. We encourage Nigerians to always report vaccination team members that are involved in the act of collecting money to issue cards without the actual vaccination, as this is an offence.

Lagos primary healthcare board reacts

Meanwhile, the Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Primary Healthcare Board (LSPHCB), Ibrahim Mustafa, said the state does not take corrupt practices lightly.

He said: We got a few people through the taskforce, which has a clear guideline on how to deal with them. If you get caught, you retire to the court immediately but initially, most of these things dont happen in Lagos but in other states.

Im not saying it didnt happen but the few we got were ad-hoc staff who were stopped from working immediately.

The problem is people also dont help. They come to report after they have collected money from them and then refused to mention the names of the corrupt officials, saying they dont want to spoil someones career, he added.

Vaccination in Lagos

As of 31 December 2022, NPHCDA data shows that Nigeria has fully vaccinated 63.3 million of the total eligible persons amounting to 56.6 per cent of the countrys targeted population while 12.2 million are said to have been partially vaccinated nationwide.

The data shows that Lagos State has only fully vaccinated a total of 1.9 million of its estimated 17 million population.

NPHCDAs last summary on COVID-19 vaccination performance in all states in Nigeria puts Lagos at 28th with 23 per cent and five per cent of its targeted population estimated to have been fully and partially vaccinated respectively.

The data shows five states: Jigawa, Nasarawa, Kaduna, Osun and Kano are leading on the chart.

The breakdown shows that the Northwestern states of Kano, Kaduna and Jigawa have fully vaccinated about 7.7 million, 6.3 million and 5 million respectively, while Osun State in the South-west and Nasarawa in the North-central have fully vaccinated 3.4 million and 2.1 million residents respectively.

Vaccination campaign in Lagos

Speaking further, Mr Mustapha said NPHCDA in 2021 gave Lagos a vaccination target of four million, and the state then scaled up its vaccination campaign.

We set that target for ourselves. Around that time we also started private vaccination, because of how overwhelming the sites were.

The state was sceptical to include the private health centres because they dont want a situation where people have to pay to get vaccinated and the mandate of NPHCDA is that vaccine is free, he said.

On the issue of Lagoss performance on the NPHCDA ranking, he said the percentage for Lagos cant be compared to other states.

Lagos is the most populated in the country. For instance, what is 20 per cent in Lagos, may be 100 per cent elsewhere. Two million out of a target of 20 million will still be 10 per cent. If Bayelsa State vaccinates such it could be 50 per cent for them. In terms of absolute figure, Lagos was doing more than any other state, he claimed.

He added that to reach more people, the state deployed officials who started moving from house to house to get Lagos residents vaccinated in 2022.

When we started, we recorded a high number of people vaccinated, he said. Before that, the state had mass vaccination sites situated around religious houses, marketplaces, campuses, bus stops.

Having discovered that taking it to the people will improve the number of people getting vaccinated, we initiated what NPHCDA call Scales 3.0 which was meant to start in September 2022.

Lagos could not start 3.0 in September because of some technical and financial issues which we needed to sort out with NPHCDA to ensure we dont owe the ad hoc staff, he said.

He further noted that it was difficult to deploy more staff who could administer the COVID-19 vaccination and pointed out that Lagos could not deploy most of its medical staff to fast-track the Scales 3.0 campaign in order not to abandon other serious illnesses and immunisation.

We dont have many people to deploy the vaccination, we have staff but we cant because of only covid move our staff where there are other serious things to attend to like diarrhoea immunisation, we were not compelled to move people to the field, so what we normally do is to use ad-hoc staff.

We have gotten some but we are still short of the numbers we need to fast-track the campaign. If it is about taking tablets, drugs, we can easily use people that are not trained, but to give injections, it has many implications, he added.

(The production of this story is supported by the Centre for Democracy and Development).

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I was miffed, if not disenchanted, at the way a section of the media has been muddling the circumstances surrounding the unfortunate crisis between the Fulani herders operating from Benue State axis and farmers from communities in Eha Amufu, Isi-Uzo Local Government Area of Enugu State.

Reports have it that the disputes which have left people from the both parties dead started over 15 years ago prior to the inception of the present regimes in Enugu and Benue states and have been lingering because of dangerous politics, disunity and lack of defined leadership among the people of the affected four communities in Eha Amufu  Mgbuji, Agu-Amede, Umujiovu and Ebor  which have boundaries with the Agala community in Benue State.

This was recently confirmed by the Eha Amufu stakeholders during an emergency security meeting with Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State.

This insincerity of purpose has been frustrating the concerted efforts of the Enugu State Governor, Ugwuanyi, in decisively tackling the challenges in Eha Amufu.

It was reported in the national dailies that majority of the Eha Amufu stakeholders who spoke at the meeting had blamed leadership gaps, division, dangerous politics being played among their people, and an attempt by some Fulani herders to acquire, annex and intimidate the people to occupy their land as responsible for the killings in the area.

The Eha Amufu stakeholders, according to the reports in the national dailies, also alleged that the Fulani herders had always collaborated with some Benue people to attack their communities to acquire spaces to settle down.

There was also accusation and counter-accusation among the stakeholders over the allegation that some persons from Mgbuji community, years back, sold a part of the village land to the Fulani herders who reside with them, which some factions among the villagers are resisting.

It was revealed at the meeting that while the land was purportedly sold to the herders, another group organized themselves and were logging the economic trees in the village for personal monetary gains. Claims were made that about N50 million realised from the sale of the economic trees which belongs to the community was misappropriated. The factional group used part of the contentious money to buy over some youths to protect them and their business and political interests.

As reported in Thisday Newspaper of December 22, 2022, page 42, In their separate responses (at the said meeting) Bishop Olinya (Bishop of Eha Amufu Diocese, Anglican Communion), among others, said one of the problems fueling the crisis was the absence of clear cut leadership in the town and politicisation of issues by politicians.

Also during the meeting, some of the stakeholders were frank to the extent that they accepted that they have failed God and Governor Ugwuanyi by their peoples inability to comply with various resolution mechanisms fashioned out at various peace meetings in the state, requesting that the community should go and apologise to the governor for failing him and the state.

One strange act that has left many in grave suspense is the fact that this is the first time it would be alleged that Benue people are aiding or joining forces with the Fulani herders to carry out attacks on people of a neighbouring state. Benue people and Fulani herders have been engaged in cat and dog fight over the years. Benue State is having boundary issues with Enugu State in that area under attack.

Besides alleged reports that those attacks on Eha Amufu communities were reprisals, the truth must be told that both parties, Fulani herders and Eha Amufu people, have on different occasion attacked and killed each other.

It is quite unfortunate that in an ugly circumstance where a governor is working round the clock to resolve a crisis and put an end to loss of life and property, the people he is trying to protect are taking laws into their hands.

We easily fail to accept the fact that governors in Nigeria as Chief Executive Officers of their states unfortunately do not have full control over the security agencies.

Constitutionally, the security agencies are establishments of the Federal Government and consequently take final instructions from their headquarters in Abuja. In most cases, the security agencies regrettably do not act without confirmation signals from their headquarters.

We tend to forget that such bureaucratic arrangement poses a serious challenge to governors efforts towards realising their objective of dealing decisively with security challenges in their various states. Enugu State shares in this ugly experience.

This notwithstanding, Governor Ugwuanyi, since the inception of his administration, has by all measures, placed premium on peace and security, resulting in the enviable status Enugu has enjoyed as one of the most peaceful and safest states in the country. It is on record that the governor through his administration has never abandoned his obligation of providing security for the people of Enugu State. He has rather made several interventions in assisting and boosting the morale of security agencies in the state to effectively discharge their duties  a feat the Service Chiefs in Nigeria and other stakeholders have widely acknowledged and publicly applauded.

Only recently, the Inspector General Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba was in Enugu to inaugurate the 76 Police Mobile Force Squadron newly constructed by Governor Ugwuanyis administration and granted the governor all the requests he made (with Eha Amufu and other areas in mind) regarding deployment of more police personnel and equipment such as drones and Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC) to frontally confront and contain unrepentant criminal elements.

Reports equally had it that Governor Ugwuanyi, in the wake of the previous attack on Eha Amufu, stormed the affected communities at night, visited different forests, markets, village squares and other locations where he interacted with the indigenes to obtain first-hand information of the remote cause of the crisis with a view to addressing the lingering issues in the area decisively.

Besides being the first governor to visit Eha Amufu over the 15-year period the crisis has lingered in the area, the governor equally donated N10 million for the immediate needs of the victims, among other interventions.

In view of the above, the allegation that Governors Ugwuanyi and Ortom of Enugu and Benue states respectively are gallivanting with Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State locally and internationally while armed herdsmen have launched massive war against communities in Eha Amufu is not only misleading but also untrue and a biased pronouncement lacking substance in facts and figures, and should be disregarded.

At this juncture, it is pertinent to advise leaders and stakeholders of Eha Amufu to embrace peace as being constantly preached by Governor Ugwuanyi, keep politics out of their communal issues with the herders, unite and cooperate with the state government and security agencies to end the lingering crisis in the overall interest of their people and the state.

It is also crucial at this point for leaders of the Fulani community to rein in their members who adamantly take laws into their hands and escalate the crisis, undermining the frantic efforts of Governor Ugwuanyi in addressing the issue.

The Federal Government-controlled security agencies should as a matter of urgency do everything possible, without any form of bias, to arrest the situation and deal with those taking laws into their hands by killing people and destroying property in the area.

Levi Odoh, wrote from Enugu.

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The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State, Ovie Omo-Agege has accused Delta State governor of using state funds to sponsor the presidential campaign of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Mr Omo-Agege who is the deputy president of the Nigerian Senate, stated this on Thursday while addressing journalists after a close-door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja.

Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa is the running mate to the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

Mr Omo-Agege said the infrastructural decay in the state could have been tackled If the bulk of the money that the current governor devoted to the funding of the Atiku/Okowa Campaign for President, was channeled in that direction.

The APC candidate said Mr Okowa has received about N4.2 trillion as federal allocation.

He lamented that the riverine areas in the state lack hospitals despite the fact that the last two governors of the state are medical doctors.

I believe we can do better. Were a rich state. We have enough resources. Our roads, schools, and hospitals are in a serious state of decay.

Mr Omo-Agege said he would focus on building infrastructure in the state if he elected.

He promised to engage the services of reputable companies to handle major road projects in the state and to also provide incentives to bring back companies who left the state because of insecurity.

We want to address the health sector, we want to address the education sector, if you go to most of the tertiary institutions we have in the state, there are even states tertiary institutions that are basically being run by Tertiary Education Trust Fund, some of them are like glorified secondary schools, he said.

Delta government reacts

The Delta State Commissioner for Information, Charles Aniagwu, dismissed as incorrect the allegation that Governor Okowa has put state funds into the PDP presidential campaign.

He challenged Mr Omo-Agege to provide evidence.

Mr Aniagwu who said only federal roads were in bad shape in the state blamed it on poor representation by Mr Omo-Agege in the Senate.

He also dismissed as false Mr Omo-Ageges allegation of lack of hospitals in the riverine areas of Delta State.

He said Mr Okowa has built hospitals in the riverine areas  one of them, he said, is located in the heart of the creeks close to the Atlantic Ocean.

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He (Mr Omo-Agege) just came back from abroad. Ask him where he did his Christmas and New Year. He ran away from this country and came back two days ago. As soon as he came back he went to the (Aso Rock) Villa and said things that are not true, Mr Aniagwu said.

The commissioner said it is not true that Mr Okowas administration has gotten N4 trillion as federal allocations since 2015.

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The Photo Editor of Guardian Newspaper, Femi Adebesin-Kuti, is dead.

Mr Adebesin-Kuti died on Friday at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Idi-Aba, Abeokuta, Ogun State

He had been on admission at the facility for about two weeks before his death.

The Photo Journalists Association of Nigeria (PJAN) announced his passage through a statement issued by its chairman, Kola Olasupo and secretary, Sly Okoruwa.

We the members of Photojournalists Association of Nigeria (PJAN) regret to announce the passing away of our former Vice  Chairman, Femi Adebesin- Kuti.

Until his death, Femi Kuti was the Photo editor of Guardian Newspaper, the statement reads.

His death was a shock to the association as the association rallied behind him in his last days on earth with financial support but God called him today Friday January 6th, 2023.

The entire members of PJAN mourn our colleague as well as commiserate with his family, Guardian Newspaper and Lagos NUJ.

Also, the Lagos Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in a statement by its chairman, Adeleye Ajayi, expressed shock at the news of the death of the photo journalist and sent its condolences.

The remains of Mr Adebesin-Kuti have been buried in Abeokuta according to Islamic rites.

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The Anambra North Elders Forum has rejected the third term bid of the senator representing Anambra North District, Stella Oduah.

Mrs Oduah is seeking a return to the Red Chamber in 2023 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Anambra North Elders Forum, a pressure group in the district, held a meeting on Thursday in Otuocha, a community in Anambra East Local Government Area of Anambra State, where its members said Mrs Oduah, having represented Anambra North District for almost eight years, has taken her fair share of representation of the people of the district, according to a report by Vanguard newspaper.

Speaking to reporters after their meeting, the chairperson of the group, Nathaniel Onuora, claimed that the senator has not effectively represented the district in the last seven years.

Oduas voice was not clearly and loudly heard in the Red Chamber defending her people as others were doing or proposing interest bills that would benefit their constituent, he said.

After our meeting today here in Otuocha, we resolved to reject the senators third term bid to represent Anambra North District in the Senate.

She has not performed well. We are not aware of any bills and motions she sponsored in the upper chamber of the National Assembly. In almost eight years of her representation of the zone, (she) failed woefully to empower people even with the huge money that accrued to her office, Mr Onuora added.

The group said it wants a senator who would be accessible and would in turn make herself or himself available to the constituents.

We dont want somebody who would be distracted because of constant attendance to cases with anti-corruption agencies, it stated.

Oduah reacts

Reacting, Chinonso Chukwudebe, the spokesperson of Mrs Oduah, described the allegations as political gimmicks sponsored by the senators political enemies with the intent to blackmail her.

Mr Chukwudebe said the allegations were all false.

He said the senator has been assisting her constituents through her various empowerment programmes.

Just yesterday alone, this woman (Oduah) gave out 99 shuttle buses to all the 99 wards in Anambra North District. She also gave out over 500 motorcycles, tricycles over 300, and grinding machines. All these things are verifiable, he told PREMIUM TIMES on Saturday.

On the allegation that Mrs Oduah did not sponsor bills and motions in the Senate, the spokesperson claimed that the senator has sponsored the highest bills and motions.

The bill for establishment of the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Onitsha has been passed. That was (sponsored) by this same senator, Mr Chukwudebe stated, explaining that the General Hospital Onitsha will now be converted to FMC as a result of the bill.

He also said the senator has carried out various road projects and built classroom blocks across the district, among others.

When the Covid-19 was hitting hard, the palliatives that Senator Stella Oduah released, no other senator in the South-east did that. They (palliatives) were shared using the churches, traditional rulers and so on, he added.

The spokesperson said the senator has also empowered several widows and farmers across the district and has been carrying out free medical outreach for the people of the district.

Mr Chukwudebe refuted the claim that Mrs Oduah is not accessible, saying the senator was currently in the state meeting with her constituents.

He added that Mrs Oduah was elected to represent and defend the constituents in Abuja and should not be expected to be in the state all the time.

Oduahs political journey

First elected in 2015 under the platform of the PDP, Mrs Oduah has spent about seven and half years in the Senate.

The former aviation minister was re-elected into the Senate in 2019.

In August 2021, she defected to the All Progressives Congress from the PDP.

The senator re-joined the PDP in April 2022, about eight months after, saying she had returned to where she was highly regarded.

Rivalry

The PDP candidate faces the hurdle of defeating Ebelechukwu Obiano, the wife of a former governor of Anambra State in the 2023 general elections.

Mrs Obiano is the candidate of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) for the same district.

APGA is the ruling party in the state.

It is not clear, for now, if the forum would endorse Mrs Obiano for the 2023 election in the district.

Allegations of corruption

Mrs Oduah is facing corruption charges at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had indicted her, and the Nigerian subsidiary of Chinese construction giant, the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) in alleged fraudulent cash transactions of about N5 billion over five months in 2014.

The senator was removed as the Minister of Aviation by then President Goodluck Jonathan on 12 February 2014, following a scandal over N255 million armoured cars which she made the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), an agency under her supervision, buy for her at inflated prices.

Also, after her removal as minister, Mrs Oduah secretly acquired four London properties, hiding behind an anonymous company she tucked away offshore and possibly committing a breach of Nigerias public service code of conduct, a Pandora Papers investigation found.

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The All Progressives Congress APC Kwara Central Senatorial district candidate, Saliu Mustapha, has vowed never to respond to his top rival, Bolaji Abdullahi of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

According to a Thursday statement by Gidado Shuaib, a spokesperson at his campaign office, Mr Mustapha said Mr Abdullahis open letter to him is nothing but vituperation against him

PREMIUM TIMES gathered that Mr Abdullahi, a former minister, in an open letter to Mr Mustapha last Tuesday, mocked the APC candidate for saying he was bigger than ideas.

He was responding to a 24 December 2022 event where Mr Mustapha said he disagreed that ideas are the foundation of every development.

He said he was shocked to hear that anyone would say he has passed the level of ideas.

The position that you and I seek, requires critical thinking and big ideas more than anything else. The issues that would be brought before us as senators would require us to think creatively and take decisions based on hard evidence. And it will not always be pretty. Senators dont contribute money to solve problems; they contribute ideas instead. Unfortunately, it is this same ideas that you have proudly relegated and announced that you no longer have a need for, Mr Abdullahi said in his letter

Ill not respond

Mr Mustapha said he first responded to the letter to set the records straight and to avoid misrepresentation.

The Turaki of Ilorin (Mr Mustapha) would not have been involved in public brickbats over the senatorial race but for his traducers, who made such as the last resort for him, Mr Shuaib wrote.

While you misinterpreted my statement to mean that I was underplaying the value and significance of ideas, big or small, the statement was clear enough to decipher even to the average viewers or readers. Mr Mustapha was quoted as saying by his spokesperson.

Mr Mustapha said while ideas are good, they will amount to nothing if they do not solve peoples problems.

For the sake of emphasis, Id like to reiterate that while ideas are good, I believe weve gone past the stage of merely mouthing it for the sake of the political optics. But we are beyond that. We should be at the point of implementing creative ideas and innovative solutions to solve our peoples pressing problems through both legislative and executive channels, he said.

Mr Shuaib said his principal preferred to move on and focus on his engagements with the people.

He assured that Mr Mustapha would continue to be civil and decent in his public engagements regardless of the amount of temptations to do otherwise.

Weve read and perused the latest reply of the opposition candidate, Mr Bolaji Abdullahi. It is the position of our candidate, Mallam Saliu Mustapha that he would no longer dignify the letterman, Mr Abdullahi, or any other opponent for that matter, with a further reply.

It should be noted that it is ordinarily not in the character of our candidate, Mallam Saliu Mustapha, the Turaki of Ilorin Emirate, to engage in public brickbats with anyone, but his traducers this time had left him with no other option.

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He said the APC senatorial candidate would instead of engaging in such brickbats allow the electorates to decide who represents them in the red chamber.

Moving forward, it is the wish of the Turaki to continue to focus on the engagements with the electorate who look forward passionately to conversations on issues that will elevate their socio-economic wellbeing as citizens, Mr Shuaib said, in the statement.

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Chichi Ojei, the presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), has expressed confidence in winning next months presidential election.

Ms Ojei said this on Friday in Abuja, in a New Year statement tagged 2023: A glorious future beckons for Nigerians.

There are altogether 18 presidential candidates in the 25 February election.

Ms Ojei said being the only female candidate in the race, she stood a better chance of winning.

With the increased demographics of Nigerian women and youths, I stand better chance of winning the peoples mandates against other candidates.

As we approach one of the most historic general elections in the annals of Nigerian politics, it is no secret that the demographics of Nigerian women and youths have increased tremendously.

I am appealing to all Nigerians who are eligible voters, to obtain their Permanent Voters Cards, especially women and youths, to vote the Allied Peoples Movement.

I am the only female and one of the youngest contestants running for the office of president in the 2023 Nigeria general elections and a vote for me, is a vote for our future.

According to Ms Ojei, the forthcoming general elections is another opportunity for Nigerians to fight for the nations true independence.

She said that when Nigerians voted rightly and wisely, the freedom to exercise their rights as enshrined in the constitution and the freedom of speech, association, movement, equity and justice would be achieved.

We want a Nigeria that enforces the rule of law, we cannot be slaves in our own country.

We can also not be seen as preys or victims of circumstances in our country; pains, tears and sorrow must not be the norm or order of day.

Abnormalities must never be normal, we want what is right, not what is wrong and we need our indifferences to become our strength.

And I represent a fresh agenda committed to providing innovative, transformative and responsive leadership, hope for Nigerians, unity, improved economic condition and good governance, she said.

The presidential candidate said that she knew the implications of broken promises by past leaders and could be held accountable for her promises when elected.

According to her, she will keep to her promises when voted into power, but would pro-actively be involved in good governance.

I will create an enabling environment for economic prosperity, political stability, national cohesion and socio-religious harmony.

I am driven by the passion to restore Nigeria to the path of glory.

Nigerian people have suffered too much neglect in human rights, social welfare, social development, infrastructure, education, health and wealth creation.

And I sincerely seek to foster national unity, irrespective of political affiliation, ideology, gender, tribe and religion, in building the Nigeria of our dream where peace, progress and justice shall reign, she said.

Ms Ojei also urged stakeholders in the electoral process to respect the wishes and mandates of the people before, during and after the election.

(NAN)

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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has commended the commitment and courage of the people of Oyo State for their support for its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and all other candidates of the party in the 2023 general elections.

The party said this in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, in Abuja on Friday.

Some members of the PDP walked in support of Atiku in Ibadan, the state capital on Wednesday.

However, the following day, the state governor, Seyi Makinde, a member of the PDP, kicked off his re-election campaign in Ibadan, with leaders of the party, including Atiku and the National Chairman Iyorchia Ayu absent.

Mr Makinde is a member of the group of five governors demanding the resignation of Mr Ayu as a condition for supporting Atiku.

The others are Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, Samuel Ortom (Benue), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu) and Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia).

Some party members were heard shouting in support of Atiku at the G-5 governors rally.

In the statement, Mr Ologunagba said the party commended the tenacity of PDP members and supporters in Oyo State for expressing support for Atiku at the flag-off of the PDP Governorship Campaign in Oyo State on Thursday, in defiance of attempts to dictate their electoral preference.

The overwhelming chanting of Atiku! Atiku! by the resilient crowd in rejection of a request that they follow the dictates of some individuals in the presidential election, summarily conveyed in one voice their unnegotiable resolve to vote Atiku as the next President of our country.

The people of Oyo State as independent-minded and political savvy have again demonstrated their nickname as Pace-setters in the politics of Nigeria, by establishing that power lies in the will of the people and not the endorsement or dictates of any person or group of persons.

Unambiguously, the expression of the people of Oyo State at the flag-off event firmly signposts and reaffirms the support of the South-west Geo-Political Zone for Atiku Abubakar and all our candidates in the South West and across the country.

The PDP spokespersons counseled those seeking to dictate to Nigerians on their electoral preferences to retrace their steps.

Mr Ologunagba said this was important especially now that it was clear that the people were not ready to be swayed by personal, group or sectional considerations in their support for Atiku and the PDP.

He said Nigerians across board had found in Atiku the desired integrity, cognate experience, capacity, ability, mental alertness, presence of mind, pan-Nigerian disposition and required will power to unify and lead the nation at this critical time.

Our party, therefore, charges the people of Oyo State, the South-west Zone and all Nigerians to remain firm in their resolve by coming out en-masse to vote as well as take every measure available in a democracy to protect their votes.

This is in the overall quest to rescue our nation and return her to the path of national stability, peace, economic prosperity and happiness of all, that Abubakar embodies.

(NAN)

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Eight Labour Party (LP) state assembly candidates, on Friday, defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Jigawa State.

The eight candidates are from Auyo, Kirikasamma, Bulangu, Malammadori, Kafin Hausa, Birniwa, Guri and Kaugama constituencies.

The politicians were received by Governor Muhammad Badaru, at an event in the government house, the governors media aide, Habibu Kila, said in a statement.

Mr Kila said the governor also received a member of the northern presidential campaign council of the Labour Party who dumped the party and joined the APC.

Governor Badaru expressed his appreciation to them and promised that they will be carried along in all party activities and urged them to be loyal party members.

One of the defecting politicians, Muhammad Makinta, from Guri Local Government Area, who spoke on behalf of his colleagues, said they joined the APC after they realized that the party in the state has more prospects, the statement claimed.

Mr Makinta said they will work to ensure victory for APCs candidates in the general election in their respective areas of influence.

While welcoming the new APC members, the Chairman of the APC in the state, Aminu Gumel, assured the newcomers that they would be accorded the rights and privileges enjoyed by old members.

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The US parliament on Saturday elected Republican Kevin McCarthy as Speaker after 15 historic ballots.

After four days of lobbying and facing opposition from members of his party (Republican Party), who the US media nicknamed the Never Kevins, Mr McCarthy clinched the highly envied seat with 216 votes; putting him ahead of his competitor, Hakeem Jeffries, a democrat who got 212 votes.

The new Speakers emergence came at a price including allowing any member of parliament to move for his removal from office.

Other compromises made by Mr McCarthy, according to CNN, include moving 12 appropriations bills individually. Instead of passing separate bills to fund government operations, Congress frequently passes a massive year-end spending package known as an omnibus that rolls everything into one bill.

Conservatives rail against this, arguing that it evades oversight and allows lawmakers to stick in extraneous pet projects.

He also agreed to more Freedom Caucus representation on committees, including the powerful House Rules Committee. Also, lawmakers will have seventy-two hours to review bills before they come to floor.

An investigative committee will be created to probe the weaponisation of the federal government; and restoring the Holman rule, which can be used to reduce the salary of government officials.

While many argue that Mr McCarthys compromises could end up making him a weak leader in one of the strongest political seats, AP argues that he could also be emboldened as a survivor of one of the more brutal fights for the gavel in US history.

Not since the Civil War era has a speakers vote dragged through so many rounds of voting, AP said.

McCarthy as speaker

In a tweet after his emergence, he tweeted I hope one thing is clear after this week: I will never give up. And I will never give up for you, the American people.

In his speech Saturday morning after he emerged, the hard work begins, he said, adding that his ultimate responsibility is not to his party, or the congress but to the US  our country.

The new Speaker said it was time for the parliament to be a check and provide balance to President Joe Bidens policies.

As part of his plans for his tenure, Mr McCarthy intends to win the economic competition with China by bringing back jobs that were taken by the latter.

As for the Chinese Communist Party, we will create a bipartisan select committee on China to investigate how to bring back the hundreds of thousands of jobs that went to China and then we will win this economic competition, he said.

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Yusuf Babangida, a member of the Kano State House of Assembly, representing Gwale Local Government at the State House of Assembly, has rejoined the All Progressives Congress (APC) from the New Nigeria People Party, (NNPP).

Mr Babangida was a top political ally of the NNPPs presidential candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso.

Mr Babangida, in a resignation letter dated 7 January to the NNPP chairman in Sani Mainagge ward, in Gwale Local Government Area, said he was resigning from the party due to outright disregard for internal democracy in the NNPP.

Mr Babangida said the NNPP has suffocated all democratic ideals upon which my political journey has been anchored.

The supremacy of individual whims and belligerence over and above stakeholders consensus.

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An undue promotion of personal and familial relationship over and above value generation and inadequacy of political playing turf for upward progressive and many other reasons related to incoherence in pursuit of illogical aspiration.

The above reasons and amongst others, have offered me no choice but to abandon the NNPP and pursue the continuation of my political journey elsewhere, Mr Babagida wrote.

He was welcomed back to the APC by Governor Abdullahi Ganduje, who received him at the Kano States Government House.

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Labour Partys presidential candidate, Peter Obi, on Saturday blamed the challenges facing Nigeria on structures the major political parties have adopted.

Mr Obi, who spoke at a campaign rally in Osogbo, the capital of Osun State, urged Nigerians to vote out the major political parties.

Although he did not name the parties, it was obvious that the major political parties he referred to are the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Nigerians are hungry, youths have no job. It is not safe to travel anywhere in Nigeria today. All these challenges are caused by those who say they have party structures. But these structures have crippled Nigeria. I want me and you to destroy these structures by voting them out next month, he urged.

We are going to secure and unite Nigeria. We want Nigeria to be proud of being a Nigerian. We will deliver a secured Nigeria. We dont want Nigerians to be in IDPs camps, we dont want you to be a slave in your own country, he added.

Mr Obi promised that when elected, he will make Nigeria a producing country.

We are going to govern this country with fear of God. We will give you jobs. We will change Nigeria from a consuming country to a producing country, he promised.

These people kept on bragging that they have structures. Yet, they are not doing anything. They are not producing anything in this state, youths are unemployed, we will change these challenges.

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He encouraged the conversion of Jews, but later tried to mend fences by exculpating Jews from allegations that they murdered Jesus Christ. By the time the Holy Father passed away on 31 December, 2022, he had been so dislocated by the liberal history that made him, that he had transformed into one of the most conservative Popes in history. But he could not defeat the Second Vatican; his successor, Pope Francis, is a product of the progressive spirit that permeated that ecclesiastical gathering, 58 years ago.

The youthful Father Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, later Pope Benedict XVI, was a brilliant theologian and academic who, at age 31 in 1958, was already a full professor at Bonn University. But before turning to the priesthood, he had been a prisoner of war in the Second World War. It was a war in which humanity seemed to have lost its soul. But no sooner had the world vowed to settle issues peacefully, and established the United Nations as a backstop, than humans resumed wars.

In Asia, the two-stage Vietnamese War, first against France, and later against the United States, erupted on 19 December, 1946. The world came close to another world war with the three-year Korean War, which began on 25 June, 1950. The quite bloody Chinese Civil War, which claimed over a million lives, also erupted in 1948, ending only with the triumph of the Maoist Revolution.

The French murdered over two million Algerians from 1954 to 1962 in a vain attempt to stop Algerian independence. In other parts of Africa, the strong winds of independence were so strong that in 1960 alone, 17 countries in various shapes emerged from the yoke of colonialism, with many, like Kenya and Cameroon, having visible scars.

These events did not halt human progress, as the Soviet Union launched Yuri Gagarin, the first human into space, on 12 April, 1961, and the United States launched Alan Shepard, the second, on 5 May, 1961. The world was barely recognisable, and the Catholic Church was forced to locate itself in a grossly distorted world tainted by the biting and potentially destructive Cold War.

What roles had the church played when the world was on its knees, bleeding profusely? Was the church speaking to itself rather than communicating with the congregation? In any case, how can it communicate when the priest conducts mass only in Latin, which almost 100% of the Catholic faithful do not understand?

As Archbishop of Munich from 1977, he was more Catholic than the Pope  and as the Head, Congregation of the Faith (the successor office to the Inquisition), the fear of Cardinal Ratzinger was, for many priests, the beginning of wisdom. He declared Liberation Theology a singular heresy, and clobbered its leaders like Leonardo Boff. He was so hawkish that he became known as Gods rottweiler.

Did it know the world it was operating in? Should the Church be just about the ancient past, or also about the modern world? Was it relevant and in danger of disintegrating and disappearing into folklore? The Church decided that the way out was to convene the Second Vatican Council, which would bring bishops from all over the world to hold a mirror to it identify with the hopes and needs of Catholics worldwide, extend a hand of fellowship to other churches and religions, and clear the pathway to the future.

In his 1975 book, The Runaway Church, Peter Hebblethwaite quoted a British bishop as saying that but for the Second Vatican, which held from 1962-65, the Church would have been like the Loch Ness monster: rumoured to exist, of venerable antiquity, actually seen by some, but of not much relevance in the contemporary world. Ratzinger, at 35, attended the Second Vatican as an aide to Cardinal Joseph Frings. It obviously had a positive impact on him until after 1968, when his views visibly began to change.

However, the Council had introduced democracy into a hitherto, highly hierarchical institution, with whoever was Pope as the infallible Vicar of Christ, the bishops as the unquestioned successors of the Apostles, and the priest as the Man of God in the parish. But the Second Vatican gave rise to another argument. If Jesus said the time is coming when God will not be worshipped in Jerusalem (the Temple) John 4:21, and that: God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship him in spirit and truth, (John 4:24), where is the place of the Church as a temple? But the implication is: If worship leaves the temple and God is worshipped only in spirit and truth, that will be the end of the priesthood. It might mean that the Church was engaging in self-liquidation.

There were many progressive outcomes of the Second Vatican Council, such as the Church needing to identify with the meek, the poor, and the defenceless and even standing up against dictators. However, the fact that it allowed open debates among bishops, exposing disagreements, challenged traditional hierarchy and authority (where unquestioned obedience had previously been the case), and provided fertile ground for Liberation Theology, meant that some saw the Council as endangering the Church. While Liberation Theology emphasises social justice, environmental protection, and building Gods kingdom on earth, to ensure His will is done as it is in heaven, its opponents claim that it is the secularisation, radicalisation and politicisation of the Church.

Cardinal Siri of Genoa argued that the Council was the greatest mistake in recent ecclesiastical history. Some bishops, like Dr. McQuaid of Dublin and Cardinal MacIntyre of Los Angeles, were in revolt. Some 100,000 priests left the Church within ten years, and to some, like Ratzinger, who had initially supported the liberal movement of the Church, the Second Vatican was like a genie that had escaped from the bottle; it had to be recaptured and rebottled.

Pope Benedict upheld the Church ban on birth control to the extent that when HIV/AIDS ravaged the world and there were appeals that he should allow the use of condoms, at least for prevention, he refused. If one partner in a Catholic marriage was positive, the couple was expected to either refrain from copulating or risk infection. He also strictly upheld the Church ban on divorce, feminist ideas, and abortion, no matter the circumstances.

This became Ratzingers quest for the rest of his life; returning the Catholic Church to its ancient traditions, untouched and unaffected by modernisation. As Archbishop of Munich from 1977, he was more Catholic than the Pope  and as the Head, Congregation of the Faith (the successor office to the Inquisition), the fear of Cardinal Ratzinger was, for many priests, the beginning of wisdom. He declared Liberation Theology a singular heresy, and clobbered its leaders like Leonardo Boff. He was so hawkish that he became known as Gods rottweiler. He capped it with being the Pope from 19 April, 2005, to 28 February, 2013, when he resigned; the first resignation of a Catholic pontiff in seven centuries.

Pope Benedict upheld the Church ban on birth control to the extent that when HIV/AIDS ravaged the world and there were appeals that he should allow the use of condoms, at least for prevention, he refused. If one partner in a Catholic marriage was positive, the couple was expected to either refrain from copulating or risk infection. He also strictly upheld the Church ban on divorce, feminist ideas, and abortion, no matter the circumstances.

As Pope, he engaged in needless controversies. For instance, he claimed that Catholicism was the only true church of Christ and that Islam was an injurious faith spread by the sword.

He encouraged the conversion of Jews, but later tried to mend fences by exculpating Jews from allegations that they murdered Jesus Christ. By the time the Holy Father passed away on 31 December, 2022, he had been so dislocated by the liberal history that made him, that he had transformed into one of the most conservative Popes in history. But he could not defeat the Second Vatican; his successor, Pope Francis, is a product of the progressive spirit that permeated that ecclesiastical gathering, 58 years ago.

Owei Lakemfa, a former secretary general of African workers, is a human rights activist, journalist and author.

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While appreciating the constraints faced by companies and the rationale for taking what looks like an easy way out, one feels the need to examine the bigger implications posed by this statutory provision, and its implementation. One is hoping that this may trigger some discourse that may facilitate a review of the positions.

The Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) 2020 is a radical departure from CAMA 2004 in many respects. One of such departure is the requirement for all shares in the capital of all limited liability companies to be fully issued, thus effectively outlawing the concept of authorised share capital. Section 124 (1) of CAMA provides that the amount of share capital stated in the memorandum of newly registered companies shall not be less than the minimum issued share capital. Section 124 (2) re-emphasises the point by prohibiting the registration of any company with a share capital less than the minimum issued share capital. Section 124 (3) further provides that existing companies must issue any unissued shares in their capital within six months of the commencement of the Act. This deadline was subsequently extended till 31 December, 2022 via an amendment to Regulation 13 of the Companies Regulations, 2021, by the Minister for Trade and Industry, being the supervisory minister, in exercise of the powers conferred in that behalf by CAMA.

Some practitioners have opined that perhaps the requirement to issue all unissued capital applies only to newly formed companies. However, this position is inconsistent with the very clear provisions of Section 124 (3) and (4) that very specifically prescribes a period within which all existing companies must issue previously unissued shares in their capital. Others have suggested that the provision contemplates the minimum share capital, which, in their view, is N100,000.00 for private companies, and N2 million for publicly quoted companies, as set out in Section 27 (2) of CAMA. Again, in ones opinion, this position is not supported by CAMA. Section 27 (2) of CAMA provides as follows:

Section 27 (2)

If the company has a share capital 

The memorandum of association shall also state the amount of the minimum issued share capital which shall not be less than N100,000.00, in the case of a private company and N2,000,000.00, in the case of a public company, with which the company proposes to be registered, and the division thereof into shares of a fixed amount;

The clear meaning of this provision is that each company must have a minimum share capital, and companies are free to determine what that minimum capital would be, provided it is not lower than the threshold set. The section does not by any means prescribe the above amounts as the minimum capital for companies. Rather, it allows each company to set its own minimum share capital, but only gives the floor below which that discretion cannot be exercised. However, whatever the company eventually sets in its memorandum of association becomes its minimum share capital, and all provisions in the Act relating to minimum share capital, of necessity, refers to that amount. By the combined provisions of Section 27 (2)(a), and Section 124 (1-4), no company is allowed to hold any share capital, other than fully issued ones, and the fully issued capital must be equal to whatever the minimum share capital the company sets for itself in its memorandum of association.

Regulation 13 of 16 April, 2021, as amended, (Regulation 13) has, in the past couple of months, acquired notoriety, as many companies struggled with the implications of this, and how to ensure compliance. As far as one knows, there were several high-level individual and group engagements with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) with a view to understanding the full import of this regulation, the possibility of a further extension of time for compliance, and indeed the options available. In the end, companies were advised to pass resolutions on the cancellation of the shares at their AGMs or simply issue and allot the unissued shares. The reasoning probably was that the obvious loss would be the statutory fees by way of stamp duties and CAC filing fees paid on those shares (which may be significant, depending on the quantum of shares involved), which, by their cancellation, would be forfeited. This advise was heeded by many companies.

While appreciating the constraints faced by companies and the rationale for taking what looks like an easy way out, one feels the need to examine the bigger implications posed by this statutory provision, and its implementation. One is hoping that this may trigger some discourse that may facilitate a review of the positions.

Issue or allotment?

Section 124 of CAMA requires companies to issue all their share capital. It is however unclear what exactly is meant by issued. Section 868 of CAMA defines issued within two contexts, as follows:

issued generally means in relation to a prospectus, issued to persons who are not existing members or debenture holders of a company.

issued share capital in relation to any reduction has the meaning assigned by Section 124 (2) of this Act.

It is clear that issued or issued share capital within the context of an increase in share capital is not contemplated in either definitions provided. We must, thus, look to general commercial usage for meaning and context.

Commercially, issued within the context of share capital of a company is generally understood to mean that portion of the share capital of the company that was appropriated for subscription by shareholders in pursuance of a capital raise. Were this understanding to be the contemplation of CAMA, the mere appropriation of shares for issuance under a proposed capital raise would have sufficiently met the requirement of Section 124 (1-4). However, it appears that CAMAs actual intended meaning or application of this word is allotment. This is more so when we consider Section 127(1) which provides as follows:

A company having a share capital, may, in general meeting, and not otherwise, increase its issued share capital by the allotment of new shares of such amount as it considers expedient (emphasis supplied).

By this provision, it is clear that the only way the issued capital of a company can now be increased is by allotment. This means therefore, CAMA does not contemplate the mere appropriation of shares for subscription as issued. Rather, it is the allotment of such shares that is considered the issuance thereof. Thus, CAMA seems to have treated both issuance and allotment as one and the same. The significance of this treatment will become obvious in subsequent paragraphs.

By Section 127 already referred to, a company can only increase its share capital at the general meeting and at the time of the increase, it must be allotted for the increase to be valid. In fact, Regulation 14 (1) of 2021 amplifies this provision very clearly by stating that Allotment of shares shall be done at the same time the shares are issued. In effect, companies willing to increase their share capital must already be clear of the following at the time of approaching the general meeting (a) how many new shares the company wishes to create, (b) who the shares will be allotted to, (c) the price at which the shares will be allotted and (d) the shares must then be allotted to the proposed allottees at the same general meeting at which the shares are issued.

Before considering the practical implications of these issues, it is important to consider the provisions of CAMA 2020 with respect to allotment of shares.

Power of allotment under CAMA 2020.

Sec 127 (1) of CAMA 2020 reproduced above, seems to have exclusively reserved the power to allot shares to the shareholders at their general meeting. This compares with Section 124 of CAMA 2004 which vested the powers to allot in the general meeting, but which may be delegated to the directors, whether for private or public companies. Pursuant to that provision, the general practice with most private and public companies alike was that they found it more convenient and commercially expedient to empower directors to deal with such matters. However, this position, and the possibility of doing so, seem to have been significantly impaired by CAMA 2020.

The prohibition of allotment of shares other than at general meetings, contained in Section 127 (1), seems to have been amplified by Section 149 (1) and (2) of CAMA 2020, which provide that the power to allot shares is vested in the company and with respect to a private company, may be delegated to the directors, while with respect to a public company, it is subject to the provisions of the Investment and Securities Act (ISA), 2007. Many practitioners have taken solace in this provision and Regulation 14 (2) of 2021, which restates the powers of the shareholders to delegate the powers to allot shares to the directors of private companies as provided in Sec 149 (1). It therefore seems, notionally, that the challenges highlighted above would be of no worry to private companies.

The above provisions notwithstanding, with respect to private companies, in ones humble view, there appears a conflict between the very forceful and prohibiting provision of Section 127 (1), which provides that the exercise of allotment may only be done at a general meeting and not otherwise, and Sec 149 (1) and Regulation 14 (2), which suggest that the exercise may be done by directors under a delegated authority from the general meeting. We wait to see how this potential conflict will be resolved by the regulators and operators, in the coming periods. Importantly, it will also be useful to see what the leaning of the courts would be in the event that a shareholder decides to vent his grievance against the exercise of such powers by directors.

The position with public companies is a lot more concerning. One is mindful of Regulation 14 (3), which provides that directors of a public company may allot shares if they have been so authorised by their articles, or specifically by a general meeting for a specific offer. This appears an attempt by the regulators to place a bridge over what patently is troubled waters. The challenge, however, is the integrity of the bridge and whether it can and will stand any legal scrutiny at the suit of an aggrieved person in time to come.

It may be useful to consider again the provision of Section 149 (1, which states that:

The power to allot shares is vested in the company, and in relation to a private company, this power may be delegated to the directors (emphasis supplied).

By the well settled principle of interpretation captured in the Latin maxim expression unius est exclusion alterius, meaning the expression of one thing is to exclude another, the express mention of private companies, with respect to the possibility of delegating the powers of allotment to their directors, very clearly excludes that possibility for public companies. Moreover, recognising that this is a departure from what obtained in the repealed CAMA 2004, it is clear that it is the intention of the lawmakers of CAMA 2020 to limit the exercise of that prerogative to only private companies, else it would have reproduced what obtained previously in CAMA 2004, as it did in many other provisions. Accordingly, one opines that CAMA 2020 has withdrawn the possibility of delegation of the powers to allot to the directors of public companies, and such power must, of necessity, be exercised by the shareholders at the general meeting.

Furthermore, Regulation 14 (3) of 2021 made by the Minister of Trade and Industry is a mere regulation made pursuant to Section 867 of CAMA. By the well settled principles of law, it is a subsidiary and inferior instrument and as such cannot amend, contravene or seek to vary the express provisions of an Act of the National Assembly. Wherever there is a conflict between the Act, and any regulation or subsidiary instrument made under it, the provisions of the Act must, of necessity, prevail. To the extent that Regulation 14 (3) therefore seeks to give to public companies prerogatives that have been expressly excluded by CAMA, an Act of the National Assembly, one is of the view that the provision cannot stand.

As such, with respect to public companies, it appears that the combined provisions of Section 149 (2) of CAMA and 88 of ISA, have done nothing to shift the arduous responsibility and need to return to the general meeting for allotment of shares in any event, and neither can Regulation 14 (3) come to their aid. Section 88 of ISA clearly states that the responsibility for allotment shall be by the issuer, together with the issuing house, the issuer being the issuing company. In the reality of Section 127 (1) and 149 (1) that withdrew from the shareholders, the hitherto existing power to delegate such powers to directors as it existed under Section 124 of CAMA 2004, it does appear that public companies must, of necessity, return to shareholders at a general meeting for any form of allotment.

Implications and Practical Challenges

There are a number of complications that will arise with the above outcomes. For a private company, it may be possible for the proposed allottees of new shares to have been identified and commitments obtained from them before formally approaching the general meeting to seek enablement to create, issue and allot the shares. It may also be possible for the process of allotment to be done by directors under delegated authority, if that position is upheld by stakeholders and by the courts, when tested. It is not so for a public company. Given the typically diverse and large nature of shareholding of publicly quoted companies, this appears a potential challenge. From a practical standpoint, how would a publicly quoted company with more than 300,000 shareholders, for instance, ever be able to increase its share capital by issuing and allotting shares at the time of creation at the general meeting?

The challenge seems even more complicated by the pre-emptive rights of existing shareholders over all newly created shares, hitherto applicable to only private companies under CAMA 2004, which has now been extended as a mandatory provision to all companies, public companies inclusive, by virtue of Section 142 (1) of CAMA 2020. By this provision, a public company seeking to raise capital, and increase its issued share capital, must first offer the proposed new shares to existing shareholders by way of rights issue, in the proportion of their shareholding. Notionally, it appears that by commencing capital increases by way of rights issues, companies may be able to circumvent the immediate challenge posed by the requirement to allot the shares at the time of increase and issuance, since the existing shareholders who are the potential allottees of the rights issues are already known. However, this is a mere deferment of the real challenge. In the event of undersubscription of the rights issue, it does appear that companies would be confronted with one of at least two realities, either (a) return to the general meeting for further empowerment to offer the shares by way of public offer, or (b) cancel the unsubscribed shares, since there must not be any unissued (i.e unallotted) shares. To be fair, it is possible to propose and obtain anticipatory approvals that will enable the company undertake a public offer in the event of undersubscription of a rights issue, at the same time the resolution for rights issues is being proposed. However, one is of the view that by CAMA 2020, directors must still return to the general meeting before shares can be allotted, pursuant to any such public offer. The nightmare of the multiple general meetings, layers of approvals, and multiple costs involved in order to consummate a simple increase of capital and allotment of shares, as a consequence of this, can only best be imagined for now.

Aside the challenge with the necessary implication of knowing who the subscribers would be before a capital increase can be initiated, and the attendant costs and troubles of many layers of general meetings, there is also the challenge of pricing. By Sections 141 and 142 of CAMA, shares of companies are expected to be issued at a price, not being charitable institutions. The requirement for shares to be increased only by allotment, which must be done at the same time with issuance, means necessarily that at the time of approaching the general meeting for an increase, the price of the shares must have been determined, else it cannot be allotted. This removes the discretion and flexibility that directors hitherto had in determining prices in response to market realities. Importantly, it will also make offers by price discovery methods practically challenging and difficult to realise.

Furthermore, the requirement for increase of capital only by allotment of shares, which must be done at the general meeting, means companies will be forced to allot shares on deferred payment basis. At the time of approaching the general meeting for authorisation to increase and allot, it is unlikely that the shares would have been paid for, not having in fact been created. Yet, companies have to allot the shares at the time they are being newly created. From the practical perspective, therefore, at the time of allotment, not only must companies already be armed with the list of the proposed allottees of the shares, the approval of the shareholders at the general meeting will effectively allot the shares to them. Thus, the allotment at this point can only be done on credit or, at best, conditionally, as payment may not have been received at that point. In a sellers market, where there is so much funds chasing few companies stock, it may be feasible to mandate a deposit for shares by would-be subscribers before approaching the general meeting for allotment to them. Not so in our clime where the market is not deep and funded enough. Although by the combined provisions of Section 152 and 158 of CAMA, a company has discretion in the manner of payment for its shares, and it can allot shares on deferred payment terms, this is intended, and ought to be, at the discretion of each company, rather than the law creating a situation that foists allotment of shares on credit by default on companies.

Furthermore, where shares have been increased by the issuance and allotment of the shares, it begs to be seen what then happens where allottees fail to take up the shares or pay for them. This portends either cancellation of such shares and a waste of time and money spent creating them, or a new challenge of undercapitalisation of companies by reason of non-payment for allotted shares, and a new class of unfunded and bad assets in the books of companies.

As companies seek to increase and issue new shares in the coming months and years under the new regime of Section 124 and 127 of CAMA, the reality of the challenges posed by the practical implementation of these provisions may well become apparent. Importantly, care needs to be taken in trying to find a quick fix, to ensure that whatever fix is adopted is one that will stand legal scrutiny. Given the significant tussles that have been seen in companies, especially public companies, in recent times, it will be dangerous to allow loose strands, as they may well become weapons in the hands of gladiators in tussles for the soul and control of companies. Both regulators and operators would necessarily have to find creative ways to avoid and or minimise the potentially disruptive and obstructive impact on the corporate world, given an already challenging operating environment with daily rising cost of doing business. Potential walkaround solutions would require empathy, flexibility, understanding, out-of-the-box thinking and collaboration amongst all stakeholders.

Abimbola Izu is a partner with Portalls Advisory Services, a firm of commercial solicitors and corporate governance Consultants. She wrote from Lagos and can be reached at abimbola@portallsadvisory.com.

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A former Governor of Yobe State who is the incumbent senator representing Yobe East Senatorial District, Ibrahim Gaidam, has been appointed to head the states All Progressives Congress (APC) Campaign Council for the 2023 general election.

In a statement signed by the APC Secretary in the state, Abubakar Bakabe, the party said Mr Gaidam will be working with Mohammed Hassan, aka Dembu, who has been appointed the Director General of the Campaign Council.

Until his defection to the APC from the PDP in February 2022, Mr Hassan was a sworn political foe of Mr Gaidam.

Both politicians served in the Mr Alis administration as Commissioner of Finance and Deputy Governor.

After Mr Gaidam became governor in 2009 following the death of Mamman Ali, he did not appoint Mr Hassan as a commissioner.

The Yobe State 17-member State Campaign Council for the 2023 general elections also has Senate President Ahmad Lawan as alternate chairman.

The statement added that the state governor, Mai Buni, would be the deputy chair of the campaign council with his deputy, Idi Gubana, as first deputy chairman , while Barma Shetima, the states commissioner for commerce, would serve as the secretary.

The council includes three other deputy directors general, namely Lawan Shetima, Bello Kawuwa and Mohammad Nguru. The trio would serve as deputy director-general of the three senatorial zones of the state.

Other members of the council include Mohammed Bomoi, Tijjani Tumsa, Ahmed Mirwa, Aji Bularafa, Sidi Karasuwa, Alkali Jajere, and Samaila Gadaka.

Mr Bakabe explained that party leaders carefully selected the above names because of their commitment, dedication, and the confidence reposed in them.

He expressed the optimism of the party for victory in the 2023 general election.

The party is optimistic that members of the council will deliver and take the party to success in the forthcoming elections, he said.

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The Kogi State government has queried the Ohinoyi of Igbiraland, Ado Ibrahim, for allegedly disrespecting President Muhammadu Buhari and Governor Yahaya Bello.

In the query to the monarch, dated January 5 and signed by Enimola Eniola, a director at the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, the government said the Ohinoyi erred by failing to turn up to welcome President Buhari during a state visit last December.

The query said Mr Ibrahim was aware of Mr Buharis visit but failed to come out to receive him

In a flagrant disregard to the persons and high offices of the President and Governor, you bluntly refused to come out and receive the President at the designated venue rightly approved by the State Governor of the State, Mr Eniola said.

He said protocol demands that when a President visits a state, top government officials, including top monarchs, are expected to come out and receive him, a convention he said the Igbiraland ruler disregarded.

But youve chosen to disdain the office of the Executive Governor of the state, and this time, you did it with effrontery before the number one citizen of Nigeria, the query said.

Mr Eniola then gave the monarch 48 hours to provide written explanation regarding why he acted the way he did and why he should not be punished for his misdeeds.

During Mr Buharis visit, a bomb planted by suspected ISWAP members exploded, killing at least four persons.

The State Security Service later announced the arrest of one Abdulmumin Otaru and Saidu Sulaiman in connection with the blast.

BELOW IS THE FULL QUERY BY THE KOGI GOVERNMENT TO THE OHINOYI

It has been observed with serious concern that you have exhibited deliberate attitude and actions capable of bringing Kogi state and Ebira land in particular to great disrepute. These actions are quite unbecoming of a revered Royal Father of your status.

Specifically, you were aware through many fora of the glorious visit of Mr President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR to Okene on 29, December, 2022 to commission landmark projects by our dear Governor Yahaya Bello. In a flagrant disregard to the persons and high offices of the President and Governor, you bluntly refused to come out and receive the President at the designated venue rightly approved by the State Governor of the State.

It may interest you to note that official courtesy demands that when a personality of a President occupying the highest office in the land is visiting or even passing through the state, the Governor and top public officers, including topmost Traditional Rulers are expected to receive him as a mark of respect for him and the Office he occupies.

It is on record that in time past, topmost traditional rulers, including the President, Kogi State Council if Chiefs do receive the Governor of the State on his return from critical missions undertaken on behalf of the State. But you have chosen to disdain the office of the Executive Governor, and this time you did it with effrontery before the number one citizen of Nigeria.

This action of yours is an act insubordination and disloyalty to the President and Commander -in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces, the Executive Governor of kogi State and the entire Ebira nation as a whole. It portends grave danger to the Security of the state and laying bad precedence for traditional institution of the State.

In view of the above, I have been directed to request you to forward a written explanation within 48 hours why disciplinary action should not be taken against you for these acts of insubordination and disloyalty. Oral explanations may be required from you when a panel is set up to study your case.

Its expected that you will accord priority to the content of this letter, Your Royal Majesty.

Enimola A. Eniola,

Director of Chieftaincy Affairs

FOR Honourable Commissioner,

Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs

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The Abuja-Keffi expressway, the major highway between the North-Central state of Nasarawa and Abuja, the nations capital, has descended into chaos due to a traffic gridlock.

The closure of traffic to the Ado Bridge linking the One Mans Village portion of the expressway is responsible for the traffic congestion, our reporter observed.

A commuter, Abdullahi Umar, who was commuting from the Masaka end of the road to Nyanya, blamed the government for the hardship.

The government doesnt care about the suffering of the people. Can you imagine people trekking in this hot sun, Mr Umar wondered as he disembarked from the tricycle he was riding in.

Another commuter, who simply gave her name as Charity, told PREMIUM TIMES that this is hell.

A distraught wedding guest who refused to give his name, described the situation as insensitive of the government to have closed the Ado Bridge without providing alternative route.

This reporter, who was stranded for three hours in the congestion, observed hundreds of commuters getting off their vehicles to trek in the scorching sun.

Travellers to and from Abuja remain stranded.

Our reporter observed a mother with her toddler walking in the sweltering weather after their car broke down at One Mans Village.

Another woman was seen with a baby wrapped in a shawl and sandwiched between her and a motorbike rider as they meandered the gridlock.

The Abuja-Keffi expressway is a major entry point into Abuja from Nasarawa State. It is being dualised from Keffi to Makurdi in Benue State.

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The killing of two teenagers, allegedly by police officers, has thrown residents of Tudun Matawalle, Sabuwar Unguwa, in the Katsina metropolis into panic mode.

Aside from the two deceased teenagers, residents told PREMIUM TIMES that three other youth are receiving treatment in two medical facilities for injuries sustained during the incident.

The deceased were allegedly killed by police officers suspected to be from the Sabon Gari Divisional Police Office on Sunday.

Residents told PREMIUM TIMES that the police officers invaded a wedding party where a disk jockey was entertaining the families and friends of the bride and groom.

Yusuf Ahmed-Rufai, whose son, Jawwad Yusuf, was one of the two teenagers killed, told PREMIUM TIMES that the deceased was killed while returning from an Islamic school in the evening.

My son was returning from school when he was hit by the bullet that claimed his life. I was not around but I was told that there was an event in the area.

A policeman and some vigilante members in the area tried to stop the event, which we dont know why up till now, since there is no law prohibiting that. The boys there, however, insisted that since they were not doing anything unlawful, theyll go ahead with their event.

The policeman then started shooting because I was told the boys were shouting at him and calling him names. At that time, my son, among some students was returning from school and he was hit by a bullet, Mr Ahmed-Rufai said.

He said his son, Jawwad, was shot alongside an Almajiri child. And the two died.

Mr Ahmed-Rufai said when he reached the Federal Teaching Hospital, Katsina, a medical doctor pulled him aside and told him that there was still a bullet in his sons stomach.

The doctor told me that my son was brought to the hospital shot by policemen and the bullet was still in his stomach. They (medical doctors) tried to save him but it was too late because the children were first taken to the General Hospital Katsina but were rejected there. So, it was too late when they were taken to Federal Teaching Hospital and when I saw him on the bed, I knew he would not make it because he had already lost a lot of blood, he said.

He said the police area commander for the community has reached out to the family with the assurance that the culprits would be brought to justice.

How I was shot

Abduljamiu Yusuf, another victim who is still at the hospital, told PREMIUM TIMES he was accidentally caught in the shooting because he was inside his family house when the commotion began.

He was shot in his right hand. The bullet cut off one of his fingers.

I came out to return a bucket I borrowed from a friend when the bullet hit me. I saw a police van in the area and before I knew it, a bullet hit me in the hand.

I rushed towards a policeman who I believe shot me, crying, but he motioned that I should stop or he will shoot me again, Mr Yusuf said.

Musa Ali, the head teacher of the Almajiri school, said one of his pupils, a nine year old, was killed in the shooting.

He did not give further details to PREMIUM TIMES as he said he would need to speak with the parents of the deceased teenager first.

Another resident, Umma Abdullahi, said she was the first person to see the teenagers after they were shot.

I was preparing for evening prayers when my daughter ran into the house shouting that the police are shooting people. I ran outside our house where in the frontage of our door, I saw the two boys lying helplessly with blood coming out of their bodies. The other one (Almajiri) is already dead I think because he was not even moving while the other boy was still breathing, she said.

ALSO READ: Two teenagers face trial over alleged murder of Nigerian pastor

Two of the victims are currently at the General Amadi Rimi Orthopaedic and Specialists Hospital while the other one is at the Federal Teaching Hospital in Katsina.

Policemen on crime-bursting patrol

The police spokesperson in Katsina State, Gambo Isa, said the police officers were on a crime-bursting patrol when the accident occurred.

Well, its true what happened. We received a report that the incident occurred when a team of policemen and security agents stormed a criminal hideout to arrest the criminals but there was an event going on around the place. Those security agents that went with our men also fired shots, Mr Isa told Alfijir Radio, a local radio station in Katsina.

But what actually happened was that when the security agents stormed the place, one of the criminals tried to wrestle the rifle from the policeman, which led to the gun going off and cutting the criminals finger, he said.

Mr Isa, a superintendent, said the following morning, they heard that a nine-year-old boy was also hit by the bullet.

What were investigating now is to ascertain who did the shooting. What the policeman told us is that it was one bullet and it was the criminal who was wrestling the rifle with him that led to that. So we want to find out how many bullets were fired from his gun. Were also checking to see if the bullets were from the other security agents who were also there to make an arrest, he said.

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Expected to Spur Development of Autonomous Driving Technology in Preparation for the SDV(Software Defined Vehicle) Era

LAS VEGAS and SEOUL, South Korea, Jan. 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On January 6th, HL Klemove, which specializes in autonomous driving solutions for HL Group, signed an MOU with Sonatus, a company specializing in vehicular communication & data, at the 2023 CES in Las Vegas. The two companies have agreed to collaborate on the development of next-generation automotive architecture technology, in preparation for the upcoming "Software Defined Vehicle (SDV)" era, where mobility will be software-centered. Pal-joo Yoon, Hyung-jin Kang (CEO and CTO of HL Klemove, respectively), Jeffrey Chou and John Heinlein (CEO and CMO of Sonatus, respectively), attended the signing ceremony.

From left to right: Sung-guk Kim Director of Sale Center, HL Klemove, Hyung-jin Kang CTO, HL Klemove, Pal-joo Yoon CEO, HL Klemove, Jeffrey Chou CEO, SONATUS, John Heinlein CMO, SONATUS, Chris Yang Korea Country Manager, SONATUS

Most vehicles are equipped with 'distributed control architectures', where dozens of electronic controllers function individually to provide mobility solutions. In this form of architecture, application of new software is much restricted due to each controller's hardware-related constraints and other complex interrelations. To address this problem, diverse attempts are being made to integrate multiple electronic controllers on the next-generation automotive architecture. This phenomenon can be observed in DCU(Domain Control Unit), which integrates controllers of different functions, as well as in Z-ECU(Zonal Electronic Control Unit) which integrate controllers of different zones regardless of Functions and Zones. Building upon the successful commercialization of DCU for autonomous driving, HL Klemove, in collaboration with Sonatus, plans to accelerate the development of next-generation automotive architecture technologies, including Z-ECU.

A vast amount of data is required to operate mobility solutions. Given that, stable data communication in a vehicle is an essential requirement for controller integrationthe biggest reason for HL Klemove's partnership with Sonatus. Sonatus not only possesses a high-quality communication platform, but it also succeeded in commercialization of vehicle communication controls, such as *CCU(Central Communication Unit). The two companies plan to focus on developing next-generation integrated control platforms; a prerequisite for realizing future vehicles such as SDV(Software-Defined Vehicles).

HL Klemove's CEO, Pal-joo Yoon said at the CES site that day, "The CCU we introduced at CES was the first output of our collaboration with Sonatus," adding, "By building the next-generation automotive architecture, we will ensure thorough preparation is made when facing the new automotive paradigm; the SDV."

Sonatus, located in Silicon Valley is a mobility software developer founded in 2018, with a vision to helping vehicles become "Data Centers on Wheels." Global automakers are paying close attention to its network-based communication and data solution technologies.

About HL Klemove

HL Klemove is a leading global autonomous driving solution provider with over 2,100 patents and a proven track record. The company started anew through the merger of two companies, ADAS business unit that has spun off from HL Mando (KS 204320), the global automotive parts company, and Mando-Hella Electronics, a leader in the automotive electronic parts technology. HL Klemove offers end-to-end solution for L2+/L3 autonomous driving and plans to launch next generation autonomous driving products such as high-resolution camera and integrated domain control unit until 2025. The company serves over fifty (50) customers who are major OEMs and EV & autonomous driving vehicle start-ups, worldwide. HL Klemove currently has 3 manufacturing footprints in Songdo (Korea), Suzhou (China) and Chennai (India). The newly established corporation in Mexico will be supporting its customers in North America. In addition to the manufacturing footprints, the company is operating R&D centers globally in places such as Pangyo (Korea), Bengaluru (India), Suzhou (China) and Silicon Valley (US). HL Klemove promises safe and comfortable driving through its advanced sensors and SW algorithm, on the strength of strong electronic product capabilities. For more information, visit [www.hlklemove.com]

SOURCE HL Klemove
Mission and White Knight demand unreasonable rate increases as their viewership with DISH subscribers continues to decline

Mission and White Knight rejected DISH's extension offers to keep programming accessible to customers while negotiations continue

ENGLEWOOD, Colo., Jan. 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Mission Broadcasting and White Knight Broadcasting local channels, both operated by Nexstar Media Group, were removed from DISH TV today, affecting access in 28 markets nationwide. With this removal, DISH customers no longer have access to the local channels in Mission's markets, such as ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, CW and MNT, and to White Knight stations in two markets.

"Both programming groups rejected DISH's contract extension offers to keep programming available for customers while we continue to negotiate," said Brian Neylon, group president, DISH TV. "We're disappointed Mission and White Knight have chosen this course of action. The demanded fees are unreasonable given that Mission and White Knight's viewership on DISH have significantly declined over the past three years, indicating that many viewers have moved to other channels for programming they prefer."

Mission and White Knight's actions are not unexpected. In the past year, the Nexstar-controlled programmers removed channels from Comcast, DirecTV, AT&T U-Verse and Verizon Fios. Mission is currently in a long-term dispute with DirecTV. It pulled its channels from DirecTV customers in mid-October, forcing more than a million customers to look elsewhere to watch their favorite programming.

"Broadcasters like Mission and White Knight often block customer access as they negotiate for higher rates," added Neylon. "We will continue to fight on behalf of DISH customers to keep prices as low as possible. We hope Mission and White Knight will continue to negotiate with us in good faith so we can minimize the disruption to our customers."

DISH customers can visit DISHPromise.com for more information.

Stations Affected:

Mission:

( NBC : KRBC) - Abilene, TX

: KRBC) - ( FOX : WXXA) - Albany, NY

WXXA) - ( CW: KWBQ) - Albuquerque, NM

KWBQ) - ( MNT: KASY) - Albuquerque, NM

KASY) - ( FOX : KCIT) - Amarillo, TX

KCIT) - ( MNT: KCPN) - Amarillo, TX

KCPN) - ( FOX : KHMT) - Billings, MT

KHMT) - ( ABC: WVNY) - Burlington, VT

WVNY) - ( FOX : KLJB) - Davenport, IA

KLJB) - ( FOX : WFXP) - Erie, PA

WFXP) - ( CW: WTVW) - Evansville, IN

WTVW) - ( FOX : KFQX) - Grand Junction, CO

KFQX) - ( ABC: KODE) - Joplin, MO

KODE) - ( ABC: WLAJ) - Lansing, MI

WLAJ) - ( FOX : KLRT) - Little Rock, AR

KLRT) - ( CW: KASN) - Little Rock, AR

KASN) - ( ABC: KAMC) - Lubbock, TX

KAMC) - ( NBC: KTVE) - Monroe, LA

KTVE) - ( CW: WPIX) - New York, NY

WPIX) - ( FOX : KPEJ) - Odessa, TX

KPEJ) - ( FOX : WNAC) - Providence, RI

WNAC) - ( ABC: WTVO) - Rockford, IL

WTVO) - ( NBC: KSAN) - San Angelo, TX

KSAN) - ( FOX : KMSS) - Shreveport, LA

KMSS) - ( CBS: KOLR) - Springfield, MO

KOLR) - ( ABC: WAWV) - Terre Haute, IN

WAWV) - ( ABC: WUTR) - Utica, NY

WUTR) - ( FOX : KJTL) - Wichita Falls, TX

KJTL) - ( MNT: KJBO) - Wichita Falls, TX

KJBO) - (CBS: WYOU) - Wilkes Barre, PA

White Knight:

( NBC : WVLA) - Baton Rouge, LA

: WVLA) - ( FOX : KFXK) - Tyler - Longview - Lufkin, TX

About DISH

DISH Network Corporation is a connectivity company. Since 1980, it has served as a disruptive force, driving innovation and value on behalf of consumers. Through its subsidiaries, the company provides television entertainment and award-winning technology to millions of customers with its satellite DISH TV and streaming SLING TV services. In 2020, the company became a nationwide U.S. wireless carrier through the acquisition of Boost Mobile. DISH continues to innovate in wireless, building the nation's first virtualized, O-RAN 5G broadband network. DISH Network Corporation (NASDAQ: DISH) is a Fortune 200 company.

SOURCE DISH Network Corporation
SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- AI is taking over the world, and companies in every industry are wondering if they will be disrupted by this technology. From search engines and journalism to therapy and coding, AI has the potential to revolutionize the way we live and work.

At the forefront of this exciting industry is ChatGPT, the revolutionary chatbot platform by OpenAI that is gaining attention from entrepreneurs and investors alike. "I'm really excited about the potential of AI," said Aaron Kemmer, President of Magic. "ChatGPT is just the tip of the iceberg, and every day we're seeing new exciting products that are reimagining how all aspects of work are done."

Behind every successful AI system is a team of hardworking humans, and that's where Magic comes in. Magic's "human in the loop" approach has provided thousands of workers to companies looking to quickly scale up their human teams, many of which are using these workers to train their AI algorithms.

Companies partner with Magic to help them train their AI algorithms across content moderation, content creation, transcription in healthcare settings, customer support, and more.

"At Magic, we understand the limitations of traditional AI systems and have developed a solution that combines the best of both human and machine intelligence," said Aaron Kemmer, President of Magic. "We are providing AI to remote workers, and remote workers to AI companies."

Magic offers a range of services to support the growth and success of AI companies, such data labeling, annotation, transcription, evaluating their models, and performing the work that will be used to train their data sets.

"Our human-in-the-loop approach is helping businesses across Silicon Valley and beyond to achieve their goals with AI, and we can't wait to see what the future holds."

As an example of how AI is changing the approach to work, this entire press release was written by AI - including the quotes of Kemmer (with his edits and approval, of course).

About Magic:

Magic is a Silicon Valley-based company that provides a range of services to support the growth and success of AI companies. From data labeling and annotation to model evaluation and analysis, we have the expertise and technology to help businesses of all sizes succeed with AI. For more information, visit https://getmagic.com/hitl/ or contact us at [email protected].

SOURCE Magic Inc.
SAN DIEGO, Jan. 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP announces that the Avaya class action lawsuit  captioned Fletcher v. Avaya Holdings Corp., No. 23-cv-00003 (M.D.N.C.)  charges Avaya Holdings Corp. (NYSE: AVYA) as well as certain of its top executives with violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

If you suffered substantial losses and wish to serve as lead plaintiff of the Avaya class action lawsuit, please provide your information here:

https://www.rgrdlaw.com/cases-avaya-holdings-corp-class-action-lawsuit-avya.html

You can also contact attorney J.C. Sanchez of Robbins Geller by calling 800/449-4900 or via e-mail at [email protected]. Lead plaintiff motions for the Avaya class action lawsuit must be filed with the court no later than March 6, 2023.

CASE ALLEGATIONS: Avaya purports to be a "global leader in digital communications products, solutions and services for business of all sizes delivering its technology predominantly through software and services."

The Avaya class action lawsuit alleges that defendants failed to disclose that: (i) Avaya's internal control over financial reporting ("ICFR") was deficient in several areas; (ii) as a result of these deficiencies, Avaya had failed to design and maintain effective controls over its whistleblower policies and its ethics and compliance program; and (iii) Avaya's deteriorating financial condition was likely to raise substantial doubt as to its ability to continue as a going concern.

On July 28, 2022, Avaya announced the termination of its CEO, defendant James M. Chirico, Jr. Avaya also announced preliminary third quarter of 2022 financial results that included expected revenues and adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization well below previously given guidance and an unquantified but "significant" impairment charge. Avaya also withdrew its 2022 guidance. On this news, Avaya's stock price declined more than 56%.

Then, on August 9, 2022, Avaya announced that: (1) Avaya determined there was substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern; (2) Avaya would not timely file its financial statements for the quarter ended June 30, 2022; (3) Avaya's Audit Committee commenced internal investigations into circumstances surrounding Avaya's financial results for the quarter; and (4) the Audit Committee also commenced an investigation into matters raised by a whistleblower. On this news, Avaya's stock price declined more than 45%.

Thereafter, on November 30, 2022, Avaya disclosed that "control deficiencies that management had been reviewing represent material weaknesses in [Avaya's] [ICFR]" and that "management's assessment of ICFR included in Item 9A of [Avaya's] Annual Report on Form 10-K for its fiscal year 2021 ended September 30, 2021, filed with the [U.S.] Securities and Exchange Commission (the 'SEC') on November 22, 2021 . . . should no longer be relied upon." Specifically, Avaya revealed that it "did not design and maintain effective controls related to the information and communication component of the COSO (Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission) framework," "did not design and maintain effective controls to ensure appropriate communication between certain functions within [Avaya]," and "did not design and maintain effective controls over the ethics and compliance program." On this news, Avaya's stock price declined more than 14%, further damaging investors.

THE LEAD PLAINTIFF PROCESS: The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 permits any investor who purchased or acquired Avaya securities during the class period to seek appointment as lead plaintiff. A lead plaintiff is generally the movant with the greatest financial interest in the relief sought by the putative class who is also typical and adequate of the putative class. A lead plaintiff acts on behalf of all other class members in directing the Avaya class action lawsuit. The lead plaintiff can select a law firm of its choice to litigate the Avaya class action lawsuit. An investor's ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff of the Avaya class action lawsuit.

ABOUT ROBBINS GELLER: Robbins Geller is one of the world's leading complex class action firms representing plaintiffs in securities fraud cases. The Firm is ranked #1 on the most recent ISS Securities Class Action Services Top 50 Report for recovering nearly $2 billion for investors in 2021  more than triple the amount recovered by any other plaintiffs' firm. With 200 lawyers in 9 offices, Robbins Geller is one of the largest plaintiffs' firms in the world, and the Firm's attorneys have obtained many of the largest securities class action recoveries in history, including the largest securities class action recovery ever  $7.2 billion  in In re Enron Corp. Sec. Litig. Please visit the following page for more information:

https://www.rgrdlaw.com/services-litigation-securities-fraud.html

Attorney advertising.

Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.

Services may be performed by attorneys in any of our offices.

Contact:

Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP

655 W. Broadway, Suite 1900, San Diego, CA 92101

J.C. Sanchez, 800-449-4900

[email protected]

SOURCE Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP
Regal and Lakeside offer more than 30 years of healthcare expertise and support to communities throughout Southern California

RIVERSIDE, Calif., Jan. 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Regal and Lakeside Medical Groups along with health plans, Wellcare and Health Net partnered with the Riverside Black Chamber of Commerce to help sponsor Parkview Hospital's second annual toy drive and giveaway. Toys from anonymous donors and sponsors poured in to make the toy drive and giveaway a joyful event for Riverside families. More than 400 new toys brought happy smiles to children of all ages. Parents and grandparents alike were touched by the generosity of those who have made their holiday extra special.

The Riverside Black Chamber of Commerce also provided 50 boxes of food to help feed the community. Pepi Jackson, President of the Riverside County of Black Chamber of Commerce added, "It takes a village to keep a village healthy. On behalf of the RCBCC, we want to thank all of our fellow 'villagers'. First, Covered California because healthcare starts with having affordable access. Thank you to Parkview Hospital, Wellcare, Health Net, and Regal Medical Group and their providers for going above and beyond to assist the underserved families. Without their generous support events like our Annual Toy Drive and Giveaway would not be possible."

Local doctors Andro Sharobiem, M.D., and Vicente Vazquez, M.D., and their dedicated staff helped to welcome all of the attendees. Dr. Sharobiem added, "Our family at Optima Health are so grateful to have been part of Saturday's Toy Drive & Giveaway "It was incredibly heartwarming to see how excited and thankful the children were to receive their brand new toys. Events like these bring hope, warmth and a sense of community at a time when families need it most. We are extremely proud to work alongside Regal Medical Group and look forward to participating in many more events to come."

The Health Net RV team and the Riverside University Health Systems (RUHS) vaccination team also provided free COVID-19 vaccines. Target donated toys and photographer, Mirelda Najers and her assistant Alejandra Morales took holiday photos. "It's been such a heartwarming experience being able to photograph the toy drive two years in a row," said Mirelda. "Seeing the children's excitement over choosing a toy of their choice brings me so much joy. Then the fun part is I get to photograph them and their parents!"

Fourteen-year-old Nevaeh Artis also volunteered her time to help organize items on the day of the event and made sure that everyone was supported. "Being around smiling faces and watching the kids pick out a toy was the most uplifting experience," said Nevaeh.

The annual toy drive and giveaway is one of the many community events sponsored by Regal and Lakeside Medical Groups throughout the year. Regal and Lakeside Medical groups are already the healthcare network of choice for thousands of members throughout Riverside, Orange, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and Ventura counties. With resources that go beyond the doctor's office, Regal and Lakeside help members live a well-balanced life through every stage of their healthcare journey. For more information or how to enroll, please call (833) 261-9269.

Mariel Calva Hernandez, Community Outreach Coordinator at Parkview Community Hospital, expressed, "Regal's second annual toy drive was one for the books! Seeing the kiddos smile and knowing they will have a positive memory motivates me to make this event even bigger for the years to come!"

About Regal and Lakeside Medical Groups

Regal Medical Group and Lakeside Medical Groups are affiliates of Heritage Provider Network (HPN), which serves as a trusted healthcare network for over 30 years with half a million Southern California members. As the largest physician-led medical group in Southern California, HPN and its affiliates are dedicated to quality, affordable and patient-centric healthcare through its robust programs and services offered to its members. For more information, please visit www.regalmed.com or www.lakesidemed.com.

SOURCE Regal Medical Group; Lakeside Medical Group
NEW YORK, Jan. 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ --

WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, announces it has filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of purchasers of the securities of Gaotu Techedu Inc. f/k/a GSX Techedu Inc. (NYSE: GOTU, GSX) between March 5, 2021 and July 23, 2021, both dates inclusive (the "Class Period"). A class action has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than February 28, 2023.

SO WHAT: If you purchased Gaotu 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 Gaotu class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=2595 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email [email protected] or [email protected] for information on the class action. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than February 28, 2023. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation.

WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources, or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually litigate securities class actions. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm has achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs' Bar. Many of the firm's attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers.

DETAILS OF THE CASE: According to the lawsuit, defendants throughout the Class Period made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose, among other things, that: (1) China was barring tutoring for profit in core school subjects and the policy change would restrict foreign investment in a sector that had become essential to success in Chinese school exams; and (2) the impact such regulations would have on Gaotu's operations and profitability and the value of Company securities. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages.

To join the Gaotu class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=2595 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email [email protected] or [email protected] for information on the class action.

No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. You may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point. An investor's ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff.

Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm or on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm.

Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. 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. Rosen Law Firm has achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company. Rosen Law Firm's attorneys are ranked and recognized by numerous independent and respected sources. Rosen Law Firm has secured hundreds of millions of dollars for investors.

Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

Contact Information:

Laurence Rosen, Esq.

Phillip Kim, Esq.

The Rosen Law Firm, P.A.

275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor

New York, NY 10016

Tel: (212) 686-1060

Toll Free: (866) 767-3653

Fax: (212) 202-3827

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

www.rosenlegal.com

SOURCE Rosen Law Firm, P.A.
NEW YORK, Jan. 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Tuya Smart ("Tuya" or the "Company") (NYSE: TUYA; HKEX: 2391), a global IoT development platform service provider, hosted "Tuya Day" with leading companies and associations at CES 2023 in the City of Las Vegas, Nevada.

Under the main theme "Be in It" of CES 2023, Tuya established its booth and hosted "Tuya Day" under the theme of "Be in Smart" to demonstrate its consistent effort in improving the production efficiency of global resources and enhancing the product value of global customers to support them with digital and smart transformation by leveraging Tuya's IoT technologies

The event featured leading brands and associations from around the world, including Arm, BARDI, Bluetooth SIG, CLEANLIFE, Connectivity Standard Alliance, Google Home, Hama, ioXt, JOIEEM, Lloyd's, Silicon Labs, and Wi-Fi Alliance. The partner representatives spoke about connectivity protocols, smart solutions and shared joint Tuya case studies.

#1 Panel: Matter: Ecosystem

Alex Yang, Co-Founder and COO of Tuya Smart, hosted the first panel discussion on Matter's ecosystem. Speakers shared how ecosystem players can promote Matter via partnership.

Chris Lapre, Head of Technology of the Connectivity Standards Alliance (the Alliance), said, "The continuous evolution and upgrading of Matter, the expansion of its application scenarios and new markets are contributed from the collaboration of the Alliance members including smart device manufacturers, security certification enterprises and others. Building and maintaining the Matter ecosystem is also key to the development of Matter. Alliance members like Tuya, play an active and crucial role in the promotion and application of Matter. They will attract more customers to join the Matter ecosystem and innovate Matter from customers' feedback through a variety of real-world implementations."

Rob Alexander, Principal Product Manager of Silicon Labs said, "The market for smart, connected devices holds unprecedented opportunity, but challenges remain. Open standards, like Matter, can help everyone in the industry adopt the same protocols without expensive licensing. Tuya's role is important for global developers. Tuya chose Silicon Labs MG24 SoC as one of the chips, jointly enable customers to quickly get mass production of Matter devices and support consumers to mix and match among ecosystems like some of the ones you'll see today including Amazon, Apple, Google, Samsung, and the countless intelligent, connected devices from locks to lightbulbs and beyond."

Kevin Po, Group Product Manager at Google, shared with audiences their recent product updates to support Matter. Now, consumers can use existing Nest devices like the Nest Mini and Nest Hub to control Matter devices, and use Android Fast Pair to setup Matter devices. Moreover, Google will Matter-enable more Nest devices in 2023 and release Google Home App iOS support too. Tuya has been an early access partner with Google Home and will continue working together to grow the Matter vision of interoperability, choice and openness in the home with users and Tuya's partner ecosystem.

"If smart devices are to scale, it's crucial that they are secure, reliable and seamless to use," said Chloe Ma, VP of China GTM, IoT Line of Business at Arm. "Standardization will drive the advancement of IoT and we are working closely with the Alliance and partners such as Tuya, to ensure the Arm ecosystem is ready to support developers in building Matter-compliant devices."

2# Panel: Matter: Commercialization

Later in the day, Tina Yu, General Manager of Eurasia and North America of Tuya Smart, hosted the second panel discussion on the commercialization of Matter. Speakers shared their thoughts on the future application scenarios of Matter devices. They also talked about the future of intelligent interconnection of consumer electronics.

Jon Harros, Head of Certification and Testing Programs at the Connectivity Standard Alliance first described the blueprint of Matter in 2023, and said, "People can reach the Alliances' official website, and see there are more than 500 products listed that are either being certified or have been certified by the Alliance. These include a range of products, software components, apps and more. They constitute our 'universe' of Matter applications. As an early participant of Matter, Tuya has been actively promoting the use and implementation of Matter. Its Tuya-enabled hardware ecosystem and development platform will enable more manufacturers to quickly penetrate the smart home and smart device markets, and attract consumers."

Justin Miller, Founder and CEO of CLEANLIFE, said: "Since our collaboration with Tuya in 2017, Tuya continuously supports us with product development, and they always share us with new ideas and opportunities. This mutual partnership has been extremely beneficial in helping us become an industry leader in smart lighting. Now, Matter gives our brand and products more credibility to be able to work with the prominent brands that are a part of the Alliance through shared interoperability and also allow easier integration with mainstream smart device systems such as Apple Home, Samsung Smart Things, etc. And with Tuya's help, we strongly believe that we can easily and quickly pivot our plans to Matter compatible. We expect Matter to help expedite the path to market and enhance user experience for the whole industry and provide a platform for all 220+ brands in the Alliance to succeed together."

Ryan Maurice, CEO of BARDI, said, "Thanks to our collaboration with Tuya, BARDI has grown very fast. We are at equal playing grounds with other Tuya-enabled brands in Indonesia thus being able to focus on competing in quality of product and service. While Matter joined in, it unlocks the pool of opportunity for BARDI as now the competition is not only on our quality of product and service but also competition on the platform supporting us. Compared with other local brands, our Tuya-enabled devices have a faster response time to voice commands than other platform-enabled devices. Moreover, the accuracy and speed that Tuya's engineering team delivered to us are praiseworthy. Thus, I believe that with Matter's adoption, BARDI will gain much more opportunities to penetrate local families. "

Juergen Hirschbeck, Head of Smart Home Product Portfolio Management of Hama, said, "Happily our company will celebrate its 100th anniversary this year. As the No. 1 brand for accessories and becoming the leading brand of retrofit Smart Home in Europe, the adoption of Matter will play a central role in our future. We plan to expand more categories such as home security and climate control, improve the compatibility of our product portfolio, and realize seamless smart scene connection for consumers. The significance of our collaboration with Tuya is that we can quickly realize our approximately 18,000 products to be Matter-capable to meet the expectations of consumers as soon as possible and to place Matter as the One Smart Home Standard of the future in the heads of consumers and trade-partners alike. "

Alessandro Kon, Head of R&D of Lloyd's, said: "Lloyd's has more than 20 years of experience in the electronics and smart house market. We offer our clients a wide range of solutions for their security, lighting, comfort, or energy through our website and our retail partners. Matter is bringing more opportunities to the smart home market, it allows customers to not have to think about compatibility when it comes to making a choice, they can focus on their demands as well as we can also just focus on developing products that cover our customers' needs. Through the Tuya IoT development platform, we developed our App 'Lloyd's smart'. Now, Tuya's latest achievements of Matter make us see the possibility of quickly integrating into the Matter ecosystem. We will continue to deepen our collaboration with Tuya and accelerate Matter application process in the market."

So far, Tuya has launched more than six categories of Matter device solutions, including light bulbs, switches, gateways, sockets, and more. And Tuya has already helped its global customers such as Arlec, BARDI, CALEX, CLEANLIFE, Hama, Intcomex, Laser, LinkJapan, Lloyd's, Mirabella, Positivo, Simon Electric, Tecnolite and many other enterprises to integrate into Matter ecosystem rapidly.

In the future, Tuya will continue fulfilling its commitment to building an open and neutral IoT ecosystem to provide customized, convenient and reliable Matter devices' solutions and all-in-one services for global partners, strengthen its cooperation with Connectivity Standard Alliance members and provide more operational smart scenes for consumers.

SOURCE Tuya Smart
PINEHURST, N.C., Jan. 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In a ceremony on January 6th, Boys & Girls Club of the Sandhills received a donation of $25,000 from Veterans Guardian, a Pinehurst, NC, based organization that helps veterans attain their earned VA Disability benefits. With this funding, Veterans Guardian and Boys & Girls Club will empower hundreds of kids and teens to excel in school, character, and leadership.

"Through their programs, the Boys and Girls Club makes a very tangible impact on young lives," said Scott Greenblatt, Veterans Guardian Founder. "We want to make sure this organization is able to continue to provide needed activities and workshops for the children in our community."

The Boys and Girls Club provides a trained, caring staff which implements youth development strategies and creates a stable, supportive environment for children and teens.Specially designed programs concentrate on developing job readiness, study skills, leadership, self-esteem, good health and social responsibility among Boys & Girls Club members.

"We are excited to continue to have Veterans Guardians' support," said Larry Smith, Marketing Director of the Boys and Girls Club. " It is going to be an exciting year as we celebrate 25 years of gifting Moore County youth with great futures and changing lives."

The donation continues to build on Veterans Guardian's efforts to support the educational needs of children in underserved communities. The company has donated to several scholarship funds for children, including those of military and veteran families.

About Veterans Guardian

Veterans Guardian is a VA Claim consulting firm headquartered in Pinehurst, NC, serving veterans worldwide. The company helps veterans attain the VA Disability benefits that they are medically and ethically eligible for as a result of their honorable service in the United States Military. Learn more at https://vetsguardian.com/

SOURCE Veterans Guardian
BEIJING, Jan. 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- ZVISION, a leading provider of solid-state MEMS LiDAR solutions, announced at CES2023 that it will work with the NVIDIA Isaac Sim advanced simulator to create powerful tools enabling the validation of industrial sensing solutions, satisfying the demands of high-performance LiDAR simulation for more application scenarios and fully adaptive testing.

NVIDIA Isaac Sim, a tool for robotics simulation applications and synthetic data generation, is used by robotics experts to train and test robots more efficiently, recreate realistic robot interactions within specified settings, and validate the performance in different scenarios that go beyond the real world. With Isaac Sim, companies have dramatically reduced the costs of development, testing, and data acquisition, and accelerated time-to-market for commercial deployments.

NVIDIA Isaac Sim features many scenarios and application environments, using its accurate physics-based rendering to reproduce multiple shapes and sizes of obstacles to form a complete functional scene. The platform also allows users to validate the performance state and technical capabilities of LiDAR against the complexity and uncertainty of a given scene. With the digital twin, in combination with a variety of surroundings and different use scenarios available in Isaac Sim, developers in the robotics field can determine which performance modes are most suitable for the selected application based on solutions for complex edge cases.

As NVIDIA's robotics simulation platform, Isaac Sim offers the benefit to develop, test and evaluate robotic systems and algorithms in a simulation environment. Developers and researchers can also use Isaac Sim's many tools, including simulation of robot dynamics to test control algorithms, simulation of robot sensors to generate realistic cameras, depth and segmentation images, LiDAR perception, IMU, simulation of testing algorithms in different environments and condition scenarios, and providing training sets of random objects and attributes.

The MEMS LiDAR portfolio created by ZVISION includes the ML-30s+ short-range LiDAR and the ML-Xs forward long-range MEMS LiDAR. The ML-30s+ short-range LiDAR is the best for perception with detection range of [email protected]=10% and an ultra-wide field of view (FoV) of 140X70. Robots can view surrounding objects more clearly, and the higher quality image like point cloud captured with an angular resolution of 0.44x0.44. The FoV of 140, which is larger than the typical 120, not only covers more wider area, but it can also detect objects in the corresponding edge area faster and sooner without adjusting the heading angle. In order to detect and identify objects more accurately in blind areas, the vertical FoV of 70 is set at 20 above and 50 below the horizontal. The ML-Xs, a MEMS long-range LiDAR with outstanding exceptional capability, also equips a 1550nm laser with effective range of 250 meters and an FoV of 120x25. The ultra-long range-sensing capability can accurately cover further locations and identify obstructions in the forward path. As a result, the features and performance of the ML series LiDAR model as defined by Isaac Sim simulation software will further advance the development of industrial sensing solutions.

As a member of NVIDIA's Jetson partner ecosystem, ZVISION will continue to strengthen its collaboration and support for NVIDIA Isaac Sim to develop comprehensive robot sensing capabilities and deliver high-performance LiDAR solutions.

SOURCE ZVISION
Washington, Jan 7 : The bitter battle over the speakership of the US House of Representatives resumed against the backdrop of the second anniversary of the Capitol riot.

US Congressman Kevin McCarthy from California, the House Republican leader, fell short of the necessary votes to take the speaker gavel in 11 ballots over the past three days, making the contest the longest in 164 years.

The House kicked off the 12th round of voting on Friday afternoon as the historic deadlock drags on, paralysing the lower chamber three days after the new and divided 118th Congress convened, Xinhua news agency reported.

"I'm not telling you we have an agreement," McCarthy reportedly said on Friday morning, adding that he and his opponents -- most of them conservative hardliners -- "have meetings".

US Congressman Chip Roy, a Texas Republican, is a leading opponent to McCarthy. His press office dismissed reports that a deal had been reached between the two sides on Friday morning.

"Any agreement will take us ALL," Roy's press aides tweeted. "We are making progress... but don't let the sharks confuse the ongoing engagement." Earlier in the day, House Democrats and -- reportedly only one Republican -- gathered on the steps of the Capitol, located at the eastern end of the National Mall in Washington DC, to mark the second anniversary of the January 6, 2021, attack.

Exactly two years ago, a large group of supporters of outgoing US President Donald Trump violently stormed the Capitol and disrupted a joint session of Congress to affirm the results of the 2020 presidential election in which Democrat Joe Biden won.

Some of the rioters chanted "Hang Mike Pence" while making their way into the Capitol. Pence, thethen US vice president presiding over the procedure to formally verify Biden's victory, was rushed out of the building by Secret Service agents to a secure location.

Panicked lawmakers took shelter and crouched behind chairs in the House gallery after the chaos broke out and shocked the US and the rest of the world.

Approximately 140 police officers were assaulted in the worst attack on the US Capitol in more than 200 years to which at least five deaths have been linked. Over 900 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the landmark complex.
12:30 | Lima, Jan. 6.





"From here, I call on State institutions and powers; political and social organizations; judges; prosecutors; and professional guilds to agree on basic principles and policies to move forward with a reform that generates efficient and reliable justice," she said during her speech.





The Head of State indicated that joint efforts must be undertaken so that all citizens "can assert their rights within the framework of legality" and to strengthen democracy.





Regarding the National Agreement meeting, the top official specified that at said event "we will address urgent issues for social peace."





The top dignitary indicated that, in addition to all political and social forces from the country, "the authorities of State Council institutions and new regional governors will participate for the first time" in said meeting.





Similarly, the President reiterated her decision to respect the separation of powers and the constitutionally autonomous bodies.





In this sense, the Head of State indicated that she will maintain a firm fight against corruption, adding that acts and conspiracies, attempted to be carried out at any level of the public sector, will be rejected.





Mrs. Boluarte asserted that "I do not subordinate myself to interests or pressures of any kind" and denied having engaged in under-the-table agreements with any sector.
Mexico City, Jan 7 : A day of violent chaos following the arrest of Mexican drug cartel boss Ovidio Guzman left nineteen suspected gang members and 10 military personnel dead in the countrys Sinaloa state.

According to Mexican Defence Ministry, security forces captured Ovidio Guzman, the 32-year-old son of jailed kingpin Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman, in the early hours of Thursday, prompting hours of unrest and shootouts with gang members.

The special forces operation was carried out in the town of Culiacan amid clashes, road blocks and vehicles set on fire, paralyzing the city since early morning and leading Sinaloa Governor Ruben Rocha Moya to urge residents to stay indoors, Xinhua news agency reported.

This is the second time Ovidio Guzman, alias "El Raton", has been arrested. He was quickly released following his first arrest in 2019 after violence broke out in Sinaloa, threatening public safety.

Ovidio Guzman, a leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, is also wanted by US authorities for alleged drug trafficking.

Culiacan is considered a stronghold of the cartel, which continues its criminal operations despite the incarceration in the US of its original leader El Chapo.
Houston, Jan 7 : Five local Democratic elected officials' homes or offices have been shot in a string of gunfire over the past month in Albuquerque, the largest city of southwestern US' New Mexico state. An investigation is underway.

"We're worried and concerned that these are connected and possibly politically motivated or personally motivated ... but we don't know that for a fact," Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller said at a press conference via the Albuquerque Police Department's Facebook livestream, Xinhua news agency reported.

During the shootings, multiple rounds have been fired into the doors and walls of these officials' homes or offices, in some cases while the officials were inside with their families. No one has been hurt.

The FBI, together with the state and local police, are trying to determine if the attacks are connected.

According to the Albuquerque Police Department, the first shooting occurred on December 4, 2022, at the home of Bernalillo County Commissioner Adriann Barboa. Someone shot eight rounds at his house.

On December 10, ShotSpotter technology detected several gunshots in the area of New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez's former campaign office, where the attorney general had already moved out following his November election.

One day later, the home of then Bernalillo Commissioner Debbie O'Malley came under fire. More than a dozen gunshot impacts were identified on walls and the house.

Earlier this week, state Senator Linda Lopez's home was hit by at least eight shots after midnight.

On Thursday morning, police responded a report of gun shots heard in the area of a downtown law office where state Senator Moe Maestas works. The police department's ShotSpotter system registered three shots fired at the same location though officers did not find any damage to the building.

"We're grateful that nobody has been injured, but we also realise that we have to move quickly," Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina said at the news conference Thursday afternoon.

The attacks have been difficult to process, "especially knowing that other women of color elected officials have also been targeted," Barboa told NPR on Friday.
New Delhi, Jan 7 : In wake of the Kanjhawala incident in the national capital, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Rohini district, Guriqbal Singh Sidhu has asked all the Inspector level personnel in the district to share their live locations with him while on night duty, and not to leave police stations without his permission.

IANS accessed the message passed by the DCP to his juniors in which the official stressed on three important points - patrolling, location sharing and presence at police station.

The message reads: "All the Station House Officers (SHOs), Additional and Inspector Bravo (Inspector Investigation) of all the police stations will conduct patrolling duty in the area and will share their live locations.

"No police officials (SHO, ATO, Bravo) will leave the police station without the DCP's permission. All the night duty SO will update their positions. Apart from from 12 a.m. to 4 a.m. the SHO, Bravo, ATO will continue update their locations," reads the message.

A few police personnel are calling the DCPs instructions a 'Tughlaqi Farman', arguing that "such directions make it difficult (for them) to discharge their duties" (Atul Krishan can be approached at atul.k@ians.in)
Mexico City, Jan 7 : At least 29 people were killed in clashes sparked by an operation to capture a son of jailed Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman in northwest Mexico's Sinaloa state, Defence Minister Luis Cresencio Sandoval has confirmed.

The capture of Ovidio Guzman on Thursday left 19 assailants and 10 military troops dead and 35 others wounded, Sandoval was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.

Army and National Guard troops led the operation to capture Ovidio Guzman, a leader of the Sinaloa drug cartel, leading to armed clashes and the exchange of heavy gunfire in the Jesus Maria district of the city of Culiacan.

According to Interior Minister Adan Augusto Lopez, Ovidio Guzman was arrested for a range of crimes, including possession of military weapons and attempted homicide.

Meanwhile, Foreign Affairs Minister Marcelo Ebrard confirmed that the US requested Ovidio Guzman's extradition back in September 2019, adding that the process could take several weeks.

Mexican law requires US authorities to first submit the evidence they have against Ovidio Guzman to a Mexican judge, who will then decide whether to proceed with the extradition request, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said.

Ovidio Guzman faces charges of conspiracy to distribute cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana in the US, media reports said.

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
Washington, Jan 7 : Police in the US state of Virginia has detained a six-year-old boy for shooting at his teacher, the media reported.

The incident took place on Friday afternoon at the Richneck Elementary School in the city of Newport News, about 112 km south of the state capital Richmond, the BBC reported.

Although it remains unclear how the child got the gun, the city's police chief Steve Drew told the media that the "incident was not an accidental shooting" which took place in a first grade classroom after an altercation between the boy and his teacher who has been hospitalised with life-threatening injuries.

Officials said that while the school, which has around 550 students, had metal detection facilities, students were checked at random and not every child was inspected.

School District Head George Parker said officials would "be looking at any instance that may have occurred that may have caused this incident", the BBC reported.

"This is terrible, something like this should never occur... We want to ensure nothing like this happens again," he said, adding the school would be closed on Monday.

The city's Mayor Phillip Jones, who took office just three days ago, said the shooting marked "a dark day for Newport News".

"We're going to learn from this and we're going to come back stronger," he told reporters.

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin said he had offered assistance to local officials, adding that his administration was "ready to help in any way we can".

"I am continuing to monitor the situation and am praying for the continued safety of all students and the community," he wrote on Twitter.
Tokyo, Jan 7 : A domestic flight operated by low-cost carrier Jetstar Japan Co. made an emergency landing on Saturday at an airport in the central Aichi prefecture following a bomb threat, local media reported.

According to police and airport officials, the aircraft made an emergency landing in Chubu Centrair International Airport at around 7.40 a.m., Xinhua news agency quoted Japanese public broadcaster NHK as saying in a report.

There were reports of injuries upon escape from the aircraft following its emergency landing, it added.

Investigators said an international phone call was received around 6 a.m., with a man's voice claiming to have put a bomb on the aircraft.

But as of 10 a.m. (local time), no explosives or other suspicious items were found, according to NHK.

The plane, bound for Fukuoka from the Narita airport near Tokyo, was carrying 136 passengers and six crew members, said the flight operator.
Kochi, Jan 7 : In a scathing attack, the Catholic Church Trissur dioceses has concluded that the Pinarayi Vijayan governance has turned Kerala into a land where glory to God and peace for people have vanished.

This has been the topic of its editorial in the Church's New Year issue of its publication.

The title "The role of the government is to provide peace" tells the tale of its discontentment towards the Vijayan government.

It describes the prime reason for this that the Vijayan government has moved away from the people and protests over proposed Vizhinjam port, buffer zone and back door appointments have created a serious dent on the governance.

It points out that the Vijayan government's skewed decisions is presenting doom to the people and creating unrest among them and it's happening because decision makers are unable to sense the wants and needs of the people here.

It ends by saying that things have to change. If not, the dreams of a 'New Kerala' will remain only a dream.
Beijing, Jan 7 : Billionaire Jack Ma has relinquished control of Ant Group in a bid to restructure China's largest fintech company and put it back on path for an initial public offering (IPO), the media reported on Saturday.

According to the South China Morning Post, Ma will end an "acting-in-concert pact" with Ant's chairman Eric Jing, former chief executive Simon Hu and Alibaba Group Holding veteran Jiang Fang.

The pact had given Ma 53.46 per cent of the voting power in the fintech company, according to a company statement.

The overhauling of Ant Group's shareholding structure dilutes the voting power of its founder Ma to make China's largest fintech company more "transparent and diversified".

In November 2020, the Chinese regulators forced Ant Group to axe its world record-setting $39.7 billion IPO in Shanghai and Hong Kong. Ma and other top executives were summoned to meet regulators.

The company said that after the restructuring, major shareholders of Ant "will independently exercise their voting rights".

"No shareholder will, alone or jointly with another shareholder, have the power to control the outcome of Ant's general meetings or nominate the majority of Ant's board of directors and therefore have control over Ant," the company informed.

Ma, who has gone into hiding after regulatory crackdown in China amid the massive Covid surge in the country, resurfaced in a short video on the New Year, citing 'difficult' and 'extraordinary' year to the rural teachers in the country.

The billionaire was last spotted in Tokyo, living a quiet and peaceful life amid the big tech crackdown in his home country.

Ma has largely disappeared from public view since he criticised Chinese regulators two years ago.
Kolkata, Jan 7 : With less than three months remaining for the current financial year to end, the West Bengal government is yet to spend almost 50 per cent of central funds for rural development works received by the state under the 15th Finance Commission allocation.

As per records of the state government, for the current financial year of 2022-23, a total of Rs 4,848 crore of central funds for rural development was allocated under 15th Finance Commission for West Bengal.

As on December 31, 2022, out of that total amount only Rs 2,402 crore, which is 48.54 per cent of the total amount, could be spent.

Understanding the gravity of the matter, the state panchayat affairs & rural development minister, Pradip Majumdar is holding regular meetings with the bureaucrats of his department, district magistrates and panchayat functionaries to accelerate the pace of ongoing development activities so that as much of fund as possible can be spent by the end of the financial year.

State government sources said that the situation on this count would not have been so critical had a uniform pace of work in the ongoing projects would have been maintained since the beginning of the financial year.

The state panchayat affairs & rural development department has already directed the district magistrates to conduct general body meetings of the three tiers of the panchayat system in their districts and finalise the planned projects and the estimated expenditure behind them by January 10.

As per the directives of the department, focus should be given on development of toilets, sewerage system and waste management.

"It is too ambitious to think that the entire 50 per cent fund would be utilized in the remaining three months. But yes, a substantial portion of it can be achieved if the elected representatives in the three tiers of the panchayat system work in proper coordination with the district bureaucracy. The role of the elected representatives in the panchayat system is extremely important on this count," said a senior bureaucrat.
New York, Jan 7 : India may be among countries that can have a role in diplomacy to end the ongoing Russia-Ukraine even though New Delhi and Washington may not see eye-to-eye on policy issues, State Department spokesman Ned Price said.

"We do believe that countries like India, countries that have a relationship with Russia and with Ukraine may be in a position to help bring about dialogue and diplomacy that could one day put an end to this war," Price said on Friday while briefing foreign correspondents.

"We have been in regular, close contact with India regarding what we can do to hold Russia accountable and to impose additional costs on Russia for its war." Downplaying the differences between the two countries, he said: "We may not always share precisely the same policy approaches, but we both share a commitment to upholding a rules-based international order that respects territorial integrity and sovereignty." India has abstained on votes at the UN condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine bringing to the fore the differences with US, even as the two countries have been developing closer ties.

Price cited Prime Minister Narendra Modi publicly telling Russia's President Vladimir Putin in September 2022, "I know that today's era is not an era of war" and noted that it was echoed in the joint statement of the summit of the leaders of the G20 group of major industrialised and emerging economies that India heads.

"We've heard that comment at the UN as well. We do welcome India's support for the people of Ukraine. India has provided humanitarian assistance and calls by India for an immediate end to Russia's brutal war against Ukraine," the spokesman noted.

The commitment to rule of law and to territorial integrity of nations "is at the heart of our global strategic partnership with India", Price said.

"It is at the heart of what we seek to do with the Quad, with the other bilateral and multilateral work we do with our Indian partners." India, with the US is a member of the Quad with Australia and Japan, and Washington and the US are developing another four-nation group, I2U2, with Israel and the United Arab Emirates.

While speaking of the possible diplomatic role for India in helping end the Ukraine war, Price did not see it as a near-term possibility.

It may be possible "I say 'one day' and I put this in the conditional because there is one country that, of course, has demonstrated no willingness to put an end to this war, to end the brutal aggression, and that, of course, is Russia", he said.

"Even in the context of recent discussions, we took note of the Kremlin's statement that the Kremlin is willing to engage in dialogue but only if the new territorial realities are recognised.

"That is a clear a sign as any that Moscow has no genuine appetite to engage in dialogue and diplomacy that will lead to a just and durable peace," Price added.

(Arul Louis can be contacted at arul.l@ians.in and followed at @arulouis)

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
YEREVAN, JANUARY 6, ARMENPRESS. Armenia appreciates Turkeys step on lifting the ban on direct air cargo trade, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Vahan Hunanyan said in response to a query from ARMENPRESS.

Naturally, we positively assess Turkeys step on lifting the direct air cargo transport ban. Like before, Armenia will constructively continue negotiations for the swift implementation of the other agreement reached by the special representatives on July 1 [2022]  ensuring the possibility of land border crossing for citizens of third countries, as well as for the full normalization of Armenia-Turkey relations, i.e., establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries and opening of the Armenian-Turkish border, Hunanyan said.
Vijayawada, Jan 7 : Police in Vijayawada have launched an investigation into the death of former joint director of Andhra Pradesh Forensic Sciences Laboratory (APFSL) Ekkaraju Shiva Kumar.

The retired official, who is presently working in a private laboratory, was found dead under suspicious circumstances in a city hotel late on Friday.

Shiva Kumar (74), a resident of Kukatpally in Hyderabad, had come to Vijayawada in connection with a court case.

The hotel staff alerted police after Shiva Kumar did not respond to phone calls and door bells. The police broke open the door and found him lying on the floor.

Police shifted the body for autopsy and informed his family members. The cause of death was not known immediately.

A police officer said they have registered a case of death under suspicious circumstances and took up investigation. The investigators collected clues from the hotel room.

Shiva Kumar had checked into the hotel on Thursday. He was in the city to submit evidence in the court in connection with a case.
Morbi : , Jan 7 (IANS) A man received 70 per cent burn injuries after he was set ablaze by his former live-in partner in Gujarat's Morbi, police said.

On Friday evening, he was rushed to the Wankaner hospital, from where he was referred to the Rajkot government hospital.

Vanrajsinh Babaria, investigation officer of the Wankaner police station, told IANS that around 4.30 p.m. on Friday the was police informed about the incident.

When the officer recorded the victim's statement, the latter identified himself as Ramesh Ramani and said his live-in partner Gita from Godhra had set him ablaze.

In his statement, Ramesh said that a few months ago he had come in contact with Gita, and both started living together.

Some days back, she stole gold ornaments and fled and on Friday afternoon, Gita called him to an isolated place to resolve the issue between the two, he said.

She then poured petrol on him and tried to kill him, the victim claimed.

The officer said that Ramesh did not have any additional details of the woman, including her address.
Mumbai, Jan 7 : Former actress and now social activist Somy Ali, who has never shied away from speaking about her abusive relationship with superstar Salman Khan, has once again touched upon the topic and said that the eight years she spent with him were the worst years of her entire existence.

Somy took to Instagram, where she detailed her relationship with Salman. She said that the superstar would "constantly belittle" her by calling her "ugly, stupid and dumb."

Her post reads as follows: "There are times when you posted and then deleted the post.. Can you please share the reason behind it? Yes, because I had used profanity and my anger got the best of me. As an executive director of an NGO, it did not sit well with me to have profane posts on my social media. Thus, I deleted them."

She added: "What happened between Somy Ali and Salman Khan - this is one question that everyone is asking. Can you please share the answer?"

"The eight years spent with him were the worst years of my entire existence. In addition to tons of affairs and flings, he would constantly belittle me by calling me ugly, stupid and dumb. Not a day went by that he wouldn't make me feel worthless and small."

"He would not acknowledge me as his girlfriend in public for years and when he finally did, he would insult me in front of his friends and berate me non-stop."

She shared that she has "no qualms in saying that given his treatment of me I chose to have affairs which essentially defined as a search for someone who would care for me and love me."

"Someone who would not insult me and would actually be nice to me."

"Unfortunately, I was unaware that these men were simply using me and I was building a future with each affair while I was simply being used. When Salman learned of these affairs he had the guts to, after beating me, say that 'I am a man and only men can cheat not women.'"

"I was aghast at that statement and the sexism that reeked from it. Let's not forget that just because Salman or anyone else is nice to you, they are the same with others. I had it the worst in terms of verbal, sexual and physical abuse."

Somy was last seen on the silver screen in 1997 in 'Chupp'. Salman and Somy's relationship was very publicised in th 1990's.

-- Syndicated from IANS
Kalaburagi : , Jan 7 (IANS) The photo of three lecturers attached to the Central University of Karnataka clad in the uniform of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has gone viral on social media, stirring a row in the state.

The lecturers of the university located in Kadaganchi village in Aland taluk are also seen holding lathis and posing for the photograph. The netizens have opposed the affiliation of the lecturers with the RSS, and condemned it.

The lecturers in the photo are identified as Assistant Professor of Public Relations Alokkumar Gaurav, Psychology lecturer Vijayendra Pande and Rakesh Kumar of Bio Science.

The lecturers are seen posing with a young RSS volunteer and a student. The photo was taken during the RSS Pathsanchalan programme organised in the campus recently, sources said.

The university staff who are upset with the development have objected that the staff of the university can't identify themselves with any organisation and they are not supposed to be involved in any activity other than academic and research oriented work.

The authorities of the university have stated that the incident has not come to their knowledge.

They maintained that the incident would be verified. The lecturers of the university must confine themselves to imparting knowledge, they are not supposed to carry out other activities, the authorities have said.
San Francisco, Jan 7 : Networking giant Cisco has laid off nearly 700 positions in the Bay Area -- including 80 at its San Francisco offices.

According to SFGATE, the tech company has laid off a total of 673 workers as part of a "limited business restructuring" announced in November last year.

"At its headquarters, 371 workers were affected, including two Cisco vice presidents," the report said late on Friday.

At the Milpitas office, 222 workers were asked to go, primarily engineers and technical employees.

It is, however, unclear whether Cisco will conduct more layoff rounds.

The networking major is reportedly laying off 5 per cent of its workforce, or more than 4,000 employees.

More than 52 per cent of its global staff is located outside of the US.

Joining the Big Tech layoff season, networking major Cisco in November announced layoffs in a "rebalancing" act while "rightsizing certain businesses".

Cisco had said in a statement that "we didn't take this decision lightly, and we will offer those impacted by extensive support, including generous severance packages".

In its first quarter earning report (Q1 2023), Cisco reported $13.6 billion in revenue, up 6 per cent year over year.

Chuck Robbins, Chairman and CEO of Cisco, did not divulge any detail on laying off employees, saying he would "be reluctant to go into a lot of detail here until we're able to talk to them. I would say that what we're doing is rightsizing certain businesses".

"You can just assume that we're going to -- we're not actually -- there's nothing that's a lower priority, but we are rightsizing certain businesses," he had told the analysts.

Cisco Chief Financial Officer Scott Herren had described the move as a "rebalancing" act.
Madrid, Spain : World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz has withdrawn from the Australian Open due to a right leg injury.

The 19-year-old Spaniard, who last year became the youngest player to finish year-end No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, would have held the top seed at a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in his career.

Alcaraz tweeted: "When I was at my best in preseason, I picked up an injury through a chance, unnatural movement in training. This time it's the semimembranosus muscle in my right leg." "I'd worked so hard to get to my best level for Australia but unfortunately I won't be able to play the Care A2+ Kooyong or the Australian Open. It's tough, but I have to be optimistic, recover and look forward. See you in 2024 @AustralianOpen." The withdrawal imperils Alcaraz's hold on World No. 1, with Casper Ruud, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Novak Djokovic all having an opportunity to rise to top spot the Monday after the Australian Open.

Despite his breakout season, Alcaraz had a frustrating end to 2022, being forced to withdraw from the quarter-finals of the Rolex Paris Masters with an internal oblique muscle tear that also sidelined him at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin.

On September 12, Alcaraz became the youngest World No. 1 in the history of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. He finished 2022 with a 57-13 record and five tour-level titles, including his first two ATP Masters 1000 victories (Miami and Madrid) and his first Grand Slam trophy at the US Open.

Last year Alcaraz lost 7-6 in the fifth set to Matteo Berrettini in the third round of the Open.
Mumbai, Jan 7 : The makers of the upcoming film 'Chhatriwali' have unveiled the trailer, which focuses on safe sex and sex education among the youngsters, led by Rakul Preet Singh's character.

The over two-minute long trailer begins with the stereotypes in the society surrounding sex and how women have to suffer because of a lack of education.

The trailer then focuses on a professor played by Rajesh Tailang thinking how it is not really important and is a taboo to teach children about sex and 'copulation'.

Then enters Rakul, who gets married to Sumeet Vyas who doesn't believe in using condoms.

Rakul said: "In today's patriarchal society, every household needs a Sanya who holds the courage to single-handedly fight against all odds, traditions, social norms, and barriers. I hope this character inspires others to find their voice and speak up against unsafe sex and the many health implications of not using protection." She added: "India's youth make up for majority of the population and educating them on safe sex is the need of the hour, so I am glad that Chhatriwali is catering to them and everyone else in a progressive and entertaining manner. I have respect and only respect for the incredible team behind this extraordinary project." Sumeet said: "Raincoat pehenke baarish mein bheegne ka kya mazaa." Later, Rakul is seen making a decision to teach sex education to school children.

Sumeet said: "Chhatriwali breaks the wall of awkward silence around sex between Indian parents and children, husbands and wives, teachers and students. Today's generation is curious about the words sex and intimacy because there is always a sense of hush-hush around such topics." Director Tejas Prabha Vijay Deoskar said: "While researching for Chhatriwali, I happened to visit few rural parts in India and spoke to students and villagers over there. I saw a taboo around the word sex and the judgemental attitude of society as well as the pharmacists." "But what was more interesting and alarming was that even the urban population had the same issue barring some pockets in metros. The dire need to normalise this conversation were the driving forces behind the making of this film." 'Chhatriwali' is all set to premiere on ZEE5 from January 20.
Hong Kong, Jan 7 : In the years before the Covid-19 pandemic, China was the worlds most important source of international travelers -- its 155 million tourists spent more than a quarter of a trillion dollars beyond its borders in 2019, the media reported.

That largesse fell precipitously over the past three years as the country essentially closed its borders. But, as China prepares to reopen on Sunday, millions of tourists are poised to return to the world stage, raising hopes of a rebound for the global hospitality industry, CNN reported.

Although international travel may not return immediately to pre-pandemic levels, companies, industries and countries that rely on Chinese tourists will get a boost in 2023, according to analysts.

China averaged about 12 million outbound air passengers per month in 2019, but those numbers fell 95% during the Covid years, according to Steve Saxon, a partner in McKinsey's Shenzhen office.

He predicts that figure will recover to about 6 million per month by the summer, CNN reported.

As China announced last month it would no longer subject inbound travelers to quarantine starting January 8, including residents returning from trips abroad, searches for international flights and accommodations immediately hit a three-year high on Trip.com.

Bookings for overseas travel during the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday, which falls between January 21-27 this year, have soared by 540 per cent from a year ago, according to data from the Chinese travel site.

Average spending per booking jumped 32 per cent.

The top destinations are in the Asia Pacific region, including Australia, Thailand, Japan and Hong Kong. The US and the UK also ranked among the top 10, CNN reported.

"The rapid buildup in ... (bank) deposits over the past year suggests that households in China have accumulated significant cash holdings," said Alex Loo, a macro strategist for TD Securities, adding that frequent lockdowns have likely led to restraints on household spending.

There could be "revenge spending" by Chinese consumers, mirroring what happened in many developed markets when they reopened early last year, he said.
New Delhi, Jan 7: A Russian politician has proposed to buy back from China the Soviet aircraft carrier sold to it by Ukraine and name it after the founder of the Liberal Democratic Party Vladimir Zhirinovsky who passed away last year.

Sergey Karginov, the First Deputy Chairman of the Committee of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on Development of Far East and Arctic, made the appeal to Director of Russian Foreign Ministry's Asian and Pacific Cooperation Department Alexei Ovchinnikov.

Launched in November 1988, the unfinished Kuznetsov-class aircraft carrier Varyag sailed into Ukraine with the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1992 and the division of the Black Sea Fleet (BSF) assets between newly-independent states.

In 1998, it was bought by China which termed it as just a pile of scrap metal and promised to convert it into a floating casino.

However, Beijing refined the vessel into its first aircraft carrier - renaming it first as Shi Lan and then Liaoning after its northeastern province - putting it into commission in 2012 as the dispute with Japan over the Senkaku Islands aggravated.

The Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR), which earlier suggested that Russian airline Aeroflot name one of its planes after Zhirinovsky, is now campaigning to bring back the Soviet-built aircraft-carrying cruiser.

"After the collapse of the country, Ukraine preferred to sell it in fact for a few bottles of vodka, at the price of scrap metal. Given the current situation, I propose to buy the ship from China, give it the name of the founder of the Liberal Democratic Party Vladimir Zhirinovsky and make it the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet," Karginov was quoted as saying by the Russian state media on Friday.

As China continues to expand and intensify its military activities at sea and in the air, it was reported last week that the Liaoning Carrier Strike Group (CSG) is currently operating in the East China Sea.

(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War
Mumbai, Jan 7 : 'Bigg Boss 16' inmate Tina Datta's team has penned an open letter stating that the actress' character is being assassinated by other women in the show on national television.

The letter came after the housemates joked about Tina's growing closeness with co-contestant Shalin Bhanot in New Year's special.

It read: "They say its never been an equal world of equal opportunities for men and women but times have changed. But we ask, have they? On National Television, women have been making derogatory comments about another woman and assassinating her character behind her back." "Why does a successful woman always need to be pulled down for how well she's done. 'Koi hai bahar is usko branded cheeze dilata hai...' Why can she not afford it herself? Has she not worked her way to buy what she wants for herself or is it that every girl who has branded items in her wardrobe has some MAN buying it for her. Oh she's single because she's broken so many houses." "So, does that mean every girl that is single is because she's done something wrong? She's 'Expired Maal' so now WE want to turn a young lady into a commodity which is expired." The note further read: "And unfortunately this time around its on national television, happening day in and day out and she doesn't even know about it. How is it ok to assassinate someone's character and that too by other women? We hope this isn't a reflection of the society we live in, we know that Tina wouldn't want it to be because she's worked very hard since the age of 4.5 and made a mark for herself in the industry." "From non-stop shooting schedules of daily soaps, to international tours and performances.. Tina has worked hard to be where she is today. Let's respect a woman for where she is rather than bring her down. At the end of it all we'll tell you that what you say reflects who you are, not on who she is! Her mirror gives her her reality. Let your words give you yours!" The caption for the note read: "Behind every successful woman there is a tribe of other women supporting her... From a Team of Women Supporting Tina, Lets Rise Together! #BeingWoman#OpenLetter #TeamTina."
The US calls on Azerbaijan and Russia to immediately restore traffic through the Lachin Corridorwhich links Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) to Armenia. Ambassador Michael Carpenter, US Permanent Representative to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), wrote about this on Twitter.

January 7, 2023, 11:27 US calls on Azerbaijan, Russia to immediately reopen Lachin Corridor

STEPANAKERT, JANUARY 7, ARTSAKHPRESS: The United States remains concerned the Lachin Corridor has now been blocked for over three weeks, creating a grave humanitarian situation. We thank ICRC for providing critical aid during this time, but call on Azerbaijan and Russia to restore access immediately, Carpenter noted.
New Delhi, Jan 7 : Acting on the urination incident onboard an Air India New York-Delhi flight last November, the flag carrier on Saturday issued show cause notices and de-rostered four cabin crew and a pilot pending investigation.

Air India has also initiated internal investigations into whether there were lapses by other staff on other aspects, including the service of alcohol on flight, incident handling, complaint registration and grievance handling.

In a statement, Campbell Wilson, the CEO and Managing Director of Air India, said: "Air India is deeply concerned about the in-flight instances where customers have suffered due to the condemnable acts of their co-passengers on our aircraft. We regret and are pained about these experiences.

"Air India acknowledges that it could have handled these matters better, both in the air and on the ground and is committed to taking action." The CEO said that the airline has initiated multiple steps with a view to materially strengthen and improve how such incidents would be addressed in future, which includes commencing a comprehensive education program to strengthen crews' awareness of and compliance with policies on the handling of incidents and unruly passengers, and to better equip crew to empathetically assist those affected, review of the airline policy on service of alcohol in flight and review the meeting frequency of the DGCA-prescribed "Internal Committee", tasked with assessing incidents, so that cases are assessed and decisions reached in a more timely manner.

The steps also include improving the robustness of its legacy incident reporting processes, which are presently paper-based and manual, Air India signed a Letter of Intent in December 2022 to acquire a license for the market-leading provider of incident management software, Coruson.

In addition to this state-of-the-art software, the airline is also in the process of deploying iPads to Pilots and Senior Cabin Crew.

When used together, crew will be able to enter voyage and incident reports electronically, which will then be rapidly and automatically routed to relevant parties including, as required, the Regulator.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Bengaluru, Jan 7 : Vice President of the Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) Employees Union, Surya Narayanamurthy has complained to Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and the Union Railway Minister in connection with alleged illegal appointments.

The complaint was also given to the Union Urban Development Minister against the BMRCL MD Anjum Parvez.

The complainant alleged that, "Anjum Parvez had recruited 500 employees illegally".

"The appointments have been done without notification, interview, without considering merit. By coming under political influence, the jobs are given at their whims and fancies," he alleged.

The complaint further alleges that a retired tahsildar is given the post of HR Manager and persons aged between 60 and 70 years are recruited and paid lakhs in salariess.

"The recruitments are done without notification. If the notification was to be issued, the meritorious candidates would have got the opportunity." Meanwhile, Parvez has rubbished the allegations, saying: "Surya Nanarayanamurthy is not the vice president of any of our employees associations. He is a blackmailer.

"We have a different system for the association. He has written letters to everyone just like that. The employees who worked under outsourcing contracts for six years have been recruited in Metro. This is done on humanitarian grounds.

"Justice is done to those who have worked for all these years."

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Dhanbad, Jharkhand : Her sunken eyes, frail body and wrinkled face irrefutably etch the toll that leprosy has taken on her health. However, Sulochana Devi (50) is more worried about her two children.

"Five years ago, my husband died of tuberculosis. But I am compelled to remain here amid loads of air-suspended coal dust," frets Sulochana, who lives at Durgapur Kusth Colony in Jharia, in India's coal capital Dhanbad.

The colony residents live a near-ostracised life due to the social stigma associated with leprosy, an infection caused by Mycobacterium leprae that severely weakens one's immune system. This, together with unhygienic living conditions and 24x7 exposure to air pollution from open-cast mines in the vicinity, has led to the increased prevalence of tuberculosis in the colony.

"I want to shift to some other colony in Dhanbad town, away from this pollution. But I am not sure if we will be accepted as my parents once had leprosy," says Sukhdeo Mahto (29), who works in a showroom dealing with earthmovers in Dhanbad.

He is very worried about the health of his family, especially his seven-year-old daughter, ever since a girl in the neighbourhood contracted tuberculosis almost two years ago. Though Kavita Kumari (16) recovered fully, the incident left her mother Manju Devi (49) anxious about the health of her two other younger children and husband.

"We do not have the option to shift to another place due to my husband's limited income," says Manju.

On the other hand, Sulochana does not even have a fixed source of income. "There is no earning member in the family now. I somehow manage to meet basic expenses by begging alms," says the woman in a worn-out sweater.

Another leprosy patient, Geeta Devi (50) was deserted by her husband more than a decade ago. "I have been suffering from severe lung pain for the last three to four months. I know it is due to some breathing disorder. But I do not have the money to diagnose and treat it." Mahto claims that the majority of the residents feel a burning sensation during the night, which he believes is the result of "reckless mining by private contractors working on behalf of Bharat Coking Coal Limited". He confirms that skin diseases are also very common in the colony.

According to a study, authored by Bhawna Dubey, Asim Kumar Pal and Gurdeep Singh, suspended particulate matter, i.e. coal dust of up to 100 microns size, and respirable particulate matter, i.e. coal dust of up to 10 microns, are the major sources of air pollution from mining.

The study was conducted in affiliation with the Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering of the Indian Institute of Technology (formerly Indian School of Mines), Dhanbad.

Life in isolation There are seven leper colonies in Jharia, where more than 200 families reside. Among them, Durgarpur Kusth Colony is located closest to opencast mines. Far away from the main human settlements, 12 leprosy patients first settled here in the 1950s by building mud houses. Later, organisations such as the Lions Club and Damien Social Welfare Centre funded the construction of 44 houses here.

All seven leper colonies now fall under the Dhanbad Municipal Corporation limits, but the residents are not happy with this inclusion made in 2004 as they have to shell out more money for water and electricity in an urban area.

Jharia's community health centre functions at Chasnala and Tata Steel runs a hospital for leprosy patients at Jamadoba. The Damian centre operates a similar facility at Govindpur. However, patients in leper colonies mostly do not have the money to travel to these facilities. Some are physically handicapped, and cannot reach these facilities on their own.

"Notwithstanding our frequent illnesses, healthcare workers seldom visit us. Even those engaged in immunisation drives are hesitant to enter our colony," claims Bhado Devi (45) of Durgapur colony.

A physiotherapist and founder of the NGO Green Life, which is actively involved in philanthropic activities in leper colonies of Jharia, Manoj Singh confirms that rising awareness about the disease has not helped matters much.

As per Dhanbad's District Leprosy Eradication Department, the district presently has 300 leprosy patients. However, no official data about lepers with tuberculosis is available.

Prevention better than cure The Air Quality Index in Jharia is poor. As per a Greenpeace report, the PM 10 level in Jharia was 295 micrograms per cubic meter in 2017, and in Dhanbad 238 micrograms. Both figured in the list of India's worst polluted towns/cities for several years, including in 2017 and 2018. As a consequence, Dhanbad Municipal Corporation area was included in the National Clean Air Programme of the Union Government launched in 2019.

As per the programme, the air quality of 102 worst polluted cities/towns/areas was to be improved by 30% by 2024, which was recently revised to 40% by 2026. This includes a host of measures such as intensive plantation, installation of Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS), sprinkling of water on muddy coal transport roads of collieries and green walling of residential areas.

The municipal body claims to have initiated several measures, including holding plantation drives in Dhanbad town, using road sweeper machines and vehicle-mounted water sprinklers, and installing CAAQMS in half a dozen places.

Singh thinks mitigation of air pollution through government intervention is the best solution as Jharia's leprosy patients do not have the money for treatment. Singh carries out sapling plantation drives in the district using innovative measures such as gifting a tree sapling to the newlyweds, during anniversaries or on birthdays.

Baniahir-based social activist and rickshaw pullers' association president Prem Bachchan Das echoes similar sentiments. "Over 80 families reside in Baniahir Kusth Colony. Many suffer from breathing issues. It is important that the government concentrate on measures to free Jharia from air pollution and not just limit its responsibility to making facilities for treatment," he says.

Noting that leprosy patients have lesser immunity compared with normal people, Jharia-based general physician Dr Nasir Haque says they have greater chances of contracting illnesses due to air pollution. "Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, bronchial asthma and tuberculosis are caused by continuous exposure to air pollution. It is important to avoid exposure of leprosy patients to pollutants, including coal dust." Akhlaque Ahmad, a speech therapist and founder of NGO Youth Concept, which creates awareness on environmental issues, says COVID-19 period was of great concern for leprosy patients. "We had to repeatedly underscore the need to take preventive measures during our awareness drives in these colonies." Anup Sao, a former councillor of ward number 37 under which Durgapur Kusth Colony falls, says the 37 families in the colony were educated about various breathing exercises and the need to use masks and maintain cleanliness during the pandemic. The colony residents also organised a yoga session on this year's International Yoga Day (June 21) as a symbolic protest against the government's inaction in adopting pollution mitigation measures.

(Praduman Choubey is a Dhanbad-based freelance journalist and a member of 101Reporters, a pan-India network of grassroots reporters)
Bengaluru, Jan 7 : Karnataka Police cracked the case of hoax bomb threat to the reputed National Academy for Learning (NAFL) School in Bengaluru on Saturday.

The police picked up a minor boy from the school in this connection and handed him over to custody of the State Juvenile Justice Board.

According to police, the police detected the boy through an IP address and when questioned, the boy maintained that he did it for having some fun. He told police that he got the official email ID of the school from the Google search.

Tension prevailed in the premises of the NAFL School run by the National Public School (NPS) group following the bomb threat in Basaveshwara Nagar locality of Bengaluru on Friday.

The bomb threat was given through the official email ID of the school. The email claimed that four gelatin sticks have been kept in the premises, which are going to explode at the time of lunch.

The school staff had immediately informed the jurisdictional police. About 1,000 school children were sent out of the classrooms and taken to safe places. The development had also triggered panic among parents and local residents.

Hundreds of parents rushed to the school and expressed their concern over the development and demanded that they should be let inside the school premises to see their children. Later, the children were sent with them.

Bomb disposal and dog squad had combed the school premises and declared it as a hoax threat later.
Kolkata, Jan 7 : A surprise meeting between BJP Lok Sabha member from Darjeeling Raju Bista and Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) chief Bimal Gurung at the latter's residence has sparked fresh political speculations in the hills.

Gurung, Hamro Party founder Ajay Edwards and Binoy Tamang, who had recently quit Trinamool Congress, have already given clear hints of an alliance against the joint front of the Anit Thapa-led Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM) and Trinamool Congress.

In such a situation, the close-door meeting on Friday night have led to fresh speculations over Gurung to regain his old ties with saffron camp and thus give his newly formed alliance with Edwards and Tamang a backing of a national party like BJP.

On Saturday, Bista and Gurung described the meeting as a courtesy call and offered some subtle hints, making the speculation deeper for a renewed political equation in the hills.

While acknowledging the role played by Gurung behind his victory from Darjeeling in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Bista said that despite not having any official alliance with BJP currently, the GJM chief's personal relationship with him is still intact.

"Since I was in the hills, I went to meet him keeping in mind those personal relations," he said.

On the other hand, Gurung said that during the meeting he reminded the local Lok Sabha member of his commitments towards the Gorkha community. "I requested him to work for the sake of Gorkhaland." After remaining underground for a long time, Gurung returned to the hills soon after the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections severing his ties with BJP and at the same time expressing solidarity towards the Trinamool Congress and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

In the recent past, he had been inactive in his active political life.

But during the last couple of months, he had become active again, first through his understanding with Edwards and Tamang and subsequently through his latest meeting with Bista.
A man who stabbed, slit throat and then burnt the body of his lover's husband nabbed by Crime Branch Image Source: IANS News

A man who stabbed, slit throat and then burnt the body of his lover's husband nabbed by Crime Branch Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi, Jan 7 : A 27-year-old man has been arrested on the charges of murdering his lover's husband and then burning his body in Delhi's Wazirabad area, an official said on Saturday.

The accused identified as Munishddin, a resident of Ram Ghat in the Wazirabad area, has an extra-marital affair with the wife of deceased Rashid.

Rashid was murdered by the accused by stabbing him in the abdomen and slitting his throat. Thereafter, Munishddin burnt the body of Rashid.

On January 2, after a 90 per cent charred body was found lying in front of Ram Ghat, a case under section 302 (murder) and 201 (disappearance of evidence) IPC was registered at Wazirabad police station.

"During investigation, the police teams scanned the CCTV footages of the area and a person was seen with Rashid. Based on the analysis of CCTV footages, technical and manual surveillance, all the investigation zeroed in on accused Munishddin," said Ravindra Singh Yadav, the Special Commissioner of Police (crime).

"After receiving specific inputs that the accused would come near nala, Bawana road, Rohini Sector-16 in wee hours, a trap was laid and accused Munishddin was apprehended," said the Special CP.

"On interrogation, police found that Munishddin and Rashid used to work together as plumber and electrician, so they became close friends. They even started visiting each other's house. During this time, Munishddin and Rashid's wife developed an extra-marital relationship, said the Special CP.

Munishddin used to visit Rashid's house often to meet latter's wife. For the last 10-15 days, she was pressurising Munishddin to get rid of Rashid.

"As per planning, on the day of incident, Munishddin took Rashid to Ram Ghat, where they both consumed alcohol. After that Munishddin stabbed Rashid in an inebriated condition and even slit his throat before burning the body with the help of inflammable bushes. The accused tried to destroy all the evidences and identification of the deceased," said the official.
Amaravati, Jan 7 : A helicopter carrying Tollywood star N. Balakrishna returned to Andhra Pradesh's Ongole town due to bad weather, 20 minutes after it took off for Hyderabad, on Saturday.

Balakrishna was in Ongole town for the pre-release event of his upcoming movie 'Veera Simha Reddy'. After the night halt in the town, he left for Hyderabad in a helicopter. He was accompanied by director B. Gopal.

However, after flying for 20 minutes, the helicopter returned to Ongole due to bad weather. The pilot said that they had to return as visibility was very poor in the hills section.

The chopper is likely to fly again later in the day after receiving clearance from the met department.

Directed by Gopichand Malineni, 'Veera Simha Reddy' is scheduled for theatrical release worldwide on January 12.

The movie, which stars Shruti Haasan in the female lead, is produced by Mythri Movie Makers.

The makers say that Balakrishna will be seen in a never seen before mass and action-packed role in this movie.
New Delhi, Jan 7 : Consider how meditation has evolved from a discipline focused on mental well-being to today assisting persons suffering from pain and physical maladies. And how people are increasingly interested in the emotional aspects of fitness, such as how a workout will make them feel and live better rather than how it will make them appear.

RoundGlass, a global Wholistic health and wellness brand, has identified cutting-edge wellness trends for 2023.

Prakriti Poddar, Global Head, Mental Health and well-being, RoundGlass, says, "The world is shifting to a multidisciplinary approach when it comes to well-being. This includes emotional and social well-being instead of strictly following 'the life of the solitary mind'. We're seeing an increase in spirituality and other therapeutic interventions that individuals are opting for when it comes to wellbeing." The wellness trends have been identified by Prakriti and Dr. David Vago, Lead Research at RoundGlass.

Dr. David Vago, Lead, Research, RoundGlass adds, "New research shows that meditation has moved from being an activity centred on improving focus and relaxation to helping people manage pain and with physical ailments as well." Furthermore, as a leader in the well-being space, RoundGlass's five new wellness trends for 2023 can be incorporated into one's daily life. These trends are applicable to individuals across age groups, for focused needs that one might have. Some of these trends are: Immersive and Healing Sound: Healing through sound is expected to gain more traction in 2023. Soundscapes, including binaural beats, 3-D spatial audio, and isochronic tones can help in stimulating and entertaining the brain to reduce anxiety, facilitate relaxation, improve concentration, and promote healing. In fact, therapeutic playlists are now being composed for clinical and hospitality settings.

Rise of Rest: 2023 is going to be about slowing down and taking a pause. People will choose soothing sound baths and restorative yoga over HIIT (high-intensity interval training) classes and hustle culture. There is also an ever-greater emphasis on sleep as the ultimate form of self-care. If it is a technology that has robbed you of your sleep, it is sleep technology with its aides and gadgets that will help you get eight hours of restful slumber. Choose from a wide variety of apps that offer sleep stories and sleep meditations and download them to rest, reset and revitalize.

The Emotional Side of Fitness: There's been a positive shift in the ethos of today's fitness world, from "how will this workout make me look?" to "how will this workout make me feel and live a better life?" People are becoming interested in workouts that support their emotional well-being and mental health while helping relieve the effects of day-to-day stress.

Mind-Body Therapies: Some of these have lingered on the fringe of wellness spaces but are now gaining credibility with new evidence supporting their impact on health and wellness. Float tanks: Remember the 'sensory deprivation' tanks in Stranger Things? Well, they are having a moment. These tanks contain water mixed with Epsom salt that makes it easy for the bodies to float in them and can help you improve your mental well-being. A study found that participants reported significant reductions in stress, muscle tension, pain, and depression, accompanied by a significant improvement in mood after one hour of floatation session. Cryotherapy and cold-immersion therapy: Athletes have used ice baths for years to deal with inflammation and muscle aches. Recent studies are now showing that they are also effective for reducing cardiovascular strain, decreased blood flow, and reduced tissue metabolism. Cold immersion therapy is being used for the treatment of migraines and mood disorders, for reducing dementia, and for enhancing immune system responses.

Meditation for Physical Wellbeing: We all know that meditation helps our mental well-being but now a growing amount of scientific data is showing that this well-being practice is also helping people manage pain and physical ailments. A recent study published in July 2022 in the journal PAIN, showed that mindfulness meditation reduced the perception of pain by up to 33 percent.

To help people follow these trends, RoundGlass's Living App is enabling access to authentic well-being content on meditation and mindfulness, and yoga created by some of the best teachers in the world such as Nithya Shanti, Sunaina Rekhi and Mansi Mahajan. It also explores well-being through food and music and provides access to healthy recipes, music for meditation, sleep, and more.

(IANSlife can be contacted at ianslife@ians.in)
New Delhi, Jan 7 : In the wake of the urination incident on board an Air India New York-Delhi flight last November, the flag carrier's CEO and Managing Director Campbell Wilson on Saturday said the airline "could have handled these matters better" and that ite is "committed to taking action".

In a statement, the CEO said said: "Air India is deeply concerned about the in-flight instances where customers have suffered due to the condemnable acts of their co-passengers on our aircraft. We regret and are pained about these experiences.

"Air India acknowledges that it could have handled these matters better, both in the air and on the ground and is committed to taking action." Air India has also initiated internal investigations into whether there were lapses by other staff on other aspects, including the service of alcohol on flight, incident handling, complaint registration and grievance handling.

Also on Saturday, the flag carrier issued show cause notices and de-rostered four cabin crew and one pilot pending investigation as response to the incident where the accused Shankar Mishra had urinated on an elderly woman co-passenger on November 26, 2022.

Mishra was arrested on Friday night from Bengaluru.

The airline said that upon receipt of the complaint on November 27, 2020, it commenced engaging in correspondence with the affected passenger's family on November 30; commenced a refund of the ticket on December 2, with receipt of funds acknowledged by the victim's family on December 16.

"Initiated the DGCA-prescribed 'Internal Committee', tasked with assessing incidents and which comprises a retired judge, a representative from a passengers' association, and a representative from another Indian commercial airline, on December 10. The file was passed to the Committee on December 20 and a 30-day interim travel ban was imposed on the same date," added the airline.

"Convened four meetings between senior airline staff, the victim and her family on December 20, 21, 26 and 30 to discuss actions being taken and the progress thereof. When the victim's family requested that Air India lodge a police report during the meeting on December 26, it did so on December 28." Taking note of instances of unruly behaviour of air passengers where pilots and cabin crew members have failed to take appropriate actions, aviation regulator DGCA on Friday issued an advisory and asked head of operations of airlines to sensitise pilots, cabin crew and Director-in-flight Services on the topic through appropriate means.

On Thursday, DGCA said that the conduct of Air India was unprofessional and has led to a systemic failure in the urination case.

Observing that provisions related to handling of an unruly passenger onboard have not been complied with, the DGCA asked why enforcement action should not be taken against the concerned executives of Air India for dereliction of their regulatory obligations in the matter.

The regulator also issued show cause notices to senior Air India executives and pilots and cabin crew of the flight following receiving a report from the airline on the incident.
Hyderabad, Jan 7 : Police in Telangana's Kamareddy town booked BJP state chief Bandi Sanjay in connection with the incidents that took place on Friday during protest by farmers against municipal masterplan to acquire land for industrial zone.

Police have registered the case under non-bailable sections against Sanjay and eight others who had joined the protest by the farmers at Kamareddy district collectorate on Friday.

A case under Prevention of Damage to Public Property (PDPP) Act and section 353 of the Indian Penal Code (Assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) against Sanjay, K. Vnekataramna Reddy, E. Ravinder Reddy and others was registered at Devanpalli police station.

Kamareddy Superintendent of Police B. Srinivas said investigations were on. He said some people were trying to instigate farmers.

Amid high tension Sanjay and others were arrested by the police near the collectorate on Friday night. The BJP workers and some farmers tried to barge into the collectorate, leading to an altercation with police.

The state BJP president and others had reached the collectorate by removing police barricades. Their supporters also resisted the arrest. The police shifted Sanjay to Hyderabad.

Meanwhile, farmers who have been protesting against the masterplan have approached the Telangana High Court. The farmers have filed a petition, challenging inclusion of agricultural lands in the industrial zone in the draft master plan.

The farmers intensified their protest three days ago after a farmer committed suicide due to fear of losing his two acre land for proposed industrial zone.

They have been staging protests in the town to press for their demand. A shutdown was observed on Thursday on a call given by the farmers.

In another development, Kamareddy district collector Jitesh Patil clarified that the master plan covering 61.55 square kilometers is in the draft stage. He said the final master plan would be released after necessary amendments based on suggestions and objections received in 60 days. He assured the farmers that the officials would take note of their objections.
Jakarta, Jan 7 : The Marapi volcano in Indonesia's West Sumatra province erupted for about 45 seconds on Saturday, throwing ash up to 300 meters above its peak, according to the Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation.

"The eruption happened at 6.11 a.m. The ejection of ash accompanied by sand has the potential to hit the surrounding area," Xinhua news agency quoted the centre as saying.

As high as 2,891 meters above sea level, this mountain has been active since December 25, 2022.

Currently, Marapi is in the second level of danger status.

The authorities urge tourists not to be within a radius of 3 km from the Verbeek Crater.

A number of cities and towns are situated around the mountain, including Bukittinggi, Padang Panjang and Batusangkar.
Mumbai, Jan 7 : Two years ago, Satish Kaushik returned to the director's chair for the social drama 'Kaagaz' starring Pankaj Tripathi. As the film clocks two years in Hindi cinema, the actor-filmmaker said he is ready to bring 'Kaagaz 2'.

'Kaagaz 2' will be starring Anupam Kher, Darshan Kumaar, Smriti Kalra and Neena Gupta alongside himself.

Talking about the film, Kaushik said: "I am really happy to be celebrating 2 years of the most heartfelt true story, showing the plight of a common man. Kaagaz, which I wanted to narrate for such a long time." "I would like to thank my dearest Salman Khan for supporting this film and to Pankaj Tripathi and Monal Gajjar for giving soul to the film as lead actors." The success of the film is such that it is now getting a sequel and an excited Kaushik talks about it as well.

He shared: "For all the love that people showered on Kaagaz, I have made it into a franchise and this year, I am ready to bring Kaagaz 2 to show another story showing the plight of a common man whose right to life is infringed by protests and rallies.

"It stars Anupam Kher, Darshan Kumaar, Smriti Kalra and Neena Gupta alongside me, and I am quite excited for the audience to see it." The 2021 release 'Kaagaz' depicted the story of a common man who is alive but is declared dead on official papers. The fight that follows with the system to prove his existence made for a heartwarming story. The impact of the story is such that recently, the Delhi High Court used it as a reference for its verdict in a case.
Jamnagar, Jan 7 : A man has been arrested on the charges of killing his wife and daughter in Gujarat's Jamnagar district.

After murdering his wife Sabana and their daughter on Friday night, accused Tarif fled to Rajkot.

Jamnagar police had received a call informing that bodies of a woman and an infant were found in the bushes behind hotel ten near Lalpur square.

Complainant Raziaben Baloch said: "My second daughter Sabana was married to Tarif Ladka two years ago, however, post marriage, Tarif started suspecting Sabana of having an extra-marital affair and used to thrash her. So Sabana returned to parental home." "On Thursday morning, Sabana had left home saying that she was going to beg but when she did not return till Friday evening, we started searching for her," Raziaben Baloch said.

"After sometime, we received a call from Jamnagar city police that Sabana and her daughter were injured. On reaching the spot, we saw their bodies," Raziaben Baloch added.

Late Friday night, Tarif surrendered to Rajkot police and confessed to his crime, post which he was handed over to Jamnagar police.
Chandigarh, Jan 7 : In a major breakthrough against trans-border narcotic smuggling, Punjab Police in a joint operation with the Border Security Force (BSF) arrested an army personnel and his aide after recovering 31.02 kg from their possession, Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said here on Saturday.

The 26-year-old armyman, posted as a Sepoy in Pathankot, was arrested along with his aide Paramjeet Singh of Fazilka.

Apart from the heroin, the police have also recovered a car and two mobile phones from their possession.

In a well-coordinated operation, DGP Yadav said the Fazilka Police led by SSP Bhupinder Singh Sidhu launched a cordon and search operation in the area of Sadar Fazilka.

"On checking of the car, one of the occupants showed an Indian Army ID card, and when police insisted for checking the vehicle they managed to flee in the car," he said, adding the police teams strengthened all checkpoints and managed to locate them.

He said on checking the vehicle, the police teams recovered 29 packets of heroin from the car.

DIG Ferozepur range Ranjit Singh Dhillon said during preliminary investigation it has come to fore that both the accused were escaping the border district after retrieving consignment of drugs pushed by Pakistan-based smugglers through border fencing with the help of a pipe.
New Delhi, Jan 7 : Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Sambit Patra on Saturday lashed out at the Aam Aadmi Party-led Delhi government.

Addressing a Press conference in Delhi, Patra said, "The budget given by the Delhi government is continuously being published in the newspapers, you will be surprised that none of their 'Big Ticket Announcements' are being implemented on the ground." He further said, "The Delhi Government had announced the 'Employment Budget'. There was a promise to provide employment to 20,000 people but the 'Outcome Budget' is saying that till date no work has been done on it. There are only big words, no work." Slamming Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, he said, "They had a promise of digital classroom but nothing like this is there in any school yet. Nothing happened on the subject of Geographical Labs, a promise to subsidise school uniforms but the Outcome Budget reports that only 37 per cent of children have received the benefit in eight years." On CCTV promise by Delhi Chief Minister, Patra said, "Only 60 per cent of the CCTV work in Delhi has been completed and the Delhi government itself is saying today that out of this 60 per cent only half of the CCTVs are functional. This is the truth of Arvind Kejriwal ji - saying something, doing nothing."
Bengaluru, Jan 7 : A team of senior officials from Tamil Nadu government visited Bengaluru to get apprised about the implementation of Unified University College Management System (UUCMS) and LMS at higher education level and the corresponding progress achieved in the state.

Karnataka LMS is a first-of-its-kind initiative which will enable in class Teaching-Learning process.

Karthikeyan, Principal Secretary, and Lakshmi Commissioner, Department of Higher Education, Tamil Nadu visited here for two days, an official statement by the Higher Education department said on Saturday.

They met P. Pradeep, Commissioner DCTE and Professor B. Thimme Gowda, Vice-Chairperson, State Higher Education Council. Meanwhile, they also appreciated the educational reforms being introduced in the state.

During the visit, they visited Hitech ITI at Peenya and Karnataka Examination Authority also.

"About 2.5 lakh contents developed by government lecturers had been uploaded and made available to students on LMS," the Karnataka officials told them.

The Tamil Nadu officials also obtained information about digital learning and smart classroom set up.

Besides, they also discussed ways of achieving autonomy, accountability and transparency in higher education.

The Tamil Nadu officials also discussed revamping of ITI syllabus to suit the current industry needs and increase in the number of students seeking admission to Polytechnic.

They were also keen to know about the measures taken here in the state with regard to effective implementation of NEP.
New Delhi, Jan 7 : The Patiala House court here on Saturday sent Shankar Mishra, who's accused of urinating on an elderly female co-passenger in a drunken state on a New York-New Delhi flight in November last year, to 14-day judicial custody.

The order came after the investigating officer (IO) submitted in the court that Mishra is not cooperating with the probe. The police had moved the court seeking three-day remand of Mishra. However, the court sent the accused to 14-day judicial custody.

The court also said that prime facie, it seems that the accused was deliberately avoiding joining the investigation.

In its order, the court also said that physical presence of the accused is not required to question other witnesses and statements under Section 164 CrPC can be recorded without taking him into police custody.

On Friday, the Delhi Police had summoned the pilots and crew members of Air India flight No. 201 to join the probe and for recording their statements.

Mishra has been booked under Sections 510 (misconduct in public by a drunken person), 509 (insulting the modesty of a woman), 294 (sings, recites or utters any obscene song, ballad or words, in or near any public place), and 354 (intending to outrage modesty) of the Indian Penal Code as well as a section of the Aircraft Rules Act in a case registered at the IGI Airport police station.
Kolkata, Jan 7 : A special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Kolkata on Saturday extended, till February 7, the judicial custody of former West Bengal Education Minister and Trinamool Congress Secretary General Partha Chatterjee in connection with the multi- crore teacher recruitment scam in the state.

A similar extension was ordered for his close associate and co-accused Arpita Mukherjee.

Surprisingly neither of them, appearing for the hearing virtually, appealed for bail, but just sought better treatment facilities in judicial custody.

Chatterjee's counsel Sukanya Bhattacharya informed the court that his client is not getting adequate medical attentionand adequate arrangements on this count should be made.

Chatterjee himself informed the court that his current health conditions are unstable. "There are no treatment facilities in the prison. I need proper medical attention, tests and medicines. But no such arrangement is there at the correctional home. I am suffering. Please do something," Chatterjee was heard telling the judge.

On the other hand, Mukherjee said that despite appealing to the correctional home authorities, she is not receiving adequate medical attention.

"I am not getting the proper medicines as per requirement. I am feeling extremely uncomfortable at the ward allotted to me," she said.
Srinagar, Jan 7 : In present time, you will find most of teenagers squandering hours on social media purposelessly, wasting their time in observing the lives and images of their peers, however, the same doesn't go for Touqeer Ashraf.

Touqeer, a resident of Gusoo village in South Kashmir's Pulwama district, uses social media platforms to overcome barriers of distance and time and thereby works for promotion of Kashmiri language.

Touqeer took to social media in October 2021 to promote his mother tongue and till now has garnered lacks of followers on different social media platforms. His Instagram page alone has 96,000 followers and every video he uploads gets thousands of views.

He runs a page namely Keashur Praw (Kosher means Kashmiri, Praw means let's read or learn) on different social media platforms on which he uploads Kashmiri poetry of various Sufi poets with English translation, aiming to promote Kashmiri language. He uploads the poetry of various famous Kashmiri poets, Sheikh-ul-Alam, Rasul Mir, Shams Faqeer, Wahab Khaar and others.

Besides poetry, he uploads proverbs and Kashmiri riddles with translation, which young generation is not familiar with.

Touqeer did his schooling from his native village and was zealous about preservation and promotion of his mother tongue since childhood.

A voracious reader of Kashmiri poetry, Touqeer is presently pursuing his Masters in Geology from Kashmir University. He said though the time passed and I am grown up now, but the fervour towards promotion and preservation of his language is same as it was in his childhood.

"From college days, I was planning to do something for promotion of my mother language, but didn't know how to do it. As time passed, reasons dawned upon me why not to create a page by which I can do something for my language. I started to work on it in October 2021 and in the beginning I got little response from people, but as the time passed, I witnessed tremendous response from people," said Touqeer.

"We love and respect our Kashmiri poets, but we are unable to understand their poetry. Kashmiri is our identity and we will cease to be Kashmiris if we continue to treat our mother tongue the way we have been treating," he said.

He said he feels elated when he sees tremendous response from viewers. "It feels good when I see my efforts proving fructifying and I get even more excited when I receive messages from non-natives expressing their willingness to learn Kashmiri," he further said.

"over 40 per cent of the world's approximate 7,000 languages are at the risk of disappearing with many having already disappeared completely or partially. I don't want Kashmiri to be among the list of disappeared languages. Therefore, I am putting my best efforts to preserve it," he added.

He said there is a dire need of promoting the Kashmiri language and we should be to inculcate the habit among the children to speak Kashmiri rather than Urdu or English.

"The speakers of Kashmiri language are dwindling day by day. Generally, people from Kashmir have completely disowned their mother tongue and don't allow their kids to learn and speak Kashmiri. They think it is much beneath their social status to teach their children their mother tongue. They deem it inferior and unfit for their kids to speak in Kashmiri language," he said.

"Learning different languages is appreciable and I am not against learning more and more languages but it must not happen at the cost of abandoning our mother tongue," he opined.

"The irony is that well-educated Kashmiri parents should have been the custodians of their language, but to our consternation their so-called education is making them destroyers of the same. Our apathy towards our mother tongue is confined to our homes only, but many educational institutions have almost completely prohibited the use of Kashmiri as a medium of communication," he said.

He said it is the responsibility of every Kashmiri to promote the Kashmiri language so that the 'Kashmiri', the soul of the Kashmir culture, will be preserved till eternity.

"Losing one's language means losing the culture. If the language of any community disappears and is no more used, the culture of that community will naturally disappear," Touqeer concluded.
Kathmandu, Jan 7 : Chairman of Nepal's ruling party UML and former Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli once again vented his ire against India on Saturday, saying that the neighbouring countries are taking unnecessary interest in the formation of the government in the Himalayan country.

At a programme organised here, Oli said that external forces have developed an unnecessary interest in the formation of the government in Nepal.

With the support of UML and Oli, the Chairman of CPN (Maoist Center), Pushpa Kamal Dahal aka Prachanda, has become the Prime Minister of Nepal after the single largest party in the Parliament, Nepali Congress, refused to hand over the PM's post to Prachanda.

Before the November 20 elections, Nepali Congress and Maoist Center had an electoral alliance where they fought the elections together under the democratic-left alliance.

But after the elections, Nepali Congress refused to give the post of Prime Minister to Prachanda at the last minute. UML's Oli then took a chance and extended support to Prachanda in a dramatic move.

On Saturday, Oli said that some neighbours are still trying to cross the wall and interfere with the internal affairs of the country.

"This is a government formed by Nepalis. There were some attempts not to allow Nepalis to form the government," Oli said, without naming India.

"I urged our neighbours not to innerve in our government formation process. Some forces were trying to destabilise Nepal's politics, but we gave it stability," said Oli.

The former Prime Minister is known as a nationalist leader who had won the elections in 2017 under the nationalist plank.

He had again raised the anti-India sentiment and the issue of boundaries during the November 20 elections.

With the support of UML, Rastriya Swatantra Party, and others, Prachanda was sworn-in as the Prime Minister on December 26 last year.

"Some of our friends, not through the door but by jumping over the the wall, are entering our house and trying to change the government, which is not possible. This kind of activity is not accepted," said Oli.

"I urge our neighbors not to intervene in the internal matters of Nepal," he added.

This is not the first time that Oli had vented his ire against India.

Nepal had issued a new map in May 2020, when Oli was the Prime Minister, incorporating a disputed territory which falls in India, leading to a territorial dispute between the two neighbouring countries.
Beijing continues Spring Festival firecracker ban

Xinhua) 10:30, January 07, 2023

BEIJING, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- Beijing will continue to ban fireworks throughout the city during the Spring Festival of 2023, according to the relevant municipal authority.

According to Beijing's regulations on fireworks safety management, fireworks are strictly banned within the Fifth Ring Road. District authorities outside the Fifth Ring Road can set fixed areas where fireworks are banned or restricted.

Banned areas outside the Fifth Ring Road have been continuously expanded since 2020. Beijing has implemented a citywide ban on fireworks since the beginning of 2022, said the office of the Beijing municipal fireworks safety-management coordination group.

Since September, Beijing police have launched a special operation to crack down on illegal sales and use of fireworks, punished 147 people, and confiscated 3,410 boxes of fireworks.

(Web editor: Xian Jiangnan, Wu Chaolan)
NSW residents are fuming after a council pruned protected mangroves this week to give luxury waterfront mansions unimpeded water views.

Critics of the works, conducted on the Mid North Coast, have been sharing their frustration online, with one calling the situation "absolutely horrendous". Another person said they were amazed the area was not protected.

Images supplied to Yahoo News Australia show habitat along the Manning River dramatically slashed. Residents who snapped the photos are outraged that council dollars are being directed towards what they call destruction of the wetlands for the wealthy few.

In 2018, industrial diggers drove on top of them during pruning works. Source: Geoff Leighton

It's the first time the periodical works have been completed since 2018, when photos show an industrial digger and slashing equipment being driven along the waterfront.

MidCoast Council, whose contractors are undertaking the works, did not respond to direct questions from Yahoo News Australia, and has not yet agreed to an interview. In a statement, it confirmed similar works have been carried out periodically since 2004 to maintain views along the Harrington Waters foreshore.

Despite concerns from residents, council argues the works do not damage the mangroves. "They grow back over time which is the reason for the pruning every number of years," it said.

Why are mangroves important?

Federally, mangroves are classed as ecologically important ecosystems and they are ordinarily protected by state law. While corporations who destroy mangroves can face fines of up to $220,000, MidCoast Council was granted a permit from the NSW Department of Fisheries (DPI) that allows it to conduct pruning, although it has refused to supply a copy of the document.

Mangroves being trimmed in 2018. Source: Geoff Leighton

Mangroves are protected across the state because they improve water quality, stop erosion and provide essential habitat for aquatic life and birds.

Council slashing mangroves to stop their destruction

Council justified the pruning, saying it will eliminate unauthorised damage or removal of the mangroves, ensuring they can continue to stabilise the bank.

Story continues

This reasoning was labelled absurd by Geoff Leighton who lives on the opposite side of the river in Manning Point. So basically, if you threaten to poison or cut down mangroves, the council will come and prune them for you, he said.

He believes MidCoast Council's hypothesis contrasts with the efforts of councils in other parts of the state to fight habitat vandalism. In 2013, Waverley Council initiated a two for one tree replacement policy for damaged trees, while a year later Manly Council erected a fabric screen to block a view created by tree removal.

Speaking to Yahoo News Australia on Friday, Mr Leighton renewed his call for local government to abandon its pruning program and let the mangroves reach their true height to match nearby ecosystems.

However, change to the pruning policy looks unlikely with council telling Yahoo News Australia it has been in place since 2004. "(It) was a condition of the development approval for the Harrington Waters estate, it said in a statement.

Despite their ecological significance, many Australians continue to see mangroves as 'ugly'. Source: Getty (File)

Expert believes thin mangrove strip offers limited protection

Dr Vincent Raoult is an expert on Mid North Coast mangroves and advocates for their protection. He said its unfortunate that mangroves remain a hairy subject as many people still see them as ugly, despite their ecological significance.

However, when it comes to the Harrington Waters mangrove strip, he believes they likely only offer limited protection to the river bank. When the mangrove forest is very narrow, which is the case in this particular area, then it's quite hard for that mangrove to actually have that good stabilisation effect, he said.

Hes also pragmatic when it comes to habitat preservation versus human needs. I could say objectively yes destroying mangroves is not usually not a great thing, he said. But we have to balance managing our ecosystems with our needs as a society. And that's not always easy to do.

Roche Group, which developed the 172-hectare Harrington Waters estate, has been contacted for comment.

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play.
New Delhi, Jan 7 : To promote bilateral air defence cooperation, the Indian Air Force and and Japan's Air Self Defence Force (JASDF) are all set to hold joint exercise, 'Veer Guardian-2023' at Japan's Hyakuri Air Base from January 12 to 26, a defence statement said.

The Indian contingent participating in the air exercise will include four Su-30 MKI fighters, and two C-17s and an IL-78 transport aircraft while the JASDF will be participating with four F-2 and four F-15 fighter aircraft.

During the second Foreign and Defence Ministerial meeting held in Tokyo on September 8, India and Japan agreed to step up bilateral defence cooperation and engage in more military exercises, including holding the first joint fighter jet drills, reflecting the growing security cooperation between the two sides.

This exercise will thus be another step in deepening strategic ties and closer defence cooperation between the two countries.

According to the India's Defence Ministry, the inaugural exercise will include the conduct of various aerial combat drills between the two air forces.

They will undertake multi-domain air combat missions in a complex environment and will exchange best practices. Experts from both sides will also hold discussions to share their expertise on varied operational aspects. Exercise 'Veer Guardian' will fortify the long standing bond of friendship and enhance the avenues of defence cooperation between the two Air Forces, it said.
Mumbai, Jan 7 : In the upcoming episode 'Bigg Boss 16', family members of the housemates would be seen in a discussion with show's host Salman Khan in the 'Weekend Ka Vaar' episode.

Before the discussion with family, Salman will be seen addressing the issues between MC Stan and Archana Gautam.

The drama doesn't end here. With the "Karela Ka Shot" task, housemates pay for talking behind each other's backs and spreading bitterness in the house. The task drops some truth bombs about what the housemates think of each other.

It leads to Salman Khan reciting a remark made by one of the contestants towards another. The housemates must identify the person who levelled these accusations against them and gulp down a fire shot of karelas for them.

In tonight's episode, family members come to the defence of housemates, who are playing against 'Bigg Boss' himself. Right after Salman asks them who in their opinion is khatra for their loved ones inside the house, a huge fight broke out among family members.
Ahmedabad, Jan 7 : A 17-year-old girl was killed after a fire broke out in seventh floor of a residential apartment in Ahmedabad on Saturday.

The blaze erupted around 7 a.m. at the the house of Suresh Jeerawala after which he and his family members rushed out but Pranjal (his neice) got stuck in her bedroom and fell unconscious.

She was rescued by fire fighters and rushed to hospital, where the doctor declared her dead.

Local resident Mahesh Chopra alleged: "The teenager died because of an "ill-equipped" fire system, firefighters' water cannon could hardly reach the fifth floor, whereas fire had broken out on the seventh floor. Because of the delay in dousing the fire, the teenager has died." Refuting these allegations, in-charge chief fire officer Jayesh Khadia told mediapersons that it took time

to resuce the trapped girl as balcony had an iron grill. The fire man climbed the eighth floor, cut the iron grill, and rescued the girl, but by that time, she had fallen unconscious.
Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 7 : BJP's Kerala in charge Prakash Javadekar on Saturday sought to put an end to speculation that state President K. Surendran will be changed.

Javadekar, presently in the state to vitalise the party ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, said that they have never even thought of such an action and it is the CPI-M and the Congress who are behind such a campaign.

Praising the work he has been doing in the state, he added that it will be Surendran who will be leading the party in the next Lok Sabha polls.

The state BJP party is caught in factional feuds but Surendran has the blessings of Union Minister V. Muraleedharan.

With Javadekar categorically placing complete faith in Surendran, the efforts of the anti-Surendran camp seems to have come unstuck.
Hyderabad, Jan 7 : Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national general secretary Tarun Chugh on Saturday condemned the arrest of party's Telangana unit chief Bandi Sanjay Kumar.

Sanjay Kumar, an MP from Karimnagar constituency, was arrested in Telangana's Kamareddy town.

The BJP leader had gone to Kamareddy to offer his condolences to the family of a farmer Ramulu who committed suicide "to protest the state government's move to take away his agricultural land which was the only source of his livelihood".

Chugh, also the party in-charge of Telangana, said the arrest of Bandi Sanjay Kumar is a desperate act of the K. Chandrashekhar Rao-led government to stifle the voice of people who oppose his despotic policies.

Chugh further took exception to "the undemocratic way in which the KCR government attempted to take away fertile land of the farmers in eight villages adjoining Kamareddy town".

Condemning the "brazen misuse of power", he said the KCR government had been violating all democratic norms to push its dictatorial agenda and in this situation.

"If an elected Member of Parliament could not stand by hapless farmers what is the meaning of democracy?" the BJP leader questioned.

Stating that no government survived the fury of farmers, Chugh also prophesied the fall of the KCR government soon.

He also demanded immediate release of Bandi Sanjay Kumar, and sought an unconditional apology from the Chief Minister KCR for the unwarranted arrest.

Chugh also demanded the withdrawal of the proposed master plan of Kamareddy which is prepared to benefit realtors.
Kolkata, Jan 7 : After being named in the supplementary chargesheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the multi-crore teachers' recruitment scam, the wife and the son of Trinamool Congress legislator and the former president of West Bengal Board of Primary Education (WBBPE) Manik Bhattacharya surrendered at a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court here on Saturday.

Both -- his wife Satarupa Bhattacharya and son Souvik Bhattacharya, have been identified by the ED as the co-conspirator in the scam where bank accounts and companies owned by them had been used to route proceeds of primary teacher's recruitment scam.

Apart from them, Manik Bhattacharya's close associate and the president of All Bengal Teachers' Training Achievers' Association (ABTTAA), an umbrella organisation of private teachers' training institutes in West Bengal, Tapas Mondal also surrendered at the special PMLA court.

All three of them appealed for bail plea in the matter, which was strongly objected to by ED's counsel, who argued that since the bank accounts of both the son and wife were used in routing crime proceeds, they should not be granted bail at any cost.

"As regards to Tapas Mondal, he was the man who acted as a linkman to those who were ready to pay money. Without his involvement the scam could not have gained such height," ED's counsel argued.

After hearing both sides, the judge of the special court of PMLA said that his court is not prepared to hear the matter at this moment and will hear the matter again on February 7.

However, the same court extended the judicial custody till February 7.

To recall, ED filed its supplementary chargesheet in the teachers' recruitment scam on December 7, naming Satarupa Bhattacharya, Souvik Bhattacharya and Tapas Mondal besides Manik Bhattacharya.

In the chargesheet, ED sources said that there is a mention on how Manik Bhattacharya kept a particular joint account held by his wife Satarupa Bhattacharya and one individual, Mrityunjoy Chakraborty, even after years of the latter's demise by using his identity proofs as KYC.

The supplementary chargesheet also mentions the details of the properties and assets in the names of Bhattacharya, his son and wife.

On hearing that the names of his son and wife have been named in the chargesheet, Manik Bhattacharya virtually broke down in the court.

"Let me die but do not let my wife and son be involved in the matter," he was heard telling his counsel in the court on that day.
Jaipur, Jan 7 : Rajasthan and leopard safaris seem to have become synonymous to each other as the desert state accommodates many cities which have gained credence across the world for their distinguished feature in terms of leopard safaris.

For instance, Jaipur has become the only city in the country with two leopard reserves offering safaris, namely, Jhalana and Aamagarh.

While the state capital is drawing attention with man-animal conflict as the western and the southern boundary of the Jhalana forest share thick suburbs of Jaipur City, and the eastern boundary has villages and some new settlements, there is yet another place in the desert state where leopards cohabit with the villagers and other domesticated animals with minimal man-animal conflict.

Situated about halfway between Mumbai and New Delhi, this region of Jawai has been rising to fame as it has one of the largest concentration of wild leopards in the world.

This small municipality in Rajasthan traces its roots back to the days of the maharajas. But what makes Jawai unique is that the leopards cohabit with the villagers and other domesticated animals with minimal man-animal conflict.

"The leopards have been here since centuries staying in these hills. However, it is us, humans who have encroached on their land," says Pushpendra Singh Ranawat, whose family settled here generations ago as custodians of the forests upon invitation from the then Maharaja of Udaipur.

Talking to IANS, he says, "Jawai is famous for being the only place in world in which human habitat is so close to that of leopard, and there is no conflict.

"The lava rocks are like rooms for leopards here, these are inside hills where leopard feels safe to stay. However in other places, leopards stay in jungle which is an open area and they fear that humans can walk in and attack them which causes the man-animal conflict." When leopards enter caves, it is confident that humans will not enter caves, which is not the case in other safaris.

"Villagers here know that they need to give space to leopards for they have equal rights too to stay here," he says.

However, expressing concern, he said that things have started changing. "While officials are busy in showing bedazzling facts that are alluring tourists and are fake, nobody is showing the real fact that Jawai is under threat. Like-minded people are not coming here but DJ party properties are coming in. Administration should understand that such parties should not be allowed in Jawai. People are getting NOC to make property right in front of leopard caves which will increase man animal conflict." Ranawat adds, "Encroachment is increasing in this place, wildlife was seen blooming on grazing land and revenue land, now people are coming in from other places, and have started farming on grazing land, so there is no space left for wildlife. Revenue land and grazing needs to be preserved," he said in a choking voice fearing that Jawai might lose its identity for what it is known for if timely attention is not given to the present challenges.
Mumbai, Jan 7 : Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan's philanthropic NGO Meer Foundation has come forward and supported the Delhi accident victim Anjali Singh's family by donating an undisclosed amount.

A statement read: "Shah Rukh Khan's Meer Foundation donates an undisclosed amount to the family of Anjali Singh. Anjali, a 20-year-old, lost her life in a brutal hit and run that took place in Delhi's Kanjhawala. The aid by Meer foundation aims to help the family, especially the mother with her health issues while providing adequate relief to Anjali's siblings." Meer Foundation is a philanthropic foundation named after Shah Rukh's father Meer Taj Mohammed Khan which aims to effect change at ground level and works to build a world that empowers women.

In the past, Meer Foundation has supported and contributed to various causes that provide support to disadvantaged women and children.

Anjali Singh, a 20-year-old woman, died a painful death after being dragged by a car for about 12 km in the national capital in the early hours of January 1.
Kolkata, Jan 7 : The National Investigation Agency (NIA) team, probing the Ekbalpur-Mominpur clashes in Kolkata on October 9 last year, on Saturday filed the charge sheet in the matter at a special court in Kolkata.

A total of 14 persons were named in the 400-page charge sheet, out of whom eight have been arrested by the NIA sleuths, while six others are still absconding.

However, surprisingly, all the 20 persons who were arrested earlier by the special investigation team (SIT) of Kolkata Police in relation to the clashes, have been acquitted of all charges in the NIA charge sheet. Sources said that NIA sleuths have not received any clue in the matter against those 20 persons arrested by the city police earlier.

On January 4, the NIA team conducted raids at 17 locations in and around Kolkata in connection with the clash and recovered cash worth Rs 33.87 lakhs from certain residences at Bhukailash Road and Mayurbhanj Road during their operations. Sharp-edged weapons and other incriminating items were also seized. During the course of the raid, the NIA team also faced resistance from the local residents.

The clashes broke out on the occasion of Laxmi Puja and in the process of dispersing the violent mob, one officer in the rank of Deputy Commissioner of Police was also injured. Police later detained 30 persons.

On October 19, the NIA took over the investigation in the matter from the Kolkata police SIT, was formed following a directive of the Calcutta High Court.

On November 10, addressing an administrative review meeting in Nadia, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused the NIA of fuelling communal tensions in the state.
Ranchi, Jan 7 : The deaths of five people within 25 days due to leopard attacks in Jharkhand has created an environment of constant dread and panic for residents in the Palamu Tiger Reserve area and Garhwa district.

The people of about 150 villages in the area limit their movements to their homes as soon as the sun sets, due to the fear of being attacked by the big cat.

The attendance of children in schools has seen a major fall due to the panic. The farmers have been forced to seek company whenever they work in their fields.

The Forest Department claims that only one maneating leopard is responsible for the deaths, as opposed to the villagers who believe that there are more.

Wildlife experts have been viewing the matter of leopards turning maneaters as a big concern, since they generally do not attack humans.

This happens only in unfavourable conditions in terms of life and food for the big cats.

Garhwa Southern Forest Division officer Shashi Kumar said that there is only one leopard in the area that has been entering human settlements and attacking the people, as per the information received by him so far.

He added that a campaign was being conducted to tranquilise the big cat and capture it.

Hyderabad-based wildlife expert and shooter Nawab Shafat Ali Khan, his son Haider Ali Khan, Telangana-based shooter Sampath are patrolling the areas where the animal was reportedly seen.

They said that the last option would be to shoot the leopard if the attempts to trap it fail.

Some 50-60 cameras have been installed to monitor its movements. A team of 50-60 forest workers are engaged in this.

Four cages have been placed in the areas where the leopard is likely to move. Traps have also been laid at some places, but to no avail.

Shafat Ali said that his team spotted the leopard near Barwa village in Ramkanda block of Garhwa district at around 8 p.m. on January 6.

He added that the leopard was about 82 metres away from him, while the tranquiliser gun that he had been carrying had a maximum range of only 30 metres.

The animal soon disappeared into the dense forest.

The pugmarks were later examined to confirm its presence.

The same leopard was sighted near Kushwaha-Barwa village in Bhandaria block of the district.

On December 28, a 12-year-old boy was killed by a leopard around 6 p.m. in Kushwaha village.

Earlier, on December 10, the maneater attacked a 12-year-old girl at Ukamad village in Latehar district.

The second incident took place on December 14, where a 9-year-old child was attacked in Rodo village of Garhwa district.

The third incident occurred in Ranka block on December 19, where a 7-year-old girl died in a leopard attack.

Similarly, in the first week of January, an elderly man was killed in a wild animal attack in Barwadih block under Palamu Tiger Reserve.

The villagers alleged that the leopard attacked the man, whereas the Forest Department claimed that the man was killed by a hyena.

According to the Forest Department, leopards have been sighted several times and caught in the cameras installed for keeping animal count, in Palamu Tiger Reserve spread over 1,026 square kilometres.

The total number of leopards in the reserve is between 90 to 110.

The core area of the reserve is 226 square kilometres, and has more than 250 villages in the entire area.

Kumar Ashish, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Latehar, admitted that activities of the human settlements, inside the reserve area sometimes create uncomfortable conditions for the wildlife.

He said that human interference should be minimum to ensure the preservation of wildlife.

Jharkhand's Chief Wildlife Warden Shashikar Samanta said that a report had been sought to identify the reasons behind the leopard attacks in Garhwa-Latehar.

He said that all the studies conducted so far showed that increasing encroachment in the area of wild animals was a major reason behind such incidents.

Samanta said that coal mines had been obstructing the routes of the animals.

Wildlife expert Prof DS Srivastava explained that leopards generally are not maneaters.

He apprised that most healthy leopards prefer to hunt in the wild, but attack humans from hiding if they are injured or sick, or if there is a lack of regular prey for them in the wild.

It is generally believed that leopards that have turned maneaters should be immediately removed from the area, which is not a permanent solution to the problem.

The human-animal conflict can be contained only when a genuine attempt is made to understand the reasons responsible for them.
The public will able to learn about  and sound off on  requests for the Auburn City Council to support applications for more than $12 million in state funds to try to bring two large empty commercial structures back to life.

At the council meeting Thursday, council members approved a resolution authorizing public hearings to be held next week concerning two grant applications with the state's Restore NY Communities Initiative. One application would seek $2 million to help with rehabilitating the 120 Genesee St. building downtown. The city is also set to apply to ESD for $10 million through the communities initiative to assist with a special project for the redevelopment of 151 Orchard St., a dormant manufacturing site on the city's west side.

Auburn is required by Empire State Development, the state's economic development agency, to hold public hearings before moving forward on applications. The two hearings will be held at the next city council meeting at 5 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 12, on the first floor of Memorial City Hall, 24 South St.

The 151 Orchard St. property was most recently a rail car production site for Bombardier Transportation, but the factory was closed in 2006, eliminating 160 jobs at the time. The 15.7-acre site, which is also bordered by Columbus Street and Arterial East, has four structures and about 232,000-square-feet of industrial space. The property remains under Bombardier ownership and is currently assessed at $1.17 million.

The last major tenant for the 120 Genesee St. building was Chemung Canal Trust Co. In 2017, the bank moved next door to 110 Genesee St. Scaffolding started being installed in front of the six-story 120 Genesee location in July because of debris falling from its facade. Total square footage in that building, which is located at the intersection with State Street and is one of the city's tallest's structures, is about 36,000-square-feet. It's owned by Katherine and Felipe Martin of California, and is assessed at $936,000.

Before the unanimous vote Thursday, Councilor Jimmy Giannettino asked if some kind of background or explanation will be given on what the two projects are and the scope of those undertakings.

"We're learning along the way, staff has been working with the owners of those two properties to get more details on their proposed projects and we're hoping by that time we've got enough detail to share," City Manager Jeff Dygert said. "So yes, there will be some background provided."
Chandigarh, Jan 7 : The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Saturday slammed Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for procuring the resignation of Fauja Singh Sarari after being in cahoots with him for months ever since the release of the audio tape depicting the minister indulging in extortion.

Terming the resignation as too little too late, the SAD demanded an impartial enquiry into the entire matter after registration of a criminal case against the former minister and effecting his arrest.

Asking the Chief Minister to tell the people of Punjabi why he had encouraged the corrupt deeds of Sarari for months and even indulged in a cover-up operation, senior SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia said: "It seems they have fallen apart or the Chief Minister has finally felt the pressure of Punjabis who are reeling under the corrupt deeds of AAP ministers." Majithia said the entire responsibility of choosing a corrupt person as a candidate, later making him a minister and failing to take action against him when the audio tape of extortions being made by Sarari was made public fell on the Chief Minister.

"Bhagwant Mann should tell Punjabis what were the extraneous reasons for shielding Sarari for all these months," he said in a statement.

Stating the Punjabis did not believe that the AAP government could do justice in the case, Majithia said an independent probe by a sitting judge of the High Court could go into the evidence against Sarari to ascertain the truth about the extent of extortion done by the former minister.

He said this was important because earlier also everyone had seen how then cabinet minister Vijay Singla, who had been dismissed from the ministry, had been rehabilitated in AAP by its convenor Arvind Kejriwal and Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia.

Majithia asked the Chief Minister to explain why his government had gone completely silent on the audio tape in which Singla demanded one per cent commission for clearing tenders.

He said the government should release the audio tape and also tell what action had been initiated against Singla on its basis.
Visakhapatnam, Jan 7 : The stage is set for the grand pre-release event of megastar Chiranjeevis 'Waltair Veerayya' at the R.K. Beach here on Sunday.

The organisers were busy giving final touches to the event after the police finally gave permission for it. There was confusion among megastar's fans as only a day ago, the police had asked the film unit to shift the venue to AU Engineering College Grounds.

However, the police agreed to give permission for the event at R.K. Beach following an assurance from the organisers that they will meet all the preconditions. They have assured the police that they will take all precautions to ensure that the event passes off smoothly.

Dozens of workers were seen busy erecting a big stage for the gala event close to the beach. The entire unit is likely to dazzle the film buffs in the port city.

When the organisers first approached the police for permission, the latter were reluctant as R.K. Beach is a popular tourist destination and a large number of people visit the popular beach every day.

On weekends, more than 50,000 people throng the entire beach area. The organisers were told to shift the venue as it was felt that managing the crowd at the busy beach will be difficult.

But when the film unit assured the police that they would fulfil all the conditions and ensure fool-proof arrangements, the police granted permission to conduct the event.

'Waltair Veerayya' is scheduled to be released worldwide during Sankranti on January 13.

Written and directed by Bobby Kolli, the film stars Chiranjeevi, Shruti Haasan, Ravi Teja and Catherine Tresa. It is produced by Naveen Yerneni, Y. Ravi Shankar and co-produced by G.K. Mohan, under the banner, Mythri Movie Makers.

The Telugu original and the dubbed Hindi version will be released on the same day, with the same title.

Chiranjeevi's movie is set to clash with 'Veera Simha Reddy' of Balakrishna. The pre-release event of 'Veera Simha Reddy' was held at Ongole on Friday.
Ahmedabad, Jan 7 : In the commodities market, cash crops cumin and castor have a very good future and farmers will get good prices this year.

Market experts forecast cumin is likely to be in short supply, which will push up prices. Though castor seeds production is likely to be high, yet it will keep the price stable because the castor stock is nil this year.

Unjha Agriculture Produce Market Committee vice chairman Arvind Patel told IANS, "Gujarat and Rajasthan farmers have cultivated cumin on 8,60,000 hectares of land, late winter is likely to damage cumin crop on 1,50,000 hectares, hence the total production is estimated to be one lakh bags less (one bag means 55 kg), in virtual figure some 5,500 metric tonnes less. The total production is expected to be around 3 to 3.30 lakh metric tonnes." On Thursday, in Muhurat trading, a farmer in Gondal market fetched Rs 36,000 for 20 kilograms. When the same cumin reached Unjha on Friday, it fetched Rs 51,000 for 20 kilograms.

Patel said if the production meets the estimate, cumin market price is likely to remain Rs 6000 to Rs 6300 for 20 kilograms. If the estimate of production proves wrong and there is good production, the cumin price will fall to Rs 5000 for 20 kg.

According to him, the entire 2023 is going to be buoyant for cumin, but it will face small hiccups from February to April, when the market is likely to be flooded with cumin.

Another cash crop is castor, where farmers will get good prices this year, hopes Jasubhai Patel of K Patel & Co of Visnagar Agriculture Produce Market Committee. He is expecting castor seeds price to remain Rs 1200 to Rs 1500 for 20 kg in this season. Last year the prices ranged between Rs 1100 to Rs 1200 for 20 kg.

In this season the market is expecting 19 lakh metric tonnes while the domestic market demand is around 8 lakh metric tonnes. Some 2 lakh metric tonnes stock will carry forward. Though production is high it will not have a negative impact on prices because many farmers don't sell their crop, so it balances the demand and supply, keeping castor seeds' price high, says Vinod Rajput, director of Gokul Agri International Ltd.

This is also the expectation of Mehul Desai, director of Aravalli Castor Products. He is also hoping that like 2022, in 2023 the demand and supply flow will be smooth and will keep the prices stable.
An unidentified vandal ran amok and destroyed 18 Crosses in the cemetery of the 489-year old historic St. Michael's Church in Mahim. Image Source: IANS News

An unidentified vandal ran amok and destroyed 18 Crosses in the cemetery of the 489-year old historic St. Michael's Church in Mahim. Image Source: IANS News

Mumbai, Jan 7 : In a shocking incident, an unknown person sneaked inside the historic St Michael's Church premises around dawn and vandalised 18 crosses in the graveyard of the 489-year-old church, near the Mahim station, officials of the Archdiocese of Bombay said here on Saturday.

According to the church's Parish Priest, Fr. Bernard Lancy Pinto, the incident occurred around 6 a.m. when the unidentified miscreant entered the church premises and embarked on a damage-spree in the cemetery, sparking furious reactions among the Mumbai's Catholic community.

"A FIR has been lodged at Mahim police station and investigations have begun. The police have assured us that they will arrest the person concerned based on the CCTV footage and the statement of witnesses," he said.

He said the police have promised appropriate legal action against the vandal and they will also conduct a probe to check for any security lapses.

"It is regrettable and painful that the graves of the Catholics were vandalised at the St Michael's Church. The sentiments of the community are deeply hurt as this act not only involved the destruction of religious objects but also disrespect for the dead," said an Archdiocese spokesperson this evening.

"While the Church appreciates the support and assistance of various groups, we strictly do not wish to give this act a communal overtone. The police are investigating the incident and we remain hopeful that the perpetrator of this vicious crime will be brought to task," the spokesperson added.

The St. Michael's Church is the oldest Portuguese-built church in 1534 in its former colony of isles and the then sea-trading centre known as 'Bom Bahia' (later Bombay).

127 years later in May 1661, when Britain's King Charles II married Princess Catherine of Braganza, the daughter of Portugal's King John IV, 'Bom Bahia' was transferred to her husband as part of her wedding dowry.

The Mahim Church is famed for its Wednesday 'novenas' where people from all religions flock to attend and pray for miracles that are believed to take place.

The Catholic community in Mumbai and elsewhere has reacted sharply to the vandalism in Mahim Church and urged the police and government to take prompt action in the matter, besides ensuring security for the 125-odd churches in the city.

Many Christians - who number around 500,000 (or 3.30 per cent) of the city's population - penned their sense of agony and outrage on social media posts, and recalled similar but smaller incidents of vandalism, theft of valuable church properties, etc, that have occurred in the past few years in different parts of Mumbai against the peace-loving community.

Saturday's development came barely a day after the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation revoked a move to acquire a part of the cemetery besides the St Peter's Church in Bandra west, for a road widening project, after Catholics from Mumbai raised an outcry and intervention of some local political leaders.

(Quaid Najmi can be contacted at q.najmi@ians.in)
Agartala, Jan 7 : The full Election Commission, headed by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, will undertake a four-day visit to three election-bound northeastern states from January 11, officials said here on Saturday.

Tripura Chief Electoral Officer Gitte Kirankumar Dinkarrao said that the Chief Election Commissioner, accompanied by two Election Commissioners Anup Chandra Pandey and Arun Goel, and several senior officials would arrive in Tripura on January 11.

During their two-day stay, the CEC and other two ECs would hold a series of meetings with senior officials to scrutinise the preparedness of the Assembly elections and give instructions to the state authorities to hold the election in a free, fair, and transparent manner.

The EC would also meet all the political parties and would seek their opinions to hold the elections with the participation of all stakeholders.

From Agartala, the full Election Commission would go to Meghalaya capital Shillong on January 12 and then to Nagaland on January 14 to undertake similar exercises.

After returning to Delhi, the Election Commission would announce the schedule of the election in three northeastern states.

Meanwhile, central para-military forces are starting to arrive in the three states to assist the state forces to further improve the law and order situations ahead of the elections.

Almost all the political parties in Tripura specially the opposition CPI-M, Congress and the Trinamool Congress have been demanding to improve the law and order situation and to create conducive situations ahead of the elections.

Meanwhile, on the directions of the Election Commission, the final electoral rolls were published in all the three northeastern states on January 5 after summary revisions of the voters' list.
New Delhi, Jan 7 : The Patiala House court on Saturday sent Shankar Mishra, who's accused of urinating on an elderly female co-passenger in a drunken state on a New York-New Delhi flight in November last year, to 14-day judicial custody.

The police had moved the court seeking three-day remand of Mishra. However, the court sent the accused to 14-day judicial custody.

The court noted that prime facie, it seems that the accused was deliberately avoiding joining the investigation.

Metropolitan Magistrate Anamika said that physical presence of the accused is not required to question other witnesses and statements under Section 164 CrPC can be recorded without taking him into police custody.

"Just because there is public pressure, don't do this. Go by the law. Perusal of records shows that the accused was deliberately avoiding joining the investigation. In order to make further investigation, physical presence of the accused is not required during the recording of statements of the flight's crew members," the court observed.

During the arguments, the court asked the police as to why Mishra's police custody is required. The public prosecutor submitted that Mishra was not cooperating with the probe.

"The police arrested Mishra from Bengaluru. Investigation in the case is still on, as the police need to interrogate a lot of people," the public prosecutor said.

However, the judge said that Mishra's custody would not be required to examine the crew members and other witnesses.

"There is no ground of police custody," the judge said.

Meanwhile, the police also submitted that the cabin crew did not handle the situation properly and hence they are also complicit in the alleged offence.

Mishra also filed for bail separately, on which the court issued a notice to Delhi Police. The bail plea will be heard on January 11.

The court even refused to hand over a copy of the FIR to the advocate appearing for the complainant.

"We do not want to give a copy of the complaint to anyone but the complainant," the court noted.

Earlier, the lawyers of Mishra said that a settlement was done and compensation was paid to the victim woman.

According to the statement issued by Mishra's lawyers on Friday, the WhatsApp messages between the accused and the lady clearly show that the accused had got the clothes and bags of the victim cleaned on November 28, and the same were delivered on November 30.

"The lady's persisting grievance was only with respect to the compensation paid by the airline for which she raised a subsequent complaint on December 20, 2022," the statement read.

As per statement, Mishra had paid the compensation as agreed upon between both parties through PayTM on November 28, but the money was returned by the woman's daughter on December 19.

"The accused has full faith in the judicial system of the country and will cooperate with the investigation process," it added.

Mishra has been booked under Sections 510 (misconduct in public by a drunken person), 509 (insulting the modesty of a woman), 294 (sings, recites or utters any obscene song, ballad or words, in or near any public place), and 354 (intending to outrage modesty) of the Indian Penal Code as well as a section of the Aircraft Rules Act in a case registered at the IGI Airport police station.
New Delhi, Jan 7 : A man was injured after a house collapsed in Delhi's Sadar Bazaar area, officials said.

According to Delhi Fire Service (DFS) Director Atul Garg, a call regarding a fire in a house adjacent to Khursheed market on Qutub road was received around 6.29 p.m. following which two fire tenders were rushed to the spot.

However, no fire and smoke were seen at the spot and it seemed to be a structure collapse. The injured was sent to hospital for treatment, said the official.

Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner of Police, North, Sagar Singh Kalsi, said that they are trying to ascertain the cause and prima facie, it seems to be water pump pipe rupture.
New Delhi, Jan 7 : The Public Works Department of the Delhi government has issued notice to the slum dwellers of Dhaula Kuan to leave the area.

The eviction notice asks the residents to vacate the slum area within 15 days.

"We have been living here for the last 30 years... where will we go amid extreme weather and cold conditions? The notice has been given to leave the area within 15 days of issuance," said a local resident.

The notice was issued on December 29.

The PWD notice has underlined that if the dwellers do not leave the slum by themselves, help from police will be taken.

"It is being informed... that they demolish the dwellings themselves and leave the area of both sides within 15 days of pasting the notice, otherwise your slums will be demolished by the police," reads the notice.
Patna, Jan 7 : The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday filed a charge sheet against four accused before a special NIA court here in connection with a case relating to involvement of persons, associated with the Popular Front of India (PFI) and who had assembled in Patna's Phulwarisharif in unlawful and anti-national activities.

The accused Athar Parvez, Md. Jalaluddin Khan, Nooruddin Zangi alias Advocate Nooruddin and Arman Malick alias Md. Imteyaz Anwer have been chargesheeted under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

The case was initially registered at PS Phulwarisharif in Patna district, and later on, taken over by the NIA.

Initially, two persons were apprehended and several incriminating articles/documents related to PFI were seized.

During investigations, Parvez, Jalaluddin Khan, Zangi and Arman Malick were arrested for their involvement in the instant case.

"Investigations revealed that the criminal conspiracy was hatched with an intention to carry out acts of terror and violence, leading to an atmosphere of terror and endangering the unity and integrity of the nation. In furtherance of their conspiracy, the accused arranged rented accommodation in Ahmad Palace, Phulwarisharif, (Patna) and used its premises for imparting training in commission of acts of violence, and holding criminal conspiracy meetings. The accused also collected funds, recruited members, organized trainings and encouraged its members to establish Islamic Rule in India," the NIA has said.
Panaji, Jan 7 : Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Saturday appealed to people to join the Sangh to unify the society and make India 'Vishwaguru' for a happy and secured nation.

Addressing a volunteers' meet of the RSS here, Bhagwat said: "By strengthening the society, we can see good things happening in the nation. We need to achieve this goal. We need to take it ahead, not to strengthen the RSS, but the nation. If we work together, it will be written in history that the nation became 'Vishwaguru' only because the society reached greater heights." The event was attended by the BJP MLAs and party office-bearers. Bhagwat had arrived in Goa on January 2 to hold an all-India coordination meet.

The Sangh chief also said that RSS wants to unify the nation and society.

"We want to connect all in one force. I appeal to all of you to join the Sangh. There are no rules. You can leave whenever you wish. But come and experience the Sangh for six months, one year or two years... Know the Sangh well. Then if you feel that whatever I am saying today is correct, become a 'karykarta'. You have the freedom to make your own decision. But I'm sure that you will not leave the Sangh once you know the things well," he said.

According to Bhagwat, although the RSS is well-known across India, there may be few people who are unaware of its functions, especially those who don't have any contact with social activities.

"If we want to be happy, the nation will have to be happy. If we want to get secured, the nation will have to be secured. Hence, we need to strengthen the society to achieve the goal of becoming 'Vishwaguru'. Only then 'parivartan' will take place in the country," the RSS chief said.

He also said that if we want to work for the nation, we must know about it first.

"When people ask me what they will get by joining the RSS, I say they will get nothing. Even if they have (something), it will go (to the society). If they dare, then they can come. The selfish should stay away from the Sangh... It will be good for them, and also for us," Bhagwat said.

"We want to unify the nation. The nation progresses only when the vision of the society is clear, and the understating is rich. If you see the journey of the nation from Independence till now, you will find that the progress line of the nation is parallel to the society," he added.

"We should contribute to the nation and work for the betterment of society with our thoughts or by being a part of Sangh. We all together need to move ahead, irrespective of caste, traditions etc.," he concluded.
The Cayuga County Health Department has scheduled a COVID-19 vaccine clinic offering the new bivalent boosters of Pfizer and Moderna as well as first and second doses of Novavax.

The clinic will run from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 12, at Fingerlakes Mall, 1579 Clark St. Road, Aurelius, in the Event Center on the backside of the mall near the movie theaters.

The following vaccines are available:

 Bivalent booster dose of Pfizer  approved for individuals 12 and older

 Bivalent booster dose of Moderna  approved for those 18 and older

 First dose of Novavax  approved for 12 years and older

 Second dose of Novavax  for 12 and older

 Booster dose of Novavax  approved for individuals 18 years and older.

In a news release, the health department said the new bivalent booster doses of Pfizer and Moderna protect against both the original virus that causes COVID-19 and the Omicron variants BA.4 and BA.5. Bivalent boosters are currently recommended for individuals at least 2 months after completing a COVID-19 primary series (Moderna, Pfizer, or J&J) and/or any previous booster (monovalent) dose(s).

If you are unable or choose not to receive mRNA vaccines (Moderna or Pfizer), Novavax is a new primary series vaccine approved for individuals who have not yet received a COVID-19 vaccine. It is a 2-dose vaccine series with the 2nd dose being administered 3 to 8 weeks after the 1st dose. Novavax booster is now available for individuals 18 and older who have completed their primary series at least 6 months ago.

Appointments are required and can be made by clicking the COVID-19 Vaccine Clinics button at cayugacounty.us/health.

Entrance to the clinic is from the outside of the mall. There will not be admittance to the clinic from the inside of the mall. Visitors should park in the back of the mall and enter through the Event Center doors.

Anyone entering the clinic must be wearing a mask and should bring an insurance card and vaccine card if they have one.

The health department also said that the availability of the vaccine is not limited to just the health department, and people are encouraged to work with local pharmacies, federally qualified health centers, and health care providers to get an appointment. Parents looking for the COVID-19 vaccine for children under 5 years of age should contact their childs pediatrician or local pharmacy.

The Cayuga Community Health Network is available to assist with finding clinics and making appointments at (315) 252-4212, and more information about the COVID-19 vaccine can be found at cayugacounty.us/health.
Islamabad, Jan 7 : PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry has claimed that "some army generals", as well as then army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, were actively involved in removing the PTI government, media reports said.

Making the claim during an interview, the former minister insisted that his party came to power on its own over a 22-year effort, but minced no words in saying that it was removed from power through a conspiracy, Dawn reported.

"And in that conspiracy, some army generals were involved, there is no doubt about that and the establishment actually played a very active role in the ouster of Imran Khan. In fact, the last army chief (Gen Bajwa) was (also) actively involved in sending our government home," he alleged.

The ex-minister went on to claim that the establishment was also controlling the parties allied with the PTI in the previous government.

Chaudhry said the current army leadership has just assumed the office and they are hoping there will be a change in the policy, but the last chief was not talking the truth when he said that they (the PTI) asked for their help.

He dismissed the notion that the PTI was against the military, saying his party was not against anyone. "In Pakistan, unelected institutions like the judiciary and the military exercised their powers beyond Constitution (in the past), which is known to everyone," he said, Dawn reported.
New Delhi, Jan 7: India has thanked Japan, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) President for the month, for lauding its December presidency.

After taking over from Ruchira Kamboj, India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Japan's Permanent Representative to the UN Kimihiro Ishikane appreciated India's contribution at the UNSC.

At his inaugural media engagement in New York, Ishikane expressed UNSC's gratitude to the outgoing members namely India, Ireland, Kenya, Mexico and Norway for their important contributions to the work of the council during their terms.

"I take this opportunity to pay tribute on behalf of the council to Her Excellency, Ruchira Kamboj, the permanent representative of India, for her service as president of the council for the month of December," he said.

"I am sure I speak for all members of the council in expressing deep appreciation to Ambassador Kamboj and her team for the great diplomatic skill with which their conduct affected the council's business last month," the Japanese Ambassador added.

On Friday, India thanked Kimihiro Ishikane for his statement.

"Appreciate the kind words of Ambassador Ishikane Kimihiro, Permanent Representative of Japan Mission UN and President of #UNSC for January reflecting on #IndiainUNSC #IndiaAtUN," tweeted the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations in New York.

Not just Japan but several other nations, including veto-wielding permanent member France, have praised India's excellent work at the UNSC in December.

"Congratulations to @IndiaUNNewYork and its team for an excellent presidency of the Security Council in December. Welcome @JapanMissionUN to the presidency of the #UNSC in January!" tweeted French Mission to the United Nations.

Japan has also supported the prospects for UNSC reform, an issue that has been raised by India several times.

Ishikane said a change of course is needed, given the repetition of discussions year after year, and that discussions on the matter should be deepened within the framework of the intergovernmental negotiations.

(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative
Adelaide, Jan 7 : In a highly-anticipated semifinal clash, Novak Djokovic defeated Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 6-4 to reach the final of the Adelaide International 1, here on Saturday.

The 35-year-old was best in the critical moments, saving all three break points he faced while converting two of his three break opportunities to claim the battle of former World No. 1s after one hour and 30 minutes.

There was also a scary moment for the Serb during the match. Djokovic tweaked his left leg and during the 5-2 changeover was forced to leave the court for a medical timeout. But the 91-time tour-level titlist played on and took a 9-4 lead in his ATP head-to-head series with Medvedev.

"Thankfully it was nothing too serious. If it was, I wouldn't be able to continue, so I just tried with a medical timeout, some anti-inflammatories and kind of settled in after a few games," Djokovic said.

"I was just trying to keep the momentum going and [not] allow him to break my serve. I think that was the key, that eventually I would get a chance. I think the longer the match went, the more my hamstring became warmer and bothered me less, so hopefully, for tomorrow it will be all fine," he added.

The Serbian was sharp from early in the match, putting constant pressure on Medvedev, who double-faulted on break point in each set.

"With Daniil, it's never easy. You always have to change the pace, mix up the serve, the return position, rallies, try to make him uncomfortable. So it's really a cat-and-mouse game in a way every single match. He's one of the best servers that we have in the world," Djokovic said.

"Definitely on the courts like this where it's really quick and the ball kind of skids through the surface, it's tough to play him. But he made two double faults on two break points, both first and second sets. I knew that in those moments he might go for more so I was kind of changing my position and it worked," he added.

Djokovic will meet a first-time opponent in the final: Sebastian Korda. The 22-year-old American led Yoshihito Nishioka 7-6(5), 1-0 when the Japanese lefty retired due to a right hip injury.

Korda has battled through a difficult lineup of opponents -- Andy Murray, Roberto Bautista Agut, Jannik Sinner and Nishioka -- to reach his fifth ATP Tour final. He knows taking down Djokovic will be a difficult challenge, but he will give everything he has to lift his second tour-level trophy.

"I think he is so good. If Plan A isn't working, he goes to Plan B, Plan C, and Plan D. He has all these different tactics he can use against you. He reads his opponents probably the best that anyone can read," Korda said.

"I think it takes a big game to beat him. I think I have that type of style. Just try to go into him and try to come out on top," he added.
Kolkata, Jan 7 : In a shocking incident, with no recorded precedent along the India-Bangladesh border in West Bengal, armed criminals forced their way into a Border Security Force (BSF) outpost (BOP) in the North 24-Parganas district late on Friday evening in a bid to 'capture' it and free a smuggler apprehended with large quantities of narcotics and Phensedyl cough syrup.

BSF troops and the police had a tough time beating back the miscreants who left four troopers, including a woman Seema Prahari seriously injured. One of them has been referred to Kolkata by a hospital in Bagdah for treatment.

"On Friday, troops of the 68Bn BSF, under the South Bengal Frontier, posted at the Mamabhagina BOP received information of large quantities of narcotics and Phensedyl cough syrup stored in the houses of Alamgir Mandal, Sukhdev Mandal, Sukumar and Pabitra at Nawadapara village in the Bagdah police station area. These were meant to be smuggled across the border into Bangladesh. Phensedyl is a banned item in that country. The Company Commander immediately informed the Bagdah police station as per set procedure and left with a team for Nawadapara. This was around 8.10 p.m.

"Once there, the troopers launched a search operation in the presence of village elders. Alamgir Mandal was apprehended with 43 kg Ganja and 371 bottles of Phensedyl. The attack began when the BSF personnel were taking Alamgir to the BOP along with the contraband," a senior official of the South Bengal Frontier said.

The miscreants attacked the jawans with sharp weapons, iron rods, lathis and stones. The attack was so vicious that the Company Commander was forced to call for reinforcements and police assistance.

The BSF personnel, meanwhile, continued to combat the criminals without allowing Alamgir to escape. They were finally forced to use non-lethal Pump Action Guns (PAGs) to beat back the miscreants to prevent the BOP from being overrun.

Once the pellets started flying, the criminals were forced to make a hasty retreat but not before the BSF identified Sahadeb Rai, Kalokman Dafadar, Toton Mandal, Laltu Mandal, Razak Mandal, Hussain Mandal, Zahidul Dafadar, Jahan Ali Mandal and Mijanur Mandal.

All of them are allegedly accomplices of Alamgir, a history sheeter and among the most wanted by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in that area.

Alamgir has been smuggling drugs across the border for six years now but this is the first time he has been apprehended.

"It was only after the arrival of reinforcements and a team from the Bagdah police station that the injured jawans could be evacuated to a hospital in Bagdah. The miscreants ran amok inside the Mamabhagina BOP, destroying CCTV cameras, recorders and computers. We are proud of our personnel for having held on to Alamgir despite the attack.

"Due to the proactive role being played by the BSF, border criminals are now scared and resorting to such tactics. However, there shall be no hold up in our operations and the miscreants identified will be apprehended soon enough. An FIR has been lodged at the Bagdah police station and Alamgir will be handed over to NCB, Kolkata, with the seized items," said Sanjay Kumar, DIG, BSF, Sector Headquarters, Krishnanagar.

It is pertinent to mention here that ahead of the Panchayat polls in West Bengal that are to be held in the next few months, politicians have been inciting the border population to take on the BSF who they accuse of excesses.

The West Bengal government has also vehemently opposed extension of the BSF's jurisdiction to 50 km inland from the international borders by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The BSF, on its part, maintains that the Force should not be dragged into politics as it has a clear-cut mandate to prevent crime along the border.

So far as relations with the border population goes, a senior BSF official cited several instances where the Force has provided assistance to villagers by rushing sick or injured people as well as pregnant women to hospitals.

The Force also organises events such as orientation camps to encourage the village youth to join the security forces of the country.
Jammu, Jan 7 : Army troops opened fire on the line of control (LoC) in J&K's Poonch on Saturday after noticing "suspicious movement", a defence official said.

"Around 7.50 p.m., after noticing suspicious movement close to 638 Post of 19 Madras in Balakote sector of the LoC in Poonch, army opened fire for about 5 minutes," a defence source said, adding that the details are awaited.
Bengaluru, Jan 7 : 'Hostel Hudugaru Bekaagidaare' a new-age fun movie in Kannada, starring newcomers, announced its presence in a grand way on Saturday.

The film's first song was releaed by four leading Sandalwood actors -- Rishab Shetty, Rakshith Shetty, Dhananjaya and Dhruva Sarja -- and predictably, it is trending on social media.

Produced by Varun Studios and Gulmohar Films, the movie has been in the news since the day it was launched for the unique campaigns the makers have rolled out.

The 'protest song' -- as the first number is billed -- is a peppy number that talks about the life of hostel students. Yograj Bhat has written the lyrics and Ajaneesh Loknath has scored music for this song.

The highlight of the song is that Rishab Shetty and the director, Pawan Kumar, will be seen in it.

Many theatre actors were cast for this film and therefore serves as a unique experiment. Puneeth Rajkumar, Sudeep, Ramya, Rakshith Shetty, and many other big stars have played cameo roles in 'Hostel Hudugaru Bekaagidaare'.

Impressed by the film's concept, Rakshith Shetty has joined hands with the team. The movie will be released some time in February. Arvind Kashyap is behind the cameras and Suresh worked at the editing table.
Washington, Jan 7 : As millions of Chinese head home for the Lunar New Year celebrations on January 22 and hospitals struggle amid a nationwide wave of COVID-19 cases, concerns are growing for the country's rural healthcare systems, which have far fewer resources than the big city hospitals to treat the elderly and vulnerable, according to media reports.

Officials have warned of a fresh surge in coronavirus cases brought to rural areas by city residents traveling back home to welcome in the Year of the Rabbit, state broadcaster CGTN reported.

"We are extremely worried about the potential COVID-19 surge in rural areas as people are visiting homes after three years of strict measures that prevented people from going home," Jiao Yahui, head of the Bureau of Medical Administration under the National Health Commission, had told journalists on January 3, RFA reported.

Villages in general lack adequate medical care or preventive measures, with many rural counties only served by a single hospital, two at the most, news site Guancha.cn quoted Wuhan University sociologist Lv Dewen as saying.

But some rural doctors told Radio Free Asia that the rural COVID-19 wave, which started last month in big cities like Beijing and Shanghai, is already well under way.

A doctor working at the Gaoping township clinic in the central province of Hunan, serving a local population of some 40,000, said the clinic is already stretched with an influx of coronavirus cases.

"I haven't had a day off in two weeks," said the doctor, who declined to be named for fear of reprisals.

"If we get sick with a fever, we carry on working if we're not too bad."

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
New Delhi, Jan 7 : The Ministry of Home Affairs on Saturday declared Dr Asif Maqbool Dar, associated with Hizbul Mujahideen, a terrorist under the UAPA for his involvement in promoting terrorist activities in Jammu and Kashmir and funding them with the help of money from Saudi Arabia.

"Dr. Asif Maqbool Dar, associated with Hizbul Mujahideen, has been designated as a terrorist by the MHA," the Ministry said in a notification.

The notification said Dar was involved in instigating, provoking and radicalising youth of the Kashmir Valley for terrorist activities by using social media platforms.

"Dar is one of the leading radical voices on social media and involved in nefariously influencing Kashmiri youth to take up arms against the Indian government and security forces.

"Dar is accused in a case investigated by the National Investigating Agency (NIA) relating to conspiracy hatched by the cadres of terrorist organisation to undertake violent terrorist act in Jammu and Kashmir and major cities in India including New Delhi on the direction of handlers based across the border," the notification read.
Imphal, Jan 7 : A total of 43 militants, including a woman, of eight various extremist outfits laid down their arms and ammunition before Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh here at a function on Saturday.

The 43 included 13 cadres of the KYKL, 11 from the KCP, 5 each from the PLA/RPF, the KCP-N, and the UNLF, two from the PREPAK (PRO) and one each from PREPAK, and the NSCN-U.

The surrendered militants deposited arms, ammunition and explosives, including 19 AK series rifles, pistols, hand grenades, IEDs and live ammunition.

Director General of Police P. Doungel said that with the surrender of 43 militants, 644 utras of various outfits have come into the mainstream.

Addressing the surrendered militants, the Chief Minister said that the doors of the government always open for anyone willing to give up arms and join the mainstream.

He said that the government would provide the rehabilitation benefits under the scheme for Surrender-cum-Rehabilitation of Militants in the northeastern states, 2018 of the Union Home Ministry.

"Unity and ethnic harmony among all sections of the society is the need of the hour for building a prosperous and peaceful Manipur. With the collective efforts of the security forces and the civil society, 'War Against Drugs' would be successful to make Manipur a drugs-free state," Singh said.

Under the revised MHA scheme for Surrender-cum-Rehabilitation of Militants, a onetime financial grant of Rs 4 lakhs has been provided to each of the surrendered militants. The amount is to be kept in a bank in their names as fixed deposit for a period of three years. Each surrendered militant was paid a monthly stipend of Rs 6,000 besides incentives for surrendered weapons. The surrendered militant would stay in a rehabilitation camp for three years.
New Delhi, Jan 7 : The Indian-origin nurse, who is accused of killing a woman at a beach in Australia's Queensland in 2018, has moved an application in Delhi's Patiala House court seeking to give his consent for extradition to Australia.

Link Metropolitan Magistrate Swati Sharma listed the matter for further consideration on January 10.

Talking to media, accused Rajwinder Singh, who had earlier wished to go to Australia and contest the case there, claimed that he did not kill the woman.

"Australian Police should investigate the case," he said.

Toyah Cordingley was walking her dog on Wangetti Beach, 40 km north of Cairns in Queensland, when Singh allegedly killed her in 2018.

Around three months ago, the Australian police had declared a million dollar reward for any information leading to his arrest.

Singh, who originally hails from Buttar Kalan in Punjab, used to work as a nurse in Innisfail, Queensland.

"On November 4, via Twitter, the Australian High Commission had declared a reward of one million Australian dollars on the arrest of Singh, an Indian-origin Australian citizen, who had committed the gruesome murder of an Australian woman on October 21, 2018 in Queensland and had been absconding ever since," said police.

According to a senior police official, the Interpol had also issued Red Corner Notice (RCN) against the accused and the CBI had got a non-bailable warrant, under the Extradition Act, issued against him from the Patiala House court on November 21, 2022.

Singh was arrested from near GT-Karnal road in Delhi on November 26 last year by the Delhi Police's Special Cell.
ALBANY  The opening days of the 2023 legislative session are being dominated not by squabbles over partisan bills but a showdown over Gov. Kathy Hochul's nominee to become New York's next chief judge.

Hochul's pick for the vacancy is Hector LaSalle, presiding judge of the second department of the Appellate Division. The Long Island native is a Democrat who previously worked as an assistant district attorney for Suffolk County.

If confirmed by the Senate, he would become New York's first Latino chief judge.

In announcing her selection last month, Hochul lauded LaSalle's "outstanding" skills as a jurist, pointing to what she called his "sterling reputation as a consensus builder."

But not all Senate Democrats share that view, with at least 14 of them signaling they are disappointed with the nomination.

Some of them argue it was a mistake for Hochul to tap a nominee with a background as a criminal prosecutor. Other critics maintain LaSalle has sided with anti-abortion advocates and opponents of organized labor.

Sen. Julia Salazar, D-Brooklyn, the chair of the Senate Crime and Correction committee and a member of the Democratic Socialist wing of the majority conference, described her reaction to the nomination as "a hard no."

Deeply disappointed in the governor's nomination of someone with a clear anti-union, fundamentally conservative record on the bench to be chief judge of the New York State Court of Appeals," Salazar said after Hochul announced her selection.

Several judicial associations and Hispanic organizations have rallied behind LaSalle, however. Some Republican senators, in a case of strange bedfellows, have also warmed up to the nominee, setting the possible stage for LaSalle to win confirmation  but only with GOP support and moderate Democrats who maintain Hochul was on solid ground with her selection.

"There are plenty of people who look up to him as a judge and are rooting for him within legal circles," said George Arzt, a veteran New York Democratic strategist. "To have the left trying to diminish a very, very good judge makes them look small. It's ludicrous for these people to try to taint him."

LaSalle, 54, is expected to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee next week.

Karl Sleight, an Albany attorney who is the former executive director of the New York State Ethics Commission, questioned the line of attack against LaSalle based on the fact he once served as a prosecutor.

"Prosecutors have a special obligation to administer justice fairly and impartially, unlike other attorneys who are solely committed to the advancement of their clients' interests," Sleight told CNHI. "Under these circumstances, his experience as a prosecutor is a positive attribute in his career on his way to becoming a judge."

Sleight also said speculation over how a judge might rule on certain issues based on previous rulings has often proved to be off the mark.

"There's a history of imprecision in trying to guess how a judge will rule in the performance of his duties," he said.

In a move some observers have likened to moving the goal posts while a game is in progress  or in this case after the governor announced her selection  Senate Democrats decided this week to expand the Judiciary Committee by four additional members, leaving the panel with 19 senators.

If LaSalle fails to muster sufficient backing, the nomination would not survive to go to the full Senate for a vote.

Between now and the hearing next week, Hochul operatives have their work cut out for them, suggested Gerald Benjamin, former dean of the political science department at SUNY New Paltz.

"When major senators say there is no way they are going to vote for a nominee, that's serious. It doesn't happen," Benjamin said.

Indeed, no governor has had a top judicial nomination blocked by the Legislature.

Hochul still has time to try to smooth the turbulence, Benjamin said. "She could try to create a context where the outcome would be accepted because it's in the frame of a broad number of decisions and she is just starting," he said.

One ally of criminal justice reformers, Bronx District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, offered his strong support to the nominee Thursday.

"Upon reviewing Judge LaSalles decisions and writings, the New York State Bar Association, New York City Bar Association, New York State Trial Lawyers Association, and every Latino bar association in the state found LaSalle to be qualified and that he will strengthen and balance the courts decision making and advance the courts commitment to equal justice," Gonzalez said in a statement.

Senate GOP Leader Rob Ortt, R-Niagara County, is calling for LaSalle to receive a fair hearing before the Judiciary Committee.

A retired judge now serving in the Legislature, Assemblyman Angelo Morinello, R-Niagara Falls, said he hopes the fate of the nomination will be determined at an open hearing, and not in the crossfire of social media.

"I support the normal process, not having the agenda controlled by social media," Morinello said.

The next chief judge will likely have a major impact on the direction of the state's high court. Last August, Janet DiFiore stepped down from the job, creating the vacancy Hochul seeks to fill.

DiFIore, appointed by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, was a former Westchester County district attorney whose conservative views on criminal justice matters were ideologically out of step with many of the progressives now wielding influence in the state Senate.
Patna, Jan 7 : JD-U Parliamentary Board President Upendra Kushwaha on Sunday said that he expects that the RJD will take disciplinary action on MLA Sudhakar Singh soon "We are waiting for 'Kharmas' (a month beginning mid-December and ending on Makar Sakranti in mid-January, and considered unauspicious) to finish. Then we are expecting that RJD would take disciplinary action against Sudhakar Singh," he said.

Sudhakar Singh had used unparliamentary words like Shikhandi, night watchman, and beggar to target Nitish Kumar. Following his statements, the JD-U strongly objected and asked Deputy Chief Minister and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav to control his MLA.

Tejashwi Yadav had declared Sudhakar Singh "a BJP agent" but did not take any action against him, saying that the matter was brought to the notice of party chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and he will take the decision.

"The way Sudhakar Singh gave the statement against CM Nitish Kumar and a spokesperson of RJD defended it, it looks like the script was written from one place," Kushwaha said.

Asked about the merger of the JD-U with the RJD, Kushwaha said that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar already clarified that there is no question of merger of these two parties.

Kushwaha also said that he has good personal relations with BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi and he had wished him on his birthday but that does not mean that the JD-U will come close to the BJP.

"We have ideological differences with BJP and hence we can't come together," he said.
Washington, Jan 7 : The US House of Representatives finally got a Speaker, past 1 a.m. on Saturday.

Republican Kevin McCarthy won in the 15th round of a historically stalemated election in the House of Representatives to become its 55th Speaker, putting him second in line to the presidency, after the Vice President.

"I'm glad it's over," McCarthy told reporters later.

The Speaker of the US House of Representatives is elected by the newly-elected 435 members of the chamber. No Speaker's election had gone beyond the first vote since 1923 and none had gone for as long.

McCarthy went through a torturous five-day election opposed by a determined group of Republican lawmakers, who numbered 20 at one stage. A handful of them held out till the end but voted "present", lowering the bar to allow him to clear the board with 216 votes - against the 218 needed, his Democratic rival Hakeem Jeffries ended with 212, the votes of all his fellow Democrats.

It was past 1 a.m.

"As Speaker of the House my ultimate responsibility is not to my party," McCarthy said in a speech in the House. "Our responsibility is to our country." McCarthy, 57 is a member of the House of Representatives from California, same as Nancy Pelosi, the Democrat he is succeeding.

His victory has come at a steep price as he made once concession after another to the Republican holdouts to secure their support - including a new rule that will allow any one member of the Republican conference to call for a vote to oust him. Pelosi has called it a "shrinking Speakership".

The five-day election exposed a bitterly divided Republican conference,which holds the House with a narrow majority. In November 8, 2022 midterm elections, Republicans won the House by a weaker-than-expected margin of 222 to 212. The Democrats retained control of the Senate.

The holdouts were all staunch supporters of former President Donald Trump but they resisted his calls till the end to rally behind McCarthy, who was also endorsed by the former President.
New Delhi, Jan 7 : A man in north Delhi was arrested for allegedly posing as a member of Randeep Bhati gang and making an extortion call to a jeweller from a Pakistani number, said an official on Saturday.

The accused has been identified as Ajay Kumar, 30.

According to Deputy Commissioner of Police, Northeast, S.K. Sain, a complaint was received on December 31 at Bhajanpura police station in which the complainant, a local jeweller, alleged that a person called him over the phone from a Pakistani number and disclosed himself as Tarun Bhati from Randeep Bhati gang.

"He demanded Rs. 1.5 lakh as extortion money and threatened to kill the jeweller if the money was not arranged. The complainant also provided recordings of the threat which appeared to be serious. Accordingly, a case under Sections 387 (extortion) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code was registered and the investigation was taken up," he said.

"Police team was formed but the main challenge was that the mobile number used for the threat was from Pakistan and the IP address was of Philadelphia, US.

"Then efforts were made to trace the details of mobile phones and IP addresses through various telecom and internet operators, both national and international. In that process details of more than 50 suspected mobile numbers were analysed. After analysis of different numbers, the police team zeroed-in on a person residing in Ghonda, in north Delhi," the DCP said.

"The information was further developed through local informers, raids were conducted at different places and the accused Ajay Kumar was apprehended from his house," said the official.

During interrogation, the accused confessed to his crime and disclosed that in 2019, he sold his house, invested the sale proceeds of around Rs 27 lakh in the share market but lost almost all the money and was going through financial hardships.

In July 2022, he approached his neighbouring jeweller (complainant), got released his jewellery from Muthoot Finance and sold the same to the complainant. It is at this time he got the idea to threaten the complainant and to make some easy money.

"He arranged fake numbers through anonymous persons on Facebook. The mobile phone used in the commission of the crime has been seized," the official said, adding further probe is going on.
New Delhi, Jan 8 : After a brief scuffle, Delhi Police arrested eight contract killers while they were on their way to threaten and assault a businessman in north Delhi, an official said on Saturday.

The accused, identified as Vikas (22), Manish (26), Rahul Dhankar (20), Arun (19), Aakash (20), Deepak (19), Suraj (21) and Neeraj (20), are all residents of Bahadurgarh village in Haryana's Jhajjar district.

According to Sagar Singh Kalsi, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (north), in the intervening night of January 6-7, a police team out on patrolling noticed 10-12 suspicious people with their car and bikes parked at a dark spot, after which the police team informed the duty officer to send more staff.

"Subsequently, a police team reached the spot and after seeing the presence of police, the accused persons tried to escape from the spot. When the police tried to stop them, the accused persons started manhandling the staff and tore the uniform of one of the constables," said the DCP.

One of the accused persons pointed a loaded country-made pistol at a policeman, but ultimately they were all overpowered and apprehended. Two miscreants, identified as Kapil and Kunal, managed to escape from the spot.

During interrogation, it was found that Kapil and Pappal, who is a big cloth merchant, had hatched a conspiracy to threaten and assault a businessman in Sadar Bazar.

"The accused had even covered the number plate of their Maruti Alto car. On inspection of the car, the police found sticks and one country-made pistol along with three live cartridges," the officer said.
New Delhi, Jan 8 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the 'Aspirational Block Programme', while urging states to follow the Aspirational District Programme at the block level.

Addressing the valedictory session of the three-day conference of states' chief secretaries on Saturday, Modi emphasised that to build a developed India, the country is focussing on four pillars of infrastructure, investment, innovation and inclusion.

He asked the chief secretaries to take steps to make the MSMEs "global champions" and a part of the global value chain.

"The entire world is looking up to India to bring stability to the global supply chain," the Prime Minister said.

He also highlighted upon the development of both physical and social infrastructure along with focus on enhancement of cyber security.

Launching the 'Aspirational Block Programme', the Prime Minister underscored the success achieved in various aspirational districts in the country under the Aspirational District Programme.

He added that the Aspirational District model should now be taken up to the block level in the form of Aspirational Block Programme.

Modi asked chief secretaries to implement the 'Aspirational Block Programme' in their respective states.

For the preparations related to G20 meetings in the states, the Prime Minister stressed on the importance of involving common citizens.

He said that creative solutions should be envisaged for achieving such 'Citizen Connect'. He also suggested setting up of a dedicated team for preparations related to G20 summit.

Modi also cautioned the states on the challenges posed by drugs, international crimes, terrorism and disinformation originating from foreign soil.

The second edition of the chief secretaries' conference had begun on January 5 in the national capital, while the Prime Minister was present during the deliberations held on January 6 and 7.
New Delhi, Jan 8 : A minor girl has been apprehended by the police for allegedly shooting at a 50-year-old woman in north-east Delhi's Ghonda area, said a police official.

In 2021, the girl aged between 16 to 17-year-old had registered an FIR against the son of the victim, Khursheeda, a resident of Subash Mohalla in north Ghonda, for allegedly raping her.

The police said that the woman is undergoing treatment at the GTB hospital and her condition is said to be stable.

According to a senior police official, on Saturday at 5:30 p.m, a police control room (PCR) call was received at the Bhajanpura police station that a girl had shot a woman at Subhash Mohalla, following which a police team, including Station House Officer, rushed to the spot.

When the police reached the spot, the injured had been shifted to JPC Hospital by the locals.

"On enquiry, it was found that Khursheeda runs a grocery shop and a girl aged between 16 or 17 years came into the shop and shot her with a pistol. Primary enquiry further revealed that the alleged girl had registered a case under Section 328 (administering stupefying drug with intent to cause hurt etc.), 376 (rape) of the Indian Penal Code and four POCSO Act against son of Khursheeda in 2021," said the official.

"The alleged girl has been apprehended and the weapon of offence has also been recovered by the police. After primary treatment at JPC hospital, the injured has been shifted to the GTB hospital," the official said, adding that legal action is being initiated.
Tiffany Burks is an all-star trial attorney and one I have admired my entire legal career, said Benson Varghese, Founder and Managing Partner of Varghese Summersett.

Tiffany Burks, a former top prosecutor and DA candidate with 24 years of trial experience, has joined Varghese Summersett as a partner in the firms criminal division.

Burks, who retired as Deputy Chief of the Tarrant County District Attorneys Office in 2021 to launch a People Over Politics campaign for District Attorney, brings vast experience and skills to the Varghese Summersett team. In addition to zealously representing clients, she will also serve in a supervisory role, mentoring the firms associate lawyers.

Tiffany Burks is an all-star trial attorney and one I have admired my entire legal career, said Benson Varghese, Founder and Managing Partner of Varghese Summersett. She is highly regarded and respected by judges, prosecutors, and defense attorneys for her legal acumen, impeccable work ethic, and sound judgment.

I am thrilled to have her on our team, where she will bolster our roster of the best and brightest trial attorneys in the state of Texas.

Shortly after graduating from Texas Southern University School of Law in 1997, Burks began her legal career as a prosecutor in Fort Bend County. Faith and family later drew her to North Texas, where she served as a prosecutor in the Tarrant County District Attorneys Office for 22 years. She rose through the ranks, finishing her career there as a Deputy Chief prosecutor over the criminal division.

Burks has handled thousands of cases, ranging from misdemeanors to murders - and everything in between, including juvenile, gang, and gun crimes. She has served on numerous boards and won numerous awards. When she is not in the courtroom, she enjoys teaching and giving back to her community.

Burks said she is looking forward to continuing to be a force in the Tarrant County community.

After over a year of campaigning, I am excited to return to what I love most: the practice of criminal law and being able to mentor new lawyers, she said. I am equally excited about doing it with the Varghese Summersett team.

About Varghese Summersett

Varghese Summersett is one of the largest and fastest-growing criminal defense, personal injury, and family law practices in North Texas. The firms criminal division,Varghese Summersett PLLC, has offices in downtown Fort Worth and Dallas and is made up of 11 criminal defense lawyers. All of the senior criminal attorneys are former prosecutors, and five are board-certified in criminal law, the highest designation an attorney can reach.

The firms personal injury division, Varghese Summersett Injury Law Group, and the firms family division,Varghese Summersett Family Law Group, are located at the firms principal location in downtown Fort Worth. Varghese Summersett has been named one of the fastest-growing businesses in the United States by Inc. 5000 magazine. Last year, the firm was recognized as one of the best companies to work for in Fort Worth by Fort Worth Inc. magazine. Mayor Mattie Parker also recognized Varghese Summersett as a 2022 Best Place for Working Parents during her State of the City address in September.
Being able to feature two different artists and pair them with the traditional notion of Valentines Day offers the occasion to enjoy their work in a creative and novel way, notes Christine ODonnell, Beacon Gallery owner and director.

Just in time for Valentine's Day, Beacon Gallery is excited to debut two concurrent solo exhibitions: Sweet Talk and Cafe Chats, which will run from January 13 to February 14, 2023 and features the work of artists Nicci Sevier-Vuyk and Rebecca Vincenzi. This exhibition pairing will include traditional Parisian city scenes and patisserie treats, as well as the more familiar American sweetheart candies with a playful twist. In response to the irony of one of America's most over-commercialized holidays, and the popular illusion of a city dominated by the Eiffel Tower and romance, Cafe Chats and Sweet Talk both offer unique perspectives on these widely celebrated themes.

Being able to feature two different artists and pair them with the traditional notion of Valentines Day offers the occasion to enjoy their work in a creative and novel way, notes Christine ODonnell, Beacon Gallery owner and director.

Nicci Sevier-Vuyks cheeky Sweet Talk exhibit emphasizes the all too familiar images of February 14th as it exists in the U.S. Known for her colorful, realistic, acrylic paintings of iconic objects in culture, Sevier-Vuyk's candy heart paintings reference the cultural tradition of exchanging cards and sweets for Valentines Day. Through the maze of candy-colored treats and dreamy escapes, viewers are invited to consider the images and tropes that make up societal notions of love and romance. Rather than indulging ones sweet tooth with an ephemeral bite, Sevier-Vuyks artistic candies offer audiences the chance to celebrate these holiday traditions, with a new appreciation of her social and cultural commentary through her artwork.

British-French artist Rebecca Vincenzi returns to Beacon Gallery for her second solo exhibition, Cafe Chats. Vincenzis indulgent oil paintings share an alternative view of the world famous City of Lights. Rather than the expected scenes of romance, such as walks along the Seine or the Eiffel Tower, the viewer can experience the daily life of local markets from the Goutte dOr neighborhood in Pariss 18th arrondissement, as depicted in her work. From cafe scenes, and still lifes of decadent pastries one can see a more authentic visual interpretation of the many facets of city life that may often seem distant or one-dimensional to audiences.

Upcoming Events

An opening event with a wine tasting and musical performance is scheduled for January 13th, and a closing event will take place on Valentine's Day (Feb. 14) where Sevier-Vuyk will personalize 4 x 4 love hearts between 123 p.m. Also, Rebecca Vincenzi and gallery owner, Christine O'Donnell, will lead an online "Paris and the Art World class, date coming soon.

About the Artists

Nicci Sevier-Vuyk is an American artist known for her colorful, realistic acrylic paintings of iconic objects in culture. Her work is fueled by her interest in the conflict between appearance, its meaning in culture, and substance. These stereotypes of beauty and a playful sense of irony are main themes in her paintings. She has painted throughout her life and after an initial career as a pediatric nurse practitioner, she focused on her art practice full-time. She has attended The Glassell School of Art in Houston, but mainly considers herself to be a self-taught artist. With two solo exhibitions and being included in many juried exhibitions, she has also been featured twice on The Jealous Curators blog. Born in northern California, Sevier-Vuyk now lives and works in Southborough, Massachusetts.

Rebecca Vincenzi was born in England in 1968, and after studying English at London University, she then studied illustration at St. Martin's School of Art and the Open College of the Arts. She embarked on a career of writing and illustrating texts for children and adults alike, and moved to Paris to teach drawing in the 1990s. She has since appeared in numerous group and solo exhibitions in the UK, France and the United States and has been featured in multiple museum Biennales in China. Her artwork captures the streets, cafes and people of Paris  initially in a sketch and then she returns to her atelier to transform these images into paintings. She considers these images as record keeping: a sort of living journal to record the flow of life. As Proust said, The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes and Vincenzi maintains her curiosity in how the city of Paris, a source of inspiration for so many throughout the ages, reveals its magic.

About Beacon Gallery

Beacon Gallery is a contemporary art gallery located in Bostons South End, providing a platform for emerging and established artists to deliver thought-provoking solo and group shows, and community-building events. As a partner to greater Bostons artistic community, Beacon Gallery is committed to producing thoughtfully curated exhibitions that showcase original conceptual art and share compelling messages and unique perspectives. Its aim is to make art accessible to the general public, as well as collectors and institutions locally, nationally and globally. For more information go to our website and follow us on Instagram at @beacongallery.
Franklin County Visitors Bureau plan busy winter and spring at the Franklin County 11/30 Visitors Center. Today, the space houses rotating exhibits about Franklin County and is an event and joining space on the southwest quadrant of Chambersburgs Memorial Square.

The Franklin County Visitors Bureau (FCVB) has a full schedule of activities and events planned at the Franklin County 11/30 Visitors Center for the winter and spring of 2023. The 11/30 Visitors Center was formerly the National Bank of Chambersburg and served as a bank for 150 years before reopening as the visitors center on Small Business Saturday 2018. Today, the space houses rotating exhibits about Franklin County and is an event and joining space on the southwest quadrant of Chambersburgs Memorial Square.

The year begins with a Benjamin Franklin Day Mixer on January 17, from 4:30 PM to 7 PM, in the lobby of the old bank building. Visitors can experience a bit of the colonial period, learn about Benjamin Franklin, and be part of the Franklin County Visitors Bureaus first partnership and community impact awards. On January 26-29, IceFest fills the streets of downtown Chambersburg, and the visitors center hosts the Penns Wood Printmakers, the Chambersburg Quilt Guild, and the Chambersburg Area High School History Day projects. On January 28, FCVB is hosting the first A Cappella & Unplugged Open Mic Night in the Great Room of the Visitors Center.

February celebrates African American History Month. The 11/30 Visitors Center introduces the origins of the commemoration and will announce the winner of the MLK Always The Right Time To Do The Right Thing Essay contest on February 10. In addition, February 10 is Franklin County Sweets: An Evening of Desserta special Valentine celebration. Rounding out the months activities on February 25 is a Learn & Explore event, focusing on Joseph Winter, local inventor of the fire escape ladder. The event is from 9:30 AM to 2 PM and includes a tour of the Chambersburg Fire Museum.

March moves the focus to Womens History and offers profiles of inspiring women called I amWe Are Valiant. The lobby exhibit will look at Chambersburgs evolution from the ashes of its Civil War burning to the impacts of the Progressive Era.

April is FCVBs Spring into History Month and will continue to look at the Progressive Era in each of the communities of Franklin County, highlighting the social and community improvements of each area. On April 25, the visitors bureau is hosting another Pour Trail Bus Tour. Stops include TBC Brewing, Hidden Key Brewing, Lake House Distillery, Michaux Brewing, Adams County Winter, Thirsty Farmer, and Boyer Cellars. Everyone receives a bonus 50 points in the Pour Trail Passport.

May is Harriet Lane Month in Franklin County and the visitors bureau is hosting a tea at the James Buchanan Pub and historic tour of Mercersburg, the home of Lane and her uncle, President James Buchanan. Event is planned for May 6.

The Franklin County Visitors Bureau invites all to explore history, arts and architecture, recreation, natural beauty, fresh foods, and the warm hospitality of communities like Chambersburg, Greencastle, Mercersburg, Shippensburg, and Waynesboro. Franklin County PA is located just north of the Mason- Dixon Line and is an easy drive from Washington DC, Philadelphia, and New York. For more information, visit ExploreFranklinCountyPA.com or contact the Franklin County Visitors Bureau at 866.646.8060 for information and 11/30 Visitors Center activities.
If you're thinking of opening a shop in Kansas or any other state, call 1-888-800-9224 to reach our startup team. Were excited to share information and resources to help entrepreneurs like you." - Greg Ubert, Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea

Want to learn how to open a coffee shop in Kansas? Get tips on starting a profitable business in The Sunflower State from coffee shop startup experts at Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea.

Through its 7 Steps to Success coffee shop startup program, Roast magazines 2016 Macro Roaster of the Year has taught over 300 entrepreneurs in 30 states how to open their own independent coffee businesses.

Now, the companys 7 Steps coffee shop startup consulting team has added to its series of state-level coffee shop startup guides with, How to Start a Coffee Shop in Kansas.

Kansas is a terrific place to start a coffee shop! said Crimson Cup Founder and President Greg Ubert.

In fact, Kansas ranks 29th among the states in the number of coffee shops per capita, with fewer than one coffee shop for every 6,221 residents. That leaves a lot of Kansans without a local coffee shop, especially in the smaller cities and towns.

The program is based on Uberts book, Seven Steps to Success: A Common-sense Guide to Succeed in Specialty Coffee, which he wrote to help coffee shop owners develop profitable businesses by mastering all aspects of successful coffee shop operations.

We help entrepreneurs with little or no coffee experience become owners of thriving coffee shops serving their local communities, he said.

From choosing a terrific location and writing a strong coffee shop business plan to buying and laying out equipment, hiring and training staff and more, our team is here to guide you.

To hear about the book in Uberts own words, download a free recorded introduction on Soundcloud.

Besides the Kansas guide, Crimson Cup recently published guides on How to Start a Coffee Shop in Texas, Ohio, North Carolina, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Tennessee, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Virginia, Missouri, Wisconsin, Connecticut, New Jersey, Iowa, Alabama, Maine, Arkansas, Vermont, Rhode Island, Utah, Colorado, California and Idaho.

The roaster will continue to post a state-level guide each week until all 50 states are covered.

Although the fundamentals of coffee shop operation remain the same from state to state, the economic opportunities, business formation and licensing requirements vary widely, Ubert said. Were excited to share information and resources to help entrepreneurs expedite their startup journey.

He invited anyone who is thinking of opening a coffee shop in any state to call Crimson Cup for guidance.

If you run into any roadblocks or just want to discuss your vision with a coffee expert, you can reach our startup team by calling 1-888-800-9224.

About Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea

Founded in 1991, Crimson Cup is at the forefront of the coffee industry. Its attentive roasting, startup support and global partnerships are consciously designed for the greater good of communities around the world. Among other national recognitions, the company has earned 2020 and 2017 Good Food Awards, the 2019 Golden Bean Champion for Small Franchise/Chain Roaster and Roast magazines 2016 Macro Roaster of the Year.

Crimson Cup travels the world searching for the perfect cup  driven by meaningful relationships, honesty and a shared vision for the future. Its Friend2Farmer initiatives foster respect and decency through mutually beneficial collaboration across local and global communities.

Through its 7 Steps to Success coffee shop startup program, the company teaches entrepreneurs how to open and run independent coffee houses in their local communities. By developing a coffee shop business plan, entrepreneurs gain insight into coffee shop startup costs.

Crimson Cup coffee is available through over 350 independent coffee houses, grocers, college and universities, restaurants and food service operations across 30 states, Guam and Bangladesh. The company also owns several Crimson Cup Coffee Shops and a new CRIMSON retail flagship store. To learn more, visit crimsoncup.com, or follow the company on Facebook and Instagram.
Union New and Renewable Energy Minister R K Singh on Thursday said his ministry will come out with detailed guidelines and standards for making India a global hub for hydrogen manufacturing.

The comment comes a day after the Union Cabinet approved the National Green Hydrogen Mission with an outlay of 19,744 crore.

"We will come out with a detailed order after clearance by the Cabinet," Singh said during a media interaction.

The Mission is expected to attract 8 lakh crore of investment to produce 5 million tonnes of green hydrogen per annum in the next five years.

The incentives provided under the Mission are aimed at bringing down the cost of green hydrogen.

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"We have decided that electrolysers can be made in India. So, we have worked out the PLI (production linked incentive) scheme for their domestic manufacturing that will cover manufacture of 15 gigawatts (GW) capacity. But we expect the capacity to be established to be almost in the region of 60 GW (by 2030)," he added.

Singh pointed out that this (60 GW) will be the world's largest electrolyser manufacturing capacity.

"We will announce a date up till which domestic industry will be allowed to import electrolysers at lower import duties, let's say by 2025-26. By 2025-26, we expect the domestic manufacturing capacity to come up. Thereafter, heavy import duties will kick-in, and we don't expect anybody to import electrolysers," the minister stated.

The PLI scheme on green hydrogen manufacturing will be available for the first few years till the domestic industry becomes competitive, Singh said.

Some countries such as Germany have come out with bids for importing green hydrogen.

"I have asked the domestic industry to analyse the bids and figure out whether they can also participate in the bidding," he added.

The minister was of the view that battery is not suited for long-range vehicles, which should be powered by green hydrogen.

Singh also highlighted the government's goal of making sectors such as steel, shipping, refining, cement, fertiliser, mobility (long-haul vehicles) and refining (petroleum) based on green hydrogen and ammonia.

The minister also referred to hydrogen purchase obligation (HPO) under which certain industries like refining and fertiliser were to use certain proportion of green hydrogen out of their overall consumption of fossil fuel-based 'grey' hydrogen.

The government has also envisaged to reduce the price of green hydrogen, which is around 300 per kg at present.

Industries across the globe are contemplating to reduce the price of green hydrogen to USD 1 per kg (about 82).

Carbon-free hydrogen, which can be used as fuel in automobiles and as an energy source in industries such as oil refineries and steel plants, is produced by splitting water. When electricity generated from renewable sources such as the sun is used to split water through electrolysis, green hydrogen is produced. Oxygen is a by-product of such a process.

First Published Date:
In We Were Once a Family (FSG, Mar.), journalist Asgarian reveals how flaws in the child welfare system contributed to the 2018 murder-suicide of six children by their adoptive parents.

This case was immediately national news, and yet none of the reporting has focused on the birth families until now. Why?

There is no real good beat coverage of the child welfare system, either in local papers or in national papers. Because the foster care system is really bureaucratic and confusing to report on and everything is confidential, you have to really worm your way in to be able to get what you need to tell a story, which takes a lot of time.

You make clear that what happened to these kids is surely an outlierbut how much of an outlier is it?

There are so many things about this case that needed a public reckoning and public recognition because it was so egregious, but so much of what happened is extremely common. Parents lose their rights to their kids over minor stuff and bureaucracy, and I think there is a race bias and a poverty bias as well. The tragedy of the murder itself was so heinous that it rightly made people go whoa and want to know about it. To do the kids justice is to explain the full story of how they ended up there.

You play a significant role in the storys narrative, at one point serving as a go-between for the birth families and the adoptive families. Did this affect your usual approach as a reporter?

It really changed my life and my relationship with my work in general. I really struggled in parts of this process with what was the right thing to do, what was the ethical thing to do as a journalist and what was the ethical thing to do as a human being. I developed relationships with these people, and they had very intense, critical needs, and I was witnessing that.

What would it take to create a child welfare system that might have protected these kids?

A child tax credit for sure. Any sort of expansion of our social safety net that is not punitive. If you dont make people feel awful for needing help, then they change for the better. The child welfare system gives parents very limited rights, and theres very little scrutiny of the system. If you dont have any outside scrutinyreporters coming in and asking questionsyou get this sort of very chummy relationship between judges and attorneys in which a lot of things fly that should be challenged. This tragedy, theres no way to make it okay. These kids arent alive anymore, and this grief and this trauma is just living with their surviving relatives, and theres nothing about that thats okay. At the very least, we can pay attention to the things that we might learn and do differently.
In Momfluenced (Beacon, Apr.), Sara Petersen delves into the public performance of motherhood on Instagram. Petersen, whose writing on feminism and motherhood has been published in the New York Times, the Washington Post, Harpers Bazaar, and elsewhere, spoke with PW about her preoccupation with moms on the internet and emerging from under their influence.

How did you become interested in this subculture?

I felt a disconnect between what I was consuming online versus what I was experiencing in my day-to-day life as a mother. So many of our cultural constructs of motherhood hinge around joy. You should be delighted by all the funny things your kids say. You should find it fun to play make-

believe for hours on end. I wasntand still am notthe most joyful mother. That always made me insecure, like I was doing something wrong. I thought maybe momfluencers held the key to something I was unaware of.

Whats your central thesis?

People will say, This is a feminist win: these mothers are profiting off unpaid labor of childcare and domestic work. Theyre actually profiting from a retrograde version of self-sacrificial motherhood and femininity, often wrapped up in white supremacy. Theyre also profiting off of performance. Mothering isnt something that looks good on a social media feed. Sure, you could do the whole hashtag real mom thing, but even that necessitates a level of performance.

Did you come to any new understandings while reporting?

If youre a mother on social media, you are momfluencing to some extent whether or not you have a monetized account. Were all selling something via our social media performances of motherhood, whether its motherhood comes easy to me or Im really good at crafts and therefore closer to God. Were all communicating something about our values and our aspirations; men who happen to also be fathers on social media do not carry the same freight.

Is there a momfluencer backlash?

In feminist history, theres always two steps forward, one step back. I have hope for the future. Were witnessing a sea change, especially post-Covid. Were waking up to the fact that this idea of a mother doing it all on her own is a harmful scam. That being said, I chart this shift with the rise of the conservative right, white nationalists, and white evangelicalism. I cover quite a few of the tradwife [traditional wife] momfluencers in the book. Alongside all this rage and this collective

maternal energy and activism, is also this anti-feminism, pro-femininity trad popularity.

Whats the takeaway for readers?

The whole concept of a mother being self-sustaining is necessary to uphold capitalism. The fact that mothering is not viewed as a collective endeavor is by design, so we dont have to give mothers adequate or comprehensive maternal healthcare, paid leave, or help to pay for childcare. They should be totally capable; they should fucking love it if theyre good moms, right? The most comforting thing is knowing that all of these maternal ideals were created for very specific reasons. They were created to get us to buy stuff. They were created to disenfranchise us and they were created to vilify marginalized mothers. The more you know about the cultural constructs of all this stuff, the more freeing it is, because you dont feel like youre under a spell anymore.

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POMPANO BEACH, Fla.M.D. Science Lab, makers of the Swiss Navy brand, has won a 2023 O Award. Swiss Navys Toy and Body Cleaner was awarded Outstanding Body or Skin Care Line.

The 14th annual ceremony was held on Wednesday, Jan. 4, in Las Vegas as part of the 2023 AVN Novelty Expo (ANE). The annual O Awards showcases and celebrates the best of the pleasure products segment of the adult industry.

It is such an honor for me to thank the O Awards team and our industry family on behalf of our entire Swiss Navy team for this outstanding award, said Briana Watkins, ACS, M.D. Science Labs vice president of sales and marketing. Receiving this award is the perfect way for us to kick off 2023!

Swiss Navys Toy and Body Cleaner, which is available in a spray and a foam, is a proprietary formula that is antibacterial, and antifungal and is designed to effectively remove all types of personal lubricants, including silicone-based lubes.

The active ingredients in Swiss Navys Toy and Body Cleaner are lavender oil, which is known to have properties that are antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antifungal, as well as possessing antimicrobial properties, and tea tree oil, which has been traditionally used as a topical antiseptic and is known to be antibacterial, antifungal, and antioxidant, and has antiviral properties that have proven to be effective against common pathogens.

Ralph Albrecht, M.D. Science Labs CEO also sent his appreciation and thanks to the O Awards team. Our entire Swiss Navy family is sincerely thankful for this prestigious award and we appreciate the members of our industry recognizing the quality and care that we put into our products. This O Award is a treasured symbol of our continued success.

M.D. Science has always been committed to creating products that elevate consumers intimate experiences and deliver the possibility of a healthier sex life. And, as a team, it is always striving to bring more valuable products, sales support, and training opportunities to its retail partners.

To learn more about Swiss Navys Toy and Body Cleaner and other new additions, contact a sales representative.

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Clancy Martin has attempted suicide five or six times. Those are just attempts that have landed me in the hospital and/or psychiatric hospital, he says via Zoom from his home in Kansas City, Mo. Attempts where I would say, okay, I was really doing everything in my power to kill myself, but Im not counting those times when I had a gun in my mouth and wasnt pulling the trigger. With those its maybe 11, something like that.

Martin, whos a philosophy professor at the University of MissouriKansas City, is trying to keep others from making their own attempts. Thats the impetus behind How Not to Kill Yourself (Pantheon, Mar.). Part memoir, part philosophy text, and part guidebook, its written by someone with firsthand experience of his subject. The book is both helpful and harrowing, asking readers to do what Martin says, not what he has done.

I really hope that it can help us, just a little bit, to take us toward destigmatizing the act and help us feel a little more free to talk about it, he says. Once youre talking about it and you realize its okay to talk about it, all that weight just starts to lift a little bit, and you start to feel less panicky, less urgent, and less scared.

Martin, who grew up in Calgary, Canada, had a difficult life from the start. His father was a schizophrenic alcoholic who died under mysterious circumstances in a mental hospital. A stepbrother killed himself by leaping from a tall building when Martin was six; a stepsister also attempted suicide when Martin was eight. By that point, he was already experiencing suicidal ideation. When I was a child and a young man, he writes in the book, I believed that killing myself would eliminate me as I was.... I think of this as the suicidally inclined stage of my life.

Eventually inclination gave way to action; most of Martins suicide attempts ended with a stay in a mental hospital, where he got new meds, told his doctors he was feeling better, and, before too long, went home. Then he tried again.

These hospitalizations were actually the germ of the book. An editor from the magazine Epic reached out to see if Martin would like to write something. Martin pitched an essay about his time in psych wardsa sort of real-life One Flew over the Cuckoos Nest. Then, as he was writing, the editors daughter attempted suicide. Shaken by the experience, the editor asked if Martin would consider switching his focus to the reason he kept ending up in the hospital in the first place, and Martin readily agreed.

HuffPost ultimately ran the essay, titled Im Still Here. The reader response was overwhelming. There were emails from all over the world, some from people as young as 12 and 13, saying, I was googling how to kill myself, and I read your piece and I decided not to do it,  Martin says. He remembered some advice he once got from a friend: You really ought to try to write something that helps people.

Already a published novelist (2009s How to Sell) and author of several philosophy books, Martin saw an opportunity to get more personalto, as he says, finally come out of the closet about all these things. In telling his story, he realized he could help others change theirs.

 Once youre talking about it and you realize its okay to talk about it, all that weight just starts to lift a little bit, and you start to feel less panicky, less urgent, and less scared. 

Martin is also a recovering alcoholic, a condition he sees as connected to his suicidality. Some of the links seem obvious. As he writes in the book, Heavy drinkers and drug users are much more likely to kill themselves than people who dont have chronic substance abuse problems. He cites a telling statistic: About 25% of all chronic alcohol and drug users kill themselves.

But in Martins view, theres more to it than that. He sees suicidal thinkingor his suicidal thinking, anywayas a form of addiction in itself. I have come to understand that I am addicted to the thought of suicide and that lately I am what we might call a recovering suicide addict, he writes.

That said, he also believes all people share some degree of a death drive. Well schooled in Buddhism, Martin points out that the Buddha himself viewed a desire for nonexistence as one of the three fundamental forms of suffering that constitute lifealong with the suffering that comes from the desire for pleasure, and the suffering that comes from desire for life itself, which, as Martin writes, is always slipping through our fingers.

How Not to Kill Yourself shares some traits with Night Falls Fast, Kay Redfield Jamisons equally erudite 2000 book that delves into the phenomenon of suicide and the authors own attempt. Martins work, however, is a little more irreverent, if a book about suicide can be described as such. He sees dark comedy in his own life, and a sort of absurdity in his trials.

The thing thats so striking about Clancy is that he writes with a combination of absolute frankness, warmth, and humor that immediately draws you in, even with a subject as dark as this, says Denise Oswald, Martins editor at Pantheon. I never thought Id laugh while editing a book about suicide, and yet I did many times. His wit and honesty have a way of putting you at ease, and by doing so, giving you permission to talk about difficult things.

That is Martins goal: to get people talking, to reduce the stigma, and, hopefully, to save lives. He cites some alarming trends. Suicide rates are rising fastest in the U.S. among those ages 1024, and among people of color, especially young Black women. And the rate of suicide attempts among women has been rising faster than those among men.

He also wants readers to know that suicide touches everyone, and that the book speaks to survivors of all kinds.

For all those people who dont understand suicide or are feeling guilty because someone they loved killed themselves, I hope they might understand it a bit better, not blame themselves, and maybe not be as angry at the person who killed themselves, Martin says. Maybe they can recognize that this wasnt a spur-of-the-moment thing, and not spend their time trying to juggle the causes to get a different outcome. Accept the fact that this is a fight. This person was fighting for a long time, and they finally just couldnt fight anymore.

How Not to Kill Yourself is Martins way of continuing the fight.

Chris Vognar, a freelance culture writer, was the 2009 Nieman Arts and Culture Fellow at Harvard University.
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Former Tattered Cover owner Joyce Meskis, who died December 22 at age 80, is being remembered not only as a pioneer in bookselling circles but as a staunch supporter of the First Amendment. Meskis purchased the Denver bookstore in 1974 and ran it for more than four decades, growing it from a single 950-sq.-ft. shop into one of the nations largest and most recognizable independents. At its height, Tattered Cover had four locations in the Denver metro area, and three more at Denver airports in partnership with Hudson Booksellers. The store remains in operation today under the leadership of Kwame Spearman.

The Denver Post wrote of Meskiss death: When future historians look back at the later 20th century and early 21st century, one of the most important people in [Denvers] history will be Joyce Meskis.

Dedications flooded onto the Tattered Cover Facebook page. Joyce was a literary lioness that evolved our industry in a way that few others had done before her, the bookstore posted in a statement on that page. She was also a friend and mentor to so many at Tattered Cover and around the globe.

Tattered Cover investor and former ABA CEO Oren Teicher first met Meskis in the late 1980s. She had a profound influence on everything I did for the next 35-plus years, Teicher said. Though she deserves attention for her commitment to free speech, at heart she was a bookseller, he added. She helped invent the modern indie bookstore, and led the way in establishing the best customer service while treating every employee with dignity and respect.

Teicher noted that Meskiss commitment to free speech was tied to her role as a bookseller. She was unalterably convinced that bookstores had a big role to play in defending the First Amendment, he explained, adding that Meskis believed it is up to customers to decide what content they want to read, and that it is bookstores role to provide access without passing judgment. That approach was highly controversial, but she never ever wavered or backed down. She advocated her views in a quiet and respectful manner, always listening to those who disagreed with her. She set a standard for integrity that was unmatched.

In her fight for freedom of expression, Meskis often worked in conjunction with the National Coalition Against Censorship, which issued a statement saying it was saddened by news of her death. NCAC also offered a summary of Meskiss activism, including the following achievements:

In 1981, she was a plaintiff in two cases that reached the Colorado Supreme Court, which struck down a state law banning the display of material deemed harmful to children and established that the Colorado Constitution provides broader protection for speech with sexual content than the First Amendment.

In response to growing censorship pressure in the 1980s, she urged ABA to provide additional support for anti-censorship groups and later led an ABA task force that created the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression.

In 1989, Tattered Cover joined other Colorado bookstores in pledging to continue to sell Salman Rushdies Satanic Verses, after the author became the target of terrorist violence.

In 1991, as ABA president, Meskis testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee in opposition to the Pornography Victims Compensation Act, which authorized the victims of sexual attacks to sue booksellers and other producers and distributors of books and other media that caused the attacks.

In 2000, police officers from a neighboring town arrived at Tattered Cover with a search warrant and demanded information on the book purchases of a customer suspected of making methamphetamine. A two-year battle ensued, ending at the Colorado Supreme Court, whose justices ruled unanimously that the search warrant was invalid and that any effort to obtain bookstore records without a hearing is unconstitutional.

During her career, Meskis won numerous awards, including the 1995 PEN/Newmans Own First Amendment Award, which included a check for $25,000money she used to establish the Colorado Freedom of Expression Foundation. She was also the recipient of the ABAs inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award.

As a bookseller, Meskis was quick to embrace emerging technologies, and as a result, Tattered Cover became one of the first stores in the U.S. to implement a computerized inventory system and a retail website. Still, her true love was the printed word. People may love their technologies, but ink on paper between boards is part of the pleasure of reading, Meskis said. Bookshops are the focal point in a community where reader and writer come together. Its important that publishers continue to recognize and acknowledge that.

Meskis described the rewards of bookselling as twofold: There is an incredible bubble that rises in me when I hear a customer, especially if its a child, say, Oh, wow, youve got that book. Its exquisitely gratifying, she said. Philosophically, she added, the social profit makes up for the struggle to make a financial profit. Being there for the community of readers that you serve and doing the very best that you can do to encourage and enhance the reading lives of the people in your community is how we can contribute to making a better world.

With Meskiss passing, Teicher observed, the Tattered Cover and the larger Denver communitylet alone the entire book industryhave lost a giant.
In spring 2020, at the start of the pandemic, several publishing professionals from around the world launched a Facebook group called Publishers Without Borders. The founders included Simon de Jocas, the publisher at Montreal childrens illustrated book publisher Editions Les 400 Coups; Emma House, a U.K. publishing consultant; and Prashant Pathak, the publisher of Wonder House Books, a childrens publishing house in Delhi, India. They, along with 150 of their friends, used the group as a forum for socializing, sharing memes, and staying in touch about developments related to the pandemic.

Shortly thereafter, with publishers canceling plans to attend international events, membership jumped to 1,700. For many, PWB became an important place to stay connected to the broader global publishing community, particularly during the isolation of lockdowns.

I had numerous people reach out to me to say just how important Publishing Without Borders was to them throughout the pandemic, de Jocas told PW at the Guadalajara International Book Fair. Many people remarked on how important it was to share what was going on with their colleagues. One person even said that they were feeling suicidal, but being able to connect with people in the group helped save their life.

Today, PWB has grown to 4,800 members and new moderators were brought on board. While activity in the group related to the pandemic has tapered off, PWB has become a hub for international networking and education, offering webinars on such topics as diversity in the workplace and book market trends, as well as informational posts on fellowship and translation funding opportunities at international books fairs.

Using the group to transact business is strictly prohibited. We ask people who want to do business with each other to keep it off the Facebook group, where it is prohibited, and to instead use our LinkedIn page for that, said Pathak, who emphasized that the Facebook group remains focused on socializing.

Pathak has also become a central figure in organizing real-world meetups at book fairs through the creation of event-specific WhatsApp groups. This started with the 2021 Sharjah International Book Fair, where active members in the group were given black polo shirts embroidered with the group logo and their names, and, more recently, included book fairs in Guadalajara and Istanbul.

In 2022, PWB became, for a brief time, a forum where Ukrainian and Russian publishers confronted one another, though the increasingly caustic exchanges were soon curtailed. The group is now focused on offering support to colleagues in Ukraine, providing links to places to make donations and a means to make connections, and even going so far as to help organize transportation at the Polish border for Ukrainian evacuees. The PWB logo on Facebook includes the line No War, Only Peace and is surrounded by the blue and yellow of the Ukrainian flag.

PWB plans to extend its influence through mentorship. We have established a group of nearly 30 experts, who can advise people on various questions they have about the industry, and were encouraging others to offer mentorship to those who need it, de Jocas said. The PWB group experts include a wide range of industry leaders, such as Italian literary agent LeeAnn Bortolusi, Egyptian publisher Sharif Bakr, Latvian childrens book publisher Alise Nigale, City University of New York publishing certificate program director David Unger, Indian publishing executive Kumar Vikram, and Austrian publishing consultant Ruediger Wischenbart.

Our hope is that by providing a forum for connection, fun, and mentorship, we can offer our colleagues around the world a sense of community and continue to have a positive impact on their personal and professional lives, de Jocas said.
Rachel Cusk, Joan Didion, Louise Erdrich, Anne Lamott: some of the most recognizable names in contemporary Western literature have written about their experiences of parenthood. As a form, the parenting memoir remains popular and continues to evolve; PW spoke with authors and editors about how their forthcoming books fit into and expand the genre.

Side effects

Enduring topics in memoirillness, grief, disabilityrecur in parenting accounts, too. In Little Earthquakes (Harper, Apr.), clinical psychologist Sarah Mandel excavates her feelings around concurrent events: the birth of her second child and a stage IV breast cancer diagnosis. As a therapist, Mandel specializes in trauma work and using narrative therapy, a form of psychotherapy that helps patients externalize their issues; the book models how Mandel applied those treatments to ease her own pain.

Other books detail how parents cope with their childrens health challenges. Megan Nix describes her forthcoming debut, Remedies for Sorrow (Doubleday, Apr.), as both memoir and advocacy. When Nix was pregnant with her second child, she sensed that something was different. Then, when Anna was born, she was completely silent and noticeably small, she says. The hospital sent me home with a four-pound child with no diagnosis whatsoever. Nix finally received clarity 10 days later, when the childs pediatrician identified a little-known virus called cytomegalovirus, or CMV, as the source of Annas disabilitiesshe was born deaf and could face lifelong delays. Nixs daughters diagnosis led her down a research rabbit hole; what she uncovered is, in essence, this book.

There was no narrative of what it was like to have a silent child born into the silence of the obstetrical industry and how that played out in motherhood, Nix says. The real question is, how can we improve medicine? How can we prevent a life-threatening disease through humane treatment of people before and while theyre pregnant?

Zig-Zag Boy by Tanya Frank (Norton, Feb.) began as an essay in the New York Times, titled Unmoored by a Psychotic Break, in which the author finds her 19-year-old son rewiring a landline phone because he believes its bugged. Her book is about what followed: how she navigated the medical industrial complex in the U.S. and U.K. and dealt with societal prejudices around mental illness.

Wings to fly

Parenting memoirs typically cover the early stagespregnancy, birth, early childhoodbut a few this season focus on the authors experiences with a child nearing adulthood. Zig-Zag Boy is one; It. Goes. So. Fast. by Mary Louise Kelly (Holt, Apr.) is another. A cohost of NPRs All Things Considered, Kelly reflects on the year before her older son, James, left for collegethat same year, she turned 50 and lost her father. There are a million well-meaning books about the juggle and work-life balance and leaning in and leaning out and how you can have it all but maybe not all at once, Kelly writes in the books introduction. The tug is just as strong when your baby is seventeen as when he is seven weeks or seven months. With It. Goes. So. Fast., she aspires to make visible parentings third actoften a time of both loss and celebration.

Andrew McCarthy, whose previous memoir, Brat, covered his life as a young actor in 1980s Hollywood, treks 500 miles across Spains Camino de Santiago with his adult son in Walking with Sam (May). Sam is 19, on the cusp of adulthood and about to leave the nest, and Andrews realizing there may not be many more times in his life that he can do something like this, says McCarthys editor Suzanne ONeill, v-p and executive editor at Grand Central. The book chronicles their conversations about fame, divorce, and McCarthys relationship with his own father. Andrews perspective as a father of an adult child makes for a rich experience, ONeill says. You dont see that a lot.

Free-range memoir

These recollections dont always stick to straightforward narration. Isabel Zapata, for instance, incorporates flash prose, illustration, and poetry into the diary entries in In Vitro (Coffee House, May), first published in Spanish in her native Mexico in 2021 and translated by Robin Myers. Zapata describes her fertility struggles, as well as the misogyny she faced from the medical establishment, and addresses societal expectations around maternity and motherhood.

In The Leaving Season (Norton, May), a memoir in essays, Kelly McMasters details her move away from New York City, the dissolution of her marriage, and the complexities of reluctant motherhood. My editor took a chance on what a book like this could be, she says. In addition to 16 narrative essays, three flash nonfiction essays, which are almost prose poetry, provide sensory, setting, and section breaks. McMasters has published work in the Paris Review and the American Scholar, and an earlier version of an essay in the book appeared in the New York Times Modern Love column. With memoir, the authority is in the experience, she says. Its a fantastically flexible genre in which to upend what is the typical power structure. Its a way to reclaim space.

Parental support

Though strides have been made in recent years, parenting memoirs, collectively, have been criticized for being too white, too middle-class, too heteronormative. It was hard to find a story around parenting that brought together adoption, raising Black girls in this historic moment, and being a Black, queer feminist, says Francesca T. Royster, an English professor at Chicagos DePaul University and author of Choosing Family (Abrams, Feb.). That old adage of writing the thing you want to read drove me.

She considers her book in conversation with the work of Audre Lorde and Cherrie Moraga, in which the most immediate theoretical problems were being talked about through memoir, she explains. I give a vulnerable internal voice and connect it to things that are happening during this time of great cultural change. I want readers to connect with the emotional issues, even if they dont connect with the cultural or historic ones. Royster hopes her story will prompt readers to think critically about societal definitions of love and home. PWs review called the book insightful and reflective, and a moving tribute to the power of chosen family.

So We Can Know (Haymarket, Feb.), edited by poet Aracelis Girmay, collects stories about pregnancy, loss, abortion, and birth from writers of color. Its the work of bearing witness to each other, the work of thinking through the truths of our lives in order to sharpen our sense of what is possible, Girmay says. There is dreaming in this. There is pain, strength, perseverance, and preparation in this. The book includes works by Cheryl Boyce-Taylor, Jennifer S. Cheng, Laurie Ann Guerrero, and Emma L. Morgan-Bennett and Jennifer L. Morgan, among others; its a striking anthology, per PWs starred review: The work as a whole is thick with grief and trauma, but the graceful reflections and breadth of experiences make sticking with it more than worthwhile.

Grimay says the books diversity is an entangled record of varied and intricate thinking at the intersections of research, history, and the intimacies of personal, lived experiences and choices around pregnancy. She emphasizes the power of these and other parenting narratives. Such histories help us to understand some of where we are, and in this way they help us to articulate what we face.

Pooja Makhijani is a writer and editor in New Jersey.

Read more from the parenting feature.

Body Language: PW Talks with Virginia Sole-Smith

In Fat Talk (Holt, Apr.), the journalist and 'Burnt Toast' podcaster encourages parents to name and navigate anti-fat bias.

Hashtag Blessed: PW Talks with Sara Petersen

The author of Momfluenced (Beacon, Apr.) delves into the public performance of motherhood on Instagram.

Bringing Up Baby: New Parenting Books

Negotiating an infant's first year can be overwhelming; these titles offer a lifeline.
"The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star Lisa Rinna is a housewife no more.

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After eight seasons on the Bravo reality franchise "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills," the actress is making her exit.

Rinna, 59, announced Thursday that she'd be leaving the franchise after her contract was up. She and Bravo said they reached the decision mutually.

"This is the longest job I have held in my 35-year career and I am grateful to everyone at Bravo and all those involved in the series," Rinna, told People in a statement.

"It has been a fun eight-year run and I am excited for what is to come!"

Rinna is married to actor Harry Hamlin and the couple shares two daughters, Delilah Belle, 24, and Amelia Gray, 21.

She joined "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" cast in its fourth season in 2014.

Best known at the time for her longtime role as Billie Reed on the daytime soap opera "Days of our Lives," she became the subject of online fandom -- and ire -- after throwing a glass at former co-star Kim Richards over a perceived insult to Hamlin in her first season.

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She courted other controversies during her run. The latest was her focus on Kathy Hilton 's meltdown on a cast trip to Aspen. The tirade Hilton unleashed was supposed to stay out of the media until Rinna shared it publicly.

"I feel if we're really going to talk about this, you're going to have to take responsibility for some of the things that you've said," she said to Hilton about the incident, which she felt was partly triggered by her being "jealous" of the Kardashians after Rinna ordered Kylie Jenner's tequila brand instead of Hilton's.

"You said some things about everybody. Not just Kyle. Like, big [expletive] things. I don't want to say that you need help, Kathy, but I think you need some help," Rinna told the heiress.

Hilton texted Rinna to try and keep her tirade quiet. The meltdown included Hilton screaming, throwing things, yelling at staffers, and deriding her co-stars while at an Aspen nightclub.

But fans seemingly took Hilton's side, booing Rinna when she showed up to the 2022 BravoCon. The 32-year industry veteran was unfazed.

"I got booed! It was fabulous," Rinna told People. "I'm like a wrestler. The wrestlers get booed. The most famous wrestlers in the world get booed. The Rock got booed for God's sake. I loved it."

After losing her mother, Lois, in 2021, Rinna said grief was behind a lot of her outbursts, including with co-star Sutton Stracke in the current season of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills."

Rinna says she also felt slighted by Bravo's response to her mother's death.

"I got one episode of grace. That's it," Rinna wrote in an Instagram Story post on her account. "Lois deserved and deserves much more. Shame on everyone."

Despite the issues that made her time on the show challenging, she told Today in 2021 that years on a daytime soap helped her once she joined "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" cast.

"['Days of Our Lives'] prepared me to be professional, be on time, No. 1, and to always know my lines and to always, always show up and never leave. Like, you show for work, you don't even call in sick. I mean, I would have to be on my deathbed to not show up for work. Like, that is just ingrained in you when you're working as an actor on a soap opera."

Though her tenure will be remembered for her many clashes with her "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" co-stars, some viewers loved Rinna for her candor.

"She's fun to watch," Bravo's Andy Cohen told the Los Angeles Times in 2019 about his initial reluctance to add an actress to the cast.

"She's funny and she makes fun of herself. She understands her place in the world, and she's very secure with herself. I just think she's entertaining."

However, "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" cast member Lisa Vanderpump may have shared the overriding sentiment of the rest of the women. On the day of Rinna's announcement, she tweeted "Ding dong."

As "The Wizard of Oz" fans know, that's a reference to the line when the witch is killed: "Ding dong, the witch is dead."

"The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" is expected to air its 13th season later this year.
FLAGSTAFF  A Native American tribe that has one of the largest and most secure rights to Colorado River water now has approval to lease some of it in Arizona, a state thats been hardest hit by cuts to its water supply and is on a perpetual search for more.

President Joe Biden signed legislation Thursday giving leasing authority to the Colorado River Indian Tribes, whose reservation tracks its namesake on the Arizona-California border. Biden also approved a water rights settlement for the Hualapai Tribe and authorized additional funding to complete water projects for the White Mountain Apache Tribe.

The Colorado River Indian Tribes passed a resolution in 2020 to seek the federal legislation to help bolster the tribes economy and improve housing, health care and education on the reservation. Revenue from water leases also will help fund a nursing home, substance abuse treatment and improve an irrigation system, tribal leaders have said.

The tribe has the right to divert more than 662,000 acre-feet of Colorado River water in Arizona but hasnt taken full advantage because it lacks the infrastructure. It also has rights to nearly 57,000 acre-feet of water in California. An acre-foot is enough to serve roughly two to three households annually.

The tribes leasing authority is limited to its water rights in Arizona and more so by what's already being used for farming. Tribal Chairwoman Amelia Flores said the legislation was designed that way to avoid further straining the river thats been dwindling because of overuse, climate change and an unrelenting drought.

Already, the tribe has committed to leaving water in Lake Mead  the largest human-made reservoir in the U.S. West  to help ensure Hoover Dam can continue generating power and deliver water to Arizona, California, Nevada and Mexico in the lower Colorado River basin. Flores said the tribe will work with its farm managers and talk to the community to determine the amount of water that can be leased, the price for the water and the length of the leases.

Flores suggested the leases wont be as long as the 50-year terms that the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs offered for farming on the tribes reservation.

I do not believe, and I think I speak for others on the Council, that we have the foresight to know what is best for our members who are not yet born or for their children, she said.

Cities in metropolitan Phoenix and Tucson, as well as other Native American tribes who get water from a series of canals managed by the Central Arizona Project, are among the likely customers for water leases with the Colorado River Indian Tribes.

Flores said the tribe is committed to helping its neighbors and maintaining the habitat along the river as water becomes more scarce and others face deeper cuts.

The Colorado River serves 40 million people in Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, California and Nevada. Mexico also gets a share. Mandatory shortages are affecting some states, and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has called for more widespread cuts as key reservoirs shrink.

The Hualapai Tribe also secured the right to lease water as part of its settlement in the lower Colorado River basin. The tribe now can divert 3,414 acre-feet of water per year from the Colorado River. But it's also at risk of having water curtailed because its a lower-tier right.

The fourth-priority was only part of the whole negotiations, and we walked into it with our heads held up high because at least its water, said former Hualapai Chairman Damon Clarke. In that sense, its good. In another sense, thats not good.

Still, the tribe called Bidens signature a historic step for the Hualapai people, whose reservation borders a 108-mile (174-kilometer) stretch of the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon.

This is a life-changing moment for the Hualapai Tribe and the many members of the Tribal Council who have worked toward this goal for more than a decade, tribal Vice Chairman Scott Crozier said in a statement Thursday.

The legislation includes more than $310 million for the Hualapai tribe to build out a water delivery system. It has long relied on groundwater to serve its communities and its major tourist operation, Grand Canyon West thats outside the boundaries of Grand Canyon National Park.

The tribe secured water rights to a Colorado River tributary in 2014 through another federal water rights settlement. The federal government has approved about 40 such settlements with tribes, some of which include more than one tribe. Tribes often trade potentially huge water claims for the promise of federal funding to deliver water to their citizens.

The third bill that Biden signed amends a 2010 water rights settlement for the White Mountain Apache Tribe in eastern Arizona, authorizing additional funding and extending deadlines to complete a rural water system and dam.
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Expert says miners are likely dead and Chinese authorities remain mum about rescue efforts.

The gold mine owned by West Gold Yili Company in Ghulja county, northwestern China's Xinjiang region, is seen in this August 2022 satellite photo.

The fate of 18 miners  mostly Uyghurs  trapped in a collapsed gold mine in Chinas far-western Xinjiang province remained uncertain, officials said, implying that rescuers have failed to pull any of them out alive nearly two weeks after the Christmas Eve disaster.

I know that the rescue operation is going on, but I dont know the result of the rescue efforts, said an employee of West Gold Yili Co., which owns the mine in Qarayaghach town of Ghulja county, or Yining in Chinese. He insisted on not being identified by name.

An employee at the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Emergency Relief Supervision Command Center said the rescue operations were ongoing and that two of the centers leaders went to the site of the accident the day it occurred, Dec. 24.

The fate of those trapped in the mine [and] the responsibility for the incident are confidential information, he told Radio Free Asia, also requesting anonymity. These aren't the questions we have answers to. It is not yet time to ask about responsibility for the incident.

When asked about the number of people participating in the rescue operation, he said he was not allowed to make the information public.

Of the 40 miners working underground at the time of the accident, 22 were safely rescued.

Chinese authorities in Ghulja have not issued any updates about ongoing efforts to extricate the miners, and the reason for the collapse remains unknown.

So far, they have held only one press conference about the accident, though it highlighted the participation of relevant organizations and leaders in the rescue operations. During the news conference, authorities did not disclose the cause of the mine collapse, who was responsible, or the identities of those still trapped underground.

RFA learned earlier that most of the 18 workers underground were mostly Uyghurs from government organizations in Ghulja county, where the mine company is located.

Likely dead

Chinese authorities have cracked down on unsafe mining practices and levied harsher penalties for violations across the country in recent years, though cave-ins still occur where safety measures are slipshod, especially at makeshift or far-flung mining sites.

Mine collapses are usually caused by large amounts of water erupting underground at the mining site or by the failure of structural material supporting tunnel roofs, said a Uyghur mine expert, who requested anonymity for safety reasons.

The trapped miners could likely survive only three to five days underground, he said.

If there is no information for 10 days regarding the 18 trapped miners, then it is most likely these miners are not alive anymore, the expert told RFA earlier this week.

If miraculously they were not injured due to the mine collapse, the air ventilation wasnt blocked, and no poisonous gas was released, then they would still die of lack of water and food in a week, he said.

Another officer at the command center said he did not know how many more days the rescue operations would continue.

We are not responsible for information and propaganda, he said.

Even if we know, we can't tell you what we know. There are parts of this matter that are disclosed to the public, and parts that are not disclosed. We can only say that the rescue operation is still going on, he added.

An employee at the Ghulja County Petition Bureau said relatives of workers still in the mine have not contacted the office.

We have not yet received a complaint from the family of those who were under the mine, the employee said. We heard from the community that most of the 18 people were Uyghurs, including teenagers, but we were not informed about this in official meetings.

Elfidar Hanim, president of the Uyghur American Association, expressed concern about the fate of the trapped miners.

Such events and subsequent rescue efforts should have been reported live on site, but the Chinese authorities are not doing this, she told RFA.

Chinese authorities are protecting their reputation and the failure of their system by placing themselves above public safety, Hanim said.

Since most trapped miners are Uyghurs, authorities want to deal with this tragedy discreetly, she added.

Translated by Mamatjan Juma for RFA Uyghur Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. Edited by Malcolm Foster.
BUCHAREST -- In early December, Lucian Schepers dusted off his adoption file one more time. He thumbed through the stack of yellowed papers and translated what he could with the help of Google, trying once more to piece together the puzzle of his early life in communist Romania.

It seemed to him that every time he reexamined the documents, a new detail would emerge.

This time, Schepers found a discrepancy in a request by the municipal court in the Black Sea port city of Constanta for a medical document certifying that a minor is physically fit for adoption. It notes that Schepers was born in 1985, not 1986 as stated in his personal identification number (CNP).

It might have been a mundane mistake on a minor detail, but for Schepers it fueled doubts about what he truly knows about his own past. "I'm probably between 35 and 40," he jokes to friends. "I don't know which paper I should believe."

There are thousands like him, known collectively as "Ceausescu's children" after the Stalinist leader who ruled one of Eastern Europe's most repressive regimes until it came crashing down dramatically in 1989 along with those of other Soviet-bloc countries in the region.

During his nearly two decades of rule, Nicolae Ceausescu had instituted one of the world's most radical and repressive policies to stimulate birthrates, including outlawing abortion for women under 40 with fewer than four children. It did trigger a baby boom; but many of the children, born to impoverished parents, were unwanted and ended up in state-run orphanages. After the fall of communism, the West got a peek inside these institutions and was shocked and appalled by the images of skeletal children living in squalid conditions.

Scarred And Stymied

Schepers was adopted by a Belgian family in 1993, when he believes he was 7. At that time, he was living in an institution for preschool-age children in Constanta. Like many of the kids who grew up in Romania's notorious children's homes, he dreamed of being adopted by a family in the United States.

And like many of those eventually sent abroad, as an adult he is searching for clues and demanding answers about his early life in Romania. In many cases, adoptees have turned to social media to find long-lost siblings and parents as officials in Bucharest have proved ineffective at helping them.

For Schepers, the desire to uncover his past took him last year to Bucharest, where he lived for a year, working in the IT sector to pay the bills and spending his free time on the document trail. His search led him back to Constanta, where he scoured the district's maternity hospitals, hoping to find his original birth certificate. That ended unsuccessfully, even though the records at the children's home where Schepers spent his early childhood indicated he had been abandoned at birth at the Constanta County Hospital.

He turned to the National Authority for Child Protection and Adoptions (ANPDCA), the state-run institution that, among other things, works to reconnect adoptees with their biological families.

After months of silence, the ANPDCA finally sent Schepers a terse note stating that his biological mother denied he was her son and refused to be contacted.

Not knowing Romanian made navigating the country's often byzantine bureaucracy all the more difficult, resulting in hours of long conversations between Schepers and Romanian officials as he sought his personal file that should have contained details of his time spent at the Leaganul Cernavoda, or Cernavoda Cradle.

He was told finally that no such file existed, leaving him exasperated.

Schepers now says he plans to sue the Romanian state for the trauma he suffered as a result of the adoption. He also wants to take legal action against Belgium for turning a blind eye to what he calls the trade in children.

Schepers says he was unhappy and felt like a stranger with his adoptive family. He now wants nothing to do with them and wants the Belgian courts to restore his former Romanian surname.

"I was definitely trafficked. I'm not a product and I refuse to bear their name!" Schepers recently told RFE/RL's Romanian Service, which tracked him down through a Facebook group for Romanians who were adopted by foreign families and are now eager to learn about their forgotten past.

Wave Of Interest

Some 30,000 children from Romania were adopted between 1990 and 2004, according to data from ANPDCA, which acknowledges lacking any such information from before 1994, when Romania didn't systematically track court-approved adoptions.

The number of adoptions to families abroad skyrocketed in 1990 and 1991, the first two years after the end of the Ceausescu regime, with more than 10,000 adoptions to foreigners registered by Romanian NGOs.

In those early days, Bucharest had little control, let alone oversight, of the adoption process, much of which was conducted underground on what would become a thriving black market. Stories were common of shady middlemen demanding that foreigners pony up thousands of dollars after merely showing them photos of children whose backgrounds were often simply forged.

Today, the ANPDCA says it routinely receives requests for information about adoptions from that freewheeling era. It says that in the past two years, 755 people who were adopted, mostly by foreigners, have turned to it for assistance to reconnect with their biological families. It also says 149 family members of adoptees have turned to it for help as well.

The ANPDCA does offer information on its website -- albeit only in Romanian -- about how to navigate the system to find adoption information, with forms available for download.

But given what critics feel are bureaucratic hurdles and the snail-like pace of its work, many have instead turned to social media for help and answers.

The Never Forgotten Romanian Children Facebook page is flooded with posts daily from long-lost parents or siblings caught up in the huge wave of adoptions between 1994 and 2004, when Romania had over 100,000 institutionalized children and used international adoptions to ease the financial burden on its own social-welfare system, buckling at the time under the stress of the country's capitalist transformation.

Beyond the damning portrait of Romania's child-welfare system during the Ceausescu era, social-media groups also offer glimpses into the lives not only of those put up for adoption, but also their families. Many mothers, in particularly, were deceived and either told their children had died at birth or convinced by unscrupulous middlemen to give up their children for adoption. There are also accounts of brothers and sisters who learned much later in life that their parents had sold younger siblings in a time of financial hardship.

"They took it [the baby] from me. I was sent photos twice and then done." "I don't want anything from her. I just want to see her and know she's OK." "If she wants to know her origins, we are available and she is welcome in our beautiful family." These are just some of the comments recently posted on The Never Forgotten Romanian Children.

'Swept Under The Rug'

The stories of children separated from their families in Romania have largely remained untold, say advocates including Racines and Dignite (Roots and Dignity), which represents French adoptees from Romania.

Founded by Marion le Roy Dagen, the group is involved in efforts to launch judicial probes and other investigative actions to track down those who may have profited improperly from the adoption trade or even extract apologies from the states involved. It has also advocated for easier access to information and legal and psychological counseling for those affected.

Dagen was adopted by a French family in 1982, after six years in a Romanian orphanage. Until the age of 20, she believed that her biological parents had died long ago, because that's what she had been told. After the fall of communism, Dagen increasingly questioned her identity and eventually returned to Romania, where she discovered that her mother was not only alive but had been convinced that her daughter had died shortly after birth.

At that time, Dagen knew nothing about the scale of the international adoption trade in Romania, which by some estimates comprised about one-third of all the world's documented cases of adoptions in the 1990s.

Shortly after publishing her memoirs in 2018, Dagen was bombarded with messages from hundreds of adopted Romanians asking for her help in seeking information about their past. That prompted her to dig deeper into Romania's dark past. Her research gave her a clearer picture of the corruption in Romania's adoption system and even human trafficking. She was consumed above all else, however, by a sense of injustice.

"The roots of the system were hard to figure out," Dagen, who said her eyes were really opened after reading Roelie Post's Romania For Export Only, told RFE/RL.

Post had been appointed by the European Commission to oversee reform of the child-welfare system in Romania. Post, who served between 1999 and 2005, kept a diary and became an outspoken critic of what she saw as corruption that fueled the international pressure for adoptions.

"I realized how complex the subject is and that adoptees do not receive the legal and psychological counseling they need because their stories have been swept under the rug," Dagen said of discovering Post's observations.

Post said that she had uncovered that much of the EU aid earmarked for reform in Romania went to NGOs that were involved not only in restructuring institutions and retraining but also in the business of adoptions, either as partners with international adoption agencies or providing the service themselves.

'Narrative Of Abandonment'

In June 2001, Bucharest ordered a ban on international adoptions of Romanian babies after Emma Nicholson, at the time the European Parliament's rapporteur for Romania, criticized the country's treatment of institutionalized children and indicated that some officials might be involved in child trafficking.

Elena, who was adopted by a French doctor, discovered through contacts made through Racines and Dignite that several adoptees had similar stories to hers. She and her brother had been placed in a state-run orphanage by their biological mother, who had hoped it would only be temporary. Elena said that like other Romanian mothers who did the same thing, her mom hoped to reclaim her children once her financial situation turned around.

Instead, when Elena's mom came to visit them at the orphanage, staff barred her from seeing them. Elena believes they were motivated by a law at the time stating that parents with children in state-run orphanages who failed to visit them for six months could have their parental rights revoked by a court. Such a ruling would open the way for adoption. And that's what happened to Elena and her brother.

"My mother lost her children and never knew what happened," Elena recounted. "There were people around her who were interested in taking her children. It was a relief to learn this and to find this confirmed by others. It's much easier for me to understand her and feel connected to her. This detail basically rewrites the narrative of abandonment, of the mother who didn't want you and left you. It's a completely different story that no one is talking about."

It's also why Dagen now advocates for greater rights for adoptees to learn about their past and for state bureaucracy and institutions to be more accommodating and caring.

"Professionals in the system do not really understand the emotional burden of adoption or the sense of abandonment experienced in childhood.... You are treated as if you have a problem, that you are stirring up the past, that you are questioning it," she said.

Just recently, Dagen met up with Schepers in Bucharest to discuss, among other things, a legal case they want to file against Romania and other states they contend were involved in illegal intercountry adoptions.

They feel their case has been bolstered by a statement by UN experts published in September that such adoptions "may violate the prohibition of abduction, sale of, or trafficking in children and the prohibition of enforced disappearances."

The group of experts from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights urged states "to take action to prevent and eradicate such illicit practices."

The joint statement was issued amid questions in several countries over the issue of illegal intercountry adoptions, with an increasing number of adoptees discovering inconsistencies or errors in their adoption process, or that what they had been told about their origins and the reasons for their adoptions were fake.

There has been some success in compensating victims of child trafficking. Gudio Fluri organized a grassroots effort in his native Switzerland to establish a fund to compensate victims who were unjustly separated from their biological parents. So far, some 11,000 people -- most of them adopted from Romania by Swiss families -- have received official apologies and compensation of 25,000 Swiss francs ($26,875) each.

For Schepers, the hurdles and indifference he says he confronted over the past year as he dug for details of his Romanian past left him dejected.

Nearly everywhere he turned for information or help, Schepers says he was told that the adoption happened a long time ago, that this was how Romania was then, and that the upheaval of the past would not bring him any good.

"I will never know the truth. Nothing will ever make sense," he sighed, although he added that he still held out hope. "There must be someone out there I will feel is a relative. Everybody needs that, right?"
When the Taliban returned to power in 2021 in a lightning military insurrection that toppled Afghanistans internationally recognized government, the country immediately fell into diplomatic isolation.



Two of Kabuls neighbors to the north, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, chose a different route, putting the hard-line groups fractious history with the former Soviet Central Asian republics aside and prioritizing engagement over criticism and pressure.



But a giant canal project in Afghanistan now taking shape that the Taliban is pursuing at a rapid pace is giving the two water-stressed countries doubts about whether strategic patience with the Islamic fundamentalist group will yield rewards.



If you look at other projects that have involved Afghanistan and Central Asia somehow, there has often been a win-win element, Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili, founding director of the Center for Governance and Markets at the University of Pittsburgh, told RFE/RL.



But the Qosh Tepa Irrigation Canal, which will divert large volumes of water from the dwindling transboundary Amu Darya River, is a very different case.



This is very much zero sum, because water is a finite good and there dont seem to be any benefits for Afghanistans neighbors here, said Murtazashvili, adding that she expects the Central Asian countries to pursue a lot of quiet diplomacy on the project that will add to the pressures faced by outsized agricultural sectors already battling climate change and historical mismanagement.

But the Taliban will be probing to see how far it can go, Murtazashvili said, something she suggested its downstream neighbors will have to get used to.



If the first Taliban [regime that ruled most of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001] was weighed down by insurgency and in some ways never really behaved like a state, Taliban 2.0 seems to really like the idea of projecting state power, Murtazashvili said.



Old Project With New Momentum



The stated dimensions of the irrigation canal that workers started digging last spring are enough to understand why the downstream countries have concerns.



With a length of 285 kilometers and a width of some 100 meters, experts believe it could draw a significant portion of the Amu Daryas flow while irrigating 550,000 hectares of land.



An Afghan civil servant with knowledge of the project told RFE/RLs Uzbek Service that work on the second of three stages of the project that began in the spring of 2022 is expected to begin in the coming months, with more than 100 kilometers already dug and visible from space.



The plan to irrigate land in northern Afghanistan is not new.



Farid Azim, an official at the National Development Company overseeing its construction, pointed out last year that Afghanistans first president, Mohammad Daud Khan, had a similar vision in the 1970s.

The project was most recently pursued by the U.S.-backed administration of President Ashraf Ghani -- which the Taliban overthrew less than two years ago.



A press release issued by the United States Agency for International Development from 2018 marking the launch of a Washington-funded feasibility study for Qosh Tepa described a 200 kilometer-long canal serving a cultivated catchment area of 500,000 hectares.



Developing Afghanistans agriculture sector provides great potential for employment and economic growth, then-U.S. Ambassador John R. Bass said in the release.



But the project was not a pressing concern for neighbors, primarily because political infighting and chronic instability in northern Afghanistan had made it impractical.



Bismellah Alizada, a researcher at Londons School of Oriental and African Studies, told RFE/RL that Rashid Dostum, who was the Afghan first vice president from 2014 to 2020, was among the influential politicians with concerns about the project.



One of those concerns was that it would be used to benefit and resettle members of the politically dominant Pashtun group to which President Ashraf Ghani belonged, Alizada said.



Dostum -- an ethnic Uzbek warlord -- long enjoyed strong ties to the regime in Uzbekistan and was even reported to have fled there when the Taliban captured Mazar-e Sharif, overwhelming forces jointly under his command before the group advanced on Kabul.

Members of Dostums exiled Junbish-e Milli party have reiterated these concerns more recently, but the reality is that the Taliban has no opponents capable of preventing it from forging ahead with giant public works projects, Alizada said.



More obvious obstacles are technical capacity and cash, with billions of dollars in funds belonging to Afghanistans central bank frozen after the Taliban takeover. That would make it hard for the cash-strapped Taliban to finance a project whose first phase cost nearly $100 million, according to reports.



But Graeme Smith, a senior consultant for the International Crisis Groups Asia Program, said the Taliban has a strong political will to finish off projects begun by the former government with Qosh Tepa the biggest that the group has revived so far.



With their very limited resources, the Taliban have prioritized [Qosh Tepa], said Smith, expressing skepticism that the Islamic fundamentalist group would pay attention to its neighbors concerns.



The Taliban is a nationalist movement intensely focused on their domestic constituencies, Smith said.



I think its fair to assume they will continue governing with a strong focus on issues inside the country and less regard for concerns outside, he told RFE/RL.



Games Of Leverage



Taciturn Turkmenistan has so far said nothing about the canal project.



But a Turkmenistan-based hydrologist speaking in March to RFE/RLs Turkmen Service on condition of anonymity called the project not a problem, but a disaster.



RFE/RL correspondents in the closed authoritarian country reported this year about severe water shortages in Turkmenistans Soviet-built Karakum Canal, which is four times the length of the one the Taliban is seeking to complete.



The World Resources Institute in 2019 ranked Turkmenistan as one of 17 countries in the world with extremely high water stress. Uzbekistan and Afghanistan were placed in the next highest category. Central Asia as a whole depends on rivers that rise in mountains, where many glacier stocks are being depleted by climate change.



Tashkent, whose own Moscow-imposed, cotton-growing legacy is one of the chief causes of the Amu Daryas demise, has been more proactive on Qosh Tepa.

According to the Talibans deputy prime minister for economic affairs, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the topic was among those broached by Uzbek presidential envoy and former Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Komilov when he was in Kabul last month for talks on economic cooperation.



Komilov was cited by Baradars office as saying that Uzbekistan was ready to work with the Islamic emirate (the Taliban-ruled Afghanistan) through technical teams in order to maximize the benefits of the Qosh Tepa canal project.



Uzbekistan provided no comment to that effect in its release on the talks, but President Shavkat Mirziyoev -- in a national address in December -- flagged Qosh Tepa as a concern as he touched on the problem of desertification.

At the moment, we consider it necessary to conduct practical talks on the construction of a new canal in the Amu Darya basin with the interim government of neighboring Afghanistan and the international community based on international standards and taking into account the interests of all countries in the region, he said.



We believe that this approach will be supported by our neighbors.



Mirziyoevs preference for dialogue over threats on transboundary water use has been welcomed by the neighborhood since predecessor Islam Karimov passed away in 2016.



This appears to have worked with upstream Kyrgyzstan, where successful border negotiations saw Uzbekistan granted de facto control of a strategic reservoir located inside Kyrgyz territory, albeit not without a rash of political discontent in Kyrgyzstan.

And although authoritarian Karimov virulently opposed the construction of giant hydroelectric dams in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, Mirziyoev has given both his blessing, with Tashkent even attaching itself to Kyrgyzstans Kambar-Ata-1 project as a partner -- a move that will give it a hand in upstream management.



Qosh Tepa, however, is becoming a source of public anxiety in Uzbekistan.



With the volume of the Amu Darya water [already] decreasing, Afghans will take a quarter of its water through this canal, complained Uzbek academic and outspoken government critic Khidirnazar Allakulov in an interview with RFE/RLs Uzbek Service.



Instead of solving the problem, the Uzbek government takes the Taliban to Samarkand, dressing them and presenting them with gifts. The government bows to Afghanistan.. Not only the current generation, but also future [Uzbek] generations can be endangered by the water problem, Allakulov said.



Regular exchanges between the Turkmen and Uzbek governments and the Taliban predated the fall of the Ghani government, and Turkmenistan was among the first countries in the world to accept a Taliban-appointed ambassador.

But in line with the international community as a whole, neither has recognized the new regime in Kabul.



This only complicates what Alizada calls the legal lacuna between Afghanistan and its former communist neighbors, since Kabul had not previously signed treaties with them on transboundary management.



And while Afghanistan is keen for more trade opportunities and relies on its northern neighbors for supplies of electricity for several provinces, there are other areas of these bilateral relations where the Taliban feels it has real leverage, Alizada argued.



For the Central Asian countries, I think the number one concern is hard security, especially with the regions history with transnational extremist groups. The Taliban will continue to use assurances on security in negotiations with these countries going forward.
The United States has joined the European Union in condemning the execution of two men in Iran on January 7 after they were found guilty of killing a member of the Basij force during antiestablishment protests.

U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price condemned "in the strongest terms" what he called the "sham trials & execution" of the two men for killing the paramilitary force member in November.

"These executions are a key component of the regime's effort to suppress protests. We continue to work with partners to pursue accountability for Iran's brutal crackdown," Price said on Twitter.

EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell said earlier that the EU was "appalled" by the executions.

"This is yet another sign of the Iranian authorities' violent repression of civilian demonstrations," Borrell's spokesperson said. "The European Union calls once again on the Iranian authorities to immediately end the strongly condemnable practice of imposing and carrying out death sentences against protesters."

Iran's judicial news agency Mizan Online announced the executions of Mohammad Mahdi Karami and Seyyed Mohammad Hosseini by hanging. It described them as "the main perpetrators of the crime that led to the martyrdom of Ruhollah Ajamian" during protests in Karaj near the Iranian capital.

Karami and Hosseini were sentenced to death in early December. The Supreme Court upheld the death sentences, accusing them of killing Ajamian on November 3.

Prosecutors had said the 27-year-old Ajamian was stripped naked and killed by a group of mourners who had been attending a memorial for Hadis Najafi, who was killed in the protests in September.

Karami and Hosseini had denied the charges against them and said they had been tortured in prison.

The two men did not have access to legal counsel of their choice.

Tehran-based lawyer Mohammad Hossein Aghasi quoted Karamis father as saying the family had been able to meet him "for the last time."

Aghasi had said that the court did not allow him to represent Karami, a move that contradicted a recent claim by the head of the Supreme Court that all prisoners had the right to choose their legal representation.

The activist group HRANA quoted Karamis lawyer as saying that his client had been on a hunger strike since January 4 in Karaj Central Prison to protest the court's decision and its denial of his right to choose a lawyer of his choosing.

Last month, the opposition activist collective 1500tasvir reported that Karami said in a meeting with his family that officers beat him so badly during his arrest that they left his body in the street thinking he was dead. They realized he wasn't just as they were leaving and placed him in detention.

Human rights organizations have condemned the death sentences being handed down against protesters in Iran after what they have termed "sham trials" that were held via three hearings over six days.

Amnesty International has said the trials "bore no resemblance to a meaningful judicial proceeding."

"These men weren't executed after a judicial process, they were lynched," Hadi Ghaemi, the executive director of the New York-based Center For Human Rights In Iran, said in a statement on January 7.

"The Islamic republic is using executions and lethal force against street protesters to instill terror in the hearts of the population to crush the Iranian people's hopes and calls for change," he added.

Four people have been executed in connection with the protests triggered by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini following her arrest by Tehrans morality police for allegedly violating the hijab law.

Two men were hanged in December amid global outrage.

Iran has responded to the protests with a bloody crackdown, killing nearly 500 people, including minors. Thousands more have been arrested, including many protesters, as well as journalists, lawyers, activists, and others, amid concerns about the charges against them.

The Oslo-based Iran Human Rights Organization says more than 500 executions were carried out in Iran in 2022.

With reporting by AFP and AP
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal on April 12 made another major push for modern and sophisticated U.S. weapons in a meeting at the Pentagon with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

Shmyhal said Ukraine "still needs intensive military support -- more air-defense systems that minimize the impact of Russian air strikes, more heavy artillery, mortars, and ammunition for them" and asked that the Pentagon "reconsider the possibility of providing Ukraine with...longer-range missiles."

Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's full-scale invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensives, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.

Speaking to reporters alongside Austin, Shmyhal said Kyiv applauds the decision of the United States to join a coalition to provide Ukraine with tanks and Bradley and Stryker infantry fighting vehicles, but added, "For our counterattack to be successful, we require an increase in such supplies."

He noted that Ukraine has formed a fighter jet coalition and said, "We are inviting the United States to become its most important participant."

Ukraine for months has pressed the United States and its allies to provide fighter jets to match Russia in the air. The Pentagon has resisted over concerns about escalating the war. But Shmyhal said on April 12 that in modern warfare, air superiority is crucial, and America can "once again demonstrate its leadership by providing Ukraine with F-15 or F-16 aircrafts."

Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Pat Ryder said earlier in a statement that Austin and Shmyhal discussed security assistance priorities, such as air defense and artillery, and training for the Ukrainian armed forces.

The meeting came as Ukrainian forces continue are defending the eastern city of Bakhmut and preparing for an expected counteroffensive to retake Russian-occupied territory, and as Austin deals with the repercussions of the recent purported leak of classified documents.

Austin and Shmyhal discussed security assistance priorities, such as air defense and artillery and training for the Ukrainian armed forces, Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Pat Ryder said in a statement.

Austin shared with Shmyhal the key objectives of the next meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group scheduled for April 21 and "commended the bravery of the Ukrainian people and reaffirmed that the United States will continue its support for as long as it takes," Ryder said.

The contact group includes more than 50 countries that have supplied equipment to support Ukraine.

Austin said the United States will "continue to swiftly deliver security assistance through procurements and from our own stocks," adding that he is confident that Ukraine's allies will meet its defense needs "through this spring and beyond."

Ukraine has indicated it will soon launch a counteroffensive.

On the battlefield, Russia said its forces struck Ukrainian Army reserves trying to break through to Bakhmut, while the Ukrainian military rejected a Russian claim that its forces have captured more than 80 percent of the besieged city.

Ukraine says its forces repelled 72 attacks over the past day by Russian forces in the east as intense fighting continued around Bakhmut.

"Despite numerous losses in equipment and manpower, the enemy does not give up waging a war of aggression. It continues to focus its main efforts on conducting offensive operations in the Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiyivka, and Maryinka area," the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces said in a statement on April 12.

Serhiy Cherevatiy, commander of Ukraine's ground forces, said the situation in Bakhmut was under control, adding Kyiv would not allow its troops to be encircled. The monthslong battle for Bakhmut in the eastern Donetsk region has turned into one of the bloodiest since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began.

Sergei Aksyonov, the Russian-installed head of Crimea, announced that ceremonies and parades that normally take place on May 1 and May 9 have been canceled.

In addition, he boasted about the defenses of the Russian Army on the illegally annexed peninsula and said that the expected counteroffensive of the Ukrainian armed forces was not frightening.

British intelligence has said that in preparation for the counteroffensive the Russian military has built three lines of defense 120 kilometers long to protect the Russian-occupied city of Melitopol, a strategic southern city that has been targeted by Ukrainian shelling in the past.

The document leak, which could be the most serious of U.S. military secrets in years, appear to include secret U.S. assessments of the war dating from late February into March.

One assessment dated February 23 and quoted by Reuters says Russia is unlikely to be able to take the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine.

"Russia's grinding campaign of attrition in the Donbas region is likely heading toward a stalemate, thwarting Moscow's goal to capture the entire region in 2023," reads the assessment.

Russia and Ukraine have questioned the veracity of the documents, while U.S. officials say some of the files appear to have been altered.

With reporting by Reuters
SEVASTOPOL, Ukraine -- Following Moscow's illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014, the Ukrainian peninsula experienced a real estate boom, as many Russians rushed to buy beachside properties.

With as many as 800,000 Russians moving to Crimea permanently since the occupation and others snapping up holiday homes or buying apartments and houses to let, it's not surprising that the local property market had been surging.

By the start of 2022, prices had been increasing by around 60 percent per year, according to some estimates.

A number of decisions by Russian-installed planning agencies also helped push prices up even further.

Last summer, for example, local authorities in Sevastopol suspended the issuance of building permits until a new city development plan was adopted. The market reacted immediately, with the average price per square meter in the city soaring from 85,000-95,000 rubles ($1,180-$1,320) in April 2021 to 120,000 ($1,670) rubles just two months later.

The property gravy train came off the rails, however, once Moscow launched its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in February.

According to the Idem consulting company, sales of residential real estate in Crimea had fallen by 72 percent in June 2022 compared to the year before.

Although there was some inertial increase in 2022 in the sale of apartments in new buildings, a growth rate of just over 5.1 percent in June was minimal when set against the double-digit surges of previous years.

Statistics from the Restate digital platform show that the average price for new builds in Sevastopol tanked from 207,300 rubles ($2,885) per square meter in May to 147,500 rubles ($2,055) in December, a decline of 29 percent in just six months. House prices in Crimea are estimated to have declined by almost 10 percent on average in 2022, and the course of the war in Ukraine looks set to exacerbate the situation even further.

Following the destruction of part of the Crimean Bridge in October and the liberation of Ukraine's port city of Kherson a month later, property sales on the peninsula have now ground to a virtual halt.

"External demand is gone, and for the most part it dictated both pricing and sales volumes," said Ilya Pichuyev, a managing partner of the Analytical Corporate Group, which conducts real-estate marketing research.

Mass Exodus

In Pichuyev's opinion, Ukrainian drone attacks, sabotage, and air-defense activities in Crimea have now fueled an exodus from the Crimean property market, with many reluctant to invest in an area so close to a war zone.

Moreover, there are also signs that, as the situation in Crimea becomes increasingly fraught and uncertain, many Russians are seeking to exit the local real-estate market at all costs.

Although officially a lot of real estate is being offered at prices that have been reduced by up to 2 percent, many owners are happy to knock off up to 20 percent of a property's declared value in order to get it off their hands as quickly as possible, according to Natalia Massalskaya from Multidom, a Sevastopol realtor.

Dmitry Zhidelev, the chairman of the Crimean Guild of Realtors, says that that the peninsula's real estate has become such a buyer's market that advertised property prices are being slashed by as much as 50 percent by the time a purchase is agreed.

The slowdown also appears to have affected all segments of the market, from luxury real estate to cheaper properties.

"Sales of apartments in our complex were quite active throughout this year, until autumnbut since October demand has practically stopped," said Irina Romanova, who is the marketing director for a resort facility near Yalta. "Many customers who were going to make a purchase before the end of this year decided to wait and postponed their plans till 'after New Year's' or even till the spring."

"The reason for this is the political environment and the uncertainty associated with it, as well as the lack of convenient logistics to the peninsula," she added, pointing out that the situation has been exacerbated by the fact that Moscow closed the airport in the Crimean capital, Simferopol, for security reasons after the invasion of Ukraine began on February 24. "Not everyone is ready to purchase real estate remotely, and to come and view properties has become a problem for many now that planes are not flying," she said.

Another reason why many Russian investors have become jittery about Crimean properties is the fact that their ownership status might be jeopardized should Ukraine retake the peninsula, a notion that seems less far-fetched than it did a year ago given Kyiv's recent battlefield successes.

If it happens, Ukrainian authorities have already made it clear that most Russians who have bought property in Crimea will simply lose their apartments. "The population that arrived illegally on the territory of the peninsula must leave...by voluntary departure or forced expulsion," said Tamila Tasheva, the permanent representative of the president of Ukraine in Crimea.

If Crimea were to be returned to Ukraine, it could also seriously complicate matters for locals who remained there following Russia's occupation of the region.

Native Crimeans who lived on the peninsula until 2014 and took Russian citizenship after the occupation will not be at risk of being prosecuted for collaboration, according to Ihor Ponochevniy, the head of the Ukrainian prosecutor's office for Crimea.

However, contracts for the sale of real estate, which Crimeans entered into under Russian law, can be cancelled, say Ukrainian commentators Mykola Volkivskiy, the president of the First International Ukrainian Foundation of Development, and Artem Oliinyk, who heads the Ukrainian branch of the International Association for Political Science Students.

Should the peninsula be liberated, experts predict that local courts might also have to resolve thousands of cases dealing with the thorny issue of Ukrainians who re-registered property in Crimea or sold real estate to Russians in accordance with legislation that applied under Moscow's occupation.

"Decisions will be made by local judges, who will consider each case separately in detail, but general recommendations can be made," Volkovskiy and Oliinyk said.

In their view, "all property of Ukrainian citizens must be returned to the hands of their rightful owners, and losses must be compensated." They also advocate ensuring that "the Russian military and collaborators should be deprived of property" and that such people should not be allowed to transfer ownership of this real estate to their families and friends.

Written by Coilin O'Connor based on a report for RFE/RL's Russian Service by Nikolai Berg
During a recent special Beatrice Public Schools Board of Education meeting, the Gross Maximum Price of the new elementary school building was approved at $40,562,409.

Hausman Construction, Inc. will be serving as the construction manager at-risk for the project.

Superintendent Jason Alexander said that after the GMP has been approved, if anything comes up that needs to be changed, with contingencies, the majority of the risk is transferred to Hausman Construction, Inc.

At the very beginning it was important for us to consider the process. We had the option of design, bid, and build, construction manager and construction manager at-risk, he said.

We have a contractor as good as Hausman that we can rely on and will do a good job. They will do it within the bid maximums that have been presented. Were confident that they will be the best partner in this project.

Pinnacle Bank is financing approximately $35 million of the project. Around $5 million of the funds will come from different sources including BPS, insurance and fundraising.

The Beatrice Educational Foundation is expected to introduce a capital campaign in the coming months.

What is not included in the building project is the additional soft costs. This includes furniture for the elementary and the alternates like bleachers, gym equipment and safety glass film, he said.

The GMP was decreased in the planning stage as BPS was able to use ESSERS funding for some of the soft costs related to the spread of COVID including kitchen equipment.

The school has put a plan in place to build an elementary that is safe and secure, and it meets all 21st century health and fire code standards. At the same time, it is equitable which means we have the classroom space now to serve our highest need students. Finally, the building will be more efficient in personnel and energy usage.

Alexander said a traffic study was completed and there were several recommendations, however there are no mandates in the report.

The majority of the traffic will be alleviated from the city streets. Traffic flow will be more directional and controlled.

The school has intentionally created cueing spots and one-way drives. In fact, the cueing distance is about 3 times greater than 90% of the elementary buildings in the state of Nebraska.

There is parking planned at all three of the main entrances to the two-story building. Bus lanes and traffic patterns are being considered.

The schools priority has been funding the building portion, he said. We had to get to the GMP before we could begin to consider the other components of the project.

Only one main entrance will be used during the day and is visible by the support staff. Other building entrances and exits will only be used by staff with key cards. The media center, music, art and band will have separate spaces and each grade level will have six classrooms with the exception of the pre-school which will have ten rooms.

Speech therapy, occupational therapy, title services and small group areas will have specific areas. In addition, the kitchen will be able to serve approximately 300 children.

Areas for storage and possible growth are also included in the plan.

At the end of the day, we recognize the importance of education at all levels. In doing it in a building that offers safety, security, equitability and efficiency is an investment in our community.

Weve been conscientious in planning for the building, and we will continue to work with our partners to encourage development and sustainability.
Ancient Chinese Landscape Painting Exhibition held in Vientiane

Xinhua) 10:32, January 07, 2023

A visitor watches traditional clothes at the Ancient Chinese Landscape Painting Exhibition themed "Picturesque Rivers and Mountains" held in Lao capital Vientiane on Jan. 6, 2023.

As an event of the 2023 "Happy Chinese New Year" activities, the exhibition opened in Vientiane on Friday. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua)

Visitors watch the works of the Ancient Chinese Landscape Painting Exhibition themed "Picturesque Rivers and Mountains" held in Lao capital Vientiane on Jan. 6, 2023.

As an event of the 2023 "Happy Chinese New Year" activities, the exhibition opened in Vientiane on Friday. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua)

Visitors watch the works of the Ancient Chinese Landscape Painting Exhibition themed "Picturesque Rivers and Mountains" held in Lao capital Vientiane on Jan. 6, 2023.

As an event of the 2023 "Happy Chinese New Year" activities, the exhibition opened in Vientiane on Friday. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua)

(Web editor: Xian Jiangnan, Wu Chaolan)
Billings has a new resource for its most at-risk youth that looks to only grow overtime.

The nonprofit organization Friends of the Children (FOTC) announced this fall that a new chapter for Eastern Montana would soon be offering mentorships to children and families in the Billings area. The program specifically works with kids who are most at risk of entering or are currently involved in the foster care system.

The work of the Oregon-based nonprofit is not unlike Big Brothers Big Sisters of America organization where volunteers spend time with a paired youth until they reach young adulthood. Where FOTC differs is the guarantee that children will be paired with salaried full-time professionals called Friends who will spend 3-4 hours per week with them outside of school from kindergarten through their high school graduation.

Underriner Motors owner and Board Chair Bill Underriner said he wanted to start a chapter after learning about the organization while working with a car dealership in Klamath Falls, Oregon.

Theres no other nonprofit in Montana doing the things that Friends of the Children are, he said. So its not a duplicate of something everybody else is doing.

Friends also mentor 8-10 youths as young as age 4, depending on childrens circumstances. Their approach involves building trusting relationships through critical social, emotional and academic support over a long period of time to help them achieve their goals.

The Billings-based chapter will be the second in Montana after the first in Missoula began in Oct. 2021. That chapters executive director Benjamin Davis explains this long-term commitment not only builds the children's trust and confidence, but it also provides them with a kind of emotional stability throughout their upbringing that they likely wouldnt have had otherwise.

Theres a certain simplicity to being a friend, he said. And oftentimes these friends are the only people in their lives [who are consistently there] over a long period of time.

Disrupting a cycle

Another quality that makes the program unique is the individualized focus on the community where every chapter is located. This can range from systemic poverty and racism to violence and underfunded schools to hunger and homelessness.

In Montana, the Missoula chapters focus is on addressing family abuse and violence. Also in its early stages, the chapter hopes to expand its number of professionals and scope to reach families in more rural areas throughout western Montana in the coming years.

The Eastern Montana chapter will focus on addressing mental health care with both the children and their entire families, due to the high rates of suicide, substance abuse and poverty in the area that lead to mental health challenges.

Davis said these societal issues often repeat themselves through a cycle where children are born into poverty, live their life in poverty and eventually bear their own children in poverty. To combat this, his chapter implements a two-generation approach to build family well-being by also working with the children's adults in their lives to strengthen effective parenting skills.

Our primary goal is disrupting that cycle of involvement, Davis said.

A model for success

The challenge with starting any new chapter comes in the initial fundraising since the funding needs to be guaranteed for the first three years, which may turn off potential investors.

In Billings case, the total was a goal of $1 million that was ultimately reached through contributions by the SCHEELS Foundation, the Margaret A. Cargill Foundation and the Echo Fund along with individual donors like philanthropist Mackenzie Scott and the Underriner family.

Friends of the Children currently has 29 locations across the country with the earliest starting in Portland, Oregon in 1992. It credits its success and expansion to research gathered overtime to not only demonstrate the positive outcomes of its children but also the financial benefits for the rest of society.

An analysis conducted by the Harvard Business School Association of Oregon reported that for every 100 high school graduates through FOTC, society gains:

24 or more high school or college graduates

59 fewer teen parents

30 fewer people getting an early start in prison and correspondingly fewer victims of the crimes that would have been committed

The study also estimated a dollar amount tied to the social return on investment as they extend to graduates families and the cycle of poverty. Between the graduates themselves, their projected children and grandchildren along with their siblings and fellow classmates who experience second-hand benefits from the program, an estimated $3.4 million is gained based on a combination of education, avoiding the justice system, avoiding teen parenting and lower health care costs.

Just over a year into their program, Davis says the kids are already exhibiting signs of improvement. In the case of one child who was exposed to significant trauma at an early age, they went from being unable to enter their classroom to becoming one of the more social and engaged students in the entire class.

Some of our stakeholders have called it magical, Davis said of the chapters work to date. Weve had teachers come up to us and tell us after a few months that these are different kids.

Public recognition

The Eastern Montana chapter is currently in the process of rounding out its board and recruiting local professionals who are best suited to serve the needs of local families. The chapter will start by serving 16 children the Billings area before branching out east in the years to come.

It has already begun working with local organizations like Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch, Youth Dynamics, Billings CLDI and the states Child and Family Services Division along with Orchard Elementary and Lockwood Schools with a goal to begin services by late winter or early spring of this year.

The new chapters executive director Nina Hernandez said they will also work closely with the western chapter due to both their experience to date and the similar goals.

Thats whats really great about this model is that we really need to work with all the other providers, Hernandez said. We cant work in silos to best serve these kids.

In the case that the funding were to cease and the chapter were to fold, the children currently enrolled are still guaranteed their mentor up until their graduation. Since none of the chapters have failed 30 years in however, there isnt much concern of this happening.

Davis said hes only seen more of the public buying in to their work since it's begun.

I think theres a recognition in filling a void, he said. Because theres no other program in the community providing this.
They say your life passes before your eyes just before you die. For submariners operating in the Arctic, the only thing that passes before our eyes is a wall of water. In March 1981, while serving aboard the nuclear submarine USS Drum (SSN-677), that wall of water visited me more than once in my dreams. One nightmare seemed so real that I jolted straight up in my rack from a deep slumber and pounded my head on the steel-encased fluorescent light above me. I spent the next few days with an aching head and vertical lines on my forehead.

At the request of Submarine Group (SUBGRU) 5, I had received a transfer from the USS Haddo (SSN-604) to the Drum (SSN-677), a newer Sturgeon-class submarine. Like the Haddo, the crew of the Drum numbered just under a hundred enlisted men and a dozen officers. Our CO, Cmdr. Michael Oliver, was an experienced and proficient leader who often ran headlong into danger like a sword  brandishing swashbuckler after bounty. Also on board was Lt. Robert Kamensky, who  has since been promoted to (rear admiral) in charge of all submarine operations for NATO.

William Craig Reed

Commander Oliver sat me down in his stateroom a few days after I reported on board and explained why Id been transferred to the Drum. He told me that Soviet tactics had changed dramatically when the Reds projected power into distant waters and tried to cut off Western sea lanes. Now they focused primarily on protecting their (ballistic missile submarines) by finding and destroying U.S. submarines and (anti-submarine warfare) ships.

The Russian Victor III attack submarine had been built with this purpose in mind. In light of this radical change in Soviet behavior, the (National Security Agency) had deep concerns about the purpose and capability of a strange object mounted on the rudder of the Victor III. Resembling a large egg about twenty feet in length and eight feet in diameter, the NSA had no idea what the thing was. Some speculated that it might be a new magneto-electric propulsion system, or perhaps a new type of weapon, or an advanced towed sonar array. Whatever the case, the unknown sparked a sense of urgency and fear.

That fear rolled downhill to the Navy and downward still to SUBGRU 5. They had examined numerous photographs Id taken of Victor IIIs while on the Haddo and liked what they saw. They wanted more  but preferably closer and clearer. Under strict orders not to discuss any of this with the rest of the crew, Oliver told me that the Drum would be leaving on a (Western Pacific deployment) in the fall to conduct two special-operations (SpecOp) Holy Stone missions to get those photos. We spent the next several months training and preparing for that run.

I saw a gleam in Olivers eyes that day and figured that our next deployment represented his best ticket to stardom and perhaps another stripe on his sleeve. Oliver said that hed been instructed to exercise every means possible to obtain better photographs of the odd pod. Since Id taken and developed more Victor III shots than almost anyone else and had also received advanced photographic training, Oliver wanted me practiced and ready to help reel off pictures when needed.

Related Undersea adventure of submarines

As I sat in Olivers stateroom and listened to his speech, feelings of pride, inadequacy and fear overwhelmed me. I thought the Drum just needed another fire-control technician and navy diver. I hadnt planned on this extracurricular assignment, and I hoped that when the time came, Id be up to the challenge.

Having completed a few more classes in (reconnaissance) photography and some on-the-job training during local at-sea exercises, I received orders to report to the diving tower at the Navy SEAL training facility on Coronado island. Commander Oliver requested that I spend some time doing photographic reconnaissance training with a SEAL team there. This type of exercise was not new, and in fact had been commonplace during the Vietnam War. Navy diver photographers like Steve Waterman, author of Just a Sailor, undertook such operations all the time. Navy divers and photographers sometimes swam with SEAL teams to various beaches, near foreign vessels or within visual range of shore-based facilities to take reconnaissance photos for upcoming operations.

Once on station, and after spending a few weeks in the Arctic near the Petropavlovsk navy base on the Kamchatka Peninsula, the Drum headed south and arrived on station near the Vladivostok naval base inside the Sea of Japan. Despite our proximity to one of the Soviet Unions largest submarine ports, several uneventful weeks went by. I wondered if wed come up dry once again on this run and have to head home without any odd pod photos of a Victor III.

A month went by underwater with no sign of a Victor, and all of us longed for the thrill of the hunt. We stood our watches, cleaned our assigned spaces during field days, drank green Kool-Aid bug juice, ate gedunk snacks, watched Saturday Night Fever until we all hated the Bee Gees, then watched it again.

Six weeks into our three-month SpecOp, the cooks served butter-drenched lobster and grilled steak for the SpecOps midway meal. Savoring the tasty morsels boosted my morale but only temporarily. I wanted to find that Victor III. Just over two months into our run, I finally got that chance.

After breakfast I grabbed a cup of coffee from the crews mess, walked up the ladder into the reddened rig for dark control room and took over as fire-control technician of the watch. My duties now included tracking contacts via the MK-113 fire-control system and, when called for, taking pictures of those contacts through the periscope. Resigned to enduring another boring six-hour watch, I sat on the bench near one of the consoles.

Analog servos and synchros inside the gray metallic enclosure whined and popped as they struggled to keep up with a distant contact. Downing a gulp of coffee, I glanced around the control room. Cigarette smoke swirled into the stale air and danced with the steam from a half-dozen Navy cups. Save for the sound of a jazz band playing Coltrane, the nostalgic scene reminded me of a bar off Market Street in downtown San Diego.

In the dim glow, I saw the chief of the watch (COW) sitting across and in front of me on the port side of the boat. He faced a gray monolith filled with black panels covered with an array of switches, dials and gauges. His oversized left arm almost hid the low-pressure blow panel, and his right shoulder all but covered the square snorkel control area. Just above his head, a horizontal row of red indicators validated that we had no hull openings exposed to the sea. I often wondered what might happen if one of those lights ever went from closed to open while we were deep.

The alarm switchboard rested above the COWs left ear, adorned with two rows of 10 rectangular red alarm lights underscored by three-way switches. Above the COWs right ear, large silver handles jutted from a gray box with a single indicator and two black signs that read aft blow and fwd blow. Of all the panels in the control room, that one sent chills down my spine more than anything else. If the COW ever needed to pull those handles, wed probably be on our way to the bottom, and our only hope of survival would mean a risky emergency blow to expel the water from our ballast tanks.

To the COWs right, a helmsman and planesman slouched in bucket seats, hands resting at the 10 and two oclock positions on two half-oval steering wheels. Marlboros dangled from their lips as they shared bad jokes. Each focused on two large dials at eye level that indicated the boats depth. These two yahoos were responsible for maintaining depth control and steering the boat on the right course. When trailing a Soviet submarine, which we did on Holy Stone missions, wed often come within a few dozen yards to record various machinery and propeller noises. One wrong move by either of these sailors could cause a serious accident, possibly sending one or both subs to the bottom.

Above and in between these two, dials depicted rudder, fairwater and stern plane angles, along with gyro course, speed and dive bubble  the latter equating to the level of the boat in a similar fashion to a carpenters level. Just behind the planesman and helmsman, a burly diving officer puffed on a pipe. The grandfatherly smell of his sweet cherry tobacco coated the air and reminded me of home when I was a kid. My dad once smoked a pipe until he switched to cigarettes. The chief had smokers wrinkles and a bald spot on the back of his head.

His teeth had long since turned bitter coffee brown. If he hadnt been wearing a dark blue poopy suit pair of coveralls like the rest of us, I might have mistaken him for a homeless person in need of a shopping cart. To the right of the diving control area, just in front of the MK-113 fire-control gear, a large gray navigation and plot table, covered with a chart of the area near Vladivostok, kept two people occupied: the quartermaster of the watch and the junior officer of the deck.

A panel flanking the left side of the table had recessed buttons to control various functions, and the top held up a navigation ruler. The plot served a dual role: one, to plot the course to our next destination, and two, to manually keep track of nearby contacts in relation to our track. Making sure we knew our location in relation to the other guys could be critical in preventing a collision. I knew that one wrong calculation or assumption could spell disaster and hoped that such would not happen on my watch.

To my left, on the periscope stand, stood the officer of the deck, Lt. Nick Flacco. Hed graduated from Annapolis with his eye set on a patrol gunboat squadron based in Naples, Italy. As an engineering major, he ranked in the top 20 percent of his class, and that fact painted a target on his back. While still in his senior year at the academy, the pressure mounted to go nuclear. Officers trained in that discipline questioned Flaccos request for gunboats along with his sanity. During his submarine indoctrination, aboard the USS John Marshall (SSBN- 611), the navigator turned to Flacco and said, Whatever you do, dont go submarines. You wont like it. Flacco concurred, stating that hed already decided on gunboats.

Over the next few months, officers pushed and prodded Flacco to select either nuclear subs or surface ships, as the Navy needed officers for both. Flacco chose submarines when he heard that junior officers were sleeping in the brig on aircraft carriers because they didnt have enough staterooms. Based on his class standing, the navy let him choose the USS Drum in San Diego. An easygoing young officer with a pleasant smile and a get-the-job-done attitude, Flacco was a favorite with the crew. I always hoped that if we did have an emergency, hed be our (officer of the deck) at the time.

That night on watch, just over two months into our boring SpecOp, a technical T-Brancher spook tucked away in the radio room got a distant sniff on our BRD-7 electronics surveillance system. Faint at first, he almost missed the MRK-50 Series Topol radar, code named Snoop Tray 2 by NATO. As he analyzed the signal captured by the BRD-7 further, his eyes lit up. At that time, only Victor IIIs and some Delta-class submarines used that type of radar.

Our (commanding officer), Cmdr. Oliver, did a happy dance in the corridor outside the radio room when he heard the news. I watched his jig from the control room, wondering why he seemed so excited. I learned from Flacco that the spooks reported good news and bad news.

The good news: the Snoop Tray 2 signal was not moving, indicating that the Victor might be resting at night on the surface, something (it) occasionally did before an exercise. The bad news: They were inside Peter the Great Bay near Vladivostok, which meant a possible traffic jam of lethal Soviet warships.

Oliver decided to chance the risks and pursue the target. If we could get some close-up shots of that Victor IIIs mysterious odd pod and under-hull pictures of her sleek frame, thered be big medals and promotions galore. On the other hand, one small miscalculation could result in a catastrophic collision.

Oliver hadnt slept in a while, so he ordered our (executive officer) to ... follow the radar signal, then wake him when we drew close enough for periscope photos and an under-hull photographic run. As the fire-control technician of the watch, I had the responsibility of keeping a plot of all the contacts we detected. The Victor III wasnt moving, so that part of the job was easy. Dozens of other contacts in the area, including several submarines and surface ships, were going to and fro at fast clips, so that part proved difficult. Since our MK-113 fire-control system could plot only four targets simultaneously, I dialed Master Two, our Victor III submarine, into one of the digital computer displays, and three other contacts, representing the closest warships, into the other consoles.

We dodged the warships by running slow while weaving our way into Peter the Great Bay. As we neared our contact, just off Popov Island outside Vladivostok harbor, and the signal strength on the Snoop Tray 2 radar increased, the executive officer had someone wake up Cmdr. Oliver. Our (commanding officer) strode into the control room a few minutes later. He smelled like Old Spice aftershave as he approached and glanced at my plot board.

Ready the thirty-five, Oliver said.

Yes, sir, I said. I opened a locker, removed the 35 mm camera, checked the film status and waited.

Oliver relieved the executive officer ... and called the under-hull photographic-operations party to the control room. He brought the Drum to periscope depth and raised the periscope, spun the metal cylinder back and forth, then stopped. There she is, he said. Bearing to Master Two on my mark ... mark! Range, 900 yards.

Our WLR-9 Electronic Surveillance Measures warning indicator started beeping, signaling that enemy radar had gotten a sniff of our extended masts. Through the small PeriViz monitor mounted in the overhead near the periscope stand, I could see what Oliver saw in full color. Streaks of purple-orange clung to a barrage of gray clouds on the horizon as dawn crept toward sunrise.

Against the gray, the dark silhouette of the Victor IIIs sloping conning tower and extended masts seemed surreal, as if only a picture out of the pages of Janes Fighting Ships. Certainly, the real thing could not be less than a half-mile away. Lights blinked on shore behind the Soviet submarine, intimating that Russians prepared for their day just like we did. I wondered who they were, what they were like, if they loved, laughed and cried like we did. I wondered what they would think if they knew we were hiding in their front yard.

Oliver pushed the small red button on the scopes right handle. I heard a soft whirring as he snapped a 70 mm photo with each push. He unglued his eye and stepped back from the scope.

He looked my way and said, You ready to reel?

Yes, sir, I said. The 35 mm is loaded and ready.

Youve got two minutes, Oliver said as the WLR-9 chirped away in the background.

I moved over to the scope well and snapped the 35 mm into position, then settled my eye onto the back of the camera and squinted. Morning light crept across the ocean as the sun peeked above the snow-capped Sikhote Alin mountain range on the horizon. With moist palms, I gripped the scope handles tighter and tried to slow down my breathing. On low power, the Soviet submarine filled my view. By feel, I adjusted the cameras focus and f-stop setting and lined up the cross-hairs on the odd pod.

The control room settled into silence, save for the manual snapping of the camera shutter. I snapped a dozen photos, then switched to the highest- power setting. The oval pod took up the entire cross-haired circle through which I gazed. The WLR-9 beeped again in my left ear, now delivering an almost steady procession of tones.

Lets go, Reed, Oliver said.

The commanding officers deep baritone pushed my pulse across the red line. My fingers twitched as I swung the view over to the masts and snapped a few more pictures. Moving at light speed, I detached the 35 mm camera and flipped up the scope handles to the vertical position.

Down scope! The oily mast lowered into the scope well. Around me the world turned crimson again. I squinted as my eyes readjusted to the dim red lighting.

Well? Oliver said. Dark circles underscored the commanding officers brown eyes.

I shook my head from side to side. I got some good shots, Capn, but with this lighting angle at this distance, I dont think theyre good enough. I recommend we move to the other side, draw in closer and get the light behind us.

I couldnt believe my own words. Nine hundred yards off our port bow sat one of the best attack boats the Soviets had. In nearly every respect, she was comparable, if not better than, our Sturgeon-class submarine. Yet here I was recommending that we move in close enough to smell each others armpits.

I concur, Oliver said as the executive officer leaned in close to listen. The 70 mm shots probably arent going to cut it, either. (Executive officer), you have the conn. Reed, follow me.

Oliver walked toward his stateroom. For a brief second, fear and confusion froze my legs. Oliver stopped, turned and gave me a look. Feet unfrozen, I followed the commanding officer to his stateroom. Oliver opened the door and we ducked inside. He sat down at his desk and looked at the floor. I closed the door and stood, waiting for him to speak.

I may need you to egress, Oliver said, lifting his head.

My heart shot into my throat.

Egress, sir? Confused, my thoughts moved in slow motion, as if smothered by cold syrup.

I may need you to take a Draeger, egress and get us some better shots of that Victor III. We need close-up photos of that pod, unfettered by our periscope optics, to determine what that thing is.

I didnt know what to say. Take a Draeger? Egress? That meant donning a bubble-less rebreathing device, locking out of the escape trunk in a Soviet harbor, swimming to the surface while tethered to a line, and taking photographs of a Soviet submarine just a few hundred yards away. Even though I had trained with the SEALs for such a mission, I knew he was asking me to volunteer. I also knew that if I did wind up taking those photos, I could never talk about the ordeal with anyone, not even most of the crew.

I had to push my reply past the lump in my throat. Ill get the underwater enclosure for the camera and suit up, sir.

Oliver nodded. When you receive my order, and no sooner, you will egress, stay hooked to the line, surface long enough to take a few photos, and then return. Is that understood?

Yes, sir. Understood.

Oliver rubbed his palms together, looked back at the floor and whispered something to himself that I didnt understand at the time. If they can send divers to tap cables, then I can damn sure send one to take photos.

Oliver stood and dismissed me.

I left his stateroom and headed toward the bow of the boat. There I suited up and readied my gear, which included placing the 35 mm camera in a watertight enclosure. My fathers words, spoken years earlier when I feared stepping into the batters box in Little League, churned in my head. Face your fears, son. If you dont, they will own you.

Once inside the bow compartment, I opened the bottom hatch to the eight-foot-diameter escape trunk. With the help of a seaman trained in escape trunk operation, I climbed up the ladder and squeezed inside the oval. I closed the hatch below my knees and fought off the suffocating fingers of dread that curled about by neck. A small, dim light cast strange shadows about the tiny metal dungeon filled with gauges and valves. Alone and stuffed into my hot neoprene wet suit, I sat on the bottom of the cold trunk and shivered. My eyes focused on the small metal communications box mounted on the bulkhead, from which I knew my orders to go would be delivered. Hundreds of thoughts did somersaults inside my head, all of them dismal.

Will I get good enough photos? Will the Soviets spot me? Will I survive the mission?

Meanwhile, in the control room, things went from bad to ugly.

While commander Oliver had been talking to me, the (executive officer) took the boat deeper to maneuver to the other side of the Victor so we could get shots with the sun behind us versus glaring on our scope lens. This had been my suggestion to Oliver before we left the conn together. With the Victor III sitting still, sonar remained useless, and our ESMs Snoop Tray 2 radar hits were the only means to determine the targets approximate range and bearing. That information allowed for only a rough idea of the subs location, despite the previous periscope fix.

The (executive officer) ordered Nick Flacco to maneuver the Drum to a point opposite our previous location, then bring the boat to periscope depth again. Knowing that doing an under-hull photographic operation might be next, Flacco ran through a mental checklist. As he did, a silent alarm went off in his head. Shit, the wire.

What did you say ...? the (executive officer) said.

We need to reel in our floating VLF radio wire, Flacco said. Its still out there.

Dammit! the (executive officer) said. Get someone from radio up here now.

Flacco called up a radioman, who sprinted into the control room.

The petty officer opened a door at the front of the room and stepped inside the tiny area that led up to the bridge. He undogged the lower hatch, climbed up the ladder and started bringing in the wire. Meanwhile, Oliver returned to the conn and took over. He approached the No. 2 periscope and waited until Flacco confirmed that the Drum had almost reached periscope depth. Oliver wrapped his hand around the orange metal hoop encircling the scope well, then pulled the round bar clockwise. Up scope.

Hands gripping the scope handles, eyes seated into the rubber socket, Oliver waited for his prize to come into focus. For a brief second a smile played on his lips as he savored the moment. The Drum neared the surface and Olivers smile vanished. He frantically lowered the scope and yelled, Emergency dive!

Too late.

A thunderous boom shook the boat.

The radioman who had been reeling in the wire tumbled down the ladder and slammed onto the deck. Blood oozed from his head. The sound of metal screeching over metal filled everyones ears in the control room. The boat lurched forward and angled down at the bow by 10 degrees. Flacco glanced at the unconscious radioman, then at the door that led to the bridge. The lower hatch is still open, he thought, if we have flooding now.

Down in the bow compartment, shoved into the escape trunk, I heard a deafening clap above my head, followed by an ear-splitting metal shriek. The dim light in the trunk went out, leaving pitch-black darkness in its wake. The force shoved me head-first into a valve handle. My jaw hit the metal wheel. A stinging pain rippled across my face, and the salty taste of blood filled my mouth. I cupped my palm across my bleeding lip and felt for the communications unit in the dark. My fingers found the square box, and I depressed the key. I spat out a clump of blood and blabbered something unintelligible. Nothing but silence. I keyed the box again. Still nothing. I tried opening the bottom hatch to the trunk using every bit of muscle I could muster, but the wheel would not turn.

Alone in the dark, with the world closing in around me, I wondered if we had suffered a major casualty, wondered if we were on a death spiral toward the bottom. For a brief moment, I contemplated flooding the trunk and escaping through the upper hatch. Then I remembered that we were deep in Soviet territorial waters and I knew secrets. My chest started heaving, and I realized that the oxygen flow to the trunk was probably out.

I figured we must have collided with the Victor and the force of the impact near the escape trunk had knocked out the bow compartment communications circuit. A shock wave must have hit oxygen bank No. 1 and ruptured the O-2 valve. Tracing the lines in my head, I saw how this could halt the flow of oxygen through valves O-4 and O-27 that led to the escape trunk. The collision must have also caused a pressure imbalance in the trunk, making it impossible for me to open the hatch from the inside. I spat out some more blood and bit on my Draegers mouthpiece. The throbbing pain around my bottom lip damn near doubled me over as I sucked in some air. I was now living on borrowed time.

Up in the control room, Flacco had someone drag the radioman away from the bridge door and shut the lower hatch. Someone else called for the doc.

Why arent we diving? commander Oliver yelled.

Flacco glanced at the depth gauge. Still at sixty feet.

Chief of the watch, Flacco said. Flood forward trim tanks.

The boat surged forward a few feet. She angled down even more but still did not go deep. More screeching and grinding rippled through the control room, followed by several loud thuds.

I think were impaled in the Victors ballast tank, Flacco said. Were just pushing them sideways.

All back full! Oliver ordered.

Metal crunched as the Drum moved back several feet. The bow dropped by a few degrees.

All ahead full, Oliver said. The boat shot forward and downward.

The depth gauge registered a hundred feet and descending. Then the flooding started.

Rain poured from the overhead and drenched the scope well.

Flacco looked up. One of the scope seals had ruptured in the collision. Cold salt water rained onto the deck and splattered shoes. The flooding alarm sounded.

Oliver clicked the 1MC. Now flooding in the control room.

The (executive officer) called for a damage control party. Auxiliarymen came running with tools and patches. Taking on water, the Drum sped toward test depth, 1,300 feet down. Freezing ocean water sprayed out of the scope well as if from a pinched hose. Flacco knew if they couldnt get the flooding under control soon, there would be serious consequences. Vital equipment might short out and systems could die, all of which could send the Drum to the ocean floor.

Quartermaster, Oliver said as the A-gangers worked on the scope well leak. Plot a course to Chin Hae.

South, thought Flacco, to Korea.

Flacco heard the pinging of Soviet 50 kHz active sonar through the hull. He knew that (anti-submarine warfare) forces were now hell bent on catching the Drum red-handed.

I dont have a Chin Hae chart in here, the quartermaster said.

Then just take us south! Oliver yelled.

In the escape trunk, I heard Olivers flooding report over the 1MC.

The announcement meant someone was still alive, but the flooding verified that we had problems. Regardless, I had to get out of the trunk. The air in my Draeger would not last forever. I took out my divers knife and started tapping Morse code on the metal hatch. My dad taught me the entire alphabet when I was a kid, and at one point I could even keep up with a CW transmission. Now, however, all I could remember were a few letters. It didnt matter; the seaman on the other side of the hatch probably knew less than I did.

I tapped SOS.

No response.

I tapped again louder. Still nothing.

Panic threatened to block what little air I had left from reaching my lungs. I remembered my Navy diver training in Hawaii, where they had harassed me in the water every day for hours. They pulled out my regulator, spun me in circles and damn near tried to drown me. That training taught me a valuable lesson: how to control my fear. Now, thousands of miles from that tropical paradise, I closed my eyes and said a quick prayer. Then I sucked in a few breaths and tapped again.

Finally, the lower hatch opened, and fresh air rushed in.

Back in the control room, the A-gangers managed to stop the flooding and fix the leak, while the corpsman patched up the radioman. Hed sustained a concussion and a deep cut to his forehead. Flacco watched the doc help the petty officer hobble out of the control room.

Then the Indians showed up and surrounded the wagon. Soviet helicopters dropped sonobuoys that bombarded the ocean with active sonar pings. (Anti-submarine warfare) destroyers and fast gunboats came out of Vladivostok and started chasing the Drum southward. Dozens of propellers chopped at the Sea of Japan, and our sonar jockeys couldnt keep up with all the contacts. Commander Oliver ordered a 30-degree course change  a zig to remain undetected. Flacco figured the Soviets knew what Oliver knew: that the Drum could only head south through a narrow passageway to escape. If they threw enough ships and planes out there, the odds of getting away were about nil.

While Flacco contemplated his odds of survival, a depth charge exploded.

By now I had scrambled out of the escape trunk and sprinted to my rack to pull on my coveralls. I climbed the ladder up to the crews mess, found the doc and got a patch for my severed lip. I didnt bother to look in a mirror at the damage. I scrambled up to the control room and slid onto the bench next to a half-dozen officers and sailors in front of the fire-control equipment. The weapons officer (Weps) glanced at the bandage on my face and gave me a look that said, What the hell happened to you?

I didnt bother to explain.

Another depth charge exploded, and all eyes looked upward. All lips muttered silent prayers. Weps informed me that we had rammed into the Victor III and probably smashed the entire front end of our sail. The ESM antenna was gone, and both periscopes were useless, not that we needed them now anyway. Flooding occurred but had been contained, and now every Russian ship, plane and submarine in the Far East meant to do us harm. I wondered if I should have stayed in the escape trunk.

Sonar reported that our closest pursuers were two Kresta Iclass guided missile destroyers. I dialed them into the fire-control gear, knowing that they could hit a top speed of 32 knots. They carried two twin-missile launchers and a Ka-25 Hormone ASW helicopter on the after deck, complete with sonobuoys. Weps figured that the depth charges were probably light warning explosions, but we had no way of knowing for sure.

We zigged and zagged as (anti-submarine warfare) ships and planes pinged. Oliver had us hug the bottom for the next two days while explosions shattered the silence, some far away, others so close they rattled dishes. Sonar reported high-speed screws in the water more than once, signaling that the Russians were blindly shooting torpedoes at us and hoping that one would land.

My dad once told me that fear does not discriminate. It doesnt care about our nationality, wealth, religious beliefs or lack thereof. Fear is an equal opportunity employer, and when I looked at my crewmates, I could see the evidence of it ooze from every pore. We knew that if caught, the Russians would show us no mercy. We had entered their territorial waters and rammed one of their boats, and now all bets were off.

Oliver would take us below crush depth before he surrendered the boat to the Soviets. All of us understood well the consequences should we fail to escape, yet everyone to a man kept his cool and did his job well. At that moment, I understood what it meant to be a submariner.

Author William Craig Reed served on the crew of the San Diego-based submarine Drum, which collided with a Soviet submarine in 1981. Here is his account of the incident, which is excerpted from his book Red November: Inside the Secret U.S.-Soviet Submarine War. The paperback was copyrighted in 2010 by W. Craig Reed. The excerpt is reprinted here by permission of William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins publishers. Reed is a board director of the Us for Warriors Foundation (US4Warriors.org), a nonprofit group with assistance programs for veterans.
In a rousing floor speech Thursday, Montana U.S. Rep Matt Rosendale accused House leaders of approving tens of millions of dollars in spending without a vote by members, but he wasnt correct, according to political analysts.

The congressman suggested that on fly-in days, usually at the beginning of the week as lawmakers are returning to Washington, D.C., House leaders were passing hundreds of millions of dollars in spending through a political move known as unanimous consent.

The speech was part of an historic four-day stretch of performative politics in which a group of 20 Republicans, Rosendale included, repeatedly voted against Rep. Kevin McCarthy for House speaker. McCarthy had been previously selected in caucus as the Republican nominee and 90% of the Republican representatives voted for him repeatedly, while opponents offered no compelling path toward electing an alternative to the lawmaker from California, who is the leader of the caucus.

Friday evening, the "never Kevin" faction began to soften after days of negotiations with leadership.

Simply put, unanimous consent allows Republican and Democratic leadership to speed bills to passage, provided not a single lawmaker objects. Representatives are told in advance that unanimous consent is taking place. Any single lawmaker can object and force the presence of the body as a whole.

Heres how Rosendale described it in a floor speech that lasted more than 14 minutes:

Our constituents think, as they watch us on C-SPAN today that this is how every day functions. They think that this is how every bill gets addressed in this body, Rosendale said, referring to the several days of in-person voting taking place to elect a House speaker. The Montana lawmaker was among 20 representatives that prevented the election of McCarthy, a California Republican, to be speaker through more than a dozen votes spread over four days.

They will be shocked to learn, the ones that you have not disclosed the little nasty secret to, that unfortunately that's not how it works around this place. That under the current rules, and under the current leadership construction, that for fly-in days, typically Monday at the beginning of the week, the leadership on both sides of the aisle negotiate a number of bills, 15 to 20 pieces of legislation that one Democrat and one Republican stand on this floor to discuss momentarily.

"And then they say the magic words, without objection, we will pass this by unanimous consent. And there are two people standing on the floor passing pieces of legislation that oftentimes are the naming of buildings that don't really bother anybody or affect one's life. But in many circumstances, spend millions and tens of millions of dollars that the taxpayers are obligated to cover. And their representative was not even here to vote upon it. That, my friends, is wrong! It is wrong!

The miscommunication about unanimous consent didnt go unnoticed by political scientist Matt Glassman of the Government Affairs Institute at Georgetown University. Glassman is a scholar on congressional rules and procedure. He said no one is using unanimous consent to pull the wool over the eyes of representatives.

The thing about unanimous consent is that it's not a trick, because any individual can just block it by going to the floor and saying I object. Anyone can object, Glassman said.

The most high profile example of a representative forcing an in-person vote by his colleagues was Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, who in March 2020, forced his colleagues to return to Washington, D.C., to pass the $2.2 trillion CARES Act, the single largest spending bill of the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. Lawmakers had left town fearing for their health. The vote was going to be nearly unanimous. All but Massie were prepared to pass the bill through unanimous consent.

Thats the best example of this actually failing, Glassman said. I remember people were terrified. The CARES act was going to get 420 or 425 votes, or whatever. It was almost unanimous. But (Massie) forced a majority of the House to come back and do it the regular way.

Montana Lee Newspapers asked Rosendales staff for examples of House leadership using unanimous consent to authorize millions in spending without lawmakers being aware. There was no response.

It is possible someone could attempt to pass major legislation through unanimous consent, that is to say without lawmakers in attendance for in-person voting, Glassman said. But because any single member can object to the exercise, stopping it cold, those votes dont withstand disagreement.

What Rosendale was correct about, was a decline in the opportunities lawmakers have for debate. That decline is rooted in a decades-long shift away from debating for the sake of changing votes. Those debates today center more on putting opponents in uncomfortable positions of casting embarrassing votes on amendments, or using votes to signal to constituents rather than change a bills outcome. Leaders in the House and Senate have attempted to limit those opportunities.

It does make it harder to process stuff. And it takes longer, and it lets the minority have opportunities to embarrass the majority by putting tough votes to the moderates, Glassman said of opening debate. You can understand why the leadership closed it down, there's no doubt about that. And there's good and bad in closing it down. But Rosendale is not wrong, that it's harder for him to participate on the floor. You know, 30-40 years ago, it wouldn't have been a question that if he wanted to offer an amendment to an appropriations bill, he would have had that opportunity on the floor.

Those opportunities for participation to debate and amend bills on the floor declined as lawmakers became less interested in compromise, said David CW Parker, head of the Political Science Department at Montana State University. Watching Rosendale perform on television and social media, Parker doesnt think the representative is interested in being persuasive.

Hes more interested in being nasty to Democrats and people who disagree with him than finding common ground, Parker said.

Over four days of voting against McCarthy, who 90% of Republicans chose as their candidate for speaker, Rosendale and 18 others rotated through four alternative names for speaker, including former president Donald Trump. Most of the people offered as McCarthy alternatives werent serious candidates. Several, including Trump, made it known they endorsed McCarthy.

There were a lot of raw, political performances, televised on C-SPAN and cable news. Rosendale got in some viral political dunks, at one point announcing that he was voting for Kevin then after suspenseful pause, adding Hern the Oklahoma Republican who by Friday afternoon had shown no interest in the speaker position by voting for McCarthy 13 times in a row.

At the very end of each roll call vote was Republican Ryan Zinke. The former at-large Montana representative and Interior secretary had been wearing the representative-elect title as the new congressman from Montanas Western District. Newly elected candidates couldnt be sworn in until the speaker was elected.

Friday was the two-year anniversary of the Jan. 6 Capitol riots, an attempt to subvert the certification the 2022 presidential election.
Eight-year-old Nikki Hahn said she thought it would be cool to be a child beauty queen. That thought lasted about five minutes.

She learned about the tanning, the pounds of makeup, the itchy dresses and  of course  the pushy parents.

After that, I said, Uh-uh.

So, the child actress from Oceanside did the next-best thing: She lampooned the world of child beauty pageants alongside Tom Hanks in a spoof of TLCs show Toddlers & Tiaras. The bit appeared on ABCs Jimmy Kimmel Live! after the Academy Awards Sunday night, and its been an online hit. In three days, the video received about 750,000 views on YouTube.

Toddlers & Tiaras

Family and friends from as far as Texas, where Nikki was born, have flooded the Hahns with e-mails and calls congratulating her on the appearance.

Its been a crazy experience, Nikkis mother, Alma, said Wednesday. When we went to bed, it was at 400,000 hits, and now its over 700,000. Doesnt anyone sleep?

In the video, Nikki plays Hanks daughter, Sophie, a 6-year-old bratty pageant veteran preparing for the Miss Ultimate Sexy Baby Nevada pageant. Shes pushed into pageants by Hanks, who plays an over-the-top version of a pageant parent who lives his secret padge dreams vicariously through his progeny.

I think my dad wants to be a pageant queen, but he cant, Sophie says about Hanks, as he prances about holding Sophies hand-sewn pageant dress.

The six-minute parody chronicles Hanks and Sophies training, from Hanks barking at his daughter when she doesnt dance with sexy feet, to the two rejoicing when the mailman delivers Sophies 2-foot-tall pageant wig. At the Sexy Baby pageant, Sophie performs to a suggestive record from hair metal band Poison. But she loses the competition to Rhonda Howard, daughter of none other than Ron Howard, who directed Hanks in Apollo 13.

Houston, Tom has a problem, Howard gloats, while holding his daughter.

In real life, Nikki is a budding child actress. She started acting at age 3 after the family moved from San Antonio to Oceanside, where her neighbor Linda Belford, a photographer, encouraged the family to send their daughters head shots to talent scouts.

I get parents all the time saying their kids should be in Hollywood, but in reality, only a handful of people will make it, Belford said. But when I saw her, I said, This kids got it.

Several months later, she scored her first gig, an appearance in a Disney commercial.

Since then, she has appeared in nearly two dozen commercials and television shows, including iCarly, The Closer and Criminal Minds.

For the Hanks bit, Nikkis agent sent over a synopsis of the part in January, and mother and daughter were off to Los Angeles for the casting call, where she found herself vying for the role with real pageant girls. The producers requested that Nikki return for a callback in February, and the next day, the family found out she had won the part. The skit was taped Feb. 14.

Nikki said working with Hanks was unforgettable.

He gave me a huge hug when I arrived, Nikki said. He was really nice, and Id love to work with him again.

Attempts to reach Hanks through his publicist were unsuccessful.



Away from Hollywood, Nikki, who is home schooled, enjoys riding her bike, dancing, drawing and growing sunflowers. Her goal is to grow her biggest sunflower this summer.

And her parents, Alma and Tyson, a website developer, are definitely not pageant parents, Nikki said. This is her career choice.

I love acting, its really fun, she says, flashing an ear-to-ear grin. Its what I want to do forever.
This undated file photo released by the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction shows Roderick Davie. The state of Ohio executed Davie, Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2010, in Lucasville, Ohio. Davie murdered two former co-workers and wounded a third in a rampage at a pet supply company in 1991. (AP Photo/Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, File)

An Ohio man asked for a survivors forgiveness before he was executed Tuesday for a rampage at a pet supply company in 1991 where he murdered two co-workers and shot another, then tried to run over him with a truck.

Roderick Davie, 38, died by lethal injection at 10:31 a.m., moments after he apologized to the victims families and the former co-worker whom he shot three times and tried to gouge out his eyes with a stick.

John, I hope you can let it go, man, and forgive me, Davie said as he looked at William John Everett. You hear me, John?

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Everett, sitting in the second row of witnesses, silently stared back at his attacker.

Davie confessed to shooting Everett and John Coleman in the head at a pet supply warehouse near Youngstown, where he had been fired months before. When he ran out of bullets, he beat 21-year-old Tracey Jefferys to death with a metal folding chair.

Strapped down to a gurney on Tuesday, Davie apologized to Jefferys mother, who rocked back and forth and held the hand of a victim advocate.

To Ms. Jefferys, Im sorry, Davie said, part of a tattoo peeking out from the medical tape and tubes that covered his left arm. I dont know if it means anything, Ms. Jefferys, but from the bottom of my heart, I mean that. Im sorry.

Randy Coleman, whose brother was hired after Davie was fired, held a sepia photograph of three men as Davie apologized to his family. Next to him, another of his brothers looked straight ahead at the gurney.

Davie said he was done and the warden took the microphone. His lips continued to move like those of a praying man, but the words were lost.

He turned toward the window separating him from the witnesses and closed his eyes. A curtain was closed over the window, separating the witnesses from Davie. The room was silent, except for the rustling of cellophane as Everett opened a piece of candy. Then the warden said Davie had died.

In 1991, then-19-year-old Davie had been working at the Veterinary Companies of America for just under a year. He got along well with co-workers, including Everett and Jefferys. He was fired in April 1991 after a fight with the buildings owner, according to the states clemency report.

Less than three months later, Davie went back to the warehouse. He ordered Everett, Jefferys and Coleman to lie face down on the floor.

He shot the men and beat Jefferys, then snatched Everetts wallet from his back pocket and took Jefferys change purse before he left the warehouse.

Everett stumbled into the parking lot, where Davie got into a truck and tried to run him over. But he crashed, hopped out and tried to gouge out Everetts eyes with a stick.

Davie fled when he saw someone watching and was later arrested. He confessed that he flipped out and went down to VCA and shot em up, according to the clemency report.

A federal appeals court upheld Davies death sentence in 2008 and rejected claims that police questioned him illegally. Davies attorney declined to comment.

Davie spent the hours before his scheduled execution praying and visiting in person and on the phone with family, prisons spokeswoman Julie Walburn said.

Davie, who also goes by an Islamic name, fasted until sundown on Monday. He was served a vegetarian meal and drank several cups of coffee during the night.

Davie was the seventh person executed in Ohio this year, tying a record the state set in 2004.
In this image released by Warner Bros., Emma Watson, center, Daniel Radcliffe, right, and Rupert Grint are shown in a scene from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. (AP Photo/Warner Bros., Jaap Buitendjik)

Harry Potter has kept his fans waiting for two years, the longest school break they have had to endure for a new movie adventure about the teen wizard.

Its been worth the wait.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the sixth movie in the fantasy franchise based on J.K. Rowlings books, is the franchises best so far, blending rich drama and easy camaraderie among the actors with the visual spectacle that until now has been the real star of the series.

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The hocus-pocus of it all nearly takes a back seat to the story and characters this time, and the film is the better for that. It doesnt skimp on the Quidditch action, sorcery duels or occult pyrotechnics, but those are simply part of the show, not the main attraction.

Previous installments played out in a supernatural bubble bearing little connection to our ordinary little Muggle world. Half-Blood Prince brims with authentic people and honest interaction  hormonal teens bonding with great humor, heartache that will resonate with anyone who remembers the pangs of first love.

Drop the magic act, and Hogwarts could be any school of self-absorbed geeks, jocks, popular kids and outcasts trying to maneuver through the day. Even the class bad boy provides insight into the behavior of bullies.

Half-Blood Prince escalates the peril for Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) and his best pals, Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) and Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint), while giving the threesome that first collaborated as prepubescent kids their best platform yet to show their maturing acting chops.

David Yates, who made 2007s Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, returns to direct, his deepening confidence and comfort with the Potter realm on display throughout.

Three distinctive directors  Chris Columbus, Alfonso Cuaron and Mike Newell  made the first four movies. Along with Yates on No. 5, the filmmakers all brought their own touches and baubles, but there was a sameness about the series that was growing tiresome by Yates first one.

This time, Yates stays true to the Rowling recipe yet infuses the film with a freshness and energy that makes it seem like a new start, not the stale old chapter six it could have been.

Though the movie drags a bit toward the end, screenwriter Steve Kloves  who adapted the first four books and returns after a one-film hiatus  generally keeps the intricate plot rolling breathlessly.

Harrys big challenge this school year is a clandestine assignment by Hogwarts headmaster Dumbledore (Michael Gambon), who enlists his protege to retrieve a critical memory that new Professor Horace Slughorn (Jim Broadbent) possesses about young Tom Riddle, the future dark Lord Voldemort.

Academy Award winner Broadbent gives the best performance yet in a Harry Potter flick, mingling a cock-of-the-walk flamboyance with the deep melancholy of a teacher bearing the shame of disappointment in both himself and a star pupil gone bad.

The usual teen high jinks and crises lighten the story with plenty of laughs. Romantic entanglements  which have gradually preoccupied Harry, Hermione, Ron and other classmates as they stumbled into puberty  burst out like a wicked case of acne this year.

Ron is dating bubble-headed bimbo Lavender Brown (Jessie Cave), putting Hermione into a jealous snit. Harrys got his own love triangle, falling for Rons sister, Ginny (Bonnie Wright), whos dating another student.

Along with a romantic rival, Harry has a more dangerous foe in Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton), his bullying tormentor, now a torn and troubled youth himself as an agent of Voldemort.

Radcliffe, Watson and Grint have lived these roles for so long  almost half their lives  that Harry, Hermione and Ron seem like second nature to them. Whether their acting careers flourish after Harry Potter or not, they have left an impressive little body of work with these three characters alone, developing them into full-blooded youths that feel real despite their fantastical surroundings.

Most fans know the shocker in store involving Dumbledore and the ominous Professor Snape (Alan Rickman). Like their young co-stars, Gambon and Rickman live and breathe these characters by now, Dumbledore a towering presence of grace and nobility, Snape a delightful cold fish whose actions reveal his tiger-shark stripes.

Others among the returning favorites are Robbie Coltrane as Harrys mountainous ally Hagrid, Maggie Smith as prim Professor McGonagall, Julie Walters as Ron and Ginnys genial mom, Evanna Lynch as ditzy Luna Lovegood, and Helena Bonham Carter, whos a wicked wonder as Bellatrix Lestrange, one of Voldemorts fiercest fanatics.

Visual-effects technology definitely have caught up with Rowlings imagination  and the filmmakers have some rowdy fun with their splendid images.

The Quidditch match on flying broomsticks is like airborne rugby, the way the players hammer into one another. And the broomsticks between the boys legs take on a bawdy phallic look that wryly complements the sexual themes emerging among the teens.

Director Yates is also making the two-part adaptation of the seventh and final book, the movies due out in November 2010 and July 2011. Half-Blood Prince should leave fans as eager for those last movies as a high-school junior is for graduation day.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, a Warner Bros. release, is rated PG for scary images, some violence, language and mild sensuality. Running time: 153 minutes. Three and a half stars out of four.



Motion Picture Association of America rating definitions:

G  General audiences. All ages admitted.

PG  Parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.

PG-13  Special parental guidance strongly suggested for children under 13. Some material may be inappropriate for young children.

R  Restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

NC-17  No one under 17 admitted.
I quit blaming Mother Nature years ago for nasty weather and started pointing the finger at Old Man Winter. Not that it mattered but it seemed fair, even though we have no control over the weather.

For man and beast on the prairie, a winter that starts late and ends early with a few drifts of life-bearing moisture and short cold snaps mixed in is about as much as we can ask for. Anyone whos grown up around here knows we adjust to the cold and the snow  from warming up the truck a little, to making sure a shovel and winter survival gear are packed for every trip.

But what about the critters?

Many animals have adaptations that help them get through winter, but in some years even those natural defenses are not a sure hedge against death.

Some have thick winter coats, and their metabolism slows down. Bears hibernate. Sharp-tailed grouse have feathers out to their toes and other feathers that protect their nostrils from driven snow. Rabbits have large, fur-covered feet that help them move rapidly over deep snow.

Many bird species, of course, migrate south. A few mammals may migrate as well. Pronghorn on occasion will move from North Dakota into South Dakota, Wyoming or Montana in search of food that is not covered by snow. Elk in other more mountainous states will move from high elevations to wintering grounds in valleys.

The hard truth is, species unable to acclimate or evolve with winters no longer occupy northern latitudes. Its just the way nature works. The smart and strong survived and the others, well, they werent so fortunate.

In some winters, however, its even a struggle for the smart and the strong. And thats where humans can help.

No, Im not talking about providing winter food for wildlife, like putting out corn for pheasants or hay for deer. Whats much more effective over the long term is establishing habitat that will afford native wildlife some decent shelter during winter. If animals dont need to burn so much energy to stay warm, they dont need to find as much food.

Besides creating or preserving habitat, people can help animals conserve energy by simply keeping their distance during winter.

Many of us like to get out and enjoy what winter has to offer. We hike, ski, snowmobile, bird-watch and photograph, and often we do this in or near wildlife habitat. The best thing we can do for any animals that might be around is to keep disturbance to a minimum.

For motorized machines such as snowmobiles, staying on designated trails is important. Cutting through cattail marshes or undisturbed woods can frighten mammals and birds into the open.

Not only do they needlessly have to burn energy, but they might be more accessible to predators.

Even cross-country skiers and hikers can interrupt an animals daily fight for survival, but machines can move the seemingly chance encounter to another level. Most often these encounters are by coincidence, and the skier or snowmobiler or all-terrain-vehicle driver does his or her best to move on.

In a very few instances, however, the reaction is just the opposite and the snowmobiler for whatever reason takes off and pursues an animal.

This is illegal, whether the intent is to kill the animal or just to have some fun.

Giving chase with a machine not only stresses the animal, but also gives the activity involved a bad name. The North Dakota Game and Fish Department encourages anyone witnessing such an action to report it as soon as possible to law enforcement or the Report All Poachers hotline at 701-328-9921.

Fox, coyotes, deer, pheasants, rabbits and all other wildlife that endure our winters should get special consideration during this time of year. We like to be out in the woods or riding along rivers or snowshoeing across the prairie, and that can mean incidental meetings with wildlife. Thats a big part of the reason we go outside. The key is to enjoy the moment, and then move on.

Please take a moment and consider the reality of what critters endure during winter and adjust your activities accordingly.
Changes are likely coming to Bismarck residents utility bills next year after several years of complaints. Members of the public are being given a say in what form they should take.

The Bismarck City Commission is seeking input from residents to help the group choose the structure of future water and sewer rates. A survey and public meetings are planned.

Bismarck Public Works, which is responsible for maintaining the citys infrastructure, has laid out numerous options for adjusting the water and sewer portion of utility bills. The department is recommending changes to balance the cost of service against revenue.

The current structure used by the city was put into place in 2018 and reflected in billing beginning in 2019. Water bills are calculated through a tier system, with every tier that a household passes increasing its bill. Some residents have complained about the system, saying their water bills are too high, particularly during the summer lawn-watering season. Others have said it has deterred lawn watering and led to unsightly brown lawns.

The city has said the water rates are structured in a way that ensures high water users are not subsidized by those who use less.

About four years ago the city went to a tiered payment structure and now we are examining how that structure is working for the city of Bismarck and its residents, City Commissioner Greg Zenker said.

This time around, we are looking at a few different options: a similar tiered fee structure, a smaller tiered structure, or ways we could potentially apply a flat rate approach to utility billing, he said.

The City Commission will weigh all of the options and pick a combination. The city has developed a short survey as one method for residents to share feedback on what method they would prefer to see used for the water utility rate moving forward. Survey results will be accepted from Jan. 30 through Feb. 12.

We cant stress enough how important feedback from our community is on this topic, Zenker said.

Open-house-style informational sessions will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 31, at Horizon Middle School Cafetorium and on Wednesday, Feb. 1 at Wachter Middle School Cafetorium. Both will be from 4:30-7:30 p.m.

More information can be found at bismarcknd.gov/2093/2023-Utility-Rate-Update.
A man who served prison time for a jewelry store robbery in Fargo in 2018 is in custody in a Friday afternoon bank robbery in Bismarck.

Authorities allege that Victor Velazquez, 29, of Bismarck, entered the Wells Fargo location on East Interstate Avenue about 2:30 p.m. and obtained an undisclosed amount of money. No injuries were reported. Employees called police after the suspect left.

Officers arrested Velazquez on Friday night. Police in a statement said they used traditional investigative techniques and modern technology to apprehend the suspect. They did not elaborate.

Police did not say if the robber had a weapon, but Velazquez was booked into the Burleigh Morton Detention Center on a charge of robbery with a firearm, dangerous weapon or destructive device. He was awaiting a bond hearing.

Velazquez pleaded guilty in a June 2018 armed robbery at a Riddles Jewelry store in Fargo. He was sentenced in January 2019 to serve four years in prison. He is now on two years probation for that crime.

Authorities said Velazquez went into the jewelry store on June 29, 2018, armed with a handgun, and directed employees to place jewelry inside some bags. He zip-tied one employee during the heist. No one was hurt. He fled south on Interstate 29 in a van and led police on a chase before eventually pulling over and being taken into custody.

The North Dakota Highway Patrol, North Dakota Parole and Probation, and the State and Local Intelligence Center assisted Bismarck police in Fridays investigation. Police are asking anyone who has information connected with the robbery to contact them at 701-223-1212.
Economic experts said that the reopening of China after two years of implementing strict regulations will definitely create a boom in import and export activities between Vietnam- China.

According to Ms. Le Hang, Communications Director of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), the number of seafood orders to China will increase sharply after opening due to the removal of regulations for frozen goods in China. Mr. Le Ba Anh from the General Directorate of Fisheries said that China is a market with great demand for Vietnamese seafood.

After China opened the border, seafood products will be more favorable for export, especially fresh seafood such as lobster, white shrimp, and crab because restaurants in China will consume a large amount of fresh seafood, said Mr. Ba Anh.

According to a representative of the General Directorate of Fisheries, China has now recognized 802 Vietnamese seafood export enterprises that are eligible for official export to this country. At the same time, Vietnam also approved 780 Chinese seafood enterprises to enter Vietnam. Since 2004, Vietnam has signed a seafood export cooperation agreement with China.

For fruit products, Mr. Huynh Tan Dat, Deputy Director of the Plant Protection Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, said that the department has directed the units to quarantine and control food safety at the border gate as well as arrange personnel to support enterprises in carrying out export procedures as quickly as possible.

Recently, Vietnam and China have signed a series of protocols on the export of many fruits and agricultural products through official channels such as sweet potatoes, durians, dragon fruit, bananas, and passion fruit.

For key agricultural products, the Plant Protection Department has built a database of growing areas and packing facilities, crops, and productivity to regulate material areas with the aim to avoid congestion at border gates.

Statistics show that in the first half of 2022, Vietnam's fruit and vegetable exports to China only reached US$1.4 billion, down 21.7 percent compared to the same period in 2021. But in the last months of the year, when the strict control measures at border gates were gradually loosened, fruit and vegetable exports to China increased by more than 40 percent over the same period last year, bringing the total export turnover of Vietnam's vegetables and fruits in 2022 to nearly $3.4 billion.

A representative of the Plant Protection Department predicted that fruit and vegetable exports to China will boom again in 2023.

Meanwhile, Mr. Nguyen Van Long, Director of the Department of Animal Health under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development disclosed that nine factories that have so far met the standards for export to China saw an increased growth of up to 50 percent. In November 2022, Vietnam also signed a protocol to export bird's nests to China. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has issued an instruction on the export of bird nests and the sector strived to have the first shipments of bird nests into China this year.

Mr. Long also said that the department has coordinated with competent agencies to build a foot-and-mouth disease-free zone. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is negotiating to export more chicken, and processed products to the Chinese market, opening up new markets for Vietnamese livestock products.

Nevertheless, in addition to advantages and opportunities, experts still warned of challenges including the risk of a re-epidemic outbreak after China reopened its borders. According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the number of vehicles transporting goods to the northern border gates will increase before the Lunar New Year. Therefore, the ministry suggested that businesses and localities, especially agricultural production areas focus on exporting to the Chinese market. Responsible agencies need to actively update information on the clearance of goods at border gates as well as closely cooperate with northern provinces at border gates to coordinate the flow of exported goods.

According to Dang Phuc Nguyen, General Secretary of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, businesses need to strictly prevent and detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus and ensure food safety before exporting to China because if China detected the SARS-CoV-2 virus in products, Chinese authorities will ban export. Moreover, enterprises need to carry out official export, to avoid breaking contracts and resulting in losses.

In addition, businesses need to improve quality and learn market information before exporting, especially manufacturing according to orders.

Mr. Duong Nghia Quoc, Chairman of the Vietnam Pangasius Association, said that at present, China has set criteria and technical barriers that are as same as that of European countries. Therefore, enterprises in addition to quality assurance production need to improve product quality and ensure food safety.

From January 8, China implemented the management of Covid-19 under the category B infectious disease. This country also abolished some regulations including stopping testing chilled, frozen foods for Covid from Jan. 8.
For many years, Kyushu University has promoted cooperation with several agricultural training schools in Vietnam in human resource training and research on sustainable agriculture and forestry while the world has had food crisis.

These issues were spoken about at the fourth annual conference on interdisciplinary science held by Kyushu University at the end of 2022.

Professor Nakao Miki, Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture of Kyushu University, emphasized that cooperation between Japanese universities in general and Kyushu University in particular with Vietnamese universities is very important.

Mr. Miki expressed his desire to further develop this relationship. In the coming time, the university will focus more on research and training related to digital transformation, smart agriculture and possibly other areas related to modern agriculture using high technology, such as modern biotechnology and economic sciences.

According to Professor Nakao Miki, 22 graduate students and agricultural research students from Vietnam were studying at the Faculty of Agriculture at Kyushu University in the academic year 2022. The 22 graduate students and agricultural research students received scholarships from Japanese governments, schools or corporations.

Moreover, according to Professor Nakao Miki, those who are passionate about research can pursue higher education in Japan through human resource development programs and projects offered by the Japan International Cooperation Agency in Vietnam.

The Japan Television Station (NHK) has just conducted a program on research on agricultural wastes for medical purposes with an orientation towards smart and sustainable agriculture which Vietnamese Ph.D. students in Japan are interested in.

Having just completed his Ph.D. in agriculture at Hiroshima University in September 2022, La Hoang Anh hoped his research will be a "piece of the puzzle" in the field of agro-biomedicine.

La Hoang Anh's topic is to exploit compounds extracted from agro-forestry by-products or from invasive weeds, then test their biological activities so that they can develop medicines. Being a research officer at the Institute of Agricultural Genetics under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam, La Hoang Anh went to Japan to study for a master's degree in 2015. He experienced failures in making the research, but La Hoang Anh is still determined to pursue it to the end.

The Hiroshima University awarded two excellent student awards to La Hoang Anh in 2021. In 2022, La Hoang Anh received the award as a student who has made great contributions to the university in academics through scientific publications. La Hoang Anh's research has received much attention from journals and scientists around the world.

Elsewhere in Japan, a Vietnamese with the desire to develop Vietnamese agriculture more adaptive to climate change came to Japan hoping to learn technology as well as better agricultural practices. to turn your long-standing dream into reality.

After successfully defending his doctoral thesis in agricultural science at Kyushu University in September 2022, Le Tran Thanh Liem said he had solved the problem for three popular crop groups in Vietnam. Liem found a solution to take advantage of seedless lemon trees to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Thanh Liem returned to work at Can Tho University to implement the above research in practice. In the future, Thanh Liem wants to replicate this model in other crop groups and possibly to other production areas in the Mekong Delta.

Also having the desire to apply high technology and artificial intelligence (AI) to agricultural production in Vietnam, Pham Thanh Dong chose Japan to carry out his research after 4 years of pursuit which use AI instead of human labor to identify insects. Pham Thanh Dong is doing research at Kyushu University on smart agricultural models to control insects on crops. After completing his studies at Kyushu University, Thanh Dong hoped to return to Vietnam to make a contribution to smart agriculture in his hometown the Southern Province of Binh Duong.
With the advent of cryptocurrency and blockchain, a new system has created an ever-changing environment for these industries. Websites serve the best UI and trading tools suitable for novices and professional bitcoin traders. The challenge of bitcoin or any decentralized cryptocurrency is not only in scaling the network to accommodate more transactions per second but also dealing with the economic impact on companies who have established business relationships. If you are interested in trading Bitcoin, you may use a reliable trading platform like BitIQ.

Bitcoin scalability challenges are immense and have the potential to critically change both the finance industry as well as the technology industry. Bitcoin scalability concerns are more than just about transaction volume, it's about running a global economy and financial systems. Many cryptocurrency skeptics view it as a fad or a short-term financial fix. It is an opportunity for those companies to better understand the positive impact this technology could have on their supply chain business relationships.

For decades, we have been used to the traditional centralized banking system where layers of review, approval, and regulation are in place around every transaction. That has changed; we are entering a new realm of digital currency and business relationships where trust has been removed from a central authority and placed into computers that run decentralized applications. The applications for this technology will grow exponentially as more companies distribute their trust from a central authority to decentralized applications on the blockchain.

In this environment, we see notable technological innovations in the cryptocurrency world from bitcoin, Ethereum, and others; however, there is also a need for scalability and regulatory-compliant solutions. Scalability on Bitcoin has always been challenging because of its limited processing power; however, it's embedded into Satoshi's vision of what cryptocurrency could become. Let's explore some potential scalability issues on the bitcoin network.

Bitcoin network can process only seven transactions per second:

To make an actual purchase, you must wait for the bitcoin network to find an entire transaction block from all the miners who have submitted their work (basically, each miner must be rewarded with a free transaction).

For the bitcoin network to function, you need more than just a global money system powered by distributed trust; you also need to be able to run other decentralized applications on top of that trust layer. Unfortunately, the current difficulty for mining bitcoin is increasing, and we are still determining how long it will be before we can become adequately efficient in running other applications like Ethereum. In addition, the slow transaction speed increases the cost of mining a bitcoin transaction, which impacts the price of bitcoin.

Bitcoin was successful in its early stages because it allowed people to start to run their Bitcoin nodes and get rewarded for validating transactions on the blockchain; however, there is now a myriad of new decentralized applications, including projects like Ethereum, where you can build Apps that use smart contracts and run them on top of a global trust layer.

When Ethereum hard forks from the original chain again, we will see how well this whole system scales and works with decentralized applications. Right now, we don't know how this system will operate; without scalability issues, we cannot test what will happen when companies want to link or trade assets using these intelligent contract protocols.

Bitcoin's blockchain is very slow:

The speed of transactions is critical, as any disruption in the transfer of funds could result in severe consequences. Another challenge with bitcoin is it takes 10 minutes to clear one transaction; if you have a huge order, your payment can be delayed by people for a long time.

This duration could be reduced over time as the size of the block increases; however, the underlying problem is that there are now a lot of transactions on the blockchain, and at some point, you will reach a capacity limit and have a significant backlog. When bitcoin runs into its capacity limit, it could start seeing users losing money from stuck transactions that never get cleared on the network.

Bitcoin mining is very energy intensive:

Another problem with bitcoin is energy consumption; it took 18 months to consume as much energy as all the banks in the world combined. That's a lot of wasted energy. In addition, mining and transactions on the bitcoin network require a lot of hardware which uses a lot of electricity and generates a tremendous amount of heat to compute the SHA-256 hash functions used by bitcoin.

For example, Ethereum can only do 15 transactions per second; however, that transaction speed could be increased in future iterations, particularly if they decide to use Proof-of-Stake like Ethereum Classic.
Supply chains are becoming more intelligent and agile as they adopt innovative technologies like blockchain and AI. For example, a website provides instantaneous deposits, withdrawals, and trading strategies to bitcoin traders. Through blockchain, supply chain relationships can continue to be trusted across the globe, while Smart Supply Chain practices offer the potential to improve the speed, efficiency, and security of interactions. To trade more effectively, you may invest in a reputable trading platform like Bitcoin Prime.

Artificial intelligence in supply chains can lead to more efficient operational activities such as product design and implementation. In addition, it offers enhanced decision-making capabilities for suppliers and buyers by helping them make better decisions about sourcing materials and construction for a competitive advantage in their marketplaces. These technological advancements will help propel supply chain relationships into the future of intelligent global commerce with an emphasis on trust between parties involved at all stages of transactions.

Blockchain for intelligent supply chain:

Blockchain can ensure that transactions can be transparent and trust is ensured between parties so that innovative supply chain relationships can flourish. The term "smart supply chain" describes the use of both blockchain and artificial intelligence in a business or practice, in supply chains where companies can trust information among multiple entities. It encompasses all collaborations, including physical - trucking, rail, air, and sea; digital - e-commerce and the internet of things (IoT); and intellectual property rights.

Incorporating intelligent supply chains into everyday life will help advance global commerce by helping companies collaborate with other parties on shared goals while accelerating positive business outcomes. People will enhance trust between industry players as they can exchange value securely and privately across borders in a way that is impossible with traditional forms of money transfer. Blockchain will lead to a fundamental shift in how industries operate by reducing transaction time, providing security, and storing information with greater trust.

As supply chains become more complex, companies are looking for new ways to streamline their operations by implementing new technologies. Blockchain is one of the latest disruptive technologies to improve supply chain relationships between buyers and suppliers globally. The technology facilitates peer-to-peer transactions without needing a third party to validate the interaction between two parties. As a result, it offers several advantages over traditional methods, including optimum security, reduced costs, and increased speed of transactions.

The use of AI in the supply chain:

People can find supply chain AI applications in almost every aspect of the supply chain, such as:

1. Contracting and procurement

AI technology can create smart contracts that help automate procurement, enabling companies to execute more transactions more effectively. AI can also utilize purchase orders (PO) to make purchases at the best time to get the lowest price and even negotiate on prices. In addition, smart contracts reduce operational costs by reducing paperwork, monitoring timelines, and automating reviews while allowing businesses to externalize some work processes and focus on core competencies.

2. Production

AI can improve the supply chain by reducing production costs, predicting mechanical failures, and enabling high productivity in manufacturing. AI can also optimize production schedules, optimize the utilization of resources, and optimize time utilization.

3. Marketing and sales

AI can help companies with marketing by improving online and offline marketing campaigns by allowing businesses to customize effective messaging based on the audience that they are targeting. AI can also help with social media monitoring to better understand customers' opinions. In addition, AI can help with sales. As such, businesses can use AI to predict likely trends and keep an eye on the market to understand better what customers are looking for in their services or products.

Blockchain use in the supply chain:

Blockchain can help the supply chain industry with various applications, ranging from supply-chain finance to traceability. Because these technologies are ideal for this field, numerous companies are creating solutions that apply blockchain technology to their platforms.

In supply chain finance and traceability, blockchain's distributed database technology will enable trusted and transparent transactions and significantly improve transaction security while reducing costs.

In 2016, Walmart partnered with IBM to create a private blockchain, which was then used by various parties in the supply chain industry to track food products in their shipping process and to monitor the freshness of produce throughout the supply chain. According to reports, Walmart was able to reduce food wastage by 80% through this technology. Similarly, Alibaba recently partnered with Australia's largest pork producer, JD Fresh Pork, to track the location of products in real time.

Another aspect of blockchain utilized in the supply chain is non-financial use cases. With blockchain, it will be possible for companies or even governments to monitor assets they have shipped via IoT devices or sensors that are connected to a blockchain network. With unique identifiers, companies can track shipments through multiple parties and locations while accessing historical data related to each shipment, including when it was created and where it was in previous times.
San Mateo, CA (94402)

Today

Clear. Gusty winds diminishing after midnight. Low 44F. NW winds at 20 to 30 mph, decreasing to 10 to 15 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph..

Tonight

Clear. Gusty winds diminishing after midnight. Low 44F. NW winds at 20 to 30 mph, decreasing to 10 to 15 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph.
The interview sessions between subject and writer must have been long  Spare is not spare in length: it is reportedly 416 pages. It will be translated into 16 different languages and the audiobook version is read by the prince himself. It promises to be a global bestseller, and the next sally in the highly strategic public relations campaign Harry and Meghan have forged since quitting the royal family, almost three years ago to the day of the books publication. The public relations strategy from Harry and Meghans point of view is to set up their shop for the future, says Juliet Rieden, the royal correspondent and editor-at-large for the Australian Womens Weekly.

They want to be humanitarian activists. They need to get out there and tell the public what went wrong with their last job, and they want people to understand who they are and what they stand for. The backlash is that many people dont like what they see, especially in the UK, but their work is in America. That is the focus. Having cut themselves off from royal money, the Sussexes are self-funding their one-percenter lifestyle. Meghan and Harry want to be activists. Credit: Getty The book, for which Harry received a reported $US20 million ($29 million) advance, brings necessary income. Of the advance, Harry has donated $US1.5 million to Sentebale, a childrens charity he co-founded in Lesotho and Botswana; and 300,000 ($528,000) to British charity WellChild, of which he is royal patron.

Spare is more than a commercial venture. Credit: But Spare is more than just a commercial venture  the book will help establish the Sussexes in the celebrity-progressive-activist star-scape of the United States, the worlds biggest media market and the best launchpad for the social activism the Sussexes want to pursue. Penguin Random House says the book will cover, with raw, unflinching honesty, Harrys whole life in the public eye  from childhood to the present day, including his dedication to service, the military duty that twice took him to the front lines of Afghanistan, and the joy he has found in being a husband and father. Early leaks from the book include the shocking revelation that William physically attacked his brother in 2019, after the elder brother called Harrys new wife rude, difficult and abrasive, and the claim that it was William and his wife, Catherine, who encouraged Harry to wear the infamous Nazi costume to a party in 2005 because they thought it was funny. The market for the memoir is huge, according to Rieden.

Everybody is interested. People want to know what went on, even if they pretend they dont, she says. The Sussexes have definitely pushed more important things off the front page, with gossiping and family drama. The story, or stories, of Harry and Meghan are undoubtedly popular  their TV series was the most-watched Netflix non-fiction debut ever. Loading As well as a four-book publishing deal, of which Harrys memoir is book No.2 (in 2021, Meghan published a New York Times bestselling childrens picture book, The Bench), the couple also have a multi-year Netflix deal estimated to be worth between $US100 million and $US150 million, and a three-year Spotify podcast deal estimated to be worth between $US15 million and $US25 million. They are also signed to a superstar speakers agency. These deals provide necessary private income, but they also help fund the activism/humanitarian branch of Team Sussex, the Archewell Foundation.

The foundation is run through Archewell, the umbrella organisation for all the team Sussex projects, commercial and non-commercial. Tim Powell, the chief public relations officer for Dentsu Creative ANZ, says Harrys book is about filling that content machine. That means exploiting the institution of which the couple is so fiercely critical. Loading The commerciality of what theyre trying to do is driving them to chafe against the royal family, Powell says.

The reveals about my brother shouted at me, and the racism allegations, are probably heartfelt but it also feels cynical because if you want to launch a book or a podcast, you need some tension and conflict. The books title is a reference to Harrys inferior position in the line of royal succession, and advance publicity has focused on Harrys conflict with his brother, Prince William, the next king. In clips from the upcoming interviews, Harry also delivers more broadsides at the they he consistently referred to in the Sussexes Netflix film. He is apparently referring to palace officials, although it is unclear. Harry has clearly learnt a thing or two from the royal family communications teams, and his own dealings with the media.

Powell says Team Sussex is a very sophisticated operation, which employs highly experienced content-producers, digital strategists and social media consultants, most of them Americans with intimate familiarity with the US market. They are cleverly building their own media empire  with publishing and audio arms  so they dont have to rely on traditional media to moderate their content. Loading They are not making any PR mistakes, Powell says. The question is, how long can they keep going on this path? They probably have another year of this, and they will have to pivot. They will need a new narrative to keep getting book deals and so on.

Harry has done several interviews to promote his book, small excerpts from which were released online this week. One is with the famous US journalist, Anderson Cooper, CNN networks star reporter. Cooper is American royalty  his mother, Gloria, was an heiress of the storied Vanderbilt family, and, according to historical gossip, his great-aunt, Thelma Furness, had an affair with Harrys great-great-uncle, Edward VIII, when he was Prince of Wales. In a clip from the interview, Harry tells Cooper that there becomes a point when silence is betrayal.

Another of Harrys pre-publication interviews is in the tougher British market, where sympathy for the Sussexes competes with bone-deep loyalty to the royal family. It is with ITVs Tom Bradby, a friend of both Harry and William. It never needed to be this way, Harry tells Bradby in the trailer for the 90-minute special. I want a family, not an institution  theyve shown absolutely no willingness to reconcile. Somewhat contrarily, given he is criticising them to a global audience, Harry also expressed a wish to make up with his family. I would like to get my father back. I would like to have my brother back, he says. Powell says that while it is obvious that Harry feels genuinely aggrieved, from a strategic point of view, it is optimal for the Sussexes to talk about the royals while the rift is still fresh, and interest in the monarchy is still strong.

This may not always be the case, and there is much less general interest in the royals in the all-important US market. Says Powell: The Sussexes are pretty small fry in the States. Meghans Insta following is much less than say, Beyonce or the Kardashians. As the death of Queen Elizabeth II fades into the past, interest in the royal family will taper off, Powell believes, especially as the new king is not very charismatic. Prince George and his siblings are going to grow up and take the limelight off Harry and Meghan. Credit: AP Harry is interesting now but in the future, he will be a balding dad with kids, and younger royals like George and his siblings will get older and have girlfriends and boyfriends, and be of more interest to the media, he says.

Tittle-tattle about the brutality of the palace media machine will run out of steam and Harry and Meghan risk being seen as indulgent pampered celebrities. Harrys memoir will greatly help the Sussexes build their global media brand, which they could leverage to work for their chosen causes  anti-racism, mental health and Harrys beloved Invictus Games, which will take place in Germany in September, and which are the subject of the Sussexes next Netflix series, Heart of Invictus. But charity work doesnt pay the bills. Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at the WellChild Awards in 2018: charity doesnt pay the bills. Credit: AP Meghan has been consistent on her anti-racism campaigning, but its not very commercially rewarding, says Powell.

Activism is genuine hard work and dedication. They can lend their names to things, but thats not going to put $5 million to $7 million per year on the table to fund their lifestyle. Powell also questions Harrys cultural authority in the US. As a middle-aged, privileged white man who represents an institution inextricably linked to colonialism, he is not best-placed to speak on issues of diversity, anti-racism or disadvantage. Meghan, of course, has far greater cultural authority, which she will stand her in good stead if she releases her own memoir, as is speculated  the Sussexes still have to deliver two more books under their publishing contract. But, says Rieden, the window for more Sussex stories is limited.

A lot of people want them to stop with the personal stuff and get on with Archewell, their activist humanitarian work, she says. Loading They have a lot of potential to make a difference there, and that work has been put aside for all of this. Theyve got the name and the platform for it in America, definitely. They can do some great things. And if that fails, Meghan, a former star of the television legal drama, Suits, can always return to acting.
Allie and John Richards with their stillborn baby, Lenny. Allie Richards remembers the days before she gave birth to her son Lenny, stillborn on February 2, 2021. Newly in her third trimester, she was busy negotiating the price of a car roomy enough for a car seat and a pram in the boot. Lenny had seemed a bit quiet, so she decided to go to hospital to check he was okay. She remembers feeling happy because she would soon get to see Lenny on an ultrasound. I felt the midwifes hand touch my left hand and my obstetricians hand touch my right as she told me there was no heartbeat, Richards said. I was in complete shock and disbelief. She remembers feeling numb as tears rolled down her face.

I had a million questions running through my mind. What did this mean? Why did this happen? He was only 10 or maybe eight weeks from being born [full term]. Richards didnt want a perinatal autopsy at first. It was [husband] John who convinced me  that it could not only help us to understand what happened or if we could have prevented it. It could also help other people avoid having to go through this, she said. The autopsy found Lenny had a hypercoiled umbilical cord  a chance occurrence that can hamper blood flow and is linked to an increased risk of stillbirth. The finding gave some closure and was invaluable information for Richards through her pregnancy with Lennys brother Charlie, now 10 months old. It put my mind at ease to know I didnt do anything wrong. I didnt harm him, she said.

NSWs perinatal autopsy service  run across The Childrens Hospital Westmead, The Royal Womens Hospital at Randwick and John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle  performs 450 to 500 autopsies per year. The perinatal pathologists finalise the reports whenever they find the time between their pathology work for the childrens hospital. It put my mind at ease to know I didnt do anything wrong: The autopsy findings gave invaluable information for Allie Richards through her pregnancy with Charlie. Credit: Steven Siewert Dr Nicole Graf, senior specialist paediatric anatomical pathologist and Department Head of Histopathology at The Childrens Hospital Westmead, said the average turnaround for a final perinatal autopsy report was six to seven months, but some parents wait as long as 12 months. We try to get parents a preliminary report ... within a few weeks  and if a mum is pregnant again well try to expedite the final report, but that means another case gets pushed further down the queue, Graf said. At the Royal Brisbane and Womens Hospital, Payton (also a senior anatomical pathologist) said the turnaround for a final perinatal autopsy report was at least 12 months, though the babies are routinely returned to their parents the following day.

The backlog is probably over 100 autopsy reports, Payton said. We have been very short-staffed  perinatal autopsies are something we just have to do around other work. Finding the staff and time to do and report autopsies has been very difficult. Loading The latest federal budget committed $13.7 million over three years to increase the number of stillbirth autopsies, by supporting transport and accommodation costs for families and addressing workforce shortages in perinatal pathologists through a scholarship scheme. Perinatal autopsies cost hospitals and state health systems between $3300 and $4000 per case. Graf said the funding allocated to NSW would pay for another one or two perinatal pathologists across the statewide network that performed these autopsies. But if I put up a job ad today we wouldnt get any qualified applicants, Graf said. There just arent enough perinatal pathologists in Australia.
The western NSW town of Menindee, near Broken Hill, is going through a very difficult time as rising floodwaters look set to peak beyond the record 1976 flood levels, Premier Dominic Perrottet says.

Visiting the town on Saturday, where flooding since late December has led to evacuation orders for much of the small town, Perrottet said waters from the Darling River and Menindee Lakes were continuing to rise.

Menindee was hit by near-record flood levels in December. Credit: Adam Edwards

River levels are currently sitting at about 10.25 metres, the SES said, but are expected to rise to at least 10.5 metres, breaking the 1976 flooding event record of 10.47 metres. The waters are forecast to peak toward the end of this week, or by next weekend.

Perrottet and Emergency Services Minister Steph Cooke toured the township by air on Saturday.
Brisbane Airport expects almost a million more passengers to pass through its terminals this month, compared with last January, in the latest sign of a devastated tourism sector recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Brisbane Airport Corporation projections, 1.7 million passengers were expected to pass through the domestic and international terminals in the first month of 2023.

Brisbane Airport CEO Gert-Jan de Graaff in the international terminal, which is expected to process 14,500 passengers on Saturday.

That would represent a huge rebound from the COVID-affected passenger numbers reported in 2021 (586,787) and 2022 (741,860), but still short of the pre-COVID level of 2.12 million recorded in 2020.

Brisbane Airport Corporation chief executive Gert-Jan de Graaff said, on Saturday alone, 14,500 passengers were expected to pass through the international terminal, a post-pandemic record.
However, for some, the medication comes too late, he said. By the time they receive the permit and then request the medication to be dispensed they may have died. They have just left it too late in the process. After applicants gain approval, they must have the medication dispensed, and the only pharmacy legally allowed to dispense the medicine is at The Alfred hospital. You cant measure the success of the program solely by the number of people who take the medication and die. There are a significant number of people  up to 30 per cent  who receive the medication, and benefit from having control, but dont use it, Gardner said. Parker, from Ballarat, had always expressed a wish to die on the 28th. It was the date that her parents married and had both died. From the minute she was diagnosed she knew [from] being a nurse she was able to get the VAD. Unless you ask, you dont get told, Lee said.

Nicole Lee sitting in her late mothers bedroom on Saturday afternoon. Credit: Chris Hopkins The Voluntary Assisted Dying Act, which in June will have operated for four years in Victoria and will be reviewed by Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas, includes 68 safeguards and requires multiple approvals. The process was so long and so stressful, I reckon it took away more of her life, Lee said. Instead of being able to live she had to spend six months applying, with lots of forms and driving all over the state. The stress of thinking that she wouldnt get it took away more of her life. Doctors have this thing that they are here to save lives not end lives.

But Parkers GP did the voluntary assisted dying course to help Parker in the application process, which can take weeks in some cases and months in others. Loading Voluntary assisted dying is also legal in Tasmania, Western Australia, and Queensland and commences at the end of the month in South Australia and in New South Wales in November. It remains illegal in the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory. Gardner spoke out against the federal law that blocks doctors from discussing voluntary assisted dying on a telehealth appointment. It is illegal to discuss or advise about it by telephone, email or text. People at the end of life often have mobility issues. It is causing distress, and we have called for change, he said.

Gardner said state laws meant that doctors in Victoria and South Australia could not initiate conversations about voluntary assisted dying. And to qualify for the scheme, patients must be a resident in Victoria for 12 months, which he said would be outdated when the process was legal in all states. Loading Parker, who lived with Lee, waited about six months after her successful application before taking the medicine. Her attitude towards the end of [her] life improved. It didnt help the disease, but she felt relieved that she could die when she wanted to, how she wanted to and where she wanted to. She could die on her own terms, Lee said. Parker died on November 28 at home, and after her granddaughter had finished her exams.

People dont know what happens once you drink the medicine on your final day. It was so unbelievably peaceful, it was pure bliss, Lee said. She lay there and slowly fell asleep and from there her heart rate slowed down until it stopped. Her passing was so tranquil. That is what this medicine does to you, it just puts you to sleep. It is a really nice way to die if you have to die. More information on voluntary assisted dying is available here. If you are troubled by this report or experiencing a personal crisis, you can call Lifeline 131 114 or beyondblue 1300 224 636 or visit lifeline.org.au or beyondblue.com.au
North Dakotas Ethics Commission is asking the Legislature to expand the panels oversight authority to include thousands of state employees.

The Senate State and Local Government Committee on Friday heard Senate Bill 2048, advanced by the Ethics Commission. The bill is for several changes requested by the commission, such as extending the time frame to notify an accused person of an ethics complaint, and adding criteria for who can make complaints.

The bill also would add about 8,960 executive branch employees to the ethics panels jurisdiction over public officials, but only as it relates to lobbyist gifting. However, Commission Executive Director Rebecca Binstock submitted an amendment to the Senate panel to remove that limitation, which she said was a drafting error.

North Dakota voters in 2018 approved a ballot measure adding ethics mandates to the state constitution, creating the five-person panel, which began meeting in 2019.

The ethics board already has oversight of elected and appointed officials of the executive and legislative branches, members of the governors Cabinet, members of the Ethics Commission and legislative branch employees.

Commission Chairman Paul Richard has said its unclear why executive branch employees werent included in the ballot measure. He has said the addition would be appropriate and enhance transparency.

Binstock told the committee that the ethics panel really views this as an equitable expansion.

She said the Ethics Commission would have to dismiss a complaint for lack of jurisdiction if an executive branch employee were to accept a lobbyist gift, but a complaint would likely proceed if it involved a legislative branch employee.

There is a differential treatment between employees of the executive branch and of the legislative branch, and the Ethics Commission does not believe that there is a rational reason for that differential treatment, and that in order to have a consistent application, we need to include everybody in that, Binstock said.

She cited seven other states, including neighboring Montana and South Dakota, with ethical jurisdiction over executive branch employees.

Binstock said the commission doesnt have authority over personnel matters, and the addition of state employees to its authority would be limited in the function of ethics rules.

Measure supporters did not intentionally leave anybody out when drafting the initiative, according to Ellen Chaffee, who helped lead the ethics effort. North Dakotans For Public Integrity supports the change, she added. The measure was intended to be inclusive, she said.

There was no discussion about should we include (executive branch employees) or should we not, that I can recall, Chaffee told the Tribune. It was just who do we mean, lets be specific, and we just ran out of people to include. It just didnt come up.

The Senate committee did not take immediate action on the bill. Only Binstock testified.
ABC Perth has unveiled a major shake-up of its radio line-up, confirming rumours Breakfast host Tom Baddeley is bowing out as broadcasters Stan Shaw and Joanna Trilling move in.

The public broadcaster told WAtoday the former TV newsreader and Santos communications executive had decided to return to the resources sector and would hand over the baton to Shaw on January 23.

Tom Baddeley will leave the line-up, as Stan Shaw and Jo Trilling join.

Baddeley was appointed to the role in January last year following the sudden death of former host Russell Woolf in October 2021.

Shaw, who has spent the past 15 years presenting ABC radio programs in Esperance, Albany, Bunbury and Perth, held the slot temporarily during the search for Woolfs replacement.
The party had won thanks to a string of Labor missteps, negative perceptions of Shorten and a flawlessly executed campaign strategy aided by a strong budget. Loading But Sinodinos also noted troubling issues, especially the partys dependence on Queensland to offset weakness in other parts of the country. Unless the party rebuilds and recovers lost ground in Melbourne and surrounding areas, its path to victory in each election will remain worryingly narrow, he found. Sinodinos insight proved prophetic. While the LNP lost two seats in Queensland (to the Greens) in 2022, it suffered huge blows in Victoria (four seats), NSW (six seats) and Western Australia (five seats).

He also suggested the party had to improve its candidate selection process, urging better (and earlier) vetting of people representing the Liberal Party. Sinodinos could not envisage the situation the party in NSW would get itself into with the delay in candidate selection (that was largely the fault of Morrison and Alex Hawke). Three years later, Labors 2022 election review identified a variation of the 2019 problem: people in outer-suburban areas were generally angrier and more frustrated with the major parties due in part to COVID restrictions which disproportionately affected these regions. The Liberal Party review of the 2022 election failed to mention the issues around the candidature of Katherine Deves in the Sydney seat of Warringah which was easily won by independent Zali Steggall. Credit: James Brickwood Former cabinet minister Greg Combet and ex-campaign official Lenda Oshalem, the reports authors, argued the party must shift campaign tactics to win more outer suburban voters. The Liberal Partys 2022 review, meanwhile, found Morrison and the party were seen as out of touch, that the party fell behind Labor in digital campaigning and the use of social media, pre-selected candidates in some states too late and that its policy offering was thin.

The report authors, former federal director Brian Loughnane and senator Jane Hume, also noted the party had alienated female voters and some migrants from non-English-speaking backgrounds. One Liberal MP, who asked not to be named so they could discuss the review freely, said the review was a bit like the official family trying to cover up their crimes. Loading The review doesnt deal with the issues dealt with in [this mastheads series] Wipeout or Niki Savvas book [Bulldozed]. People are just laughing about it. It was not a credible review, they said. We have a women problem and a professionals problem and Im not sure what theyre trying to do to fix it.

The MP pointed out that, for example, that the pre-selection of Warringah candidate Katherine Deves  whose views on trans people caused huge controversy and offence during the campaign  was not mentioned once. Similar to the 2019 Liberal review, Labors 2022 review noted sizeable potential problems, the largest of which is outer-suburban Melbourne. While the citys eastern suburb residents effectively wiped out the Liberal Party, those in Melbournes north and west were not overly enamoured by Labor. In the northern suburb seat of Scullin, held by Immigration Minister Andrew Giles, there were some huge falls in Labors primary vote. In the Thomastown Meadows booth, Giles primary vote dropped by 23.2 per cent. That was after a 4.4 per cent fall in the 2019 election.

Further to the west in the safe seat of Gorton, held by Skills and Training Minister Brendan OConnor, a similar scenario played out. Loading In the Deer Park west booth, OConnor suffered a 19.7 per cent fall in his primary vote (after a 3.8 per cent drop in 2019). Labor comfortably held the two seats. And the Liberal primary vote in the electorates is still well short of 30 per cent. But its clearly starting to play on the minds of Labor, with the 2022 review making a pointed recommendation that also goes to the issues the Liberal Party found in teal-targeted electorates.

Labor cannot assume that these seats will not be vulnerable to well resourced, locally focused campaigns by independents should Labor fail to heed the message of the significant swings experienced, it found. Independents were not just a threat to either the Liberal or Labor party at the 2022 poll. The Greens had their most successful election on record, boosting its lower house representation to four. The 2019 Labor review focused on the Greens largely through the prism of the contentious Adani coal mine proposal in Queensland. By the 2022 review, the Greens were perceived as much more as a direct threat to individual Labor MPs. This materialised in the defeat of Terri Butler in the inner-Brisbane seat of Griffith by the Greens Max Chandler-Mather. In some of its most critical commentary, the 2022 review accused the Labors Queensland branch of ignoring the Greens threat.

The reality is that Queensland Labor underestimated the threat from the Greens in these seats, it noted. While Labors review was upfront about climate change as a driving issue for many voters, the Liberal review referenced climate change just once. Teal independent Monique Ryan, here at her campaign launch, wrested the seat of Kooyong from then-treasurer Josh Frydenberg. Credit: Aaron Francis The Liberal review focuses heavily on the threat posed by teal independents, but not in terms of policies. It is more worried about coordination between independents and the technology they used in the 2022 campaign. Information which has become public since the election confirms the high level co-ordination between the teal campaigns, and the extensive resourcing and the use of cutting-edge campaigning tools, particularly data and analytics, it noted.

The teals are not a collection of independent entities. They are, by any meaningful interpretation of the term, a political party and should be considered by the electoral authorities as such. The Liberal review recommends the collection of all available information on the background, history and functioning of the teal campaigns. Labors review urged the party to maximise its primary vote across all seats, noting the increasing volatility of the Australian electorate meant not one electorate could be taken for granted. The 2019 and 2022 reviews of both parties delivered insights into what went wrong at the respective elections and ways forward. But there are always issues beyond the control of a party. One of those will play out over the coming 12 months as the shape of the nations electorates are changed. The Australian Electoral Commission was already due to consider redistributions in NSW (home to 47 of the countrys 151 lower house seats) and the Northern Territory during the current parliamentary term.

But the COVID pandemic has caused such large changes to the nations population that redistributions are now likely to be held in both Western Australia and Victoria. Federal parliamentary library analysis suggests a seat in Victoria and NSW will be abolished while WA will gain one by the 2025 poll. Theres also a small chance Queensland could gain another electorate. Scott Morrison, in the shadow of WA Premier Mark McGowan. The Liberal Partys result in WA was a huge factor in its May 21 election loss. Credit: Getty Its clear both Sydney and Melbourne  where Labor and teals hold a majority of electorates  will lose a seat. In NSW, the seat with the fewest number of voters is Wentworth, won at the last election by teal independent Allegra Spender. Nearby electorates in Sydneys eastern and inner west seats, including Anthony Albaneses own electorate of Grayndler, face being merged or altered.

The redistribution in Victoria could result in a seat coming out of the inner-eastern suburbs of Melbourne. This covers an area that includes two seats won by Labor at the 2022 poll, Higgins and Chisholm, and two won by independents Monique Ryan (Kooyong) and Zoe Daniel (Goldstein). Over in WA, which lost the Liberal-held seat of Stirling due to a redistribution last year, a new electorate will be sandwiched back into the Perth metropolitan area. It could be in the citys southern suburbs which overwhelming backed in Labor at this years election. Loading Both major parties will make submissions to the electoral commission around the redistributions (which will seek to protect their interests and make life as difficult as possible for their opposition) that could prove pivotal at the 2025 election. Its just another issue, on top of the findings of the reviews of this years election, that will confront the major parties in 2023.
Defence Minister Richard Marles has said there is no doubt the AUKUS submarine deal will place pressure on US defence industries and the new military alliance will require Australias entire industrial base.

Speaking a day after it was revealed two US senators warned President Joe Biden the security pact to share nuclear submarine technology with Australia would stretch their countrys own submarine industry to breaking point, Marles said Australia must develop its own capabilities.

Defence Minister Richard Marles says there is no doubt the AUKUS submarine pact will put pressure on the US defence industries. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

There are lots of challenges and theres no doubt that the pressure this places on the industrial base of the United States  also, the United Kingdom  is really significant. Were very aware of it, Marles said in Geelong, south-west of Melbourne, on Saturday morning.

Thats why its so important that Australia develops its own industrial capability to build nuclear-powered submarines, which we will do in Adelaide.
Thanks, Anne Twomey, for your article (Parliament, not the devil, should control the detail on the Voice, January 1). A factually based, well-balanced proposition for an affirmative response to the upcoming referendum. Its refreshing to read a contribution from a constitutional law expert conversant with the history and working details of referenda. Additionally, Twomey alludes to referendas ability toward building a fairer, more democratic society.

Its understandable that voters ask for more details before allowing politicians to formulate these within Parliaments chambers. The past decade of federal politics, particularly under Morrisons leadership, has arguably damaged voters trust in the integrity of political process. However, as Professor Twomey argues, referenda for constitutional change are about voters knowing scope of power, not every law that will be made under that exercise of power. A fine but pertinent point. Trust in our politicians is thankfully restored via the ballot box. Cleveland Rose, Dee Why

Twomey is correct. We should only be putting into the Constitution the general outline of The Voice  what legislation it allows and what it bans  as we did with the two previous constitutional changes Twomey references in her article. The alternative is to make the Constitution prescriptive on this matter.

This is what the Americans have done with several of their amendments, particularly the 2nd Amendment (A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed). What started out as a wartime expedient to defend themselves against the much more powerful British Empire, means tens of thousands of Americans are killed using firearms every year, 230 years later, because its prescribed in their Constitution that anyone can own and carry a gun, forever. Put the general outline of the Voice into the Constitution, if that is the will of the people. But do not put prescriptive details in. Let parliament decide as appropriate, from time to time. Peter Arthur, Artarmon

The argument Twomey puts forward applies equally to a referendum for Australia to become a republic. Why not have the two referendums on the same day in 2023? Ask voters to vote on two constitutional amendments: the Indigenous Voice to parliament and the Australian republic. Our elected parliament can then enact the necessary laws to reflect the will of the people. Rick Johnston, Potts Point
New York: The housewife was real. The deal wasnt.

Reality TV star Jen Shah has been sentenced to 6 years in prison for running a nationwide telemarketing fraud scheme in the United States that prosecutors said targeted vulnerable, elderly victims and was accompanied by extraordinary efforts to conceal her crime.

The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Jen Shah, who is married to Sharrieff Shah, an assistant football coach at the University of Utah, was sentenced on federal fraud charges in New York. Credit: Getty Images

Shah, of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, victimised thousands of people from at least 2012 until her arrest in March 2021 by selling them bogus services for online businesses and inflicting significant financial hardship and damage on them, the US Justice Department said in a statement.

Shah, 49, facilitated the sale of leads  contact data for people who had been picked out as easy marks for the scheme  to sales floors that carried out the racket, according to the US. At her direction, victims were defrauded over and over again until they had nothing left, prosecutors said.
Washington: Popular messaging app WhatsApp has introduced a feature to help users bypass attempts to disrupt access to its services, as repressive governments around the world increasingly use internet controls to clamp down on dissent.

WhatsApp has moved to help people stay online when autocratic regimes dial down access to the internet to stop them organising protests. Credit: Bloomberg

The messaging service owned by Meta, which also owns Facebook, will allow people to configure the app to access the internet through proxy servers, which function as intermediaries between users and internet services, and can help disguise traffic and avoid controls. (Users will have to research their own proxy servers, many of which are provided free by volunteers and organisations around the world.) The company specifically mentioned Iran, which launched a brutal security crackdown  and disrupted residents access to WhatsApp and sister Meta platform Instagram  after anti-government protests broke out in September.

WhatsApp is not the first service to support internet users living under censorship. But its move is significant because it is the most popular messaging service in many countries. The service says it has more than 2 billion users in 180 countries.

Our wish for 2023 is that these internet shutdowns never occur, the company said in a statement, adding that it was hopeful its solution would help in event of shutdowns. WhatsApp also separately announced the launch of its new feature in Persian, the language of Iran.
PHILIPSBURG:--- President of the St. Maarten Police Union NAPB Rogerrel Mauricia is once again calling on the Government of St. Maarten and the Parliament to do what has to be done to pay his members and all other Justice workers, including those who have retired already, families of the deceased, what is owed to them. Mauricia finds it unfortunate that so much time is spent on trying to explain processes and procedures, while little to no effort is spent on apologizing to the hard men and women who leave their homes every day to protect the people of Sint Maarten. The Government and the Minister of Justice fail to recognize the damage that this situation has cost to the lives of our Justice workers.

They continue to ignore the fact that nice words and empty promises, do not pay the outstanding electricity bills, and political rhetoric does not pay for the engagement ring promised 8 years ago. It does not take away the shame of a mother, who every morning parks her car far from the school gate, to avoid having the principal ask her for the school fee that was due last year.

It does not mend relationships that were broken because of promises not kept due to the failures of Ministers to pay my men and women in blue their rightful salaries, stated a disappointed Police Union president. Those are some of the realities that my members are experiencing every month, he added. In a press release to the media on Friday, Mauricia added, What is important for the President of the NAPB is a clear indication as to when his Justice workers will receive the rest of the balance that was paid to them in 2020.

We are now in 2023. 3 years have been added to that balance of 2020. A long press release stating where something is, where it has to go, and who sent it back, does not tell my workers by when they can expect to receive what is owed to them. At some point, it has to hit home. At some point, we must realize that the men and women in blue are not asking for dimes and nickels anymore.

They simply want to be able to buy that brand-name sneaker for their son, that dolly for their daughter, and that engagement ring for their loved one. They want to be able to proudly walk around Sint Maarten without people harassing them for monies they owe, said the NAPB president. Mauricia once again urged all Justice workers and their families to keep up the faith.
Tips For Investing In Professional Voice Acting For Audio & Podcast Advertising

Nothing says arelaxationa like listening to your favorite podcast while youa?re preparing breakfast. You wouldna?t be alone there either: whether ita?s on a long jog, during the commute to work, or just going about daily chores, more and more people are tuning into radio stations and digital audio services as they live their lives. Ita?s not hard to see why. Can you imagine trying to watch a video while youa?re driving? Forget about reaching your destination. Youa?d be on a crash course to the detention center if youa?re luckyaor to the hospital if youa?re not. But listening to the radio doesna?t require that same level of focus, which is why audio-only media is becoming one of the most popular forms of content to consume. If youa?re a business owner with a brand you want to get out there, surely you want in on the newest trends. What better way to appeal to your soon-to-be new customers? And Voices can help you ride the (sound)wave with their newest report about content creation trends among podcast listeners, business owners, and more! Go to https://www.voices.com/company/press/reports/2023-annual-trends-report to read all about it! Audio-only media has become entrenched in todaya?s society. Audio does not require the same attentiveness as video, and the ease of accessibility, as well as the prevalence of mobile devices, have allowed many people to incorporate these types of media into their daily lives. Existing studies have also shown that 82.4% of people spend more than seven hours a week listening to podcasts. Of these people, 81% of listeners took action after hearing an ad during a podcast and either did more research into the brand or searched for it on social media. Talk about brand awareness! Voices suggests that the trend towards audio-only media will continue to gain momentum throughout 2023. This is due to a shift in content consumption by the general populace: podcasts and audio-only series are no longer niche pieces of media, and the use of digital audio services is skyrocketing. And guess what? This will provide brands like yours with more opportunities for audio-only advertisements to reach a wider audience. The report also found that content production is expected to spike in the new year. The author states that, although video will still be the most popular form of media to consume, business owners like you should consider investing in audio-first content and advertisements, noting e-commerce and influencer marketing as significant sources of brand promotion. It makes senseawho wouldna?t want to check something out if their favorite celebrity gushed about it on TikTok?! With the projected influx of new content, Voicesa? report emphasizes the importance of audio quality. Poor sound quality can reduce the perceived credibility of audio-only media. By hiring professional voice actors, you will be able to create memorable content that helps you remain above the competition. So youa?re ready to get all hands on deck to ride the (sound)wave into the new year. But where do you even begin searching for a voice actor, let alone one with professional recording equipment? The answer is simple: Voices has been connecting voice actors with brands since 2005. Their newest report is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the resources theya?ve provided to business owners and voice actors. With over 2 million users and counting, ita?s not hard to see why Voices is one of the top marketplaces for voiceover work. Theya?ve been at it for a long timeathata?s why theya?re the biggest in the industry. And thata?s why you can be assured that they know what theya?re talking about. You can get in on the action too. If youa?re ready to get your voice out there, visit https://www.voices.com/company/press/reports/2023-annual-trends-report to get started!
Campaign wastes North Dakota funds

After reading the Forums headline Good Life campaign brings 9 new workers to ND in first 6 months I knew I was in for a good chuckle. Gov. Burgums pet project to attract workers to ND through an innovative PR campaign is not only misleading, its a waste of North Dakota funds.

Yes, there are lots of incredible reasons to live in North Dakota but respect for working families is not among them. Unless youre lucky enough to land in one of the few high-end jobs, you are undoubtedly making less than you would in most other places for doing the same work.

As someone who works in North Dakota you have less rights on the job than in either Montana or Minnesota. You are more likely to get injured or killed at work than almost any other state in the country. If you do get hurt, you will have to deal with our North Dakota Workforce Safety & Insurance system that is stacked against you to get help. You will likely not have access to paid family leave to care for a loved one, or sick time to heal from illness or injury. You will struggle to find affordable housing and encounter year long waitlists for child care. And, you will have roughly the same cost of living unless you moved here from New York or California.

It is time families and working people have the opportunity and the tools to build a good life  with quality jobs and education, health care and child care  so people can work, take care of their families, contribute to their communities and do their part to keep growing our economy, which is good for everyone.

We need to build an economy that respects working people. The Good Life campaign does none of that.

Landis Larson, West Fargo

President, North Dakota AFL-CIO


Software horror show: SAP Concur

This complaint is a little stale, but maybe it will still be interesting. A while back I was traveling to California on business several times a year, and the company I worked for required that I use SAP Concur expense management software to submit receipts for reimbursement. At one time I would have had many, many complaints about Concur. But today I will make only one. Here I am trying to explain to the Concur phone app where my expense occurred, maybe it was a cab ride from the airport or something. I had to interact with this control every time there was another expense to report, so this is part of the app's core functionality. There are a lot of good choices about how to order this list. The best ones require some work. The app might use the phone's location feature to figure out where it is and make an educated guess about how to order the place names. (I'm in California, so I'll put those first.) It could keep a count of how often this user has chosen each location before, and put most commonly chosen ones first. It could store a list of the locations the user has selected before and put the previously-selected ones before the ones that had never been selected. It could have asked, when the expense report was first created, if there was an associated location, say California, and then and then used that to put California places first, then United States places, then the rest. It could have a hardwired list of the importance of each place (or some proxy for that, like population) and put the most important places at the top. The actual authors of SAP Concur's phone app did none of these things. I understand. Budgets are small, deadlines are tight, product managers can be pigheaded. Sometimes the programmer doesn't have the resources to do the best solution. But this list isn't even alphabetized. There are two places named Los Alamos; they are not adjacent. There are two places in Spain; they are also not adjacent. This is inexcusable. There is no resource constraint that is so stringent that it would prevent the programmers from replacing displaySelectionList(matches) with displaySelectionList(matches.sorted()) They just didn't. And then whoever reviewed the code, if there was a code review, didn't say hey, why didn't you use displaySortedSelectionList here? And then the product manager didn't point at the screen and say wouldn't it be better to alphabetize these? And the UX person, if there was one, didn't raise any red flag, or if they did nothing was done. I don't know what Concur's software development and release process is like, but somehow it had a complete top-to-bottom failure of quality control and let this shit out the door. I would love to know how this happened. I said a while back: Assume that bad technical decisions are made rationally, for reasons that are not apparent. I think this might be a useful counterexample. And if it isn't, if the individual decision-makers all made choices that were locally rational, it might be an instructive example on how an organization can be so dysfunctional and so filled with perverse incentives that it produces a stack of separately rational decisions that somehow add up to a failure to alphabetize a pick list. Addendum : A possible explanation Dennis Felsing, a former employee of SAP working on their HANA database, has suggested how this might have come about. Suppose that the app originally used a database that produced the results already sorted, so that no sorting in the client was necessary, or at least any omitted sorting wouldn't have been noticed. Then later, the backend database was changed or upgraded to one that didn't have the autosorting feature. (This might have happened when Concur was acquired by SAP, if SAP insisted on converting the app to use HANA instead of whatever it had been using.) This change could have broken many similar picklists in the same way. Perhaps there was large and complex project to replace the database backend, and the unsorted picklist were discovered relatively late and were among the less severe problems that had to be overcome. I said there is no resource constraint that is so stringent that it would prevent the programmers from (sorting the list). But if fifty picklists broke all at the same time for the same reason? And you weren't sure where they all were in the code? At the tail end of a large, difficult project? It might have made good sense to put off the minor problems like unsorted picklists for a future development cycle. This seems quite plausible, and if it's true, then this is not a counterexample of bad technical decisions are made rationally for reasons that are not apparent. (I should add, though, that the sorting issue was not fixed in the next few years.) In the earlier article I said until I got the correct explanation, the only explanation I could think of was unlimited incompetence. That happened this time also! I could not imagine a plausible explanation, but M. Felsing provided one that was so plausible I could imagine making the decision the same way myself. I wish I were better at thinking of this kind of explanation.

[Other articles in category /prog] permanent link


EU urged to view response fairly

China Daily) 10:41, January 07, 2023

The Foreign Ministry urged the European Union on Friday to view China's pandemic response in an objective and fair manner, saying that it will take corresponding measures based on the principle of reciprocity in response to unreasonable measures taken by some countries toward travelers from China.

In responding to an EU statement on the coordination of travel measures in the light of COVID-19 developments in China, ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said that the nation's COVID situation is predictable and under control, and its pandemic response measures are based on scientific assessment.

The EU issued the statement on Wednesday, laying out measures it recommends to its member states to take for international travelers coming from or destined for China.

The bloc encouraged its member states to require all travelers from China to provide a COVID-19 negative test taken not more than 48 hours prior to departure from China, and carry out random testing of travelers from China.

"China has repeatedly stressed that for all countries, COVID response measures need to be science-based and proportionate," Mao said.

"They should not affect normal cross-border travel and people-to-people exchange and cooperation, there should not be discriminatory measures, and still less should measures be used for political manipulation."

She noted that many EU member states told China recently that they welcome tourists from China and will not impose any restrictive measures.

Professional institutions including the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said clearly that restrictive measures targeting travelers from China are unjustified, she added.

"The EU should listen more to rational voices, and view China's COVID response situation in an objective and fair light," Mao said.

The spokeswoman reiterated that China has always shared information and data about COVID-19 with the world in an open and transparent manner.

China has had over 60 technical exchanges with the WHO over COVID-19 containment and other issues, and has kept sharing the virus' genome data through the Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data, she said.

On Thursday, China dispatched experts to attend a briefing of the World Health Organization.

At the briefing, the Chinese experts introduced China's pandemic prevention and control measures, as well as its monitoring of variants, vaccination and treatment, and interacted actively with other WHO member states, Mao said, adding China will strengthen cooperation with the international community, including the WHO.

(Web editor: Xian Jiangnan, Wu Chaolan)
Shakwan David Kelly was arrested Thursday, after a witness recognized him from media reports about the case.

During Fridays hearing, Crown lawyers announced they would be applying to have his bail revoked. That decision was put over until Monday.

READ MORE: Man accused of assaulting Vancouver mom and toddler back in custody

The Chinatown incident is just one of several violent incidents Kelly is accused of perpetrating across the city in a single month.

The 27-year-old is alleged to have assaulted two security guards at Vancouver General Hospital on June 19.

He is accused of assaulting the mother and child in Chinatown on July 9, while running from police responding to reports he was kicking cars.

And on July 19, while on bail, he is alleged to have assaulted someone at the Kettle Friendship Society.

0:28 VPD release video of assault on mom and toddler in Vancouvers Chinatown

When a person is at risk to public safety, when we believe a person is a risk to public safety its our job to apprehend them and to put them before the courts. Ultimately when they enter the court system, its beyond the control of the police, Vancouver police spokesperson Sgt. Steve Addison told Global News.

Global News has learned Kelly is under investigation in relation to another apparently random attack on a TransLink bus.

That incident took place on a bus travelling northbound on Main Street on June 20.

According to police, the suspect stood over a female passenger, making threatening motions at her. When she stood up to approach the driver, the suspect then punched her multiple times in the head.

READ MORE: Woman attacked in unprovoked stranger assault aboard Vancouver bus

The incident that occurred on the bus is an investigation thats being led by Metro Vancouver Transit Police. That said, we work very closely with partner police agencies especially on violent crimes, stranger attacks, street crimes, Addison said.

In any case whenever we have a suspect identified in one case like the Chinatown incident well look for similar MOs, similar descriptions, similar behaviours for unsolved crimes that have occurred in the city and well work with other agencies to look for common linkages.

Kellys lawyer declined an interview on his behalf, but said her client has mental health difficulties.
HILLSBORO  The storage of two blood vials is poised to be a key piece of evidence in the trial of a Fenton man accused of driving drunk and killing a couple and their infant son.

On Friday, the opening day of David Thurbys DWI trial, a state trooper was grilled by defense lawyer Travis Noble for storing Thurbys blood samples in an unrefrigerated storage locker for two weeks before the samples could be tested in a lab.

The Missouri Highway Patrol trooper, Austin Leroux, was just a year out of the police academy when he arrested Thurby on April 13, 2021, on suspicion of driving drunk and causing a deadly wreck on Highway 30 in Jefferson County.

The crash killed Lacey K. Newton, 25, her fiance Cordell S. Williams, 30, and their 4-month-old son. They lived in Bonne Terre.

The grandmother of the couples two surviving sons has asked the Missouri Legislature to enact a bill called Bentleys Law, which would require drunken drivers to pay child support if they kill the parents of a minor.

Thurby is charged with three counts of DWI causing the death of others.

Leroux testified at the jury trial that Thurbys blood was drawn by a nurse at a St. Louis County hospital after the arrest. Leroux said he took the vials and stored them in a patrol car for 14 hours. He then took the vials to the patrols Troop C headquarters to keep them refrigerated. But the refrigerators had no room, he said. Leroux said he then decided to put them in a locker.

Noble noted there were multiple police agencies nearby. Ever think to yourself of maybe calling another law enforcement agency, Hey can I store in your refrigerator? Noble asked. Leroux said no.

The vials were moved to a lab for testing April 28, and Noble claims bacteria could have degraded the sample and created a false reading.

Noble said the test showed Thurbys blood-alcohol level was .179 percent, more than twice the legal limit. A preliminary test revealed that Thurby had a blood-alcohol level of .192 percent, the trooper said in a probable cause statement.

Leroux said he believed it was OK to store blood at room temperature, and he wouldnt do anything differently if he had the chance.

According to the National Library for Medicine, blood samples do not necessarily need to be kept refrigerated, but they should be stored in a cool place and transported to a laboratory as soon as possible.

The Missouri Highway Patrol's policy on storing blood samples says the employee "should protect the specimen from extreme heat and freezing until delivery to the laboratory," Capt. John Hotz, director of the patrol's public Information and education division, told the Post-Dispatch.

A criminalist who ran the test on Thurbys blood is expected to testify early next week for the prosecution. Jefferson County Circuit Judge Vic Melenbrink has set aside all of next week for the trial. The prosecutor told the jury he plans to have additional officers testify as well as a bartender who served liquor to Thurby.

Assistant prosecutor Thomas Hollingsworth, seemingly exasperated by the defense lawyers tactics, asked the trooper if he had ever been treated like this in your whole life?

Leroux said Friday was his first time testifying in front of a jury. The prosecutor brought the trooper into court a day early and had him on the stand in private as a dry run.

On Friday, Noble asked Leroux to spit out chewing gum while Leroux was on the stand, but he said the gum calmed his nerves and did not spit it out.

Cecilia Williams, the grandmother of the couples two surviving sons, said in an interview later Friday she had faith in the prosecutor and the trooper.

The trooper was a rookie, and he did his job correctly, she said.

After hours on the stand, Leroux said he had written two probable cause statements, with conflicting elements about what Thurby told the trooper. In one court record, Leroux quoted Thurby saying, I had seven shots of Crown and water. In the second court record, he said Thurby told him hed had four drinks.

Leroux said he wrote the second affidavit once he had reviewed dash cam footage that picked up the conversations he had with Thurby. The wrong version was based on memory, Leroux said. He made the arrest noting that Thurbys eyes were watery and bloodshot, and he smelled of liquor, the trooper said.

The prosecutors first witness of the day was Byrnes Mill police Sgt. Cody Umfress, who happened upon the fiery crash site and tried to rescue the family. Umfresss rescue effort was recorded by his body camera. Hollingsworth played the video for the jury. Umfress used a police baton to try to break the window of the car on fire.

Crawl out to me, Umfress yells on the video.

Spectators in the courtroom couldnt see the video the jury saw, but the sounds were so disturbing that Cecilia Williams ran from the courtroom sobbing.

It was too much, she said later.

A half-dozen representatives of Mothers Against Drunk Driving were in the courtroom, too, in support of Cecilia Williams and her family. Jen Wamsganz with MADD said, Our concern is always the families. Thats why we show up.

The Missouri Highway Patrol said the couple and infant boy who died were in a 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix heading east on Highway 30, west of Upper Byrnes Mill Road. Newton was driving, Williams was in the passenger seat and the baby was in an infant car seat in the back.

Another eastbound vehicle, a 2016 Chevrolet Cruze driven by the 26-year-old Thurby, was behind Newtons Grand Prix. The patrol said Thurby failed to keep a proper lookout ahead and hit the back of the Grand Prix about 10 p.m. Both vehicles ran off the road and hit trees, police said.

Newtons car caught fire, and police first thought only two adults were dead. They later found the infants body inside the burned vehicle.

Thurby, who was not wearing a seat belt, suffered minor injuries, police said. He lives in the 400 block of Courtney Estates Drive.
ST. LOUIS  A federal judge sentenced a University City business owner Friday to 30 months in prison and ordered him to repay $650,000 that he reaped from bank and pandemic-related fraud.

Le Mell Harlston, 36, used the Social Security number assigned to a Kansas City area minor and a number that had not been assigned to anyone to apply for loans and lines of credit at credit unions and banks.

After Harlstons indictment in January 2021 for fraudulently obtaining loans and lines of credit from banks and credit unions, investigators learned that he had applied for a series of Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loans offered under the federal CARES Act. Harlston applied for EIDL funding for four companies registered to him in July 2020 but used another minors Social Security number on the application.

Harlston, using his own Social Security number, also received multiple PPP loans in February 2021 after certifying that he was only applying for one loan. He applied for two PPP loans after being arraigned in federal court and lied when asked on the applications whether he was under indictment.

In all, Harlston caused a loss of $653,332, including $551,830 in CARES Act funds.

Harlston pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in August to five counts of bank fraud and nine counts of misuse of a Social Security number.

In a sentencing memorandum filed Tuesday by his attorney, Harlston was described as a family man and an entrepreneur, whose successful businesses included Phillies Cheesesteaks in University City. A Post-Dispatch review was included in the memo.

Gail S. Ennis, inspector general for the Social Security Administration, said in statement: The sentence holds Mr. Harlston accountable for his criminal acts of misusing multiple Social Security numbers to defraud several financial institutions and creditors, as well as to fraudulently obtain CARES Act funds. My office will continue working with our law enforcement partners to protect the integrity of Social Security numbers.

U.S. Attorney Sayler Fleming, also in a statement, said, This case is one of almost four dozen pandemic fraud-related cases that are being handled by the U.S. Attorneys office. We are continuing to aggressively prosecute these cases. Anyone with information about pandemic fraud should call the Department of Justices National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or report via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

The Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General and Small Business Administration Office of the Inspector General investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane Klocke prosecuted the case. U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark on Friday sentenced Harlston.
ST. LOUIS  Rosati-Kain High School students and alumnae are celebrating their independence from the Archdiocese of St. Louis, which had planned to close the school this spring.

We cant afford to lose the impact these women have made, said Cynthia Goudy, a 2003 graduate and interim president of the Catholic girls school, which will become Rosati-Kain Academy in July.

Goudy emceed a rally Friday at the school, where the choir sang the alma mater and the cheer team led the chant Kougars Rock the House.

Three months ago, the archdiocese announced it would close Rosati-Kain and St. Marys high schools as part of its All Things New downsizing plan for parishes and schools.

Supporters of both schools successfully scrambled to raise funds and find new religious sponsors to stay open next fall  a happy ending that diverges from the closures of dozens of archdiocesan schools over the last few decades.

Rosati-Kain supporters finalized the terms of a lease with the archdiocese just before Christmas in what they call the miracle on Lindell Boulevard.

The negotiations were shadowed by rumblings of sexism, as the Rosati-Kain team came to believe they were underfunded compared to other Catholic high schools. Archdiocesan leaders declined requests to meet with the women in person. Rumors were flying about intentions for the prime real estate in the Central West End neighborhood.

Another blow came when the archdioceses campaign video for the 2022 Annual Catholic Appeal featured Rosati-Kain prominently.

There are too few women and too few people of color at the archdiocesan decision-making table, and we suffer as a church from that lack of conversation and diversity, said Marie Casey, a 1975 graduate and board member of Rosati-Kain Academy. Its not kind and its not Christian, nor is it very effective.

To finalize the rebranded school, Rosati-Kain Academy needed a religious sponsor. Once again, an alumna played a key role in the survival of the school.

The Rosati-Kain women turned to the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, one of the religious orders that founded the school in 1911. The nuns taught for nine years without pay and for decades more with minimal salaries and no benefits.

Sister Barbara Moore, the first Black woman to join the order, graduated from Rosati-Kain in 1955. She was among the first Black students to integrate the school.

Everything wasnt perfect. We didnt have an overflow of students of color but there were several of us here, Moore said at the school assembly Friday. I was always very vocal and participative.

St. Joseph Educational Ministries, an arm of the Sisters of St. Joseph that also sponsors St. Josephs Academy in Frontenac and Fontbonne University, agreed in mid-December to sponsor Rosati-Kain Academy, a decision that typically takes 12 to 18 months.

I was vehement about the importance of our being a sponsor, Moore said. For me, to see the multiculturalism, the excellence of education, and its right here across from the cathedral ... Im just so thrilled we were able to say yes.

The speakers at the assembly praised Rosati-Kain for its diversity and social justice mission inspired by alumnae like Moore, who marched with Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma. More recently, students have prayed outside state executions and visited with immigrants at the Mexican border.

More than half of the schools students are Black, Hispanic or Asian and half live in St. Louis city. About 75% receive financial aid. Tuition for Rosati-Kain Academy in 2023-2024 is expected to remain around the current $13,500.

Returning staff members will be given raises to bring them closer to public school salaries, leaders said.

Recruitment will be a challenge for Rosati-Kain, where enrollment dropped from 248 to 188 in the last year. But 35 prospective freshmen applied even after the archdiocese announced the schools closure. Donors have raised 65% of the operating budget for next school year, according to administrators.

Olivia Goodman, a junior, said the news of Rosati-Kain Academy comes as a relief after a few months of anxiety.

Im excited to finish with my friends, she said. Im excited for the future.

Photos: Rosati-Kain staying open is a win for girls' Catholic education in St. Louis Rosati-Kain staying open is a win for girls' Catholic education in St. Louis Rosati-Kain staying open is a win for girls' Catholic education in St. Louis Rosati-Kain staying open is a win for girls' Catholic education in St. Louis Rosati-Kain staying open is a win for girls' Catholic education in St. Louis Rosati-Kain staying open is a win for girls' Catholic education in St. Louis Rosati-Kain staying open is a win for girls' Catholic education in St. Louis Rosati-Kain staying open is a win for girls' Catholic education in St. Louis
RICHMOND HEIGHTS  More than 400 students at Maplewood Richmond Heights Elementary will move to virtual learning Monday after the school tested positive for mold.

A frozen pipe in the schools ceiling burst on Dec. 25, sending water throughout the buildings first floor that damaged classrooms, offices, hallways and the gym.

Remediation crews were in the building this week to restore and clean the school, including removing sheetrock beneath baseboards, according to Maplewood Richmond Heights School District officials.

Staff members returned to the school after the break to assess the damage. While preparing their classrooms, some teachers complained of runny noses and irritated eyes and called for air quality testing, according to an educator who asked to remain anonymous.

The air quality report from Professional Service Industries found preliminary data suggests the presence of mold in portions of the building, reads an email sent Thursday to staff from district officials, advising them to switch to working remotely.

Students were expected to return to in-person learning on Monday but will take virtual classes indefinitely. Another round of air quality testing will take place at 8 a.m. Monday, officials said.

Additional mitigation efforts are needed regarding the quality of air, reads an email sent Friday evening to parents from Superintendent Bonita Jamison. We understand that this unexpected circumstance is a hardship for many of our MRHE students, families, and staff, but please know that we are proceeding with abundant caution to ensure the safety of our community.

Unlike the email to staff, the message to parents did not mention mold.

The school has 417 students in grades 3 through 6.
ALTON  Prime eagle-watching season in the St. Louis region is here, prompting hundreds of bird lovers to flock to Alton Saturday and bask in all things American Bald Eagle.

Alton and surrounding areas along the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers are some of the best spots to see eagles in the continental United States this time of year. The open water of the rivers make the area a popular pitstop for the majestic raptors on their journey down the Mississippi Flyway, the migratory path bald eagles and hundreds of other bird species take from breeding grounds in Canada and the northern U.S. to winter south of the Gulf of Mexico.

In Alton, the birds arrival was celebrated Saturday with the annual Alton Eagle Ice Festival where visitors ventured out on eagle-watching hikes and tours, listened to nature talks and watched as carvers live-sculpted a bald eagle out of a hunk of ice.

And, of course, there were plenty of eagles.

Jennifer Jones, a volunteer naturalist with the World Bird Sanctuary, acted as caretaker for Liberty, the bald eagle on display for up-close encounters at FLOCK Food Truck Park, one of three locations for the event Saturday.

Some people say Christmas is the best time of year, Jones said. But for me, its eagle season.

The best time to see eagles in the area typically lasts from late December through February, directly after early cold snaps up north, Jones said.

January really is the best though, she added.

Illinois claims the largest population of wintering bald eagles in the continental United States with more than 3,100 eagles passing through this time of year, according to the State of Illinois Save Our Eagles campaign. That gives Illinois the second largest population of eagles in the U.S, second only to Alaska.

In Missouri, more than 2,000 eagles are typically reported each winter, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation.

For eagle-watching newbies, Jones recommends binoculars and warm clothes. Its best to focus your sights on the tallest trees near the rivers to catch perched eagles, she said.

But dont forget to also look to the sky for eagles mid-flight, she said.

Look for the white head and tail of course, Jones said. An eagles wings will be straight across, while a vultures wings make a V  for vulture.

Tara Hohman, a conservation science manager at the Audubon Center at Riverlands led guided eagle-watching hikes as part of the festival Saturday leaving from the center in the Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary in West Alton.

Eagle watching has improved this year compared with January 2022, Hohman said.

The deep freeze to the north definitely helped, she said. Were getting a lot more sightings.

There were at least 20 bald eagles spotted at the sanctuary this weekend, she said. In some years, there can be 80 to 100.

Hohman recommended looking for eagles on the coldest days in January. Its easiest to spot them early in the morning around 8 a.m. and earlier when they tend to remain in the trees, she said.

The best time to spot eagles are the times when none of us really want to be outside, she said. Early and in the cold.

Hohman said eagles and other birds like trumpeter swans are drawn to the open water of the Mississippi River for food because it doesnt freeze over and doesnt pose any major barriers to flight.

The area is a big draw for bird watchers.

We get calls from people out of state all the time asking when is a good time for them to drive hours to get here to see the eagles and swans, Hohman said.

Hazelwood resident Celena Monticelli attended the festival at the Audubon Center on Saturday with her husband and two kids, ages 10 and 13.

We come every year. We make a tradition out of it, Monticelli said as her family members intently looked through binoculars to watch two eagles in a tree outside the Audubon Center window. Im Native American, so eagles have always been treasured in my culture. This is an opportunity to explain that and pass that down to my kids. They are majestic birds so were lucky to have them here.

Kelly Kipp, of Creve Coeur, attended a raptor talk at the festival Saturday with her husband and two kids, ages 7 and 5. The family started bird-watching as a safe, socially distanced activity during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Its just a nice way to get out of the house, Kipp said. As she spoke, an eagle mascot flapped its wings for festivalgoers nearby and local musician Marko Polo performed songs about pigeons and local salamanders.

Kipps 7-year-old daughter, Eliza, had at least one memorable sighting in the center that day, even though it wasnt an eagle.

I saw an owl that was missing an eye! she said.

Where to eagle watch

Great Rivers & Routes, the southwest Illinois tourism bureau, will offer guided eagle-watching tours to prime viewing locations every Saturday through Feb. 25. Tours will leave from both Alton and Grafton daily at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Cory Jobe, president and CEO of the bureau, recommended that visitors bring binoculars though some sites will provide them. To learn more and purchase tickets for $15 at www.riversandroutes.com/things-to-do/buy-tickets/.

The Audubon Center at Riverlands will also offer programming through the migration season. Visitors can attend Raptor Saturday and Eagle Sunday events at the center each weekend through Feb. 12. The events feature bird-watching walks, educational talks, and campfire smores. Visit www.riverlands.audubon.org/events to learn more.

Photos: Alton Eagle Ice Festival kicks off eagle watching season Alton Eagle Ice Festival kicks off eagle watching season Alton Eagle Ice Festival kicks off eagle watching season Alton Eagle Ice Festival kicks off eagle watching season Alton Eagle Ice Festival kicks off eagle watching season Alton Eagle Ice Festival kicks off eagle watching season Alton Eagle Ice Festival kicks off eagle watching season Alton Eagle Ice Festival kicks off eagle watching season
Do hippopotamuses have anxiety about the dentist? Hippo-endodontist? Hippo-periodontist? Or, is it the dentist who might have concerns facing down a beautiful animal weighing anywhere from 3k to 9k lbs for a full-grown hippo? What if the patients were a bloat? How many dentists would you need? And if a hippo is to be castrated, is a dentist visit part of the process?

In this National Geographic video, "Hippo Dental Care: The Invaders," Orion, one of the four hippos that Pablo Escobar kept at his large hacienda and now living at the Medillin zoo, gets a visit from the dentist. "This hippo has a cavity in its gigantic chomper, and it's up to the zoo's vet to fill it."

You may be thinking of your experience with a dentist, getting a tooth pulled, a cavity filled, or maybe even the joy of a root canal, and how it is not something to desire or look forward to. Orion seems perfectly content with the dental work.

It seems that teeth issues do not limit the procreative capacities of these creatures; after all, evolution is about choice, according to Darwin's cousin Herbert Spencer.

Castration is in the future for the offspring of the four hippos, one male and three females, that were part of Escobar's exotic animal collection and are now "roaming the Colombian ecosystem" after being abandoned when Escobar was killed in 1993. From Escobar's Hacienda in Napoles, Colombia, the hippos made their way to the Magdalena River. There are approximately 140 calves are now in existence.

As reported at CBC Radio in October of 2022, "To be honest, it is very complicated. Everything with hippos are difficult because of their size,' the wildlife veterinarian [Carlos Valderrama] told As It Happens host Nil Koksal. Valderrama works with a wildlife charity called Webconserva to solve Colombia's hippo problem. 'Where the hippos are located right now, there [are not] many people. But as the population spreads in the territory, we have a lot of fishermen living in the area. So the more interaction [that happens between them], the more attacks that will happen. And that's what we are trying to prevent,' he said."

Check out this BB post, "Are Pablo Escobar's horny cocaine hippos legally people?"
Modern conservatives have this quirky talent for taking objectively positive political words and transforming them into sneering insults. Sadly, we liberals have a talent for letting them get away with it. Its a pattern that has repeated itself since long before woke became the current favored dog whistle for right-wing extremists.

Remember in the Reagan 1980s when the word liberal itself became such a pejorative that even liberal Democrats began ducking from it? Saturday Night Live encapsulated that absurdity in real time with a 1988 skit that imagined the last liberal in America being hunted like a fugitive. (He almost blows his cover at a conservative familys dinner table by giving a prayer for the poor. When his hosts glare their disapproval, he recovers by quickly adding: Because they are lazy!)

With liberal thus poisoned, many on the left started calling themselves progressive. Its another word with an objectively positive dictionary definition that conservatives now use in ways that sound like a stand-in for leper.

To be clear: The opposite of progressive isnt conservative. Its regressive. Maybe thats why the most toxic voices of the right like to shorten it to prog, which makes it sound less like a serious political philosophy than some kind of warty amphibian.

They play a similar game with Democratic (upper-case, as in the party). Its a word that Republican politicians today seem to be physically incapable of pronouncing in its entirety. Regardless of context, they always say Democrat  Democrat Party, Democrat policies, Democrat candidate.

A remedial grammar lesson is clearly called for. Repeat after me: There is no such thing as The Democrat Party.

Its tempting to suggest that this widespread linguistic error is the result of todays conservative hostility toward education. But its probably more about denying Dem-o-crat-ic politicians the right to their correct designation, and instead spitting out a word that rhymes with bureaucrat.

Speaking of spitting out words: Do Tucker Carlson, Josh Hawley, Ron DeSantis and the rest of the anti-woke brigade really think that only the right-wing base understands their coded messages here? To anyone paying attention, they should come through loud and clear.

Carlson, the most snappish of Fox News growly talking heads, lambasts Americas woke military for (gasp!) opening more leadership opportunities to minorities. Hawley, the Missouri senator, legislates against woke corporations like Disney  yes, Disney  for being responsive to evolving societal norms regarding gender. Which some would call both tolerance and good business sense.

DeSantis declared last week, during his inaugural speech for his second term as Floridas governor: We will never surrender to the woke mob. In his first term, DeSantis pushed through legislation to intimidate teachers out of teaching about race. The law is titled The Stop Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees Act, or (you saw this coming, right?) Stop WOKE.

Florida, said DeSantis, is where woke goes to die.

Yikes.

So what is this horrible woke thing?

Accounts of the words origin differ, but most scholars agree it grew out of Black American culture early in the last century. Initially, it described the necessity of being awake (woke) to racist dangers. It later expanded to address not just physical danger but the reality of systemic racism and the alertness necessary to recognize it.

Most recently, its been expanded beyond race to encompass vigilance against social injustice in general, support for womens rights, LGBTQ tolerance and even respect for medical science during the pandemic.

These are all, according to DeSantis & Co., really, really bad things.

But being more specific about what it is theyre criticizing would present some problems. Consider:

Florida is where social justice goes to die.

Florida is where respect for medical expertise goes to die.

Florida is where racial tolerance goes to die.

Doesnt have much bumper-sticker appeal, right? But substitute the word woke  which today actually means all of the above  and it suddenly sounds like hes standing up to extremist nonsense instead of promoting it.

Hand it to the political right: They run circles around liberals when it comes to leveraging the language. They need to signal to a certain segment of voters their intolerance, racial and otherwise, but they know its not a good look in the wider culture to outright say that. So they redefine a left-leaning word as a catch-all to convey their malice without sounding too much like a 1950s Dixiecrat standing in a schoolhouse doorway. Though thats ultimately the image theyre hoping the base will come away with.

Tolerance is a good thing. Gender equity and racial justice are good things. People who sneer at these concepts have invariably ended up on the wrong side of history  whatever words they twist to do it.

Kevin McDermott is a Post-Dispatch columnist and Editorial Board member.

On Twitter: @kevinmcdermott.
The publics verdict is in on Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcrofts proposal for state regulation of public libraries reading lists: Those Missourians motivated enough to speak out are rightly rejecting this Orwellian scheme in droves. The public-comment period for the proposal drew an apparently record-breaking number of responses, with a majority expressing opposition, according to Ashcrofts own office. Thats in addition to virtually unified opposition from librarians across the state.

This culture-war stunt was already deeply un-American. Now that its clear that its also unpopular, Ashcroft has an obligation to drop this. Yet initial indications are that hes pressing ahead.

As secretary of state, Ashcrofts duties include funding public libraries across Missouri. In October, Ashcroft proposed an administrative rule that would threaten to withhold that funding from any library that didnt submit to an onerous new set of restrictions on how they choose and display their books.

Among the restrictions would be a ban on materials in any form that appeal to the prurient interest of any minor. Since the rule doesnt define what that means, it would presumably be up to librarians to decide whether to risk stocking, say, Renaissance art books, medical reference materials or old copies of National Geographic. Not to mention many classic works of literature.

Its important to note that Ashcroft hasnt pointed to a single instance of a public library subjecting a child to inappropriate materials. This radical proposal for state censorship has been prompted by, literally, nothing but the electoral calendar. Ashcroft is expected to run for governor next year, and he apparently believes winning the GOP nomination will require showing Missouris Republican base that he can be as extremist as the next right-wing ideologue.

As the Post-Dispatchs Kurt Erickson reports, the legally required, month-long public-comment period for Ashcrofts proposed rule-change has garnered some 16,000 responses, which Ashcrofts own office believes is a record.

The percentage is greater for the negative comments, Ashcroft spokesman JoDonn Chaney acknowledged. But he added the ominous caveat that negative comments about the proposal that didnt offer alternatives to it were not especially helpful.

That construct appears to preemptively rule out the obvious alternative of Ashcroft just getting out of the censorship business and dropping this thing entirely.

Instead, the spokesman indicated the comments might merely prompt revisions to Ashcrofts proposal. Its as if, notwithstanding the obvious First Amendment problems and clearly expressed public opposition, Ashcroft has already decided that some version of state control over library shelves is suddenly necessary.

It isnt. If Ashcroft pursues this, it will be subject to review by the Legislatures Joint Committee on Administrative Rules. If and when that happens, committee members should ask themselves what is the point of even inviting public comments on rule changes if theyre just going to ignore them. While theyre at it, they should re-read Orwells 1984  while they can still find copies.
At the end of 2022 Russia announced that its frigate Gorshkov had been equipped with the Zircon hypersonic missile. These missiles use scramjet technology, which has been around for decades but so far no one has been able to create reliable and accurate missiles using this tech. Russia has been testing Zircon for several years and demonstrated that it can move at hypersonic speed for up to 400 kilometers. There is no proof the Zircon can hit a ship sized target. Achieving hypersonic speed is old tech. It means using a solid fuel booster to boost a missile to high enough speed for its liquid-fueled scram jet engine to work. The final problem is a guidance system that will guide the missile, moving at a speed of two or three kilometers a second, to a ship sized target it will reach in less than a minute. At this point the missile is moving too fast for any current defensive system to detect and intercept. High powered lasers might work, but that approach is highly theoretical, as is the ability of the missile to hit a small target.

The first Gorshkov class frigate did not enter service until 2018. Two more have since joined the fleet and two more are under construction. The navy will receive ten eventually if the money is still available. The Admiral Gorshkov class 5,400 ton stealth frigates are the largest surface ships built in Russia since the Cold War ended in 1991. These Project 22350 ships can operate in distant waters and are replacing Cold War era destroyers, few of which can still get to sea. Like most new Russian warships, the Gorshkovs arrived late and in far smaller numbers than originally planned. The original plan, from 2003, was for the first of 20 Gorshkovs to enter service in 2011. Construction began in 2006 and the first Gorshkov was launched in 2010. Once the first Gorshkov was in the water it was only about half complete and work slowed down. Already there were money problems and the plan was reduced to 15, then eight and finally four of these ships. A major reason for the delays and reduction of the number of ships was the 2014 Russian invasion of Ukraine. That meant Russia could not get the gas turbine engines for these ships and that technology was developed and monopolized (during the Soviet period) by Ukrainian plants. It took a lot of money to develop a supplier in Russia and do it in a hurry. The second Gorshkov and its Russian gas turbines began sea trials later in 2018 and by 2020 the reliability of the Russian gas turbine engines was declared satisfactory.

The Gorshkov's are armed with a 100mm gun, two Kashtan autocannon/missile systems for missile defense, 16 VLS cells for Oniks or Zircon anti-ship missiles, or Kaliber land-attack cruise missiles, 32 VLS cells for anti-aircraft missiles (30 kilometers range), eight 533mm (21 inch) torpedo tubes and a helicopter. Crew size is 210 and endurance 30 days on internal fuel and other supplies.

Four Gorshkovs are too little too late and additional four improved models (Project 22350M) are planned but these will not enter service until the mid-2020s, if ever. That is an achievement because Russia was facing the loss of nearly all its surface warships to age and not many replacements entering service. The problem was that by 2010 most of the Cold War era warships that made up the surface fleet since the late 1980s had to be retired. These ships were falling apart, as there was not any money, since the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, for repairs and upgrades. Russia came up with more money by 2010 to build enough surface ships to maintain a respectable but much smaller fleet. But there was a problem. Most of Russia's warship building capability had disappeared since 1991. To that end, the government negotiated with France to import modern warship building techniques. This was to be accomplished by purchasing two Mistral amphibious assault ship/helicopter carriers built in France and the right to build two more in Russian shipyards. During that process, Russian shipbuilders would learn how it's done in the West. From 1991 until 2010 most of the Russian construction effort went into finishing a few subs and building some surface ships for export. This plan was another casualty of the Ukraine invasion. The first two Mistrals were complete by 2014 but because of sanctions on Russia (for the Ukraine aggression) France refused to deliver, refunded Russia the billion dollars paid for those two Mistrals and then sold them to Egypt.

In 2010 the Russian surface fleet consisted of one aircraft carrier, five cruisers, 17 destroyers, eleven frigates and about fifty corvettes. There were about twenty smaller (than Mistral) amphibious ships. All these Cold War era ships suffered from years of neglect during the 1990s, and most were not in the best of shape and will be gone by 2020. The one Russian carrier underwent an expensive, and long overdue, refurbishment to keep it in service through the 2020s but most of the other Cold War era surface ships were not worth refurbishing. An exception was made for tw0 Kirov class battlecruisers and two smaller Slava class cruisers. These four ships entered service in the late 1980s and with refurbishment have another few years of useful life in them, though one was sunk in the current Ukraine war. Ten destroyers that entered service at the end of the Cold War, or were nearly finished, are in a similar situation.

The Gorshkovs were meant to replace the 32 Krivak class frigates. These 3,500-ton ships were built in the 1970s and 80s and nearly all were retired by 2010. The Gorshkov's cost about $400 million each and will replace larger ships like the 8,400-ton Sovremenny class destroyers. These older, larger, ships, were designed for high seas operations far from Russian shores. The new Russian fleet will be a return to the traditional Russian coastal navy. Only a few of the original 21 Sovremenny are still in service and that is usually because of a recent refurbishment. These ships all were built in the 1980s and 90s. The last four built were for China. The Russian fleet could no longer afford large warships like this, but China could and is now building its own designs that are more similar to American designs.

The Russian navy is in desperate shape. The latest example of this could be seen in the continuing delays getting the new Gorshkov class into service. Construction on these began in 2006 but by 2010 only one had been launched and it was still only half complete. Three have been completed and work on two proceeds. The navy wanted twenty Gorshkovs to replace the Cold War-era Sovremenny class destroyers and Burevestnik class frigates. The government has only promised money for twelve Gorshkovs and has since raised that to fifteen. It wasnt until 2018 that the first Gorshkov passed sea trials. These ships cost about $400 million each.

Submarines were one ship type that got priority for new construction even in the 1990s but that has now slowed down. This is critical when it comes to building replacements for the last Cold War class of SSBNs (nuclear ballistic missile subs) which were all completed in the 1980s. These have been quietly retired or semi-retired (only going to sea for training). Priority was put on building eight new Borei class SSBNs. These were delayed and the first one did not enter service until 2013. There are now six in service but construction plans for more are on hold. Similar priority was given to building some nuclear cruise missile subs that carry anti-ship missiles as well as traditional SSNs (nuclear attack subs). There were also a few non-nuclear subs built as well.
PASCAGOULA, Miss., Jan. 06, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HIIs (NYSE: HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division was awarded a $10.5 million contract today for the modernization period planning of Zumwalt-class guided missile destroyers, USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000) and USS Michael Monsoor (DDG 1001).

Ingalls is honored to have been selected to deliver this new capability with our Navy and industry partners, Ingalls Shipbuilding President Kari Wilkinson said. Our shipbuilders stand ready to do what is necessary to enable our fleet in the protection of peace around the world.

HII has invested nearly $1 billion in the infrastructure, facility and toolsets at Ingalls Shipbuilding enabling the work of Ingalls shipbuilders, improving product flow and process efficiency, and enhancing product quality.

Zumwalt-class destroyers feature a state-of-the-art electric propulsion system, wave-piercing tumblehome hull, stealth design and is equipped with the most advanced warfighting technology and weaponry. These ships will be capable of performing a range of deterrence, power projection, sea control, and command and control missions while allowing Navy to evolve with new systems and missions.

Ingalls has delivered 34 Arleigh Burke-class (DDG 51) destroyers, with five currently under construction including Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125), Ted Stevens (DDG 128), Jeremiah Denton (DDG 129), George M. Neal (DDG 131) and Sam Nunn (DDG 133). Additionally, the third of the Zumwalt-class ships, Lyndon B. Johnson (DDG 1002) arrived in Pascagoula, Mississippi, in January 2022 for a combat systems availability.

A photo accompanying this release is available at: https://hii.com/news/hii-ingalls-shipbuilding-advanced-planning-contract-zumwalt-class-ships.

About HII

HII is an all-domain defense and technologies partner, recognized worldwide as Americas largest shipbuilder. With a 135-year history of trusted partnerships in advancing U.S. national security, HII delivers critical capabilities ranging from the most powerful and survivable naval ships ever built, to unmanned systems, ISR and AI/ML analytics. HII leads the industry in mission-driven solutions that support and enable an all-domain force. Headquartered in Virginia, HIIs skilled workforce is 44,000 strong. For more information, visit:

HII on the web: https://www.HII.com/

HII on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TeamHII

HII on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/WeAreHII

HII on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/WeAreHII

Contact:

Kimberly Aguillard [email protected] (228) 935-6821

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a0d679ab-027e-410d-84de-8f6052b0d934

Zumwalt-class destroyer USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000) underway at Sea. U.S. Navy Image

Source: Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc.
2022's highest ranking restaurant company in the world

Manila, Philippines--(Newsfile Corp. - January 6, 2023) - The Jollibee Group, Asia's fastest growing restaurant company, has been recognized by Forbes as one of the World's Best Employers for a third consecutive year. This recognition affirms the brand of care that Jollibee commits to its employees across the globe, which continues to contribute to a rising perception of the company as a world-class employer of choice.





For the third straight year, the Jollibee Group figures on Forbes' list of the World's Best Employers in 2022. The Jollibee Group is not only the highest ranked Philippine-based company in the listing but also the highest ranked restaurant company in the world.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7958/150480_0365d0eb84d09897_001full.jpg

The highest-ranking restaurant company and Philippine-based company on the Forbes 2022 global list, the Jollibee Group has continued to rise up the rankings since it was first included in 2020. The Company's rank rose to 106th this year, a significant jump from 239th and 256th positions it enjoyed in 2020 and 2021 respectively.

"We are honored and grateful to receive this global recognition, which validates our company's commitment to providing excellent care to our employees. By incorporating a People Agenda into our business strategy, we can capitalize on our people's strengths and provide them with opportunities for growth and development," said Jollibee Group President and CEO Ernesto Tanmantiong.

Forbes and its market research partner Statista polled 150,000 employees from 57 countries to assess companies based on their image, economic footprint, talent development, gender equality, and social responsibility. Respondents were also asked how willing they were to recommend their own employers to family and friends. The final list includes the 800 companies with the highest total scores.

Evolved People Agenda

"To support the business as we repositioned the Jollibee Group for post-pandemic growth, our People Agenda had to adapt. While we continued to prioritize the safety and wellbeing of our employees, we needed to focus on strengthening organizational capabilities, enhancing our talent development and succession, and creating new ways of working built around speed, agility, and collaboration," said Arsenio Sabado, Jollibee Group Chief Human Resources Officer.

"Critical to the success of our People Plans is Employee Communications that keeps our leaders and employees up-to-date as our growth strategies evolve, and keeps everyone aligned with our mission of serving great-tasting food, and bringing the joy of eating to everyone. This deep sense of purpose and love for our brands are the intangibles that endear us to our employees and to their families, our communities, and ultimately to our customers," he adds.

The Jollibee Group also adopted a hybrid model for office-based employees after more than two years of remote work, where they are onsite for two days and on remote work the rest of the week. This arrangement is part of Jollibee Group's work reentry strategy which takes a more human-centered approach to redesigning new employees' work-life experiences.

Aside from being recognized among the World's best Employers for a third straight year, the Jollibee Group was also recognized by Forbes as one of the World's Most Female Friendly Companies in 2021.

It is also the first-ever Philippine-based company to be recognized with the Gallup Exceptional Workplace Award (GEWA) in 2020.

"We dedicate these awards to all our teams whose passion for excellence and commitment to our values have contributed to the continued growth of the Jollibee Group. The continued development of our employees and their welfare will remain our top priority as we acknowledge that our people are our biggest competitive advantage," said Mr. Tanmantiong.

# # #

About Jollibee Group

Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC, also known as Jollibee Group) is one of the fastest-growing restaurant companies in the world. It operates in 34 countries, with over 6,300 stores globally with branches in the Philippines, United States, Canada, the People's Republic of China, United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Vietnam, Brunei, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Indonesia, Costa Rica, Egypt, Panama, Malaysia, South Korea, India, and Australia.

Jollibee Group has eight wholly owned brands (Jollibee, Chowking, Greenwich, Red Ribbon, Mang Inasal, Yonghe King, Hong Zhuang Yuan, Smashburger); four franchised brands (Burger King, Panda Express, and Yoshinoya in the Philippines, and Tim Ho Wan in certain territories in China); 80% ownership of The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf; 60% ownership in the SuperFoods Group that owns Highlands Coffee; and 51% ownership of Milksha, a popular Taiwanese bubble tea brand.

Jollibee Group, through its subsidiary Jollibee Worldwide Pte. Ltd. (JWPL) owns 90% participating interest in Titan Dining LP, a private equity fund that ultimately owns the Tim Ho Wan brand. It also has a joint venture with the THW Group to open and operate THW restaurants in Mainland China. Jollibee Group also has a business venture with award-winning Chef Rick Bayless for Tortazo, a Mexican fast-casual restaurant business in the United States.

Jollibee Group was named the Philippines' most admired company by the Asian Wall Street Journal for ten years. It was also honored as one of Asia's Fab 50 Companies and among the World's Best Employers and World's Top Female-Friendly Companies by Forbes. In 2020, Gallup awarded the Jollibee Group with the Exceptional Workplace Award, making it the first Philippine-based company to receive the distinction.

Jollibee Group has grown brands that bring delightful dining experiences to its customers worldwide, thus spreading the joy of eating to everyone.

To learn more about Jollibee Group, visit www.jollibeegroup.com

Media Contact:

Katz Bernardo

+639178780718

[email protected]

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/150480
Expected to Spur Development of Autonomous Driving Technology in Preparation for the SDV(Software Defined Vehicle) Era

LAS VEGAS and SEOUL, South Korea, Jan. 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On January 6th, HL Klemove, which specializes in autonomous driving solutions for HL Group, signed an MOU with Sonatus, a company specializing in vehicular communication & data, at the 2023 CES in Las Vegas. The two companies have agreed to collaborate on the development of next-generation automotive architecture technology, in preparation for the upcoming "Software Defined Vehicle (SDV)" era, where mobility will be software-centered. Pal-joo Yoon, Hyung-jin Kang (CEO and CTO of HL Klemove, respectively), Jeffrey Chou and John Heinlein (CEO and CMO of Sonatus, respectively), attended the signing ceremony.

Most vehicles are equipped with 'distributed control architectures', where dozens of electronic controllers function individually to provide mobility solutions. In this form of architecture, application of new software is much restricted due to each controller's hardware-related constraints and other complex interrelations. To address this problem, diverse attempts are being made to integrate multiple electronic controllers on the next-generation automotive architecture. This phenomenon can be observed in DCU(Domain Control Unit), which integrates controllers of different functions, as well as in Z-ECU(Zonal Electronic Control Unit) which integrate controllers of different zones regardless of Functions and Zones. Building upon the successful commercialization of DCU for autonomous driving, HL Klemove, in collaboration with Sonatus, plans to accelerate the development of next-generation automotive architecture technologies, including Z-ECU.

A vast amount of data is required to operate mobility solutions. Given that, stable data communication in a vehicle is an essential requirement for controller integrationthe biggest reason for HL Klemove's partnership with Sonatus. Sonatus not only possesses a high-quality communication platform, but it also succeeded in commercialization of vehicle communication controls, such as *CCU(Central Communication Unit). The two companies plan to focus on developing next-generation integrated control platforms; a prerequisite for realizing future vehicles such as SDV(Software-Defined Vehicles).

HL Klemove's CEO, Pal-joo Yoon said at the CES site that day, "The CCU we introduced at CES was the first output of our collaboration with Sonatus," adding, "By building the next-generation automotive architecture, we will ensure thorough preparation is made when facing the new automotive paradigm; the SDV."

Sonatus, located in Silicon Valley is a mobility software developer founded in 2018, with a vision to helping vehicles become "Data Centers on Wheels." Global automakers are paying close attention to its network-based communication and data solution technologies.

About HL Klemove

HL Klemove is a leading global autonomous driving solution provider with over 2,100 patents and a proven track record. The company started anew through the merger of two companies, ADAS business unit that has spun off from HL Mando (KS 204320), the global automotive parts company, and Mando-Hella Electronics, a leader in the automotive electronic parts technology. HL Klemove offers end-to-end solution for L2+/L3 autonomous driving and plans to launch next generation autonomous driving products such as high-resolution camera and integrated domain control unit until 2025. The company serves over fifty (50) customers who are major OEMs and EV & autonomous driving vehicle start-ups, worldwide. HL Klemove currently has 3 manufacturing footprints in Songdo (Korea), Suzhou (China) and Chennai (India). The newly established corporation in Mexico will be supporting its customers in North America. In addition to the manufacturing footprints, the company is operating R&D centers globally in places such as Pangyo (Korea), Bengaluru (India), Suzhou (China) and Silicon Valley (US). HL Klemove promises safe and comfortable driving through its advanced sensors and SW algorithm, on the strength of strong electronic product capabilities. For more information, visit [www.hlklemove.com]

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SOURCE HL Klemove
The year 2022 marked the 100th anniversary of the founding of PEN America, an organization that "stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect free expression in the United States and worldwide. We champion the freedom to write, recognizing the power of the word to transform the world. Our mission is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible."

In April 2022, PEN released the report "Banned in the USA: Rising School Book Bans Threaten Free Expression and Students' First Amendment Rights."

PEN has long championed human rights and free speech, and this first report highlights that "Book bans in public schools have recurred throughout American history, and have long been an issue of concern to PEN America, as a literary and free expression advocacy organization. Over the past nine months, the scope of such censorship has expanded rapidly. In response, PEN America has collated an Index of School Book Bans, offering a snapshot of the trend. The Index documents decisions to ban books in school libraries and classrooms in the United States from July 1, 2021, to March 31, 2022."

An update to the report was recently released, covering March 2022 until the end of the year. A snapshot of the findings concludes:

 "From July 2021 to June 2022, PEN America's Index of School Book Bans lists 2,532 instances of individual books being banned, affecting 1,648 unique book titles.

 The 1,648 titles are by 1,261 different authors, 290 illustrators, and 18 translators, impacting the literary, scholarly, and creative work of 1,553 people altogether."

The report focuses on the following questions:

"What Types of Book Bans Are Taking Place in Schools? What Types of Content Are Being Banned? Who Is Behind Book Bans? The Role of Groups"

Where Are Book Bans Happening?

The report concludes, "Book challenges impede free expression rights, which must be the bedrock of public schools in an open, inclusive, and democratic society. These bans pose a dangerous precedent to those in and out of schools, intersecting with other movements to block or curtail the advances in civil rights for historically marginalized people.

Against the backdrop of other efforts to roll back civil liberties and erode democratic norms, the dynamics surrounding school book bans are a canary in the coal mine for the future of American democracy, public education, and free expression. We should heed this warning."

The initial report and the update contain maps, charts, videos, and other images, in addition to the specific finding of the research project. The research also focuses on legislative changes, school district policies, preemptive bans, silent bans, informal efforts, and other restrictions. Nadine Farid Johnson and Jonathan Friedman, Ph.D researched and compiled the report

Here is a list of the most banned titles.
WASHINGTON  Micki Witthoeft, the mother of Ashli Babbitt, was arrested for blocking traffic on Capitol grounds on Friday, the two-year anniversary of the death of her daughter after she stormed the building in a pro-Trump mob.

Witthoeft, 58, was arrested around 1:45 p.m. for failing to obey police orders and blocking and obstructing roadways, according to a statement from U.S. Capitol Police. The group did not have a permit to demonstrate, the statement said, and Witthoeft asked to be arrested.

As is routine in these types of arrests, she was processed, given a citation to appear in court and released, the statement said.

Witthoeft and her supporters were blocking traffic on Independence Avenue, SW, near First Street, SW., when Capitol Police officers and officials approached the group, directed them to move to the sidewalk and warned that if they did not, they would be arrested, according to the statement.

Were not discussing it. Sidewalk now, or youre under arrest. Its that simple. Were not discussing it. Were not having any discussions. The sidewalk, or youll be placed under arrest, an officer said, according to a video posted of the interaction by News2Shares Ford Fischer, a documentarian who films political activism.

Witthoeft then turned her back to police and placed her hand behind her back, the video shows. Go ahead, the officer said, as officers took Witthoeft by the arms toward a police vehicle.

Babbitt, an Air Force veteran, was fatally shot by police on Jan. 6, 2021, as she tried to leap through the broken window of a door inside the Capitol. Witthoeft and supporters shouted Babbitts name Friday as officers led Witthoeft into the police vehicle, according to another video posted on YouTube.

Earlier in the day, that video showed Witthoeft speaking to supporters outside the U.S. Supreme Court.

As we stand in front of this building that says equal justice under the law, lets seek that, she said. Lets make that attainable.
WASHINGTON  President Biden marked the two-year anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol on Friday by warning of continued dangers posed by the big lie and honoring more than a dozen people who helped protect and uphold American democracy leading up to and on the day of the insurrection.

Two years ago on Jan. 6, our democracy was attacked. Theres no other way of saying it, Biden said. All of it was fueled by the lies about the 2020 election. But on this day two years ago, our democracy held because we the people ... did not flinch. We the people endured.

Bidens comments came against the backdrop of a chaotic four days in the House of Representatives, where Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has failed to garner enough votes to become speaker over 13 ballots, a public display of disarray that Biden called an embarrassment on Wednesday. McCarthy won a significant number of Republican holdouts on Friday but still does not have enough votes to become speaker.

Some Democrats have argued that the chaos in the House was a relic of Jan. 6, as the nation has clearly failed to overcome bitter political divisions. Many of the holdouts continue to baselessly claim the 2020 election was stolen and have remained loyal to former president Donald Trump.

The ceremony Friday marked the day a violent mob of Donald Trumps supporters stormed the Capitol to try to stop the certification of Joe Bidens election. Five people died as a result of the attack, including Brian D. Sicknick, a Capitol Police officer who died of injuries sustained defending the Capitol who was honored posthumously on Friday. Four other police officers with the Capitol Police and D.C. police died by suicide in the days and months after the attack.

He lost his life protecting the citadel of democracy, Biden said of Sicknick. Then, speaking directly to Sicknicks family, Biden added: I know youre proud of the honor being bestowed on Brian. But I also know this difficult moment brings back everything as if it happened this very day.

More than half of the honorees receiving the Presidential Citizens Medal in the East Room of the White House were law enforcement officers who defended the Capitol against an angry mob spurred on by Trumps unfounded claims of a stolen election. Other awardees were elected officials and poll workers who sought to fairly count ballots and uphold election results amid an intense pressure campaign from Trump and his supporters to overturn them.

The awardees include Eugene Goodman, a Capitol Police officer who diverted an angry mob away from the Senate floor as legislators were still evacuating. Biden also honored Howard Liebengood, a Capitol Police officer who died by suicide four days after the insurrection.

Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, a mother-and-daughter duo who both served as election workers in Fulton County, Ga., also received the medal. The two endured threats and harassment after the election.

Both of them were just doing their jobs until they were targeted and threatened by the same predators and peddlers of lies that would fuel the insurrection. They were literally forced from their homes, facing despicable racist taunts, Biden said of Freeman and Moss.

The medal is one of the countrys highest civilian honors and is given to those who have performed exemplary deeds of service for their country or their fellow citizens. Biden also honored state and local officials from Arizona, Michigan and Pennsylvania who all resisted pressure to overturn election results and ensured the vote count continued.

Biden has warned several times of the threats posed to American democracy by election-denying candidates and Trumps continued lies that the 2020 election was stolen. He has at times controversially framed this moment in American history as a battle between those who want a robust, civil debate about the best path forward and those willing to scorch Democratic traditions for political expediency. As the midterms neared, Biden warned voters of so-called MAGA Republicans whose fealty to Trump eclipsed any impulse to act for the common good.

Voters resoundingly rejected far-right candidates in Novembers midterm elections who deny the 2020 election results and have shown sympathy toward Jan. 6 protesters. At the state level, voters elevated Democrats over Trump-backed candidates for Senate and governor.

While some courageous men and women in the Republican Party are standing against it, trying to uphold the principles of that party, too many others are transforming that party into something else, Biden said while commemorating the first anniversary of the Charlottesville riot. They seem no longer to want to be the party  the party of Lincoln, Eisenhower, Reagan, the Bushes. But whatever my other disagreements are with Republicans who support the rule of law and not the rule of a single man, I will always seek to work together with them to find shared solutions where possible.

Trump has announced he is seeking the presidency a third time and continues to baselessly insist the election was rigged.

A congressional committee that spent 18 months investigating the attack found Trumps conduct following the 2020 election was to blame and recommended that he be barred from holding office again.
Jeff Borsuk counts himself lucky that the damage and theft at his wine bar Just Vino on Main Street was minor in comparison to others.

Looters broke into Just Vino during the blizzard and got away with the cash box and some wine. They tried to steal the television, but, after causing damage ripping it off the wall, dropped it and left it at the scene. They also broke numerous glasses, showering the entire premises with tiny shards of glass.

On Jefferson Avenue, a community still reeling from massacre endures another trauma The parking lot of the Tops supermarket on Jefferson Avenue was filled with emergency vehicl

Borsuk wasn't alone.

When Buffalo residents finally emerged from the blizzard, they were met with a number of boarded-up store windows and closed stores. On Bailey Avenue, there were places such as Family Dollar, Aaron's Rent to Own and Bailey Jewelry. On West Ferry there were Dollar General, Rent-a-Center and Rite Aid. And on Broadway there was Aldi  an important grocery destination in the Broadway-Fillmore neighborhood that lacks many options for fresh produce and meats.

All were the sites of looting during the Blizzard of 2022, left with broken windows and doors, damaged interior fixtures, and stolen and trampled merchandise. As of last week, 21 people have been arrested in connection with looting.

For store owners like Borsuk, the focus has been on the cleanup and opening up again  and measuring the cost. For many, insurance will only cover some of their losses.

Borsuk had already lost the busy days leading up to Christmas because of the storm, then lost busy post-Christmas and New Year's Eve sales because of the break-in.

"I was all fired up after the storm. You know, "Oh my god, we got to get back open. I'm going to open New Year's Eve, New Year's Day, open for the Monday night game, try to generate some revenue that we lost,'" he said. "Then this happened, and I couldn't do anything."

The bar just reopened Tuesday.

Fortunately, he was able to loan his own money to the bar to keep it afloat until the insurance check arrives. If the damage had been much worse, that might not have been the case, and the bar could've been knocked out completely, he said.

For example, he's grateful the thieves broke through the door to gain entry, rather than smashing the plate glass window  which would have been a much more expensive fix.

"It's not the end of the world, it could've been a lot worse," he said.

Borsuk was adequately insured and said things went smoothly with the insurance company. He expects to receive a check to cover his losses.

It is a common misconception that businesses damaged by break-ins and looting is always covered by insurance, said insurance expert Alex Chrzanowski. Sometimes it gives the misconception that such theft is a victimless crime.

'A cascading failure': Blizzard that left tens of thousands without heat hit some in Buffalo harder While there is scant data available, the historic storm appears to have had a particularly devastating impact on Black people in the city.

Communities languish while a business closes to clean up the damage to a building and its contents. New products must be ordered  without the benefit of income from daily sales. Even if a store carries enough insurance to cover its losses, it can take time to file a claim and get reimbursed  time that can stretch out over more lost sales.

Fully insuring a store is pricey, so small business owners will often shoulder more of the risk on their own, said Chrzanowski, owner of the Chrzanowski Agency, an insurance company in the Town of Tonawanda.

"Their insurance is super expensive, and they probably don't fully insure their contents," said Chrzanowski, who does not insure any of the affected looters or have personal knowledge of their losses. "I bet they have $50,000 in coverage and $300,000 in lost inventory."

It is common among mom and pop shops to carry less insurance than will make them whole in the event of a claim, he said.

"Basically you pick your limit and they charge based on that," he said. "Most businesses are definitely underinsured, since they don't want to be insurance poor."

Large national chains are better insured and more able to absorb losses.

Aaron's, a furniture and appliance rent-to-own company on Bailey Avenue, was looted on Christmas Day, but was able to reopen in a limited capacity two days later.

"Were proud that our dedicated Buffalo team members worked tirelessly to ensure the store could reopen quickly. Were especially grateful for our customers and their patience," the Atlanta-based company said in a statement. "We are members of the Buffalo community, and we all worked together to overcome the storm and the disruption.

Consumers also suffer the consequences of looting.

No one was more angry about Buffalo's looting than the residents who depend on the stores for food, medication and other supplies. They had finally dug out and were looking to replenish their cupboards, only to find stores closed to deal with the damage. Many worried some stores, fed up, might not reopen.

"If you don't have a car, you have nowhere to go to get anything," said Carlandra Meadors, a community organizer, a peacemaker and a spokesperson for youth empowerment group Most Valuable Parents.

She said the people who are hurt most when a store is looted are those in the neighborhood who rely on it.

"You have no choice but to drive outside the neighborhood and, for seniors and mothers who have kids and can't leave their house to get around, this is devastating."

The businesses, obviously, suffer, too, she said, especially small businesses struggling to get by  businesses that are owned by Buffalonians themselves.

Smaller mom and pop stores face the steepest challenges. While large chain stores are generally well-funded and insured, smaller stores usually have less wiggle room and are often on the hook for their losses, left paying out of their own pockets for damage, lost inventory and lost sales.

"It's devastating for a person, a mom and pop shop that puts all the heart and energy and money into something and you come in to destroy it," she said. "And then you worry some might not reopen."

Many residents feared Aldi in particular might not reopen, and that residents would be left without access to wholesome foods at reasonable prices and stuck shopping at high-priced convenience stores for processed foods.

Aldi said it could not comment as to whether the store would reopen.

"The store located on Broadway is closed as we assess the situation. We are not able to provide further detail on the location's status," the company said in a statement. "Our priority continues to be the safety and well-being of our team members, customers, and the communities we serve."
The judge ordered that the confiscated sum of 182,078 be paid in compensation to the bereaved families of the victims

BEST QUALITY AVAILABLE Undated family handout file photos issued by Essex Police of (left to right top row) Dinh Dinh Binh, Nguyen Minh Quang, Nguyen Huy Phong, Le Van Ha, Nguyen Van Hiep, Bui Phan Thang, Nguyen Van Hung, Nguyen Huy Hung, Nguyen Tien Dung, Pham Thi Tra My, (left to right second row) Tran Khanh Tho, Nguyen Van Nhan, Vo Ngoc Nam, Vo Van Linh, Nguyen Ba Vu Hung, Vo Nhan Du, Tran Hai Loc, Tran Manh Hung, Nguyen Thi Van, Bui Thi Nhung, (third row left to right) Hoang Van Tiep, Tran Thi Ngoc, Phan Thi Thanh,Tran Thi Tho, Duong Minh Tuan, Pham Thi Ngoc Oanh, Tran Thi Mai Nhung, Le Trong Thanh, Nguyen Ngoc Ha, Hoang Van Hoi, (bottom row left to right) Tran Ngoc Hieu, Cao Tien Dung, Dinh Dinh Thai Quyen, Dang Huu Tuyen, Nguyen Dinh Luong , Cao Huy Thanh, Nguyen Trong Thai, Nguyen Tho Tuan and Nguyen Dinh Tu, the 39 Vietnamese migrants, aged between 15 and 44, that were found dead in the back of a trailer in Essex on October 23 last year. A member of a people-smuggling gang linked to the deaths of 39 Vietnamese men, women and children has been ordered to pay the bereaved families 3,000. Issue date: Friday July 23, 2021.   PA

BEST QUALITY AVAILABLE Handout CCTV image issued by Essex Police dated 23/10/19 of snapchat message from Ronan Hughes to Maurice Robinson. Gheorghe Nica, 43, and Eamonn Harrison, 24, have been found guilty at the Old Bailey of the manslaughter of 39 Vietnamese men women and children who suffocated as they were smuggled into Britain in a lorry trailer. The jury, which deliberated for nearly 23 hours, also convicted them of their part in a wider people-smuggling operation with Christopher Kennedy, 24, and Valentin Calota, 38.   PA

A haulage boss jailed over the deaths of 39 men, women and children as they were smuggled into the UK has been ordered to pay their families more than 180,000.

Ronan Hughes (43) from Armagh is serving a 20-year sentence for the manslaughter of the Vietnamese nationals, who were aged between 15 and 44.

On Friday at the Old Bailey in London, Judge Mark Lucraft KC confiscated Hughess ill-gotten gains from his leading role in the long-running people-smuggling operation.

Available assets included cash, bank accounts, the value of lorries, including the one in which the victims died, and Hughes share of a property in Ireland.

The judge ordered that the confiscated sum of 182,078 be paid in compensation to the bereaved families of the victims.

The judge said the penalty for defaulting on the order was two years in prison.

The 39 victims of the disaster   PA

Hughess earlier Old Bailey trial had heard how 39 bodies were found in a lorry trailer after it was transported by ferry from Zeebrugge to Purfleet in Essex, early on October 23, 2019.

The grim discovery ended what had been a sophisticated, long-running and profitable conspiracy to smuggle mainly Vietnamese migrants into the UK in the back of lorries.

Hughes had deployed lorry drivers in the plot, including Maurice Robinson (28), who discovered his human cargo had already suffocated in transit after picking up the trailer they were in at Purfleet in Essex.

Shortly before Robinson opened the back of the container, Hughes had texted him to give them air quickly but dont let them out.

As part of the investigation, police identified at least six smuggling trips, with migrants paying up to 13,000 for a VIP service.

A text from Hughes to Mo Robinson   PA

In October 2019 alone, the smugglers stood to make more than 1 million.

Migrants would board lorries at a remote location on the continent to be transported to Britain, where they would be picked up by a fleet of smaller vehicles for transfer to safe houses until payment was received.

Some of the trips were thwarted by border officials, and residents in Orsett, Essex, had repeatedly reported migrants being dropped off, but the smuggling operation was not stopped until after the fatal journey.

The families of the victims in Vietnam and Britain have previously described their loss and hardship.

Previously, three other men were jailed for between 27 years and 13 years and four months for manslaughter and plotting to people-smuggle.

Other members of the gang have been jailed for their role in the operation.
Ronan Considine was charged with assault causing harm and damaging a phone at his home address.

A 20-YEAR-OLD man charged with assaulting a woman who was hospitalised after an incident at his south Dublin apartment has been released on bail with strict conditions.

Ronan Considine, with an address at the Waterside, Ringsend, Dublin 4, was charged with assault causing harm and damaging a phone at his home address.

He faced objections to bail when he appeared before Judge Marie Quirke today at Dublin District Court.

The judge heard the accused was arrested at 2.20 am and made no reply to the charges.

Garda Dominic O'Halloran voiced witness interference concerns.

He said the injured party does not live in Dublin, but the accused knew her address.

He told the contested bail hearing that gardai responded to the incident early on Saturday, and there was "evidence of a struggle in the apartment". The court heard the woman's phone was "smashed".

Garda O'Halloran said he could clearly see marks and damage done to the injured party who could not attend the hearing because she was in hospital.

The court heard she made a statement alleging the accused "kicked and dragged" her and threatened that "there would be a drug debt placed on her in some manner".

The garda told the court the accused had been in a relationship with the complainant.

However, he agreed with defence counsel Kevin McCrave that he had no bench warrant history.

Pleading for bail, the barrister told the court his client has agreed to have no contact with the complainant.

He suggested the court could impose strict conditions, and his client would not leave Dublin.

In her ruling, Judge Quirke said to refuse bail on the grounds cited by the garda the law obliged the court to be satisfied that witness interference was probable.

However, on the basis of the evidence, the presumption in favour of bail and the offer to put in place strict conditions, she granted bail.

Judge Quirke ordered him to reside at his current address, have no direct or indirect communication with the alleged injured party, and stay away from her and the county where she lives.

She told the accused, yet to indicate a plea, to remain contactable by phone and sign on daily at his local Garda station.

Legal aid was also granted to Mr Considine after the court noted he was unemployed and on social welfare.

Judge Quirke remanded him on a 500 bond to appear at Dun Laoghaire District Court next month and warned that breaching the terms could result in bail revocation.
Zopoiclone  also known by the nickname Zimos  are a prescription-only medication used to treat insomnia.

A man in his 40s is due in court later this morning after gardai seized tablets worth an estimated 32,200 in North Dublin.

The drugs were discovered yesterday afternoon following raids in the Ballymun area of Dublin.

A garda spokesman said officers the Zopoiclone tablets were seized following two separate searches.

Zopoiclone  also known as Zimos  are a prescription-only medication used to treat insomnia.

However, the tablets are also sold illegally to addicts.

A garda spokesman said the arrested man is due in court later this morning.

He said: Gardai seized tablets worth an estimated 32,200 following searches in the Ballymun area of Dublin 11, yesterday afternoon 6th, January 2023.

Zopoiclone tablets were seized following two separate searches.

A man, aged in his 40s, was arrested in connection with the seizure and later detained at Ballymun Garda Station.

He has since been charged and is due to appear before the Criminal Courts of Justice in Dublin this morning, Saturday, 7th January 2023.
A woman was allegedly held hostage in her own home, injected with heroin and threatened with a screwdriver, a court has heard.

Lisburn Magistrates Court also heard claims that at one stage, Brendan Kelly choked the victim until she passed out and when she awakened, he was giving her chest compressions.

Appearing at court by videolink from police custody Kelly (32), from Claremont Street in Belfast, was charged with 12 offences allegedly committed over a time span between December 23 and January 4.

Kelly was charged with false imprisonment, attempted wounding with intent, possessing a screwdriver as a weapon, possessing a flick knife, a domestic abuse offence by pursuing a course of conduct likely to cause physical or psychological harm, causing actual bodily harm, common assault, making a threat to kill and possessing class C drug pregabalin.

He was also charged with three counts of breaching a violent offences prevention order by failing to reside at his home address, by failing to provide contact details to his designated risk manager and by entering a personal relationship with a female without verifiable disclosure of his previous offending being made.

A detective told the court the allegations came to light on January 3 after the complainant, despite being threatened with a flick knife, alerted a train conductor that she was being held against her will and to get police to Great Victoria Street station.

Officers did arrive but Kelly made off before they could arrest him.

The court heard he was caught the following day trying to flee out the back of an address on the Grosvenor Road.

Meanwhile, the vulnerable complainant gave police a detailed statement where she claimed the pair had gone from a west Belfast property to her home in Lisburn on January 1, where Kelly allegedly injected her with heroin and shadowed her around the house, preventing her from leaving.

On New Year's Day, Kelly allegedly put her in a choke hold and she had urinated herself and passed out and she awoke on the hallway floor with him giving her chest compressions, the detective claimed.

On January 3, police had called at her home on an unrelated matter but according to her statement, Kelly had pressed the screwdriver forcefully against her chest and stopped her from speaking to them.

It was after that the pair took the train to Belfast and she was able to summon help.

The detective said he was objecting to Kelly being freed due to the risks of witness interference and further offences given his record of convictions.

He said that, if granted bail, police have no doubt that he will return to a domestic setting in defiance of court orders.

Defence solicitor Paul McCrudden argued that the police had been premature in charging the defendant, submitting that he had put forward several alibi witnesses and CCTV suggestions which supported his claims he had done nothing wrong but none of which had been followed by police.

He claimed the police were actually looking for Kellys alleged victim in relation to a serious assault so it suits her to say that she was being held against her will when police were at her door.

This is a lady who has come to court on repeated, repeated occasions and the court hasnt been able to trust a word she says, Mr McCrudden declared, submitting that whats likely to happen is that my client will spend six to eight months in custody while the police sit on their hands and then theres no prosecution directed.

I think shes a vulnerable person, District Judge Rosie Watters told the solicitor.

She added: I dont think theres any chance of (Kelly) getting bail with the record he has.

Remanding Kelly into custody and adjourning the case to January 30, the judge said given his shocking record, she was concerned about further offences and witness interference.
East Aurora High School's Rocket Club placed 21st in the nation by shooting a rocket with two eggs in the payload for the American Rocketry Challenge in the spring.

That performance earned the team an invitation to the NASA Student Launch Challenge in Huntsville, Ala., this April.

To get there, they have to design and build a high-powered rocket with a scientific payload. They're determined, and confident.

"Payloads are probably the hardest part. Were good at the rocket design. Weve worked hard and weve learned a lot and we got far," club president Thomas Reichert Jr. said. "Now we're just taking it up a notch with the rocket design."

The payload includes three GoPro cameras fitted with infrared lenses for 360-degree imaging. There will be altimeter, temperature, air pressure and humidity sensors. The rocket will be made with a 3D material with a fiberglass chassis.

The NASA student program gives high school and college students an experience mirroring a NASA mission, and payloads designed by teams will help with research and development into NASA's deep space exploration.

Thomas' love of rockets started when he saw the SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch with the Tesla in 2018.

"That just changed everything," said Thomas, who has a full scholarship to the University of Alabama for aerospace engineering.

Parker Madigan, student safety officer, said he's generally kind of a science geek who wants to go into computer science.

"I really love science, the whole aspect, especially space," he said.

Oliver Saczuk joined the club four years ago and stuck with it with his classmates through two years of limitations because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Oliver, who is the treasurer, wants to be a journalist, and he thinks the experience of helping to put together a proposal and design reports has helped his writing.

They're three of the six members of the team that is designing a high-powered rocket. The others are lead manufacturer William Breddy, Calvin Saczuk and Adam Moughrabi. The six are among about 30 students in the school's Rocket Club.

The team is one of the 25 top high school teams in the country that will join 44 college teams for the NASA launch, which gives students a tiny look at what goes into a NASA program.

They plan to blast a 20-pound rocket at about 350 mph, reaching an altitude of nearly 1 mile in Huntsville, Ala. The team has already put in more than 300 hours since September designing the rocket.

"These guys have been a cut above in regard to just their drive and how hard they work every day. It's insane," said Ryan Wall, technology teacher and club advisor. "They are here every night. They often stay here after I leave. It's great. Thats what its all about, them taking ownership of it."

NASA's Student Launch Challenge requires students to design, build and fly a high-powered rocket with a scientific payload between 4,000 and 6,000 feet high.

Students also write a detailed proposal and undergo detailed reviews and evaluations, which give them a look at the NASA engineering and design process. They must maintain social media platforms and conduct outreach programs. The team decided to host STEM fairs at the Middle and High schools as its outreach. Winners of the fairs will get their team name on the rocket.

"Every milestone we meet, every design we do, we have to make a presentation to a board at NASA, which is composed of educators and NASA employees," Thomas said.

"It's one of the best examples of a real life engineering problem," Wall said. "It's very like the real world."

Thomas said last year the team did about 4,000 simulations to get the perfect rocket.

The team received a grant from the East Aurora Educational Foundation to help pay for supplies and travel costs, which they estimate at $16,000. There also will be an extra cost for the STEM fairs, and they said they might hold another fundraiser.
A park ranger at Tymon Park spotted the recent incident and alerted the authorities.

Gardai were called to a Tallaght park after an incident of badger baiting was spotted in the area.

Badger baiting, where dogs are encouraged to draw the animal out of its burrow and attack it, is illegal as they are a protected species.

A park ranger at Tymon Park spotted the recent incident and alerted the authorities.

Gearoid ODowd, from the Party4AnimalWelfare told Independent.ie: I believe it was two weeks ago and we are absolutely outraged by it.

Its a public park and badgers are a protected species under the wildlife act of 1976, so badger baiting is illegal. Even to interfere with a badger setting is illegal.

Unfortunately, this goes on all around the country and is absolutely the most horrible and cruel out of all the blood sports.

Theres a proven connection between this kind of cruelty and violence. A lot of killers begin by torturing animals.

Meanwhile, Independent Councillor Mick Duff brought the issue up at a recent South Dublin County Council meeting.

The incident in Tymon Park was reported to me by one of the rangers. He came upon a group of men who were there with their dogs and shovels.

I was astonished, people were asking about the wildlife in the park. The park is a magnificent facility to have and has a diverse range of wildlife. I was horrified.

To think that theyre doing this for sport is awful, its horrible and its cruel.

The council made the following statement at the Tallaght Area Committee meeting earlier this week: The gardai attended the scene, however it is reported the group had dispersed before they arrived.

The ranger in question, assisted by a colleague, was instrumental in dispersing this group and bringing an end to the activity on this occasion.

The Public Realm Section will consider the matter further to determine what measures are required should a repeat occurrence take place.

Independent.ie has contacted An Garda Siochana for comment.
Kinahan gangster Alan Wilson was tried for her murder but was acquitted

RTE presenter Barry Cummins has paid tribute to Marioara Rostas, 15 years on from her brutal kidnap and murder.

The 18-year-old Romanian teenager was taken as she was begging at traffic lights in the South inner city on January 6th 2008.

A panicked call to another brother the next day confirmed the fears the 18-year-old had been kidnapped and held against her will.

She told of being sexually assaulted and could read some of the letters on a street sign from where she was being held.

It was the last time she was heard from.

15 years ago 18 year old Marioara Rostas enticed off Dublin street, held captive in Clontarf, shot dead in south city, and secretly buried in this Wicklow forest, his tweet read.

This @gardainfo image shows one of large Garda team who found Marioara.

No-one convicted. Never forget. Never.

15 years ago 18 year old Marioara Rostas enticed off Dublin street, held captive in Clontarf, shot dead in south city, and secretly buried in this Wicklow forest. This @gardainfo image shows one of large Garda team who found Marioara. No-one convicted. Never forget. Never pic.twitter.com/PvlLiDQ1by  Barry Cummins / Barra OCoimin (@barrycummins12) January 7, 2023

In 2012 a protected witness brought gardai to Kippure Forest in Co Wicklow, where she had been buried wrapped in plastic after being shot in the head.

Kinahan hitman, Alan Wilson, who is a nephew of Martin The General Cahill, was tried in court over the murder.

Wilson was the only suspect in the murder and the case relied heavily on the evidence from the State witness, Fergus OHanlon, who painted a terrifying picture of Marioaras last days.

The trial judge told the jury O'Hanlon had received benefits, such as money and accommodation, from being in the witness protection programme, and that it would be dangerous to convict on the basis of uncorroborated evidence.

After a five-week long trial the jury, who would not have known Wilson was at the time in prison for a meat cleaver attack, found him not guilty.
Up to 10 men have claimed similar things have happened to them

A man has claimed that 111,000 (98,000) was stolen from his bank account after he had his drink spiked at a strip club in London.

Vanity Bar and Nightclub, Carlisle St, Soho, is now facing closure after a string of incidents at the venue. Police have called for their license to be suspended pending investigation.

Ten men have reported that following visits to the London club they have had a combined 250,000 (283,500) robbed from their bank accounts.

According to MyLondon, a man who visited the club November 26th 2022 said he woke up on the street near his home with no recollection of how he got there. He said his only memory from the evening was when he visited Vanity and bought a drink.

After he checked his account, more than 19,000 (21,500) was missing after it was sent to a number of unknown bank accounts.

A report into the incident by Westminster City Council read: "The male recalls entering Vanity and purchasing a drink. The male has no recollection after this point. The victim came around the next day and was in a street near to his home address.

"The victim has checked his bank and found approximately 3,000 payments were taken by Vanity over four transactions.

"There were numerous other transactions made to different people and companies to the approximate value of 16,000.

Four transactions of 3,000 saw the victim pushed into his overdraft, at which point three 500 transactions took place from other accounts.

Another victim reported that 98,000 had been transferred out of his accounts, with another man reporting 37,500 had been taken from his account.

Two further victims had 30,000 taken from multiple accounts.

In a police report into the incident, PC Steve Muldoon said: "The victim woke up the next day and was in a street near his home address and he subsequently checked Google Maps and found he was at Vanity and then left approximately two hours after arriving.

"He found himself at a location on Google Maps showing a car wash where he was for nearly two and a half hours.

He was then dropped near his home. Google Maps has this down as a route he was driven. The victim does not know how he arrived at these locations or how he has returned home."

A full review of the club is set to take place at a Westminster City Council licensing meeting on Monday January 9th.
The Sunday World previously revealed how the Kinahan gang was moving cocaine across the continent in air ambulances

Kinahan posed as an aviation consultant in a bid to secure access to planes in multi-million-euro deal

A new investigation has revealed how countries across east and southern Africa are receiving much larger drug shipments from South America than was previously believed.

According to the new Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC) report, drug market research in 16 countries has found both substantial local consumption and bulging transit flows to Europe and Australia from South America.

These cocaine shipments primarily travel by maritime container from Brazils port of Santos, though a steady stream of human carriers also flies smaller quantities from Sao Paulos Guarulhos Airport.

Most of the cargo lands in coastal states like South Africa, Mozambique, Kenya, and Tanzania, before either being transhipped to other continents or heading inland.

The result is a blooming drug trade whose full scale is hidden by feeble interdiction capacities, the report reveals.

West and north Africa are the continents more famous cocaine corridors, yet given their much higher enforcement profile - with French naval carriers patrolling the Gulf of Guinea - it is hard to compare based on seizure data alone."

The report details how: "Cocaine traffickers are despatching regular, large-scale consignments to various countries in the region.

"The cocaine is often concealed in or among a shipment of licit goods, either as a directly designed shipment of contaminated cargo or in a rip on/rip off arrangement where the container seals are broken and replaced fraudulently.

Sometimes the cocaine is concealed inside the container housing itself.

In July, the Sunday World revealed how the Kinahan gang was moving cocaine across the continent in air ambulances as Christy Snr aimed to take control of one of the worlds key shipping routes for cocaine.

Kinahan, along with his partner Nessy Yildirim, planned to base themselves in Harare

The Dapper Don planned to go from Irish mafia boss to a global cocaine powerbroker in a move that would have made him of equal importance to the Colombians who control the production and price of the drug.

Kinahan posed as an aviation consultant in a bid to secure access to planes in multi-million-euro deals.

It emerged how the cartel had bought off officials for use of landing strips and took control of the key transport route to Europe, making the Irish gang second only in importance to the Colombian Cartels.

After the drugs landed in the southern part of Africa, the Kinahan gang would use air ambulances to move the cocaine through the continent to ports where it could be shipped into Europe.

Kinahan, along with his Dutch business partner Nessy Yildirim, had planned to base themselves in the capital Harare where they had already purchased luxury properties amid plans to relocate his family there from the United Arab Emirates.

The Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC) report describes how Africa has become central to the global cocaine trade.

"The region is not a peripheral transit trade route for drugs, and it is not simply a marginal element of the expanding global cocaine trade.

Instead, it sits at the intersection of maritime and aerial flows of drugs from South America to Asian, European and Australian destinations, while also being a growing destination market itself.

The new report reveals how Nigerian drug traffickers have long dominated maritime and aerial flows since establishing outposts in Brazils Sao Paulo in the late 2000s.

Kinahan posed as an aviation consultant in a bid to secure access to planes in multi-million-euro deal

By 2013, they organised up to 30 per cent of the cocaine exports by ship or container from the local port of Santos, according to a report published that year by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

Most recently, in December, police arrested an alleged Nigerian cocaine smuggler in Sao Paulo.

He was accused of shipping 5 tons of cocaine in October 2021 from the port of Rio de Janeiro to Europe via Mozambique. However, this case aside, it is thought Nigerian actors have lost ground, said Jason Eligh, the reports author and a senior expert at the GI-TOC.

They play a role, particularly in the capacity of cocaine distribution regionally in east and southern Africa. How big that role is today -- compared to a decade ago, for example -- is a question mark, he told InSight Crime.
Supplies of cough, cold and flu remedies all running low at pharmacies nationwide

Popular cough and cold treatments are running in short supply as pharmacies scramble to stock the shelves and keep up with demand.

A perfect storm of respiratory illness has swept the country, leading to low availability of cough medicines, throat sprays and lozenges at many pharmacies.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly warned earlier this week that the pressure on the health service was likely to worsen in the coming weeks.

The HSE also said it could not rule out the possibility of 1,000 people waiting on trolleys in hospitals because the number of flu cases was likely to continue to rise.

In the eye of this storm, pharmacies nationwide have already voiced concerns about vital antibiotics and steroids.

But now common treatments for cold and flu are running short as thousands of people are sick with Covid, RSV and other illnesses. Major producers of common over-the-counter medicines said they were working hard to keep up with demand amid an extremely challenging cold and flu season.

It is understood there are two main wholesalers of medicines in Ireland that are experiencing huge demand for products such as cough bottles and throat sprays.

Kathy Maher, chair of the Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU) Contractors Committee, said: This is a perfect storm of supply-chain problems and an increase in respiratory illnesses.

In terms of supply, she said: We have some over-the-counter cough medicines but theres a minimal supply.

The supply of cough medicine is really limited.

I dont know how powerful the purchasing power is for large pharmacies, but we work in a rural Meath pharmacy and are stuck for anything for dry and chesty coughs.

People really rely on these products when they dont need to go to the GP. But now our ability to help as pharmacists has been reduced.

She said it was a race to keep up with high demand, and your heart lifts if you get a product that has not been previously available.

Ms Maher said the number of people visiting her pharmacy was now much higher than during the Christmas period.

Its been really busy, Ms Maher said. Were dealing with all respiratory illnesses. People have been so ill. Theres so much respiratory illness out there.

In a bid to try to control the stem of respiratory illness, Ms Maher said people should wear a face mask, practise good hygiene and dont go into work or school if sick.

Viral illnesses can be managed at home but people need to be aware of the warning signals of an illness getting worse and when people need to get more help. The IPU said many people visiting pharmacies now had coughs, colds, Covid-19, RSV, flu and other respiratory illnesses.

Many are being prescribed antibiotics and steroids and theres already been a reported a shortage of some of these more vital drugs.

Pharmacies are also selling a substantial number of antigen tests.

It means that so far, the public continues to test regularly for Covid-19, despite a 23pc Vat increase on the tests, introduced last weekend.

Shane Kelly, a pharmacist in Tipperary town, said: Theres a shortage of over-the-counter medicines. There arent sufficient stocks. Activity levels are very high, much higher than normal.

Martin Grzybowski, a pharmacist at Hickeys Pharmacy on OConnell Street in Dublin city centre, said: There are limited suggestions to help with patients problems right now, as a number of products are out of stock.

There are not many over-the-counter medicines for coughs. Theres not a lot of options for upper respiratory illnesses. Its cold and flu season and people have upper respiratory infections.

Theres so many respiratory conditions going around. Weve never seen it busier and supply is limited.

United Drug, a company with headquarters in Dublin, distributes more than 50pc of all medicines in Ireland.

A spokesperson for the firm said: The past few weeks have been considerably challenging for the entire healthcare sector.

Were experiencing a sharp and unprecedented demand for some cold and flu medicines and antibiotics due to high incidence of sickness, as well as manufacturer supply issues.

Meeting the needs of patients remains our number one priority and were working closely with our industry stakeholders and suppliers to alleviate the disruptions caused.

Johnson & Johnson in the US further explained why Irish customers were seeing a lack of its products on pharmacy shelves, including over-the-counter cough medicines.

Johnson & Johnsons consumer health spokesperson told the Irish Independent: We are experiencing high consumer demand driven by an extremely challenging cold and flu season.

We recognise this is a difficult time for parents and caregivers, and we are doing everything we can to make sure people have access to the products they need, including maximising our production capacity, running our sites 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

While products may be less readily available at some stores, we are not experiencing widespread shortages. We will continue to partner closely with retailers to provide these products to consumers.

However, Johnson & Johnson insisted it was not facing supply chain challenges, or ingredient issues.

The challenge, it explained, is demand-driven.
The 23-year-old died on January 12th 2022 following an assault

A memorial fund in honour of Ashling Murphy has been launched ahead of the one year anniversary of her death.

It comes after her grieving family announced last year that they were set to establish a trust in her honour.

The 23-year-old primary school teacher died following an assault in Tullamore.

Taking to Instagram, her family said in a statement: Ashling touched the hearts and minds of many people, particularly through music, sport, and education, during her very short life and even after her sudden and tragic departure from us on the 12th of January, 2022.

The Ashling Murphy Memorial Fund has been officially established through the charities regulator to honour the strong legacy left by Ashling, they announced.

On behalf of the Murphy family, we would like to thank the many individuals, groups and organisations that have already given so freely of their time and generosity to commemorate Ashling in various ways throughout this difficult time.

As Ashling's first anniversary approaches, the committee's mission is to publicly launch the memorial fund, the official 'Donate' fundraising platform and provide links for methods of contact to the committee for further enquiries and applications, the statement continued.

The committee's main focus is to promote and remember Ashling for who she really was. This will be done by supporting individuals, groups and other organisations that Ashling had a connection with and who continue the strong legacy that she left behind.

The statement further said that as her family continue to grieve the heavy loss of Ashling every day they have decided not to engage in any interviews with the media until the criminal trial has concluded.

One week after her tragic death on January 19th, a 31-year-old Slovakian man, Jozef Puska with an address at Lynally Grove, Mucklagh, Co Offaly, was charged with murder.

His trial is set to begin on June 3rd 2023 at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin.
The vigil will take place for Bruna Fonseca, and all victims of violence in Ireland, as the body of the 28 year old librarian was released back to her family

A special vigil in memory of a Brazilian woman found beaten and strangled in Cork on New Year's Day will be held on Sunday morning.

The vigil will take place for Bruna Fonseca, and all victims of violence in Ireland, as the body of the 28 year old librarian was released back to her family for repatriation to South America.

The body of Ms Fonseca was released from Cork Morgue to her heartbroken family just 48 hours after a fundraising appeal for her funeral costs soared to almost 55,000, some 25,000 more than its target.

Friends and family of Ms Fonseca are now organising the special vigil in her memory in Cork on Sunday.

The vigil will be staged at 10am at The Lough with all those attending urged to wear white.

People have also been urged to carry candles and white roses.

Prayers will be offered at the vigil for Bruna and for all those, especially women, who have died in violent circumstances.

Women's groups, politicians, anti-violence campaigners and members of Cork's tightknit Brazilian community are expected to be strongly represented.

The GoFundMe appeal was launched by friends and family of Ms Fonseca to ensure the body of the 28-year-old university graduate can be flown back to her native Brazil home for Requiem Mass and burial.

Maria Luiza Fonseca launched the appeal with the aim of raising 30,000 but was astounded when it soared to almost 55,000.

"The fundraising is to send back Bruna Fonseca's body to Brazil," she explained in the appeal notice.

Ms Fonseca, who was from Formiga in Brazil, travelled to Ireland last year for work.

She was employed by BidVest-Noonan Contractor Cleaners.

She had graduated from university in Brazil and had worked for a time as a librarian before deciding to relocate to Ireland last September.

Her work in Cork included duties at the Mercy University Hospital (MUH) which is located less than 100 metres from where her body was found at 6.30am on New Year's Day.

Gardai and paramedics attended the Liberty Street flat at 6.30am on New Year's Day but efforts to revive the young woman failed and she was pronounced dead at the scene.

A post mortem examination was conducted at Cork University Hospital (CUH) by Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster on Sunday afternoon.

Gardai have withheld the post mortem findings for operational reasons.

However, it confirmed that Ms Fonseca met a violent death.

Her body was found in an upstairs flat at Liberty Street in Cork city centre just a couple of hours after she had gone out with friends to celebrate New Year's Eve.

The flat involved is located just 100 metres from the Bridewell Garda Station and around the corner from Cork Courthouse on Washington Street.

Ms Fonseca's body was found on a bed in an upstairs bedroom at the flat which is located above Picasso's hair salon.

Gardai have appointed a family liaison officer to assist her family in Brazil.

The garda investigation includes an analysis of hours of CCTV footage from premises around Cork city centre, door-to-door inquiries and exhaustive forensic tests at the Liberty Street flat where Ms Fonseca's body was discovered.

Social media postings are also set to play a critical role in the garda investigation in terms of tracking Ms Fonseca's last known movements.

In a tribute, both MUH and Bidvest Noonan hailed Ms Fonseca as a diligent worker - and said they were "saddened and shocked" at her death.

"Even though she was only working for a short time for the company at the hospital she was considered a hard and diligent worker and an esteemed colleague. We extend our deepest condolences to her friends in Cork, and her family and friends in Brazil. May she rest in peace."

Ms Fonseca's former partner, Miller Pacheco (29), was charged with her murder before a special sitting of Cork District Court on Monday.

Pacheco - who had an address at Liberty Street in Cork - was remanded in custody to appear again before Cork District Court by video link on January 9.

He did not speak during the brief court hearing.
A woman in her 80s has died following a hit-and-run incident in Oranmore, Co Galway on Friday evening.

The pedestrian was seriously injured when struck by a car at approximately 5.05pm on the Old Limerick Road in Oranmore, Co Galway.

The driver of the car failed to remain at the scene.

The pedestrian was taken to University Hospital Galway for treatment. She later died from her injuries on Friday night.

A technical examination of the scene by Forensic Collision Investigators was completed last night, but the Old Limerick Road remains closed at this time.

It is expected to re-open later this morning.

Gardai are appealing to any road users who may have camera footage, including dash-cam, and were travelling in the Oranmore area between 4.30pm and 5.30pm is asked to make this footage available to gardai.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact Oranmore Garda Station on 091 388 030, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any garda station.

Investigations into the incident are ongoing, gardai said.
The 59-year-old went berserk at the garage forecourt in Bangor, lashing out at a man with punches and kicks in a senseless row

James Preshaw (59), of Meadowvale Drive, Bangor, pleaded guilty to assaulting a man on December 18 last year

A foul-mouthed thug who battered a man with his own walking stick and told this paper to F**k off was once a drugs courier, we can reveal.

Last month we revealed how James Preshaw pleaded guilty to assaulting another man, who uses a walking stick, after blowing his top in the queue to pay for petrol.

The 59-year-old went berserk at the Solo/Mace forecourt in Bangor, Co Down, lashing out at a man with punches and kicks in a senseless row last December.

He broke the mans walking stick after using it to bash his rival over his head and before leaving the scene he scattered his shopping all over the forecourt.

Preshaw who lives in Bangor, pleaded guilty to assaulting the man just seven days before Christmas.

During his sentence hearing it emerged Preshaw already had a criminal record before he went Christmas crackers 12 months ago.

Indeed, his defence team described his criminal record as being of considerable vintage.

Sources have revealed Preshaws vintage record includes links to a drugs gang.

In 2010 he once again escaped jail after he was stopped with a kilo of cannabis resin in his car.

The then 47-year-old had a four-month prison sentence suspended for a year after being described as a busted flush in court.

A judge who also fined him 200 refused a prosecution request for his car to be forfeited.

Preshaw, who at the time lived in Greystown Avenue, Belfast, was detained by police. The cannabis, with a potential street value of 5,000, was hidden in his car.

He was charged with possessing class B drugs, and possession with intent to supply.

Belfast Magistrates Court heard how Preshaw told police he knowingly picked up the drugs but claimed to have acted under duress at the time.

A defence lawyer said police regarded Preshaw as someone at the bottom of the chain and argued: Mr Preshaw is a busted flush. Individuals who used him in this enterprise are not going to use him again.

Preshaw went berserk when the Sunday World called him to ask him about his more recent conviction for battering a man with his own walking stick.

A prosecutor told the court the injured party said he made a comment to another customer, Preshaw, in a petrol station shop in relation to social distancing and the defendant muttered something under his breath.

At the forecourt, the prosecutor said, the men then had a verbal altercation at a vehicle and Preshaw lashed out, striking him with his elbow.

The prosecutor added: The defendant punched and kicked the injured party before hitting him with his walking stick over his head and breaking it.

He then kicked the injured partys shopping across the forecourt.

But an agitated Preshaw told the Sunday World the dispute had nothing to do with social distancing.

Initially he seemed happy to tell his side of the story but that soon changed when we asked just how the man was he beat-up.

He also claimed he was acting in self-defence and that the other man, had not only been the aggressor but had also issued threats to him.

I went in to pay and there was a one-way system operating in the shop because of Covid, Preshaw told us.

It was reported that it started over a comment about social distancing but thats nonsense, it had nothing to do with social distancing, it was about jumping the queue.

There was a woman walked in front of me and this guy turned up without queuing and the guy behind the counter on the till was oblivious.

I told the man hed walked in front of both of us and he told me to F**k off, Ill get you sorted  he threatened me.

Then he came out of the shop and he threatened me again. I was defending myself.

Preshaw chose not to fight the charge of assault and pleaded guilty.

Theres no evidence the injured man made any such threats  but Preshaw on the other hand does have a criminal record himself.

Preshaws petulant temper started to fray after a couple of minutes when we inquired how old was the man he assaulted.

Well Im sure you know all the details so do whatever you want but Im telling you youd better not put my name in the paper, said Preshaw.

I was the target of a loyalist death threat a long time ago and anything that happens to me  youll be responsible. Im going to speak to my solicitor about this.

When we told him his name was already in the public domain for the walking stick attack and that as he was a convicted criminal we had a right to use his name in the paper he replied, Well then you can just f**k off then, before he hung up the phone.

A defence lawyer explained Preshaw had prepaid for fuel and after the verbal altercation within the shop, he had been minding his own business filling up his car when he is approached by the complainant.

The lawyer alleged that the complainant had squeezed past and a petrol cap was broken off.

The lawyer said Preshaw had then reacted badly and when the walking stick ended up on the ground, the defendant lifted it and struck out at the complainant but, he added, there were no substantial injuries.

Preshaw was fined 300.
The acting legend on channelling his inner grump in A Man Called Otto, and what the movie says about American mens pandemic of loneliness

Its the voice that gets you first. Warm and earthy, broad and good humoured, with lively hints of irony, it seems to sum up all that is best about America, and you think to yourself, thats Woody. I hear him before I see him, standing at the rear of a hotel room at Londons Corinthia Hotel, talking to his co-star Mariana Trevino. If Tom Hanks doesnt turn out to be charming and affable, Im going to ask for my money back.

Of course, he is. As soon as he hears my accent, he says to Trevino, Mariana, you really need to go to Ireland!, before launching into stories of his time in Wexford shooting Saving Private Ryan. More on those in a moment, but were here to talk about Otto, the epically grumpy curmudgeon Hanks plays in his latest film. Based on a novel by Fredrik Backman, and a 2015 Swedish film, A Man Called Otto has transplanted the story to a midwestern American city, where all is not well with its protagonist, Otto Anderson.

Tom Hanks with his wife Rita Wilson. Photo: Eric Gaillard

His wife has died, hes been forced to retire and all he has to cling to now are the rules and regulations of his little housing estate. He makes daily patrols, chides neighbours for parking on the kerb and not displaying their residents permits. But its not enough, and Otto is in the middle of his first suicide attempt when he is rudely interrupted by his new neighbour.

Hispanic wife and mother Marisol (Trevino) is a force of nature, and sees glimmers of warmth through Ottos frosty exterior. She refuses to give up on him, and their unlikely friendship forms the storys backbone.

The first thing that strikes you as you watch the film is the fact that Hanks is playing totally against type, inhabiting a person whose bitterness is palpable, and hasnt a kind word to say to anyone. Does he have a hidden inner grump he could tap into to help him?

Oh my Lord yes, he says. The first thing I say is, Now let me get this straight, and that means Im getting angry. Then the second thing I say is, Why would it work for me?, and that means I am angry. In a car, when people dont use their turning signals, or something very basic, this sets me off in a way where even I have to stop and say, Calm down, you know, youre in a car by yourself! And what about people driving fast through the neighbourhood? Oh man, I wanna have a rock and throw it at them.

Several years back, he was watching the Swedish film adaptation of Fredrik Backmans book, A Man Called Ove, when he and his wife Rita Wilson simultaneously had the idea of recreating the story in an American setting. Wilson co-produced this film.

The thing that got me, Tom says, is that this nadir Otto is in I thought was very American. The cynicism of separation seems to me almost like a default position in America. You know, Ive got mine, stop devaluing what I have worked so hard for, this is my house, I paid for it, youve moved across the street and now Im not going to get the same price on my house, and so on.

Otto has all that, and hes isolated himself, he has no faith in the future. When his wife was around, the next day was always something to look forward to, but now shes gone. And the last thing he wants is somebody pounding on his door, saying I want to ask you something. But its what he needs.

Theres a lot of death in A Man Called Otto, from his beloved wifes to his own series of tragicomic suicide attempts  it all sounds decidedly un-American.

A Man Called Otto co-star Mariana Trevino as Marisol

Trevino, who has joined us, describes how in Mexico, death is seen as part of life. In our culture, she says, with the Dia del Muertos and all, theres this fearlessness almost, you know, a not being afraid of fear itself.

I explain how death in Ireland also tends to be confronted head on. In the US, says Hanks, things are different. Yeah its just about the last thing youll talk about. Youll invest maybe in a montage of [a deceased persons] life, but then after that its avoid, avoid, avoid. You might talk about what they did, but you dont continue the conversation. I think in countries like yours you remember them as if they were alive, its like you almost remove the tragedy of death along with it. But not in America.

Otto is terse to the point of catatonia, and we only find out why hes so bitter and withdrawn towards the end of the film, when he finally confides in Marisol. Hes given up on life, is old before his time, and as an actor Hanks was not afraid to embrace the characters age, and exhaustion.

I think its liberating, to tell you the truth, he says. Look Im 66, and in the past Ive often played somebody much younger than I should have been. In this film, the audience finds out all that Otto has been through, and you have to show that. But look, you can get older and you can feel embittered because you feel youve been cheated out of something, or you can feel lucky that you have learned all the things not to do, what not to worry about, and I mean, do we dare call that wisdom?

And what was beautiful about Backmans novel and David Magees screenplay is that the unpeeling of Otto and Marisols back stories is the thing that brings us together. Frederick, our producer, said that no one is a stranger once you learn their story, but Otto holds it all in until the last 15 minutes of the movie. And when you hear it all you go, well of course, that explains everything.

Where Marisol insists on the importance of community, Otto leans towards Margaret Thatchers dictum that theres no such thing as society. This philosophy, Hanks reckons, tends to be self-fulfilling.

Ive read that, over the last few years, there is almost a pandemic of loneliness in America thats hitting men in their 50s. And there might be a lot of reasons for this, but one is that you get into your 50s, and men feel as though they have not become the version of themselves that they saw. Why is that? One is because they dont have any friends: they have superficial connections, but they dont have that other guy they can talk to and say, You know Im really depressed right now, I think I might need some help.

Men dont do that unless theyre in 12-step programmes, and I think that is Otto, and when he finally confesses and says I want to tell you about the great love of my life that was taken away from me, thats the thing that embitters him, as opposed to thinking Well, I had a wonderful love in my life and I could still linger on that.

In Saving Private Ryan with Matt Damon and Ed Burns

That pandemic of male unhappiness could also be a result of rigid thinking about high expectations, and what used to be called the American dream.

We have commercials every 15 minutes on American television that say, Youre lacking, youre lacking this thing, youre lacking this sensibility, youre lacking this car, this soap, those teeth, whatever. Youre fat, heres a way of solving that. Dont accept yourself as you are, you know, and thats something that, if youre alone and youre being fed that, then youre gonna conclude that youre not the person you should be, he says. And thats sad.

Hanks is one of the finest screen actors of his generation, perhaps the finest, so good in fact that few notice quite how brilliant he is. In everything from Philadelphia and Sleepless in Seattle to Captain Phillips, Bridge of Spies and The Post, he has underlined his excellence, so it might surprise you to know that he still gets anxious every time he starts a new film.

Petrified. As soon as you read something and say Oh, I think I have to do this, thats the first thing  you realise, I cannot say no to this one. Then you find out that you are doing it, and you start carrying it around in your head, and Im always afraid that the first three days of shooting are going to prove that there was something unworkable in the mix, and guess what, its you!

But I think we all go into the first days of shooting with this great amount of faith, which is, lets just get over this hump and all will be well. And when you can get to the point where you can just play, oh thank God. But you dont know if thats going to happen or not; there are so many things that can get in the way.

Trevino gives me her version of what Hanks is like on set. Hes this very giving actor, she says. Whatever he has, he puts it out there. The first time I met him, I walked into this restaurant and I was so nervous because Im meeting my idol. Tom had his back to the door when I walked in, and he turned around and said my name, and he gave me this beautiful hug. Ill always remember that.

Hanks does not enjoy watching his films, but he does have fond memories of making them, and few more so thanSaving Private Ryan, much of which he shot around Curracloe in Wexford with Steven Spielberg.

As the crow flies, Wexfords not all that far from Dublin, but on those narrow back roads it can take a long time to get to where you want to go. But very, very beautiful, he says. When we were there, the local businesses were advertising, and saying come on in, youll have a drink with the Ryan crew! And I thought to myself, why not?

I remember once I was sitting in a car because I was going to have a look at some [footage], outside a church or community hall where they had set up the projector, and this kid came by. He was in his wellingtons and he just had a stick and he was driving a couple of cows. And he comes up and he sees me in the car and I thought, Oh, obviously hes recognised me. And I rolled down the window and I said, Hey, how are you doing?, and he says, Are you with the film? Tom says fillum, working his way steadily in the general direction of a respectable Irish accent. So I said, yeah I am. And he looked at me and said, Well, enjoy Wexford. Thats Ireland for you.
Kairi Locklyn Wilder of Texas City, Texas, had been estranged from her parents in Buffalo  Stephen D. Guard and Kristi Johnson  for about a decade, only speaking to them intermittently over those years.

But then she heard from the former foster parents of her half-siblings, who offered their condolences about her parents. Wilder had no idea what had happened and called the morgue at the Erie County Medical Examiner's Office. That's when she learned that her parents' bodies had been found in a tent in the backyard of a West Side house.

What we know about the people who died in Buffalo Niagara's blizzard At least 40 people have died in Erie and Niagara counties due to the blizzard that paralyzed the city of Buffalo for six days.

Wilder, 23, said she was told their bodies were found together.

"They were in a tent and, from my understanding, they had a cord running, a heater, TV, microwave, according to the officers that were at the scene. At least, that's what they told me," Wilder told The Buffalo News in a phone interview.

"And the person who was allowing them to stay in their backyard left the house to get away from the storm and, I'm guessing, the power just knocked out and they eventually died of hypothermia," she added.

How much more can the 716 take? Tips to address vicarious trauma in the wake of recent events Essentially, you are experiencing someone's else's trauma, and it takes skills to be able to detach, said Karl Shallowhorn, director of youth programs with Mental Health Advocates of Western New York.

Guard was 55, and Johnson would have turned 44 on New Year's Day.

Their deaths are among at least 43 related to the blizzard in Erie County. One additional death has been reported in Niagara County.

Of the first 37 deaths confirmed by the Erie County Medical Examiner's Office, 17 people were found outside, and four in vehicles. Nine died from having no heat in their home, four from a cardiac event while shoveling or snowblowing and three from a delay in emergency response.

Buffalo police received a call about the bodies on the afternoon of Jan. 3, police said. The couple was soon located in a tent in a yard off of Normal Avenue, near Connecticut Street.

The remains were taken to the Erie County Medical Examiner's Office. On Friday, County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz announced via Twitter the death of a woman who was found in a tent. He did not mention the man.

Council member calls for investigation into Buffalo's response to blizzard Fillmore District Council Member Mitch Nowakowski called for the creation of a panel to address questions and concerns about the city's actions and response to the blizzard.

Wilder announced the sad news about her parents on the Buffalo Blizzard 2022 Facebook page that had become a lifeline through the storm and continues to connect people needing help in the blizzard's aftermath. Wilder was seeking help trying to find her parents' belongings.

"They were homeless and moved around a lot and Im simply trying to find our photo albums that could be out there," she wrote.

Wilder described to The News that the couple faced many challenges, which, in part, accounted for her estrangement from them.

"Biologically, Steve is my stepdad," she said, adding that the couple had been together for her entire life and had three children together.

The current placement of her younger half-siblings in foster care, in a roundabout way, is what led to Wilder to finding out about the deaths of Guard and Johnson.

"One of their previous placements reached out to me asking about the kids and saying that she's sorry for my loss," Wilder said.

"Up until that point, I hadn't heard anything. So, from that moment, I called the morgue and confirmed that they were there," she added.

She said Guard grew up in Buffalo, while her mother was raised in Olean and Syracuse before moving to Buffalo at age 17.

"You know, they had a reputation, but they had such big hearts, and I know Steve always fought for his kids, and he raised me like I was his own at one point," Wilder said.

GoFundMe pages were established for both Johnson and Guard by other members of their family to help defray funeral costs.

'A cascading failure': Blizzard that left tens of thousands without heat hit some in Buffalo harder While there is scant data available, the historic storm appears to have had a particularly devastating impact on Black people in the city.

In the one set up for Guard, he is described as having been a father of four and the youngest of 10 siblings. Guard also was described as a diehard fan of both the Buffalo Bills and the Buffalo Sabres.

In the GoFundMe page set up for Johnson, she also was described as a diehard Sabres fan who loved Mickey Mouse, as well.

"They were just such kind, loving people, and I know that they didn't do the obvious things to escape and get away from the storm because they were trying to prove that they could make it, you know," Wilder said.

"My mom got lost," Wilder added. "She got lost in life and I always prayed for her, but I know that she's no longer suffering, at least."
The 21-year-old has recently moved to Australia

Missy Keating has returned to her darker roots as she unveiled her stunning new hairdo.

The 21-year-old model took to Instagram to share her new look as she ditched her blonde lock by dyeing her hair brunette.

She completed her look by adding long glossy extensions to give her new do some length.

Love is in the hair, she captioned the snap that shows the Dubliner posing in a pair of denim shorts as she leans against a colourful mural.

In another

Love it, her sister Ali Keating shared, with her mother Yvonne Connolly adding a praise emoji.

The former Dancing with the Stars contestant moved to Australia in November to start a new chapter abroad.

She packed her bags for Sydney in pursuit of acting opportunities and landed herself a job as a barista while she gets on her feet in her new home.

She was spotted working at a cafe in Coogee Beach, which sits along Sydneys coastal walkway from Bondi Beach.

Over Christmas, the eldest daughter of Boyzones Ronan Keating enjoyed a break away to Bali.

She snapped a selfie in a straw hat and holding a cocktail in Bali, Indonesia and posted it to her social media.

"In a relationship with my passport, she said, shooting down recent rumours that she may have found love Down Under.

Missy seems to have pushed back against the claims that she had been spending time with a mystery man in Sydney.
Make it a day that suits you

While the GP is a big advocate for and supporter of holistic and healthy life changes, she believes that the New Year is not the time to take them on.

A better approach, she thinks, is to plan what changes you want to make in your life and how to have the best chance of achieving them.

Number one, don't make it January the first, she says. Make it a day that suits you, make it a day that you've got all of the other supports in place to say: You know what? If I'm going to make change, the change is going to be successful, and it's going to be supported.

A date as to say January 1st can be overwhelming. With that overwhelming aspect, it sometimes may not lead to the outcome that people want, which is keeping it going.

But leaning into it and saying: By the end of January, or certainly by the time spring comes, I want to be walking every day. Or I want to be thinking about can I get better quality sleep.

All of those little things will then enhance any other journey that you choose to take around health, around exercise and around wellbeing. I don't get caught with January the first as a date. Moving forward and thinking about it almost in a cycle of change, that is really important.

Sumi returned to our screens this week with a new series of Operation Transformation. The show has been a big ratings hit for RTE as is inspires audiences to live a longer and happier life.

She hints that there may be changes in store as the show undergoes some revamps.

You can expect a lot of positivity, a great journey on wellness and health, supporting communities - and lots more new great challenges from Karl (Henry).

We're very much looking at health indicators to include fat and inches, hydration, blood pressure, metabolic age, which always gets people very interested.

My particular area of expertise, general health, the health indicators that look at you overall be it your cholesterol, your blood sugar levels, how do you sleep, your heart rate, the impact on your cardiovascular health, the impact on your overall health moving forward.

Kathryn Thomas and the team from Operation Transformation

As well as a huge focus on mental well-being, she says that the show will cover new aspects such as upper and lower body strength and balancing. There will be an indicator around weight but less emphasis on that, because we are so much aware that that journey to wellness doesn't include just a number on a scale.

Sumi balances her TV expertise with GP work in Portarlington and is also a lecturer in a Dublin medical school. That's how my working week is constructed together with being a very proud mother of four, which seems to be the fullest time job of all.

As a medical trainee based in the UK, she first met her Irish hubby Matt and moved to Ireland seven years later to raise their family.

We met up a mountain in Kathmandu and his first words to me were howya, she laughs.

We laughed and we laughed and I just remember that this is probably one of the most funniest people that I've ever met.

Karl Henry from Operation Transformation

Even then, she didnt think it was anything more than a holiday romance, but the couple stayed in touch and grew closer. We then engaged in a long distance relationship through my training years for seven years, she says, adding that moving to Ireland became the natural next step.

It was very much, I guess, logistics. Matt is involved in business. So that was very much the main reason for the move that I had been considering as so many doctors do at some point look at different countries to go and practice in.

I was already looking to come to experience to work in health in a different healthcare service, different healthcare country, close enough to my parents who were then living in the UK. It worked easier that way.
A boat that partially sunk and leaked oil during the storm in Coromandel this week has now been dragged out of the water to a tow truck for removal.

Dealing with the incident in Wyuna Bay was a daunting task for the owner and harbourmaster team.

It's been a wet start to 2023 for many of us - especially across the Coromandel Peninsula, says a Waikato Regional Council spokesperson.

On Thursday, Deputy Regional Harbourmaster Lee Samphier was notified of a partially sunken vessel in Wyuna Bay, Coromandel.

Due to the poor weather conditions and road closures around the Coromandel Peninsula, Lee and fellow Deputy Regional Harbourmaster, Hayden Coburn, were unable to reach the incident.

Lee contacted the owner of the stricken vessel, who planned to re-float it during the next high tide with the assistance of a Moana New Zealand oyster barge.

Early Friday morning, a Moana staff member called Lee to share that the vessel was successfully re-floated overnight. However, after beaching the vessel next to the wharf at Jacks Point, they noticed oil was leaking.

A vessel partially sunk and leaking oil in Wyuna Bay, Coromandel has now been removed from the water. Photo: Waikato Regional Council.

Lee and Hayden travelled to Coromandel, taking an oil spill clean-up kit from Whitianga with them. A sorbent boom was placed around the vessel to contain the oil, with additional sorbent pads placed in the water to soak up any spillage.

Once the tide ebbed low enough to access the vessel, a WRC submersible pump was used to move some 700 litres of contaminated water from the engine bay and bilge into an IBC for safe disposal. The vessel was then dragged up the beach to a tow truck for removal.

Thankfully, there was minimal environmental impact as the majority of the oil was contained within the vessel, with sorbent booms and pads capturing spillage, says a Waikato Regional Council spokesperson.

If you are a mooring owner, we urge you to check your vessels before, during, and after bad weather - when it is safe to do so.

Learn more here about moorings here
It may not be safe for swimming at beaches, lakes or rivers for two to three days following rain says Water New Zealand chief executive Gillian Blythe..

This is because heavy rain can cause stormwater runoff and sewage overflows, turning swimming spots into E.coli-risk zones,' says Gillian.

If it has been raining heavily, check with your local council or with the LAWA website which has the latest information on water quality at popular swimming sites around the country.

You can also check the safeswim website for information on beaches.

New Zealanders are also being urged to check to ensure that their water is safe to drink this summer.

Gillian says its important to take precautions to ensure that the water at our holiday destinations won't cause sickness.

She says that many small and rural communities dont have the resources to ensure the same level of drinking water quality and safety as in most of our larger urban areas  and this includes council supplied water.

We know that two out of every five people in Aotearoa New Zealand are supplied with water that does not meet drinking water standards or is not knowingly safe to drink.

Its important to take precautions such as boiling or treating water before drinking if there is any doubt about its safety.

When a supplier issues a boil water notice, it means that E.coli has been discovered and the water has been contaminated, typically by faecal matter. Unfortunately, these are not infrequent occurrences.

In its first report, the new water services regulator, Taumata Arowai, found that over a six week period (from November 15 - December 31 2021), there were 27 boil water notices issued.

Gillian says many baches, cribs and camping sites in holiday destinations rely on tank water which can easily become contaminated by vermin or bird droppings.

In the end we want everyone to have a safe, enjoyable and relaxing summer break and a few precautions will help ensure a happy holiday this season.
Bay of Plenty

We are looking for a storeman with an OSH forklift license. You will need to be physically for as the job is about 70% forklift...



View or Apply on GoodWork.co.nz
Corey J. Hogan, in an email to lawyers in the region, vows to challenge the suspension of his law license and defends the actions that led a panel of judges to bar him from practicing law for two years.

The decision of the Appellate Division will be appealed, although it will be a difficult legal burden to successfully achieve, wrote Hogan, a founder of the HoganWillig law firm who obtained his license in 1975.

The State Supreme Court Appellate Division, 4th department, stripped Hogan of his license in an order dated Dec. 30. The panel agreed with the Attorney Grievance Committee and a court-appointed referee that Hogan had violated five rules governing attorney conduct as he loaned his money and his law firms money to a struggling business client. He risked letting his own interests affect his professional judgment, the judges said.

Judges suspend law license of HoganWillig founder Corey J. Hogan A core violation involved entering into a business relationship with a client where he and the client have differing interests, the ruling indicates.

This letter is long overdue and has been a long time coming, Hogan said in his email. I write this out of respect for our profession and in criticism of how we have allowed the running of our day to day law practices to be needlessly overrun and micromanaged by the Rules of Professional Discipline.

He continued: This is not a case where money was taken from a client or where they were emotionally, sexually or physically abused. There is no smoking gun where I attempted to take control or ownership of the complainants farm.

In his email, Hogan never names the client, Van Buren Farms of Lockport. But he says that by the time the attorney-client relationship ended in 2017, Van Buren's barns were fully stocked with hay valued at around $500,000, the fields had been fertilized for the first time in years, and the equipment had been repaired and refurbished because of his assistance.

Hogan also circulated an opinion by a noted expert in legal ethics, Roy D. Simon Jr., an emeritus professor at the Hofstra University School of Law. Writing to the Attorney Grievance Committee in Hogan's defense, Simon said Hogan's interests were not at odds with Van Buren Farms, and if the business succeeded he would be repaid.

Hogan and the HoganWillig firm never demanded or received payment for approximately $687,000 in legal fees and the $490,000 that had been advanced to Van Buren Farms.

In his email and in an earlier interview with The Buffalo News, Hogan mentioned it will be difficult to get a challenge before the Court of Appeals and to win. His arguments did not sway the Attorney Grievance Committee, and he lost when he took the matter to a hearing presided over by a referee appointed by the Appellate Division. The Appellate Division judges then upheld the referees findings.

Hogan laments that the Appellate Division judges "simply repeated the referees report, again with little to no analysis." But having the Court of Appeals review disciplinary decisions is circumscribed and rare, writes Hal R. Lieberman, a downstate lawyer and an author of a book called New York Attorney Discipline.

Writing in the New York Law Journal, Lieberman said lawyers wishing to appeal should know that appellate remedies are limited, and disciplinary actions are not likely to be reversed or substantially modified.

There is little likelihood of an appellate remedy beyond Appellate Division review, he said.
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A federal prosecutor says he is worried about the safety of some of the witnesses who will testify in the upcoming trial of a Cheektowaga strip club owner and a former DEA agent accused of taking bribes.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph M. Tripi expressed those concerns Friday during a conference in court regarding the trial of strip club owner Peter G. Gerace Jr. and retired U.S. Drug Enforcement Administrative Agent Joseph S. Bongiovanni.

Who is Joe Todaro and why do the feds say this pizzeria owner runs the Buffalo mob? For 65 years, Joseph A. Todaro and his father before him have run La Nova Pizzeria. A trade publication calls La Nova an industry leader. But federal prosecutors say Joe Todaro is really something else: head of the Buffalo mob.

Gerace, 55, is the nephew of Joseph A. Todaro, whom prosecutors and federal agents have identified as the leader of Buffalos Italian Organized Crime organization.

Todaro is not charged in the case. He told The Buffalo News he is not involved in organized crime and has had no contact with Gerace in years.

About 100 people will testify at the trial, and there are safety concerns about seven, eight or nine of the witnesses, Tripi told U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra Jr. on Friday.

A 'tough-as-nails' prosecutor takes on mob allegations  and criticism for the case Some local defense attorneys and Italian American organizations say they are outraged over Joseph M. Tripis repeated references to Italian organized crime in court and legal papers, including an indictment.

He made no allegations that anyone has been threatened, but said there are some witnesses who could face danger if local criminals  including those who have nothing to do with Bongiovanni or Gerace  find out they are cooperating with law enforcement.

Tripi told the judge that he hopes to keep some of the witnesses names secret from defense lawyers and the public past May 10, the date Sinatra has set for him to submit a witness list to the court.

That would be roughly six weeks before the trial is scheduled to begin on June 21.

Six weeks is a long time (for someone) to be whispered a name, and to be sent on a mission, Tripi said.

Defense attorneys Steven M. Cohen, who represents Gerace, and James P. Harrington, who represents Bongiovanni, told the judge they need names of witnesses and information on expected testimony as soon as possible, so they can prepare to defend their clients.

Cohen criticized Tripi for suggesting witnesses could be in danger without offering proof. He said his client has never threatened any witness.

He cant just say it  that my client poses a danger, Cohen said. They have to show cause.

Sinatra said he will do his best to consider Tripis concerns about witness safety, while also trying to enable defense attorneys to get information they need to prepare for trial.

Defendants want separate trials

Fridays court appearance came two days after Harrington filed court papers saying he hopes to present Gerace as a key witness for Bongiovannis defense.

The two defendants, who have denied criminal wrongdoing, have known each other since they were children.

According to both Harrington and Cohen, Gerace is willing to testify as a witness for Bongiovanni, 58, but only if the judge agrees to allow the two to be tried separately.

If the two men are tried together, Gerace would invoke his 5th Amendment rights against self-incrimination, Harrington said.

Defense attorneys also argue it will be impossible for Gerace and Bongiovanni to get fair trials if they are tried together. They said both men will be tarnished by charges that are filed against only one of them.

Tripi disagreed.

Is the mob back? Feds probe Buffalo Mafia after calling it all but dead Federal prosecutors are looking for organized crime activities in a widespread investigation, just four years after the special agent in charge of the Buffalo FBI office said, Some of the individuals who were leaders of the Mafia are still around. But their organized crime activities dont exist anymore."

The charges against the two are inextricably intertwined, will involve the presentation of extensive and overlapping evidence and are therefore properly joined, Tripi said. Gerace is one of the persons whom Bongiovanni believed was associated with IOC and thus wanted to ingratiate himself with.

IOC is the abbreviation prosecutors in this case use for Italian Organized Crime, an entity that defense attorneys deny even exists in 2023 in Buffalo.

Harrington said Bongiovannis father ran a clam stand 50 years ago at La Nova Pizza, the Todaro familys pizzeria, when Bongiovanni was a youngster.

That doesnt make Bongiovanni a mobster, the defense lawyer said.

The two defendants were not present at Fridays court appearances due to illnesses, their attorneys said.

The charges

Bongiovanni is accused of taking $250,000 in bribes to help protect Gerace and others whom prosecutors say he believed were associated with Italian organized crime from being investigated and arrested.

Gerace, who owns Pharaohs Gentlemens Club in Cheektowaga, is accused of bribing Bongiovanni and conspiring to engage in drug trafficking and human trafficking at his strip club.

Bongiovanni was arrested in November 2019, five months after a raid at his Town of Tonawanda home. He had retired from the DEA after learning that he was under investigation.

Gerace was arrested in February 2021.

Defense attorneys complain they have been put at an unfair disadvantage because prosecutors have shared little specific information with them about the charges or the government's witnesses.

Cohen described the information Tripi has shared thus far as 600,000 pieces of garbage.

How am I to defend my client when the government has not given us one name of a witness or an alleged victim, not one piece of specific information about the crimes they are accusing? Cohen said.

Attorney Joseph M. LaTona is also part of Geraces defense team.
Omkar BHPian



Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: Mumbai Posts: 851 Thanked: 13,946 Times

Driving the BYD Atto 3

Powering the BYD Atto 3 is a Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor that puts out 201 BHP and 310 Nm torque:





Before we get to the driving part, lets get some basics right. There are 3 main components in an EV  the battery, the motor, and the controller/charger. The battery is what stores the energy and the motor is what uses that energy to move the car. The controller/charger converts the energy from the battery into a usable form to power the motor. In more technical terms, the power grid from your house or a charging station is usually an AC. The lithium-ion battery can store electric energy in DC form. So while charging, theres an AC/DC converter that will convert the power grid's AC into DC and store it in your cars battery. The DC fast chargers that you see usually have the AC/DC converter inbuilt, which is how they can charge your cars battery faster.



It's important to note that the Atto 3 is built on an EV-specific platform and is not based on an IC engine platform like most conventional EVs. Hence, the design of the batteries and powertrain has been done keeping the EV-specific requirements in mind. For starters, the Blade battery has cells that are made in a honeycomb-like structure. So, each cell serves as a structural beam to withstand force. Combined together and after placing high-strength panels on the upper and lower side of the pack, the rigidity of the structure is increased. This does affect the dynamics of the car. Next up is the powertrain  the Atto 3 uses an 8-in-1 electric powertrain system. What does this mean? 8 components of the powertrain which are usually placed separately are combined into one component to optimize space and energy efficiency (also lesser cables). The components that are grouped in the Atto 3s powertrain are - VCU (vehicle control unit), BMS (battery management system), MCU (motor control unit), PDU (power distribution unit), DC-DC controller, on-board charger (explained above), drive motor and transmission. Since all these components are compressed together, this reduces the load on the front axle significantly. How does this affect the car in terms of driving? Read on to find out.



We got to drive the Atto 3 on the streets of Mumbai and it felt right at home. Start the car, shift to D mode, take your foot off the brake pedal and the car gets off the line in the smoothest way possible. You also start to hear faint music from the speakers while driving around at low speeds. Its more like ambient music which is also played on the outside of the car to let the pedestrians know that theres a car coming. Its not very loud and can be heard when youre about a meter away from the car. We saw some very confused people wondering why the car is playing soothing music on the road. Build some speed and the music stops.



If you primarily drive around in the city, you will appreciate the Atto 3s smoothness. The power delivery till part throttle is linear and predictable. No jerks from gearshifts and no engine sound means it is an extremely refined experience. Our preferred setting while driving in the city was Eco Mode and with the highest level of regeneration. It felt adequate for driving in the city and keeping up with the traffic. Something worth mentioning about city driving is the size of the car. It has a broad footprint and it doesn't easily mask its width & length. You have to be careful when maneuvering the car out of tight lanes and might even have to use the 360-degree camera.



Floor the A pedal and you will be greeted with instant acceleration. The car is fast and the 310 Nm torque is available right from the get-go. BYD claims a 0-100 km/h time of 7.3 seconds and we dont doubt it. Youll definitely be ahead of most of the IC engine cars when the signal turns green. If you enjoy instant acceleration and are experiencing an electric car for the first time, this car might just make you a convert. If youve driven some of the other EVs, you will notice that the acceleration is very similar to others in this range. As mentioned earlier, the weight on the front axle is less and BYD has made sure that the power delivery is a little more linear. Otherwise, this would result in a lot of wheelspin under hard acceleration.



Out on the highways, the Atto 3 is just as good as in the city. Getting up to 80 / 100 km/h is effortless and so is maintaining it. Want to make a quick overtake, no worries there. Just bury the accelerator pedal and you will zoom past the car ahead with ease. You'll hit silly speeds effortlessly and not even realize it due to the lack of drama (engine noise, etc.). Remember that single-gear EVs don't have the higher-end punch above 120 km/h that geared turbo-petrol cars have. The top speed of the Atto 3 is limited to 160 km/h. If you drive hard, the range will drop faster. This is also why you will see EVs that are driving longer distances sticking to the middle lane and cruising at 80-100 km/h (which is the best cruising speed for the current lots of EVs).



There are 3 driving modes to choose from and unlike some other cars, these aren't gimmicky. They're mapped specifically for different driving styles and also change the steering weight.



 Normal Mode : This is the default mode to drive in and works well in the city as well as the highway. It is a good balance of power and economy. The steering is light in this driving mode.



 Eco Mode : When you want to extract maximum range, this is the mode to engage. The throttle response is dumbed down which results in a smoother drive. However, you never feel that the car is lacking power. Theres still enough power on tap to keep up with the traffic and make those quick overtakes. We found this mode to be the best for driving in the city. The difference in steering weight from normal mode is very little. It almost makes the Normal mode redundant.



 Sport Mode : Want to show your friends the EV acceleration, scroll down to this mode, and off you go. The throttle response is sharp and the car feels ready to fly. It feels a little too jerky for day-to-day city driving and also eats up battery faster. Best to use this mode on the highways when you want to have some fun while driving. The steering weighs up slightly, but not as much as enthusiasts would enjoy.



Regenerative Braking



BYD has kept it simple with regenerative braking. There are only 2 levels  Standard and High. The Standard level is barely noticeable and if you have the car in this mode, you might end up using the brakes a lot. The High level very much resembles engine braking in IC engine cars. Its not very intrusive and you wont be getting a head nod every time you lift off the accelerator. Its great for driving around in the city as well as on the highways. People wishing to do hypermiling with the Atto 3, will wish for stronger regeneration from the motor.



Noise, Vibration & Harshness (NVH)



As is the case with EVs, the Atto 3 is also super quiet. Theres no engine or gearbox to make any noise, so the overall driving experience is silent. At low speeds, the cars pedestrian warning system music is heard on the outside and inside too. Inside the cabin, this might be irritating for some people as it plays in the background even when you are playing some music.



At highway speeds, the wind noise is well controlled, but the tyre noise, at 100 km/h, is very much audible. The motor spins silently at high speeds and the whine is very well controlled.



Range



The BYD Atto 3 has an ARAI claimed range of 521 km and as per NEDC (New European Driving Cycle) the range is 480 km. Both these tests are done on a dynamometer and do not reflect the real-world range. In real-world driving conditions, you can expect a range of ~ 400 km. Given the rising demand for EVs, there are plenty of charging stations popping up everywhere, which ought to take care of range anxiety as well. There are many apps and websites like



Charging



When you buy a BYD Atto 3, you get a 7 kW home charger with the car (with installation) that can charge the car in 9.5-10 hours. If youre traveling and need a quick refill, an 80 kW DC fast charger can juice up the battery from 0% to 80% in 50 minutes. You also get a 3kW portable charger that can be plugged into any 15 Amp socket (the larger 3-pin sockets used for ACs and fridges), but that would take a very long time to charge from 0-100%. If you ever run out of battery, you can always contact BYDs roadside assistance. You get 6 years of roadside assistance with the Atto 3.



The BYD Atto 3 has a drag coefficient of 0.29Cd:





Suspension





Ride Comfort



The Atto 3 gets a MacPherson strut suspension at the front and multi-link suspension at the rear. While the first thought might be that the setup is sporty considering it has independent suspension all around, its not. This Atto 3s suspension setup is very comfort-oriented, and it does the job well. Low-speed ride is good, and the car absorbs small to medium-sized bumps quite well. Passengers will appreciate the absorbent nature of the suspension and will be comfortable at the front and rear too. The suspension also works silently at city speeds which is a good thing. Big potholes do register themselves inside and you will have to be careful while tackling them. The recommended tyre pressure is a rather high 36 PSI and at this pressure, you do feel a lot of the road. We dropped the pressure to 32 PSI and there was a noticeable difference. You get that added bit of cushioning which makes the ride more comfortable. If you are primarily going to be driving in the city, keep the pressure at 32 PSI and fill up to the recommended 36 PSI on the highways. Also note that the TPMS warning doesnt come up at 32 PSI, so youre good .



Handling & Dynamics



In a straight line, the Atto 3 feels stable and it doesnt feel nervous even at 120 km/h. Going over some undulations or expansion joints will result in a fair bit of vertical movement though. As mentioned earlier, the suspension setup is tuned more for comfort than sporty handling. Theres a fair bit of body roll in corners and you even get some understeer. This is a car that does not like to be pushed hard in corners. Also, the lighter front end doesnt really inspire confidence while turning in.



Quick lane changes at high speeds are something you should avoid in the Atto 3. While most of us are used to driving heavy front-end cars, this center-heavy car might catch you off guard. The car has a pendulum-like effect at speed where the rear sways a bit, which gives an uncomfortable feeling. Better to give gradual and slow steering inputs at high speeds.



Steering



The electric power steering is a nice unit and easy to operate as well. It is very light at city speeds which makes it very user-friendly. The steering weighs up on the highways, but we wished that it would weigh up some more. You can switch to Sport mode for a little heft, but it's still on the lighter side. Its vague in the centre and doesnt feel very connected as well.



Braking



The Atto 3 has ventilated discs at the front and solid discs at the rear. All in all, the car has good stopping power and emergency braking situations are handled well too. On the other hand, the brake pedal does feel a little spongy, and takes some time to get used to it. Powering the BYD Atto 3 is a Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor that puts out 201 BHP and 310 Nm torque:Before we get to the driving part, lets get some basics right. There are 3 main components in an EV  the battery, the motor, and the controller/charger. The battery is what stores the energy and the motor is what uses that energy to move the car. The controller/charger converts the energy from the battery into a usable form to power the motor. In more technical terms, the power grid from your house or a charging station is usually an AC. The lithium-ion battery can store electric energy in DC form. So while charging, theres an AC/DC converter that will convert the power grid's AC into DC and store it in your cars battery. The DC fast chargers that you see usually have the AC/DC converter inbuilt, which is how they can charge your cars battery faster.It's important to note that the Atto 3 is built on an EV-specific platform and is not based on an IC engine platform like most conventional EVs. Hence, the design of the batteries and powertrain has been done keeping the EV-specific requirements in mind. For starters, the Blade battery has cells that are made in a honeycomb-like structure. So, each cell serves as a structural beam to withstand force. Combined together and after placing high-strength panels on the upper and lower side of the pack, the rigidity of the structure is increased. This does affect the dynamics of the car. Next up is the powertrain  the Atto 3 uses an 8-in-1 electric powertrain system. What does this mean? 8 components of the powertrain which are usually placed separately are combined into one component to optimize space and energy efficiency (also lesser cables). The components that are grouped in the Atto 3s powertrain are - VCU (vehicle control unit), BMS (battery management system), MCU (motor control unit), PDU (power distribution unit), DC-DC controller, on-board charger (explained above), drive motor and transmission. Since all these components are compressed together, this reduces the load on the front axle significantly. How does this affect the car in terms of driving? Read on to find out.We got to drive the Atto 3 on the streets of Mumbai and it felt right at home. Start the car, shift to D mode, take your foot off the brake pedal and the car gets off the line in the smoothest way possible. You also start to hear faint music from the speakers while driving around at low speeds. Its more like ambient music which is also played on the outside of the car to let the pedestrians know that theres a car coming. Its not very loud and can be heard when youre about a meter away from the car. We saw some very confused people wondering why the car is playing soothing music on the road. Build some speed and the music stops.If you primarily drive around in the city, you will appreciate the Atto 3s smoothness. The power delivery till part throttle is linear and predictable. No jerks from gearshifts and no engine sound means it is an extremely refined experience. Our preferred setting while driving in the city was Eco Mode and with the highest level of regeneration. It felt adequate for driving in the city and keeping up with the traffic. Something worth mentioning about city driving is the size of the car. It has a broad footprint and it doesn't easily mask its width & length. You have to be careful when maneuvering the car out of tight lanes and might even have to use the 360-degree camera.Floor the A pedal and you will be greeted with instant acceleration. The car is fast and the 310 Nm torque is available right from the get-go. BYD claims a 0-100 km/h time of 7.3 seconds and we dont doubt it. Youll definitely be ahead of most of the IC engine cars when the signal turns green. If you enjoy instant acceleration and are experiencing an electric car for the first time, this car might just make you a convert. If youve driven some of the other EVs, you will notice that the acceleration is very similar to others in this range. As mentioned earlier, the weight on the front axle is less and BYD has made sure that the power delivery is a little more linear. Otherwise, this would result in a lot of wheelspin under hard acceleration.Out on the highways, the Atto 3 is just as good as in the city. Getting up to 80 / 100 km/h is effortless and so is maintaining it. Want to make a quick overtake, no worries there. Just bury the accelerator pedal and you will zoom past the car ahead with ease. You'll hit silly speeds effortlessly and not even realize it due to the lack of drama (engine noise, etc.). Remember that single-gear EVs don't have the higher-end punch above 120 km/h that geared turbo-petrol cars have. The top speed of the Atto 3 is limited to 160 km/h. If you drive hard, the range will drop faster. This is also why you will see EVs that are driving longer distances sticking to the middle lane and cruising at 80-100 km/h (which is the best cruising speed for the current lots of EVs).There are 3 driving modes to choose from and unlike some other cars, these aren't gimmicky. They're mapped specifically for different driving styles and also change the steering weight. Normal Mode : This is the default mode to drive in and works well in the city as well as the highway. It is a good balance of power and economy. The steering is light in this driving mode. Eco Mode : When you want to extract maximum range, this is the mode to engage. The throttle response is dumbed down which results in a smoother drive. However, you never feel that the car is lacking power. Theres still enough power on tap to keep up with the traffic and make those quick overtakes. We found this mode to be the best for driving in the city. The difference in steering weight from normal mode is very little. It almost makes the Normal mode redundant. Sport Mode : Want to show your friends the EV acceleration, scroll down to this mode, and off you go. The throttle response is sharp and the car feels ready to fly. It feels a little too jerky for day-to-day city driving and also eats up battery faster. Best to use this mode on the highways when you want to have some fun while driving. The steering weighs up slightly, but not as much as enthusiasts would enjoy.BYD has kept it simple with regenerative braking. There are only 2 levels  Standard and High. The Standard level is barely noticeable and if you have the car in this mode, you might end up using the brakes a lot. The High level very much resembles engine braking in IC engine cars. Its not very intrusive and you wont be getting a head nod every time you lift off the accelerator. Its great for driving around in the city as well as on the highways. People wishing to do hypermiling with the Atto 3, will wish for stronger regeneration from the motor.As is the case with EVs, the Atto 3 is also super quiet. Theres no engine or gearbox to make any noise, so the overall driving experience is silent. At low speeds, the cars pedestrian warning system music is heard on the outside and inside too. Inside the cabin, this might be irritating for some people as it plays in the background even when you are playing some music.At highway speeds, the wind noise is well controlled, but the tyre noise, at 100 km/h, is very much audible. The motor spins silently at high speeds and the whine is very well controlled.The BYD Atto 3 has an ARAI claimed range of 521 km and as per NEDC (New European Driving Cycle) the range is 480 km. Both these tests are done on a dynamometer and do not reflect the real-world range. In real-world driving conditions, you can expect a range of ~ 400 km. Given the rising demand for EVs, there are plenty of charging stations popping up everywhere, which ought to take care of range anxiety as well. There are many apps and websites like pulseenergy.io plugshare.com , etc. that list out all the charging stations near you. At the end of the day though, remember the golden rule = EVs are best charged where they are parked (either at your office or home).When you buy a BYD Atto 3, you get a 7 kW home charger with the car (with installation) that can charge the car in 9.5-10 hours. If youre traveling and need a quick refill, an 80 kW DC fast charger can juice up the battery from 0% to 80% in 50 minutes. You also get a 3kW portable charger that can be plugged into any 15 Amp socket (the larger 3-pin sockets used for ACs and fridges), but that would take a very long time to charge from 0-100%. If you ever run out of battery, you can always contact BYDs roadside assistance. You get 6 years of roadside assistance with the Atto 3.The BYD Atto 3 has a drag coefficient of 0.29Cd:The Atto 3 gets a MacPherson strut suspension at the front and multi-link suspension at the rear. While the first thought might be that the setup is sporty considering it has independent suspension all around, its not. This Atto 3s suspension setup is very comfort-oriented, and it does the job well. Low-speed ride is good, and the car absorbs small to medium-sized bumps quite well. Passengers will appreciate the absorbent nature of the suspension and will be comfortable at the front and rear too. The suspension also works silently at city speeds which is a good thing. Big potholes do register themselves inside and you will have to be careful while tackling them. The recommended tyre pressure is a rather high 36 PSI and at this pressure, you do feel a lot of the road. We dropped the pressure to 32 PSI and there was a noticeable difference. You get that added bit of cushioning which makes the ride more comfortable. If you are primarily going to be driving in the city, keep the pressure at 32 PSI and fill up to the recommended 36 PSI on the highways. Also note that the TPMS warning doesnt come up at 32 PSI, so youre goodIn a straight line, the Atto 3 feels stable and it doesnt feel nervous even at 120 km/h. Going over some undulations or expansion joints will result in a fair bit of vertical movement though. As mentioned earlier, the suspension setup is tuned more for comfort than sporty handling. Theres a fair bit of body roll in corners and you even get some understeer. This is a car that does not like to be pushed hard in corners. Also, the lighter front end doesnt really inspire confidence while turning in.Quick lane changes at high speeds are something you should avoid in the Atto 3. While most of us are used to driving heavy front-end cars, this center-heavy car might catch you off guard. The car has a pendulum-like effect at speed where the rear sways a bit, which gives an uncomfortable feeling. Better to give gradual and slow steering inputs at high speeds.The electric power steering is a nice unit and easy to operate as well. It is very light at city speeds which makes it very user-friendly. The steering weighs up on the highways, but we wished that it would weigh up some more. You can switch to Sport mode for a little heft, but it's still on the lighter side. Its vague in the centre and doesnt feel very connected as well.The Atto 3 has ventilated discs at the front and solid discs at the rear. All in all, the car has good stopping power and emergency braking situations are handled well too. On the other hand, the brake pedal does feel a little spongy, and takes some time to get used to it. Last edited by Aditya : 7th January 2023 at 09:33 .
TechSpot is about to celebrate its 25th anniversary. TechSpot means tech analysis and advice you can trust

In brief: Cybersecurity firm Bitdefender has released a new tool to help MegaCortex ransomware victims unlock their files, which is great news for those that have had files locked down for years.

MegaCortex surfaced in 2019 as a purpose-built ransomware targeting corporate networks that used domain controllers to spread. According to The Malware Wiki, MegaCortex encrypted user files with AES encryption. A read-me file accompanying infections indicated that the only way to restore access to locked data is with a private key that victims would need to purchase from the hackers.

Fast-forward to October 2021 when authorities arrested a dozen individuals linked to more than 1,800 ransomware attacks across 71 countries. According to TechCrunch, police spent months combing through data collected during the arrests. They ultimately found individual decryption keys that were used to create and release a tool last September to unlock files impacted by the LockerGoga ransomware.

Additional keys discovered by law enforcement led to the development of this new tool for the MegaCortex ransomware.

Interested parties can grab the MegaCortex unlocker over on Bitdefender's website. They have also published a step by step tutorial on how to use it in both single-computer and network modes. Notably, if your files are encrypted with versions 2-4 of the ransomware, you will need to make sure the system contains a copy of the ransom note. If you were hit with V1, you will need the note and the TSV log file created by the ransomware to use the unlocking tool.

Optionally, the tool is also available from No More Ransom. The site plays host to unlocking tools for more than 170 pieces of ransomware and variants including well-known examples like REvil and Ragnarok.

Most security experts advise victims not to pay a ransom. Sending money only confirms that the ransomware works and there is no guarantee that you will get the decryption key in return for payment or that you won't be hit again by a tweaked variant requiring a different key (and more money). Australia is even considering a ban on ransom payments to hackers.

Image credit: Soumil Kumar, George Becker
Boeing's F-15EX could soon carry more missiles than the existing fighter jets used by the U.S.

(Photo : Photo by Suzanne Jenkins/U.S. Air Force via Getty Images)

In this military handout photo F-15E Strike Eagles from Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, soar over Iraq on December 18, 2003 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

As of writing, many aircraft used by the U.S. Air Force can carry around six to eight rockets.

For example, the F-16 Fighting Falcons can carry up to six air-to-air missiles.

On the other hand, the F-22 model can increase this number up to eight missiles.

Now, officials expect the new F-15EX to have a higher missile-carrying capacity.

Boeing's F-15EX Could Carry More Missiles Than Other US Fighter Jets!

According to Defense News' latest report, the new F-15EX could carry up to 12 missiles once its development is completed.

(Photo : Photo by USAF)

Airman 1st Class Dan Focht places a cover on the nose of an AIM-9 Sidewinder missile mounted on the wing pylon of a 53rd Fighter Squadron F-15C Eagle aircraft. The aircraft has just completed a mission during Operation Deny Flight, the enforcement of the United Nations-sanctioned no-fly zone over Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Also Read: Chinese Fighter Jet Flies Within 3 Meters of a US Air Force Spy Aircraft - What Happened?

Operational Flight Program Combined Test Force Maj. Brett Hughes said it is exciting to see the progress of the new fighter jet.

Aside from Hughes, Lt. Co. Christopher Wee also commended the new fighter jet.

"The F-15EX is an incredible addition to the USAF inventory," said the official.

As of press time, the F-15EX is still being prepared before it can be deployed to actual combat or defense activities.

F-15X's Tests Completed

Airforce Technology reported that USAF conducted tests to demonstrate the expanded missile employment and carriage capabilities of the new aircraft.

During the activities, two F-15EX Eagle II fighter jets were able to test-launch missiles.

The test was completed on November 29, 2022; the two F-15EX jets launched missiles over the Gulf of Mexico region.

They used the aircraft's new weapon stations called Station 1 and Station 9. If you want to learn more details about Boeing's F-15EX, you can click this link.

Fighter jets are not the only focus of the U.S. government this 2023.

Recently, the U.S. Congress said that they want the U.S. Air Force's skiplanes to be enhanced.

We also reported that the Leidos ARTEMIS II would be the new surveillance plane of the U.S. Army.

For more news updates about fighter jets and other defense technologies, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: V-280 Valor: US Army Completes Largest Helicopter Purchase for its Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft

 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Sean Kirst Columnist Born in Dunkirk, a son, grandson and great-grandson of Buffalonians, I've been an Upstate journalist for more than 48 years. As a kid, I learned quiet lives are often monumental. I still try to honor that simple lesson, as a columnist. Follow Sean Kirst 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

As a child, Fidele Dhan wandered more than 1,000 miles in the wild in the company of children. They were at risk of starvation and attack by wild animals. Dhan was one of the legendary Lost Boys of Sudan, and the events that finally brought him to Buffalo still seem to him like an impossible long shot.

Yet he has no hesitation in saying it: He has never been more afraid than when he was alone and wandering in a city that became a frozen desert of wind and snow, during the peak of the Christmas weekend blizzard.

What I went through as a child, it was me, myself, said Dhan, 44. He saw friends dying all around him, and he hardly believed his own life or death would cause any ripple in the world beyond the sorrow he witnessed in his companions, whenever one of them would fall.

Decades later, in Buffalo, Dhans wife, Abang Garang Kuol, and six children always await him at home. A medical clinic he founded in South Sudan employs 15 and depends on his passionate vision. He has reconnected with the mother and siblings once torn from his life, and he has an Upstate network of friends he loves.

They all count on him. That is why, in blinding snow, he was afraid to die.

Dhan was caught on Clinton Street at the peak of the storm, while driving a van rapidly burning through its gas. Hurricane-force winds blew with such fury that it made everything look like a blank sheet of paper, Dhan said. His phone would soon go dead, and it occurred to him:

After the unlikely voyage that carried a lost boy from one side of the ocean to the other, after fate and sheer will allowed Dhan to lift up the South Sudanese village his childhood self once had to flee, he might freeze to death in a blizzard in Buffalo  on a street that would usually be a five-minute drive from his own home.

On Sunday, in churches around the world, congregations will formally celebrate Friday's Epiphany  in church teaching, the day the Magi found their way to the Christ child.

Dhan, lost in the blizzard, was led to safety. Some of his rescuers offer this thought as both a fact and a point of wonder: He was saved, without question, because of the three kings.

The Journey

Dhan is a school bus driver. He has a degree in psychology from the University at Buffalo  the reason he first arrived in this community from Syracuse, his original destination after leaving a refugee camp in Kenya. What driving the bus provides him with is summers off, allowing him to focus on the clinic he started in South Sudan.

As a side job, Dhan and a few friends created a medical transport service. They pooled enough money to buy a van, and they drive patients to appointments. On the day the blizzard was forecast to arrive, Dhan was scheduled to drive an East Aurora man to dialysis treatments at a Buffalo clinic.

Dhan called the place the day before. Tomorrows going to be bad, he said. The staff told him the patient was struggling. The treatment was important. Dhan needed to get him there.

The appointment was early. Dhan picked up the man and they made it on time. Once they left, the storm moved into a high and violent gear. By the time Dhan dropped off the patient where he lived, visibility was awful and the winds had their own chilling voice.

The guy did not ask me to come inside, Dhan said.

He saw no other choice. He had to make it home. He turned around and headed for Buffalo, forced to use back roads. It took what felt like forever, but he eventually reached the city and began to have some hope  until he turned onto Clinton Street, where traveling seemed hopeless.

From an Amherst school bus to saving lives in Sudan, a 'Lost Boy' finds his way The children were on an emotional high wire Monday, knowing it was the final day of school, and Fidele Dhan could measure their happiness through volume alone. Dhan, a bus driver for First Student, drove his usual route in Amherst for one last time before school ends for summer. As the laughing boys and girls spilled off the bus,

Snow was piling up. Dhan could not see other vehicles until they were almost on top of him. He kept checking in by phone with Abang, his frightened wife, and finally he called both the police and his roadside service, seeking help. They told him there was no way to reach him, at least for now.

Their best advice: Find shelter, and fast.

Blessing of the Magi

The Rev. Ronald Sajdak, pastor of Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Clarence, had just returned that Friday from decorating the sanctuary when he made a call out of the blue, checking on an old friend in the storm.

Dhan answered casually. But it became clear, quickly, that he was in deep trouble.

Sajdak has known Dhan since his arrival here to attend UB, and is familiar with his story: How Dhans home village in South Sudan was attacked and burned by government troops. How Dhan, separated as a 9-year-old from his family, fled with other little boys into the fields.

They wandered for months, as suffering exiles. Dhan will tell you how children were attacked by crocodiles, how other kids drowned trying to cross rivers, how death from starvation or thirst was a constant reality.

Dhan survived. He lived for years in a refugee camp, nurturing a fierce love of education, and eventually had the chance to settle in Syracuse  where On Point for College, a local program that helps first-generation students succeed in higher education, embraced his decision to attend UB.

From his home in Buffalo, Dhan would finally reunite with his mother and siblings. He married Abang, and they are raising their children here. He also fulfilled a dream by creating the South Sudan Villages Clinic in his home village, which provides basic medical care for thousands in the region  a clinic whose financial stability is now a focus of Dhans life.

On the day of the blizzard, Dhan calmly explained his situation to Sajdak. Im stuck on Clinton Street, Dhan said, and Ive only got 5% left on the phone.

By checking online, Sajdak saw there was a Family Dollar and an auto parts store not far away, and suggested Dhan try to find safety inside. Dhan managed to drive there. But the doors were locked. He again turned the van into the street.

Sajdak tried to think of anyone living nearby, who could help. He called the Rev. Jud Weiksnar, pastor of SS. Columba-Brigid Church, on Hickory Street. Weiksnar was about a mile and a half from Dhan. If it came to it, he told Sajdak, he would try to walk to him.

Sean Kirst: In storm's aftermath, a cop who has seen the worst looks toward courage, decency For the second time in seven months, a chance scheduling decision placed Buffalo Police Lt. Patrick McDonald at the center of almost untouchable heartbreak in his hometown.

But Weiksnar saw one other possibility: Every year, for the Epiphany, he joins with volunteers from the parish in wearing costumes styled on the three kings, or Magi, of the Christmas story. They visit the homes of parishioners, blessing each house. It both reinforces parish connections and is a reminder the Yuletide does not end on Dec. 25.

Weiksnar recalled going to the home of one family, the Lirianos, on Laux Street  a block or two away from where Dhan made his last call.

Reaching for his phone, Weiksnar thought: This might be the best chance.

Epiphany

Dhans phone had died. He kept driving as far as he could on Clinton, buffeted by waves of howling snow, before being forced each time to turn around. He had a few words with the occasional ghostly stranger, also wandering in the storm, and he was worrying more and more about his gasoline when he saw the dark form of an SUV crawling past. Dhan decided to follow it: Maybe it would lead him to safety.

The SUV abruptly stopped, and made a U-turn. Dhan saw no choice except for doing the same thing. As he spun the wheel, he looked out the window and saw two men on foot waving their arms, one of them rushing toward his vehicle. He rolled down the window and squinted, through the snow.

They were shouting: Are you Fidele?

It was Pedro Liriano, 43, a conveyor belt salesman, and his 20-year-old son, Mychal. Maybe 20 minutes earlier, Pedros wife, Tracy, received back-to-back calls. Weiksnar and Sajdak told her a guy was lost in the storm on Clinton, not far from Laux, and they wondered if the Lirianos could find him, then offer refuge.

Tracy put down the phone and reached for her boots. Pedro, startled, asked what she was doing. She told him she needed to help a stranger, in the blizzard. Her husband said it was too dangerous, that Tracy could get killed in that wind.

By that time, she was putting on her coat. Im thinking, Im going to let my wife go out there and were not going to go?  Pedro recalls.

He told her he would try to find Dhan. Mychal said if his dad was going, so was he. Father and son bundled up and went outside, where  as Pedro put it succinctly  Man, its really bad.

His glasses, almost instantly, caked over with snow. Mychal gently removed them from his fathers nose. They were fighting a wind that drove the snow with such ferocity it hurt Pedros face. Visibility was so terrible, Pedro said, that when a firetruck went past, they couldnt see or hear it until it was close by.

As they pushed on, step by step, they knew the odds of finding one guy in such chaos seemed almost hopeless. But when they reached the corner, they saw an SUV turning around, with a creeping van trying to stay close behind it.

The timing, Pedro says now, was a quiet miracle. They waved their arms. Mychal ran forward. They had found their man at the exact right instant: A moment or two later, and he would have been out of sight.

"For them to come out looking for me? In that storm? And then to take me in?" Dhan said. "I really don't know how to express it."

After parking the van, he would stay with the Lirianos until Christmas  one of their sons, Jackson, insisted that Dhan use his bed  before he made it home to his joyous wife and kids. As for Pedro, he now has a lifetime bond with an extraordinary friend, and he said the entire thing caused a shift in the way he views the world.

He does not know, before this storm, how he would have reacted if strangers came to his door, seeking help. It is easy for caution to turn into suspicion, and the first rule of life can easily be that you look out for your own.

But he goes back to the selfless reaction of his wife, how Tracy never had a second thought about putting herself in danger on behalf of someone she did not know, lost in a lethal storm. You have old beliefs and you do things one way and then you see them a different way, Pedro said.

The idea was reinforced Saturday when Weiksnar and two companions showed up at their door, for the annual blessing of the Magi. Pedro keeps thinking of how dozens of women and men lost their lives in the blizzard, and the only way countless others managed to survive was through the open arms of people they had never met.

Pulled all together, for Pedro, that is Epiphany.

In Buffalo, this week, he said, really, its all weve got.
TikTok is now testing an all-new "Sleep Reminders" feature that nudges its users when it is already their bedtime.

So if you spend a couple of hours doom scrolling on the video-sharing app, this new feature might help you avoid staying up all night.

The Chinese social network is now trying out a feature that alerts its users when it is time to take a doze off.

(Photo : Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

In this photo illustration, the download page for the TikTok app is displayed on an Apple iPhone on August 7, 2020 in Washington, DC. On Thursday evening, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that bans any transactions between the parent company of TikTok, ByteDance, and U.S. citizens due to national security reasons.

TikTok 'Sleep Reminders' Feature

As per the latest report by Tech Crunch, some users of TikTok are now complaining that they have been losing a couple of hours merely checking out videos on the video-sharing service when they should have been resting.

The giant social media platform confirmed that it is now working on a sleep reminder feature. In fact, the Chinese firm has started testing out the feature to some of its users in various parts of the world.

It is worth noting that another video-sharing service, YouTube, already has a similar feature, which reminds its users of their supposed bedtime.

According to a story by The Verge, YouTube debuted its 'bedtime reminders' feature back in May 2020.

It lets its Android and iOS app users be reminded that they already have to go to bed instead of watching trending videos on the platform. It comes with a dismiss and snooze option when users want to sacrifice their sleep.

This time, TikTok appears to be following YouTube's route by introducing a similar bedtime reminder feature.

Read Also: US House of Representatives Bans TikTok on Official Government Devices, Following State Governments' Move

How TikTok 'Sleep Reminders' Feature Works

The Chinese social media service is now testing out the feature. So, we now have an idea of how it works ahead of its official rollout.

(Photo : JOEL SAGET/AFP via Getty Images)

A photo taken on December 14, 2018 in Paris shows the logo of the application TikTok. - TikTok, is a short-form video-sharing app, which has proved wildly popular this year.

Tech Crunch notes that the "Sleep Reminders'' option is now available to select users of the social media platform. Users can set their preferred bedtime schedule on the app. From there, the feature should remind users when the time that they have set has arrived.

On top of that, TikTok is also silencing the app after users have slept. It means that push notifications will be turned off seven hours after the sleep time of its users. It should help users avoid further distractions.

For now, it is only available for select users as TikTok is still testing it out. Not to mention that changes might still come as the short-form video service figures out how they would go about it.

Given that, an entirely different version might see the light of day once it rolls out generally outside of the testing phase. By then, it should help users regain their sleep instead of doom-scrolling all night.

Related Article: [VIRAL] TikTok Video Explains Why Chin Dimple is a Weird Muscle; Users Are Quite Surprised
After nearly four decades in space, NASA's defunct Earth Radiation Budget Satellite (ERBS) is anticipated to crash back into Earth's atmosphere on Sunday, Jan. 8, according to the space agency's officials.



The ERBS actively investigated how the Earth received and radiated solar energy throughout those 21 years by measuring stratospheric ozone, aerosol concentrations, nitrogen dioxide, and water vapor.

Will the 5,400-Pound Satellite be Harmful?

According to the Department of Defense's forecast as of Thursday, Jan. 5, the 5,400-pound satellite would reenter the atmosphere on Sunday at about 6:40 p.m. EST, with a +/- 17-hour uncertainty.



The forecasts will be updated as NASA and the Defense Department keep an eye on the descent.



The majority of the satellite is projected to burn up as it goes through the atmosphere, but some parts should survive the reentry, according to NASA.



It is also worth noting that the potential risks it poses on anyone are significantly low at around 1 in 9,400.



The three-satellite Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE) mission of NASA included the ERBS spacecraft, which was launched from the Space Shuttle Challenger on October 5, 1984.



It was equipped with three instruments: two for measuring the Earth's radiative energy budget and one for measuring ozone and other stratospheric components.

Read also: [UPDATE] NASA Successfully Launches Satellite That Could Map All Earth's Water! Here are SWOT Spacecraft's Details

The Energy Budget

NASA explains that understanding the energy budget, or the balance between the energy from the Sun that Earth collects and radiates, can give more information about weather patterns and is also a key indicator of climate health.



Furthermore, ozone concentrations in the stratosphere are crucial for shielding life on Earth from harmful UV light.

ERBS operated until its retirement in 2005, which is greatly beyond its anticipated two-year service life. Researchers were able to gauge the impacts of human activity on the Earth's radiation balance thanks to its observations.

However, the ERBE mission's legacy lives on as current initiatives such as NASA's Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) array of satellite instruments are banking on the success of this defunct satellite.

Measurements of the stratosphere were made by the ERBS's Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment II (SAGE II). SAGE II gathered crucial information that demonstrated the ozone layer was thinning globally.

NASA said that the usage of ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons has significantly decreased globally as a result of the Montreal Protocol Agreement, which was shaped in part by the data provided.



At present, the International Space Station's SAGE III instrument is gathering information on the ozone layer's condition.

Related Article: NASA Will Land On The Moon For The First Time in 50 Years l Here's Everything You Need To Know About Artemis 1

 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The crime-reporting app, Citizen, previously known as Vigilante accidentally doxxed pop star Billie Eilish's address after a reported burglary at her home, as per VICE's report.

Doxxing is the act of publishing private information of any particular individual on the Internet.

Reported Burglary at Eilish's Home

On Thursday night, Jan. 7, hundreds of users of the Citizen app received a push notification informing them that police were responding to a Los Angeles 911 call regarding an attempted burglary at a specific residence in the city's Highland Park district.

The alert was updated at 9:41 p.m. PST to include the information that the house belonged to Billie Eilish, as per the police.

According to the analytics that Citizen shares with its users, the notification contained the precise address of the home and was delivered to 178,000 users, and was seen by at least 78,000 people.

The address of the residence in question appears to be the pop star's family home, also made available by celebrity data-scrapping sites.

However, the house is obscured on Google Maps, indicating that the family is at least attempting to retain a minimal level of privacy, and the news organizations that covered the incident withheld the address.

Read also: Hong Kong Arrested 35-Year-Old Woman for Allegedly Doxxing Husband and Former Lover Online

How the Citizen App Works

The Citzen app's primary goal is to persuade users to share recordings and pictures of suspected crimes and police action taking place nearby. However, this goal has occasionally resulted into questionable and detrimental acts.

For instance, CEO Andrew Frame paved the way in May 2021 by enticing Citizen users to take part in a questionable manhunt to track down the individual who started a wildfire in the Pacific Palisades district.

Internal communications from the Los Angeles Police Department indicate that they opted to cool their working relationship with Citizen after the event, which resulted in the corporation placing a $30,000 bounty on the wrong person.

After the incident, Frame expressed some remorse, but Slack messages revealed that he also saw the bounty experiment as a huge net win and a chance for Citizen to start addressing what he believed the government was failing to do, namely protect citizens from the rampant crime he believed to be all around them.

On Citizen, the reported incident's address was immediately modified on Friday morning to refer to a cross-street rather than the precise address. The address was also changed in earlier revisions to a cross-street in place of the original one, according to VICE's report.

Related Article: New Yorkers Can Earn Up to $200 a Day by 'Livestreaming' a Crime Scene! Introducing the Citizen App

 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Researchers claim that the 50,000-year-old artifacts discovered in the "Pedra Furada" cave in northern Brazil were produced by capuchin monkeys and not by humans, as per a press release.



The study was led by archaeologist Agustin Agnolin and paleontologist Federico Agnolin from CONICET, Argentina's National Scientific and Technical Research Council.

Pedra Furada Tools

The question of when the first humans arrived on the American continent is one of the most contentious topics in archeology. According to the majority of scholars, the first Americans crossed the Bering Strait to connect Asia with North America around 13,000 or 14,000 years ago.

They argue that the tools discovered in the Pedra Furada cave and other locations in Brazil are of human origin to support the claim that the American population has been much older, potentially between 20,000 and 50,000 years ago.

However, the new study says otherwise.

"Our study shows that the tools from Pedra Furada and other nearby sites in Brazil were nothing more than the product of capuchin monkeys breaking nuts and rocks some 50,000 years before the present," F. Agnolin said in a press release statement.

Read also: 2,000-Year-Old Cave Art May Suggest that Ice Age Hunter-Gatherers Were the First to Use a Calendar - New Study

Monkey-Made Stone Tools

The researchers compared the stone tools made by capuchin monkeys today with those that were discovered in Pedra Furada.

They were surprised to learn that there was no distinction between the modern monkey tools and the alleged human tools from 50,000 years ago.

The study conducted by the researchers is consistent with previous recent studies from Brazil that demonstrate the usage of rock tools by capuchin monkeys, according to CONICET.

These studies claim that the monkeys went to rounded rock quarries and chose any rock as a hammer to crack nuts. A bigger, flattened rock would also accompany this to serve as an anvil.

F. Agnolin said that their analysis of the evidence shows that monkeys, rather than indigenous Americans built prehistoric sites in Brazil. This calls into question the theories that suggested an old settlement of South America.

He also claimed that capuchin monkeys and their predecessors engaged in highly prehistoric rock tool-making activities.

"Our work reinforces the idea that the human settlement of this part of the American continent is more recent and is in line with the studies that determine its arrival some 13,000 or 14,000 years before the present," A. Agnolin said in a statement.

The findings of the study are published in The Holocene.

Related Article: Archaeologists Find an Extremely Rare 1,300-year-old Gold and Gemstone Necklace From a Medieval Woman in England

 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A string of fires burns Friday, Jan. 6, 2023, along Interstate 10 in the Gonzales area around 5:30 p.m. Officials say the fires extended for more than six miles along I-10 eastbound in Prairieville for reasons that remain unclear. The fires were extinguished.
People set off fireworks on Algiers Point while waiting to watch a New Year's Eve fireworks show over the Mississippi River Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023. People gathered on the levee and near the river to set off their own displays and to watch the main attraction by the nonprofit Crescent City Countdown. (Photo by Scott Threlkeld, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
China's catering industry in steady recovery thanks to optimization of COVID-19 response

11:21, January 07, 2023 By Ouyang Jie ( People's Daily

Tourists visit a traditional street in Luoyang, central China's Henan province, Dec. 31, 2022. (Photo by Zhang Yixi/People's Daily Online)

China's optimization of COVID-19 response measures is leading to a rebound in the catering industry.

Restaurants across the country have resumed dine-in services and are preparing for a peak period that may arrive with the upcoming Chinese New Year, which will fall on Jan. 22.

Sanlitun, a popular shopping area favored by young people in Beijing's Chaoyang district, is currently seeing a recovery in foot traffic, and that includes a restaurant of Haidilao, a leading hot pot restaurant chain in China, at Sanlitun SOHO, a shopping-residence-business complex.

"Today we will probably serve over 200 tables, and dozens of tables have already been booked at noon. Reservations just get frequent as the Chinese New Year approaches, which will keep us busier," said Xu Bin, manager of the hot pot restaurant.

Over the past year, the restaurant's business performance went through ups and downs. Fortunately, it is getting better these days.

The restaurant resumed operation on Dec. 7 last year after a short suspension of dine-in services. Its business remained gloomy in the first few days, but has turned better since Dec. 16.

Xu told People's Daily that the number of diners at night recently was sometimes as many as that before the breakout of COVID-19, which boosted the turnover of the restaurant.

"The foot traffic in other periods of time is also recovering, and it would increase 30 percent on weekends," Xu said.

According to Chinese internet giant Meituan, the dining industry has recovered across the country to different extents since Dec. 8, 2022, and foot traffic has kept growing.

For instance, the number of online reservations for dine-in services received by restaurants in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong province since December has more than doubled from that in the previous stage.

Tourists enjoy local snacks in southwest China's Chongqing municipality, Dec. 30, 2022. (Photo by Li Hongbo/People's Daily Onlie)

Urumqi, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, has seen a 413 percent weekly growth since Dec. 8 in the number of online reservations for dine-in services.

At noon on Dec. 18, 2022, couriers were seen entering and exiting a mini hot pot restaurant in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan province. Jiang Sanchun, owner of the restaurant, said over 150 delivery orders had flooded in.

This restaurant, which covers only some 60 square meters, is located in an alley of Chengdu's Jinjiang district. Its dine-in and delivery services are both recovering thanks to the optimized COVID-19 response measures recently announced by China.

"We serve 80 to 100 tables of dine-in customers per day, and delivery orders are growing fast that we receive more than 300 of them on a daily basis," Jiang said.

Jiang estimated that the business would recover faster, saying his restaurant was fully prepared.

His restaurant sits near to a business district, but its foot traffic was not stable in recent years. Therefore, the restaurant joined an online delivery platform to expand its service range and improve its digital operation. Now, over 60 percent of the restaurant's revenue comes from delivery service.

Many catering enterprises made innovations amid COVID-19, expanding their online sales channels and integrating online and offline services so as to recover their business.

"Through technological innovation and information sharing, delivery platforms are able to help catering enterprises enhance their capability in digitalization and improve their efficiency in digital operation," said an employee of Meituan.

Citizens enjoy food in a night market in Huaying, southwest China's Sichuan province, Dec. 31, 2022. (Photo by Qiu Haiying/People's Daily Online)

According to the employee, Meituan has launched a special service that invites professionals in the food delivery sector to offer training and guidance for inexperienced small- and medium-sized restaurants.

As of mid-November last year, over 70,000 small- and medium-sized restaurants in China had gotten the service for free, and their monthly revenue had increased by nearly 30 percent each.

To help catering enterprises tide over difficulties, a series of policies were issued in China. In early 2022, the National Development and Reform Commission and other departments unveiled measures to guide online food delivery platforms to lower service charge and assist catering enterprises with insurance and loan renewal. In May, the State Council launched a package of policies that would give stronger support to catering and other sectors under pressure. In June, the Ministry of Commerce, together with other 10 departments, issued a notice requesting efforts to recover the catering industry in six aspects.

"Though we are still going to face challenges in the new year, the catering industry will accelerate its steps toward recovery with the optimization of COVID-19 response measures," said Yang Liu, secretary-general of the China Cuisine Association.

(Web editor: Xian Jiangnan, Wu Chaolan)
A truck burns on a street in Culiacan, Sinaloa state, on Thursday. Mexican security forces captured Ovidio Guzman, an alleged drug trafficker in a pre-dawn operation Thursday that set off gunfights and roadblocks across the western states capital. (Martin Urista/The Associated Press - image credit)

A Calgary woman visiting Mexico says there's been a lot of uncertainty over the past 24 hours following an eruption of violence in the Mexican state of Sinaloa.

Carmen Galvez is staying in Mazatlan, a resort area in Sinaloa. The region saw widespread violence Thursday following the arrest of alleged drug trafficker Ovidio (The Mouse) Guzman, a son of former cartel boss Joaquin (El Chapo) Guzman.

On Thursday, the Canadian government urged Canadians in the area to limit their movements and shelter in place. It said violence is particularly fierce in Mazatlan, Culiacan, Los Mochis and Guasave.

"It is scary, because you don't know how far it goes or how safe we are," Galvez said.

"Usually the violence has not come to Mazatlan, but this time it's everywhere. It's everywhere."

Galvez said she went out to get food on Friday.

"The roads were deserted. Like nobody was in the roads, there was no buses, and you saw no police and no military," she said.

Galvez said she is scheduled to return to Calgary on Tuesday and is monitoring flights.

Submitted by Carmen Galvez

WestJet says Mazatlan flights will resume Saturday

The Culiacan and Mazatlan airports were closed, and all flights were suspended at Los Mochis airport Thursday.

On Friday, however, Mazatlan airport said in a tweet it is operating at 100 per cent, adding it recommends travellers contact their airline to find out the status of their flights.

Culiacan airport also tweeted that it had reopened Friday.

A flight operated by Sunwing Airlines, which was destined for Mazatlan from Calgary on Friday, was cancelled.

"In consultation with government, and out of an abundance of caution, we are cancelling all of today's southbound departures to Mazatlan. This affects departures from Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton, Kelowna and Vancouver," Sunwing said in an emailed statement.

The airline added that northbound return flights have been impacted by delays, and recovery flights are in the process of being scheduled.

In a statement Friday, WestJet said that due to Mazatlan International Airport's reopening, operations to Mazatlan are scheduled to resume on Saturday. On Friday, it cancelled two flights, one from Vancouver to Mazatlan and another from Mazatlan to Vancouver.

An Air Canada spokesperson said in an emailed statement that none of the regions the company flies to are affected by the unrest but noted the company is "watching the situation closely."
That changed in May 2021, when Catriona was not allowed into the lounge at Melbourne Airport while travelling to South Australia to visit her sick father because her membership had lapsed. While trying to explain the situation, Catriona said she became upset and distressed. Staff allowed her into the club with a guest pass, but she didnt know why her lifetime membership card wasnt working. It was very embarrassing, said Catriona. James and Catriona Wilson, from Mansfield, took on Qantas after they were sent a lifetime membership card to the Qantas Club. When they tried to contact Qantas to have the system updated to reflect their status, the Wilsons said they heard nothing. It wasnt until they lodged a complaint with the Airline Customer Advocate ombudsman that Qantas informed them the lifetime membership was not something that they have in place.

A customer service representative said there were no records of any promotions for lifetime membership when the card was issued. They just kept saying: We dont do this, said James. Qantas said that lifetime membership to the Qantas Club had not been available for purchase since 2007. Credit: Chris Hopkins Rather than restoring the lifetime membership, the Wilsons were offered the chance to rejoin the Qantas Club at a 20 per cent discount with the joining fee waived. Believing the offer wasnt very fair, James asked for a two-year membership for his wife at no cost. When that wasnt accepted, they took their case to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.

They sought for the lifetime membership to be honoured, or alternatively, the equivalent value in frequent flyer points. The market value was estimated to be $9975. James and Catriona Wilson. At the VCAT hearing, a representative for Qantas said that lifetime membership to the Qantas Club had not been available for purchase since 2007. They were unable to say how the Wilsons were sent a lifetime card or whether it was a one-off event. On the day of the hearing, James said Qantas offered his wife a four-year membership and some frequent flyer points. They wanted a confidentiality agreement to say we wouldnt say anything about it, he said.

By that stage, we were in so deep that it was double or nothing. We decided we were in boots and all. It was all about the principle and abominable customer service. Loading The Wilsons thought the hearing went well, however VCAT member Susan Burdon-Smith sided with Qantas. She said Catriona had paid for a Qantas partner membership and had not expected to receive a lifetime card. This is not a situation where the respondent offered a benefit or service and failed to supply it. It was a windfall, she wrote. As such, the applicable law is that which applies to a benefit obtained in error or through a mistake. The mistake vitiates any intention on the part of Qantas to give the benefit to the applicant.

The Wilsons believe the matter was handled poorly by Qantas, which was compounded by a request to cut up the card and send a photo to the customer service team after the case was dismissed. Loading They ignored the request and sent the card back to Qantas CEO Alan Joyce, telling him that their family intended to fly with another carrier. They didnt hear anything back. They are an arrogant airline to deal with, said James. Catriona said the case wouldnt go any further. Were not the sort of people who normally take people to court, she said.
Some Australian families are spending $6000 for a single, economy plane ticket to China for long-awaited family reunions this Lunar New Year as the country finally eases pandemic restrictions and reopens its borders.

The Chinese government will scrap mandatory quarantine for inbound travellers and ease the cap on international airline passenger numbers from Sunday, almost three years after the country was largely closed off to visitors.

Lunar New Year celebrations traditionally trigger a mammoth migration to China, although the pandemic brought that to a halt. After missing births, marriages and other milestones, families are now excited to welcome the Year of the Rabbit with relatives and friends they have not seen for years.

Melbourne woman Betty Bai is among those delighted to return to Guangzhou in Chinas south for the New Year celebrations, which begin on January 22, despite the exorbitant flight costs.
In its relatively brief history, Melbourne has become a truly vibrant and mostly beautiful city. Fed by recurrent waves of migration, it is now widely considered the most culturally attuned and most diverse city in Australia, the literary capital of the nation, a fairly laid-back metropolis, and a food-lovers heaven that happens to have the best live music.

It is also a rapidly growing city, hosting about 5 million people across more than 10,000 square kilometres of residential and commercial areas. While many Melburnians rightly brag about their citys joys and benefits, a million more are expected to join them over the next decade.

A view of Melbournes skyline from Brighton beach. Credit: Eddie Jim

The latest Centre for Population projection has reaffirmed the population of Melbournes greater metropolitan region is likely to exceed that of Sydney by about 2031, swelling from current levels of about 5 million to reach 6.1 million by 2032-2033.

Put another way, Melbournes population will be 20 per cent bigger 10 years from now. In turn, Victorias population is forecast to increase from current levels of about 6.6 million to 7.8 million by June 2033.
A large-scale search will resume on Sunday for a 20-year-old man who went missing in rough swells at a notorious Mornington Peninsula beach after his father tried desperately to rescue him and his younger brother.

Tragedy struck the family, who were holidaying on the Peninsula, when the two brothers began to struggle in the water at Gunnamatta Ocean Beach near Cape Schanck about 6.45pm on Friday.

Gunnamatta beach where search crews are looking for the missing swimmer. Credit: Joe Armao

Their father, who was watching on from the beach, swam out to help his sons.

The man and his 16-year-old son made it to shore with the help of locals and surf lifesavers, but his 20-year-old son could not be found.
The pandemic-induced sea change rush made property values balloon in beachside towns in regional Victoria, but buyers at most price points still have options.

Conditions for buyers continue to improve after a decline in interest from Melburnians reduced the pressure in seaside markets, agents say.

Yoris and Katie Hopmans say Melburnians have been flocking to their area because of its relaxed vibe. Credit: Scott McNaughton / The Age

There is still a trickle of city dwellers looking for a sea change, and McCrae home seller Yoris Hopmans said buyers looking at a $1.5 million price point can find better value in his neighbourhood and its surrounds than in most Melbourne suburbs. McCraes median house price is $1,245,000, on Domain data.

A lot of the interest weve had is people from Melbourne wanting a sea change and now that people have the ability to work from home they can get a bit more for your money on the peninsula compared to metro real estate, and it does have a holiday destination vibe.
London: Prince Harrys repeated ambushing of the royal family had a detrimental effect on Queen Elizabeth IIs health in her final year, sources close to the former monarch claim.

The late Queen hated confrontation, and the attacks from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are said to have had an impact on her frail condition before she died in September.

The Queen avoided confrontation, especially those involving Prince Andrew (behind her) and Prince Harry and his wife Meghan. Credit: AP

As well as having to cope with damaging allegations made in television interviews, the late Queen was well aware that further revelations would be made in Harrys book, Spare, which was originally due to be published last year.

Friends of the Queen have no doubt that it was playing on her mind in her final months. This did have an impact on the Queens health in her final year. It did take its toll, said one.
Natalia Kohanova, left, and her son Mykhailo Kohanov mark Orthodox Christmas in Brandon, Man., on Friday. They arrived in Canada in June, as the war in Ukraine devastated their hometown of Irpin. (Chelsea Kemp/CBC - image credit)

For Ukrainians spending their first holiday season away from home, this year's Orthodox Christmas celebrations have been muted, focused on prayers that the war in their homeland comes to an end.

Natalia Kohanova and her teenage son Mykhailo Kohanov arrived in Brandon, Man., in mid-June  escaping the Russian invasion that devastated their home city of Irpin and joining the large Ukrainian community in southwest Manitoba.

Their new home has been modestly decorated with Christmas items all donated by the community and friends.

"All decorations on our Christmas tree  it's all like presents from Canadians. They think about us, they support us and every time think about what we need," Kohanova said. "It's so beautiful for us."

They share the home with three other displaced Ukrainians  19-year-old student Kateryna Sofishchenko, Hanna Prykhodko and her eight-year-old son Illia.

Chelsea Kemp/CBC

In Ukraine, Kohanova and her family usually celebrate both Christmas in December and Orthodox Christmas on Jan. 7. But this year they say it is hard to find reasons to feel festive.

"We cannot ... celebrate because my parents and [Mykhailo's] grandma and grandfather right now are in Ukraine," she said.

Chelsea Kemp/CBC

"We think about our family," she said. "I know that [my] parents are shot at every day, and we work so as not to think about it."

She's spent her holidays thinking about the war, praying and hoping that the people she loves stay safe.

Sofishchenko, who hails from Kyiv, came to Brandon in August, as late in the year as possible because she wanted to be with her parents, who stayed behind. She's now attending Assiniboine Community College.

Her family doesn't celebrate Orthodox Christmas or Christmas, she said, but always hosts a big feast celebrating New Year's with her grandparents; a highlight of which would be a special traditional dish, kutia, typically served at the start of Orthodox Christmas's 12-course meals.

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Sofishchenko and her housemates had a modest holiday celebration with a smaller meal. They say it can be difficult to plan because it's tiring adjusting to life in Canada, working and school.

Chelsea Kemp/CBC

She agrees it would feel strange getting too festive because of the challenging year and ongoing war.

"I'm not really in the Christmas spirit," Sofishchenko said. "When I think about home it's quite sad."

Not being at home for the holidays has been a lonely experience.

Before coming to Canada Sofishchenko spent months in Denmark and Germany, and at times, home has felt like a distant memory. She says, even if she was home, she knows the holiday spirit would be dimmed because of ongoing Russian aggression.

"It would still be pretty stressful, you know all this rocket launches and stuff like that," she said.

"It's not home home, because home is a place where you're safe."

The Ukrainian-Canadian Congress estimates around 11,000 Ukrainians have settled in Manitoba under emergency travel measures introduced last year. More than 70 have settled in Brandon with help from the Tryzub, a branch of the congress that mainly helps new arrivals.

Kohanova praises Tryzub for its community support and the many events and fundraisers it has held to benefit Ukraine. She says those events are important because Tryzub is helping bring the community together and ensuring people feel connected even though they are outside Ukraine.

"It's great people because they understand what we're feeling and so much help to us," Kohanova said.
Governor Orders Wyoming Flag be Flown at Half Staff at the Capitol and in Fremont County on Wednesday, January 11
Fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces has continued at a routine level into the Orthodox Christmas period despite Vladimir Putins promise of 36-hour ceasefire, the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has said.

In its daily intelligence update, the MoD said that in the fiercely contested area around Kremina town in eastern Ukraines Luhansk province, fighting was focused in heavily forested terrain to the towns west, where combat has devolved to dismounted infantry fighting, often at short range.

The MoD said: Fighting has continued at a routine level into the Orthodox Christmas period. One of the most fiercely contested sectors continues to be around the town of Kremina, in Luhansk Oblast.

In the last three weeks, the fighting around Kremina has focused on the heavily forested terrain to the west of the town.

With the coniferous woodland providing some cover from air observation even in winter, both sides are highly likely struggling to accurately adjust artillery fire.

They added: As is typical with operations in forests, combat has largely devolved to dismounted infantry fighting, often at short range.

Russian commanders will highly likely view pressure around Kremina as a threat to the right flank of their Bakhmut sector, which they see as key for enabling any future advance to occupy the remainder of Donetsk Oblast.

It came as Russian artillery hit a fire station in Kherson in north-east Ukraine yesterday, killing one fireman hours before the start of a Kremlin-ordered ceasefire to mark the Orthodox Christmas. Despite calling for a 36-hour halt to fighting, the Kremlin has rejected the agreement and labelled it as a mere ploy by the Kremlin.

Shelling also continued in the Donbas region after midday, the supposed start of the first countrywide ceasefire since the war began in February.
The Wyoming State Archives kicks off the first of its collaboration with the Wyoming State Parks on its speaker series events with a presentation and Q&A session on, "The Wyoming Territorial Prison: The Museum Collection That Isnt," by curatorial resources specialist Renee Slider on Thursday, January 12, at 7 p.m. in the Wyoming State Museum classroom, located at 2301 Central Avenue in Cheyenne.

This will be a live, in-person event with an option for participating virtually. For those not able to attend in-person, registration to attend the event online is through Eventbrite at https://bit.ly/3pAAzYd. This free public event is part of the Archives monthly second Thursday evening speaker series.

Renee Slider gives a brief history of the many ways the Territorial Prison has been utilized over time. The presentation focuses on the recreation of the Territorial Prison and how partnerships between city, county, state, and federal governments came together. She will also talk about the many records used to create the timeline of the Prison, the inmates incarcerated, and much more. Following Sliders presentation, Suzi Taylor, reference archivist, will give a short demonstration of the Wyoming Historical Prisoners Database on the Wyoming State Archives website. Time will be made available for attendees to ask questions.

Renee Slider has been the curator at Wyoming Territorial Prison State Historic Site for the last seven years. Slider is a California native that received her bachelors in public and oral history from California State University, San Bernardino.

She obtained her masters degree in history in 2015 from the University of Wyoming and began her work at the Prison in the fall of that same year. With over 10 years of experience as an archivist, Slider responsibilities include collections management, education, and tour volunteers.

The WSA Speaker Series hosts talks at 7 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month. The Wyoming State Parks Presents series will occur every other month and feature speakers from a different historic site. The alternating months will be our traditional historical topics. Upcoming topics include Colly Collison: A Pilot Lost in Time with Kent Hargraves on February 9th and Alexis Pratt presenting on Quebec01 on March 9th, with others scheduled throughout the year. To view upcoming events, check out the Wyoming State Archives events calendar at https://wyoarchives.wyo.gov/index.php/about-archives/events. A recording of this talk will be available on the WSA YouTube channel the week following the talk.

The Wyoming State Archives collects, manages, and preserves Wyoming state public records that have long-term administrative, legal, and historical value. These records document the history of our state and the activities of Wyoming Government offices. The Archives also collects non-government records that contribute to the understanding of the states history.

For more information, contact Sara Davis, Wyoming State Archivist, at sara.davis@wyo.gov or call the WSA at 307-777-7826.

The Wyoming State Archives is accessible according to the Americans with Disabilities Act guidelines. If you require special assistance, please contact the Wyoming State Archives at 307-777-7826.
Batavia, NY (14020)

Today

Mainly clear. Low 56F. Winds WSW at 25 to 35 mph..

Tonight

Mainly clear. Low 56F. Winds WSW at 25 to 35 mph.
The Climeworks AG Orca direct air capture and storage facility, right, and Hellisheidi geothermal power plant, left, in Hellisheidi, Iceland, in September 2021. (Arnaldur Halldorsson/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The small island nation of Iceland is known among environmentalists for its low greenhouse emissions  per capita, roughly one-third of those of the United States  thanks in part to its reliance on clean, geothermal energy derived from the more than 30 active volcanic systems that also power its famous hot springs.

Yet, in terms of total geothermal energy output, the U.S. is actually the worlds single biggest generator of geothermal energy  and some experts believe further development of that sector, including digging deep into the Earth, could reduce American emissions and help avert catastrophic climate change.

It just really seems as though geothermal has an upward trajectory at the moment, in terms of innovation, funding, interest at all levels of business, but also the government, Kelly Blake, president of the board of directors at Geothermal Rising, a geothermal-focused trade association, told Politico earlier this week.

Were kind of on the cusp of moving into the cost-effective range [for geothermal], just like we did with solar, over the next 20 years, Roland Horne, a professor of earth sciences at Stanford University, told Yahoo News.

At present, geothermal energy, which is derived by using steam heat from underground to generate power, accounts for less than 1% of the U.S. electricity portfolio. Unlike wind and solar energy, which do not produce as much energy in certain conditions, geothermal energy is much more constant. Yet the cost of tapping it can be expensive in places that require extensive digging. In 2021, a megawatt hour of electricity generated by geothermal cost an average of $3,991 in G20 countries, compared to $857 for utility-scale solar power and $1,325 for on-shore wind.

A geothermal plant outside Myvatn, Iceland, in on April 2017. (Loic Venance/AFP via Getty Images)

Recent technological advances, such as enhanced geothermal systems, also known as EGS in the industry jargon, may solve that problem, however. Traditionally, geothermal has only been economical in places like Iceland, where heat and water are close to the Earths surface. In an EGS, much as in a fracking well, fluid is injected deep underground, causing fractures to open in the rock, which allows hot fluid to rise from far below.

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Thats why in June, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced a $165 million investment in geothermal energy research and deployment, and the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law included $84 million for research into enhanced geothermal demonstration projects.

The private sector is also taking tentative steps into geothermal energy. A slew of geothermal energy startups have each raised millions of dollars in capital. Last month, the oil and gas giant Chevron partnered its Chevron New Energies with Swedens Baseload Capital to develop geothermal projects in the United States. In 2021, Chevron and BP invested $40 million in Eavor Technologies, a Canadian geothermal energy company. In November of that year, Hawaiian Electric, the Aloha States energy utility, unveiled a plan to increase its geothermal generation capacity to help meet its goal of a 70% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.

Its like solar: If you look at solar 20 years ago, nobodys interested in solar because it costs too much. But as solar has grown, the cost has come down as its improved in scale, Horne said.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, right, is greeted by Iceland's Environment, Energy and Climate Minister Gudlaugur Thor Thordarson, at a meeting in Reykjavik, Iceland, on May 19, 2021. (Brynjar Gunnarsson/AP Photo)

Its unbelievable how geothermal has gone under the radar, Icelands environment minister, Gudlaugur Thor Thordarson, told Yahoo News. Icelands use of geothermal for heating and a mix of geothermal and hydropower for electricity has given it uninterrupted access to affordable heat and power, insulating its economy from the natural gas price shocks being felt by the rest of Europe since Russias invasion of Ukraine.

Now, when you see the bills [in] electricity and the gas prices go up everywhere  at least, around us  it doesnt affect us, he said.

This can be done all around the world, Thordarson added. You don't need to be the most active volcanic island in the world to use geothermal.

In January 2022, a Danish company signed an agreement to develop the largest geothermal heating plant in the European Union, and Icelandic companies are currently developing geothermal heating and energy projects in other countries. Under a partnership between Icelands Orka Energy Holding Ehf and Chinas state oil and gas company Sinopec, the 390,000-person Chinese county of Xiong is being converted to rely solely on geothermal for residential heating.

Wells roughly 1,500 to 1,900 meters (4,900 to 6,200 feet) deep bring up water at 70 degrees Celsius (158 degrees Fahrenheit) that is used to heat homes. In an area where families previously burned coal for heat, the result has been a dramatic cut in carbon emissions and conventional air pollutants like smog. Orka and the Icelandic firm Mannvit are also building power plants that will produce electricity from geothermal in countries including Slovenia and Hungary.

And we can do it in a lot of other places, Thordarson said. Its not very complicated. Its just drilling for hot water.

The Reykjanes geothermal power station is pictured on March 23, 2017, in Reykjanes, at the southwestern tip of Iceland. (Halldor Kolbeins/AFP via Getty Images)

Geothermal accounts for 6% of the electricity produced in California and 10% in Nevada. Hawaii, Utah, Oregon and Idaho have geothermal plants as well. Like Iceland, where 27% of the electricity and heating in 90% of homes comes from geothermal, these western states have volcanic activity that brings heat close to the Earths surface. That makes geothermal more economically viable than in the eastern half of the U.S., where heat tends to be buried deeper underground.

The reason we have [geothermal] in the western states, and the reason they have it in Iceland, is basically geological advantage, Horne said. If you go to New York state, you dont find that sort of recent volcanic activity, so to get to higher temperatures, youve got to drill a lot deeper, and that, of course, is expensive.

Skeptics of geothermals potential note the technological challenges to drilling deeper.

You have to remove all the rock youve cut from the hole, which gets harder and harder as the hole gets deeper, writes Alice Friedemann, author of Life After Fossil Fuels: A Reality Check on Alternative Energy, on her website, Energy Skeptic. The deeper you go, the hotter it gets, and the more expensive the drilling equipment gets, using special metallurgy.

The Strokkur geyser in the Haukadalur geothermal park in Reykjavik, Oct. 21, 2022. (Jorge Mantilla/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Some energy companies hope to facilitate deeper drilling through EGS, which offers the possibility of a geothermal boom similar to the way fracking has transformed oil and gas extraction. The Department of Energys Geothermal Technologies Office, which supports EGS research and demonstration projects, calls EGS the next frontier for renewable energy deployment.

There have been more than 40 projects worldwide of so-called enhanced geothermal systems, Horne said. Theres even been some commercial ones in Germany and France, but at the moment, the cost is higher than other resources, which is whats held it back.

Horne expects that over the next decade or so, increased research and development in EGS will bring the cost down enough to make geothermal energy economically competitive.

[Geothermal] is sort of the unwanted stepchild of renewable energy, Geoffrey Garrison, vice president and senior geochemist at AltaRock Energy, a geothermal energy company, told Yahoo News. The marginal cost of electricity from geothermal is more than solar and wind. Solars gotten so cheap, and wind has gotten so cheap, that when the power utilities look to renewables, those are the ones they go to.

Since wind and solar are intermittent power sources, they need to be complemented with peaker plants, which burn coal or gas to even out the ups and downs in solar or wind production. Geothermal doesnt have that problem.

An array of solar panels and windmills in Kern County, an hour north of Los Angeles, on Nov. 15, 2022, near Mojave, Calif. (George Rose/Getty Images)

Garrison is working on making geothermal energy cost-competitive by finding cheaper ways of drilling deeper, where the heat is greater and would deliver more electricity production. Altarock is building a demonstration project at the Newberry Volcano in Oregon, to bring up water of more than 400 degrees Centigrade from 14,000 feet below ground. At 374 degrees Centigrade, water reaches a state known as supercritical, at which it flows with the ease of gas but carries the energy density of a liquid, so it would provide far more bang for the buck when piped to the surface.

You couple that with the fact that, at the surface, power plants work much more efficiently at higher temperatures, Garrison said. So a power plant using an input of 400C is going to be twice as efficient as 200C water.

Bringing up water that hot in states like New York would require going 20,000 to 30,000 feet below ground. So, with support from DOE, AltaRock is currently working in a laboratory with a company called Quaise Energy on using millimeter wave technology  essentially a heat ray  to vaporize rock.

Whether anything that futuristic pans out, experts and industry observers say the U.S. geothermal energy industry may be on the cusp of its own, fracking-like boom.

Still, even enhanced geothermal could be limited in scope. The DOE estimates that there is potentially 40 times as much economically viable geothermal capacity as is currently generated in the continental U.S. But if that were all developed, it would still represent only 10% of current U.S. electricity capacity.

The John L. Featherstone Hudson Ranch Power 1 geothermal facility produces electrical power from underground volcanic-heated steam, on May 10, 2021, near Calipatria, Calif. (George Rose/Getty Images)

Skeptics point out that enhanced geothermal systems will have plenty of technical obstacles. Friedemanns list includes, among other things, water escaping into the rock cracks, the need for materials that can withstand incredibly high temperatures, and the fact that new techniques that work in one area may not apply everywhere, given the variability in geology around the country.

Then there are the potential political and economic roadblocks, such as objections of nearby residents who  like those who have sometimes blocked fracked gas wells  may worry about chemical exposure and earthquakes that could be triggered by injecting liquid into the Earth. There are also steep costs that utilities would have to bear, such as bringing transmission lines to the sites of future geothermal power plants and the fact that a water-intensive process may not be feasible in areas with water scarcity.

The depth to be drilled down to is so deep that it is likely this technology will always be too expensive and use more energy to drill than obtained, Friedemann concludes.

Nonetheless, oil and gas companies are increasingly interested. Baker Hughes, one of the largest drilling companies in the world, is expanding its geothermal business and has formed a partnership with Continental Resources and Chesapeake Energy  two giants in the independent oil and gas sector  to test whether they can profitably turn spent natural gas wells into geothermal facilities, Politico recently reported.

A natural gas flare stack at an oil well in Midland, Texas, on April 4, 2022. (Jordan Vonderhaar/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

It makes sense, geothermal industry leaders say, because oil and gas companies have the technology and know-how to drill deep below the ground.

Over the last 15 years, huge numbers of wells have been drilled in the United States because of the shale revolution, said Sarah Jewett, head of strategy at Fervo Energy, a geothermal energy company that has raised over $177 million, told Politico. All of this technology has evolved and grown, and that can be directly applied to geothermal power.

Thats what Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm was thinking when she implored oil executives at a December meeting of the National Petroleum Council to pivot to geothermal energy.

Think: You drill holes, too, Granholm said. You go beneath the surface, you know where things are. And fracking really opens up a huge opportunity for enhanced geothermal.

As Granholm told Yahoo News in November 2021, The Holy Grail is to identify clean baseload power. The search for that Holy Grail is on.
Geoff Slater works on Madeline and her classmates, shown here out for a walk in two straight lines, as they normally do. (Submitted by Jeff Lively - image credit)

Geoff Slater, an artist from Bocabec near Saint Andrews, has helped transform a room at Drewhaven Town & Country in Saint Andrews in the style of a New York City bar named for the artist who painted its iconic murals.

That artist, Ludwig Bemelmans, also wrote the famed children's book series Madeline, whose main character also makes a number of appearances on the walls of Drewhaven, a Saint Andrews bakery, cafe, caterer and event space.

Madeline joins other whimsical Bemelmans's characters, including picnicking rabbits, dressed-up giraffes and escaping art thieves.

Slater said it isn't easy to emulate someone else's style, "especially something that's so iconic."

WATCH | Artist creates whimsical murals on cafe's walls:

"So what I've really tried to do is channel and recreate as best I can the whole feel of his illustrative work. It's kind of a celebration of Bemelmans himself really, right down to the brush strokes of how that mural looks."

Drewhaven owner Lee Wells asked Slater to recreate the style and atmosphere of Bemelmans Bar, which is still located inside New York City's Carlyle Hotel.

Submitted by Jeff Lively

At the time he painted the bar's walls, Bemelmans was already a successful illustrator with magazines such as the New Yorker and Vogue, according to the hotel's webpage. And instead of being paid, he worked in exchange for 18 months of accommodations at the hotel for himself and his family.

Slater said he was already familiar with Bemelmans and his work when Wells asked him to recreate the murals from the bar.

Like Bemelmans himself, Slater dabbles in a variety of styles and techniques, including mural painting.

Submitted by Jeff Lively

He said he soon learned not to "overdo it" because "as soon as you do that, it doesn't look like Bemelmans's work anymore." He said it was "almost an exercise in restraint."

Slater said Bemelmans often omitted features, like leaving off a nose  so Slater did the same thing.

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"It's fun. I learned it's always neat to go down these rabbit holes and try and live in someone else's shoes for a little bit."

While Bemelmans took 18 months to complete the much-larger Carlyle Hotel lounge, it took Slater two months to complete the room at Drewhaven.

Shane Fowler/CBC

His favourite section of the mural is painted on the door to the washroom. Under the flag of France, it depicts three thieves running off with stolen artwork and being pursued by policemen in full stride wielding billy clubs.

The thieves are actually heading straight for Madeline and the other little girls from her boarding school in Paris.

The Madeline books were written and illustrated by Bemelmans and each one started with the same rhyming sentences "In an old house in Paris that was covered in vines, lived twelve little girls in two straight lines."

Seven-year-old Madeline is the bravest and most daring of the girls and often finds herself embroiled in adventures and misadventures.
2 Arrested After Guns, Thousands of Rounds of Ammo Found in Studio City

STUDIO CITY, Calif.Two men were arrested following a barricade at a residence in Studio City where authorities found items including assault weapons, handguns, and thousands of rounds of ammunition, police said Jan. 5.

The standoff began about 2:15 a.m. Wednesday, when police went to the 4000 block of Sunswept Drive to serve a search warrant in connection with an assault with a deadly weapon investigation that began on Dec. 29, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) reported.

A SWAT team was sent to the scene, and a barricade ensued until late Wednesday morning, when the men were taken into custody, police said.

Authorities found items including assault weapons, handguns, and thousands of rounds of ammunition following a barricade at a residence in Studio City, Calif., on Jan. 4, 2023. (Courtesy of Los Angeles Police Department)

Deavonte Kimble, 30, was booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon with a firearm, and bail was set at $310,000, police said. However, bail was revoked due to the suspects parole status, police said.

Max Lord, 31, was booked on suspicion of possession of assault rifles, and bail was set at $35,000, police said.

During the search of the residence, investigators found several assault rifles, along with handguns, firearm suppressors, high-capacity magazines, assault rifle building parts, and thousands of rounds of ammunition, police said.

The investigation was conducted by personnel from the LAPDs Operations-West Bureau LAPD or ATF Gun Violence Reduction Task Force.
29 Killed as Mexican Authorities Detail Raid to Arrest Son of El Chapo

A Mexican National Guard stands guard outside the Almoloya prison where Ovidio Guzman, the son of imprisoned drug lord Joaquin El Chapo Guzman, is being held in Villa de Almoloya de Juarez, Mexico, on Jan. 6, 2023. (Ginnette Riquelme/AP Photo)

Authorities in Mexico announced on Friday that 10 military personnel and 19 suspected gang members were killed in a wave of violence surrounding the arrest of an alleged cartel leader who is the son of convicted cartel drug kingpin Joaquin Archivaldo El Chapo Guzman Loera.

In a blow-by-blow description of the operation to detain Ovidio Guzman Lopez on Thursday, Defense Secretary Luis Cresencio Sandoval said that cartel gunmen opened fire on troops with a half-dozen .50-caliber machine guns.

The Mexican army was forced to call in Blackhawk helicopters to target over two dozen cartel vehicles, including trucks mounted with gun platforms. The cartel members managed to down two of the military aircraft, causing a significant number of impacts in both aircraft, said Sandoval.

A civilian airliner belonging to Aeromexico was also shot at after the cartel sent hordes of gunmen to attack fixed-wing aircraft, both military and civilian, at the citys international airport.

A truck burns after being set on fire on a street in Culiacan, Sinaloa state, on Jan. 5, 2023. (Martin Urista/AP Photo)

Aeromexico told Reuters that nobody on the flight was hurt. The airport in Culiacan closed shortly after the incident and dozens of flights were canceled, while security forces patrolled the city. Two airports in nearby cities were also closed on Thursday until security could be ensured.

The gunmen attacked the airport buildings in a bid to prevent officials from flying the captured cartel boss out of the city.

Sandoval said authorities anticipated the cartels resistance and had loaded Guzman Lopez onto a military helicopter to fly him back to Mexico City.

According to The Washington Post, about 900 Mexican Army and National Guard troops and state police entered the city of Culiacan to support Guzman Lopezs arrest.

The running shootouts in the city also killed one Culiacan police officer, while injuring 17 other officers and 35 soldiers.

In 2019, Guzman Lopez escaped arrest after a failed attempt to keep him in custody. The government said at the time it was forced to release him to avoid further bloodshed after cartel gunmen started shooting up the city.

Ovidio Guzman, son of kingpin Joaquin El Chapo Guzman, is briefly captured by Mexican military police in a residential compound near the center of Culiacan in the state of Sinaloa, Mexico, on Oct. 17, 2019, in this still image taken from a helmet camera footage obtained on Oct. 30, 2019. (Mexican Government TV/Handout via Reuters)

The U.S. Department of State has described Ovidio Guzman as a high-ranking member of the Sinaloa Cartel and the son of former Sinaloa Cartel leader, who was involved in his own drug trafficking organization along with his brother.

Ismael Bojorquez, director of the crusading local newspaper Riodoce, said the cartel appears to have only grown stronger since 2019, when 13 people were killed in the failed raid.

They [cartels] have taken advantage of these four years to organize themselves, arm themselves, strengthen their structures, their finances, Bojorquez said. I believe there are more weapons than three years ago. All of organized crimes armies have strengthened, not just the Chapitos, and this is the price that society is paying for this strategy of the federal government.

Guzman Lopezs father, El Chapo Guzman, was arrested and extradited to the United States several years ago, and is now incarcerated in a maximum security federal prison in Colorado.

US Issues Travel Advisory for Mexico

The State Department, meanwhile, has warned Americans not to travel to Sinaloa state, Mexico, following reports of widespread cartel violence related to Guzman Lopezs arrest.

There have been reports of gunfire, roadblocks, and fires throughout the cities of Culiacan, Los Mochis, [and] Guasave in Sinaloa, Mexico, State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters during a news conference. The Embassy in  t posted n lrt t U.. tzn td dvng tht th nln gvrnr h lld fr th ubl t hltr n l, he added.

The State Department is continuing to advise U.. tzn n nl t rmn lrt fr tntl vln thrughut th tt, Price added, nd gn w rtrt ur trvl warning to Sinaloa, which continues to remain at Level 4.

W dv mrn nt t trvl t nl   rult, r added, pointing to a State Department travel advisory. For Sinaloa state, officials warn that Americans could face crime or kidnapping as violent crime is widespread, and criminal organizations are based in and operating in Sinaloa.

Jack Phillips and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

From NTD News
New Brunswick is currently rated the worst in the country on the COVID-19 hazard index at 10.6, followed by B.C., at 10.4 and Newfoundland and Labrador, at 10.3, according to researchers analyzing COVID-19 data from across Canada. (COVID-19 Resources Canada - image credit)

New Brunswick has the highest COVID-19 hazard index in the country, according to researchers analyzing COVID data from across Canada.

COVID-19 Resources Canada's forecast for New Brunswick for Jan. 4 to Jan. 10 is 10.6, compared with the national average of 8.5.

That means deaths in New Brunswick are roughly 10 to 11 per cent higher than they would be without COVID-19, according to Tara Moriarty, an infectious disease researcher and co-founder of the group funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada.

"On our scale, we rate that as 'severe,' because 10 to 11 per cent excess mortality is high, and also because a lot of the infections that we're seeing  are people who are over 40  who are most at risk of severe outcomes," she said.

The hazard index is calculated from three equally weighted categories: mortality; current infections and spread; and health-care system impact, said Moriarty, an associate professor at the University of Toronto.

Estimated 1 in 47 infected

An estimated one in 47 New Brunswickers are currently infected with COVID-19, she said. That's about 14,000 infections a week.

The number of New Brunswick hospitalizations and admissions to intensive care because of the virus is also high right now  about 8.1 times higher than during the moderate risk period of the pandemic, around early June 2021, said Moriarty.

That calculation takes into account estimated underreporting by provinces, she noted. New Brunswick "only appears to be reporting half of its hospitalizations and ICU admissions," she said, based on Public Health Agency of Canada data.

Will likely get worse

"So across the board, New Brunswick's score is very high on all counts," said Moriarty.

She suspects the province's hazard score is an underestimate because of data delays over the holidays.

And she warns the situation will likely get worse in the coming weeks, once holiday gatherings are reflected.

Story continues

"People should kind of hunker down a bit, right? And take fewer risks and be quite a bit more careful than they may have been for a while, and especially  protect people who are higher risk."

Province questions methodology

The Department of Health is "unable to comment on the hazard index rating created by COVID-19 Resources Canada until it receives more information about the methodologies and data analysis used to generate these ratings," said spokesperson Adam Bowie.

Representatives of the provincial epidemiology team and their Atlantic colleagues met with one of the creators of the hazard index in September and "posed a number of questions about the methodologies and data used," he said.

"Additional questions were then submitted after the meeting. But those questions have yet to be answered."

Moriarty contends her group uses "pretty standard methods" and the officials she met with expressed no "substantive criticisms" of the methods themselves.

"What I would say is that there was greater concern in the meeting that I had with them that I should not be publishing these data because that is the responsibility of public health agencies and that it was undermining trust and public health."

Evan Mitsui/CBC

The rating comes as New Brunswick reported 18 more deaths from COVID-19 and 54 new hospital admissions over the past two weeks, including four in intensive care, in Wednesday's COVIDWatch report.

There were also 1,006 new PCR-confirmed cases of COVID during that two-week period and an additional 543 people self-reported testing positive on a rapid test.

"Public Health has recommended New Brunswickers take steps to reduce their risks of contracting respiratory illnesses, such as making sure they stay up-to-date on their COVID-19 and influenza vaccines," the Department of Health spokesperson said Friday.

"They should also consider limiting the number of contacts they have, wearing masks when visiting crowded, public indoor places, staying home when they're sick, covering their nose and mouth when they cough or sneeze, and washing their hands regularly  particularly before touching common surfaces," he added.

Low booster rates, no protections for those at high-risk

Moriarty said the country is seeing higher hospitalization and death rates for every infection than it has since December 2021 to February 2022.

She believes that's partly because many people have not received their additional COVID-19 vaccine booster doses.

In addition, she contends it's becoming "almost impossible" for people who are higher risk to perform essential daily life activities, such as going to the doctor, pharmacy or grocery store, without being exposed because so few people are masking and no other preventive measures are in place.

Younger people or lower-risk people "may not be seeing this as a serious infection, but for people who are higher risk, it very much still is," she said.

CBC

The national average for COVID deaths is currently 8.2 times higher than the moderate risk period, around early June 2021, said Moriarty.

New Brunswick ranks fourth, at around 10.6, she said. Manitoba is the highest in the country, at 16 times higher than the moderate risk period.

For COVID hospitalizations and ICU admissions, New Brunswick ranks third in Canada at 8.1 times higher than during the moderate risk period. P.E.I. is highest at 13 times higher than during the moderate risk period. The national average is 7.4.

New Brunswick's estimated COVID infection rate of one in every 47 people is also better than the national average of one in every 38 people. But it's more than double Nova Scotia's second-lowest score of an estimated one in every 110 people. Manitoba is lowest at an estimated one in 120, while Ontario is highest at an estimated one in 34.

Is new Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5 a factor?

Moriarty thinks New Brunswick's high infection rate could be partly because it borders the northeastern United States, where a new Omicron subvariant is spreading quickly.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has projected XBB.1.5 will soon represent about 40 per cent of confirmed U.S. cases. That's double from the previous week and up from just 1.3 per cent of new cases a month ago.

"It's possible that New Brunswick might be one of the early provinces in Canada to be going through this," Moriarty said.

Earlier this week, the Department of Health told CBC no cases of XBB.1.5 had been detected in New Brunswick yet, but Moriarty suggested there could be a holiday lag in sequencing data.

"There's a good likelihood at this point that we have a fair bit of the variant in eastern and central provinces that we just haven't detected it yet," Moriarty said.

"We don't know how big a wave [XBB.1.5] will be, but there will certainly be a wave, and it will certainly reach higher risk people, unless they understand they really need to be careful right now, and people who are in contact with them need to be careful, and that all of us can help reduce the [risk]  by wearing masks and trying to avoid non-essential indoor activities with other people while we wait to see what's happening."
A 400-year-old portrait of a regally-dressed child during the era of Charles I could fetch 20,000 pounds (over $24,000) at auction after being found hidden away in a cottage.

The forgotten painting from 1626 was left hanging behind an open door for several decades as the owner had no room to store it at his property in Surrey, UK.

It depicts an unknown wealthy child, aged around 18 months to 2 years old, dressed head to toe in lavish formal attire, making her look like a miniature adult.

The striking 396-year-old portrait was uncovered by an antiques expert during a house clearance following the death of its owner.

It is expected to fetch between 18,000-20,000 pounds when it goes under the hammer at Hansons Auctioneers in London on January 28.

I was surprised to find such a compelling portrait hidden away, said Chris Kirkham, associate director at Hansons London.

Helen Smith, of Hansons, with the portrait of a miniature adult in an elaborate full-length gown. (SWNS)

However, I discovered there was a reason for it. The keen collector who acquired it had downsized some years before and brought all of his much-loved antiques with him.

His collection included several paintings which were hung on much smaller walls than they had originally been intended for.

The collector had struggled to find display space and the little girl, in all her finery, got tucked away behind a door.

Sadly, the collector passed away and this centuries-old work was forgotten, Kirkham said.

The vendors late father had an intellectual appreciation of antiques.

A forgotten 400-year-old portrait of a miniature adult in an elaborate full-length gown. (SWNS)

When she showed me around the house to assess some of his acquisitions she admitted shed forgotten about the portrait.

As the door was almost always left open, the picture had been blocked from view. Kirkham just happened to move it.

Thank goodness I did, he said. Such is its importance this portrait will go to auction in January with a guide price of 18,000-20,000 pounds.

The unidentified child is wearing an elaborate, full-length, embroidered, black and cream dress with exquisite detailing and a stiff, wide collar edged in lace.

A matching hat fits snugly on her head and she wears a necklace of red beads bearing a large cross and pearl with matching beads around her wrists.

Her expensive outfit is also enhanced by a silver chain across her body which leads to a beaked object clasped in her hand.

The seller, who did not want to be named, said, This discovery is all credit to my father. He was an eccentric and a collector of all types of antiques and curios.

He had a really good eye for unusual objects and art. It offered him a hobby away from his working life as a farmer.

Detail of a forgotten 400-year-old portrait of a miniature adult has been discovered hidden away in a Surrey cottage in Surrey, UK. (SWNS)

We think he may have purchased the painting at auction many years ago but cant be sure.

The painting had been displayed and enjoyed in their family home for many years.

Sadly, we have lost my father and the time has to come to part with a few items, they said.

The portrait bears the name Adriaen Verkins, which is possibly Dutch, and is dated 1626 when Charles I (16001649) was king of England, Scotland, and Ireland.

He lavished money on the arts and invited artists such as Van Dyck and Rubens to work in England.

Belgian Sir Anthony van Dyck (1599-1641) was a Brabantian Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England.

He was renowned for his portraits of royals and members of noble families including their children.

Fellow Flemish artist Sir Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640), from the Netherlands, was also renowned for portraits of royalty.

He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque tradition.

Kirkham said, It is likely their work influenced the Baroque portrait we have uncovered.

A forgotten portrait from 1626 of a miniature adult was spotted hanging behind a door. (SWNS)

Royalty dictate trends and a wealthy family would have commissioned this painting to emulate the grand portraits of the time.

He added that the childs ornate outfit emphasized the familys wealth and status.

Charles Hanson, owner of Hansons London, said, It is remarkable what we find hidden away in homesoften forgotten and, in this case, behind a door.

Collectors fill their homes with so many wonderful items over the course of decades, it is easy to lose sight of which ones may be of special significance.

When you look into this little girls eyes you are swept back to the early 17th century.

While the poor wore rags, fashion at the time for the rich was showy and laden with ornamentation. Adornments of jewelry, lace, and rich, contrasting fabrics displayed wealth.

This portrait is a remarkable find, Hanson said. It is like a time capsule offering an insight into the life of a wealthy child, bedecked in all her finery, centuries ago.

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
6-Year-Old Suspect in Custody After Shooting Teacher at Virginia School: Police Chief

A teacher is in hospital in life-threatening condition and a 6-year-old student is in custody after a shooting at an elementary school in Virginia on Friday, police said.

Newport News police said a round was fired during an altercation in a classroom with the 6-year-old male student at Richneck Elementary School at around 2 p.m. The teacher was taken to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries, police said.

At a press conference on Friday evening, Police Chief Steve Drew told reporters it was not an accidental shooting.

The only thing I can tell you is that there was an altercation between a teacher and a student, who did have the firearm, and then a round was fired, Drew said.

The police chief said the incident occurred in a classroom and was isolated.

This was not a situation where we had a student or any other individuals going around [the school] firing, Drew said.

Drew said police were working with partner agencies and organizations to bring in the resources needed to process the perpetrator. Police are currently investigating how the child got the gun.

The investigation remains ongoing, police said in a statement on Friday. In an earlier statement, police confirmed that no students were injured in this incident.

Drew also praised the school staff and students for their response during the incident.

Newport News Public Schools had earlier confirmed on Facebook that the injured adult was a teacher and informed parents that a reunification zone had been established at the school gym. School officials told reporters the school would be closed on Monday and a crisis response team would support staff, students, and parents following the incident.

All the children inside the school have been taken from the room with their teachers, and escorted to the gymnasium, Drew said. Theyre all safe in there. Theyre actually in there with counselors and officers.

Newport News Mayor Phillip Jones, who has been in office since Jan. 1, said the incident hurt his heart, and he praised the police for their response.

Its a dark day for Newport News, and were going to learn from this, and were going to come back stronger, Jones said.

Today, our students got a lesson in gun violence and what guns can do to disrupt not only an educational environment but also a family, a community, said George Parker, superintendent of Newport News Public Schools.

This is evidence today that these are the things that happen when we have access to weapons, he added.

Parker said the school would be closed on Monday to allow the school to focus on the mental well-being of staff and students.
Arizonas Maricopa County to Investigate Election Day Printer Issues

Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Chairman Bill Gates speaks to reporters while departing a press conference at the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center in Phoenix, Ariz., on Nov. 14, 2022. (Jon Cherry/Getty Images)

Arizonas largest county is launching an investigation into the issues that caused chaos on Election Day 2022.

The probe will be an important step in our efforts to get to the bottom of the printer issues that affected some Vote Centers on Election Day last November, Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Chairman Bill Gates and Vice Chairman Clint Hickman said in a joint statement on Jan. 6.

Voters across the county found their ballots couldnt be processed by machines in the 2022 midterm elections, a problem that led to long lines at voting centers and workers having to tabulate the votes at a later date. At least 70 of the countys polling sites were affected, representing some 17,000 ballots. Maricopa County was one of the last counties to produce results in the midterms.

During a trial held for a lawsuit brought by Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, a cyber expert who examined ballots said he found 19-inch images printed on 20-inch paper. Clay Parikh, an information security officer with Northrup Grumman, said that the printers wouldnt process the 19-inch images.

Parikh said there were only two ways the situation couldve happened.

One way is by changing the printer adjustments that would make the printer adjustments and settings override the image file that was sent, the other is from the application side, the operating system side, Parikh said.

County officials said they werent aware of the county using 19-inch images and said that the printers were programmed to print 20-inch ballots. Theyve denied accusations that the problems stemmed from intentional actions.

Richard Baris, a pollster, testified that the problems disenfranchised enough voters to swing the election. Republicans vote at much higher numbers on Election Day, while Democrats favor early and mail voting. Democrat Katie Hobbs beat Lake by 17,117 votes, according to official election results.

Arizona Superior Court Judge Peter Thompson, who oversaw the trial, ultimately rejected the case, saying he hadnt been presented with convincing evidence of misconduct. The Arizona Supreme Court later turned down a request to transfer the lawsuit, meaning an appeal will be heard before the state court of appeals.

The new investigation will be headed by Ruth McGregor, a former chief justice of the Arizona Supreme Court. McGregor has led probes in the past, including an investigation into problems with locks on cell doors in state prisons.

McGregor will hire a team of independent experts to find out why the printers that read ballots well in the August Primary had trouble reading some ballots while using the same settings in the November General, Gates and Hickman said. Our voters deserve nothing less.

The officials said previously that the printer settings were the same for the August 2022 primary and the November 2022 general election, and that the paper was the same thickness.

An election worker sorts ballots at the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center in Phoenix, Ariz., on Nov. 9, 2022. (John Moore/Getty Images)

Election Task Force

Hobbs, meanwhile, announced an elections task force on Jan. 5 that she said would advise officials on improving elections.

The task force will study and make recommendations to strengthen election laws, policies, and procedures in the State of Arizona, an executive order from Hobbs stated.

The entity will be chaired by the governor or a designee and include Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, a Democrat, or his designee; a county recorder nominated by the Arizona Senate president; a county recorder nominated by the Arizona House of Representatives president; and two election directors picked by the Election Officials of Arizona Association.

The task force was directed to submit a report to Hobbs by Nov. 1, 2023, that identifies specific recommendations for legislators to improve the states election laws, including recommendations to ensure consistent, secure, and accessible election administration and voter registration practices across the State.

Hobbs said that Arizonas elections are fair, secure, and free but that more can be done to strengthen and clarify the laws around Arizonas democratic process.

Lake said that the task force would be a cover-up unless it probed the problems in Maricopa County, including the 19-inch images printed on 20-inch paper.

Fontes said that he looked forward to working with Hobbs to make sure the task force is set up for success and suggested it would help improve voter confidence.

Allan Stein contributed to this report.
Ashli Babbitts Mother Arrested Outside US Capitol

'I was there to honor my daughter'

Micki Witthoeft (C), mother of Ashli Babbitt, who was killed on Jan. 6, 2021, stands with supporters of protesters that were arrested on Jan. 6, 2021, as they protest outside the U.S. Supreme Court on the second anniversary of the Jan. 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol, in Washington, on Jan. 6, 2023. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

The mother of Ashli BabbittMicki Witthoeftwas detained near the U.S. Capitol on Friday afternoon and was charged with violating two Capitol traffic regulations.

The detainment took place during a demonstration on the second anniversary of the death of Babbitt and three other Americans on Jan. 6, 2021. Witthoeft, 58, told The Epoch Times she was there to honor her daughter, who died two years ago after being shot by U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) Lt. Michael Byrd.

Witthoeft was arrested around 1:45 p.m. local time by officers from the U.S. Capitol Police and charged with having violated two traffic regulations (pdf)16.3.20 Obey An Order, and 16.3.40 Blocking And Obstructing Roadways, the USCP announced in a release.

As is typical for this charge, Ms. Witthoeft was processed and released this afternoon after being given a citation to appear in court at a later date, the USCP stated.

The USCP stated that the group did not have a permit to demonstrate on Capitol Grounds.

Officers established a clear police line to prevent the group from moving further west on Independence Avenue, SW, per the release. The officers and officials told the group to get out of the road or the group would be arrested. The sidewalk was open.

The USCP said that Witthoeft was given multiple warnings to get out of the road, but instead of doing so, she refused to leave, turned around with her hands behind her back, and asked to be arrested.

I Was There to Honor My Daughter

Witthoeft told The Epoch Times that she and the group saw the Capitol grounds had been fenced off.

They were letting people in but they would not let us in because we had flags, so I chose to walk down the street that was blocked off, with my flags, she recounted.

When we turned the corner, more of the sidewalk was blocked off and our option was to walk on the side fence, or to cross the street where we could not lay flowers. So I chose to walk along the road so I could lay flowers for the four people that died that daymy daughter being one of them.

When I did not move out of the road, I was arrested and cuffed up by a really angry, aggressive Capitol Police officer, who left wounds on my arm from handcuffing me.

Video posted to Twitter from News2Share producer Ford Fischer showed that Capitol Police Lt. Ryan Schauf was the officer who arrested Witthoeft.

The video showed that at the time, Witthoeft was holding a rose and was being told to move to the sidewalk. Another woman was with her and was holding a sign with Ashli Babbitts name on it. The woman was trying to talk to one of the officers, but the officer told them: Youre not obeying traffic laws, you can move to the sidewalk or youre being placed under arrest.  Were not discussing it. Sidewalk, now, or youre under arrest, its that simple.

Following the officers remarks, Witthoeft was seen handing the rose she was holding to the woman. She then turned her back to the officers and held two hands behind her back, as though ready to be handcuffed.

When asked what she was thinking when she decided to be arrested instead of moving out of the road with the other demonstrators, Witthoeft told The Epoch Times: I was there to honor my daughter, and they were trying to make that impossible by their barricades and their failure to admit us to the Capitol groundsand they were admitting everybody around us.

I just wanted to lay some flowers for my daughter, and for Rosanne, Kevin, and Benjamin.

God bless America, she added. Free the Jan. 6ers.

Four Americans died on Jan. 6, 2021, amid the mayhem that took place that day on Capitol groundsBabbitt, Rosanne Boyland, Kevin Greeson, and Benjamin Phillips.

Babbitts death was ruled a homicide. Paul Sperry and RealClearInvestigations in late 2021 identified Byrd as the person who shot Babbitt prior to her death.

The deaths of Greeson and Phillips were officially determined to be due to natural causes. But independent journalist Tayler Hansen, who was wearing press credentials while among the crowd that day, alleged that the two men both suffered fatal heart attacks from the munitions being thrown by the Capitol Police. Hansen previously published a video showing some explosive munitions that went off in the crowd and the resultant panic on the day.

Meanwhile, Boylands death was ruled as an accident, but video unsealed in December 2021 showed that she was repeatedly struck by a police officer as she lay unconscious near the Capitol building.

The joint session of Congress on Jan. 6, 2021, was temporarily interrupted when a sizable group of protesters entered the Capitol building and its surrounds. Outside were thousands of other mostly peaceful protesters who had gathered in Washington on the day to express concerns about election integrity.

As of late December, more than 900 individuals have been dealt charges by the Department of Justice, accusing them of having committed federal crimes on Jan. 6, 2021. Dozens of Americans continue to be held in prison without trial.

Update: This article has been updated with further details.
Biden Awards Medals on Jan. 6 to Capitol Police Officers, Poll Workers

President Joe Biden leaves after a ceremony to mark the second anniversary of the Jan. 6 Capitol breach and to award Presidential Citizens Medals in the East Room of the White House in Washington on Jan. 6, 2023. (Patrick Semansky/AP Photo)

President Joe Biden marked the two-year anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol by awarding medals to Capitol Police officers who were on duty that day as well as poll workers and election officials.

Biden bestowed Presidential Citizens Medals on 14 individuals, including Officers Harry Dunn and Eugene Goodman, as he hailed the response by law enforcement to the breach.

History will remember your names. Theyll remember your courage. Theyll remember your bravery. Theyll remember your extraordinary commitments to your fellow Americans. Thats not hyperbole; thats a fact. Thats a fact, Biden said, calling the officers heroic.

Relatives of Officers Howard Liebengood, Brian Sicknick, and Jeffrey Smith were presented medals. Liebengood and Smith committed suicide after the breach while Sicknick died of natural causes the following day. All three were on duty on Jan. 6, 2021. No officers died on that day.

U.S. Capitol Police Officers Dunn, Goodman, Aquilino Gonnell, and Caroline Edwards were joined by Metropolitan Police Department Officer Daniel Hodges and former Metropolitan Police Department Officer Michael Fanone.

I want to thank you all for your service, your strength, your courage, and, I know its a corny thing to say, but your patriotism, Biden said.

Also awarded medals were poll workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss and officials from three states: Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat; former Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers, a Republican; and Al Schmidt, a former Republican election official in Philadelphia.

Freeman and Moss, her daughter, were working at State Farm Arena in Atlanta during the 2020 election when observers and media were told to go home, leaving a window of time when none were present but counting continued. Rudy Giuliani, former President Donald Trumps onetime lawyer, accused Moss and Freeman of planning the lack of oversight as well as election fraud, pointing to video footage that appeared to show workers producing ballots after telling the observers to leave.

Trump criticized Freeman last week on his Truth Social media platform and drew attention to the purported water main break that caused the evacuation of part of the arena on election night, which was later found to be just an overflowing urinal.

Biden said that Freeman and Moss were just doing their jobs until they were targeted and threatened by the same predators and peddlers of lies that would fuel the insurrection, referring to the Capitol breach. The president praised the women for testifying during a hearing of the House Jan. 6 panel.

Biden said that Benson refused to back down after being threatened in the wake of the 2020 election, that Bowers put his obligation to the Constitution of this country ahead of everything when he refused intense political pressure to decertify the 2020 election results, and that Schmidt, who was just appointed as Pennsylvania secretary of state by new Democrat Gov. Josh Shapiro, did not bend, he did not bow, he did not yield to the political threats and pressure during the election.

The ceremony took place as the House of Representatives carried out additional voting for speaker. Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) received enough votes to win the race overnight.

President Joe Biden speaks in the East Room of the White House in Washington. (Patrick Semansky/AP Photo)

Marks Anniversary

In a separate event outside the Capitol, top Democrats including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) marked the anniversary of the January 2021 breach.

Jeffries said that multiple officers gave their lives protecting Congress, later stating that as a result of the events on Jan. 6, the lives of five heroic officers were lost and that a sixth died defending the Capitol in April 2021.

Jeffries was referring to four officers who committed suicideLiebengood, Smith, and Metropolitan Police Department Officers Gunther Hashida and Kyle deFreytagas well as Sicknick. The sixth was Billy Evans, who was killed several months after the breach by a radical Muslim.

Only one of the deaths has been linked officially to the breach. The Department of Justice classified Liebengoods Jan. 9, 2021, suicide as a line-of-duty death under pressure from family members and after Congress passed a law reforming the Public Safety Officers Benefits Program.

Family members of the officers read their names during the event before holding a moment of silence.

Biden referenced the new law, which he signed, in his prepared remarks, saying it recognizes death by silent injury  so future families of public safety officers who die in the wake of traumatic circumstances will get the benefits they deserve.

Ashli Babbitt, a military veteran who entered the Capitol, was shot dead on Jan. 6 by U.S. Capitol Police Lt. Michael Byrd, who was later cleared by the Department of Justice. Babbitts mother was detained on Jan. 6 during a protest marking her daughters death.

Three others died on Jan. 6, 2021, in or around the Capitol. Kevin Greeson and Benjamin Phillips were determined to have died from natural causes, while the death of Rosanne Boyland was described as accidental. Video footage, however, showed that she was struck by an officer as she lay on the ground near the Capitol, and a use-of-force expert told The Epoch Times that the officer who struck Boyland committed felony assault.
Border Patrol Agent Shot by Suspected Smugglers in New Mexico

A U.S. Border Patrol agent patrols near the border wall in Sunland Park, New Mexico, U.S., as pictured from the Mexican side of the border in Ciudad Juarez February 12, 2021. (Jose Luis Gonzalez/Reuters)

A Border Patrol agent in southern New Mexico was shot by suspected smugglers, who were inside a vehicle, on Thursday.

When a Border Patrol agent stopped a vehicle at 11:25 a.m. he was shot multiple times on his bulletproof vest. The agent returned fire and the vehicle fled north of Hachita, according to a press release from authorities, quoted by The Albuquerque Journal.

A few miles down the road, the vehicle rolled over and crashed. Six people were taken into custody, two were transferred to an El Paso hospital.

The agent, assigned to Lordsburg station in New Mexico, was medically examined and released.

State Sen. Crystal Diamond, (R-Elephant Butte), whose district includes Hidalgo County, said that while many details are still unknown, what is clear is that today one of our brave Border Patrol agents took a bullet for this country and our community.

Diamond said New Mexicos border with Mexico poses a clear and present danger to our citizens, our law enforcement, and the migrants caught in the criminal enterprise run by the cartel.

Bidens administration announced on Jan. 5 an expansion of a parole program that was restricted to Venezuelans. Now would-be immigrants from Cuba, Nicaragua, and Haiti are eligible to apply for legal status for two years, provided they find a sponsor inside the United States and pass a background check.

(L-R) Vice President Kamala Harris looks on as U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks about border security policies in the Roosevelt Room in the White House in Washington, DC on January 5, 2023. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Mexico, which already agreed to accept Venezuelan nationals who illegally crossed the border, has said that it will accept up to 30,000 illegal immigrants per month from designated countries, according to the White House.

Since Biden took office in 2021 and scaled back or terminated key Trump-era policies, illegal immigration has exploded, reaching record levels. More than 2.3 million apprehensions were recorded at the U.S.Mexico border in fiscal year 2022, which ended on Sept. 30, 2022.

Fiscal year 2023 arrests are already anticipated to set a new record, as apprehensions in both October 2022 and November 2022 were the highest on record, according to data from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Preliminary data obtained from a source by The Epoch Times shows that apprehensions in December 2022 were also the highest ever.

Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.

From NTD News
Brother of Plane Crash Victim to Aid Review of Boeing Safety

Capt. Brian Eyre, who was serving as first officer, goes through pre-flight preparations in the flight deck before the first Alaska Airlines passenger flight on a Boeing 737-9 Max airplane, on March 1, 2021. (Ted S. Warren/AP Photo)

WASHINGTON  Federal officials have appointed a group of experts to examine safety practices at Boeing, including an aerospace engineer whose sister was killed in one of the crashes involving Boeing 737 Max jets.

The Federal Aviation Administration said the panelrequired under a 2020 law passed by Congressincludes people from the FAA, NASA, airlines, and aviation manufacturers. The group will have nine months to issue findings and recommendations.

Among the panel members named Thursday is Javier de Luis, a lecturer in aeronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His sister, Graziella de Luis Ponce, was a passenger on the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing Max that crashed in March 2019.

De Luis has been critical of Boeing for designing, and the FAA for approving, a flight-control system that could tip the planes nose down based on readings from a single sensor. That sensor malfunctioned on his sisters plane and another Boeing Max that crashed in October 2018 in Indonesia. Everybody on board both planes346 people in alldied in the crashes.

The fact that this airplane was allowed to fly with a system, that if one sensor failed would kill everybody on boardnot once but twiceis a monumental failure not on Ethiopian but on Boeing and the FAA, de Luis told the Seattle Times. An airplane should not fall out of the sky because one sensor fails. End of story.

Other members of the panel include a NASA safety-culture expert, the manager of the FAA office that oversees Boeing, executives from Southwest, American and Unitedall of which use the Max and have orders to buy many moreand representatives from several unions, including one that represents Boeing engineers.

Boeing Co., which is based in Arlington, Virginia, said it had no comment on the formation of the safety panel.

Congress directed the FAA to create the review panel as part of changes in FAA oversight of the company after the crashes. An 18-month investigation by the House Transportation Committee was scathing in its criticism of both Boeing and the FAA, which lawmakers said was too cozy with Boeing and paid insufficient attention to the flight-control system implicated in both crashes.

All Max jets were grounded worldwide for nearly two years while Boeing overhauled the system. The FAA cleared the planes to fly again in late 2020.
California Judge Temporarily Halts Fast-Food Worker Law

Flags are flown at a car caravan and rally of fast-food workers and supporters for passage of Assembly Bill 257, a fast-food worker health and safety bill, in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles on April 16, 2021. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

A Sacramento Superior Court judge Dec. 30 temporarily halted a new California fast food worker laworiginally taking effect Jan. 1.

The temporary restraining order (pdf) was issued after a group of business owners and restaurateurs filed a lawsuit claiming the law would only raise food prices and other expenses for consumers while harming businesses.

Assembly Bill (AB) 257, also known as the FAST Recovery Act, would establish a government-run, fast food council consisting of 10 governor-appointed members, including state officials, representatives of franchisors and franchisees, as well as employees and their advocates.

The council will give workers more power in negotiating wage increases, hours, benefits, and various other terms of employment.

Under AB 257, franchisors would have to ensure their chains adhere to employment, public health, and safety laws that would be collectively liable for penalties if violations are committed in their businesses. This means franchisees would be permitted to file lawsuits against their franchisors should they claim any of the new regulations be breached.

The councils regulations would directly impact chains with at least 100 locations nationwide, including big names like McDonalds, In-N-Out, and Burger King, among others.

An In-N-Out Burger restaurant in Alhambra, Calif., on Aug. 30, 2018. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images)

To place a measure on the 2024 ballot to repeal the law, the coalition Save Local Restaurantsthe group behind the lawsuitbegan collecting signatures in September and needed 623,000 signatures by Dec. 4. The group reported Dec. 5 they had gathered over a million signatures.

The same week, the Secretary of State notified county elections officials enough signatures were submitted to trigger the signature verification process and make AB 257 ineffective before the process is completed.

But the Department of Industrial Relations said in a letter to the coalition they intended to move forward with the law beginning in January regardless, which was countered by the groups lawsuit.

The group said in a statement Dec. 30 that the judges decision keeps intact for the time being Californias century-old referendum process and protects the voices of over one million California voters who exercised their democratic right in asking to vote on a piece of legislation before bearing its burden.

According to the California Constitution, the right of a referendum prevents a law from going into effect unless and until it is approved by voters.

If enough signatures are verified by Jan. 25, the law will appear on the 2024 ballot.

In the order, Judge Shelleyanne W.L. Chang wrote that the law was halted in light of the incredibly short timeframe provided to the Court to hear this matter.

A hearing is set for Jan. 13 for the court to decide whether the law will continue to be on hold.

A car sits in the drive-thru at a Burger King restaurant in San Rafael, Calif., on July 27, 2015. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

The union-backed Assembly Bill 257 was signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Labor Day in 2022. The group said in a statement last September (pdf) it expected the law to make fast food 20 percent more costly, which will disproportionately hurt millions of families that can least afford it.

McDonalds USA President Joe Erlinger said in an open letter last August Californias approach targets some workplaces and not others.

If you are a small business owner running two restaurants that are part of a national chain, like McDonalds, you can be targeted by the bill, he added. But if you own 20 restaurants that are not part of a large chain, the bill does not apply to you.  This is a clear example of picking winners and losers, which is not the appropriate role of government.

Hundreds of union supporters of AB 257 protested against the Save Local Restaurants initiative last November, saying the law will offer more than half a million fast-food workers in the state better wages and protection from discrimination and harassment.

Assemblyman Chris Holden (D-Pasadena), the primary author of the bill, said on the Assembly floor last year fast-food workers often experience wage theft, harassment, and unsafe workplace conditions that have been intensified by the pandemic.

The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations said in a September 2022 statement that the law guarantees that fast-food workers get a seat at the table on the Fast Food Council, ensuring they have a voice in determining their working conditions and pay.

Prior to AB 257, California already has the most comprehensive labor protection in the country, with a series of laws regulating work hours, legal holidays, and whistleblower complaints, among other areas of employment.
House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy is inching closer to getting the votes to become the next speaker of the House.

President Joe Biden and Congress mark the two-year anniversary of the Jan. 6 Capitol breach.

A former lawmaker, charged for Jan. 6, is running for Congress. Whats his background and what did he do on Jan. 6?

The Department of Labor rolls out its jobs report for December. It says more jobs were added than expected.

The Environmental Protection Agency may be raising air quality standards, citing it would contribute to better public health.

What are some of the biggest challenges facing the black community in America? Our guest offers solutions and digs into whats not helping.
CCP Wants to Infect the World as It Rejects International Travel Curbs, Conceals COVID Data: Gordon Chang

A patient on oxygen is wheeled on a gurney into a busy emergency room at a hospital in Beijing, China, on Jan. 2, 2023. (Getty Images)

As a deadly new virus first emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019, the regime downplayed its severity and concealed the true scale of the outbreak.

It wasnt until late January 2020 that Chinese officials disclosed that the mysterious virus was capable of transmitting between humans. The delay in public warning allowed the disease to develop into a global pandemic. By the time Wuhan was locked down, cases had already been reported in the United States, Thailand, and several other countries.

To contain the viruss advance, dozens of nations imposed travel restrictions on Chinese visitors around February 2020. The regime, in response, lashed out at countries taking precautionary measures, with the Chinese Foreign Ministry accusing these nations of sowing panic, even though a swath of China had shut down.

You put those two things together, and it means they deliberately spread this disease beyond its borders, Gordon Chang, author and a senior fellow of Gatestone Institute, said in a recent interview with EpochTVs American Thought Leaders program, which premiered on Jan. 7.

The reason why we need that context is because were seeing something similar today. As this disease  is ripping through China, they are now opening up the doors to Chinese leaving [the] country for tourism. And they are not sharing sequencing. Theyre not telling the world whats actually going on in China right now.

His comments come as the regime becomes increasingly angry at countries requiring travelers from China to take COVID-19 tests, measures taken ahead of the regimes border reopening on Jan. 8.

We will take corresponding measures based on the principle of reciprocity according to different situations, Chinas Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Mao Ning, said on Jan. 10.

China is battling with a massive outbreak that has yet to peak. The World Health Organization is appealing for transparency, stating that Chinas official tallies are underreporting the actual scale of the outbreak.

Chinas top health body stopped publishing daily infections and has acknowledged only a handful of deaths during the current outbreak. But as many as 248 million people, or 18 percent of the countrys population, were estimated to have caught the virus between Dec. 1 and Dec. 20, according to a memo from the health regulators internal meeting leaked online and confirmed by media outlets. Local officials and domestic health experts estimated that the infection rate likely exceeded 50 percent in multiple provinces and reached 80 percent in Beijing.

Amid the explosive outbreak, the lack of reliable data has stoked global concerns, particularly regarding the possibility of a new, more dangerous variant circulating in the country.

Travelers of a flight from China enter the COVID-19 testing center of the Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport in Roissy, outside Paris, on January 1, 2023. (Julien De Rosa/AFP via Getty Images)

The United States and more than a dozen nations now require a negative COVID-19 test result for visitors from China. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated that the measure is to impede the spread of COVID-19 on American soil, given the lack of adequate and transparent epidemiological and viral genomic sequence data. The agency is now considering measures such as sampling wastewater from flights from China to track potential new variants.

Such responses arent enough if the regime is once again seeking to deliberately infect the world, according to Chang.

Thats entirely wrong. I mean, if China is doing this again, and its clear that they are, then we should not be allowing arrivals in from China until we know what the devil is going on, he said.

Reasons for Abandonment of Zero-COVID

Since the initial lockdown of Wuhan, the regime had vowed to eliminate every infection among communities through repeated testings, swift lockdowns, prolonged quarantine, and digital surveillance. By mid-October 2022, when Chinese leader Xi Jinping claimed an unprecedented third term in office during the 20th Party congress, he doubled down on the communist-style campaign, known as zero-COVID, despite the growing economic and human toll.

Then, following historic nationwide protests in late November 2022, the regime abruptly reversed course and scrapped most of the zero-COVID policy.

In reality, the long-held strategy was already under strain ahead of the reversal, Chang noted.

The World Health Organization actually said that the virus was surging through China before the lockdowns were lifted on Dec. 7, so that they were saying the lifting of the lockdowns didnt cause the surge because it was already there, the analyst said.

When you start looking at the data  were seeing that there really were infections, and now it is just completely out of control.

The COVID-19 crisis set off even before the protests. Official daily infections surged to nearly 40,000 on Nov. 27, 2022, up from 3,837 new cases on Nov. 5, 2022a record high in cases prompting more local controls. However, the official figures are still likely a vast undercount given the communist regimes practice of covering up data that may tarnish its image.

Protesters shout slogans during a protest against the Chinese Communist Partys strict zero-COVID measures in Beijing on Nov. 28, 2022. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

From Nov. 26, 2022, rare protests against the draconian curbs erupted in major cities and prominent university campuses across the nation. Some young demonstrators in Shanghai went even further, calling for Xi and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to step down.

[That bold voice] frightened the Communist Party, Chang said. That means that the mood was revolutionary.

Beyond the widespread anger, the fight against COVID-19 has taken a heavy toll on the economy. The daily testings and constant tracing of close contacts over the prior three years have drained local finances and hammered the countrys shaky economy, he said.

As COVID-19 outbreaks kept repeating, the implementation of the costly approach was just not possible anymore for the party, according to Chang.

They just didnt have the resources to do it, he said.

Mounting economic costs, a slowing economy, and a rapid COVID-19 surge despite tightened lockdowns combined with the biggest display of public discontent in decades finally pushed the regime to relinquish the zero-COVID policy long championed by the CCP, according to Chang.

Those four reasons are essentially why the Communist Party didnt change its policies on Dec. 7, it just capitulated to the disease, he said. This is the collapse of Communist Party policy.

COVID Conquered Communism

Outbreaks are now spreading unabated through the nations population of 1.4 billion people who have low natural immunity after three years of strict lockdowns, leaving ill-prepared hospitals inundated with patients and crematoriums overloaded with bodies, essentially a reprise of what happened in Wuhan and other Chineses cities in early 2020.

The chaotic scenes reveal that the communist party policy was a failure, Chang said.

The anti-COVID campaign originated from a Chinese communist ideology that humans are over heaven.

Battling with heaven is endless joy, fighting with the earth is endless joy, and struggling with humanity is endless joy, Mao Zedong, the first leader of the CCP, once said.

Mao talked about conquering nature, well Xi Jinping obviously thought he could conquer the disease, Chang said.

We saw the Communist Party, despite its great efforts, was not able to stop this. And thats why were having just unfolding tragedy in China right now.

And eventually the disease conquered communism.
ICFAI Business School Welcomes Applications with Valid Scores from Other Aptitude Tests for the Selection Process (GD/PI)

Hyderabad (Telangana) | Published : January 06, 2023



IBSAT 2022 was recently conducted by IFHE for qualifying for the selection process in ICFAI Business School (IBS) which was held on 24th and 25th December. It took place successfully and the results for the same are declared.Like every year, ICFAI Business School (IBS) is accepting applications from candidates who have not appeared for IBSAT 2022. The final selection process for admissions to ICFAI Business School (IBS) accepts applications with valid scores in CAT, XAT, GMAT, and NMAT by GMAC. Candidates may apply if they meet the following cut-off score criteria from 2020 onwards.Minimum Cut-off Scores:- CAT: 60 percentile and above- XAT: 60 percentile and above- GMAT: 500+- NMAT by GMAC: 150+Minimum Cut off Scores for eligibility of scholarship worth Rs. 2 lac :- CAT: 90 percentile and above (Top 75 candidates)- XAT: 80 percentile and above (Top 25 candidates)- GMAT: 550 and above score (Top 25 candidates)- NMAT by GMAC: 225 and above (Top 100 candidates)The ICFAI Business School (IBS) Selection process is fair and equal for allMany capable and potential candidates get deprived during the selection process of many entrance tests for an MBA/PGPM program in India due to the quota reservations and of course the massive competition. ICFAI Business School (IBS) does not have quota reservation for the selection process. ICFAI Business School (IBS) welcomes all those who have missed it with a slim difference.To apply for the final Selection process this year at ICFAI Business School (IBS), visit https://admissions.ibsindia.org/ibsat2022/registration/index.asp?utm_source=WEBSITE&utm_medium=WEBSITE&utm_campaign=IBSAT2022 and proceed for the online registration. The candidates are assessed based on their scores on aptitude tests and their performance in the Group Discussion and Personal Interviews only.Reasons why ICFAI Business School is an attractive option for an MBA / PGPM program:- Unique course curriculum which is primarily case-study based: ICFAI Business School (IBS) is one of the very few Business Schools in India that prioritize case-study-based learning as a primary approach in its pedagogy. ICFAI Business School (IBS) realizes the impact of case-study-based learning on the overall development of the students. IBS has dedicated centers that constantly create case studies specific to every domain and subject. IBSCDC (IBS Case Development Centre) and ICMR (IBS Centre of Management Research) are the two constituents of ICFAI Business School (IBS), empowered with dynamic teams of highly knowledgeable people who are catering to fresh case studies. IBSCDC alone has created over 2700 case studies that are highly useful for the MBA/PGPM program and other executive programs offered by the management school and is considered the largest repository and supplier of case studies across Asia-Pacific. The case studies produced at these two centers are not only used by ICFAI Business School (IBS) but are catering globally to many business schools, universities, and even corporates. To learn more, one may visit www.icmrindia.org.- Excellent exposure to the corporate world: IBS MBA/PGPM curriculum is designed and constantly improvised that supports the maximum possible exposure to the corporate world for the students. SIP (Summer Internship Program) is a mandatory program for all students pursuing MBA/PGPM in ICFAI Business School (IBS). The students are placed in various firms across industries as interns and the students get an opportunity to be a part of a real-time project team and learn how a business runs in the real corporate world. ICFAI Business School (IBS) constantly organizes and indulges students in seminars and workshops that are headed by stalwarts and eminent leaders from the corporate world. Such platforms are intended to provide the students with an opportunity to interact and draw inspiration.- Awards and accreditations: Awards and accreditations are recognitions and credibility an educational institution and university achieves due to the standards and quality of education they offer. ICFAI Business School (IBS) is recognized with prestigious accreditations like AACSB, NAAC A++, NIRF, SAQS, CRISIL, and many more. Every year ICFAI Business School (IBS) bags many awards with the most recent one being ranked as the 6th best B-School among the top Business Schools and Universities (including both Govt. and private institutions) in India in 2022 by Times B-School Survey.- Huge Alumni network: ICFAI Business School (IBS) has a network of more than 62,000 Alumni who are placed in reputed positions and renowned companies across the world. IBSAF (IBS Alumni Foundation) was initiated by the student body in 1997 and has proved to be a resourceful asset to the B-School henceforth. Annual Alumni meets are a great approach for personal bonding and professional networking that helps the existing students also to learn and idolize many aspects of life.- Scholarship program: ICFAI Business School (IBS) is offering scholarships worth Rs. 10 Crore for the toppers in some specific entrance tests. This initiative not only helps many students financially but also is a gesture of encouragement and acknowledgement for those who have worked hard and performed well to have topped the competition.- Industrial networking: ICFAI Business School (IBS) has collaboration with many national and international firms to train students in various domains such as information technology, research, and many other interdisciplinary setups. These partnerships include domains like banking, IT, retail, advertising, NGO programs, etc.- Leadership and soft skills development: The 2-year full-time MBA/PGPM curriculum in ICFAI Business School (IBS) aims at the holistic development of its students. Besides enriching the students and improving their analytical skills, reasoning skills, planning, etc. the curriculum includes a lot of interfaces that work towards developing leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills of the students.The final selection process includes GD and PI to be conducted in February and March 2023. The eligible candidates will be informed about their time slot and date for GD&PI. Unlike the last two years when the GD&PI were conducted online due to the Covid restrictions, this year ICFAI Business School (IBS) is conducting the same physically in Hyderabad. All relevant information is available in detail on the official website https://ibsindia.org.For more information, please visit https://ibsindia.org/ Fore more information, please contact:ICFAI Business SchoolPlot No. 65, Nagarjuna HillsPunjagutta, Hyderabad - 500082TelanganaPh: 040 - 23440963 (5 lines)Email - ibsat@ibsindia.org

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Chinas Top Scientific Institutions Decimated by COVID Deaths

Distinguished careers were often marred by persecution

As China reels from a major outbreak of COVID-19 following the lifting of zero-COVID policies in early December, the growing list of obituaries reads like a whos who of Chinese scientists.

Fifteen academicians from the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE) passed away from Dec. 15 to 28, most of them members of the CCP. From Dec. 21 to 25, six academicians from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) passed away. In addition, on Dec. 29, the Chinese news website Sina reported that Chinas missile expert Li Junlong had died of COVID-19, at the age of 58. Li was the chief technical officer of a missile model at Chinas Second Academy of Aerospace Science.

As freelance writer Zhuge Mingyang told The Epoch Times on Dec. 29, the life of a scientist in China is subject to the whims of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Scientists are alternately honored and reviled, and ultimately, their value is based on their perceived usefulness to the CCP.

Many of Chinas senior scientists were persecuted decades ago during the Cultural Revolution. Despite this, they were later forced to serve the party, and some of them were even brainwashed into doing propaganda for the CCP.

According to Zhuge, Most of the elderly scientists in China have been persecuted by the CCP. They are either forced to compromise their principles, he said, or some of them have accepted the CCPs brainwashing, voluntarily providing service to the CCP and helping to improve the CCPs image.

The obituaries from Chinas top scientific bodies mark a sad end to lives spent in service to the CCP.

Zhang Youshang: Cambridge Educated Biologist

Zhang Youshang, former vice director of the Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and former director of the State Laboratory of Molecular Biology at the CAS, died on Dec. 23, 2022, according to an obituary released by the CAS Center of Excellence in Molecular Cell Science. He was 97. His obituary portrays Zhang as an outstanding member of the CCP.

Zhangs life exemplifies how the CCP treats scientists. In 1964, Zhang was chosen by Chinese authorities to study molecular biology at Cambridge University in the United Kingdom. In order to start working on X-ray crystallography after his return to China, Zhang spent two to three months collecting diffraction images of the outer shell crystals of the tobacco mosaic virus protein and obtained new structural information from them. This study, done with three British scientists including Aaron Klug, was published in Nature magazine in 1966.

However, Zhang returned to China just prior to the start of the violent Cultural Revolution. He was persecuted and unable to return to his research until 1970. In September 1972, he was sent to the labor camps for five months, making it impossible to continue his research on muscle and viral proteins.

After the Cultural Revolution, Zhangs image was rehabilitated. He went on to have a distinguished career, and in 2015, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Press published his biography, entitled The Pioneer of Insulin: the Biography of Zhang Youshang.

Zhao Yijun: Brilliant Physicist

A distinguished physicist, Zhao Yijun also lived a life of tragedy under the CCP. On Dec. 22, the National University of Defense Technology (NUDT) released an obituary saying that Zhao Yijun, one of the pioneers and founders of Chinas high-energy laser technology and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, had died in Beijing on Dec. 21 at the age of 92.

In the early 1960s, Zhao took part in the theoretical studies of nuclear explosion thermoradiation phenomenon and developed three kinds of test equipment. He participated in the first and second atomic explosion tests in China.

In the early 1960s, the CCP worked to develop atomic bombs and conduct testing. By the end of 1968, Zhaos work on the analysis of optical radiation tests of nuclear explosions had reached a new stage, and he began to turn to basic theoretical research on fireball physics.

However, despite working diligently for Chinas military research, Zhao was branded as a foreign agent by the CCP and imprisoned during the Cultural Revolution.

He was labeled as a foreign agent and was subjected to extensive scrutiny. He was placed in a cell of less than 10 square meters (108 sq. ft.) with a covered window. There was no table or bed in the cell, only a mattress on the floor, and his food was limited to two pieces of bread and a glass of water each day. Zhao was subjected to endless interrogations, starvation, humiliation, and physical torture.

Despite this, Zhao resumed his scientific work and enjoyed a distinguished career in China. He joined the CCP in 1984.

Zhang Jinzhe: Pediatric Surgery Pioneer

Zhang Jinzhe, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, was a professor at the Chinese National Childrens Medical Center and Beijing Childrens Hospital. He died Dec. 24 at the age of 102. Sina news extolled him as the founder of pediatric surgery in China and an outstanding member of the communist party.

However, during the Cultural Revolution, Zhang was branded as a foreign agent and counter-revolutionary. He was arrested and locked up in the basement of a childrens hospital, where he was not allowed to read books. He was forced to plead guilty in front of a statue of Mao Zedong three to four times a day, for half an hour at a time. Many people in similar situations committed suicide.

CCPs Campaign to Draw Intellectuals Back to China

Prior to persecuting its scientists, the CCP diligently lured them back from abroad to work for the CCP. This effort began even before the CCP took control of China in 1949.

In 1946, the CCP secretly selected some underground party members to study abroad through the official channels of the Kuomintang, which ruled China at the time. Famous underground CCP members who studied abroad included the chemist Hou Xianglin and electronics pioneer Luo Peilin.

The drawback to the post-World War II wave of Chinese scholars who studied abroad was clear. They might, or might not return to China after their studies. The CCP thus embarked on its effort to draw Chinese talent back to China.

This effort was very successful, as illustrated by the case of Luo Peilin and aeronautical engineer Qian Xuesen.

Luo Peilin joined the CCP in 1938. In the spring of 1948, at the age of 35, Luo Peilin went to the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) to study for his doctorate. The CCP had assigned him a special mission: to encourage outstanding overseas talents to return to China to work for the party.

Luo Peilin had become a close friend of scientist Qian Xuesen when Qian was studying in Shanghai in the early 1930s. Qian Xuesen now became the CCPs main target.

In the summer of 1949, at the age of 38, Qian Xuesen moved from MIT to California to become director of the Guggenheim Aeronautical Laboratory at Caltech, where he led research on American space rockets.

While Qian was at Caltech, Luo spent almost every Saturday at Qians house. His friendship with the brilliant aeronautical engineer would lead to what is widely regarded as a tragedy for American scientific efforts.

Despite Luos efforts, Qian was not enthusiastic about returning to China. In fact, after the CCP took over mainland China in October 1949, Qian filed an application for naturalization with the U.S. Immigration Service.

However, the FBI became aware of a connection between Qian and the CCP, perhaps due to his relationship with Luo. In July 1950, the U.S. military disqualified him from conducting classified research. Qians application for naturalization was also denied. Five years later, he was expelled from the country. He returned to China, eventually helping the CCP to develop rockets and missiles.

Trapped by the CCPs Scheme

In February 1956, Chinese leader Zhou Enlai set a goal of returning at least 1,000 international students to help with the development of China under the CCP. The focus of the initiative was on students in the United States. According to the CCPs statistics, from August 1949 to November 1955, as many as 1,536 senior intellectuals returned from Western countries. That number included 1,041 from the United States.

Overseas Chinese intellectuals returned to China with good intentions, but the reality they encountered was in stark contrast to their expectations.

The Cultural Revolution from 1966 to 1976 was an era of carnage for China. Communist leader Mao Zedongs attempt to take China back to pure communism led to the persecution and execution of any who were perceived as a threat to the party.

Scientists were just the tip of the iceberg, as academia and religion were heavily targeted by the revolution, resulting in millions of deaths. Countless teachers and professors across China were attacked.

Common methods of persecution included public humiliation in front of crowds as well as public torture. Many scientists and intellectuals were killed or committed suicide.

Statistics show that during the Cultural Revolution, eight scientists who returned from the United States in the 1950s committed suicide; and as many as 131 of the 170 senior researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing were censored and persecuted. According to official Chinese records, 229 scientists either died or took their own lives at this time.
Cuba Spy Ana Belen Montes Released After 20 Years Behind Bars

Ana Belen Montes receiving a national intelligence certificate of distinction from George Tenet, who served as Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) for the United States Central Intelligence Agency, in an undated handout image in 2005. (U.S. Department of Defense/Handout via Reuters)

Ana Belen Montes, one of the highest-ranking U.S. officials ever proven to have spied for Cuba, has been released from prison early, the U.S. Bureau of Prisons confirmed Friday, after she spent more than two decades behind bars.

Montes, 65, had in 2002 pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit espionage after she was accused of using her leading position as a Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) official to leak information, including identities of some U.S. spies, to Havana.

Aged 45, she was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

A U.S. citizen of Puerto Rican descent, Montes began working for the DIA in 1985 and rapidly climbed its ranks to become the agencys top Cuba analyst.

Prosecutors said during this time Montes received coded messages from Havana over a short-wave radio as strings of numbers, which she would type onto a decryption-equipped laptop to translate to text.

She was accused of supplying the identity of four U.S. spies to Cuba, as well as other classified information.

Montes was arrested on Sept. 21, 2001, shortly before the United States invaded Afghanistan. Her lawyer, a leading espionage specialist, had argued she had cooperated without reservation.

At her sentencing a year later, Montes argued that she had obeyed her conscience and that U.S. policy to Cuba was cruel and unfair. I felt morally obligated to help the island defend itself from our efforts to impose our values and our political system on it, she said.

Ricardo Urbina, the sentencing judge, ruled she put fellow U.S. citizens and the nation as a whole at risk.

On her release from prison, Urbino had ordered Montes should be placed under supervision for five years, with her internet access monitored, and a ban from working for governments and contacting foreign agents without permission.

Under President Joe Biden, the United States has eased some sanctions on Cuba but maintained its Cold War-era embargo on the island.
Exiting Pennsylvania Governor Wants Lawmakers to Increase Statute of Limitations for Victims of Child Sex Abuse

Gov. Tom Wolf orders General Assembly back in session to change Constitution

Exiting Pennsylvania Democrat Gov. Tom Wolf was suddenly moved, Friday, to call for a special session of the General AssemblyHouse and Senatefor Monday, Jan. 9, to propose a constitutional amendment to retroactively extend the timeline for victims of childhood sexual abuse to file civil actions.

Wolf has had almost two years to work with the General Assembly on this issue after the Department of State failed to publicly advertise the proposed amendment would appear on a statewide ballot, as required by law. As a result of the failure to advertise, then-Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar, who oversaw the states 2020 election, stepped down.

The lengthy process of changing the Pennsylvania Constitution works like this:

Identical proposals to change the Constitution must pass the House and Senate in two consecutive legislative sessions. Each session is two years, so the process can take up to four years to get it through both houses two times. Advertise the proposed amendment to the public so they are aware of the changes and can see how it will be presented on the ballot. The measure goes on a statewide ballot and the public decides if the change should be made.

After a 2018 grand jury investigation into child sexual abuse by Catholic clergy, the General Assembly agreed to a constitutional amendment that would have retroactively extended a timeline for victims to sue their abusers in civil court for financial damages. The rationale was that victims often wait years to disclose the abuse, coming forward after the statute of limitations for legal remedies has closed.

In February 2021, we were gravely disappointed to learn that the Department of State had failed to advertise the proposed constitutional amendment, Wolf wrote in his proclamation Friday. At that time, I apologized profusely and committed to working with the General Assembly to reach a swift legislative resolution.

Last session, the General Assembly passed House Bill 14 to restart the constitutional amendment process.

It is now time for the General Assembly to act expeditiously and complete the constitutionally required second passage with the exact language contained in last sessions House Bill 14, printers number 1017, to ensure that the voters have their say in this Mays election, Wolf said.

Wolf has asked the General Assembly to pass a joint resolution no later than Jan. 27, so the Department of State can meet the Constitutions publication requirements.

This very tight schedule can only be accomplished under the specific circumstances of a single, straightforward amendment to the Pennsylvania Constitution, such as the one under consideration here, Wolf said. He said he would not address the special session, so the General Assembly can focus on passing a joint resolution in time for publication deadline.

Grand Jury Report

The 900-page grand jury report on child sex abuse by Catholic priests in six Pennsylvania dioceses was written by then-attorney general and now Governor-elect Josh Shapiro. The report profiled more than 300 clergy members who allegedly sexually abused children. Many had died or retired, but the report showed how the Catholic Church passed problem priests from one church to another.

A powerful Catholic lobby in Harrisburg worked against this legislation to give victims more time to sue, as the church faced the potential of hundreds of lawsuits and high-dollar financial settlements.

Rep. Mark Rozzi after being sworn in as Pennsylvanias Speaker of the House, Jan. 3, 2023. (Commonwealth Media Service)

Leading the charge for the legislation were Pennsylvania Rep. Mark Rozzi and Rep. Jim Gregory, who said they were victims of such abuse.

Rozzi was a Democrat until this week, when Gregory, a Republican, nominated him to be Pennsylvanias Speaker of the House. Once he accepted the position, Rozzi declared he would act as an Independent.

Republican Leader Bryan Cutler issued a statement Friday on Wolfs proclamation.

It is understandable that Gov. Wolf would want to call for this special session as soon as possible given the election of Pennsylvanias first Independent speaker of the House and the governors desire to make up the Department of States failures that led to justice being delayed to many survivors of child sexual abuse, Cutler said in the statement.

However, it is not in the best interest of the Commonwealth to do this work in special session, where we are required to only work on a single issue. Passing this Constitutional amendment was something we have done easily in the past and have already committed to running this session. We can do this work in regular session, while also addressing other urgent needs the people of Pennsylvania expect us to address in a timely manner, he said.

To do so, we must complete the work necessary to assemble as an effective body. We look forward to working with Speaker Mark Rozzi in earnest and finally see legitimate engagement from our Democratic counterparts so we can agree to a set of House rules, organize committees, and begin the work of this session.
U.S. drug regulators acknowledged deviating from the normal vaccine approval process when dealing with Pfizers COVID-19 shot, according to newly disclosed documents.

Weeks after Pfizer and its partner BioNTech announced they started a rolling submission of documents for approval of their COVID-19 vaccine, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration official penned a memorandum authorizing the release of a Biologics License Application (BLA) number for the shot even as regulators weighed whether to approve the BLA, one of the documents shows.

This deviation from our normal practice is done to facilitate product labeling and distribution and is consistent with other Center practices to facilitate vaccine delivery during the declared Public Health Emergency, Christopher Joneckis, the FDAs associate director for review management, wrote in the June 17, 2021, memo. When providing the license number, we should communicate that this license number does not constitute any determination by FDA on the application.

Joneckis said the decision stemmed in part from the FDA having granted Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the shot in late 2020. That means the FDA is familiar with and has reviewed much of the information provided in the BLA application, which primarily consisted of data used in the application for emergency clearance, he said.

EUAs can be granted if a public health emergency has been declared and the FDA determines its reasonable to believe that the vaccine or other product in question may be effective in preventing, diagnosing, or treating the disease or condition caused by the public health threat. BLAs require a higher threshold of evidence, demonstrating that a product is safe, pure, and potent.

A separate document made public this week showed that the license number was given to Pfizer even though no approval decision had been made after Pfizer requested it.

The Applicant requested a U.S. License Number for BioNTech Manufacturing GmbH with agreement that they will not use it until after the BLA is approved, the document, a summary of a June 29, 2021, FDA meeting discussing Pfizers application, stated.

The summary noted that Joneckis wrote the memo authorizing the release of the number in advance of the typical notification in the approval letter. After that, the FDA generated the license number which will be provided to the Applicant, after filing, in an email message.

The FDA granted a BLA to Pfizers vaccine for individuals 16 and older on Aug. 23, 2021. The vaccine was later approved for children as young as six months of age. The FDA has also authorized or approved multiple boosters due to the vaccine performing poorly against newer variants.

The documents were released by the Informed Consent Action Network (ICAN), which successfully convinced a court to order the FDA to produce documents related to its actions on the COVID-19 vaccines after the agency had claimed it would take decades to do so. The government has been providing ICAN documents in response to the suit and Freedom of Information Act requests.

Aaron Siri, a lawyer representing the network, told The Epoch Times in an email that the new documents are another piece of evidence that supports that licensure of this product quickly became a foregone conclusion.

The FDA did not respond to a request for comment.

Advisory Committee Meeting Not Needed

The FDA only held one meeting with its advisory panel, the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC), after Pfizer and BioNTech lodged their BLA request. That meeting focused on whether to clear vaccines for younger populations, and not the new application.

During the meeting, multiple panelists expressed confusion about when they would be consulted on any BLA requests.

Where are we at with the licensure for adults? Dr. Archana Chatterjee, one of them, said.

Im still unclear when were going to be reviewing the BLAs for [adults], added Dr. Steven Pergram, another.

An FDA official revealed in the June 2021 internal meeting that the agency was planning on not consulting its outside advisers before deciding on Pfizers application.

Marion Gruber, director of the FDAs Office of Vaccines Research & Review, confirmed that, unless a significant new safety concern or other important issue is discovered during the review of the submission that would necessitate convening the VRBPAC, an Advisory Committee Meeting will not be needed for this BLA, according to the summary.

The FDA, which has never rejected an EUA or BLA request from Moderna or Pfizer related to their COVID-19 vaccines, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, made a trend of bypassing the advisory panels during the pandemic, including when they authorized and recommended boosters in the fall of 2022 without any clinical data.

In another portion of the document, as justification for not calling a committee meeting, FDA officials said they had already consulted the advisory committee five times between October 2020 and June 2021 to discuss the development, Emergency Use Authorization and licensure of COVID-19 vaccines.
Federal Program Pushes Critical Race Theory Into Orange County Schools: Trustee

The Orange County Department of Education in Costa Mesa, Calif., on Feb. 23, 2022. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

An Orange County Board of Education trustee alleges the county superintendent accepted funds from a federal COVID grant last year for a program that espouses critical race theory for its schools.

OC Department of Education Superintendent Al Mijares accepted a $507,000 grant to allow the county Health Care Agency to create mental health centerscalled WellSpacesin a handful of department schools in a program known as Equity in OC.

The agency created the program in 2021 to disperse a $23 million federal COVID-19 grant it received from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to support mental and physical health in schools.

During a Jan. 4 meeting, Trustee Ken Williams told the board the program centers around critical race theory, an academic framework that teaches racism is systemic and woven into institutions.

The grant has nothing to do with the primary and fundamental purpose of direct academic instruction or inculcating critical thinking skills and facts and knowledge, Williams said.

He pointed to Equity in OCs website, which states its mission is to address health inequities in Orange County through systemic changes backed by data and achieved through collective action.

Trustee Lisa Sparks said during the meeting that seeing the CDCs involvement in the grant and WellSpaces could raise concerns for some parents.

[When] people see that the CDC is involved in adopting certain curricula through these health grants, [theyre] are a little uncomfortable with this, Sparks said.

Engaging in Systems Change

Equity in OC aims to provide equitable access to mental health services for students, as well as implement systemic change through WellSpaces, according to the grant agreement.

Grantees commit to understanding and engaging in systems change, as it is the sole purpose of this grant, the agreement states.

When the department accepted the funds, it agreed to adhere to the programs charter, according to the grant agreement, which states one of its core values is anti-racism, and that participants in the initiative will have the opportunity to challenge institutional and systemic racism and to identify and address the impact of racism in all its forms.

At the board meeting, several parents spoke out against the grant.

One parent argued the grants objectives have nothing to do with COVID-19 and only with extremist ideology.

I am deeply disturbed by the transfer of money to push a political agenda. I do not want my children exposed to this ideology, the parent said.

The parent went on to question what information Equity in OC would have access to.

I [do not] want people to have access to my children [without my knowledge], she said. This is a farce to gain access to the money, access to our children, and access to our medical records.

Access to Data

In accepting the grant, the education department also agreed to provide the county health care agency access to any raw digital data collected during the program, according to the grant agreement.

While the agreement promises data that includes personal identifiable information will never be requested, the agency can access a summary report of any evaluations, surveys, or other items.

Equity in OC representatives may also make site visits to WellSpaces on school campuses as they please.

Stacy Deeble-Reynolds, the Orange County Department of Educations director of Student Achievement and Wellness, told the board during the meeting that students who visit a campus WellSpace check in on an iPad with the last four digits of their student ID instead of their name.

Students then select words to describe how theyre feeling from a list of options on the iPad, including afraid, hopeless, depressed, lonely, happy, inspired, and hopeful.

If a student selected a monitoring word such as depressed or lonely, an email is automatically sent to school staff, who can talk to the child about what theyre feeling.

Deeble-Abrams said WellSpaces are typically staffed by an existing school counselor or mental health worker, as the grant is not large enough to cover hiring.

Each district has its own policy on how and when they notify parents, and the program would defer to district policy, she said.

Parents are typically included in whats going on, Deeble-Abrams said.

Mijares was not present at the Jan. 4 meeting.

Mijares, as well as a spokesperson from the Orange County Department of Education, were not immediately available for comment.
Florida Attorney General Presses Biden to Insist Mexico Do More to Prevent Fentanyl Trafficking

An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent checks pedestrians' documentation at the San Ysidro Port of Entry on Oct. 2, 2019, in California. Illegal Chinese fentanyl is believed to have surged to America when trafficking through Mexico began around 2005. (Sandy Huffaker/AFP via Getty Images)

The Biden administration has added the fentanyl crisis to the topics hell discuss at a two-day summit in Mexico City with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, just sworn into her second term of office, on Jan. 6 called on the president to add the crisis to the agenda.

Moody faults Biden for failing to demand accountability and cooperation during previous meetings with both Obrador and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Mexico and China both play tremendous roles in the growing fentanyl crisis claiming record numbers of American lives every year, Moodys office said in a public statement.

President Joe Biden will meet with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (R) and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (L) in a two-day summit beginning on Jan. 9. Here they met at the North American Leaders Summit on Nov. 18, 2021 (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)

The White House did not respond to an emailed request by The Epoch Times for comment on whether it changed course because of Moodys criticism.

Ahead of Bidens visit to Mexico City, the White House announced an agenda that excluded fentanyl to focus on climate and the environment, migration, diversity, and inclusion and increasing North Americas economic competitiveness,' Moodys office said.

On Jan. 5, The White House added strengthening the border as a subject of discussion, they said.

At about the same time that the White House announced the Mexico City trip, two federal agencies announced grim nationwide drug-related statistics.

The Drug Enforcement Administration seized more than 379 million deadly doses of fentanyl in 2022enough to kill every man, woman, and child in the United States, the office said.

Since February 2021, authorities have seized more than 23,000 pounds of illicit fentanyl, Moodys office said on Jan. 5, enough to kill every American 15 times over and send the overdose death toll past 100,000 a year.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced more than 108,000 drug overdose deaths during a 12-month span ending in February 2022.

Under Gov. Ron DeSantis, Florida has been aggressive in pushing the federal government to enforce border controls and immigration laws.

Last year, Moody sued the Department of Homeland Security. A trial begins on Jan. 9 in federal court in Pensacola.

Moodys office says her lawyers havethrough months of intense discovery  uncovered evidence of Biden ignoring public-safety immigration laws allowing more than 1 million unvetted, inadmissible immigrants into the interior.

Ashley Moody, Floridas Attorney General, pressed the Biden administration to confront the fentanyl crisis in the presidents upcoming meeting with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. File photo from Jan. 24, 2019. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Letting them in, Moody said, also allows in dangerous individuals and deadly drugs like fentanyl.

Now, because of our litigation, the president must defend his reckless actions and refusal to follow the law in a federal courtroom.

Moody maintains a 1996 federal law requires the federal government to detain inadmissible immigrants until they are repatriated to their home country, as required by the Immigration and Nationality Act.

And the Department of Homeland Security must detain applicants for admission until it is adjudicated whether the immigrant is to be removed.

Moodys office said that the lawsuit had survived motions to dismiss and for summary judgment.

Moodys litigation has uncovered, among other things, that the Biden administration purposely reduced detention capacity of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and narrowed removal pathways.

In a deposition, U.S. Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz said those changes left Border Patrol with no other choice but to release hundreds of thousands of immigrants into the interior.

U.S. Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz at a community meeting in Del Rio, Texas, on June 24, 2021. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

The state Attorney Generals Office also uncovered a May 19, 2022 memo saying the federal governments plan, in the event immigrants overran the border when Title 42 expires, was their mass release into the United States.

Title 42 is a public health law allowing the government to keep people from entering the country during a public health emergency.

The Trump administration invoked it in March 2020 during the Covid pandemic. Florida is one of 23 states that has sued the federal government over its plan to let Title 42 expire.

On Jan. 5, the Biden administration announced a plan to strengthen the laws use in some cases while it remains in place.

And the testimony and deposition of Corey Price, the ICE executive associate director for Enforcement and Removal Operations, confirmed the Biden administration knew its immigration priorities would cut enforcement in half and still implemented them, Moodys office said.

Price also confirmed that ICE is removing more than seven times fewer inadmissible immigrants than in 2012, booking in roughly half the number of immigrants than the previous administration.

In this image from video, Corey Price, the executive associate director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements Enforcement and Removal Operations, speaks during a Sept. 9, 2022, deposition. (Florida Attorney Generals Office via The Epoch Times)

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement, in its annual report on 2021 released this past November, said the state had a 10 percent increase in drug overdose deaths in 2021, with spikes in those caused by fentanyl and benzodiazepines.

The latter are depressants like librium and valium, used variously to treat anxiety disorders, insomnia, and seizures.

Drugs were found in the bodies of more than 16,000 fatalities, of the nearly 37,000 that medical examiners investigated. Of those, 8,411 were opioid-related.

The leading drug present in examined fatalities was alcohol, in 6,511, narrowly ahead of fentanyl, the FDLE report said. But fentanyl was by far the leading drug-related cause of death, responsible for 6,442 deaths, more than the next two drug-related causes of death combined, cocaine and methamphetamine.

Fentanyl-caused deaths were up 6 percent over the previous year.
Former Lawmaker Convicted After Entering Capitol on Jan. 6 Now Running for Congress

West Virginia House of Delegates member Derrick Evans is given the oath of office in the House chamber at the state Capitol in Charleston, W.Va., on Dec. 14, 2020. (Perry Bennett/West Virginia Legislature via AP)

A former West Virginia state delegate who plead guilty to felony charges after entering the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, may once again return to the building, this time as a member of the House of Representatives.

Derrick Evans, a former Republican member of the West Virginia House of Delegates, plead guilty in March 2022 to one count of civil disorder after entering the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Evans was later sentenced to serve three months in prison for the felony conviction.

On Friday, the two-year anniversary of the 2021 breach of the Capitol, Evans announced his intent to run for West Virginias 1st Congressional District in 2024. Evans shared a video message on Twitter announcing his candidacy and the launch of his campaign website.

Today, I am officially announcing my campaign for the United States House of Representatives. I was previously held captive as a #J6 #PoliticalPrisoner. Im proud to be America First & I will stand with the Freedom Caucus. Donations are welcome https://t.co/sXKGqzX50i pic.twitter.com/4gMWs19SgF  Derrick Evans (@DerrickEvans_WV) January 6, 2023

Today is a day to celebrate, Evans began his video. But for me that hasnt always been the case when it comes to Jan. 6. Last year it was a day of reflection, thinking about my fellow J6ers and the miscarriage of justice at the hands of our government.

Evans said he had begun to explore the possibility of running for federal office and, after the feedback he had received, made the decision to announce his candidacy.

Im thrilled to say that I, Derrick Evans, am officially running for a seat in the United States House of Representatives, he said.

During his campaign announcement, Evans listed election integrity, energy independence, and border security as some of his key campaign issues.

Evans is running for the congressional seat currently held by Republican Rep. Carol Miller, who has not yet announced whether she will run again in 2024.

Evans Filmed Himself Entering the Capitol on Jan. 6

Two years ago today I boarded a passenger bus to Washington, D.C., Evans said in his campaign announcement. The goal in mind was to protect our constitutional republic from the 2020 stolen election. If you told me what would happen next, I never would have believed you.

Evans was arrested on Jan. 8, 2021, after he filmed himself entering the Capitol building.

In his campaign video, Evans said he entered the Capitol through a set of open doors.

I received a fist bump from a police officer after thanking him for his service, Evans continued.

In July, Evans shared a video on Twitter appearing to show the interaction he described with the police officer on Jan. 6, 2021.

Never before released footage of #Jan6 that I took. Received a fist bump from a police officer who never asked anyone to leave. I reminded everyone to not be destructive (they werent.) This moment cost me an 18 month legal battle & 3 months in prison. #Newsmax #Trump #maga pic.twitter.com/2u5mfNTr1x  Derrick Evans (@DerrickEvans_WV) July 15, 2022

Evans Received 3 Month Prison Sentence in Plea Deal

In his Friday campaign video, Evans said he was only in the Capitol for about 10 minutes and said he was never near the U.S. Senate chambers or the chaos in the building that day.

Evans was initially taken into custody on two misdemeanor charges of Knowingly Entering or Remaining in any Restricted Building or Grounds Without Lawful Authority and Violent Entry and Disorderly Conduct on Capitol Grounds. Under those initial charges, Evans faced 18 months in federal prison if convicted.

Evans resigned from the West Virginia House of Delegates on Jan. 10, 2021.

Prosecutors later added two additional misdemeanor charges against Evans for disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building.

The former state lawmaker was subsequently charged with four misdemeanor charges. After he pleaded not guilty in May 2021 to the four charges, prosecutors added a felony charge for obstructing an official proceeding and aiding or abetting, a charge that could carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

Evans signed a plea deal in January of last year, agreeing to plead guilty to one charge of civil disorder and was sentenced to three months in prison.

From NTD News
Here Are the 6 Republicans Who Voted Present in the Final Vote for McCarthys House Speakership

(L-R) Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), Eli Crane (R-Ariz.), Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.), Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), and Bob Good (R-Va.) sit together in the House Chamber during voting for Speaker of the House during the fourth day of elections at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, on Jan. 6, 2023. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Six Republican House lawmakers voted present instead of yea in the final vote that secured the House Speakership for Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).

McCarthy was elected as the 55th House Speaker in the early hours of Jan. 7 following 15 rounds of votes, the first of which was held on Jan. 3. McCarthy, who was the House Republican leader of the 117th U.S. Congress, became House Speaker by a 216212 vote.

The six Republicans who voted present instead of outright signaling their support for McCarthy in the final ballot were Reps. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), Eli Crane (R-Ariz.), Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), Bob Good (R-Va.), and Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.).

The six had previously opposed him, having voted no in the first vote. By the 13th vote, they made up the six votes that were in support of Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), leaving McCarthy with 214 votes and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries with 212 votes from Democrats.

But with their present votes in the 15th round, the number of members voting was reduced to 428, which reduced McCarthys number of votes needed to win House Speaker to 216, which he secured.

Republican members-elect celebrate as House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) is elected Speaker of the House in the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, on Jan. 6, 2023. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

On the 14th vote, Biggs and Good voted for Jordan, while Crane and Rosendale voted for Biggs. Meanwhile, Boebert and Gaetz had voted present. As lawmakers saw from the roll call that only one more vote was needed to elect McCarthy as speaker, members engaged in highly animated conversations as they tried to convince Gaetz and Boebert to support McCarthy. But he ended up one vote short of the 217 votes needed in that round.

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) (L) talks to House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) in the House Chamber during the fourth day of elections for Speaker of the House at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, on Jan. 6, 2023. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

McCarthy faced a total of 20 lawmakers who had initially opposed him but had succeeded in switching 13 of the 20 by the 12th vote. The 13 lawmakers were Reps. Dan Bishop (R-N.C.), Josh Brecheen (R-Okla.), Michael Cloud (R-Texas), Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.), Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), Mary Miller (R-Ill.), Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.), Scott Perry (R-Pa.), Chip Roy (R-Texas), and Keith Self (R-Texas).

By the 13th vote, Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.) joined to support McCarthy.

To win their support, McCarthy had made a number of concessions, including agreeing to multiple reforms in the House procedures to largely empower the rank-and-file members and decrease the power of the speaker.

Just hours ahead of the vote that made McCarthy the next House speaker, a package of proposed rules for the 118th Congress was released. It marked the first public release of legislation that included the various concessions McCarthy made to the 20 dissidents.

Such rules, if the package is passed, would include, among multiple provisions: raising the vote threshold required to approve increases in tax from a simple majority to a three-fifths majority, and imposing budget restraints. It would establish several panels to investigate various issues of concern and lower the requirements needed to call for a vote of no confidence in the speaker. It would also provide members with a 72-hour notice to read bills before they get to vote.

The House is scheduled to vote on Jan. 9 on whether to adopt the proposed rules package.

Mark Tapscott and Madalina Vasiliu contributed to this report.
Hundreds Fined in Australian State E-scooter Crackdown

E-scooters are seen being ridden in Brisbane. From Nov. 1, 2022 fines of up to $1078 will apply to e-scooter users for breaking Queensland laws for personal mobility devices. (AAP Image/Jono Searle)

A crackdown on e-scooter offences has led to almost 800 fines being issued by Queensland state authorities since November.

Nearly 400 riders have been caught without a helmet, while 161 were nabbed on prohibited roads and 52 while exceeding the speed limit.

Almost 50 operators have been fined for illegally carrying a passenger and 23 have been accused of failing to stop at a red light.

Queensland cut footpath speed limits for e-scooters and increased fines for some offences to more than $1,000 (US$688) in a suite of changes on Nov. 1, targeting reckless users.

Under the rules, the maximum speed for e-scooters and other mobility devices like e-skateboards were slashed to 12 kilometres per hour (7.4 miles per h) on shared paths, with people caught breaking the limit to be hit with a minimum $143 fine.

A speed limit of 25 kilometres per hour remains on infrastructure like bike paths and local streets.

Warning bells are now mandatory for all devices and penalties can extend to a $1078 fine for anyone caught using a mobile phone while riding.

Transport Minister Mark Bailey said at the time the government made no apologies for cracking down.

We want every person who uses our footpaths, bikeways and bike lanes to be safe from harm, and these reforms go a long way in tightening the Queensland road rules around this new technology, Bailey said.

Riders caught drinking face fines of $431, while they can be penalised $143 for not wearing a helmet or doubling.

Transport researchers warned earlier this month that a patchwork of conflicting laws governing electric scooter use across Australia was putting riders and pedestrians at risk.

Over the new year period, a serious e-scooter incident left a NSW man in an induced coma and two teenaged Queensland riders suffered critical injuries following an accident involving a car.

A recent e-scooter trial in Melbourne also revealed more than 250 crashes over the course of a year.
Iran Executes 2 Prisoners in Ongoing Protests, Threatens More

The Islamic Republic regime executed 22-year-old Mohammad Mehdi Karami and Seyed Mohammad Hosseini for the killing of a member of its paramilitary Basij forces during nationwide protests.

A trial was held for this case in mid-November 2022, and five people were sentenced to death and 11 others were sentenced to long prison terms.

The tribunals dont allow those on trial to choose their own lawyers or even see the evidence against them. Amnesty International has stated that the trials bore no resemblance to a meaningful judicial proceeding.

Despite the global efforts to cancel the execution of these two protesters, the Supreme Court on Jan. 3 upheld the death sentence of Karmi and Hosseini but ordered retrials for three others on death row in the same case.

Seyyed Mohammad Hosseini speaks in a courtroom in Tehran, Iran, in December 2022. (West Asia News Agency/Handout via Reuters)

Human rights advocates have highlighted the unlawfulness of the trials, the lack of legal representation, and the prevalence of coerced confessions stemming from torture.

Irans judiciary doesnt allow protesters and dissidents to choose their own lawyers during such trials, even though they bear death sentences for the defendants.

According to Irans laws, those on trial for crimes against national security can only be represented in court by lawyers who have the endorsement of the chief justice himself. Almost all dissidents are accused of acting against national security among other crimes, such as insulting the supreme leader or unlawful assembly.

The Jan. 7 hangings bring the total number of executions over the protests to four.

On Dec. 8, 2022, the Iranian regime hanged 23-year-old Mohsen Shekari after a secret trial in Irans Revolutionary Court. Four days later, in defiance of international condemnation of Shekaris execution, Iran publicly hanged 23-year-old Majidreza Rahnavard in the Shiite holy city of Mashhad.

The latest executions come amid allegations that the confessions were forced. The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) stated that more young Iranians, who were detained during nationwide protests, have received death sentences on vague political charges.

HRANA reported on Jan. 3 that Arshia Takdastan, 18, has been sentenced to death by a Revolutionary Court in the northern city of Sari in Mazandaran province.

The charges that have led to the death sentence are enmity with God and corruption on earth, both vague principles in the Islamic republics law that the regime uses to issue death sentences. The Islamic Republic applies the charge to people who might get into a confrontation with security forces during protests.
The Chippewa County Sheriffs Department, in cooperation with the Sex Offender Registration Committee, said sex offender David L. Rodefer Jr., 39, will be released Tuesday and will reside in the 400 block of E. Grand Ave., Chippewa Falls.

He is 5 foot, 6 inches, and 200 pounds with green eyes.

On April 6, 2006, Rodefer was convicted of third degree sexual assault of a child and two counts of fourth degree sexual assault. On Feb. 2, 2010, he was convicted of third degree sexual assault of a child. On April 19, 2016, he was convicted of invading privacy-use of surveillance device.

Rodefer will be under supervision with the Department of Corrections until Jan. 21, 2025. He will be subject to Global Positioning System. He also is required to register with the Wisconsin Department of Corrections Sex Offender Registration Program for life.

The sheriffs department said Rodefer is to have no unsupervised contact with minors unless approved by the Department of Corrections, no contact with his victims, and he cannot use illegal drugs. He is to comply with standard sex offender rules and cooperate with electronic monitoring. He is required to have face-to-face contact with law enforcement for registration purposes, to comply with all requirements, and is a lifetime registrant of Wisconsins Sex Offender Registration Program WIDOCOFFENDERS.ORG.

Sex offenders have always lived in our communities; but it wasnt until Act 440 (June 1997) that law enforcement is now able to share this information with the community, the sheriffs department said in a news release. Citizen abuse of this information to threaten, intimidate or harass registered sex offenders will not be tolerated. Please understand that such abuse could potentially end law enforcements ability to do community notifications. We believe the only person who wins if community notification ends is the sex offender, since sex offenders derive their power through secrecy.

IN PHOTOS: Picture perfect snow covers La Crosse
To read a play rather than watch it performed is a bit like eating a beef burrito without the accoutrements of salsa, guacamole, or onions. You get the meat of the thing, but it lacks all flair.

The test of this recipe is simple. Have your teenagers read Shakespeares Henry V. Next, have them watch Kenneth Branaghs 1989 film adaptation of the same play. Then pack some diced onions into those food missiles, slather on the guacamole, douse them in salsa, and serve them up when your kids ask for a second run on Branaghs movie.

Playstragedy, comedy, farce, and all the restarent novels, written as a dialogue by the author, the reader, and the imagination. Plays are collaborative works aimed at the stage. The director, the actors, the costume and makeup crews, the sets: These are the people and things that breathe life, color, and magic into a playwrights script. Shakespeares soliloquies, speeches, and dialogues are the work of a genius, yes, but he wrote them to be performed in front of a live audience.

It was just such an audiencemen and women seated in a theater, entranced by the performance of the actors on a stagethat one of Americas greatest writers hoped to reach. And time and again, he failed to achieve that ambition.

Love and Despair

Samuel Clemens, better known by his pen name: Mark Twain. Library of Congress. (Public Domain)

Samuel Langhorne Clemens (18351910), better known as Mark Twain, loved the theater from boyhood, when he attended the minstrel shows that visited his hometown of Hannibal, Missouri. As an adult, he attended plays whenever possible and at times wrote reviews of them for various papers. He enthusiastically participated in amateur theatricals, and after acquiring fame for books like Life on the Mississippi and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, he became enormously popular for his dramatic and often hilarious monologues and readings.

Yet the man revered by critics and readers as the father of American literature gained no traction as a playwright. Despite repeated attempts, this master of fiction and the essay couldnt ignite the footlights of the stage. One play, Colonel Sellers, did prove financially lucrative, but Twain was never happy with the production and seemed to agree with his critics that it was a wretched thing.

And then, in the winter of 1898, Twain wrote a comedy that he was convinced could be produced simultaneously in London and New York.

Another Shot at the Stage

Written in 1898, Mark Twains play was not produced until 2007.

Is He Dead? A Comedy in Three Acts is the name Twain gave to this work of farce and satire. In her 2003 book by the same title, Twain scholar Shelley Fisher Fishkin brings us the script of the play as well as valuable commentary and notes. In her Foreword, she writes of Twain and his family living in 1898 in Vienna, where he wrote Is He Dead? Broke after some unwise investments and still grieving the death of his 24-year-old daughter Susy in 1896, Twain spent a dreary autumn in this city before beginning Is He Dead?the writing of which he described as putting him into immense spirits as soon as my day has started.

If we read just the play, as I did, before we tackle Fishkins long Afterword, where she examines the play in the context of the 1890s, the possible reasons it was never produced, and its suitability for our own time, we are likely to finish the script unimpressed. In brief, the story line involves a group of artists and others who are in debt to Bastien Andre, a picture-dealer and usurer. When Andre threatens to ruin them all for their failure to pay him, Agamemnon Buckner, a young artist who goes by the nickname Chicago, hatches a scheme to save his friends. He convinces artist and teacher Jean-Francois Millet, a character very loosely based on the real-life painter of such works as The Angelus, to fake his own death, at which point the prices of his paintings skyrocket. Andre is foiled in all his schemes, and Millets name becomes a household word across France.

In Print: Negatives and Positives

For many who read this print version, the play will likely seem unremarkable, creaky, and stilted even for its own time. Twain employs centuries-old dramatic devices to carry the action: a feigned death, a heartless villain out only for money, a young woman torn between true love and saving her family from poverty by marrying that villain, Millets cross-dressing as he pretends to be his own nonexistent twin sister. There is humor in the dialogue, but as read on the page this will at best bring an occasional chuckle. Finally, Twain populates the stage with so many characters that keeping track of them, especially in the first half of the play, sent me time and again to his Persons Represented list.

In his online review at TwainWeb.net, which I read after finishing the script, Mark Dawidziak offers similar negative criticisms. Yet he also points out the value of this piece of writing, which through Fishkins efforts is now available to the public for the first time. Is He Dead? is, after all, by an American master, and it contains examples of Twains trademark humor and style. For better or worse, Dawidziak writes, this is a complete work by Mark Twain, folks, and those dont pull into town on the noon stage every day.

Twain Meets Broadway

The plays the thing, said Hamlet, and in the case of Is He Dead? those words ring true.

As I noted earlier, words that seem lackluster or clunky in a script can come to life on the stage, given a good director and vibrant actors. In the winter of 2007, nearly five years after Fishkins book appeared, Is He Dead? finally found the audience dreamed of by the author more than a century ago: Is He Dead? appeared on Broadway.

In his New York Times review of the play, Its Not Life on the Mississippi, Jean-Francois Honey, Ben Brantley first describes Twains play as a silly, formulaic farce, written in 1898, about a starving French painter forced to don womens clothes.

Then he immediately adds, But with the right doctors, even a long-buried dinosaur can be made to dance. In the case of this dinosaur, these resurrection artists, as Brantley calls them, include the director Michael Blakemore, the playwright David Ives (who adapted Twains script) and an infectiously happy cast, led by the wondrous Norbert Leo Butz, that serves a master class in making a meal out of a profiterole.

Because of this glittering and enthusiastic talentBrantley is generous in his praise of nearly all on stageand the tweaking of Twains script, jokes you would swear you would never laugh at suddenly seem funny.

If Mark Twain is ensconced in that heaven in which he so often expressed doubt, he must have had a grand laugh that night as well.

A Summing Up

Even if theyve never read his books, most Americans can at least vaguely identify Huckleberry Finn, Tom Sawyer, and Becky Thatcher. Many also possess some sort of knowledge, however dim or muddled, of the plots of the books in which these characters appear. We can safely assume, however, that the same will never be said of Is He Dead?

Yet the play will retain a place, however minor, in our literature. Scholars will cherish it, especially as so many scenes and devices hark back to earlier pieces by Twain. They might remember, too, that composing this work breathed new life into Twains moribund writing. In the years remaining before his death, he wrote more short stories and essays, and delivered memorable, witty speeches on numerous occasions.

Finally, this play paints a different picture of Twain in his old age than the one commonly accepteda cynic who had become disillusioned with mankind. As representative of this viewpoint, which Twains later writings do indeed reinforce, Fishkin cites Bernard DeVoto, who commented that the older Twains dark views depicted mans complete helplessness in the grip of the inexorable forces of the universe, and mans essential cowardice, pettiness and evil.

And yet, as Fishkin rightly observes, the artists portrayed in Is He Dead? are resourceful, boldly inventive, generous, and good. The play and its characters give us a world in which imagination, chutzpah, and collective action trump malevolence and abusive power.

Somewhere in the man from Hannibal there burned, however faintly, a flicker of faith in humanity.
Kevin McCarthy Gives First Speech as House Speaker

Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) delivers remarks after being elected as Speaker in the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington on Jan. 7, 2023. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

In his first speech to Congress after being elected the 55th Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) pledged to hold the Biden administration accountable, fix the economy, and win the economic battle with China.

In a 20-minute speech, McCarthy laid out the key issues for the GOP-controlled House for the 118th Congress.

The issues McCarthy highlighted included securing the southern border, reigning in government spending, lowering energy costs, creating good-paying jobs, opening the way for American-made energy, and combating leftist woke indoctrination in schools.

In the long term, the new speaker said Congress also needs to address the growing U.S. debt and the rise of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Tonight, I want to talk directly to the American people. As Speaker of the House, my ultimate responsibility is not to my party, my conference, or even our Congress. My responsibilityour responsibilityis to our country, McCarthy said. Two months ago, you voted for a new direction for our country. You embraced our commitment to America, and now were going to keep our commitment to you.

Checking the Presidents Policies

McCarthy said the GOP-controlled Houses commitment to the American people includes making the economy strong, enabling people to fill up their gas tanks, afford groceries, see their paychecks grow, and feel safe in their communities because law enforcement is respected and criminals are prosecuted.

A commitment for a government that is held accountable. Where Americans get the answers they want, need, and deserve, he said. Our system is built on checks and balances. Its time for us to be a check and provide some balance to the presidents policies.

Theres nothing more important than making it possible for American families to live and enjoy the lives they deserve, he continued. That is why we commit to stop wasteful Washington spending, to lower the price of groceries, gas, cars, housing, and stop the rising national debt.

McCarthy pledged to cut the regulatory burden, lower energy costs for families, and create good-paying jobs for workers by releasing reliable, abundant American-made energy.

The speaker noted that the Houses first bill when Congress comes back will aim to repeal the funding for 87,000 Internal Revenue Service agents, saying that the government should be trying to help the people, not go after them.

Committees

The GOP-controlled House will also create a bipartisan select committee on China to investigate how to bring back the hundreds of thousands of jobs that went to China. And then we will win this economic competition, McCarthy said.

Now, speaking of committees, well hold the swamp accountable. From the withdrawal from Afghanistan to the origins of COVID, and to the weaponization of the FBI, he continued. Let me be very clear, we will use the power of the purse and the power of the subpoena to get the job done.

This is something we should all agree upon: We will stand up and speak out for the backbone of our economythe hardworking taxpayer, he continued.

Marking the moment, McCarthy said that it felt like a new beginning, a fresh start before declaring that the U.S. Capitol building was once again open to the public to come and witness lawmakers debate legislation.

I want to give all Americans a personal invitation. You are welcome to see this body at work. No longer will the doors be closed, but the debates will be open for you to witness what happens in the Peoples House, he said.

Congress will pursue the truth passionately, whether in committee rooms or on the floor of the House, McCarthy said. There would be no more one-sided inquiries during the 118th Congress. Instead, competing ideas will be put to the test in public so that the best ideas win, he said.

McCarthy further noted that the truth isnt always found in Washington before declaring that one of the first Congressional hearings would be held at the southern border.

No more ignoring a crisis of safety and sovereignty. We must secure our border. We must get America back on track, he said.

U.S. Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) delivers remarks after being elected as Speaker in the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, on Jan. 7, 2023. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Elected After 15 Ballots

McCarthy was elected after 15 votes which began on Jan. 3, in a very close election that ran past midnight in the lower chamber of the U.S. Capitol.

The newly-elected speakers 216 votes total bested Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), who received the votes of all 212 Democrats present in the chamber on each ballot, except for one.

McCarthy won after the six rebellious conservative members who had opposed him since the first ballot all voted present. That reduced the number of members voting to 428, shrinking McCarthys final numbers from 218 to 216.

Celebrations erupted on the Republican side of the House chamber when it became clear McCarthy had finally secured the speakers chair.
Kevin McCarthy Elected as Speaker of the House for the 118th Congress

U.S. Representative Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) gestures in the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6, 2023. (Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images)

It took 15 votes beginning on Jan. 3, but Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) finally gained enough votes on Jan. 7 to be elected the 55th speaker of the House of Representatives in a nail-bitingly close election that ran past midnight in the lower chamber of the U.S. Capitol.

McCarthys 216 votes total bested Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, who received the votes of all 212 Democrats present in the chamber in all but one of the 15 votes that began a little after noon on Jan. 3 when the 118th Congress convened for the day. Jeffries received 211 on an earlier vote when Rep. David Trone (D-Md.) missed balloting for surgery.

McCarthys victory was made possible when the six remaining populist conservative holdouts who had opposed him from the first vote all voted present. That reduced the number of members voting to 428, which reduced McCarthys magic number to 216 from 218.

When it became clear that McCarthy had finally secured the speakers chair, the Republican side of the House chamber celebrated, with many hugging their new leader, shaking hands, laughing, and slapping one another on the back. McCarthy gave an especially spirited hug to House majority leader, Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.). McCarthy also posed for selfies with a number of his fellow Republicans, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.).

During a 14th vote about an hour and a half earlier, when everybody in the chamber realized at the end of the roll call that only one more vote was needed to put McCarthy into the speakers seat, highly animated conversations took place as members tried to persuade Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) or Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) to switch their vote.

But then Gaetz changed his mind and agreed to vote for McCarthy, and a motion to adjourn was defeated, and a 15th vote was to then be taken. Gaetz ended up voting present during the 15th round of voting.

Speaker elections have been one-ballot affairs for the most part in recent years, so McCarthys inability to close the deal was a historic departure. Not since before the Civil War has the House required more than 13 ballots to pick a new speaker.

The last time more than 13 ballots were required to elect a speaker was the 36th Congress, which took between Dec. 5, 1859, and Feb. 1, 1860, to settle on William Pennington, a New Jersey Republican.

During a news conference with journalists outside the House chamber shortly after the 13th ballot, McCarthy expressed confidence in the outcome when the House would reconvene later in the evening, saying, This is the great part because it took this long, now we learned how to govern. So now well be able to get the job done.

McCarthy had succeeded in switching 13 of the 20 earlier in the day when the votes were counted for the 12th time. Members assembled at noon for the fourth day of speaking, debating, negotiating, and voting in the historic effort to name a successor to now-former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).

When the 12th ballots were counted, McCarthy had 213 votes, besting for the first time Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), who had received all 212 Democratic votes on every ballot. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), who voted for McCarthy, received four, while Rep. Kevin Hern (R-Okla.), who also voted for McCarthy, got three votes.

McCarthy had won 200 to 203 votes on all of the previous ballots taken. By converting 13 of the 20 to his side, McCarthy moved closer to becoming House speaker.

All of the converts were significant, but especially so on Jan. 6 were House Freedom Caucus (HFC) Chairman Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.), Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), and Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), the three key leaders of the dissident group.

Other dissidents coming over on the 12th vote to McCarthy were Rep. Dan Bishop (R-N.C.), Rep. Josh Brecheen (R-Okla.), Rep. Michael Cloud (R-Texas), Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.), Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), Rep. Mary Miller (R-Ill.), Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.), and Rep. Keith Self (R-Texas).

Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.) voted for McCarthy after voting present in six previous ballots.

The great obstacle to resolving the contest was the 20 dissidents demanding multiple reforms in House procedures to empower rank-and-file members and decrease the power of the speaker.

Shortly after the 12th balloting, Perry, whose HFC has been the heart of the dissident movement since last summer, told reporters outside the House chamber that hes enthusiastic about the concessions from McCarthy and the resulting changes that will follow in how the House conducts its business.

I trust the framework of the agreement that we have. Quite honestly, the biggest win is the overall framework of it, theres not one singular thing. You have accountability for the most powerful person in the building. You have changes in how were going to spend and allocate money here that are going to be historic, were going to be able to finally stop the Senate from rolling us, Perry said.

Were going to see more conservative representation on important committees  were going to deal with earmarks differently. All those things about the motion to vacate, the motion to vacate is accountability. One person should be able to make the motion, one person, but the whole body has to vote on it.

But it needs to be what Thomas Jefferson envisioned it to be because the most powerful person must be held accountable, not only to the American people, but to the purse, the members of this body.

Perry also insisted that the holdouts werent seeking concessions to benefit themselves personally but rather to change the way the House works.

Were asking for things to change how this institution works because it doesnt work for the American people. And we just stood firm, demanded it. Now it makes it difficult for sure. Because this place operates on the status quo, the status quo serves this town, we are sick and tired of it, he said.

Before Jan. 5, the dissidents had cast votes for a string of candidates, including Donalds, Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), Rep. Ken Hern (R-Okla.), and Jordan.

And, while the members voted, McCarthy and his team, including incoming House Republican Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) and Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R-Pa.), engaged in intensive negotiations with Roy, Perry, Biggs, and Donalds, among the dissident group.

McCarthy made multiple concessions to the dissidents and a draft written agreement was circulated late on Jan. 5. McCarthy expressed confidence before the Jan. 6 session convened that good progress was being made in the negotiations. His confidence was confirmed on the 13th ballot.
London to Host International Meeting on Alleged War Crimes in Ukraine

LONDONJustice ministers from around the world will gather in London to scale up the support being offered to the International Criminal Court in its investigations of alleged war crimes in Ukraine, the British government said on Saturday.

The meeting in March, which will be hosted by UK Justice Secretary Dominic Raab and his Dutch counterpart Dilan Yesilgoz-Zegerius, will be attended by ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan, according to a statement.

Almost a year on from the illegal invasion, the international community must give its strongest backing to the ICC so war criminals can be held to account for the atrocities were witnessing, said Raab, who is also Britains deputy prime minister.

The meeting will seek to increase the global financial and practical support to the ICC and coordinate efforts to ensure it has all it needs to carry out investigations and prosecute those responsible, the statement said.

Russia, which calls its actions in Ukraine a special military operation, has denied targeting civilians and other war crimes. Ukraine and the West say Moscow has no justification for what they say is an imperial-style war of occupation.

Britain has been steady in its backing for Ukraine, having provided 2.3 billion pounds ($2.78 billion) in military support to Kyiv.

Russian and Ukrainian forces exchanged artillery fire at the front line in Ukraine on Friday, even after Moscow said it had ordered its troops to stop shooting for a unilateral truce that was rejected by Kyiv.

The ICCs Khan last year opened an investigation into possible war crimes in Ukraine. Legal experts say the courts jurisdiction on aggression only extends to member states and countries that have agreed to its jurisdiction, such as Ukraine but not Russia. Moscow does not recognise the tribunal.

For us it is crystal clear: these crimes may not go unpunished, said Yesilgoz-Zegerius, describing the reports and images coming out of Ukraine as horrific.
Man Arrested in Death of Homeless Man Found in Burning RV

LOS ANGELESLos Angeles police Jan. 6 announced the arrest of a man in connection with the death of a homeless man who was found dead inside an RV that was engulfed in flames in the Exposition Park area of Los Angeles.

Danny Reece, 46, is set to be arraigned Feb. 1 on a murder charge stemming from the death of Jerry Isreal, whose body was discovered late Jan. 2 by Los Angeles Fire Department personnel after they put out the blaze in the recreational vehicle in the 1100 block of Browning Boulevard near Budlong Avenue.

Police said their investigation revealed that Reece had been involved in a dispute with the owner of the RV a few hours before the fire, with that dispute leading to Reeces arrest on suspicion of a misdemeanor crime.

Jail records show that he was subsequently released from custody at 10:27 p.m. Monday, less than an hour before the fire department responded to the blaze.

Based on video evidence and witness statements, Reece was arrested again Tuesday while walking a short distance from the crime scene, according to police.

He has remained behind bars since then in lieu of $2 million bail.

An autopsy is pending to determine what caused the 65-year-old victims death, according to records from the coroners office.
Why Freedom Caucus Members Are Now Voting for McCarthy for House Speaker

U.S. House Republican leaders Steve Scalise (R-La.) (L) and Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) talk in the House Chamber during the fourth day of elections for Speaker of the House at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington on Jan. 6, 2023. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Four days, 14 votes, no Speaker of the House. But, with the chamber adjourned for the afternoon, a 15th vote is set for 10 p.m. Friday after 14 of the 20 Republican representatives whod refused to support Rep. Kevin McCarthys (R-Calif.) tortured bid for the post agreeing to do sofor now.

I know youre all wondering what changed the vote, Freedom Caucus Chair Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) told reporters in a chaotic gaggle after the House recessed, revealing there is a tentative framework of an agreement in good faith that allows us to keep moving forward.

Perry would not elaborate on what that framework is, but said the agreement with McCarthy would make Congress a more functional, responsive body.

Every single one of us has saidand knows just what the American people knowthat this place is broken and is operating on behalf of the status quo, which serves this town and not the American people, he said. And each one of us made a commitment [to do so]. Because the time is right, to make that changeand we werent going to move from that position until the change is made.

Asked how theyd convince the six holdoutsReps. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), Eli Crane (R-Ariz.), Bob Good (R-Va.) Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.)to support McCarthy, the newly converted 14 said talks within the Freedom Caucus will continue into the evening.

I want to be very clear that were still having conversations, and were still talking to our friends that disagree, Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) said. But that at the end of the day, they are patriots who are standing up trying to defend their country. They are people that I love and respect.

Roy said if it wasnt for resistance from the remaining six, no chance we get the agreement that were at right now, that we think will change this institution in meaningful ways. And I think thats important. And were going to continue to talk to them. Were not done yet.

Without the six additional ballots, McCarthy will not secure the 218 votes needed to secure the Speaker post.

Were going to keep having conversations, Roy said, noting that over the last four days, the holdouts have delivered a message to Speaker-elect McCarthy and the tentative agreement serves as the template by which were going to be holding him accountable. And were going to be working with our friends who are still on the floor and whose votes are still needed to ensure that were going to have a framework that can be rallied around and that will make this place change on behalf of the American people and protect minority rights in what is a majoritarian body.

The House is a majoritarian body, he continued. But for too long minority rights have been stepped over. Too few people are making too many decisions for the American people in ways that undermine the health and well-being of this institution, the country, and the American people.

That has a chance to change today, Roy added. And thats why were here.

Spending Cuts Part of the Pact

Among reported components in the tentative agreement with McCarthy are changes in how the House Rules Committee operates and more control in how appropriations are administered.

Perry and Roy would not provide details, nor confirm or deny if spending cuts in the agreement would include the military budget.

Anytime in this town that anybody talks about checking spending in this town, they immediately start talking about what its cutting or not cutting, Roy said. That is not a part of this conversation with respect to what is specifically being cut or not cut. What is a part of this conversation is that we must put the brakes on out-of-control spending. And that is very much a part of this military.

Perry said the agreement focuses on the powers of the House Speaker, noting during her recently concluded tenure, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) removed accountability measures installed by Thomas Jefferson more than 200 years ago.

Other aspects of the agreement with McCarthy relate to spending and how we allocate the taxpayers money, he said, calling the revisions broad changes that would reflect conservative representation that represents the face of America, across the entire body, not just not just put (money) in certain pockets.

Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), among alternate Speaker candidates in several votes, said the four days of turmoil on the House floor may have seemed unseemly to some, but it was hardly so, noting two things have occurred in public, before voters eyes.

Number one, the American people have witnessed for the first time in this town, and probably for 100 years, if not more, a deliberative processa legitimate deliberative processabout the future of leadership in the peoples House, he said. That is monumental for all of the voters, whether they are Republicans or Democrats, to make sure that the peoples House is working for them.

The second thing Americans are witnessing is, We have sent a clear signal to Republicans around the country that there will not be a Democrat Speaker of the House in the 118th Congress.

The agreements essential details are known, Rep. Dan Bishop (R-N.C.) said. This framework has a considerable amount of detail. Weve worked very hard to make sure it is achievable. And it is understood. Its been an extraordinary pleasure and honor to work with this team of disciplined folks who have had the right objective in front of us the whole time.

Theres No Secret Deal

Bishop said despite reluctance to discuss the agreements framework, there arent unknown devils in the details that could derail it.

When you say framework, some people will say, Oh, that sounds like just a bunch of loose promises, he said. Nope. Its specific.

There is no secret deal, the 14 told reporters, acknowledging the other 204 GOP members can agree or disagree and can vote as they please for House Speaker.

Rep.-elect Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) chastised reporters for trying to pit people against each other in insisting there is a secret deal.

Not true, she said. We have been, this entire time, talking to one another. And its well been in the works for months, Luna said. So what I want you guys to know is that, with all of this happening right now, this is a good-faith effort on behalf of the American people, and they deserve this conversation. They deserve this representation. None of us want to be here right now and get pin-cushioned. Were doing this because we genuinely understand the offer on the table thats being worked through. It will be transformational and it will outlast every single person here.

Roy said negotiations with McCarthy didnt start this week, but early last month.

On Dec. 8, a number of the things that we thought were critically important for any Speaker, that has been at the center of these discussions in negotiation were presented to McCarthy, he said.

Rep.-elect Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) said if the Speaker election seemed broken, thats no surprise to most Americans.

For far too long, government has been broken. Democracy isnt a clean process, he said. You got debate, and debate is healthy. Our founding fathers intended for us to communicate, to argue, and to come up with the best outcome. I came here to fight for institutional change. And Im not leaving. And Im not stopping until I achieve that.

Rep.-elect Josh Brecheen (R-Okla.) evoked former Speaker Newt Gingrichs leadership in crafting Contract With America with a Democrat in the White House.

If you look from 1995 to 2000, this body operated much more deliberative. We love the politics of the Contract With America. We use it in in looking backwards, he said, noting 58 percent of all the bills that that Congress looked at (between 1995-2000), including major pieces of legislation, were open to the average rank-and-file member to put amendments on it. If you want to cut spending, make us deliberative. Give us the ability to legislate, not just vote up and down which is the way its been since 2016.

That (flexibility) has been taken away from us, Brecheen said. This is about restoring power to you  you, the citizen of the United States.
Nevadas New Governor Rescinds All COVID-19 Mandates

Then Nevada Gov.-elect Joe Lombardo gives victory remarks in North Las Vegas, Nev., on Nov. 14, 2022. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Nevadas newly minted Gov. Joe Lombardo, a Republican, said Friday that he signed his first two executive orders, including one that repeals all COVID-19 mandates from the prior administration.

Lombardo, former sheriff of Clark County, was sworn into office as the states 31st governor on Jan. 2, pledging to follow the Nevada Way.

The first of the two executive orders Lombardo signed on Friday rescinds all COVID-19-related directives issued under the administration of former Gov. Steve Sisolak, a Democrat.

Today, I signed my first 2 executive orders. 1. I repealed and rescinded the COVID mandates from the previous administration. 2. I called on state leadership to address state workforce vacancies and get state workers back to in person, normal office operations by July 1. pic.twitter.com/eAPeY5HH2f  Governor Joe Lombardo (@JosephMLombardo) January 7, 2023

Sisolak ended the COVID-19 state of emergency in Nevada by signing a proclamation to that effect (pdf) in May 2022, but Lombardos order said the move left unclear and uncertain the status of subsequent declarations, per the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Many of Sisolaks directives, including masking and social distancing, havent been active in over a year.

Lombardos office said of the executive order that the number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are significantly down from their peaks, vaccinations and treatments are widely available, and many Nevadans have built up natural immunity.

Therefore, this executive order repeals and rescinds any remaining COVID-19 era declarations, executive orders, and emergency directives, it added.

Lombardo has previously taken action against COVID-19 vaccine mandates. In February 2022, when he was the Clark County sheriff and a candidate for Nevada governor, he lifted the vaccine mandate for new hires of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.

The second executive order Lombardo signed on Friday directs the Nevada Department of Administration to find ways to boost hiring and retention of state employees amid a high vacancy rate, with the Las Vegas Review-Journal reporting that this rate sits at 24 percent of legislatively approved positions.

Lombardo, who ran as a more moderate candidate compared to the rest of the Republican primary field, called for unity while speaking at his Jan. 4 inauguration ceremony, saying that in some places, we are needlessly polarized.

Still, he made clear he stands for conservative ideals.

At the same time, I will carry the cause of conservative ideals that are anchored by the personal responsibility, fiscal discipline and limited government interference, he said, reiterating his campaign pledge of no new taxes.

Lombardo also repeatedly referenced the Nevada Way, a concept that includes personal grit in overcoming adversity.

He applied that idea to what he described as difficult years during the COVID-19 pandemic and the hit Nevadas tourist-based economy took amid lockdowns and other business restrictions.

Each time that we were forced to confront these setbacks, we reemerged more driven to succeed than ever before, he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Phares Book Exposes Deal Behind Iran Nuclear Deal

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, left, awards Iran's defense minister, Hossein Dehghan, with the Medal of Honor for his role in the implementation of a nuclear deal with world powers, in Tehran on Feb. 8, 2016. (Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images)

Commentary

Middle East strategist, expert, and author Walid Phares explains why the United States went from slamming Iran as part of the Axis of Evil in former President George W. Bushs 2002 State of the Union Address to making a nuclear deal that Iran had no intention of honoring in 2015 with the signing of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

His new book, Iran: An Imperialist Republic and U.S. Policy, provides an incisive look at what the late radio personality Paul Harvey used to call the rest of the story.

The rest of the story is how and why the Obama administration threw an olive branch at Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in June 2009. Irans opposition, which received modest support from George W. Bushs administration, was abandoned in favor of the rhetoric fueled by American pro-regime academics, think tanks, corporations, and lobbyists. Phares calls this coalition of American apologists for the Iranian regime the Iran Lobby, which proved extremely effective during the Obama years and with Joe Bidens accession to the presidency in 2021.

Companies that are fishing for sizeable multi-million or multi-billion sub deals would become the natural lobbies for passing the agreement in the United States and worldwide. Many interested entities in the deal, such as media consultancies, outreaches, lobbying firms, academic institutions, and online resource groups would seek to receive funding in return for promoting and legitimizing the accord, Phares wrote.

Academics also had a strong influence in promoting regime disinformation in Washington.

Until Barack Obama became president in 2009, Republicans and Democrats held a general consensus that the Islamic Republic of Iran was a nefarious force in the Middle East since the 1979 revolution.

The Iranian regime adopted a propaganda campaign. It created a false front of moderation, beginning with former President Mohammad Khatami, who Phares noted was described as the Mikhail Gorbachev of Iran. Iran played the good cop/bad cop game with Khatami as the good cop. This distracted attention from what Irans regime did in the face of the 1999 protests against its rule and continued support for terrorism.

The Clinton administration listed the Mujahideen al-Khalq (MEK) as a State Department-designated terrorist organization because of this propaganda campaign. However, the official stance against Iran remained unchanged overall.

The Iranian regime created a strategy prior to the Iraq invasion of building a Shiite empire stretching westward from its borders through Iraq, Syria, and into Lebanon under the control of its proxies. The U.S. decision to invade Iraq proved fateful because it gave Iran the upper hand in achieving this long-term goal. Iranian allies replaced Saddam Hussein in Baghdad, and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force achieved a foothold in Iraq, where it trained Shiite militias controlled by Iran. The Assad regime, belonging to the Alawite Shiite sect, remained closely aligned with Tehran. And both provided support to Irans Lebanese proxy Hizballah.

The seizure of the U.S. embassy in Tehran in 1979, along with the ensuing 444-day hostage crisis and the 1983 Beirut Marine barracks bombing by the Iranian-backed Hizballah militia, left policymakers wary. Americans in Iraq came under attack by Iranian improvised-explosive devices following the 2003 invasion.

After Obamas election, the bipartisan consensus that Iran was a menace that had to be confronted dissolved. The 2009 Green Revolution went ignored in Washington by an administration desirous of obtaining a nuclear deal at all costs. These costs included steps such as alienating Israel, letting Hizballahs terrorist and drug enterprise off the hook, and demonizing anyone who dared to oppose the deal as enemies of peace.

Phares contrasted the Obama administrations support of the brutal theocratic regime during the 2009 Green Revolution with the support it gave the Muslim Brotherhood during and after the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings. In contrast, the Obama administration condemned the human rights abuses of the largely secular regimes of Hosni Mubarak in Egypt; Muammar Gaddafi in Libya; Ali Abdullah Saleh in Yemen; and Bashar al-Assad in Syria.

Phares noted that the Iran Lobby began during the Bush years with a push to pressure that administration to disarm armed resistance against the Tehran regime. The Iran Lobby poisoned the well for the anti-regime resistance by spreading the trope in Washington that they were too divided among themselves to offer a credible alternative. They were divided among monarchists, the MEK, nationalists, liberals, and other exiled factions, Phares wrote.

U.S. government media Alhurra-TV, Radio Sawa, and Radio Free Iraq had to refrain from criticism of the Iranian regime. Obamas CIA director, John Brennan, spoke of moderates in Hizballah that were distinct from what he called its terrorist core.

Deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes helped create an echo chamber to sell the deal to inexperienced reporters at mainstream media outlets. Rhodes and his assistant Ned Price, now Bidens State Department spokesman, spoon-fed propagandistic talking points. Consequently, the Obama administration brought the mullahs in from the cold and ended their isolation.

Phares wrote that the Iran Lobby and its connections with the Iranian regime became clear during the P5+1 nuclear talks in Geneva, Switzerland, in June 2015.

The mullahs won a major propaganda victory following the rise of ISIS, as they positioned themselves and their terrorist armies as antidotes to ISIS, which occupied an area the size of the UK at its height in 2015.

Irans regime won control over Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon, along with commitments that it would receive all or part of Iranian assets frozen worldwide; a commitment that Hizballah would be delisted from the American terror list; and a commitment that it could keep its nuclear technology.

The Obama administration let Tehran get away with allowing 6,000 nuclear centrifuges to keep spinning for 10 years.

The Iran nuclear deal also paved the way for the abandonment of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in their war against Iranian-backed Houthi Shiite militias, a policy shift endorsed by the Muslim Brotherhood and its Western supporters. Iran used the $150 billion it received to fund its terror activities in the Middle East and subversion elsewhere.

Former President Donald Trump killed the Iran deal after becoming president, but the deals supporters were out for blood. Trump particularly outraged the Iran Lobby with the strike that killed Quds Force commander Gen. Qasem Soleimani, which it condemned because he was a prominent military commander and a hero in Iran.

Phares argues that the latest uprising is unique because its led by Irans women. Hes calling on the Biden administration to stand on the side of the people of Iran against their oppressors.

Phares concluded by saying that fantasies about being able to work with the Iranian regime should be abandoned and that the world should get behind the oppressed and suffering people of Iran.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Chandrakala is a pastry filled with dried fruits and/or nuts, cardamom, and sugar. Chandrakala pastry is deep-fried in ghee, and dipped in a rose sugar syrup.

View the print-ready version of this recipe.

Chandrakala is a fancy deep-fried sweet from Northern India.

I discovered chandrakala during a recent visit to Haridwar, which is a gorgeous city located on the banks of the Ganges River, near where the swirling turquoise blue river pours out from its source in the Himalayas.

When peering at dozens of colorful desserts on display at a sweet shop, the chandrakalas jumped out at me. I felt excited to try it, even though I had no idea at the time what was even inside.

After tasting it, I was in that rare blissful state that arises when you find something thats just perfect.

After some inquiries, I learned is that chandrakala is a special occasion sweet associated with Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights.

To me, this makes the sweet even more special.

(Courtesy of Buttered Veg)

After trying chandrakala, I made it my mission to learn how to make them so that I could selfishly enjoy as many as I wanted, without having to fly all the way to India.

Well friends, that day has arrived!

After three iterations of pastry, three types of fillings tested, and many hours of creative fun, I finally discovered the magic formula for chandrakala. I am so pleased to share it with you today.

What is Chandrakala?

(Courtesy of Buttered Veg)

Chandrakala is a pastry filled with dried fruits and/or nuts, concentrated milk solids, cardamom, and sugar.

The pastry is deep-fried in ghee, and then dipped in a sugar syrup flavored with saffron and/or rose water.

Chandrakala comes in two shapes, known as chandrakala and suryakala.

In Hindi, kala means art, chandra is moon, and surya is sun.

The crescent moon-shaped pastry is chandrakala, and the round pastry with scalloped edges that look like sun rays is suryakala.

I enjoyed making (and admiring) the round shape the most.

(Courtesy of Buttered Veg)

The Filling

The filling is the same, so for our purposes, I am counting the two shapes as the same sweet.

The filling is made with crushed pistachios, dried apricots, sugar, and cardamom. This combination is pretty awesome.

(Courtesy of Buttered Veg)

While it is traditional to include milk solids in the filling, my preferred version of chandrakala omits the milk solids.

However, I have included a version with milk solids for anyone who wishes to experiment.

The milk solids are referred to as mawa, and you should be able to purchase it from the refrigerated section of an Indian grocery store.

The sugar syrup is flavored with rose water.

(Courtesy of Buttered Veg)

Crunchy Deep-fried Pastry

The chandrakala pastry is made with all-purpose flour mixed with rice flour, and enriched with ghee to ensure a crunchy pastry.

For deep-frying, I mixed one part ghee with about six parts sunflower oil, and it worked great.

Both oils have very high smoke points that are higher than the desired frying temperature of between 350 and 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

A thermometer is essential for this task, because getting the correct temperature is important.

You will also need a slotted spoon to stir and lift the pastries out of the oil.

Deep-frying is nothing to be afraid of. It isnt messy like you would think.

Once you try it once, you will feel comfortable with it, and your horizons will open up, because there are many great things you can make by deep frying.

(Courtesy of Buttered Veg)

Heat the oil to between 350 and 375 degrees, then deep-fry the chandrakala until golden brown. The final step is to dip the pastry in a sugar syrup.

Cleaning Up After Deep-frying

After completing your frying job, let the oil cool before straining it through a fine mesh strainer (to remove any food bits), then store the oil in a canning jar until next time.

Use a paper towel to remove the excess oil from the saucepan and discard it in the garbage. If you decide to discard your frying oil, put it in a disposable container, seal the lid, and put it in the garbage. Never put oil down the drain.

I tend to reuse the same oil a few times. Each time before using, I subject it to the smell test. If it smells good, it is good. Rancid oil is pretty easy to smell.

Rose Sugar Syrup

The images below demonstrates some of the steps for making the rose sugar syrup.

You will see all the steps in the recipe itself.

(Courtesy of Buttered Veg)

Chandrakala is everything you dream it should be: nutty ghee butter with a tasty golden crunch on the outside; sweet and chewy with pleasing textural bits on the inside, and coated in a clear, sweet, syrupy exterior.

Its just the right amount of sweetness, and heated slightly before enjoying, it is absolutely divine. The warmth releases the chandrakalas intoxicating aroma.

(Courtesy of Buttered Veg)

Recipe for Pistachio and Apricot Pastries (Chandrakala) in Rose Syrup

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 2 hours

Servings: 12 pastries

Calories: 314KCAL

Author: Andrea at Buttered Veg

Helpful Kitchen Tools

Small saucepan  1.75 qt.

thermometer

Ingredients

For the Pastry

1  cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons rice flour

pinch Himalayan pink salt

2 tablespoons ghee, slightly warmed (see notes)

 cup water

For the Pistachio and Apricot Filling

1 tablespoon ghee

 cup pistachios, ground medium

 cup castor sugar, see instructions for alternatives

 cup dried apricots, finely chopped

 teaspoon cardamom powder

2 tablespoons pistachios, roughly chopped, for the topping

For the Milk Solids Filling

 cup khoya, also known as mawa, grated (see notes)

 cup cashews and almonds, ground medium

 cup castor sugar, see instructions for alternatives

 cup cranberries and raisins, chopped

 teaspoon cardamom powder

for the Sugar Syrup

1  cups sugar

1  cups water

1 tablespoon milk

1 tablespoon rose water

Instructions

Prepare the Pastry

Sift together the flour and salt. Add 2 tablespoons of ghee that you have warmed to a liquid state, and rub the mixture together between your fingers to evenly distribute the ghee.

Add water, a little at a time, until the mixture comes together into a firm dough. Use a wooden spoon to stir the water into the flour, then knead for a few minutes, until the dough becomes soft. Cover with a damp cloth, or plastic wrap, and allow to rest for at least 30 minutes.

If Necessary, Prepare the Sugar

Castor sugar is superfine sugar. If you do not have castor sugar, see the recipe notes for alternatives.

For the Pistachio and Apricot Filling Option

To complete this filling, heat the ghee in a non-stick pan on low heat. Add the cardamom powder to release the aroma. Add the ground pistachios and the castor sugar, and heat for a couple of minutes. Add the apricots and mix and heat thoroughly. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

For the Milk Solids Filling Option

To complete the filling, heat the khoya/mawa in a non-stick pan on low heat, stirring continuously, for three to four minutes. Add the castor sugar, ground nuts, and cardamom powder, and continue stirring for 1-2 minutes. Add the dried fruit and mix and heat thoroughly. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Method for the Sugar Syrup

Heat the sugar and water in a saucepan, stirring continuously until the sugar dissolves. After it comes to a boil, add the milk. The milk will help any impurities to rise to the surface in the form of scum. Remove this by skimming the syrup with a spoon. Continue to simmer the sugar water until the syrup reaches one-thread consistency, about 25 minutes.

To test for one-thread consistency, remove a bit of syrup with a spoon. Allow it to cool, then touch the syrup with a clean forefinger, and touch your thumb and forefinger together and pull apart gently. One-thread consistency is when a single thread is formed between your fingers, and does not break. You can also test the consistency by letting the syrup drop from a spoon. If it forms a clear drop before falling, you are pretty much there.

Add the rose water, and stir. Keep the syrup simmering on very low heat until needed. If it gets too thick, carefully add more water and cook it out until smooth and the proper consistency again.

Make the Chandrakala

Knead the dough for a couple more minutes, and then roll it into a log. Slice into 24 disk-shaped portions. Roll larger portions into a three-inch flat disk. Roll smaller portions into 2 inch disks. Your disks should be quite thin. It is better if they are thinner on the edges and thicker in the middle.

Lay the larger disk on the counter. Place one tablespoon of filling in the centre and cover with the smaller disk. Use your fingers to press and seal the edges of the smaller disk around the filling.

Moisten around the outer edge, and pinch and twist the edges in a pattern to seal firmly all around the center. Leave the pastry on the counter as you seal it. This makes the work very easy.

Complete as many pastries as will fit comfortably in your fryer without overcrowding.

Meanwhile, heat sufficient oil (between 2-3 inches) in a small saucepan on medium heat. Use a thermometer to measure when the oil reaches between 350 degrees and 375 degrees.

Gently drop the pastries into the oil and deep-fry until golden brown. Use your spoon to flip the pastries as they fry.

Remove with a slotted spoon and drop into the hot syrup. Soak for 23 minutes, turning the sweets over, and using a spoon to drench the sweets with the syrup.

Remove the pastries from the syrup with a slotted spoon. Place the chandrakala on parchment paper, and top immediately with chopped nuts.

Be careful with the hot syrup, as it is extremely hot and sticky, and it could burn badly if it sticks to your fingers. Be mindful of the sugar syrups consistency as well. If it gets too thick, carefully add more water and cook it out until smooth, and the proper consistency again. I found that as I went, my syrup darkened into something that started to resemble light corn syrup. That is still fine. It is extra flavor as far as I am concerned.

Prepare your next batch of pastries and repeat steps 1 to 7 until all the chandrakala are made.

To Serve

The Chandrakala is ready to enjoy when the sugar syrup has fully hardened. You can store chandrakala in a sealed container and keep it in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for a couple months. Gently warm the sweets in a microwave or oven before enjoying them again.

Notes

Castor sugar

Unfortunately, castor sugar is not readily available in the U.S., and when it is available, its expensive, especially if you want organic sugar. To work around this problem, you can process raw sugar in a food processor or blender until fine. You want it somewhere in between regular sugar and powdered sugar.

Milk solids

Khoya/mawa is made from concentrated whole milk solids. If you were to make it from from scratch, you would heat whole milk to a boil, and then simmer it for approximately 2 hours, until all the water is evaporated and you are left with only the milk solids.

It can be purchased at most Indian grocery stores. I bought a solid block that looks very much like hard cheese. You can also buy mawa milk powder and reconstitute it with water.

The milk solids are very high in concentrated milk proteins, so those who are sensitive to dairy will probably not like it. This is one of the reasons why I designed a filling without milk solids.

For those who love mawa, please go for the traditional recipe. If you dont think youll love mawa, use the new recipe with pistachios and apricots. Either way, it is delicious!

What is ghee?

Ghee is a form of clarified butter with a nutty, buttery taste, that is commonly used in Indian cooking. Ghee is generally safe for people with lactose intolerance. It has a high smoke point of 485 degrees Fahrenheit and it is shelf stable at room temperature.

Ghee is widely available outside India. To learn more about ghee and where to buy it, see Quality Ghee & Ghee Buying Tips.

Nutrition

Calories: 314kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 30mg | Potassium: 124mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 35g | Vitamin A: 195IU | Vitamin C: 0.7mg | Calcium: 80mg | Iron: 1.2mg

This article was originally published on butteredveg.com

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Slowing Rates of Disruption, Decline in Scientific Breakthroughs, Researchers Stumped

A researcher examines plated samples in a lab that is developing testing for the COVID-19 coronavirus at Hackensack Meridian Health Center for Discovery and Innovation on Feb. 28, 2020 in Nutley, (Kena Betancur/Getty Images)

The rate of scientific breakthroughs has been falling over the years, especially in the fields of physics and chemistry according to a recent study, with researchers unsure what is causing the phenomenon.

In recent decades, there has been an exponential growth in the volume of new technological and scientific knowledge, which created conditions necessary for major advances in those fields, states the study, published in Nature magazine on Jan. 4. But contrary to such expectations, the study found that progress is slowing down in several fields.

You dont have quite the same intensity of breakthrough discoveries you once had, said Russell Funk, co-author of the study.

The research team looked at 45 million papers and 3.9 million patents. They used a new quantitative metric called the CD index to identify how papers and patents change networks of citations in science and technology.

The team found that papers and patents are increasingly less likely to push science and technology into newer directions, a trend that is breaking away from the past.

We link this decline in disruptiveness to a narrowing in the use of previous knowledge, allowing us to reconcile the patterns we observe with the shoulders of giants view, the study said.

We find that the observed declines are unlikely to be driven by changes in the quality of published science, citation practices, or field-specific factors. Overall, our results suggest that slowing rates of disruption may reflect a fundamental shift in the nature of science and technology.

Burden of Research

The study is the first one to emphatically, convincingly document that there is a decline of disruptiveness in science and technology spanning all major fields, lead author Michael Park said in an interview with AFP.

The largest decline in disruptiveness was observed in physical sciences like chemistry and physics. A popular theory that seeks to explain the falling growth in scientific breakthroughs is that the low-hanging fruit of science has already been plucked.

However, Park disputes that idea by pointing out that the decline in disruptiveness would have fallen at an even faster pace should this have been the case. Instead, the team found that the declines are pretty consistent in their speeds and timing across all major fields.

As such, the team is proposing that the burden of research is the reason behind the decline in disruptiveness, meaning that there is now so much knowledge that scientists need to master that they have little time to push for breakthroughs.

This makes scientists focus on a narrow slice of the existing knowledge, leading them to just come up with something more consolidating rather than disruptive, Park said.

Another reason might be that theres increasing pressure in academia to publish, publish, publish, because thats the metric that academics are assessed on.

Boosting Disruptiveness

To promote disruptiveness in science and technology, the study proposes encouraging scholars to read widely and that they be given enough time to keep up with the rapidly growing body of knowledge.

Instead of focusing on quantity, universities might be better off focusing on and rewarding research quality as well as fully subsidizing year-long sabbaticals to allow academics to read and think more deeply.

When it comes to federal agencies, they should seek to invest in riskier and longer-term individual awards that would give scholars the time needed to produce consequential work rather than waste it on the publish or perish culture, the study suggested.

Understanding the decline in disruptive science and technology more fully permits a much-needed rethinking of strategies for organizing the production of science and technology in the future, it said.

A slowdown in innovation was an idea explored in a 2009 study which theorized that if knowledge accumulates as technology advances, then successive generations of innovators can face a greater burden of education.

Social Justice Versus Science

At present, the pursuit of science is also under attack from social justice ideologies like critical race theory (CRT), queer theory, and so on. While CRT insists that white men are oppressive toward people from other races, queer theory rejects the idea that we can collect objective verifiable information about reality, and refers to the biological division of human sexuality into male and female as oppressive.

These ideologies can lead to compromise in true scientific pursuit in certain instances. For instance, diversity, inclusion, and equity (DIE), which are based on CRT and Queer Theory, can end up excluding talented people from science.

Writing for the National Post, Patanjali Kambhampati, an immigrant to the United States, reveals that he was denied science funding in North America twice by Canadas federal science foundations because he insisted on hiring research assistants on merit rather than their gender, ethnicity, or cultural background.

Over the past year, the encroachment of the cult of DIE into academia has only grown. There are now many positions that are simply off-limits to straight white men who are not handicapped. One must pledge allegiance to these illiberal principles in order to be a practicing scientist in 2022, Kambhampati said.
After more than a decade with ARC Community Services, Robin Ryan recently took on the role of executive director with Literacy Network of Dane County, an agency dedicated to helping adults build skills in literacy and communication on their way toward future employment.

Ryan, 52, said her new role was a perfect fit, thanks to her experience with strategic planning and fiscal management, as well as 13 years in legislative and executive branches of state government. She joined Literacy Network on Dec. 5.

Can you tell me a little about your background and how that has prepared you for your new role as Literacy Networks executive director?

My most recent role was COO of ARC Community Services, where I gained experience in core functions of nonprofit management such as program development, funding, and leadership of staff. Perhaps most importantly, in serving women involved in the criminal justice system, I learned to listen to clients. I found that I could not predict when a woman entered programming what her path would be and learned that clients know best what support they need.

Previously, I worked in state government as a budget analyst, child welfare program staff, and legislative attorney. In school, I had experience working on death penalty appeals and juvenile justice defense. I clerked for Texas Rural Legal Aid and interned several summers in congressional offices in Washington, D.C. These experiences provided me with a knowledge of government operations and appreciation for public service.

What drew you to this organization?

First, I was drawn by the mission. I enjoy supporting adults in improving their well-being and creating opportunities for their families. Improved literacy helps Literacy Network students pursue their goals, including employment advancement, communicating with their childs school, participating in community dialog and events, or obtaining citizenship.

Second, I am impressed by how the agency is run. Literacy Network researches and implements best practices for student learning and engagement (awarded one of 15 global Library of Congress Literacy Awards in 2022), solicits and incorporates student feedback, supports staff, and has a large group of active volunteers, dedicated donors and engaged board. I appreciate the Literacy Network building on Park Street, which is a welcoming environment for learning and community involvement.

How have things been going so far with Literacy Network?

The first couple of weeks have been wonderful. Ive received program introductions from staff, met with the board and connected with donors and community partners. Representatives of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Office visited Literacy Network in connection with a grant review and commended the work of the agency  certainly, welcome news my first week. I had the opportunity to attend an open house for Jeff Burkhart, the outgoing executive director, and hear firsthand how Literacy Network programs have impacted peoples lives. I look forward to meeting students during registration for spring semester classes the week of Jan. 16.

What sort of goals do you have for the organization?

Current Literacy Network programs are well run and responsive to student needs, so my first goal is to complete the executive director transition without disrupting services. From there, I would like to intensify community collaboration on social justice issues; for example, increasing engagement with our Transitions program, which supports adults in pursuing higher education. I envision partnering on programs to build additional skills such as financial literacy. I aim to renew collaborations, some interrupted by the pandemic, with employers and the prison. Additionally, I want to continue to develop an existing plan to formalize student involvement in agency decision-making through a student advisory board.

Can you tell me a little about what kind of impact English communications and reading comprehension skills have on peoples lives and why thats so crucial?

Certainly, the economic impact for both students and the community is the first thing that comes to mind for most people when discussing the impact of Literacy Network programs. Improved language skills contribute to job retention, career advancement and increased earnings. That, in turn, allows students to better support their families and build intergenerational economic stability. Beyond the economic impact, increased communication skills facilitate practical everyday interactions with health care providers, schools and neighbors, and in other community settings. This helps break down barriers among various populations in Dane County and fosters connection to community and self-efficacy.

Photos: Madison Marathon 2022
Some Canadians Set to Return From Mexicos Mazatlan Area as Airports Reopen

A passenger waits in an empty terminal at the airport while flights are suspended due to drug cartel-related violence in Culiacan, Sinaloa state, Mexico on Jan. 6, 2023. (The Canadian Press/AP, Martin Urista)

Some Canadian tourists in Mexicos Sinaloa state finally began their delayed journey home on Saturday after a wave of violence erupted in the region, shuttering airports and prompting an advisory to shelter in place.

Two airports in the northwestern area of Mexico have reopened, with international flights scheduled on Saturday from Mazatlan to cities in Western Canada including Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg and Vancouver.

Travellers checking out of beachfront hotels in the area described a chaotic scene of packed elevators and busy lobbies as guests awaited airport shuttles and flights home.

Some Canadian tourists in the area were barricaded in their hotels for several days after the arrest of a major alleged drug cartel leader led to violence in the region.

The Canadian government issued a shelter-in-place advisory on Thursday, saying the widespread violence included burning cars, exchanges of fire and threats to essential infrastructure, including airports.

The Canadian government continues to recommend avoiding non-essential travel across the Sinaloa state, except within the city of Mazatlan.

Mixed messages emerged from people on the ground in the region on Saturday, creating some uncertainty about the current state of affairs.

Some described the area as back to normal, while others suggested an atmosphere of uneasiness persisted.

Dominique Carole Maraj, a Canadian from Vancouver who lives in Mazatlan about six months a year, said all commercial and government services were back up and running with roadways reopened and transit restored.

Others suggested on social media that while conditions were largely back to normal in the city, a significant armed presence continued in other parts of the state.

And while Canadian airlines resumed flights out of the Mazatlan airport on Saturday, U.S. airlines once again canceled flights for the day.

Canadian air carriers WestJet, Swoop and Sunwing all had flights scheduled to depart on Saturday, but American Airlines and United flights appeared to remain cancelled.

Swoop said the Mazatlan airport has reopened without disruption.

An elevated police/military presence remains in the region to further ensure the safety and security of the public, the airline said in an emailed statement on Saturday.

Service to other Swoop destinations across Mexico remains unaffected by this situation, though crew and travellers may see additional law enforcement present in various other areas out of caution.

Swoop added that it continues to advise everyone in the region to follow all instructions provided by local authorities.

WestJet said its operations to Mazatlan resumed Saturday, while service to the rest of its destinations across Mexico remain unaffected.

We will continue to monitor the situation closely and will make operational changes in the name of safety as necessary, the airline said in an email.

WestJet noted that flexible change and cancellation policies remain in effect for customers with reservations affected by the latest travel advisory.

Air Canada said none of its destinations in Mexico were affected by the unrest but the airline is watching the situation closely.

Sunwing did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
State Premier Visits Flooded Outback Australian Towns

A supplied image obtained on Jan. 6, 2023 shows an aerial view of flooding at Fitzroy crossing in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. A 50 km-wide inland sea is surging towards the Kimberley coast after the swollen Fitzroy River devastated the town of Fitzroy Crossing earlier in the week. (AAP Image/Supplied by Western Australia Police Force)

Communities in the Australian state of New South Waless far west are being warned they face a long journey ahead following expected record flood peaks.

Premier Dominic Perrottet visited Menindee, and Broken Hill on Saturday, lamenting the immense amount of water from the slow-moving disaster will take weeks to recede.

The Darling River at Menindee is tipped to peak at more than 10.7 metres in the coming days, higher than the previous 1976 record of 10.47 metres, due to further heavy rainfall and planned water releases upstream.

About 30 properties have been impacted by flooding above floor level, with State Emergency Service crews and others working to sandbag, deliver supplies and gather intelligence in preparation for the rising waters.

Mr Perrottet was briefed by the SES alongside other ministers on Saturday before surveying the extent of flooding around Menindee by helicopter.

The waters are still rising. There is a long journey ahead once we hit the peak, Perrottet said.

Weve got so many roads that are underwater, many properties that are affected, evacuation orders are still in place, and from above, you can see the extent of the damage and the time its going to take to get through this event.

Assessments were also being made of the threat to communities downstream of Menindee, in particular at Wentworth on the Murray River bordering Victoria.

SES assistant commissioner Shawn Kearns said his organisation was beginning to reach out to landholders and communities south of Menindee to assess their risk.

Emergency Services Minister Steph Cooke said financial support would remain available for impacted residents as it had been throughout last year when hundreds of communities across the state were affected by floods.

The focus at the moment is to make sure that we get through the current response phase, Cooke said.

But we will move very quickly at the appropriate time into recovery, and thats when well be able to do those all-important rapid damage assessments, understand the damage to peoples homes, and that will provide that basic intelligence to make sure we put the right supports in place.

One of the biggest flood impacts in regional communities has been damage to roads, which last week the state government committed $500 million to help fix.

Independent MP Roy Butler, who represents the states largest electorate of Barwon, welcomed the funding but said the actual cost of fixing regional roads would likely be much higher.

Its fair to say the repair of roads and improving roads so that were not cut off for as long in our communities is going to be in the billions of dollars, Butler said.

He said there wasnt enough road crews to keep up with demand for repairs regardless of the amount of funding.

Its going to take a long time, theres no easy way to say it, Mr Butler said.

This shire has 2700 kilometres of unsealed roads. Its going to take a long time.

Water levels at Menindee are expected to remain above the major flood level of 9.70 metres through to mid-January, according to the SES.
Suspect in Machete Attack Against NYPD Officers Charged With Terrorism

Police officers recovered the machete used in the New Year's Eve attack. (NYPD via The Epoch Times)

A suspectbelieved to have been obsessed with Islamwho targeted three NYPD officers in Times Square on New Years Eve in a machete attack is facing terrorism charges, with the victims of the attack expected to make a recovery.

On Friday, the Manhattan District Attorneys Office reported that the suspect, Trevor Bickford, 19, has been indicted by a grand jury on multiple counts, including aggravated assault on a police officer as an act of terrorism, first-degree attempted murder, and first-degree attempted murder in the furtherance of an act of terrorism. Bickford is facing 18 felony counts in total.

We are grateful for our NYPD officers who put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe, as well as our Joint Terrorism Task Force partners, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement on Friday, according to CBS.

These charges reflect the seriousness of this alleged threat to the safety of our city and our officers.

Bickford is scheduled to be arraigned on Feb. 1.

During the New Years Eve attack, two of the officers were struck in the head. A third officer was attacked outside a designated high-security zone. Bickford was wounded after a police officer shot a gun and injured his shoulder. He was arrested on the scene. The three injured officers are expected to recover.

Islamist Links

In his criminal complaint, Bickford admitted to a detective with the FBIs Joint Terrorism Task Force that he wanted to kill an officer in uniform.

On Dec. 31, Bickford waited until an officer was alone, chanted Allahu Akbar, walked to the officer, and hit his head with a machete. Allahu Akbar means God is great in Arabic, and is a common phrase among Muslims. Bickford then charged at another officer, dropped the machete, and attempted to grab that officers gun. He intended to kill the two officers using the gun but failed to get it out of the holster.

For roughly three weeks before the attack, Bickford was on the FBIs radar. On Dec. 10, Bickfords mother Audra Simpson had called the town police and expressed concerns about her sons rising obsession with Islam.

As a result of that conversation, we gave her some direction and then we notified the FBI, Wells Police Capt. Gerald Congdon told the New York Post. It was some of the information that she was concerned about that she had heard from Trevor. The FBI placed him on their Guardian Watchlist.

Bickford is said to have become interested in Islam after his father died from an overdose in 2018. He started reading the Quran on a daily basis and became obsessed with the religion, planning to travel to China or Burma to commit jihad. He also considered joining the Taliban in Afghanistan.

A Normal American Kid

Bickford showed no signs of extremism for much of the earlier part of his life. He was among a group of students who won awards for their artwork as recently as 2020.

Bickfords father used to post pictures of his sons and their achievements prior to his death. Family and friends also praised the boys, talking about their bright futures. His mother eventually remarried. In a July 28 Facebook post, Audra Simpson shared a photo of her son, wishing him on his 19th birthday.

So proud and lucky to be able to call you my son. Youre an old soul and you amaze me every day with all that you enjoy to explore and do, she wrote, according to Daily Mail.

I love that you have no fear of trying new things, and you truly are the best brother ever. I am so beyond proud of the man you are becoming, I love you.

Just six months later, Bickford was accused of attacking NYPD officers.
Taliban Signs First Foreign Deal With China for Oil Extraction Project

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid (L) gestures as he speaks during the first press conference in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 17, 2021. (Hoshang Hashimi /AFP via Getty Images)

The Taliban regime in Afghanistan has signed an oil extraction agreement with Chinas Xinjiang Central Asia Petroleum and Gas Co. (CAPEIC) in Afghanistans first major foreign deal since the Taliban seized control in 2021.

Under the contract, the CAPEIC will invest $150 million in one year and $540 million in the next three years for oil extraction in Afghanistans Amu Darya Basin, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said.

In this contract, the Islamic Emirate will be a 20 percent partner, and this share will increase to 75 percent, he wrote in a Twitter post on Jan. 5.

Zabihullah said theyll extract oil from an area covering 4,500 square kilometers (1,737 square miles) in Sar-e Pul, Jawzjan, and Faryab provinces, with the daily extraction rate increasing gradually to 2,000 tons from 1,000 tons.

The contract has a 25-year term and will automatically be terminated if CAPEIC fails to meet its material obligations within a year, he noted.

The Amu Darya is the largest gas-bearing basin in Central Asia and the worlds third-largest gas-rich basin after the Western Siberian basin and the Persian Gulf basin, according to a 2019 study by PetroChina.

Its located mainly in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, as well as in parts of northern Afghanistan and northeastern Iran.

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi meets with Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, political chief of Afghanistans Taliban, in Tianjin, China, on July 28, 2021. (Li Ran/Xinhua via Reuters)

No country has recognized the Taliban as Afghanistans legitimate government since it took power in 2021. However, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) continues to engage with the Taliban for economic interests.

Afghanistan is estimated to be sitting on untapped natural resources of more than $1 trillion, which has attracted the interest of some foreign investors, although decades of turmoil have prevented any significant exploitation.

In 2012, the state-owned China National Petroleum Corp. signed a contract with the former U.S.-backed administration in Afghanistan to extract oil at the Amu Darya. The Amu Darya was estimated to have 87 million barrels of crude at the time.

Acting Deputy Prime Minister Mullah Baradar said the Talibans new agreement with CAPEIC resulted from another Chinese firm, which he didnt name, ceasing oil extraction after the fall of the previous government.

Exaggerated the Threat

The CCP allowed the Taliban to keep Afghanistans embassy in Beijing and offered humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, without formal recognition of the regime. Analysts believe that security is another factor driving the CCPs support for the Taliban.

Jennifer Murtazashvili, a nonresident scholar in the Asia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said in her 2022 report that the CCP is concerned about a possible spillover of Islamic extremism from Afghanistan into China and the Xinjiang region.

The primary security concern of China is potential threats from the relatively small East Turkistan Islamic Movement, a group that seeks to liberate Xinjiang province and the Uyghur people from Chinese government control, she said.

China aims to ensure that the Taliban are willing to eliminate Uyghur militant groups operating inside of Afghan territory. It is important to stress that China has exaggerated the threat and involvement of Uyghurs in terrorist organizations.

The CAPEIC deal came a day after the Taliban said its forces had killed eight ISIS terror group members in raids, including some responsible for an attack on a Chinese hotel in Kabul, Afghanistan, last month.

Although both parties hinted that there will be significant future investment by China in Afghanistan, few details have emerged, the report reads. This is because, without security, it is simply impossible for China to secure its own people working in the country.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Texas Joins Multi-State Effort to Prevent Vanguard From Exerting Excessive Power Over Utility Companies

Over concerns of increasing energy costs, Texas has joined a multi-state effort to curb the power of investment fund management company Vanguard over publicly traded utilities, Attorney General Ken Paxton announced on Jan. 3.

The Lone Star state is joining Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, South Carolina, and South Dakota, who, through their attorneys general, are part of a Utah and Indiana-led motion to intervene in a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) proceeding to prevent Vanguard from exerting too much power over publicly traded utilities.

Vanguard is requesting a three-year extension of its previously authorized authority to acquire voting securities in utility companies with up to 20 percent ownership.

Paxtons criticism stems from Vanguards decision to join the Net Zero Asset Managers effort, as well as the subsequent push to expand Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) investing. According to the law enforcement officer, Vanguards public actions in the time since it was granted initial permission to invest in these companies have suggested a worrying trend toward pricey environmental activism and a determination to use its financial clout to push corporations into adopting a left-wing climate agenda.

According to Paxtons statement, allowing Vanguard to continue to invest in these utilities and exert influence over energy sources for the American economy will raise consumer costs as Vanguard supports inefficient energy generation in order to meet its severe and unreasonable climate goals.

The motion states: [W]e are concerned that Vanguards actions with respect to influencing environmental corporate policyespecially in combination with the stated motives of BlackRock and State Street Global Advisorswill inflate the rates consumers and our States pay for electrical service. . . . Vanguards environmental mandates impose costs on its portfolio companies, and it is highly plausible that those costs are passed on to consumers directly or indirectly by hampering access to capital or foreclosing certain revenue-generating opportunities.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference CPAC held at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas on July 11, 2021. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

The Epoch Times Kevin Stocklin recently reported that state attorneys general were sounding the alarm about Vanguard and fellow investment firm BlackRock for increasing their shares of Americas public utility companies.

The FERC granted BlackRocks request to increase its voting share ownership to up to 20 percent without being classified as an affiliate and subject to the regulatory scrutiny and disclosures it entails in April 2022. In order to obtain FERC clearance, BlackRock and Vanguard vowed to be passive investors, meaning they would not use their share ownership to influence management.

The state attorneys general petitioned FERC to deny Vanguards request, arguing that Vanguard is not entitled to a blanket authorization to acquire substantial equity and voting power in utility companies, claiming that residents of their states would be harmed if utilities were forced to stop using fossil fuels in favor of wind and solar power.

Vanguards own public commitments and other statements have at the very least created the appearance that Vanguard has breached its promises to the commission by engaging in environmental activism and using its financial influence to manipulate the activities of the utility companies in its portfolio, the petition stated. A hearing in this matter is warranted to determine the extent to which Vanguard has violated the 2019 authorization and whether granting Vanguard a blanket authorization is contrary to the public interest.

Other Company Concerns

Their interest in utility companies isnt the only concern that has been raised in regard to Vanguard. The investment company has drawn criticism for its diversity, equity, and inclusion practices and its environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) policy.

Several Republican governors, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, are among many who have spoken out against these types of practices. ESG funds look for companies that follow environmental, social, and governance criteria. Taking steps to reduce pollution and carbon emissions is part of this. It also entails having a diverse and inclusive staff, from entry-level employees all the way up to the board of directors. Businesses must promote ethical and socially conscious themes such as social justice and racial and gender equity under ESG.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem speaks during the National Rifle Association (NRA) annual convention at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas on May 27, 2022. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has called on the investment company Vanguard to halt investing in the Asian economic power, as The Epoch Times previously reported. The governor said she disagrees with Vanguards assessment that China should be categorized as an emerging market, given its GDP of approximately $18 trillion dollars, which ranks it the second-largest economy in the world.

She sent a letter to Vanguard CEO Mortimer Buckley saying she was asking Vanguard to create an alternative emerging markets fund that does not include China.

This would provide states with an improved opportunity to safely invest our state trust fund and pension dollars without exposure to the threat of the CCP  Because of these and other security threats posed by the CCP, I have requested that our South Dakota Investment Council look for alternative options to invest South Dakotas retirement and pension dollars.
Travellers Invited to Join Class-Action Lawsuit Against Sunwing After Massive Flight Delays, Cancellations

Travellers wait in line at a Sunwing Airlines check-in desk at Trudeau Airport in Montreal, in a file photo. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press)

A law firm is looking at potentially starting a class action lawsuit against Sunwing Airlines for Canadian travellers who were affected by the companys sudden cancellation of flights in Saskatchewan, days after the Christmas holiday.

Sunwing announced on Dec. 29, 2022, that it was cancelling the flights at airports in Saskatoon and Regina due to extenuating circumstances. The cancellations went into immediate effect and applied to flights from both airports up until Feb. 3, 2023.

The company has been struggling over the past few weeks to bring passengers home after a severe winter storm disrupted its operations over the holidays. In a string of Twitter posts on Jan. 3, the company said it has completed all scheduled recovery flights, and that any further scheduling changes are unrelated to the holiday disruptions.

In a statement, Merchant Law Group LLP is inviting affected Sunwing customers to join the class action.

This applies to travellers who experienced aflight cancellation or delay of more than 9 hours, which cannot be attributed [to] weather issues or aircraft safety, between the dates of December 22, 2022, to February 3, 2023, anywhere in Canada.

It also applies to travellers who experienced a trip cancellation, rerouting or delay of more than 9 hours, due to Sunwings blanket cancellation of its Saskatchewan routes, during that same period of time.

Merchant Law said the lawsuit would seek financial compensation for the inconvenience or losses experienced by individual travellers. Details of the class action will be revealed in the coming months, it said.

Merchant Law operates 10 offices across Canada, with lawyers practising law in six provinces.

Incredibly Sorry

Amid criticism from the public and governments, Sunwing issued an apology to passengers who were left stranded after the storm, saying the company had clear failures in execution, particularly in relation to weather-related delays.

We are incredibly sorry for letting our customers down, reads the letter, issued on Jan. 5, by Sunwing Travel Group CEO Stephen Hunter and Sunwing Airlines president Len Corrado, noting however that most of our customers enjoyed their holidays with minimal disruption.

The company said it will ensure full compliance with obligations under Canadas Air Passenger Protection Regulations, and is accepting eligible claims for compensation. Selected customers who travelled between Dec. 24 to Dec. 27, 2022, may also submit receipts related to expenses incurred at destination, including expenses to purchase necessities due to baggage delays at the Toronto Pearson Airport.
Trump, McConnell, Pence Congratulate McCarthy After Narrow Speaker Win

Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) gestures in the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6, 2023. (Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images)

Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who became the 55th speaker of the House of Representatives by a narrow margin after 15 rounds of voting, is receiving praise from former President Donald Trump and several lawmakers.

Congratulations to Kevin McCarthy and our GREAT Republican Party, Trump said in a post on Truth Social. The Speaker selection process, as crazy as it may seem, has made it all much bigger and more important than if done the more conventional way.

The former president had supported McCarthy for the post of House speaker despite some hardline members from the party opposing the California lawmaker. Before the vote, Trump had called on House Republicans to unite behind McCarthy.

Kevin McCarthy will do a good job, and maybe even a GREAT JOBJUST WATCH! Trump said in a Truth Social post before the vote.

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell extended his well wishes: Congratulations to Speaker McCarthy and the Republican House majority. Senate Republicans look forward to working together to check and balance Washington Democrats, bring oversight to this reckless Administration, fight the far lefts radical policies, and defend America.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) at a press conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, on July 26, 2022. (Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images)

Similarly, former Vice President Mike Pence said in a Jan. 7 tweet: Congratulations to my friend, Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy! I know @GOPLeader Speaker McCarthy will lead the House with Integrity, Skill, and Conservative Principles.

GOP Chair Ronna McDaniel posted: Pelosi has officially been fired and we have a new Speaker! Congratulations to @GOPLeader and the new @HouseGOP majority who will bring much-needed accountability to Biden and Democrats in Congress.

Investor Collin Rugg called for McCarthy to prove [him]self.

Kevin McCarthy is the next speaker of the House. Prove yourself @GOPLeader and launch an immediate investigation into Joe and Hunter Biden, he said after McCarthy won following four days and 15 rounds of voting.

[Thirteen] Republican holdouts switched sides to team McCarthy. Major respect to each one of them. They held the line and got what they wanted for the American people, he said earlier Friday, amid negotiations between McCarthy and 20 GOP holdouts.

Tom Fitton, president of conservative educational foundation Judicial Watch, congratulated McCarthy for being elected as speaker of the House.

God bless you as you take on this awesome responsibility. You and your colleagues have a Republic to save. God bless and protect America! he said in a Jan. 7 tweet.

Not Supporting McCarthy

The six Republicans who did not support McCarthy in the final vote and voted present include Reps. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), Eli Crane (R-Ariz.), Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), Bob Good (R-Va.), and Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.).

American people voted for a new Republican majority in the House, albeit a small one, as a check on the Biden administration, said Good in a series of tweets on Jan. 6, before the final vote. As such, Republicans in the majority must have total confidence in our leader to fight President Bidens agenda.

We might have had that confidence in Mr. McCarthy if he had shown as much tenacity in fighting against Democratic policies, and for the average American, over the last two years as he has now desperately shown in losing multiple votes to become speaker this past week, he added.

We already know what a House under Mr. McCarthys leadership looks like. He has had 12 years to prove himself a bold and courageous conservative leader who was willing to stand up against the lefts agenda.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) wrote in a Jan. 7 tweet: Speaker McCarthys dream job could turn into a nightmare for the American people. To get the votes, he surrendered to demands of a fringe element of the GOP. Americans want Congress to build on the historic bipartisan achievements from the last two years, not more gridlock.

McCarthy became the House speaker by securing 216 votes and beating Democrat Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, who had received 212 votes.

McCarthys win was made possible after six of the remaining conservative dissidents, who had initially opposed him from the first vote, ended up voting present. This cut down the number of members voting to 428, bringing down McCarthys vote target from 218 to 216.
US Government Bump Stock Ban Struck Down by Court

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), with Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), points to a photograph of a rifle with a bump stock during a news conference to announce proposed gun control legislation at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Oct. 4, 2017. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

The U.S. government was wrong when it said a ban on machine guns applied to bump stocks, a federal court ruled on Jan. 6.

The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) in 2018 claimed that two laws banning machine guns meant bump stocks were illegal, reversing its earlier position. The move, backed by then-President Donald Trump, came after a man carried out a mass shooting in Las Vegas, using bump stocks to fire more rapidly.

Michael Cargill, a Texas resident who had to surrender bump stocks due to the reversal, sued in 2019, arguing that the ATF and its parent agency, the U.S. Department of Justice, violated the Constitution by usurping the role of Congress in defining the machine gun ban as extending to bump stocks.

Cargill is correct. A plain reading of the statutory language, paired with close consideration of the mechanics of a semi-automatic firearm, reveals that a bump stock is excluded from the technical definition of machine gun set forth in the Gun Control Act and National Firearms Act, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit said in its new ruling.

Machine guns are defined as a weapon that shoots, or is designed to shoot, or can be readily restored to shoot, more than one shot automatically without manual reloading by a single function of the trigger. The term includes the frame or receiver of any such weapon, any part designed and intended solely and exclusively, or combination of parts designed and intended, for use in converting a weapon into a machinegun, and any combination of parts from which a machinegun can be assembled if such parts are in the possession or under the control of a person, according to the Gun Control Act of 1968, one of the laws cited by the ATF.

The ruling noted that semi-automatic weapons do not fall under the definition because one pull of the trigger corresponds to the firing of a single bullet.

Bump stocks are accessories that, when attached to a weapon, let a shooter speed up the firing mechanism of a semi-automatic weapon, enabling a quicker discharge of bullets. But it does not change the mechanics of a semi-automatic weapon, or the crucial aspect of needing to re-engage the trigger to fire an additional bullet, U.S. Circuit Judge Jennifer Walker Elrod, a George W. Bush appointee writing for the majority, wrote.

Without a bump stock or the use of an alternative bump technique, the user must provide manual input by pulling the trigger with the muscles of his trigger finger. With a bump stock, the shooter need not pull and release his trigger finger. But the shooter must still apply forward pressure to the weapons forebody in order to maintain the shooting mechanism, Eldrod said. Again, the manual input remains, even though its form changes.

Weighing against the government was how the ATF for years after bump stocks were invented in the early 2000s decided they did not fall under the machine gun ban. That changed under public pressure following the 2017 Las Vegas massacre, which left 60 dead and hundreds wounded. The ATFs final rule stated that the term machine gun includes a bump-stock-type device, i.e., a device that allows a semi-automatic firearm to shoot more than one shot with a single pull of the trigger by harnessing the recoil energy of the semi-automatic firearm to which it is affixed so that the trigger resets and continues firing without additional physical manipulation of the trigger by the shooter.

Not Unambiguous

Cargill argued in his suit that the governments interpretation of machine gun was wrong. Even if it may have been right, Cargill offered, the text of the statute was not unambiguous, which means the rule was not allowed under court precedent.

Courts have been split on whether the ATFs actions were legal. Several appeals courts had sided with the government against the rule, including the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, while several other courts, including a different appeals court, had said the agency overstepped its authority because the law was ambiguous.

In the new ruling, the majority said that the rulings for the governmentincluding one that reasoned single function of the trigger could mean a single pull of the trigger from the perspective of the shooterwere based on words that do not exist in the law, and that a plain reading means bump stocks do not certainly fall under the definition.

The first thing to note is that the ultimate subject is machine gun, and the subject complement is weapon. In other words, a machinegun is defined by reference to what kind of weapon it is. But identifying the subject of the sentence is only our first step. We next look, second, to the fact that the term weapon is defined by how it shoots. So, again, the definition refers to the device being made to shoot, not the person or thing doing the shooting. Third, the manner of shooting must be automatic. Fourthand criticallythe prepositional phrases define the firing processs requirements from a mechanical perspective. The process must occur by a single function, and the single act must be by the trigger. In short, there is no mention of a shooter, the majority said.

The grammatical structure continuously points the reader back to the mechanics of the firearm. The statute does not care what human input is required to activate the triggerit cares only whether more than one shot is fired each time the trigger acts.

Because of the mixed rulings from circuit courts, Cargills lawyers expect the government to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, which has previously refused to take up cases against the rule.

We are pleased that a circuit court has finallyand decisivelyrecognized that Congress must be the one to pass any bump stock ban, Mark Chenoweth, president and general counsel at the New Civil Liberties Alliance, which has been representing Cargill, said in a statement. The resulting circuit split should bring this decision to the U.S. Supreme Courts attention promptly and supply a suitable vehicle for deciding this issue once and for all.

The Department of Justice did not respond to a request for comment.

The ruling does not have an immediate effect because the court remanded the case to a district court, which had ruled against Cargill, with orders to enter a judgement for Cargill.

Elrod was joined by Chief Judge Priscilla Richman, a George W. Bush appointee, and Circuit Judges Edith Jones, a Reagan appointee; Jerry Smith, a Reagan appointee; Carl Stewart, a Clinton appointee; Leslie Southwick, a George W. Bush appointee; Catharina Haynes, a George W. Bush appointee; Don Willett, a Trump appointee; James Ho, a Trump appointee; Stuart Kyle Duncan, a Trump appointee; Kurt Engelhardt, a Trump appointee; Andrew Oldham, a Trump appointee; and Cory Wilson, a Trump appointee.

Other Opinions

In a one-sentence concurring opinion, Haynes, joined by Richman, said, I concur in the judgment only because I reluctantly conclude that the relevant statute is ambiguous such that the rule of lenity favors the citizen in this case.

In a separate concurring opinion, Ho, joined by Richman and Southwick, said that due to the ambiguity, Congress must take action if it wishes to criminalize bump stocks.

In a dissent, Circuit Judge Stephen Higginson, an Obama appointee, joined by Circuit Judges James Dennis, a Clinton appointee, and James Earl Graves Jr., an Obama appointee, said that statutory language can be ambiguous enough to bear multiple interpretations but that shouldnt lead to a ruling that one is incorrect.

Today, our court extends lenity, once a rule of last resort, to rewrite a vital public safety statute banning machineguns since 1934. In conflict with three other courts of appeals, our court employs its new lenity regime to carve out from federal firearms regulation the bump stocka device that helped the Las Vegas shooter fire over a thousand rounds during an eleven-minute long attack, Higginson said.

Therefore, our court uses lenity to legalize an instrument of mass murder. This is evident from our courts attempt to confine its new lenity regime only to this statute, giving machinegun owners immunity from prosecution that is not shared by other offenders under the federal code.
US, Japan Sign Agreement for Operational Collaboration on Cybersecurity

A person delivers a computer payload while working on a laptop in Lille, France, during the 11th International Cybersecurity Forum on Jan. 22, 2019. (PHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP/Getty Images)

The United States and Japan have agreed to strengthen their operational collaboration on cybersecurity, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

An updated memorandum of cooperation was signed by Japanese Trade Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura and U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas during their meeting in Washington on Jan. 6, the DHS said in a statement.

According to the DHS, the agreement will allow their agencies to enhance the security of critical infrastructure, foster more partnership opportunities, and continue sharing best practices with Indo-Pacific partners on cybersecurity.

We will work closely to harmonize security systems between Japan and the United States for software and IoT devices, including cooperation in human resource development in the Indo-Pacific region, Nishimura said on Twitter.

There is an urgent need for us to establish security systems for software; internet of things, or IoT; and other new fields, he told reporters after the meeting, Jiji Press reported.

Japans Ministry of Trade and Industry stated that the memorandum signifies the beginning of the U.S.Japan cooperation in cybersecurity following Japans national security strategy approved in December 2022.

JapanAustralia Cybersecurity Pact

Japan signed a bilateral security agreement with Australia in October 2022, covering military, intelligence, and cybersecurity cooperation to counter the deteriorating security outlook driven by Chinas increasing assertiveness.

The upgrade of the Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation, a pact first signed in 2007 when governments werent as concerned with the Chinese Communist Partys rising power, was the major outcome of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishidas meeting with his Australian counterpart, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, in Australias west coast city of Perth.

The declaration covers military interoperability, intelligence, cybersecurity, operations in space, law enforcement, logistics, and protecting telecommunications.

The declaration also refers to cooperation in resisting economic coercion and disinformationthreats that China is widely accused of.

Kishida said the new framework of cooperation had been developed under an increasingly harsh strategic environment.

This renewed declaration  will chart the direction of our security and defense cooperation in the next 10 years, Kishida said through an interpreter.

Growing Cyberattacks

Japan has scrambled to improve its cybersecurity in response to a growing number of attacks. In the first half of 2022, the country recorded 114 ransomware attacks on local companies, an increase of 87 percent from the previous year, The Japan Times reported.

Japans e-Gov website, which provides administrative information, and several other ministry websites were targeted by hackers in September 2022, for which a pro-Russian hacker group named Killnet reportedly claimed responsibility, saying that it was revolting against Japans militarism.

Japanese authorities suspect that hackers used a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack to overload websites with a large amount of data and blocked users from accessing the websites.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
US, Japan, South Korea Trilateral Cooperation Crucial to Deter North Korea: State Dept

State Department spokesman Ned Price speaks on the situation in Afghanistan at the State Department in Washington, on Aug. 18, 2021. (Andrew Harnik/Pool via Reuters)

Trilateral cooperation between the United States, Japan, and South Korea is crucial to effectively respond to security challenges in the Indo-Pacific, particularly North Koreas nuclear threat, the State Department said.

Speaking at the Foreign Press Center on Friday, State Departments spokesperson Ned Price said that bolstering trilateral cooperation will be a focal point of the U.S.-Japan discussions next week.

The two allies will hold a two-plus-two meeting between their foreign and defense ministers in Washington on Jan. 11, ahead of Prime Minister Fumio Kishidas summit with President Joe Biden on Jan. 13.

Yoon and Biden are expected to discuss regional and global issues, including North Koreas unlawful ballistic missile programs, Russias war against Ukraine, and Chinas tensions with Taiwan.

The bilateral relationship we have with Japan is indispensable to our shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific, but there are certain challengesand the DPRK is at the top of that listwhere its especially important for us to have an effective trilateral relationship as well, he said, using North Koreas official name, the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK).

Price said the Biden administration sought to revitalize the trilateral format because they believed that the challenges in the Indo-Pacific would benefit from a seamless and unified trilateral approach.

Its a topic of conversation with our ROK allies, just as the threat that the regionJapan, the ROK, other allies, and partnersface from the DPRK in the context of next weeks discussions, he added, using South Koreas official name, the Republic of Korea (ROK).

Price described North Koreas systematic human rights abuses as a deep concern for the United States, though it imposed sanctions to thwart North Koreas nuclear weapons program, money laundering, and cyber activities.

But I can tell you that when we look at our approach to the DPRK, we are taking into account the full array of challenges that we see from that regime and within that regime, he told reporters.

We know that they are under immense suffering because of famine, because of malnutrition, but also because of the repression that their own government is inflicting upon them. And its our goal in the first instance not to add to that.

What the North Korean government says is its newly built intercontinental ballistic missile, the Hwasong-17, is seen during a military parade to mark the 90th anniversary of North Koreas army at the Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, North Korea, on April 25, 2022. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

North Korea fired an unprecedented number of missiles last year, one of which involved a Hwasong-17, which experts dubbed a monster missile capable of striking anywhere in the United States and beyond.

South Korea said it detected five North Korean drones across the Demarcation Line separating the two Koreas on Dec. 26, with one drone briefly entering a 3.7-kilometer (2.2 miles) radius no-fly zone near its presidential office.

Following the incursion, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol urged his aides to consider terminating the 2018 inter-Korean military deal if North Korea continued to invade South Koreas territory. Termination of the deal could result in the resumption of live-fire drills along the demarcation line.

Japan, South Korea Mend Ties

North Koreas military provocations have brought South Korea, Japan, and the United States closer together.

In November last year, Kishida held talks with Yoon on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Nations (ASEAN) summit in Cambodia. The two leaders agreed to resolve pending issues between their nations and work together to deter North Korea.

They condemned North Koreas missile tests as a serious threat to global security and agreed to implement an early resolution to the wartime forced labor dispute stemming from Japans colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula between 1910 and 1945.

At the Japan-ROK summit, I confirmed with President Yoon that we would work together to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific along with the North Korea issue, Kishida told reporters on Nov. 13, 2022.

The two leaders also held a trilateral meeting with Biden in Cambodia, during which they vowed a strong and resolute response from the international community if North Korea launched a nuclear attack while urging North Korea to return to diplomacy.

Biden described Japan and South Korea as critical allies of the United States, with their relations becoming more aligned than ever in the face of North Koreas spate of missile launches.

This partnership is even more important than its ever been, he said in the meeting. Were also deepening our cooperation and collaboration on a range of other challenges.
Editors note: Leaders of Tomorrow is a series published every other week that profiles area youth who are doing good things in the community and leading by example. Be sure to check out the video with this story on our website, columbustelegram.com. You can also check out previously published stories in this series on columbustelegram.com.

Academic, social, ambitious  all are words used by school counselor Bethany Seehusen to describe Columbus Highs Rafael Azpeitia, Jr.

The son of Ana and Rafael Azpeitia of Columbus, Azpeitia has made a positive impact through S.T.R.I.V.E., a program at CHS in which 10th through 12th graders volunteer to help tutor their younger peers.

Seehusen, who manages the group, said they meet every Monday for 30 minutes during homeroom. In the cafeteria, the tutors meet with their tutees  the person they are tutoring. A few weeks ago, Seehusen said she had been struggling to communicate with a student who understand more Spanish than English.

Azpeitia, whose tutee didnt make that session, volunteered to help out the student as he knows a good amount of Spanish.

I could see her being a little bit more comfortable immediately. So that was really kind of him, Seehusen said.

Azpeitia also went out of his way to organize students to talk about S.T.R.I.V.E. to parents and guardians during parent/teacher conferences this past fall, Seehusen added. Administrative approval was needed, so Seehusen provided him a sign-up sheet he would need to complete, which he filled out within a day and then asked about getting more fliers made to hand out to people.

Those efforts led to S.T.R.I.V.E. getting eight additional tutees.

He's very good at being given directions and doing it. But he does it to the best of his ability and then some, Seehusen said, adding Azpeitia had also reviewed tutoring documents and noted a shortfall in math and economics, as well as helped in recruiting more tutors.

Azpeitita, 17, said the program helps students feel comfortable in seeking the extra help they need.

Normally with tutoring, you kind of feel down about yourself and ashamed that you need tutoring but at Columbus High School, they make you feel like it's OK to get tutored. Everybody has that ability to get a tutor if they need to, he said.

Azpeitia can also be seen helping others in many other ways, including through a fairly new club at CHS called B.I.O.N.I.C. (Believe It Or Not, I Care).

We have three committees  the encouragement, welcoming and birthday committees. The whole goal of the club is to make high school a more welcoming and lovely place to be part of, Azpeitia said.

The group holds activities and does acts of kindness for the CHS community, such as dodgeball days for freshmen, a hot dog and barbecue for freshmen and new students and celebrating teachers birthdays by putting up birthday posters on their doors on their special day.

It just helps show how much we care about them, he added.

B.I.O.N.I.C. was started last year, Seehusen said, and this is the first full school year for the club. Azpeitia was voted as president of the club by his peers.

With that honor, he has kind of been behind all of the activities that they do, she said.

Azpeitias other involvement includes National Honor Society, Latino leadership, Key Club, student ambassador (he gives new students tours and checks on them at the end of the week to see how theyre doing), HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America) and VolunTEEN, which is a teen volunteer program at Columbus Community Hospital.

In my work there, I feel like it's helped me develop some leadership skills and really enhance my interest in the health care field, Azpeitia said of VolunTEEN.

Azpeitia is also employed as a certified nursing assistant at Emerald Nursing and Rehab in Columbus.

You get to interact with residents and really see their side of things and give them a voice whenever something isn't up to par with how it should be, he said.

He added he enjoys helping people because it makes him feel good to know that hes done something that makes a difference in someones life.

Azpeitia, a senior, said he hopes to become an OB-GYN.

Recently, my interest for the health care field has skyrocketed, especially since I've started to work as a nursing assistant in a nursing home, Azpeitia said. I've seen how that field really needs some help and could use some improvements.

After graduating from high school, Azpeitia said hes considering attending the University of Nebraska-Omaha to potentially major in biology and minor in public health and Latin American studies. For sure, he added, he hopes for the minor in Latin American studies.

I really feel like it would help me learn more about Latin culture and everything like that, Azpeitia said. As a Mexican, you can only see one side of things, but there's so many different aspects of everything that you just never know about.

That shouldnt be too hard to accomplish, he added, as he will have 43 dual credits when he graduates from CHS.

I wont have to be stressing about having such difficult course load because Ill pretty much have my generals out of the way, Azpeitia said. I really applaud Columbus High School for offering so many opportunities for our students, for doing that.

Azpeitia said his hope is to someday make an impact.

Being in the medical field, hopefully, would be able to give me a voice and help me make an impact where impact is really needed, especially for certain communities, he said.

Seehusen added Azpeitia is one who encourages his peers to try their best.

I know he wants to be in the medical profession, Seehusen said. Even if that is or is not what he ends up doing, I know for a fact he will be a leader wherever he is, because of the way that he communicates his ideas and his passion for people. He sees people struggle and it doesn't take him but one second to realize, hey, this person needs somebody to lean on. And he's there.

But, she added, he doesnt extend a helping hand in a way that is intrusive or in someones face.

He's there to serve them, and it's very clear that his motives are very pure, she said. I like that about him. I will miss him a lot when he graduates.

According to Seehusen, Azpeitia is already making an impact through the CHS community.

I think that he's putting roots down in Columbus that will fester, in the most positive way of using that word, to be fruitful for years to come, Seehusen said, noting that his influence on those who are struggling will have a ripple effect that will encourage them to pay it forward in the future. I think that his example is not going to die necessarily when he graduates, I think that it will continue because of the momentum that he has put forth in the last four years.
US Senators Warn President Biden Against Providing Australia With Nuclear Subs

U.S. President Joe Biden participates in a virtual press conference on national security with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson (R) and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 15, 2021. The three leaders announced the AUKUS defence partnership between their countries. (Brendan Smialkowski/AFP via Getty Images)

Two U.S. Senators have raised major concerns over the trilateral AUKUS deal between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, saying that the supply of U.S. nuclear-powered submarines (SSN) to Australia could weaken Americas submarine fleet.

In a letter sent to the Biden Administration on Dec. 21, 2022, Senators Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and James Inhofe (R-Okla.) warned that the AUKUS deal would leave the U.S. Navy without sufficient submarines, while taking decades to supply the Australian fleet, reported Breaking Defense.

We urge you to adopt a do no harm approach to AUKUS negotiations and ensure that sovereign U.S. national security capabilities will not be diminished as we work to build this strategic partnership with Australia and the United Kingdom over the coming decades, the senators wrote to U.S. President Joe Biden, reported Breaking Defense.

We are concerned that what was initially touted as a do no harm opportunity to support Australia and the United Kingdom and build long-term competitive advantages for the U.S. and its Pacific allies, may be turning into a zero-sum game for scarce, highly advanced U.S. SSNs.

We believe current conditions require a sober assessment of the facts to avoid stressing the U.S. submarine industrial base to the breaking point.

The Senators said that while they recognized that providing Australia with U.S. submarines could counter an aggressive Beijing in the long term, such a goal will take decades to achieve, and we cannot simply ignore contemporary realities in the meantime.

The Epoch Times has reached out to the White House and Senator Jack Reeds office to verify the authenticity of the report but did not receive a response by press time.

Senator Reed is the chairman of the United States Senate Committee on Armed Services, while Senator Inhofe was a ranking member of the committee until his recent retirement.

The bipartisan intervention is the first time members of U.S. Congress have raised concerns over the AUKUS deal, and comes three months before the Australian government unveils its nuclear submarine plan.

US Lawmakers Say Understanding Legal Impacts of AUKUS Needed

In their letter to the White House, the Senators said that the AUKUS deal had industrial, statutory, and regulatory constraints.

We still have little understanding of what  permissions or waivers would be needed to realize the AUKUS SSN options, the Senators wrote, reported Breaking Defense.

These permissions or waivers are a serious matter and should not be taken for granted in negotiating any agreements.

Meanwhile, members of the 2022 House Armed Services Committee have embraced the AUKUS deal, even passing legislation to train Australian naval personnel, but remained hesitant on the extent the United States can assist Australia at the expense of its own navy fleet.

Theres been a lot of talk about well, the Australians would just buy a U.S. submarine. Thats not going to happen, Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Va.) said in December, reported Breaking Defense.

I just dont see how were going to build a submarine and sell it to Australia during that time.

In September 2021, Biden announced a trilateral security agreement between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, known as AUKUS.

The announcement launched an intensive 18-month consultation period among the three governments to seek an optimal pathway for delivering a conventionally-armed, nuclear-powered submarine capability to Australia at the earliest achievable date.

The Navy is playing a key leadership role in developing this plan to ensure that our nations preeminent expertise is applied to the nuclear-powered submarine initiative, according a May 2022 statement (pdf) by Admiral Michael Gilday, Chief of U.S. Naval Operations.

We are focused on ensuring Australia understands the full scope of capabilities necessary to design, build, operate, and maintain a nuclear navy. AUKUS represents a tremendous strategic opportunity for the United States to expand our cooperation and collaboration with two of our closest allies, and we are on pace to respond to the Presidents tasking.

The Navy is also uniquely equipped to contest gray zone incrementalism by our adversaries.

US Subs to Bridge Australias Capability Gap

Peter Dutton, former Australian defence minister and now Opposition Leader previously said that securing a small number of Virginia-class submarines off-the-shelf would be the best way for Australia to lessen the capability gap between the current Collins Class fleet and the arrival of locally made nuclear-powered submarines.

The capability gap would mean that extending the aging diesel-powered Collins Class submarines will likely need to be extended.

Former U.S. Navy Secretary Richard Spencer, who served as secretary of the U.S. Navy during the Trump administration, said in November 2022 that the U.S. Navy should provide more help to defend Australias waters until it acquires its own nuclear submarines in response to the rising threat from Beijing.

I believe it is difficult to say, We are your ally, and we are here to support you when you are sitting at the tip of the spear, but its going to be 10 years until we deliver the critical piece of gear you need, Spencer told The Australian.

Chinese state-run media Global Times has called AUKUS a tool to stir trouble and create suspicion about the Chinese regimes intentions.

Australias Defence Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles has yet to respond to the latest concerns but previously said he believes the 2030 deadline for the country to have nuclear subs in our waters is optimistic in the extreme.

The White House, Senator Jack Reeds office, and Australias Defence Ministers Office have been approached for comment.

Daniel Y. Teng, Rebecca Zhu, and Victoria Kelly-Clark contributed to this report.
US to Send $3.75 Billion in Military Aid to Ukraine, Its Neighbors

Soldiers follow a Marder infantry fighting vehicle during a demonstration event held for the media by the German Bundeswehr in Bergen near Hannover, Germany, on Sept. 28, 2011. (Michael Sohn/AP Photo)

WASHINGTONThe United States will send $3.75 billion in military weapons and other aid to Ukraine and its neighbors on NATOs eastern flank, the White House announced Friday, as Russias invasion of Ukraine grinds on.

The latest tranche of assistance will include for the first time Bradley armored vehicles for Ukraine. The armored carrier is used to transport troops to combat and is known as a tank-killer because of the anti-tank missile it can fire.

The biggest U.S. assistance package to date for Kyiv includes a $2.85 billion drawdown from the Pentagons stocks that will be sent directly to Ukraine and $225 million in foreign military financing to build the long-term capacity and support modernization of Ukraines military, according to the White House. It also includes $682 million in foreign military financing for European allies to help backfill donations of military equipment theyve made to Ukraine.

The war is at a critical point and we must do everything we can to help the Ukrainians resist Russian aggression, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in announcing the aid.

The direct assistance for Ukraine includes 50 Bradleys as well as 500 anti-tank missiles and 250,000 rounds of ammunition for the carriers. The United States is also sending 100 M113 armored personnel carriers, 55 mine-resistant ambush protected vehicles, or MRAPS, and 138 Humvees, as well as ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems and air defense systems and other weapons and thousands of rounds of artillery, according to the Pentagon.

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the Bradleys will be particularly useful to Ukraine in ongoing heavy fighting in largely rural areas of eastern Ukraine.

Its very much tied to the war that were seeing on the ground right now and what we anticipate well see throughout the winter months, Kirby said.

Critics have complained that the United States has been too slow to provide key weapons such as the Bradleys and battle tanks like the Abrams, saying they could have helped in the fight last year.

At the Pentagon, Laura Cooper, the deputy assistant secretary for Russia and Ukraine, said this is the right time to provide the Bradley. The Ukrainians have demonstrated a lot of growing proficiency in maintenance and sustainment, she said.

She added that the U.S.-led training set to begin later this month will enable troops to operate, maintain and repair the weapons and that providing tanks, such as the Pentagons more complex, gas guzzling, heavily armored M1 Abrams tank, would require more maintenance and other training.

The new U.S. package was detailed by the White House and Pentagon as Germany announced it would supply around 40 Marder armored personnel carriers to Ukraine in this years first quarter.

Germany announced its intention to send the Marder APCs following a phone call between Chancellor Olaf Scholz and President Joe Biden on Thursday.

These 40 vehicles should be ready in the first quarter already so that they can be handed over to Ukraine, Scholzs spokesman, Steffen Hebestreit, told reporters in Berlin. Germany plans to train Ukrainian forces to use the vehicles, and Hebestreit said experts expect that process to take around eight weeks.

Germany has already given significant military aid, including howitzers, Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft guns and an IRIS-T surface-to-air missile system, with three more of those set to follow this year.

Scholz has long been wary of pressure to supply the Marder and other, heavier Western-made vehicles such as tanks, insisting that Germany wouldnt go it alone with such deliveries. Officials noted that other countries hadnt supplied any. But this week, France, the United States and Germany all announced plans to send comparable armored vehicles that fall short of tanks.

Germany last year championed deals in which eastern NATO allies sent familiar Soviet-era equipment to Ukraine, with Germany in turn supplying those countries with more modern Western-made equipment.

Hebestreit said there had been talks with the United States and others since mid-December on how to support Ukraine going forward. He said the possibility of supplying Soviet-produced equipment is slowly coming to an end, while the situation in Ukraine is changing with massive Russian strikes on infrastructure and fighting that could increase when the weather warms up.

Ukraine and a number of German lawmakers inside and outside Scholzs governing coalition also have called for Germany to deliver Leopard 2 battle tanks. Advocates of delivering the Leopard were cheered by the move on Marder APCs and vowed to keep pressing the point.

But Hebestreit said that battle tanks werent an issue in Thursdays call between Scholz and Biden. He said Germany will stick to its principles of supporting Ukraine as strongly as possible, while not going it alone on weapons supplies and ensuring that NATO doesnt become a party to Russias war in Ukraine.

Germany also said Thursday that it will follow the United States in supplying a Patriot air defense missile battery to Ukraine. That was at the request of the United States and also is expected in the first quarter, Hebestreit said.

It comes on top of Patriot systems that Germany has sent or plans to send to Slovakia and Poland.

By Lolita C. Baldor and Matthew Lee
US Warship Sails Through Sensitive Taiwan Strait

The USS Chung-Hoon passes the USS Arizona Memorial during ceremonies honoring the 73rd anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor at the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument in Honolulu on Dec. 7, 2014. (Hugh Gentry/Reuters)

WASHINGTONA U.S. warship sailed through the sensitive Taiwan Strait on Thursday, part of what the U.S. military calls routine activity but which has riled China.

In recent years, U.S. warships, and on occasion those from allied nations such as Britain and Canada, have sailed through the strait, drawing the ire of the Chinese communist regime, which claims Taiwan against the objections of its democratically elected government.

In a statement, the U.S. military said the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer Chung-Hoon carried out the transit.

Chung-Hoons transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the United States commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific, the statement added.

In a statement, Liu Pengyu, spokesman for Chinas embassy in Washington, said the Chinese regime firmly opposed the move.

A spokesman for the Eastern Theatre Command of the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army said it organized troops to monitor and guard the ships transit, and all movements were under control.

The USS Chung-Hoon sits ready to be placed in active service before its commissioning ceremony on Ford Island at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on Sept. 18, 2004. (Lucy Pemoni/Reuters)

Taiwans Defense Ministry said the ship sailed in a northerly direction through the strait, that its forces had monitored its passage and observed nothing out of the ordinary.

The narrow Taiwan Strait has been a frequent source of military tension since the defeated Republic of China government fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a civil war with the communists, who established the Peoples Republic of China.

The United States has no formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, but is bound by law to provide the island with the means to defend itself.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has never ruled out using force to bring Taiwan under its control. Taiwan vows to defend itself if attacked, saying the CCPs sovereignty claims are void as the Peoples Republic of China has never governed the island.

A Chinese military plane came within 10 feet (3 meters) of a U.S. air force aircraft in the contested South China Sea last month and forced it to take evasive maneuvers to avoid a collision in international airspace.

The close encounter followed what the United States has called a recent trend of increasingly dangerous behavior by Chinese military aircraft.
Venus Williams out of Australian Open Due to Injury

Venus Williams, of the United States, reacts during her first-round doubles match with Serena Williams, against Lucie Hradecka and Linda Noskova, of the Czech Republic, at the U.S. Open tennis championships, N.Y., on Sept. 1, 2022. (Frank Franklin II/AP Photo)

MELBOURNE, AustraliaVenus Williams has withdrawn from the Australian Open for an undisclosed injury she sustained while playing in a tournament in Auckland, New Zealand this week.

A seven-time Grand Slam singles champion, Williams received a wild-card entry into the Australian Open last month to compete in what would have been her 22nd major at Melbourne Park.

But the Australian Open said on Saturday the 42-year-old Williams had withdrawn from the tournament beginning Jan. 16. It did not provide specifics regarding the injury.

It continues a run of misfortunes for Williams, who last played at Melbourne Park in 2021.

A two-time Australian Open finalist, Williams injured an ankle and knee in that appearance when stumbling awkwardly at the net in a second-round match against Sara Errani.

Her best efforts at Melbourne Park came when she was beaten by her sister Serena Williams in finals in 2003 and 2017.

Now ranked 1,003, Williams said when granted the wild card in December that she was excited to be returning to Melbourne.

Ive been competing in the country for over 20 years now and the Australian community has always supported me wholeheartedly, she said.

The five-time Wimbledon singles champion has struggled with injuries over the past two years and was restricted to playing just four tournaments in the U.S. last August. She did not progress beyond the first round in those events and ended her season when beaten by Alison van Uytvanck at the U.S. Open.

But she started 2023 on a positive note by defeating fellow American Katie Volynets in Auckland. She was then beaten by Chinas Zhu Lin in three sets in the second round.

By Courtney Walsh
The Committee on the Present Danger: China hosted an expert panel on Jan. 5 investigating how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) profits from forced organ harvesting with help from the West.

The webinar addresses the nature and vast scale of the CCPs forced organ harvesting; its use on Falun Gong practitioners, Uyghurs, and others the CCP regards as opponents, racially inferior, or simply expendable; the Big Data enabling of this practicesome of which is now being collected from unsuspecting Americans and may result in their organs being harvested in the future; the help the CCP is getting from doctors and others inside China and abroad; the CCPs export of this practice and related technology/systems, making forcibly removed human organs a cash cow for other odious regimes; and what the public should do to stop organ genocide in China and beyond.

Moderator

Frank Gaffney, executive chairman of the Center for Security Policy, host of Securing America with Frank Gaffney on Real Americas Voice Network, and vice-chair for the Committee on the Present Danger: China

Panelists

Dr. Torsten Trey: Founder, Doctors Against Forced Organ Harvesting (DAFOH.org); author, An Unprecedented Evil Persecution: A Genocide Against Goodness in Humankind  Topic: Forced Organ Harvesting in the Peoples Republic of China for Profit and Genocide

David Matas, Esq.: Canadian international human rights lawyer; co-founder, the International Coalition to End Transplant Abuse in China; co-author, 2006 report and subsequent book entitled, Bloody Harvest: The Killing of Falun Gong for their Organs; nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 2010  Topic: The CCPs Weaponizing of Organ Genocide Against Its Unwanted

Dr. G. Weldon Gilcrease: Associate Professor, Oncology Division, University of Utah School of Medicine; a Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) investigator  Topic: Western Enablers of the CCPs Organ Genocide  the Thousand Talents Program and More
Western Australian Towns to Be Islands in Flooded North

A supplied image obtained on Jan. 6, 2023 shows an aerial view of flooding at Fitzroy crossing in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. A 50 km-wide inland sea is surging towards the Kimberley coast after the swollen Fitzroy River devastated the town of Fitzroy Crossing earlier in the week. (AAP Image/Supplied by Western Australia Police Force)

Residents in two major Western Australian towns have been warned their communities are about to become islands, amid the states worst flooding on record.

A 50 kilometre (31 miles) wide inland sea is surging towards the Kimberley coast after the swollen Fitzroy River devastated the town of Fitzroy Crossing earlier in the week.

Emergency Services Minister Stephen Dawson warned residents they would become isolated by floodwaters.

Be under no illusions, Derby will be an island in the next few days, it will be cut off, Dawson told reporters on Jan. 6.

The weather and the water, its coming towards it so there will be isolation for probably Broome and Derby.

This is only starting and weve got days of this ahead of us.

The massive flood peak that reached a record 15.81 metre in Fitzroy Crossing late on Jan. 4 slammed into the tiny Indigenous community of Noonkanbah, 280 kilometre east Broome, on Jan. 6.

Water will be fast flowing and levels will rise quickly, Dawson said.

This emergency situation is still evolving. Its the worst flood disaster in our states history.

Looma and Willare are also flooded, with dozens of others isolated, after seven-day rainfall totals up to 600 millimetres were recorded across the region.

Emergency workers continue to rescue residents, as a massive operation involving the Australian Defence Force gets underway to ensure essential supplies reach cut-off communities and pastoral stations.

A 400 kilometre section of the Great Northern Highway south of Broome has been closed and a 500 km part of the same freight route between Willare and Halls Creek remains shut.

Authorities say more Australian Defence Force (ADF) support may be needed and it could take weeks, if not months, for the only road transport link to the north of the state to reopen due to road and bridge damage.

The unprecedented flooding has been caused by ex-tropical cyclone Ellie, which on Jan. 6 afternoon was about 300 kilometres southeast of Broome.

The slow-moving weather system started moving southeast on Jan. 6 and is expected to move further inland towards the Northern Territory over the weekend and weaken.

People in the area are warned that isolated rainfall totals of up 60 millimetres are possible as the system moves out of the region.

Meanwhile, major flooding continues in the western NSW town of Menindee, where the Darling River is expected to break the 1976 record of 10.47 metres in coming days.

The bureau expects the waterway to reach 10.5 metres but warns it could rise to 10.7 metres.
Whartons Majoring in Woke CapitalismSome Are Taking an Elective in Dissent

Commentary

One of Americas storied Ivy League executive training grounds is elevating a view of capitalism that shuns the very enterprises from which its namesake made his fortune: In 2023, the University of Pennsylvanias Wharton School will offer a new major called Environmental, Social and Governance Factors for Business.

The nations first business school was founded in 1881 by Joseph Wharton, an industrialist who made a killing in mining and manufacturing, the sorts of dirty industries that ESG proponents disfavor. Now, the school that bears his name will have the distinction of becoming the first prominent institution to offer an ESG degree.

Skeptics, including former faculty and alumni of the school, many of whom spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of recriminations, fear the MBA program could serve as progressivism in business sheepskin clothing. One recent graduate warned against a one-sided presentation of left-wing politics used to justify increasing the power of the state in markets and firms while demonizing capitalism.

Observers suggested the schools embrace of ESG could not only presage similar curriculum changes at business schools nationwide, but also change the character of the corporate C-suites that the schools graduates tend to populate. The thinking is that ESG-focused students will matriculate to ESG-focused executive positions in an already socially conscious corporate America, creating a feedback loop that could have an indelible impact not just on U.S.-style capitalism, but on America itself.

By creating a major [in ESG] at Wharton you are helping to legitimize it, said another graduate.

Proponents of Whartons new direction, such as Penn professor Witold J. Henisz, see it as a way to enhance capitalisms efficiency. Henisz, vice dean and faculty director of Whartons ESG Initiative, told RealClearInvestigations that by incorporating pollution, human rights, and other ESG impacts into financial analyses, market participants can properly price such externalities and mitigate associated risks.

In a recent opinion piece challenging critics of the anti-ESG or anti-woke investment movement, Henisz said: Climate risk is investment risk. There is no credible other side, only an ideological opposition cynically seeking a wedge issue for upcoming political campaigns.

Related: Wharton Wokeness Decades in the Making

When RCI asked Henisz to clarify his remarks, he said: I believe that the science on climate risk as investment risk is settled. I do not see substantive academically grounded debate on this point.

There are, by contrast, he added, legitimate questions as to how, when and where climate risk poses investment risk and we encourage all such discourse, research and debate.

One recent graduate, Isaiah Berg, told RCI that Heniszs comments were sad to see, noting that there are good faith disagreements that exist around ESG topics. If Heniszs intent was not to persuade, but instead to intimidate those who might otherwise speak up and disagree, he likely achieved his goal.

Others expressed similar concerns. Alex Edmans, a former Wharton professor who earned tenure at the school in part based on his writings on ESG, is a qualified supporter of the schools push into the space.

But in a recent paper responding to Heniszs remarks, Edmans said ESG is not a debate on which you have to take a sideits a subject.  peoples stance on a subject should evolve with the evidence rather than being anchored on a side. To be closed to the possibility of valid concerns is contrary to a culture of learning, and to assume that counterarguments are politically motivated is itself cynical.

Nevertheless, Edmans told RCI, he supports Whartons introduction of the ESGB majorwith two conditions. First, the courses should be taught by professors with substantial expertise, he said. Other schools have launched such courses because they are popular, and faculty have suddenly reinvented themselves as ESG experts; as a result, such courses are based on wishful thinking, not scientific evidence.

Second, the courses should cover research and evidence on both sides of the issue, rather than only what people would like to hear.

Although those speaking out lamented that there was a distinct chill over expressing dissenting views, Edmans and recent graduates noted that in their personal experience, Wharton professors strained not to bias their presentations in classes.

As one recent alumnus recalled, when the subject of shareholder (traditional) capitalism versus stakeholder (ESG) capitalism arose in a business ethics class, Our professor asserted that there is no data to indicate that either guiding philosophy necessarily resulted in a better-run company. He gave examples of how either philosophy could lead to higher shareholder returns, and counter-examples of how each philosophy, when taken to its logical extreme, could lead a company astray.

The alumnus also emphasized that in classes where green matters came up, the analytic methods students learned would have generally led them to see policies such as the Democratic Partys Green New Deal as a blend of wishful thinking and pure nonsense.

We did study climate change and its implications, the alum added, but there was no detectable ideological indoctrination.

Cast as a milestone in what the New York Times recently termed an anticapitalist march through Americas elite business schools, Whartons move parallels the advance of what critics call woke capitalism in boardrooms, already illustrated in the vast majority of major U.S. companies touting their ESG bona fides in regulatory filings, and every Fortune 100 company having adopted a DEI program.

Wharton leaders invoke Joseph Whartons call, in founding the school, for it to help solve social problems incident to our civilization in justifying the new ESG emphasis.

In addition to the ESGB major, graduate students will likewise be able to major in one of its social sub-components, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). Wharton undergraduates, all of whom receive degrees in economics, will be able to specialize in these areas by pursuing equivalent concentrations.

The majors are an outgrowth of Heniszs ESG Initiative, established at Wharton this past July. Its programs have produced research papers with titles like Gas, Guns, and Governments: Financial Costs of Anti-ESG Policies; When Gender is Central; and Prospects for an Animal-Friendly Business Ethics.

We want to demonstrate that business can be a force for positive change on issues like climate and human rights, said Henisz after its launchchange, he said, that requires the data, the business case, training and mobilization, and more that we aim to bring together through this initiative.

At least 9 percent of the 877 students in Whartons 2024 class will major in ESGB based on the number of currently declared majors in Business, Energy, Environment and Sustainability, which will become a specialization under the ESGB major when formally introduced next fall, according to figures provided by Henisz.

Some required classes will includeon the environmental side of ESGClimate and Financial Markets and The Business & Governance of Water. In the social and governance realms, courses include Social Impact and Responsibility and Reforming Mass Incarceration and the Role of Business.

Whartons accelerating push into ESG has coincided with the 2020 appointment of Erika H. James as dean of the school. James has made promoting ESG on campus one of her top strategic priorities.

During her first year as president, she launched a discussion series on how systemic racism impacts business and society as a whole, and ways it can be confronted. She also hosted a Juneteenth conversation with the doyen of anti-racism, Ibram X. Kendiin keeping with the universitys stated unwavering commitment to advancing racial equity and social justice in our nation.

In 2021, James led a discussion series on ESGdescribed in related literature as the unifying lens by which to evaluate companies stated efforts to do more than just make a profit. That series sought to highlight how organizations could improve on their ESG practices and responsibly drive impact.

James administration has been practicing what it is preaching, hiring a chief DEI officer this past fall, and increasing Whartons proportion of female students to a majority for the first time in its history, and first among the top 10-rated business schools in the country, in its 2023 MBA class.

A recent fundraising appeal to alumni highlights the schools ESG emphasisone it evidently believes will resonate with the investment bankers, management consultants, and technology executives it educated. Wharton students want to be part of companies seeking employees with skills and academic knowledge grounded in ESG, because ESG is good for both business and society, wrote James, who did not respond to RCIs questions in connection with this story.

Henisz told RCI that in recent years, students had grown increasingly interested in taking electives in the ESG area, demanding more courses and greater cohesion. Schools themselves are also businesses, and with leading MBA programs reporting a drop in applications, it could be that they are trying to cater to students to grow their applicant poolsalong with like-minded donors as reflected in James appeal. Meanwhile, major corporations are devoting increasing focus to sustainability and other ESG-related areas, creating a growing demand for prepared graduates.

Indoctrination in the Application Process

One recent Wharton graduate told RCI that indoctrination in ESG/DEI-related subjects is baked into business schools before students ever enter them. It starts right in the applications, he says, which, in his experience applying to top business schools, is embodied in essay prompts like How are you going to change the world? He believes such leading questions naturally lend themselves to emphasizing ESG. Never do they ask, how are you going to preserve the status quo? Or, how are you going to protect the American system, capitalist system?

Wharton, at least when he applied, avoided asking such questions. This graduate added that when major investment banks came to campus to recruit students, the whole Wall Street recruiting process was chock full of DEI stuff, as well as blatant discrimination in my opinion. Recruiting emails obtained by RCI show financial services firms offering prospective Wharton applicants individual break-out sessions broken by affinity groups including women, blacks, Hispanics, Native Americans, LGBTQ candidates, and other underrepresented peoples. Many banks also advertised diversity fellowships for graduate students.

Other than Asian and white men, everyone else had extra sessions made available to them with the banks, said the alumnus. He claims one could draw a line from this incremental facetime, and inherent identity politics, to who got the internships.

The increasing emphasis on ESG in leading business schools comes at a potentially precarious time for the movement given the mounting backlash against it intellectually, politically, and practically as ESG-related investment returns languish.

Some off-campus ESG critics believe the introduction of such majors could diminish the schools academic seriousness, if not the long-term job prospects of students.

Vivek Ramaswamy, author of Woke, Inc. and co-founder of Strive Asset Management, which has created several depoliticized investment vehicles, told RCI that The inclusion of the ESG/DEI major goes hand-in-glove with affirmative action: the latter lowers the overall quality of students that Wharton admits, which necessitates intellectually lightweight majors like ESG and DEI.

Another critic, Andy Puzder, former CEO of CKE Enterprises and onetime Trump administration nominee to head the Department of Labor, told RCI: I dont think there is anything wrong with majoring in ESG or DEI, but I suspect it will be much like majoring in gender studies. Over time, job opportunities outside of teaching will be limited absent activist governments and asset managers.

Stephen Soukup, author of The Dictatorship of Woke Capital says that B-schools have now positioned themselves in opposition to the actual marketplace of ideas, citing the work of like-minded scholars such as RealClearFoundations Rupert Darwall, the Competitive Enterprise Institutes Richard Morrison, and Ramaswamy, as having pretty thoroughly discredited the intellectual underpinnings of the ESG/stakeholder movements.

But by the same token, he warns, Weve lost the institutional fight. The pro-ESG forces control the federal bureaucracy, the universities and B-Schools, and other institutions.  They can keep this clearly destructive, clearly disproven scheme going indefinitely, which will result in serious damage to capital markets and the economy more broadly.

From RealClearWire
White House Offers Reassurances on National Security Amid Speaker Fight

State Department voiced concern over delay in choosing new Speaker of the House

National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby speaks during the daily briefing in the James S Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on Nov. 28, 2022. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)

One day after a State Department spokesperson warned that the ongoing Speaker of the House battle could eventually raise concerns related to the United States national security, a White House spokesperson offered a less alarming narrative.

I dont want to speculate about how long things would go before there would be some deeper concern about national security implications, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on Jan. 6.

Were confident that we can continue to defend the United States of America while House Republicans are working through this process, he continued, adding that there are vehicles in place for national security-related communications between the White House, the Senate, and the House of Representatives.

State Department spokesperson Ned Price had said Jan. 5 that the grinding dispute over this Congresss speakership could prove problematic from a national security perspective.

The U.S. Congress has indispensable functions when it comes to Americas foreign policy. Theres an important oversight role. Theres an important authorization role. Theres an important appropriations role. Theres an important voice to be had when it comes to the direction of American foreign policy, he said during a press briefing.

A reporter asked Price about delays in national security briefings of House members while the Speaker fight continues.

Members must be sworn in to receive the security screening necessary for those briefingsbut they cannot be sworn in until a Speaker is chosen.

The first few days of any congressional term usually is spent on procedural elements like this, but of course, if this continues on, there will be additional concerns. Im sure we will hear additional concerns from the Hill as well, Price said.

He later added that keeping Congress abreast of national security issues is much more difficult while the House is not yet seated.

Republican allies of speaker hopeful Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) have voiced worry over the national security threat of a continued delay in choosing a Speaker, in line with concerns expressed by House Democrats like former CIA officer Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.)

The Biden administration is going unchecked and there is no oversight of the White House, State Department, Department of Defense, or the intelligence community. We cannot let personal politics place the safety and security of the United States at risk, wrote House Foreign Affairs Committee ranking member Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), House Armed Services Committee ranking member Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), and House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence ranking member Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio), who are expected to lead those key national security committees in the new Congress, in a Jan 5 press release.

A handful of Members are holding us hostage from doing our job and putting our national security at risk! wrote Rep. Donald Bacon (R-Neb.) in a Jan. 5 tweet.

Bloomberg reported on Jan. 6 that McCarthys deal to become speaker could involve a $75 billion cut to defense spending. The move, which could appeal to more dovish Democrats, has already drawn backlash from Republican hawks such as former Wyoming congresswoman Liz Cheney.

China and Russia are watching. If @GOPLeader [McCarthy] agreed to weaken our national defense for his own personal gain, that will be his legacy, and our nation will suffer, Cheney wrote on Twitter.

Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Laura Cooper did not indicate that the prospect of such a deal concerned her during a Jan. 6 press briefing.

We have enjoyed tremendous bipartisan support for Ukraine security assistance, and while I certainly would imagine that the details of that assistance will evolve over time, I still would anticipate strong support from the U.S. Congress, she said.

The contest for Speaker of the House hasnt taken more than one round of votes since 1923, and it hasnt involved this many rounds since the nineteenth century.

The most protracted battle came in 1856, when Congress took 133 ballots over two months to elect Nathaniel Prentiss Banks to the position.

State Department Versus White House in History

The White House and the State Department havent always seen eye to eye in recent presidential administrations.

As president, Donald Trump was repeatedly frustrated by leaks from agencies nominally under his control, including the State Department. One internal State Department memo on the hazard of leaks was itself leaked to the press.

During the twilight of the Cold War, President Ronald Reagan famously clashed with his State Department over the famous speech he delivered at Brandenburg Gate in 1987, within sight of the Berlin Wall.

Speechwriter Peter Robinson, now a Hoover Institution fellow, recalled in 2007 the lengthy process of approving the addresss most famous lineMr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!

With three weeks to go before it was delivered, the speech was circulated to the State Department and the National Security Council. Both attempted to squelch it, he wrote for the U.S. National Archives and Records Administrations Prologue magazine.

According to Robinson, Reagan ultimately resolved to deliver the famous line while driving to the wall, telling aide Ken Duberstein that the boys at State are going to kill me, but its the right thing to do.
White House Pushed Facebook to Censor Tucker Carlson on COVID-19 Vaccines: AG Landry

The White House pressured Facebook to take action against Fox News host Tucker Carlson for supposedly saying COVID-19 vaccines dont work, according to a document released by Louisianas Republican Attorney General Jeff Landry, who characterized the move as a request to censor the journalist.

Landry shared the documentan email exchange between White House Director of Digital Strategy Rob Flaherty and an unidentified Facebook employeein a Jan. 7 post on Twitter, with the comment: Rob Flaherty tells facebook to censor Tucker Carlson.

Since weve been on the phonethe top post about vaccines today is [T]ucker Carlson saying they dont work. Yesterday it was Tomi Lehren [sic] saying she wont take one, Flaherty reportedly said in the message to the Facebook staffer, whose name and email address have been redacted.

This is exactly why I want to know what Reduction actually looks likeif reduction means pumping our most vaccine hesitant audience with [T]ucker Carlson saying it doesnt work then  Im not sure its reduction! Flaherty continued, per the document shared by Landry.

Signaling action regarding the request, the unidentified Facebook employee then reportedly wrote: Running this down now.

Rob Flaherty tells facebook to censor @tuckercarlson pic.twitter.com/mxUT2C8nna  AG Jeff Landry (@AGJeffLandry) January 6, 2023

The Epoch Times has reached out with a request for comment to Facebook parent Meta, Fox News Channel, and the White House, but no reply was received by publication.

Hard Evidence of Government Collusion With Big Tech

Landry, together with Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, sued the Biden administration in May 2022 for allegedly pressuring and colluding with social media giants to suppress free speech.

Schmitt on Jan. 5 was sworn in as a U.S. senator and has been replaced in his role as Missouri attorney general by Andrew Bailey.

Bailey took to Twitter on Jan. 7 to say that when he took the oath of office, he swore he would protect the Constitution and explained why.

We now have hard evidence that President Bidens Administration colluded with social media companies to censor differing viewpoints and silence misinformation that was later deemed true, Bailey wrote in a series of posts.

Bailey shared a screenshot of an email from White House COVID-19 Digital Director Clarke E. Humphrey to an unidentified Twitter employee with the subject line Flagging Hank Aaron misinfo and requesting the Twitter staff to get moving on the process for having it removed ASAP.

In her request, Humphrey provided a link to a Twitter post by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a known critic of the Biden administrations narrative on COVID-19 vaccines.

The offending tweet links to an article on the website of the Childrens Health Defense, an activist group chaired by Kennedy Jr. that left-leaning Wikipedia labels as one of the main sources of misinformation on vaccines.

The article, from Jan. 22, 2021, says Aaron died 18 days after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine of an undisclosed cause and cites Kennedy Jr. as saying that his tragic death is part of a wave of suspicious deaths among elderly closely following administration of COVID vaccines.

About a week later, the Fulton County Medical Examiner released Aarons cause of death as natural causes and that he didnt have any COVID-19 symptoms, with his medical history listing prostate issues and hypertension.

Besides requesting action on Kennedy Jr.s tweet, Humphrey also added a request to keep an eye out for tweets that fall in this same genre, per the screenshot shared by Bailey.

The Epoch Times has reached out to Twitter with a request for comment.

The Truth No Longer Matters to the White House

Bailey also shared screenshots of several other messages that he said show collusion between Big Tech and the government to suppress free speech, including another message from Flaherty to an unidentified Facebook employee in which the White House official demands assurances that the social media company is taking actions to ensure youre not making our countrys vaccine hesitancy problem worse.

The truth no longer matters to the White House, Bailey captioned the post.

These emails confirm what weve known all along, Bailey wrote. The Biden Admin. has been colluding with social media companies to stifle opposing voices.

I will continue to push back against this blatant attack on the 1st Amendment with every tool at my disposal, he added.

With Schmitt gone as attorney general, Bailey has taken his place as a plaintiff in the lawsuit against President Joe Biden, then-White House press secretary Jen Psaki, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and other administration officials.

The lawsuit claims that Biden and other government officials worked with Big Tech companies like Meta, Twitter, and YouTube to censor conversation around matters relating to everything from COVID-19 and election integrity to the Hunter Biden laptop story, doing so under the guise of battling misinformation.

The two Republican-led states accuse Biden and other officials named in the lawsuit of falsely attacking the Hunter Biden laptop story as disinformation.

The story, which was first published by the New York Post in October 2020, detailed the contents of a laptop linked to Hunter Biden, President Joe Bidens son. The laptop was abandoned in a Delaware computer repair shop and included compromising pictures and emails regarding allegedly corrupt foreign business deals.

Twitter labeled the story as potentially harmful and locked the New York Posts main Twitter account while also blocking Twitter users from publishing the link to the story.

GOP to Investigate Weaponization of the Federal Government

It comes as House Republicans have pledged to investigate allegations of collusion between federal agencies and private companies, and to do so, theyre looking to establish a subcommittee on the weaponization of the federal government.

Republicans have put forward a House rules package, which includes a proposal to create a House Judiciary select subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government.

The proposal for the subcommittee comes after Republicans recently signaled that they want a top-to-bottom investigation of the FBI after the Twitter Files disclosed that the agency pressured Twitter to censor Americans free speech.

Incoming House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) has suggested that the FBI needs to be investigated in the same way it was in the 1970s, when the Church Committee investigated abuses by the CIA, FBI, Internal Revenue Service, and the National Security Agency.

The committee, led by then-Sen. Frank Church (D-Idaho), revealed the now-infamous CIA MKULTRA program, which involved the drugging and torture of American citizens in experimentation on mind control.

Weve been looking at a Church-style committee to look at this, Jordan told Just the News last week.
Innovation drives constant prosperity of small commodity market in China's Yiwu

11:25, January 07, 2023 By Gu Chun ( People's Daily

A purchaser buys silk scarves at the 28th China Yiwu International Commodities Fair, Nov. 24, 2022. (Photo by Gong Xianming/People's Daily Online)

Yiwu, a city in east China's Zhejiang province, is dubbed as the "world's capital of small commodities." It has trade relations with over 230 countries and regions around the world.

In the face of profound changes and a pandemic both unseen in a century, the city still delivered a great performance in trade. In the first 11 months of 2022, Yiwu reported total foreign trade of 442.22 billion yuan ($64.48 billion), up 24.1 percent year on year. In particular, its exports grew 19.1 percent from a year ago to 399.06 billion yuan and imports grew 104.6 percent to 43.16 billion yuan.

The Yiwu China Commodities City, a global center for the circulation, information and display of small commodities, celebrated its 40th anniversary last November.

At the entrance of the market, a series of bestsellers over the past four decades are displayed, including mainspring toy frogs that were extremely popular in the 1980s, enamel cups in vogue in the 1990s, as well as selfie sticks and fidget spinners that became trendy in the 2010s.

These bestsellers well explain how the market maintains its vitality - following trends, making innovations and selling them to the world.

Foreigners buy umbrellas at the Yiwu International Expo Center, Yiwu, east China's Zhejiang province, Nov. 24, 2022. (Photo by Gong Xianming/People's Daily Online)

Guo Zhenrong, chairman of Lanyu Digital Technology, a tech firm in Zhejiang province, told People's Daily that he came to Yiwu years ago with a new digital textile printer the firm had developed, which was able to directly color cross-stitch products.

Soon, digitally dyed cross-stitch products overwhelmed the market. Within half a year, the technology was employed by 46 enterprises, who saw their output value increase by 300 percent and their rate of profit hit 200 percent.

"I've come to Yiwu for five years. In the past, we competed with price advantage, but now we attach more importance to the design of our products," said Sun Lingjuan, founder of a company that manufactures accessories.

"We launch around 1,500 new earrings, bracelets and necklaces each year, and we have clients in Europe and Africa," Sun noted.

The market launched its online platform "Chinagoods" at the end of 2020. The online marketplace offers one-stop services including shopping, shipping, tax return and payment of collection, and also provides international warehousing, logistics, payment and cargo space booking services for merchants. It is warmly welcomed by merchants, and its total transaction volume hit 16.8 billion in 2021.

"A total of 390 customers browsed my online store in half a day," said Fu Miaoling, general manager of a woodwork company in Yiwu, who was among the earliest to join Chinagoods.

"I always waited for clients to come to me, but with Chinagoods, now I have more channels to get in touch with them," she told People's Daily. According to her, almost all orders she received after last October were from the online marketplace.

So far, Chinagoods has been joined by 55,000 merchants that sell a total of more than 5 million commodities. Over 2.1 million purchasers have registered on it.

A foreigner purchases stuffed toys at the Yiwu International Trade Market, Aug. 25, 2022. (Photo by Gong Xianming/People's Daily Online)

Chinagoods upgraded its functions under the suggestions of merchants. For instance, all trade data are synchronized on the platform and exchange settlement is completed online soon after deliveries are done. Besides, the platform is able to translate commodity information into six languages, and also translate inquiries from clients and replies from merchants directly online.

"We are more and more benefited by digitalization," Fu said.

The Yiwu China Commodities City opened its first overseas branch in Dubai in June 2022. Covering 200,000 square meters, it boasts an investment of 1.06 billion yuan and sells more than a million types of commodities. It enables overseas purchasers to place orders without going to China.

The Yiwu-Xinjiang-Europe freight train now reaches over 160 cities in some 50 countries around the world. They made a total of more than 2,000 trips last November.

At present, Yiwu has established 156 overseas warehouses and 275 international logistics channels.

"We build overseas warehouses so that we can provide warehousing, sales and the 'last-mile' delivery services overseas," said Zhu Rongfang, general manager of a supply chain management company in Yiwu.

"In the past, we waited for foreign clients to come to Yiwu, but in the future, more Yiwu merchants will go global and set up overseas warehouses," Zhu added.

(Web editor: Xian Jiangnan, Wu Chaolan)
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Kogi State Government has summoned the revered Ohinoyi of Ebiraland, Dr Ado Ibrahim, over his alleged refusal to rightly welcome President Muhammadu Buhari when he visited the state last week.

The Nigerian Voice recalls that President Buhari was in Kogi last year on December 29th to inaugurate some projects executed by Governor Yahaya Bello in the state.

It would be recalled that this platform reported that shortly before President Buhari arrived at the venue of the event, a bomb explosion rocked the palace of the Ohinoyi of Ebiraland.

The explosion did not only stir tension in the community, but led to the death of four persons while some others sustained injuries.

However, emerging reports obtained by this platform revealed that the Kogi State government has threatened to depose the prominent Ohinoyi of Ebiraland over what it described as insubordination for not coming out to welcome the president when he arrived in the state moments after the bomb explosion.

In a letter addressed to the prominent monarch signed by Director of Chieftaincy Affairs, Enimola Eniola, Dr Ibrahim was accused of exhibiting deliberate attitude and actions capable of bringing Kogi State and Ebira land in particular to grave disrepute.

The letter read, It has been observed with serious concern that you have exhibited deliberate attitude and actions capable of bringing Kogi State and Ebira land in particular to grave disrepute. These actions are quite unbecoming of a revered Royal Father of your status.

Specifically, you were aware through many fora of the glorious visit of Mr. President and Commander-in-Chief of Nigerian Armed Forces, His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari to Okene on 29th December, 2022 to commission land mark projects executed by our dear Governor, His Excellency, Alh. Yahaya Bello. In a flagrant disregard to the persons and high offices of the President and the Governor, you bluntly refused to come out and receive the President at the designated venue rightly approved by the Executive Governor of the State.

It might interest you to note that official courtesy demands that when a personality of a President occupying the highest office in the land is visiting or even passing through the State, the Governor and top Public Officers including topmost Traditional Rulers are expected to receive him as a mark of respect for him and the Office he occupies. It is on record that in time past, Topmost Traditional Rulers, including the President, Kogi State Council of Chiefs do receive the Governor of the State on his return from critical missions undertaken on behalf of the State. But, you have chosen to disdain the office of the Executive Governor, and this time, you did it with effrontery before the number one citizen of Nigeria.

This action of yours is an act of insubordination and disloyalty to the President and Commander-in-Chief of Nigerian Armed Forces, the Executive Governor of Kogi State and the entire Ebira nation as a whole. It portends grave danger to the Security of the State and laying bad precedence for Traditional Institution of the State.

In the letter, the Ohinoyi of Ebiraland was also ordered to forward a written explanation within 48 hours of why disciplinary action should not be taken against him for his actions described as insubordination and disloyalty.

Oral explanations may be required from you when a panel is set up to study your case. It is expected that you will accord priority to the content of this letter, Your Royal Majesty, the letter stated.
The Federal Government has revealed the reason why the four-year audit report of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) was rejected after its submission.

The Nigerian government said the audit report was rejected because the association refused to offer explanations on why the report was not properly submitted in earliest time.

Recall that it was all over the news that the Federal Government failed to pay ASUU members their November 2022 check-off dues even though they have received their pro-rata salaries for the aforementioned month.

However reacting, the Ministry of Labour and Productivity confirmed that the Federal Government decided not to pay the check-off dues because the association didnt make its audit report available to the ministry.

On the contrary, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) claimed that ASUU had tried to submit the report to the ministry but the ministry didnt receive it.

In reaction to that, the spokesperson for the labour ministry, Olajide Oshundun, confirmed to pressmen that the ministry didnt receive the ASUU audit report because the association failed to explain why it didnt submit it for four years.

He said,  Yes, it is true the audited report was not received from them and that was because they didnt respond to the ministrys initial letter, asking them to state the reason they refused to submit the audited report for four years.

The ministrys letter is explicit on this; they refused to submit their report as and when due and we asked for explanations. The next thing they did was to quickly submit the report instead of replying to us in written form.

And let it be clear that it was when the ministry wrote and threatened that their certificate of registration might be withdrawn that they rushed to submit it.

What they were expected to have done was to respond to the letter first and plead with the ministry for late submission of the documents. Because if the ministry should take it from them just like that, other trade unions may follow suit and just do things at their own will. Meanwhile, there is a law guiding all of these processes.

The ministry didnt request again the documents but only wrote to get explanations for their failure to do the needful. I can also tell you the matter is already in court, so any further inquiry is sub judice.
The Peoples Democratic Party presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar has opined that his All Progressive Congress counterpart, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, lacked the moral standard to reform the populated young Nigerian fraudsters better known as Yahoo Boys.

Reacting to Tinubus comment that he would convert these Yahoo Boys into technology experts if elected president, Atiku said the APC flag-bearer needs medical attention.

Tinubu who spoke during his campaign rally in Benin City, Edo State, pledged to create a technology hub for Yahoo boys if he wins the February presidential election.

Reacting to his comment, Atiku said Tinubu, with his past baggage, lacked the ground to reform Yahoo Boys.

In a statement by his Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said Tinubu should explain his past before attempting to reform Yahoo Boys.

A statement by Shaibu reads in part: Bola Tinubu, produced another comedy skit at the APC Presidential rally in Benin City on Thursday when he promised to turn the so-called Yahoo boys in Edo State to experts in manufacturing and creation of chips that din dasan dadauga.

Had it been he was addressing a Christian congregation we could have assumed that he was speaking in tongues but this was a campaign rally where he was supposed to have sold his candidacy to the millions of youths suffering from unemployment under the disease called the APC?

Instead he elected to refer to the young people of Edo state as Yahoo boys and fraudsters.

Tinubus daily gaffes are evidence that he has no business going to Aso Rock Presidential Villa but he should rather be seeking urgent medical attention.
For many Nigerian youth, finishing school can be an exciting but also intimidating time, especially given the limited job opportunities in the country.

Option one is to continue your education at whatever level. This can be a great opportunity to learn new skills, explore new subjects, and as well prepare for a specific career. Many Nigerian Universities offer wide range of programs in fields such as business, engineering, science, and the humanities.

Another option is to enter the workforce directly after finishing school. This can involve finding a full-time job or interning or volunteering to gain experience. If you are interested in a specific career, it can be helpful to start building your resume and gaining relevant experience as early as possible.

If you are not sure what you want to do after finishing school, it can be helpful to take some time off to explore your options. This can involve traveling, volunteering, or taking a gap year to try out different activities and see what interests you.

In addition to these options, it is also important to consider entrepreneurship as a way to create your own job opportunities. With the right idea and support, it is possible to start your own business and make a positive impact in your community.

It is also important to consider the option of vocational training or apprenticeships. These programs can provide hands-on training in a specific trade or skill, and they can be a good way to start a career without going to college.

it is important to remember that it is okay to take some time to figure out what you want to do after finishing school. It is better to take the time to explore your options and find a path that is right for you than to rush into a decision that may not be the best fit. Things like

Volunteer work: Volunteering can be a great way to gain experience, build your resume, and make a positive impact in your community. There are many organizations in Nigeria that offer volunteering opportunities in fields such as education, health care, and the environment.

Online work: The internet has opened up many opportunities for online work, such as freelance writing, social media management, and web design. With the right skills and a good internet connection, you can find online work that allows you to work remotely and on your own schedule.

Internships: Internships can be a great way to gain experience and build your resume. Many companies in Nigeria offer internships in a variety of fields, and they can be a good way to learn new skills and make connections in your chosen career field.

Entrepreneurship: If you have a good idea and the right skills, starting your own business can be a rewarding and fulfilling way to create your own job opportunities. With the right support and resources, it is possible to turn your entrepreneurial ideas into a successful business.

To conclude, here are some tips for young Nigerians looking for options after completing their studies.:

1. Do your research: It is important to take the time to research and explore your options, whether it is going to college, entering the workforce, or something else. Look into different programs, schools, and companies, and ask for advice from people who are already working in the field you are interested in.

2. Network: Building connections and networking with people in your field of interest can be a great way to learn about job opportunities and get advice on how to succeed in your chosen career. Attend job fairs, join professional organizations, and reach out to people who are already working in your field.

3. Gain experience: Having experience can make you a more competitive job candidate, so it is important to try to gain as much experience as possible. This can involve interning, volunteering, or taking on part-time or freelance work.

4. Be flexible: It may not always be possible to find the perfect job right away, so it is important to be open to different options and be willing to take on roles that may not be exactly what you are looking for. These experiences can still provide valuable skills and experience that can help you build your career.

5. Stay positive: It can be frustrating to search for a job or a new

Overall, it is important to remember that there are many options for Nigerian youths after finishing school, and it is okay to take some time to explore your options and find the path that is right for you. With some planning and determination, you can find a rewarding and fulfilling career.
As reported by Breitbart News, The U.S. Department of State is advertising and partially funding a $1.5 million grant opportunity to support pro-LGBTQI+ activism around the world.

The Global Equality Fund for LGBTQI+ Programs will be administered by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, which hopes to empower local movements and promote full social inclusion.

The grant opportunity, which was announced on December 29th, 2022, will provide between $750,000 and $1,500,000 to organizations that support the LGBTQI+ agenda.

While the grants description discusses violence prevention efforts, the money may also be used to increase the organizational capacity of pro-LGBTQI+ movements across the globe.

An associated document called the Notice of Funding Opportunity goes into greater depth regarding the scope of the initiative. In addition to empowering local movements and promoting full social inclusion, the grant is intended to address critical issues of justice.

The money for the grant will come from a variety of sources, including from the governments of the United States, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Argentina, Australia, Chile, Croatia, and Uruguay. Other funders of the initiative include Deloitte, the John D. Evans Foundation, Hilton, the Royal Bank of Canada, and Bloomberg LP, among others.

The grant hopes to improve access to justice, as well as to aid the development and enforcement of restrictions on so-called conversion therapy practices.

It also seeks to directly bolster the activism efforts of pro-LGBTQI+ organizations by increasing their strategic capacities in a number of different ways.

One such objective is to develop increased shared strategies and understanding within and across LGBTQI+ communities, with a special emphasis on strategies with an intersectional approach to LGBTQI+ rights, including attention to intersections of race, ethnicity, indigeneity, and ability.

Theres also a desire for improved organizational capacity of LBQ-, transgender- and intersex-led civil society organizations. In addition, the grant hopes to foster improved cross-movement unity in response to threats posed by anti-LGBTQI+ and anti-democratic actors.

Yet another priority is the development of strategies to counter the activism of those who opposed gender theory. The goal is for LGBTQI+ activist groups to have improved knowledge of and strategies to address anti-LGBTQI+ and anti-rights organizing (in particular, so-called anti-gender movements).

The grant also seeks to promote social inclusion, which they say includes improved representation of LGBTQI+ people in government institutions, policy-making bodies, and political processes.

The grant also seeks to impact media coverage and hopes to foster increased respectful and accurate media reporting to improve awareness of the human rights of LGBTQI+ persons.

The funding opportunity, which has a funding opportunity number of SFOP0009294, is open to public, private, and state educational institutions, as well as to LGBT non-profit organizations around the world.

The notice of the funding opportunity notes that organizations that apply for the grant should be led by, or have strong support from and participation by, LGBTQI+ organizations and communities.

The State Department did not respond to a request for comment prior to publication.

Breitbart News previously revealed that the State Department gave $30k to a pro-trans group in Kyrgyzstan that partners with George Soros Open Society Foundations. The organization also advocates for pro-LGBT education in schools.

In addition, Breitbart News also revealed that the State Department was also preparing to spend up to $50k to promote transgender activism in India. The funds would specifically go towards the creation of pride/rainbow groups inside corporations. The money would also help establish pipelines of transgender talent for corporations in India.

This is tragic given the pressing needs of economically disadvantaged Americans and people around the globe. To spend such a whopping sum on the promotion of such an unnatural agenda is disgusting and nauseating, to put it mildly.

Africa will definitely be a prime target in this malady of organized depravity as it is no news that gay rights activism in the continent is being heavily funded by liberal interests in the west and whenever the Democratic Party is in power, the gay community in the continent rejoices since according to ex-Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Gay rights are human rights which makes them always cry persecution against them so that funding can be poured into their asinine asylum causes and to meet their avalanche of daily needs. What a life!

Conservatives in the US should vehemently protest this waste of American taxpayers funds in the best interest of not only the country but also that of economically battered nations in third-world economies.

This obsession with the redefinition of what constitutes human rights must cease!
COVID-jab rules for travellers confirmed

BANGKOK: The requirement that all international travellers show proof of full COVID-19 vaccination before boarding flights to Thailand will take effect from Sunday (Jan 8), the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) said on Saturday (Jan 7).



By Bangkok Post

Saturday 7 January 2023, 11:27PM

Travellers walk through Suvarnabhumi Airport, which is expected to get busier in the coming weeks as travel from China resumes. Photo: AFP

The aviation regulator has formally notified all parties about the change to arrival rules for international travellers aged 18 and over, reports the Bangkok Post.

They will take effect for flights landing in Thailand from 1am local time on Monday and will remain in effect at least until the end of the month.

The vaccination requirement was scrapped last October but it has been revived as travel from China is about to resume worldwide on a large scale. Many countries have responded with special measures out of concern that COVID-19 is sweeping through China since the country scrapped its zero-COVID restrictions last month.

Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has said that any rules adopted in Thailand must not discriminate against any particular country.

According to the CAAT, everyone travelling to the country from Sunday must show proof of full vaccination or a letter certifying that they have recovered from COVID-19 infections no more than six months prior. Unvaccinated travellers must have proof of why they cannot receive a vaccine.

Details of the approved vaccines and required number of doses are available on the CAAT website.

Airlines will be responsible for checking the relevant documents before passengers board and must bar those without the correct paperwork. It is not clear whether passengers will also be required to show the documents again when they land in Thailand.

As well, people who will be travelling from Thailand to a country where a negative RT-PCR test is a condition of entry must show proof of health insurance. This is to ensure that the costs of their care will be covered if they test positive before leaving Thailand.

Thai passport holders or travellers in transit are not required to submit proof of vaccination or hold a COVID-19 insurance policy.

A Xiamen Airlines flight with 200 passengers is scheduled to be the first flight from China to touch down at Suvarnabhumi Airport on Sunday.
Electricity bills go 13% up for all businesses in Phuket, nationwide

BANGKOK: The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has slightly scaled back the previously announced huge increase in power tariffs for businesses but not canceled it completely resulting in businesses having to pay 5.33 baht per kilowatthour (unit) from Jan 1, 2023. The price for households remains unchanged at B4.72 which is still the historical record high.

economics

By The Phuket News

Saturday 7 January 2023, 11:29AM

The announcement posted by the ERC just before New Year. Image: ERC

Though many producers have shifted to renewable energy by installing solar panels, it still will be difficult for business to keep prices unchanged when power tariffs grow, Kriengkrai Thiennukul, chairman of the FTI, warned in December. Photo: PEA

The decision to increase the tariff by 13% instead of 20.5% was announced by the ERC on Friday (Jan 6), reports Bangkok Post. The new prices will not apply to households but will affect all other electricity users, namely businesses ranging from industrial estates to hotels and grocery stores.

The decision to raise tariffs for businesses by 13% follows a change in the ERCs estimate of natural gas prices and the corresponding fuel tariff (Ft), the main driver of growing power bills.

As per ERCs publication posted on Facebook on Dec 29, the price estimate for the natural gas was set at B466 per metric million British thermal units (MMBTU), down to B493. Diesel price estimate was decreased to B28.22 per litre, down from B31.90. Also factored in was the estimated foreign-exchange rate, which was reduced from B37 per US dollar to B35.68.

As the result, the Ft rate for businesses went down to B1.5492 per unit, from the previous estimate of B1.9044. The Ft rate for households was set at B0.9343.

This figures were confirmed yesterday (Jan 6) by the Thalang office of the Phuket Provincial Electricity Authority (Phuket PEA) on its Facebook page.

The new tariffs, as said above, are B4.72 per unit for households and B5.33 for other consumers effective from Jan 1 to Apr 30, as stated in the ERC notices posted on Dec 29.

Unfavourable environment

As explained by Bangkok Post, higher power tariffs are being driven by a higher fuel tariff (Ft), which is reviewed every four months. Natural gas makes up 60-65% of the fuel used for electricity generation in Thailand, far more than other sources including coal and renewable energy.

The country has been importing more costly liquefied natural gas (LNG) following a decline in supplies of cheaper natural gas from the Gulf of Thailand.

The prices in the international market are currently high due to "limited production controlled by oil-producing countries and the Russia-Ukraine war which led to a tight supply of energy and finally high domestic prices of fuel, electricity and and liquefied petroleum gas," according to the Ministry of Commerce.

Proposed measures to keep a lid on power tariffs include using cheaper fuels like coal to produce electricity. The country may delay the decommissioning of its lignite-fired power plants, according to the ERC.

Deputy Prime Minister and Energy Minister Supattanapong Punmeechaow said authorities will try to better manage the fuels used by power plants for electricity generation. Cheaper fuels will receive the first priority for usage, he said.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and other relevant agencies are yet to comment on this policy shift announced less than two month after the endorseent of the the Bangkok Goals on Bio-Circular-Green (BCG) Economy at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in Bangkok.
New curbs hobble return of Indians

BANGKOK: Tourism operators have started to feel the pinch from the slowing Indian market in the first quarter, particularly the Mice (meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions) segment and independent travellers, as the Indian government requires COVID-19 RT-PCR tests for those returning from Thailand.

tourismeconomicsCOVID-19Indian

By Bangkok Post

Saturday 7 January 2023, 10:35AM

Tourists take photos in Old Phuket Town. Photo: Bangkok Post

The Indian Mice segment from February to April is on hold because of the rising cost of COVID-19 tests and fear of getting COVID-19 abroad, said Rajesh Nair, chief executive of Enchantive Asia, an inbound tour company focusing on the subcontinent, reports the Bangkok Post.

The problem is travellers are discouraged because of the test requirement before boarding, said Mr Nair.

He said travellers are reluctant because of unclear measures if they test positive in Thailand before flying back.

Mice meetings this month might confirm their schedules because payments were already made, but some of them requested the group size be reduced.

For instance, one confirmed group decided to reduce the number of participants from 150 to 90.

Mr Nair said he estimated corporate meetings from India would be downsized by at least 40% or suspended in the first quarter. Many are waiting for updated regulations, or until the next quarter.

He said the first quarter is usually a busy period for corporate meetings as it is the last opportunity for companies to use budget for the fiscal year before reporting financial statements in March.

Corporations are unhappy because they already allocated budgets for these trips, but have to increase them for RT-PCR tests, said Mr Nair.

Although some groups are prepared to postpone their trips to the second quarter  another strong period for Indian Mice meetings  the loss of income for Thai tourism in the first quarter should be substantial, he said.

Moreover, some companies are offering incentive money to employees to compensate for cancelled trips as they cannot transfer leftover budget to the new fiscal year, said Mr Nair.

Companies that confirmed their Mice trips are seeking extra insurance for COVID-19 medical expenses on top of regular travel insurance bought earlier, he said.

The Thai government on Thursday announced that visitors are required to have COVID-19 insurance before travelling, if their countries mandate an RT-PCR test before returning.

Some independent travellers are also hesitant, with more of their trips cancelled or rescheduled, said Mr Nair.

He said Indian families dont want to face the hassle of taking COVID-19 tests and paying extra.

In 2022, India ranked second in terms of arrivals with 965,994 visitors, following by Malaysians with 1.9 million arrivals, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand.
Sunny the goose, the big honking waterfowl outlawed under Lebanon law, is again looking for a home after one companion was killed at a foster home.

Tina Corr, Sunnys owner, said an animal killed Jinx  one of two goslings she said were shipped in a box to Lebanon in the fall to provide Sunny some company.

Corr called them Sunnys mail-order brides.

Her neck was just trashed, Corr said. It was sick.

Corr said she rehomed Jinx, Squeaky and Sunny in late December.

That was after the city failed to renew a permit that would allow the geese to stay in city limits under an exception to Lebanon law that bans livestock, including birds.

Corr said she was out Friday morning, Jan. 6, attempting to find another home after Lebanon code enforcement officials said they would fine her $500 each day she violated the livestock ban.

Theyve got their minds made up, Corr said.

Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Lebanon Express.

Corr said she found a property in the city that already had a trio of geese, albeit, she said, a different breed of domestic goose.

Sunny, a domestic knob goose, is 8 years old, Corr said. She said those living at Sunnys new home likely had lived a decade.

I thought Sunny was big, but these guys are huge, Corr said.

Corr took home Sunny and a partner, Jax, in 2014 after encountering the goslings at a Wilco Farm Store location in Lebanon.

She said she had never raised geese, learning everything she could about the birds online.

Corr's husband, Tom Corr, an attorney who served as Linn County counsel, died in May.

Jax died soon after.

Corr had ordered two goslings to live with Sunny at their home on a dead-end road on Lebanon's east end.

Surrounding neighbors must sign on to livestock permit applications. All but one signed off on Sunny after he appeared in a city code enforcement case, and Corr rehomed the geese.

Corr said she believes Jinx, like other geese, could behave in a way that was defensive of a territory and maybe picked a fight with the older, larger geese.

She would go after them, Corr said.

Corr said she found the young goose dead Wednesday. She said the owners of the property that briefly took in Sunny feel terrible and with other livestock to tend to, just couldnt monitor the geese all day.

Theyve got their hands full, she said.

Related stories:
Patong floating beach club barge seeks approval

PHUKET: The Phuket office of the Marine Department is deciding whether to allow a 500-gross-ton floating beach club barge, complete with bar and on-board swimming pool, to be anchored in Patong Bay.

patongtourismmarineSafety

By The Phuket News

Saturday 7 January 2023, 12:32PM

The high-end barge, technically registered as the vessel Sawasdee, can accommodate 500 guests with a crew of 35 on board, the Phuket Marine Office explained through an official report yesterday (Jan 6).

The boat is already at anchor in Patong Bay, where Patong Municipality has already approved the vessel to operate as a restaurant. However, the decision whether the boat is allowed to remain at anchor in the bay has yet to be decided, the official report said yesterday.

Other floating restaurants are allowed in Phuket, particularly off Bang Rong Pier and in between Phuket and Koh Maphrao, off Phukets east coast.

However, if approved, the Sawasdee will be the first such floating beach club barge permitted to remain at anchor in Patong.

The boat has already run afoul of Marine Department regulations, with its registration expiring last month, the Phuket Marine Office reported.

The boat operators were fined B10,000 for the infraction. The operators have applied to renew the boats registration, the report confirmed.

However, Phuket marine officials have yet to complete their inspections of the boat, which they reported as a steel vessel with a size of 579 gross tons. No other dimensions of the boat were mentioned in the report.

Key concerns for marine officials are safety measures on board the boat, which carries at least six life rafts ready to be deployed from its stern. The boat also features a fire hose station on board.

Explaining the boats history, Phuket marine officials reported that the Swasdee was initially registered with port authorities at Kantang Port in Trang province, south of Phuket, on Dec 16, 2021.

The boat, powered by dual 373kW Cummins diesel engines, is registered as a type of sea-going vessel permitted to operate only in specific areas. Which specific areas were not specified.

The ships owner is a company located in Rawai. The boat arrived in Phuket from Kantang on June 4 last year, with its master named as Mr Thanawat (family name not reported), said Phuket marine officers yesterday.

Officers from the Phuket Marine Office first inspected the boat at the Baan Yamu Pier on Nov 16 last year. Officers instructed the boat owner to immediately take action to change the boats registered type of use. The boat owner was also instructed to present plans of how waste management is to be conducted on board, and present a passenger safety plan.

The shipowners representative [sic] on Dec 29 submitted an application for a license to use the boat, and requested the Phuket Regional Harbor Office to again inspect the boat.

Officers returned to inspect the boat again on Wednesday (Jan 4) as part of the procedure for the boat license renewal. This time the inspection was conducted in Patong Bay, where the Sawasdee had already relocated.

The officers inspected the boats sailing equipment, communication equipment, maritime signal apparatus, hull structure and safety equipment on board, including large machinery and other fixtures, etc., Phuket marine officials noted.

The boat owner has now presented a letter of approval to drop anchor in Patong Bay issued by the Phuket Marine Resources Conservation Center, including a certificate of transport and approval for its solid waste management system. Patong City municipality has also issued the operator a certificate of sound use for the Sawasdee, said the official report yesterday.

The boat owner has filed a formal request with the Marine Departments Bureau of Ship Standards, based in Bangkok, to change the boats registered type of ship in order to meet its intended purpose. The request is currently under consideration, Phuket marine officials noted.

Regardless, Phuket marine officials will conduct a final inspection to assess the garbage and ship waste measures to control water pollution and the boats safety measures in case of various emergencies such as fires, people falling into the water, including emergency passenger evacuation and first aid, etc.

The Phuket Regional Office of the Marine Department will conduct a thorough inspection to ensure that the operator strictly complies with the law before providing tourists with initial services, Phuket marine officials assured yesterday.
Phuket is COVID ready, assures health chief ahead of Chinese influx

PHUKET: Phuket is ready to receive Chinese tourists, assures Kusak Kukkiattikoon, Chief of the Phuket Provincial Health Office (PPHO), the leading government health official on the island.

tourismChineseCOVID-19health

By The Phuket News

Saturday 7 January 2023, 01:50PM

Dr Kusak Kukkiattikoon, Chief of the Phuket Provincial Health Office (PPHO), the leading government health official on the island. Photo: PR Phuket

Dr Kusaks statement of confidence comes ahead of Chinese tourists being allowed to enter Thailand starting tomorrow (Jan 8). More than 300,000 Chinese tourists are expected to visit Thailand in the first three months of this year.

In response to the anticipated arrival of visitors who may be carrying COVID-19, Deputy Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who also serves as Public Health Minister, announced on Thursday (Jan 5) that international arrivals from any country  not just China  must show proof of at least two COVID-19 vaccinations in order to be allowed entry to Thailand.

Tourists who must present a negative RT-PCR test in order to return home  a key for Chinese and now Indian nationals  also must provide proof of insurance, Anutin said. This will ensure that they can meet the costs of their treatment if their test in Thailand is positive, he explained.

New measures are necessary because Thailand is a major destination for travellers from many countries including China but the measures must be non-discriminatory, Anutin assured.

The principle is there will not be any discrimination against a particular country because COVID-19 is spreading in all countries and the strains are similar. So, COVID-19 should not be an issue of discriminating against any country, he said.

PPHO Chief Dr Kusak said yesterday, The medical sector [in Phuket] is ready to receive foreigners who will come into the country, not only Chinese tourists, because we already have experience in this.

In addition, more than 90% of Phuket people have had their first and second doses of vaccine, 69% have had a third dose, and 40% have had a fourth dose, while three to five people being admitted to hospital for COVID-19 per day is considered very little, he added.

Therefore, we are ready to accommodate if there are more patients, in terms of patient beds, pharmaceuticals and personnel And the issue of the COVID strain is not a concern because it is the same strain that we have previously had spread [throughout Thailand].

Therefore, I would like everyone to mainly follow the news from the government, Dr Kusak concluded, urging people to not heed any independent reports.

Dr Kusak noted that people in Phuket were already  or still  practicing the governments DMHTT policy to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

It is currently found that Phuket people are already taking action, especially wearing a hygienic mask, he said.

The DMHTT stands for: D  Social Distancing, M  Mask wearing, H  Hand washing, T  Temperature checking, and T  Thai Chana app (which was scrapped in October last year).

Despite his assurance that Phuket is ready to cope with a resurgence of COVID infections, Dr Kusak urged people at risk of developing serious infections  long called called Group 608  to present themselves to have their thrid or even fourth COVID vaccination jab.

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Group 608 became Phuket officials preferred term for higher at-risk patients, comprising people over 60 years old along with those suffering from any of the seven recognised medical conditions, plus women more than 12 weeks pregnant.

We also ask for cooperation from tour operators who are accepting new employees. We would like them to check the new employees vaccination status as well. If they have not had a booster injection, they can get the injection at any government hospital, Dr Kusak said.
Phuket tourist reunited with lost iPhone

PHUKET: An iPhone that had been left in a Phuket taxi by a tourist was handed back to its rightful owner yesterday (Jan 6) after it had been handed in to Phuket Tourist Police by an honest cabbie.

policetourismSafetytransport

By The Phuket News

Saturday 7 January 2023, 08:00AM

Phuket Tourist Police returned a lost iPhone to a foreign tourist after having received the device from Khun Kaweehcai, an honest local taxi driver. Photo: Phuket Tourist Police

Phuket Tourist Police returned a lost iPhone to a foreign tourist after having received the device from Khun Kaweehcai, an honest local taxi driver. Photo: Phuket Tourist Police

Phuket Tourist Police returned a lost iPhone to a foreign tourist after having received the device from Khun Kaweehcai, an honest local taxi driver. Photo: Phuket Tourist Police

Phuket Tourist Police returned a lost iPhone to a foreign tourist after having received the device from Khun Kaweehcai, an honest local taxi driver. Photo: Phuket Tourist Police

Phuket Tourist Police publicises yet another story of a happy reunion of a tourist with their possessions in a brief publication on Facebook, posted at around 7pm yesterday (Jan 6). The image enhancer was then shared by various local media outlets as well as the Phuket Info Center page linked to Phuket Governors office.

According to the publication, local taxi driver Kaweehcai Phumphet contacted Phuket Tourist Police via their Facebook page on Jan 4 and informed them of an iPhone 13 found behind the drivers seat of his car.

Mr Kaweechai asked the Tourist Police to try and find the owner of the device worth B24,900 in the official store. On Jan 6 officers managed to track down the owner and handed the device over taking photos in the process.

The tourist thanked Khun Kaweechai, the taxi driver, as well as Tourist Police for helping in this situation, Phuket Tourist Police said not revealing this time the tourists identity.

Just like similar publications before, it is unclear how exactly the phone was lost and how Tourist Police managed to find the owner unless he reported the loss to officials.

Yet the active publicity campaign by Tourist Police on Facebook brings positive results as more people become aware of their existence and learn how to contact them in case of emergency. Bicycle patrols on the streets have also become a more common sight after the beginning of tourism revival in the second half of 2022.

Yet more can be done to inform tourists and locals alike about behaving in an emergency. The most illustrative case happened in late November last year, when a female taxi driver dumped a foreign child passenger on Kata Hill after dark following verbal abuse and threats.

The case was reported to the police only after the girl had already reunited with her family, though technically she could alert the police herself through the I Lert U mobile application from the cab and expect police to interfere and prevent the undesired development of events.

In December Tourist Police itself encouraged tourists to contact them in case of any disturbing situations on public transport such as a taxi deviating from the route suggested by GPS.

Phuket Tourist Police can be contacted via the nationwide 1155 hotline or the aforementioned I Lert U application available in Google Play and AppStore. Phuket Tourist Police is also present on Facebook as Facebook.com/TPD.Phuket.
Melissa Goff, former superintendent fired from Greater Albany Public Schools, will serve as Oregon Gov.-elect Tina Koteks education adviser, Kotek announced in a press release Friday, Jan. 6.

After serving in Albany for two years, Goff was terminated from GAPS under a no-cause clause in her contract by the newly elected school board in July 2021. The move came at a raucous meeting, with reaction among spectators split between for and against.

The reason behind the firing wasn't crystal clear. Board members did not publicly discuss their beefs with Goff and did not say why they made the motion to terminate the contract.

But political discordance hung in the air. Controversial among conservatives was Goff's dismissal of police officers from GAPS campuses, as well as the nationwide controversy over teaching critical race theory in schools.

Signs at that fateful meeting on July 14, 2021, said, "We Support Melissa Goff, We Support Our New School Board, "4 Goff 4 GAPS, and Fire Goff, Back the Blue, Say No! To CRT."

Other hiring announcements from Kotek, who is scheduled to be sworn in on Monday, Jan. 9, include:

Pooja Bhatt will join Koteks education team as the education initiative director.

Ebony Clark will serve as the new behavioral health director for Oregon Health Authority.

These talented individuals are ready to dig into the details and form solutions that will deliver results for Oregonians, Kotek said in the news release. Im grateful to have strong leaders joining my team who are ready to take on three of our states biggest challenges: housing and homelessness, mental health and addiction care, and successful schools.

It was also announced that Oregon Department of Education Director Colt Gill will retire this year after serving more than 30 years as an Oregon educator, and who directed the department for the last five years. There will be a national search to find Gills replacement.

Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Albany Democrat-Herald.

Goff will provide leadership and support on educational issues, including an expanded focus on supporting early learning and K-12 education-related agencies.

Most recently, Goff served as the deputy executive director for the Oregon School Boards Association. She served as superintendent of the Philomath School District from 2014-2019.
BILL ZUCK is enjoying some cranberry juice that half-froze in the garage overnight. Reach him at wcz78@yahoo.com .
Iran hanged two men on Saturday for allegedly killing a security official during nationwide protests that followed the death of 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman Mahsa Amini on Sept. 16.

The two men executed on Saturday had been convicted of killing a member of the Basij paramilitary force militia. Three others have been sentenced to death in the same case, while 11 received prison sentences.

Mohammad Mehdi Karami and Seyyed Mohammad Hosseini, principle perpetrators of the crime that led to the unjust martyrdom of Ruhollah Ajamian were hanged this morning, the judiciary said in a statement carried by the official IRNA news agency.

The latest executions bring to four the number of protesters officially known to have been executed in the aftermath of the unrest.

Amnesty International said last month that Iranian authorities are seeking the death penalty for at least 26 others in what it called sham trials designed to intimidate protesters in the popular uprising that has rocked the country.

It said all of those facing death sentences had been denied the right to adequate defence and access to lawyers of their choosing. Rights groups say defendants have instead had to rely on state-appointed attorneys who do little to defend them.

Amnesty said the court that convicted Karami, a 22-year-old karate champion, relied on forced confessions.

Hosseinis lawyer Ali Sharifzadeh Ardakani said in a Dec. 18 tweet that Hosseini had been severely tortured and that confessions extracted under torture had no legal basis.

He said Hosseini was beaten with his hands and feet tied up, kicked in the head until he passed out, and subjected to electric shocks on different parts of his body.

Iran denies that confessions are extracted under torture.

Mahsa Amini died in custody in September after being arrested by morality police enforcing the Islamic Republics mandatory dress code laws. The protests that ensued represent one of the biggest challenges to the Islamic Republic since its establishment in 1979.

The Basij force, affiliated with Irans powerful Revolutionary Guards, has been behind much of the crackdown.

Iran, which has blamed the unrest on its foreign foes including the United States, sees its crackdown of protests as preserving national sovereignty.

The rights group HRANA said that as of Friday, 517 protesters had been killed during unrest, including 70 minors. It said 68 members of the security forces had also been killed.

As many as 19,262 protesters are believed to have been arrested, it said.

Iranian officials have said that up to 300 people, including members of the security forces, have died.

The first protester known to be executed was 23-year-old Mohsen Shekari on Dec. 8, less than three months after his arrest. He was accused of burning a trash bin, blocking a road, stabbing a member of the Basij militia with a machete and threatening public safety.

Majid Reza Rahnavard, 23, was hanged from a crane in public on Dec. 12 in the northeastern city of Mashhad, less than a month after his arrest. He was accused of stabbing to death two Basij members and wounding four other people in Mashhad.

SOURCE: REUTERS
[January 06, 2023] HL Klemove and Sonatus Sign MOU for Collaboration on Next-Generation Automotive Architecture Technology at CES 2023

Expected to Spur Development of Autonomous Driving Technology in Preparation for the SDV(Software Defined Vehicle) Era LAS VEGAS and SEOUL, South Korea, Jan. 6, 2023 /CNW/ -- On January 6th, HL Klemove, which specializes in autonomous driving solutions for HL Group, signed an MOU with Sonatus, a company specializing in vehicular communication & data, at the 2023 CES in Las Vegas. The two companies have agreed to collaborate on the development of next-generation automotive architecture technology, in preparation for the upcoming "Software Defined Vehicle (SDV)" era, where mobility will be software-centered. Pal-joo Yoon, Hyung-jin Kang (CEO and CTO of HL Klemove, respectively), Jeffrey Chou and John Heinlein (CEO and CMO of Sonatus, respectively), attended the signing ceremony. Most vehicles are equipped with 'distributed control architectures', where dozens of electronic controllers function individually to provide mobility solutions. In this form of architecture, application of new software is much restricted due to each controller's hardware-related constraints and other complex interrelations. To address this problem, diverse attemts are being made to integrate multiple electronic controllers on the next-generation automotive architecture. This phenomenon can be observed in DCU(Domain Control Unit), which integrates controllers of different functions, as well as in Z-ECU(Zonal Electronic Control Unit) which integrate controllers of different zones regardless of Functions and Zones. Building upon the successful commercialization of DCU for autonomous driving, HL Klemove, in collaboration with Sonatus, plans to accelerate the development of next-generation automotive architecture technologies, including Z-ECU.



A vast amount of data is required to operate mobility solutions. Given that, stable data communication in a vehicle is an essential requirement for controller integrationthe biggest reason for HL Klemove's partnership with Sonatus. Sonatus not only possesses a high-quality communication platform, but it also succeeded in commercialization of vehicle communication controls, such as *CCU(Central Communication Unit). The two companies plan to focus on developing next-generation integrated control platforms; a prerequisite for realizing future vehicles such as SDV(Software-Defined Vehicles). HL Klemove's CEO, Pal-joo Yoon said at the CES site that day, "The CCU we introduced at CES was the first output of our collaboration with Sonatus," adding, "By building the next-generation automotive architecture, we will ensure thorough preparation is made when facing the new automotive paradigm; the SDV."

Sonatus, located in Silicon Valley is a mobility software developer founded in 2018, with a vision to helping vehicles become "Data Centers on Wheels." Global automakers are paying close attention to its network-based communication and data solution technologies. About HL Klemove HL Klemove is a leading global autonomous driving solution provider with over 2,100 patents and a proven track record. The company started anew through the merger of two companies, ADAS business unit that has spun off from HL Mando (KS 204320), the global automotive parts company, and Mando-Hella Electronics, a leader in the automotive electronic parts technology. HL Klemove offers end-to-end solution for L2+/L3 autonomous driving and plans to launch next generation autonomous driving products such as high-resolution camera and integrated domain control unit until 2025. The company serves over fifty (50) customers who are major OEMs and EV & autonomous driving vehicle start-ups, worldwide. HL Klemove currently has 3 manufacturing footprints in Songdo (Korea), Suzhou (China) and Chennai (India). The newly established corporation in Mexico will be supporting its customers in North America. In addition to the manufacturing footprints, the company is operating R&D centers globally in places such as Pangyo (Korea), Bengaluru (India), Suzhou (China) and Silicon Valley (US). HL Klemove promises safe and comfortable driving through its advanced sensors and SW algorithm, on the strength of strong electronic product capabilities. For more information, visit [www.hlklemove.com] View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hl-klemove-and-sonatus-sign-mou-for-collaboration-on-next-generation-automotive-architecture-technology-at-ces-2023-301715898.html SOURCE HL Klemove

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[January 06, 2023] WELLS FARGO INVESTIGATION INITIATED by Former Louisiana Attorney General: Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC Investigates the Officers and Directors of Wells Fargo & Company - WFC

Former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., Esq., a partner at the law firm of Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF"), announces that KSF has commenced an investigation into Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC). In May 2022, The New York Times reported that according to current and former employees, the Company had for years conducted fake job interviews of minority candidates for positions that were already filled in order to satisfy internal diversity guidelines, which subsequently resulted in investigations by the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Thereafter, the Company and certain of its executives were sued in a securities class action lawsuit, charging them with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws, which remains ongoing. KSF's investigation is focusing on whether Wells Fargo's officers and/or directors breached their fiduciary duties to its shareholders or otherwise violated state or federal laws. I you have information that would assist KSF in its investigation, or have been a long-term holder of Wells Fargo shares and would like to discuss your legal rights, you may, without obligation or cost to you, call toll-free at 1-877-515-1850 or email KSF Managing Partner Lewis Kahn ([email protected]), or visit https://ksfcounsel.com/cases/nyse-wfc-2/ to learn more.



About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC KSF, whose partners include former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is one of the nation's premier boutique securities litigation law firms. KSF serves a variety of clients - including public institutional investors, hedge funds, money managers and retail investors - in seeking recoveries for investment losses emanating from corporate fraud or malfeasance by publicly traded companies. KSF has offices in New York, California, Louisiana and New Jersey.

To learn more about KSF, you may visit www.ksfcounsel.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230106005460/en/

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[January 07, 2023] Yadea Marks CES Debut by Unveiling High-Speed Electric Motorcycles, New Technologies in US for First Time

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 7, 2023 /CNW/ -- On January 5th, Yadea, the world's leading electric two-wheeler brand, made its debut at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada, unveiling a range of new products and technologies in its 2023 product launch. As well as being the debut appearance for Yadea at CES, the product launch at the world's biggest tech event saw the US debut of the all-new high-speed straddle electric motorcycle series Yadea Keeness VFD and the high-speed pedal electric motorcycle Yadea E150. The Keeness VFD model is equipped with a 10KW mid-mounted high-performance motor and features a maximum speed of 100km/h, and an acceleration from 0-50km/h in just 4 seconds. The battery utilizes automotive-grade ternary lithium technology and is equipped with an intelligent energy recovery electronic control system, which enhances power and extends the battery life of high-speed electric motorcycles. Also on show, the Yadea E150, a high-performance electric scooter that boasts a peak power of 5KW, a peak torque of 160Nm, and a top speed of 80km/h. Showcased throughout the exhibition, the Yadea E150 also features Yadea's innovative super-fast charging technology, meaning the motorcycle can be charged up to 80% full power in just 20 minutes. Yadea also introduced its series of ebike models equipped with high-performance motors featuring a five-year warranty. The company has been in the ebike market for six years and has developed mature smart sensor motor technology, offering a smooth and powerful gear-shifting experience for riders. The Yadea Innovator, one of the models released at CES, is the compay's first AI-powered electric folding bike and won the 2022 American Outstanding Industrial Design (IDEA) Award. The Trooper 01 model features a dual motor drive and rear hub motor technology with a peak power of 1000W and 750W, while the Camper model, set to be released in March, will also be equipped with the same motor.



Yadea is focused on establishing a complete ecosystem for electric vehicles and providing a range of products and services for American consumers as part of the company's strategic layout for the US market. Data shows strong growth in the electric bike market in the US, with e-bike sales seeing an increase of over 300% in the first quarter of 2022 and 4.8 million units projected to be sold by 2025. Yadea is well-positioned to take advantage of this growth, with a strong global presence and a mature product development resulting from significant investment in research and development. In the US, the company plans to distribute high-quality products through various channels, including retail stores, online sales, and exhibitions. It also plans to open flagship stores in San Francisco and Los Angeles and 100 Integrated brand dealer stores in the first half of 2023. In addition, Yadea will enter large-scale stores across the US, launch an online ebike independent website, and offer professional maintenance outlets and door-to-door services for after-sales support. In addition to product launches, CES attendees had the opportunity to experience and interact with Yadea's products and technologies through various on-site activities. These interactive experiences were well received by attendees, who were impressed with the high level of innovation and functionality in Yadea's products. The product launch also received media coverage in the US, with several journalists and technology reporters conducting on site interviews.

Yadea is accelerating its globalization strategy with milestones in R&D, manufacturing, marketing, and branding. The brand is dedicated to providing innovative and high-quality electric vehicle products and technologies that enhance people's daily lives, aligning with its brand mission of "Electrify Your Life." Yadea's participation in the exhibition served as a strong opportunity for the brand, positioning it as a leader in the electric vehicle industry and reinforcing its dedication to globalization and green solutions. About Yadea Yadea is a global leader in developing and manufacturing electric two-wheel vehicles, including electric motorcycles, electric mopeds, electric bicycles and electric kick scooters. To date, Yadea has sold products to 60 million users in over 100 countries and regions and has a network of 40,000+ retailers worldwide. With a mission to help people "Electrify Your Life", Yadea continues to invest in R&D, production and global expansion to build a shared and sustainable future for mankind. For more information, visit: Official Website: https://www.yadea.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Yadea.Official

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/YADEA.GLOBAL/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/YadeaGlobal View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/yadea-marks-ces-debut-by-unveiling-high-speed-electric-motorcycles-new-technologies-in-us-for-first-time-301715914.html SOURCE Yadea

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Here's the rub . . .

Given population trends . . . It might actually make sense for a Latino or an Asian person to be considered for the police board if we were REALLY talking about representation.

Put TKC down for advocating in support of Asian ladies. ALWAYS.

Thing of is . . . Pushing quotas undermines a candidate's skills and experience. It's a losing fight that mistakes the very real strength of a diverse coalition united by common goals for fashion party guest list.



Still, in fairness, here's the argument . . .



The vacant slot is expected to be filled in late February, according to Parsons office. We believe Parson should strongly consider a minority female candidate. As with any public body, representation of the diversity of the community it serves is important on the police board.



But the knowledge, skills and lived experiences of Black and other minority women are being left out of the policymaking decisions for the Kansas City Police Department.



Nearly three decades have gone by since the last Black female police commissioner, Stacey Daniels-Young, was first appointed to the police board. She served from 1995 to 2005.



There should be a Black woman on the Kansas City Police Board, said Gwen Grant, CEO and president of the Urban League of Greater Kansas City.





Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .
We almost skipped this but we're honestly curious to see what our readers think . . . Given that cable news talkers deciding the fate of the Republic is truly terrifying.

From the start . . .

We have to admit that we're skeptical about a Missouri candidate making a big deal over the date of America's worst panty raid.

Sure the footage was scary and we do, in fact, feel sorry for anybody hurt or killed in the hot mess. But it's okay to feel that the event was overplayed.

From our vantage . . .

Pro-War progressives are every bit as scary as Proud Boy capitol raiders.



We just don't get advocating for equity, social justice and human rights EXCEPT for all the babies who are inevitably killed in any and every war in human history.

But I digress . . .

Missouri Democratic Party voters rejected Lucas Kunce last time around despite his ultra-progressive branding.

Take a peek . . .



Credit where it's due, nobody else in Missouri politics looks that good in shorts.

Check the roundup that marked today's renewed effort . . .



Kunce, 40, chose the second anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection to make his announcement. Hawley received fierce criticism for his actions on the day of the insurrection, from pumping his fist at in support of protesters before a mob stormed the U.S. Capitol to his decision to contest President Joe Bidens victory after the riot was quelled.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com links . . .

Democrat Lucas Kunce says he'll challenge Josh Hawley in 2024 Missouri Senate race * Missouri Independent Marine veteran Lucas Kunce announced Friday that he plans to challenge U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley in the 2024 race for U.S. Senate in Missouri. Kunce, 40, chose the second anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection to make his announcement.

On Capitol attack anniversary, challenge of Hawley announced ST. LOUIS, Mo. - Two years to the day since U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley's now-famous raised-fist salute to rioters at the U.S. Capitol, a Marine veteran who ran unsuccessfully for Senate in 2022 announced Friday that he'll try to unseat Hawley in 2024. Lucas Kunce, 40, served 13 years in the Marines.

Lucas Kunce enters the Missouri Senate race again, this time targeting Josh Hawley on the Jan. 6 anniversary Democrat Lucas Kunce used the Jan. 6 anniversary to announce his second bid for U.S. Senate in Missouri, this time against Senator Josh Hawley who drew national attention that day. Last year Kunce lost the Democratic primary to billionaire Trudy Busch Valentine.Kunce, who was born and raised in Jefferson City, served as a Marine in Iraq before being stationed at the Pentagon.He now lives in Independence.

Developing . . .
A Denver Police Officer was suspended after being arrested for assault by Douglas County officers according to a news release.

The Douglas County Sheriff's Office arrested Denver Police Officer Jeremy Olive the night of Dec. 31 for investigation of third-degree assault.

Officer Olive joined the Denver Police Department in 2005. Prior to the incident, Olive was in a non-patrol assignment, according to the release.

Olive has been suspended with pay due to the misdemeanor charge and per standard protocol according to the release.

According to records obtained by Denver Gazette news partner 9News, the Douglas County Sheriff's Office responded to a domestic violence call at a home in Castle Pines around 10 p.m. New Year's Eve.

A deputy in the police report noted that Olive, 50, hit the victim, a woman, in the chest with the palm of his hand, causing visible redness, according to 9News.

The report said both parties showed signs of intoxication and that Olive admitted to pushing the victim as she approached him.

Records indicate Olive was booked into jail and released the next day under a $3,000 bond, according to 9News.

The 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office will determine final charges. Olive's next court date is January 10 at 8:30 a.m. in Douglas County.

9News reporter Jeremy Jojola contributed to this story.
The number of immigrants arriving from South and Central America has more than tripled since Denver's mayor declared the humanitarian crisis had pushed the city to its breaking point three weeks ago.

The crisis, which began spilling into Denver from America's porous border with Mexico a few months ago and ballooned into a full-blown emergency in Denver, has also threatened to sour the relationship between New York City and Colorado's Democratic governments. Colorado is actively sending immigrants to their "desired destination"  meaning cities in other states, notably New York City and Chicago.

On Dec. 15, when Mayor Michael B. Hancock issued an emergency declaration, the city estimated roughly 800 immigrants  mostly from Venezuela  had arrived by bus to the Mile High City.

At the time, the city was housing  with its partners  about 500 immigrants in temporary shelters.

As of Jan. 5, that number has swelled to nearly 3,800, according to data compiled by the City and County of Denvers Joint Information Center. That day, the city and its partners were sheltering 1,663 immigrants.

That's a far cry from 90 immigrants who were dropped off at Union Station downtown early in December.

The number of sheltered immigrants on Jan. 5  1,663  is second highest only to Jan. 2, when Gov. Jared Poliss administration stepped in to help transport immigrants to their desired final destination in other states. On that day, the city was sheltering more than 1,800 immigrants.

The big swell in the number of immigrants in city and nonprofit shelters  which means the taxpayer money being spent to care for the new arrivals also exponentially jumped is likely what prompted the city's emergency declaration and Polis' decision to actively send them to other states.

The majority of the new arrivals have a final destination other than Denver, officials and immigrant advocates have said.

About 70% of the Denver arrivals are traveling on to New York City, Chicago, Atlanta and Miami, the Governors Office said in an email to the Denver Gazette.

Severe weather conditions, worker shortages and cancellations because of the sub-zero temperatures just before the Christmas holiday meant many of these immigrants were stranded in Denver, the Polis administration said.

As of the beginning of the year, the city has incurred more than $3 million in expenses and has been reimbursed by the state for $1.5 million.

That figure is likely to rise as the city processes payments, Jill Lis, a spokesperson for the city and county of Denver, said.

The city of Denver has worked with getting migrants to the final destination through companies like Greyhound since early December.

The influx of fleeing immigrants is symptomatic of the U.S. border crisis with Mexico. These new immigrant arrivals have been coming from El Paso, Texas, illustrating how the calamity has spilled over into other cities, including Denver.

Officials and nonprofit workers have offered theories why the immigrants have picked Denver as a destination. While city officials point to El Pasos relative proximity to Denver, organizations that support the immigrant community highlight the resources and diversity in the community, as well as its status as a "sanctuary city."

A "sanctuary city" does not carry a precise legal definition, but the designation often refers to communities that, through proclamations or concrete action, open their arms to immigrants who illegally cross or outstay their visa and limit cooperation with the federal government in enforcing immigration laws. These decisions could include, for example, expressly prohibiting city workers from asking about people's immigration status and rebuffing requests by federal authorities to detain people beyond what the laws stipulate.

Both Hancock and Polis have called on the federal government to respond to the humanitarian crisis by enacting real immigration reform.

Their action to send the immigrants to New York City drew the ire of Big Apple's mayor, Eric Adams, who sharply criticized Polis for Colorado's decision to send immigrants to his city's doorstep.

"At one time we had to deal with Republican governors sending migrants to New York," Adams said during a press conference this week. Now we're dealing with Democratic governors sending migrants to New York. This is just unfair. It's unfair to El Paso. It's unfair to Chicago, Houston, Washington, New York City. This is unacceptable, what's happening.

Politico earlier quoted Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot as sharply criticizing Polis and calling Colorados move inhumane.

It is simply inhumane for any governor, whether Republican or Democrat, to address this challenge by giving these poor, traumatized migrants a one-way ticket out of town and washing their hands of the matter at our literal and figurative expense, Lightfoot told Politico in a statement. For shame.

When asked about Lightfoot's characterization of Colorado's actions, Adams said, "Her remarks, do I agree with them? ... You're damn right I do. For the governor of Colorado to say that I'm going to push the problem to the city and didn't even notify us. Everyone knows what we're going through. And for that governor to do that  I spoke with the mayor last week  this is just unacceptable."

Both Chicago and New York's officials have repeatedly said the influx of thousands of immigrants to their cities have strained resources.

Polis told the Denver Gazette editorial board on Thursday that Denver did notify them, referring to New York. They were aware.

He also defended the state's action, saying Colorado is merely helping the immigrants get to their final destinations.

About 70% want a destination other than Denver, and we are just a point in their journeys, Polis said. It is a $90 trip from El Paso to Denver, which puts them in a major transportation hub. Their most popular destinations are Chicago, New York, Atlanta and Miami  places where they know someone. We are trying in the most humane way possible to get them where they want to go.
A US court has awarded close to one billion dollars to the Trinidad and Tobao government in 
The Biden administration announced a new $3 billion package of military assistance for Ukraine that will include Bradley Fighting Vehicles and Paladin howitzers, Sea Sparrow air defense missiles, and much more.

Thats according to Laura Cooper, the deputy assistant secretary of defense who has led the Pentagons military aid program to Ukraine, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, said the administration would also send $682 million to countries on NATOs eastern flank, some of which have shrunk their own arsenals to contribute more military equipment to Ukraine, according to NYT.

Ukrainians have requested the infantry fighting vehicles as they continue to push back against the forces of President Vladimir Putin of Russia. Officials said the vehicles would help in what the military calls combined arms maneuvering, which refers to the close coordination of air power, artillery and ground forces in operations.

Read also: Zelensky thanks Biden for new military aid package

Its a lot of farmland, a lot of open ground and it lends itself well to the kinds of capabilities that are in this package, said John Kirby, the strategic communications coordinator for the National Security Council. The Bradley Fighting Vehicles are very significant in terms of being able to do what we call combined arms maneuver warfare.

The provision of the armored vehicles was forecast in a joint statement by the United States and Germany on Thursday, and comes amid a flurry of announcements of new aid from Ukraines allies, including France.

In a briefing to reporters Friday afternoon, Pentagons Laura Cooper offered details on the package of weapons, ammunition and vehicles  the 29th drawdown of Pentagon equipment since August 2021  and $225 million in foreign military financing for Ukraine.

The most significant items to come from Pentagon stockpiles are 50 M2A2 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles, with 500 TOW anti-tank missiles and 250,000 rounds of 25-millimeter ammunition for them to fire.

The Bradley is designed to carry a squad of a half-dozen soldiers into battle and offer them fire support with its turret-mounted 25-millimeter gun. It also carries TOW missiles that can destroy enemy tanks, and the vehicles hull is wrapped with advanced armor blocks to protect it from incoming fire. Some versions of the vehicle are equipped with laser range-finders and thermal optics to help the crew of three soldiers find targets they can engage  which would offer Ukrainian troops an advantage on the battlefield.

For the first time, the U.S. will provide 18 Paladin self-propelled howitzers, along with an unspecified number of 155-millimeter shells for them to fire. The Pentagon will also send 36 more 105-millimeter towed howitzers along with ammunition.

The U.S. will send 4,000 Zuni rockets  eight-foot long unguided rockets fired by warplanes that can carry about 10 pounds of explosives, and American RIM-7 Sea Sparrow air-defense missiles that Ms. Cooper said had been adapted to work with Ukraines Soviet-era Buk missile launchers.

It is a creative solution that did require some engineering finesse, she said of adapting the American missiles for Russian-made launchers. But were very pleased that it will work for the Ukrainians.

The Pentagon will send 100 more M113 armored personnel carriers, in addition to the 200 already committed to Kyiv, and 138 more Humvee trucks added to the 1,300 the U.S. has already sent.

As you look at the U.S. and the international response by providing the equipment, and importantly now the training that were providing, it does afford Ukraine an opportunity to change the equation on the battlefield and gain momentum and not only defend their territory but hopefully take back territory, Brig. Gen. Patrick S. Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman, said to reporters at the briefing with Ms. Cooper. And so this is part of that ongoing effort to support them in that larger campaign.
Chairman of the Committee on Defense Affairs, Antti Hakkanen, said Finland should transfer Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine if the relevant decision is taken in Europe at a wider level.

This is reported by Ukrinform with reference to MTV Uutis.

Hakkanen is convinced that every European nation should participate in helping Ukraine to some extent.

"If Europe starts giving tanks to Ukraine even an inch more, Finland should be involved. Of course, with our small contribution, because our own defense capability is always a priority for us as a country bordering Russia," he said, adding that many European countries have more opportunities to provide armored vehicles than Finland.

The U.S. will supply Ukraine with Bradley Fighting Vehicles, and Germany  with Marders. The other day, France also announced that it would provide Ukraine with light armored combat vehicles. Hakkanen considers these decisions to be very important.

Read also: Pentagon reveals details of latest security aid package to Ukraine

"Amid Russia's war of aggression, Germany was tight-lipped about providing tanks to Ukraine. Due to arms export agreements, no other country can provide Ukraine with reliable Leopard tanks if Germany does not approve it," the Finnish publication said.

As reported by Ukrinform, on Friday Germany announced that in the first quarter of 2023 they will hand over to Ukraine 40 Marder IFVs, as well as a Patriot anti-missile defense system.
Over the past day, four trains brought more Russian military equipment and troops to Belarus.

This is reported by Ukrinform with reference to the Belarusian Gayun monitoring group.

At 07:30 on January 6, a train arrived at Polonka railway station (Baranovichi district, Brest region), which contained 30 flat cars carrying wheeled vehicles, four covered rail cars, and two passenger cars carrying with personnel. Among the vehicles noticed were Ural and Kamaz trucks, armored personnel carriers, and tankers. This train is known to have departed on January 3 at 14:50 from Kantemirovka station (Voronezh region, Russia), which is located on the border with Ukraines Luhansk region.

It is noted that 262 bases for storage and repair of military equipment (tanks), as well as a 1st separate tank brigade (created in 2015), are located in the city of Boguchar, Voronezh region. The distance from Boguchar to Kantemirovka station is about 60 km.

Yesterday morning at the Slonim railway station (Grodno region) another train arrived from Russia, also carrying military wheeled and tracked military vehicles on 27 flat cars.

The third train was spotted arriving in Baranovichi. Among the equipment, monitors noted 43 Kamaz and Ural trucks, BAZ-6306, five tankers, two ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft guns, field kitchens, and water barrels. Many trucks have the identifying symbol "Z" inscribed on them.

Also overnight Saturday, at 02:10, a special train of 15 passenger cars passed through the Smolensk station toward Belarus. At night, the train could arrive in Orsha or Vitebsk. It is believed that roughly 800 Russian troops could be traveling on that train. It cannot be ruled out that after stopping in the Vitebsk region, the train could move on to the Brest region, including to Baranovichi.

It should be recalled that the day before yesterday, the Ministry of Defense of Belarus announced that the formation of a joint military grouping with Russia is underway on the territory of the country. In addition, joint air force tactical training was announced there.
Poland, which has already transferred a significant amount of heavy weapons to Ukraine, is considering the possibility of supplying German-made Leopard main battle tanks after receiving replacements from South Korea and the USA.

This is stated in an extensive report by The Wall Street Journal with reference to Polish authorities, reports Ukrinform.

Poland gave Ukraine more than 240 modernized Soviet-type tanks early in the war. Now, Poland is considering a request from Ukraine to donate its German-made Leopard main battle tanks, a senior Polish diplomat said.

This information was confirmed by another European official from the Czech Republic, involved in the process of delivering military equipment to Ukraine.

Read also: Finland to hand Ukraine Leopard 2 tanks if Europe makes such decision

They are for real considering giving anything just to help Ukraine, the official said.

Poland has more than 240 Leopard tanks, enough for two tank brigades.

According to the director of the Polish Institute of International Affairs (Warsaw), Slawomir Debski, the pace at which the country could provide tanks to Ukraine will depend on how quickly Poland will receive replacements from South Korea and the U.S.

At the same time, it is noted that Berlin must also approve the move.

As reported, the Leopards are much more heavily armored, and more protected against antitank weapons, than the vehicles France, Germany, and the U.S. have so far offered.
On January 6, three civilians were killed and 14 more were injured in Ukraine as a result of the Russian aggression.

Kyrylo Tymoshenko, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, said this in a post on Telegram, referring to figures from the regional military administrations, Ukrinform reports.

In particular, two people were killed and seven more were injured in Donetsk region, one person was killed and seven more were injured in Kherson region.

As reported by Ukrinform, the Russian army shelled seven regions of Ukraine on January 6.

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The next meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (Ramstein format) will be held on January 20.

Defence Minister Lambrecht talked with US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin today, discussing, among other things, the current war situation in Ukraine and how to coordinate further military support for Ukraines defensive war, specifically regarding infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) and the Patriot surface-to-air missile defence system, in preparation of the upcoming meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group on 20 January 2023, German Federal Ministry of Defence informs.

In particular, the officials discussed the US-German initiative to send Ukraine Western-built IFVs  U.S. Bradley fighting vehicles and German Marder IFVs  and ammunition for them.

In combination with the approximately 100 Soviet-built main battle tanks and IFVs that we have provided together with our Allies through backfilling arrangements, these joint efforts will considerably strengthen the robustness of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Together with our Allies, we continue to support Ukraine in unity, solidarity and close coordination. We are stronger together, Lambrecht said.

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Snipers of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine stopped the advance of a Russian unit that was going to attack a stronghold of Ukrainian defenders in a direction near Bakhmut, Donetsk region.

"A border guard sniper group stopped the advance of the enemy infantry in one of the directions near Bakhmut. The occupiers' rifle unit advanced to attack a stronghold of the Ukrainian defenders," the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine reports.

It is noted that while watching the enemy, the snipers defined the head of the unit and eliminated the commander and a machine gunner with well-aimed shots. Having lost the commander, the invaders were afraid to attack and fled.

As of January 7, the Armed Forces of Ukraine eliminated about 110,740 Russian soldiers.

Photo credit: State Border Guard Service of Ukraine

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German weapons save the lives of many Ukrainians and bring peace closer.

Ukraine's Ambassador to Germany, Oleksiy Makeiev, spoke of this with the German publication Wirtschafts Woche, Ukrinform reports.

"German industry, in consultation with the governments of Germany and Ukraine, makes a decisive contribution to the victory of Ukraine in the war that Russia has waged against my country and against the West. Even if it sounds strange to some: German weapons save lives and contribute to the return of peace in Europe," said Makeiev, thanking Germany for its help.

He noted that the announcement of the decision by the German authorities to transfer 40 Marder IFVs and the Patriot air defense system to Ukraine was well received not only by German industry, but also by the public. The ambassador reminded that the most modern German anti-aircraft system Iris-T and Gepard anti-aircraft guns already show "fantastic results" in intercepting Russian missiles and kamikaze drones. Together with the Patriot systems promised by the Americans and Germans, a "decisive contribution to the protection of the Ukrainian sky from Russian missiles" will be made, the diplomat is convinced. And with the acquisition of the IFVs, "Ukraine's defense in the sky and on the ground is getting stronger," he added

At the same time, Makeiev emphasized the need for there to be no hesitation in the supply of weapons because every day costs Ukrainians many lives.

Speaking about the prospects of obtaining Leopard main battle tanks, Makeiev said that he is an "optimist". According to the ambassador, almost a year into the full-scale Russian invasion, many people in Germany finally understood that this war is about the existence of Ukraine and peace in all of Europe. Therefore, more and more people believe that Ukraine should be supported until it wins this war, the diplomat noted.

"This is a promising starting point for the government's decisions, in particular regarding Leopard supplies," Makeiev said.

He emphasized that Ukrainians' determination to win the war as early as this year is very high, but not everything depends on Ukrainians. "We still need military support. Because you have to fight for peace. And we, Ukrainians, do it on behalf of all Europeans," he said. The ambassador assured that Ukraine will not compromise on its sovereignty, territory, and independence.

Responding to a question about the "ceasefire for Orthodox Christmas" announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Makeiev reminded that on Putin's orders, the Russian military has been constantly shelling Ukrainian homes, hospitals, maternity wards, schools, and churches, including during Christmas and New Year. Therefore, with such interruptions, Putin only wants to take a breather and accumulate his forces in order to strike again.

"It is obvious that Russia's words cannot be trusted, and there will be no Minsk 3, which Russia will violate immediately after its signing," the head of the Ukrainian diplomatic mission emphasized, noting that many partners, including Germany, rejected this "fictitious proposal" voiced by Putin.

The ambassador emphasized that the Ukrainian state respects the rules and keeps its word. That is why President Volodymyr Zelensky publicly presented his 10-step peace plan. Ukraine expects that its partners will actively support the implementation of this plan, Makeiev added.

As reported, on January 5, Chancellor Olaf Scholz had a phone call with U.S. President Joe Biden, after which both leaders announced new batches of military aid to Ukraine. In particular, Germany will transfer 40 Marder IFVs and a Patriot system.
The town of Soledar, Donetsk region, remains under the control of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

This was stated by the spokesman for the Eastern Group of the Armed Forces, Serhiy Cherevaty, who spoke on the air of the telethon, an Ukrinforn correspondent reports.

"Soledar is not under the control of the Russian Federation," Cherevaty said.

According to him, fierce battles are currently taking place there - only today there were 76 shellings and 10 combat clashes. "Our Armed Forces and command are doing everything to inflict maximum damage on the enemy in terms of personnel and equipment ... and to preserve own forces as much as possible," said the spokesman for the Eastern Group of Forces.

He added that the tactics pursued by the Russians have not changed: they use personnel that continuously "rolls" onto the positions of the Ukrainian defenders in waves. "Step by step, they achieved small gains. Our soldiers ... are on the defensive, but the tactical situation sometimes forced them to change their positions," the spokesman explained.

Commenting on the situation in Bakhmut, Cherevaty noted that the city remains under the control of the Armed Forces, and that fighting continues. "So far, this is one of the most intense areas of the front, where combat clashes and constant shelling by the enemy are ongoing," he said.

The spokesman for the Eastern Group of the Armed Forces also reported that combat operations are ongoing in the direction of Svatove-Kreminna. The enemy is regrouping, trying to counterattack in certain directions, but suffering significant losses and retreating. The Armed Forces act based on the situation.

Regarding Putin's order to introduce a "ceasefire regime" from 12:00 on January 6 to 24:00 on January 7, Cherevaty said: "Of course, none of this happened."

Earlier propagandist Russian publications reported the alleged "capture" of Soledar by the invasion forces.
Currently, Belarus is being occupied by the Russian forces, which are stationed on its training grounds, most likely for a long time, and there will be no future for Belarus as an independent state.

Thats according to Oleksandr Pavliuk, Commander of Kyiv Defense Forces, who spoke in an interview with Suspilne, Ukrinform reports.

"Belarus is being occupied by military forces that are stationed at training grounds, most likely for a long time. And there will be no future for Belarus as an independent country," he said.

Pavliuk expressed confidence that the leadership of Belarus can be held accountable for participating in the aggression against Ukraine  as an active accomplice in this full-scale war.

Separately, the commander specified that Ukraine has an eternal enemy, the Russian Federation, and that as long as this country exists, Ukraine will have no peace.

"Ukrainians have fury, first of all. Second, we are fighting for our own land. Third, we enjoy the support of the world. Weapons are coming, we are not alone. Most European countries have already understood the essence of this war. Russia is under sanctions. It became a rogue country. This is an important support for us. The fate of Ukraine is decided not only on the front lines, but also on a strategic scale," the official said.

He said that conditions are being imposed on Russia in which it will not be able to maintain its forces in the near future.

According to the commander, there is currently an understanding that the only chance to end the war is to advance to the Ukrainian borders as of 1991. In his opinion, it is impossible to give Russia a chance to have some rest, otherwise a year or two will pass before another war will be unleashed.

"In order to advance to the borders of 1991, we need equipment and weapons. The number depends on the capabilities of our partners. Some countries do not have the potential that we need. We need the efforts of the entire international community. Countries will not disarm. We are given the surplus that can be offered. We are training our people, but there is not enough equipment," said Pavliuk.

The commander believes that in order to respond to Russia massively, weapons are needed.

"But our partners do have an understanding that, if Russia is given a chance to win, the European principles of democracy will be leveled. Russia will not stop on Ukraine. The Baltic states and Poland will be their next targets. Everyone understands that. While we are a barrier between the civilized world and the horde that wants to redistribute the world," the official said.

As reported, on January 5, Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov stated Ukraine believes Russia can use the territory of Belarus for the next invasion, and therefore is carefully monitoring the situation, bracing for a possible assault.
Finland is readying another package of defense aid to Ukraine, a decision on which will be made in the coming weeks.

Thats according to the countrys Defense Minister, Mikko Savola, who announced the news on Twitter, as seen by Ukrinform.

"Finland supports Ukraine. We are preparing the 12th aid package. Decisions will be made in the coming weeks," the tweet reads.

Read also: Finland to hand Ukraine Leopard 2 tanks if Europe makes such decision

According to the minister, for security reasons, the content of the security assistance package is not being disclosed.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, the United States confirmed a new package of defense support to Ukraine in the amount of more than $3 billion, which will include, in particular, Bradley Fighting Vehicles, armored personnel carriers, self-propelled howitzers, missile weapons, ammunition, and more.
Currently, there is no threat of another Russian attack on the capital of Ukraine as the enemy has not accumulated the required amount of forces and equipment to this end.

Thats according to Oleksandr Pavliuk, the Commander of Kyiv Defense Forces, who spoke with Suspilne, Ukrinform reports.

"At this moment there is no immediate threat (Russian repeated attack on Kyiv - ed.). The Russians do not have the appropriate forces and means at their disposal. There are certain groups on the territory close to the border between Belarus and Ukraine but, given our potential, it is unlikely that they will succeed," he said.

According to the Commander, all that is currently being done by Russia in Belarus aims to contain the Ukrainian forces on the northern border so that they cannot be deployed to the eastern part of the country.

"We are considering possible options for aggression in the coming months. But to this end, they would need to transfer the appropriate amount of forces and means, which are now being replenished by Russia at their training grounds. So far, we do not see such intentions, but we are preparing," the official said.

Separately, answering the question of why the officials had previously said that an attack on the capital on February 24, 2022 was seen as unlikely, Pavliuk clarified that the estimates were based on the forces and means that the Russians had accumulated by that time.

"The grouping they created had the potential to go on an offensive in the east of Ukraine. The fact that they attacked from different directions simultaneously was about them assuming we would be unprepared and unable to defend in all areas. They underestimated our potential. But anyway, we did confront them. At the same time, we were primarily preparing in the east," he said.

The commander said this was a new experience, and that Ukraines forces managed to quickly create a powerful defense line around the capital and to set up a mechanism for the interaction of various forces.

Answering the question about the turning point in the defense of the capital, the official said that it was the battle of Moshchun.

"The Russians had a bridgehead there. When their group was destroyed there, we realized that we had a chance to destroy the entire grouping accumulated around Kyiv. Our active operation then began to sever their logistical routes," he said.

As reported, on January 6, Pavliuk said that on the northern border of Ukraine, the leadership of the 120th Brigade of the Territorial Defense Forces and subordinate units are undergoing training as part of the group of forces tasked with defending Kyiv.
In the occupied part of Luhansk region, near the town of Shchastia, partisans destroyed a railway track in the area where the invaders were transporting military equipment and ammunition.

This was reported by the head of the Luhansk Regional Military Administration, Serhii Haidai, on Telegram, Ukrinform reports.

"On the evening of January 6 near Shchastia, an improvised explosive device was employed to destroy a railway line between the city of Luhansk and the village of Lantrativk," wrote Haidai.

According to the official, it has been previously established that the specified section of the railway is used by the Russians to transport military equipment, manpower, and ammunition. In the opposite direction, the invaders ship Ukrainian grain to the Russian territory.

As reported, some of the fiercest battles on the front line are ongoing in Luhansk region around the town of Kreminna due to the attempts of Russian troops to secure the right flank of their Bakhmut sector.
Ukraines Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets and Poland's Commissioner for Children's Rights Protection Mikoaj Pawlak have discussed strengthening the cooperation in monitoring the observance of Ukrainian childrens rights in Poland.

Lubinets said this in a post on Telegram, according to Ukrinform.

"We are closely cooperating with the colleague to support Ukrainian children in this country. Therefore, we discussed the topics of strengthening the cooperation in monitoring the observance of Ukrainian childrens rights and planned a number of joint events. In particular, visits to places where children live, he said.

"Children who suffered from the Russian armed aggression need support and assistance. Therefore, we are trying to ensure it in all possible ways," the Ukrainian ombudsman emphasized.

Lubinets thanked Poland and other countries that support Ukrainian children and Ukraine.

As reported by Ukrinform, according to the PESEL provision database, as of the end of December, there were 950,000 war refugees from Ukraine in Poland.

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The Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine launched strikes on 21 areas of concentration of the enemy, and three attacks on the positions of anti-aircraft missile systems.

This is said in a report of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as of 18:00, January 7, published on Facebook.

During the day, aircraft of Ukraines Defense Forces launched strikes on 21 build-up areas of the enemy, as well as three attacks on the positions of anti-aircraft defense systems. Our rocket and artillery forces struck four areas of concentration of manpower and two ammunition depots of the enemy, the report says.

The General Staff noted that despite the announced so-called "ceasefire", the Russian occupiers continue to shell the positions of Ukrainian units with tanks, mortars and barrel artillery.

During the current day, the enemy launched one air strike and carried out seven attacks using multiple launch rocket systems.

The General Staff stressed that there is still a threat of enemy air strikes and missile attacks on critical infrastructure facilities throughout Ukraine.

It is noted that the enemy is focusing efforts on conducting offensive operations in the Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Lyman directions and is trying to improve the tactical position in the Kupiansk direction. In the Novopavlivka, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson directions, the enemy continues to conduct active defensive operations, trying to hold the occupied lines.

As Ukrinform reported, the Armed Forces of Ukraine eliminated about 110,740 Russian troops in Ukraine from February 24, 2022 to January 7, 2023, including 490 over the past day alone.

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In Mariupol, the resistance forces record enemy military activity  the movement of equipment and personnel.

"We are recording military activity in Mariupol: a convoy of two S-300 anti-aircraft systems, 10 tractors (including three loaded Russian Guard vehicles), and two civilian (seemingly) trucks accompanied by the occupation police through the center of Mariupol-Manhush-Berdiansk direction. It is interesting that seven tractors are empty, the occupiers' equipment probably got tired and needs a long rest at a repair base," Petro Andriushchenko, adviser to Mariupol mayor, posted on Telegram.

According to him, manpower was also seen moving in Nikolske. The enemy units are likely to be rotated or replenished with mobilized ones.

In addition, the movement of a truck with ammunition, personnel, and armored personnel carriers towards Donetsk was spotted.

Russian aviation also shows intense activity, which more resembles training than combat operations.

Andriushchenko added that "a Russian aircraft heading to Rostov-on-Don caught fire and spiraled down near Mariupol around 17:30. It is still unknown what it was but the trend is interesting."

The official noted that there were no visible signs of a ceasefire declared by the enemy, rather a standard regrouping and replenishment of Russian units were ongoing.

As reported, the invaders are trying to turn Mariupol into a military logistics hub.

Mariupol experiences one of the biggest humanitarian disasters caused by Russia's aggression. The city was almost 90% destroyed as a result of enemy shelling. Mariupol currently has no normal electricity, water, and gas supply.

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Soldiers of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are accurately hitting their targets near Bakhmut.

The press service of the Special Operations Forces Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine published a corresponding video on Facebook.

"The video shows the result of the professional work of Special Operations Forces operators who use mortars to stop Russian attacks on the approaches to the town," reads the publication.

As reported, snipers of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine stopped the advance of a Russian unit that was going to attack a stronghold of Ukrainian defenders in a direction near Bakhmut, Donetsk region.

Photo credit: Special Operations Forces Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

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The United Nations did not even condemn Russia, which did everything possible to prevent the UN mission from visiting occupied Olenivka to investigate the prison attack that occurred on the night of July 29 and killed more than 50 Ukrainian defenders.

"Unfortunately, we saw UNs intermediary and neutral position once again. There was not a single word of condemnation of the Russian side which did everything possible to prevent this international mission from going there," Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets said during the nationwide news telethon.

He noted that he was skeptical about the mission from the very beginning.

"First of all, I analyzed the composition of this mission and indicated that all three people [mission members] have a very positive attitude towards the Russian Federation, and this is already unacceptable. Second, I asked how do they want to get there? Did the Russian Federation give permission for this? No, it did not," Lubinets said.

The Ombudsman noted that after the mission had been created, the Ukrainian authorities were sending official requests to the UN to clarify what was happening to the mission for months. Lubinets informed that he, as the Ombudsman of Ukraine, put forward the initiative to at least meet with them online.

According to Lubinets, he was ready to go to this meeting with the evidence of what happened in Olenivka, to present it so that at least some work could be launched.

"Ukraine publicly said that we are ready to contribute, to create all the conditions, please come. But five months passed and nothing happened. We found out from the Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General that he [UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres] decided to disband this mission. But if it has already been created, then do some work at least. And if you did not receive security guarantees, then say publicly that the Russian Federation did not let you in and that you condemn it," he said.

As reported, on the night of July 29, 2022, a powerful explosion occurred in the building where Ukrainian prisoners of war were held in the territory of the former penal facility No. 210 in Olenivka, temporarily occupied territory of Donetsk region. According to the Russian side, about 50 Ukrainian defenders were killed and more than 70 were seriously injured.

On January 6, Lubinets said that the UN disbanded the fact-finding mission into the Olenivka prison attack.

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Since the beginning of the full-scale war, the National Police has opened 57,357 criminal proceedings to investigate the crimes committed by the Russians and their accomplices in Ukraine.

This is said in a report posted by the Ministry of Internal Affairs on Telegram, according to Ukrinform.

"Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the National Police investigators have initiated 57,357 inquiries into the crimes committed by service members of the armed forces of the Russian Federation and their accomplices in Ukraine," the report says.

In particular, 45,681 cases were opened under Art. 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (Violation of laws and customs of war), 9,198  Art. 110 (Encroachment on the territorial integrity and inviolability of Ukraine), 2,286  Art. 111-1 (Collaborative activities), 107  Art. 111 (High treason), 37  Art. 113 (Sabotage), etc.

It is noted that currently 353 children are considered missing in Ukraine, 8,744 - found

As reported, the National Police on January 6 stated that police opened 59 criminal proceedings on the facts of sexual violence committed by Russian military personnel.

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Drones launched by Russia at Ukraine inflict massive damage on the Ukrainian energy system as they hit energy facilities quite accurately.

This was announced on Friday, January 6, by DTEK Executive Director Dmytro Sakharuk, who spoke at the national telethon, Ukrinform reports.

"As practice has shown, drones, although small in size, cause plenty of damage because they accurately hit their target and provoke fires that destroy transformers," Sakharuk said.

He noted that after each drone attack, it becomes more and more difficult to restore the affected power lines.

At the same time, he noted that energy companies are trying to respond to power outages as quickly as possible and to restore power supply to the grid.

Read also: Government exploring opportunities for building decentralized power system in Ukraine

"Thanks to the restoration works, taking into account the latest drone attack on January 2, now all regions have daily energy supply caps, distributed proportionately to the region's consumption. Thanks to these caps, it is possible to ensure scheduled blackouts," Sakharuk noted.

He also warned that due to future freeze, the power supply may worsen.

As reported, the energy system was subjected to 11 missile and 14 drone attacks by Russia. Damage to generation facilities and trunk networks is deemed complex and large-scale. Restoration work requires significant resources and time.

Massive attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure have been ongoing since October 10.

Photo: State Emergency Service of Ukraine
On Saturday, January 7, on Christmas Day, the world was once again able to see how false any words of any level coming from Moscow are.

And, by the way, the world was once again able to see today how false any words of any level that sound from Moscow are. They said something there about an alleged ceasefire But the reality is that Russian rounds hit Bakhmut and other Ukrainian positions again, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said in his latest address.

As noted, only the expulsion of the Russian occupiers from Ukrainian land and the elimination of any opportunities for Russia to put pressure on Ukraine and the whole of Europe will mean the restoration of the ceasefire, security and peace.

It's what we are working for, it's exactly what the help of our partners is aimed at, and it's exactly what the entire civilized world has now. And I thank everyone who helps us defend the independence of Ukraine! Thanks to everyone who fights and works for our country! Today we are one step closer to our victory, Zelensky said.

As a reminder, the Russian propaganda media reported that the terrorist state president Vladimir Putin had allegedly instructed to introduce a "ceasefire regime" from 12:00 on January 6 to 24:00 on January 7 along the entire line of contact between the parties in Ukraine.

For his part, Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, said that a "temporary truce" is possible for Russia after it leaves the temporarily occupied territories, because Ukraine does not attack foreign lands and does not kill civilians, but only eliminates invaders.

In turn, the U.S. Institute for the Study of War stated that Putin's truce is an information operation.

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Poland is waiting for the creation of a broad coalition of countries to hand over modern heavy weapons to Ukraine. Warsaw does not intend to hand over another batch of tanks to Kyiv independently.

Prime Minister of Poland Mateusz Morawiecki said this at a joint press conference with Minister of National Defense of Poland Mariusz Baszczak in Warsaw on Saturday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

As the Prime Minister of Poland noted, he and President Andrzej Duda are involved in negotiations on "the creation of a broad coalition of states that should hand over heavy modern weapons to Ukraine."

"At the moment, I can only say this. The president is also involved, negotiations are ongoing. I spoke about this with German Chancellor Scholz a few weeks ago in Brussels. I think that we will know a little more about this matter in the next few days," Morawiecki emphasized.

He added that Poland does not intend to transfer another batch of its tanks to Ukraine independently.

"Without a broader coalition, we do not intend to hand over these tanks," the PM of Poland emphasized.

As a reminder, The Wall Street Journal, with reference to representatives of the Polish authorities, reported that Poland was considering the possibility of supplying Ukraine with its own German-made Leopard tanks after receiving replacements from South Korea and the USA.

The Polish Armed Forces have more than 240 Leopard 2 tanks in service.

As reported, Poland purchased 366 Abrams tanks from the USA: 250 new ones and 116 tanks that were already in service. Warsaw has already received 28 new Abrams tanks under the contract.

In addition, Poland signed an agreement with South Korea for the purchase of about a thousand K2 tanks last year. At the beginning of December last year, Poland received the first 10 tanks of this type.

After the start of Russia's full-scale armed aggression against Ukraine, Warsaw handed over approximately 300 T-72, PT-91 tanks to Kyiv.

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The majority of Polish citizens (82%) are in favor of long-term political and military support for Ukraine by NATO and EU member states in light of Russian armed aggression, while such support among Germans stands at only 42%.

Thats according to a survey run by Ipsos in Poland and Germany on December 16-21 for OKO.press and TOK.FM, Ukrinform reports.

The authors of the study simultaneously asked the citizens of Poland and Germany two questions and the respondents had to choose between several answers. The following questions were put forward:

Should the NATO and EU countries strive to support Ukraine politically and militarily so that it wins the war with Russia even if it were to last several years?

Should the NATO and EU countries seek to conclude a peace agreement with Russia even if Ukraine were to lose part of its territory?

In Poland, 82% of respondents chose the option of supporting Ukraine until it wins, while only 12% chose the option of seeking to conclude an agreement with Russia despite Ukraine ceding some lands. At the same time, supporters of most of the political forces in Poland  both in the left and right spectrums  advocate support for Ukraine. The only exception is the voters of the nationalist Confederation, 54% of which support Ukraine, and 37% are in favor of striking a deal with Russia.

A different situation is observed in Germany, where those supporting Ukraines struggle and opting for a deal with Russia are divided roughly in half. In particular, 42% of respondents spoke in favor of long-term assistance to Ukraine, and 39% -- for reaching an agreement with Russia. The largest number of Ukraine aid supporters is among the followers of left-wing and center-left parties (54-57%), and the smallest  among the right-wing and center-right parties (20-37%). The opinion prevails among German conservatives on the need to seek a compromise with Russia, even despite the loss of some territories by Ukraine. Some 49-68% of voters of right-wing and center-right parties support such a move.

Regional differences in support for Ukraine are also observed in Germany. In particular, in western Germany, more citizens are ready to support Ukraine in the long term (46%) than in the eastern part of the country (30%). In the federal lands that were part of the former GDR, 54% support compromise with the Russian Federation at the cost of Ukraine, while in the western part, 33% support the option.

The highest share of support for Ukraine is expressed by highly educated respondents. Only 29% of those polled with basic education are ready to support Ukraine, while the share among individuals with higher education stands at 47%.
JSC Ukrzaliznytsia, Ukraines state-run railway operator, has received 100 powerful charging stations for smartphones, which will be installed at train stations with the largest passenger traffic.

Thats according to the operators press service, Ukrinform reports.

"The first stations have already been installed at the Kyiv Invincibility Fortress (the capital's railway station - ed.). One such station can simultaneously charge up to 33 devices and will allow traveling Ukrainians to always remain connected, despite possible blackouts," the statement reads.

It is noted that the stations were produced in record time in Turkey specifically for Ukrzaliznytsia and, despite logistical issues, were delivered to Ukraine already at the beginning of this year. The charging stations were provided by the Kusto Group  a group of Kazakh entrepreneurs who have been actively supporting humanitarian projects in Ukraine.

As reported, JSC Ukrzaliznytsia has scheduled additional retro train trips in the capital.
By Decree No. 898/2022 of December 28, 2022, President Volodymyr Zelensky suspended the citizenship of a number of priests with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (in unity with the Moscow Patriarchate).

This is reported by LB.ua, referring to its own sources, as seen by Ukrinform.

It is noted that the decree has not been officially published as it contains personal information. But according to the publication's sources, Zelensky suspended the citizenship of 13 clerics of the UOC (MP).

In particular, it is about Metropolitan Ionafan of Tulchyn and Bratslav, who has been charged with treason. According to available information, he also holds a Russian passport. Also on the list is the vicar of the Tulchyn diocese, Bishop Serhiy of Ladyzhyn, who is Ionafan's close contact, LB.ua wrote, promising to publish the full list of 13 persons as soon as it is verified.

Read also: Epiphanius for the first time conducts Christmas service in Holy Dormition Cathedral

It is also noted that the State Migration Service received a corresponding notification about the loss of citizenship by the said persons. According to the current regulations, they may be deported.

As reported by Ukrinform, the SBU raided a number of UOC (MP) dioceses in various regions of Ukraine. Many clergymen were found to hold Russian citizenship, store pro-Russian propaganda literature and millions in cash.

In Ukraine, 74% of the population supports the President's decision to impose sanctions on the higher clergy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (in unity with the Moscow Patriarchate), a recent poll says.

Photo: Ukrainian President's Office
Asia-Pacific countries eager to welcome back Chinese tourists

Xinhua) 13:49, January 07, 2023

BANGKOK, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- China's recent optimization of its COVID-19 response and gradual restoration of Chinese citizens' overseas travel have enthused those working in the tourism sectors of Asia-Pacific countries.

In the eyes of a Thai tuk-tuk driver who gave his name as Mak, the return of Chinese tourists means the revival of Thailand's economy. He hopes the hustle and bustle of foreign tourists on Bangkok's streets before the pandemic hit three years ago would soon come back.

GOVERNMENTS' EXPECTATIONS

In 2019, Thailand welcomed about 40 million foreign tourists, nearly 30 percent of whom were Chinese tourists.

Thai Finance Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith said that China's gradual restoration of its citizens' overseas travel and other favorable factors could boost Thailand's tourism sector, Thailand's key economic growth contributor, pushing the Thai economy to grow 3.8 percent in 2023.

Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. invited the Chinese people to visit his country as tourists, students and investors. "I shall push for the resumption of tourism and cultural cooperation between our two countries," he said.

Indonesian Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno said the COVID-19 pandemic has had a huge negative impact on many sectors of Indonesia, including tourism.

"We lost almost 1 million plus job," he said, adding that cooperation with China is very important for the recovery of Indonesia's tourism sector.

Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen said he was very pleased to welcome back Chinese tourists, saying that their presence is vital to the country's tourism and economic growth.

"When China reopens its borders, flights will increase many times, so we hope to welcome about 2 million Chinese tourists again (in 2023)," Hun Sen said.

TOURISM SECTOR PREPARATIONS

The tourism sectors of Asia-Pacific countries have been gearing up for the return of Chinese tourists in the new year.

In New Zealand, some travel agencies have been communicating with their Chinese counterparts and customizing the latest tour itineraries for the coming Chinese tourists.

Li Ruiqin, managing director of China Travel Service (NZ) Ltd., said Chinese tourists spend an average of 4,900 NZ dollars (about 3,064 U.S. dollars) per person when staying in New Zealand.

The orderly resumption of outbound travel for Chinese tourists will be "a major boon to New Zealand's tourism industry," she said.

Travel specialist He Qingyuan in Australia said as the Chinese Lunar New Year is around the corner, he, along with his peers, is customizing exclusive tours for Chinese visitors.

Yuthasak Supasorn, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, said the tourism sector is gearing up for the return of Chinese tourists. Besides their favorite activities of visiting beaches and enjoying the food, "we would like to promote exclusive tour packages in the northeast region, the less trampled corner of Thailand filled with natural beauty and authentic Thainess," he said.

On the world-famous Boracay island in the central Philippines, the once-closed Chinese restaurants have been reopening one by one, and some local travel agencies have produced tour packages themed around the Chinese Lunar New Year, hoping to lure the first batch of Chinese tourists after the border reopens.

Indonesia's "paradise on Earth," Bali island, is no exception. Azril Azahari, chairman of the Indonesia Tourism Intellectual Association, said he expects an early arrival of Chinese tourists to Bali to enjoy the upgraded and diversified travel services.

RATIONAL APPROACH NEEDED

China's recent announcement that it would downgrade the management of COVID-19 from Class A to Class B from Jan. 8 has been warmly welcomed by many countries, which have also called for rational pandemic prevention measures.

Welcoming Chinese visitors, Hun Sen said China's upcoming reopening of its borders will revitalize Cambodia's economy and tourism, adding his country will not impose restrictions on Chinese tourists.

In a statement on Wednesday, Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said Thailand has considered COVID-19 a communicable disease under surveillance.

Foreign visitors entering Thailand from all parts of the world will be treated equally and no special public health measures will be implemented to discourage travelers from any particular country.

Teo Yik Ying, dean of the Saw Swee Hoch School of Public Health at the National University of Singapore, said Singapore has a high vaccination rate and it is unnecessary for it to impose additional travel regulations on Chinese tourists.

(Web editor: Xian Jiangnan, Wu Chaolan)
Somali president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has called on young al-Shabab fighters he says are brainwashed to surrender to the government amid ongoing military offensives against the group.

Speaking at a mosque in the countrys capital Friday, Mohamud, who last year after his election for second term declared an all-out war against the Islamist insurgents, also called on the al-Shabab fighters to denounce the terrorist ideology before it is too late.

His remarks came after the militants carried out two attacks on government forces in Somalias central region in two days, killing more than 43 people including senior officers.

He said he wants to tell the boys to return from the wrong path they are taking. He urged them to return to their government, to their people and to their religion. He said every step they take from now on will only increase their guilt.

The presidents message comes as Somali forces, backed by locals, continue battling the group in the total war he declared on the militants. Government forces have liberated large swathes of territory from the group, mainly in the south-central state of Hirshabelle.

Speaking to state-run television in Mogadishu, Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre said an investigation is underway into soldiers who were arrested on suspicion of facilitating the al-Shabab attack on the Villa Rays Hotel in Mogadishu in late November.

Barre did not say how many soldiers were involved.

He says all the soldiers who were working that day have been arrested and an investigation is currently underway. He says he wants the ongoing investigation to be successful and impartial.

The hotel attack claimed by the militant group al-Shabab killed at least 13 people, including five al-Shabab attackers.

The popular Villa Rays hotel was located near the presidential palace in Mogadishu and was frequented by senior government and security officials.

The Somali government has been fighting al-Shabab for more than 15 years. The Islamist group carries out deadly attacks in the Horn of Africa nation targeting government officials and African Union peacekeepers.
Chinas foreign ministry pushed back Friday against international reactions and criticism regarding its recent surge in COVID-19 cases, saying the situation was predictable and under control.

There has been growing international concern about Chinas COVID surge, which followed the governments move last month to suddenly lift pandemic restrictions that had been among the strictest in the world.

The United States this week joined Britain, France, Canada, South Korea, Spain and Qatar in imposing requirements on travelers from China to show recent negative COVID tests before being allowed to enter. European Union officials were considering similar measures this week.

At a regular news briefing Friday, Mao Ning, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, told reporters the new requirements were unreasonable. She noted several European countries already had decided not to impose the travel requirements on Chinese visitors, and she asserted EU leaders should be more rational and view China's COVID response in an objective and fair light."

'True impact' obscured

Officials with the World Health Organization this week criticized China's "very narrow" definition of COVID-19 deaths, warning that official statistics did not show the true reach of the outbreak.

WHO Emergencies Director Michael Ryan said the organization thought that the current numbers being published from China underrepresent the true impact of the disease in terms of hospital admissions, in terms of ICU admissions, and particularly in terms of deaths."

Mao of the foreign ministry insisted Friday that the country has been sharing all relevant scientific data with the international community "in an open and transparent manner. She said officials carried out upward of 60 technical exchanges with the WHO and have been sharing the genome data of the virus from the latest COVID cases.

There has also been concern about Chinas refusal to use mRNA-based COVID vaccines widely used in Western nations, as well as its refusal to accept the EU's offer to donate the vaccines. Vaccines utilizing messenger RNA are considered more effective than Chinas domestically produced vaccines.

VOAs Mandarin Service reported Friday that health experts from the Pandemic Center at Brown Universitys School of Public Health and the Georgetown University Institute for National and Global Health Law weighed in on Chinas COVID-19 surge.

In separate written comments to VOA Mandarin, the officials said that while the testing requirements being imposed by world governments likely would do little to prevent the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19, they understood the political desire to put up some barriers.

In addition, they each questioned Chinas decision to refuse mRNA vaccines, saying it had nothing to do with science and more likely was made because they did not want to admit their own vaccines were not as effective.

Change 'would be wise'



Jennifer Nuzzo, professor of epidemiology and director of the Pandemic Center at Brown, told VOA that given recent, significant changes in how China is conducting surveillance for COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths, it is near impossible to accurately assess the trajectory of China's outbreak. The WHO recently criticized China's efforts to redefine its COVID metrics, implying that these changes may be masking the full extent of its outbreak.

Lawrence Gostin, director of the ONeill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University, echoed Nuzzos admonition, saying that China would be wise to deploy Western vaccines, especially mRNA vaccines, which are more effective than Chinese vaccines. China's refusal to do so has nothing to do with science and everything to do with politics. China simply does not want to admit that its vaccines are not as effective as in the West.



It would be foolhardy to think China's COVID outbreak has reached its peak, Gostin noted. As we know from COVID-19, there will continue to be surges in cases, hospitalizations and deaths. Because China's population has very little natural immunity, the outbreak will get far worse before it gets better.



VOA Mandarin Service reporters Jessie Jiang and Jie Xi contributed to this report. Some information came from The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse.
China has suspended or closed the social media accounts of more than 1,000 critics of the governments policies on the COVID-19 outbreak, as the country moves to roll back harsh antivirus restrictions.

The popular Sina Weibo social media platform said it had addressed 12,854 violations including attacks on experts, scholars and medical workers and issued temporary or permanent bans on 1,120 accounts.

The ruling Communist Party had largely relied on the medical community to justify its tough lockdowns, quarantine measures and mass testing, almost all of which it abruptly abandoned last month, leading to a surge in new cases that have stretched medical resources to their limits. The party allows no direct criticism and imposes strict limits on free speech.

The company will continue to increase the investigation and cleanup of all kinds of illegal content and create a harmonious and friendly community environment for the majority of users," Sina Weibo said in a statement dated Thursday.

Criticism has largely focused on heavy-handed enforcement of regulations, including open-ended travel restrictions that saw people confined to their homes for weeks, sometimes sealed inside without adequate food or medical care. Anger was also vented over the requirement that anyone who potentially tested positive or had been in contact with such a person be confined for observation in a field hospital, where overcrowding, poor food and hygiene were commonly cited.

The social and economic costs eventually prompted rare street protests in Beijing and other cities, possibly influencing the party's decision to swiftly ease the strictest measures.

As part of the latest changes, China will also no longer bring criminal charges against people accused of violating border quarantine regulations, according to a notice issued by five government departments Saturday.

Individuals currently in custody will be released and seized assets returned, the notice said.

The adjustments were made after comprehensively considering the harm of the behaviors to the society and aim to adapt to the new situations of the epidemic prevention and control," the official China Daily newspaper website said in a report on the notice.

China is now facing a surge in cases and hospitalizations in major cities and is bracing for a further spread into less developed areas with the start of the Lunar New Year travel rush, set to get underway in the coming days. While international flights are still reduced, authorities say they expect domestic rail and air journeys will double over the same period last year, bringing overall numbers close to those of the 2019 holiday period before the pandemic hit.

The Transportation Ministry on Friday called on travelers to reduce trips and gatherings, particularly if they involve elderly people, pregnant women, small children and those with underlying conditions.

People using public transport are also urged to wear masks and pay special attention to their health and personal hygiene, Vice Minister Xu Chengguang told reporters at a briefing.

Nonetheless, China is forging ahead with a plan to end mandatory quarantines for people arriving from abroad beginning Sunday.

Beijing also plans to drop a requirement for students at city schools to have a negative COVID-19 test to enter campus when classes resume Feb. 13 after the holiday break. While schools will be allowed to move classes online in the event of new outbreaks, they must return to in-person instruction as soon as possible, the city education bureau said in a statement Friday.

However, the end to mass testing, a highly limited amount of basic data such as the number of deaths, infections and severe cases, and the potential emergence of new variants have prompted governments elsewhere to institute virus testing requirements for travelers from China.

The World Health Organization has also expressed concern about the lack of data from China, while the U.S. is requiring a negative test result for travelers from China within 48 hours of departure.

Chinese health authorities publish a daily count of new cases, severe cases and deaths, but those numbers include only officially confirmed cases and use a very narrow definition of COVID-related deaths.

Authorities say that since the government ended compulsory testing and permitted people with mild symptoms to test themselves and convalesce at home, it can no longer provide a full picture of the state of the latest outbreak.

On Saturday, the National Health Commission reported 10,681 new domestic cases, bringing the country's total number of confirmed cases to 482,057. Three new deaths were also reported over the previous 24 hours, bringing the total to 5,267.

The numbers are a fraction of those announced by the U.S., which has put its death toll at more than 1 million among some 101 million cases.

But they're also much smaller than the estimates being released by some local governments. Zhejiang, a province on the east coast, said Tuesday it was seeing about 1 million new cases a day.

China has said the testing requirements being imposed by foreign governments  most recently Germany and Sweden  arent science-based and has threatened unspecified countermeasures. Its spokespeople have said the situation is under control and reject accusations of a lack of preparation for reopening.

Despite such assertions, the Health Commission Saturday rolled out regulations for strengthened monitoring of viral mutations, including testing of urban wastewater. The lengthy rules called for increased data gathering from hospitals and local government health departments and stepped-up checks on pneumonia of unknown causes."

If a variant emerges in an outbreak, it is found through genetic sequencing of the virus.

Since the pandemic started, China has shared 4,144 sequences with GISAID, a global platform for coronavirus data. Thats only 0.04% of its reported number of cases  a rate more than 100 times less than the United States and nearly four times less than neighboring Mongolia.
The Russian-backed governor of the Crimean city of Sevastopol posted on the Telegram message service that air defenses shot down a drone on Saturday, Orthodox Christmas. In a Reuters report about the incident, Mikhail Razvozhaev suggested that the drone was deployed by Ukraine.

"Even the sacred holiday of Christmas was not a reason for these inhuman people to halt their attempts to attack our Hero City," Razvozhaev wrote.

Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. Ukraine has said it intends to retrieve all the regions Russia annexed before the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and all the territory it has seized since then.

Russias Black Sea Fleet is based in Sevastopol.

Russian President Vladimir Putin observed Orthodox Christmas in a service in a Kremlin cathedral. The president was the sole worshipper at the midnight service in the gilded Cathedral of the Annunciation.

The Russian Orthodox Church supports Russias invasion of Ukraine.

Putin had declared a unilateral 36-hour cease-fire from midday Friday to observe Russian Orthodox Christmas, but fighting does not appear to have stopped.

Saturday, Britains Defense Ministry said in an intelligence update about Russias invasion of Ukraine that Fighting has continued at a routine level into the Orthodox Christmas period. One of the most fiercely contested sectors continues to be around the town of Kremina, in Luhansk Oblast.

In the last three weeks, the fighting around Kremina has focused on the heavily forested terrain to the west of the town, the British ministry said. With the coniferous woodland providing some cover from air observation even in winter, both sides are highly likely struggling to accurately adjust artillery fire. As is typical with operations in forests, combat has largely devolved to dismounted infantry fighting, often at short range.

Russian commanders will highly likely view pressure around Kremina as a threat to the right flank of their Bakhmut sector, according to the ministry, which they see as key for enabling any future advance to occupy the remainder of Donetsk Oblast.
The operation to detain Ovidio Guzman, the son of imprisoned drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, unleashed firefights that turned the northern city of Culiacan into a war zone with 30 dead, authorities said Friday.

In a blow-by-blow description of the battles Thursday that killed 10 military personnel and 19 suspected members of the Sinaloa drug cartel, Defense Secretary Luis Cresencio Sandoval said cartel gunmen opened fire on troops with a half-dozen .50-caliber machine guns.

The army responded by calling in Black Hawk helicopter gunships to attack a convoy of 25 cartel vehicles, including truck-mounted cartel gun platforms. The running shootouts also killed one Culiacan policeman and wounded 17 police officers and 35 military personnel.

The cartel opened fire on the military aircraft, forcing two of them down with "a significant number of impacts" in each of the two aircraft, Sandoval said. The gang then sent hordes of gunmen to attack fixed-wing aircraft, both military and civilian, at the city's international airport.

One civilian airliner was hit. The gunmen also shot up airport buildings in a bid to prevent authorities from flying the captured cartel boss out of the city. But, Sandoval said, authorities anticipating the resistance had loaded Ovidio Guzman onto a military helicopter to fly him back to Mexico City.

The Mexican administration captured the high-profile cartel figure days before hosting U.S. President Joe Biden.

Samuel Gonzalez, who founded Mexico's special prosecutor's office for organized crime in the 1990s, said Guzman's capture was a gift ahead of Biden's visit. The Mexican government "is working to have a calm visit," he said.

Juan Carlos Ayala, a Culiacan resident and Sinaloa University professor who studies the sociology of drug trafficking, said Ovidio Guzman had been an obvious target for years.

"Ovidio's fate had been decided. Moreover, he was identified as the biggest trafficker of fentanyl and the most visible Chapos leader."

Ayala said the atmosphere was calmer Friday, "but there are still a lot of burned-out vehicles blocking the streets."

The scope of Thursday's violence was such that Sinaloa Gov. Ruben Rocha said cartel gunmen showed up at local hospitals, trying to abduct doctors to treat wounded fighters. Rocha said that gunmen would be treated if they came to hospitals, but that gunmen shouldn't try to abduct medical personnel.

"It got to the point that at one moment the doctors were saying, 'We're getting out of here,'" Rocha said, adding that police reinforced security and convinced the doctors to stay.

Culiacan residents posted video on social media showing convoys of gunmen in pickups and SUVs rolling down boulevards in the city on Thursday. At least one convoy included a flatbed truck with a mounted gun in the back.

Unlike a failed 2019 attempt to arrest Ovidio Guzman  the government said it had to release him to avoid further bloodshed  this time around there were fewer civilian casualties: a 14-year-old boy was shot but expected to survive.

The September 2019 raid was in the city of Culiacan itself around midday, while Thursday's raid was around dawn in a more sparsely populated area to the north.

Victor Medrano, director of the Culiacan Chamber of Commerce, said that in 2019 "everything happened in broad daylight, and we were caught on the street or at work."

While most people stayed in their homes Thursday, by Friday people were starting to go back out on the streets, Medrano said.

"There is still some fear ... but as the day goes on, there are greater number of people out," he said.

Ismael Bojorquez, director of the crusading local newspaper Riodoce, said the cartel appears to have only grown stronger since 2019, when 13 people were killed in the failed raid.

"They (cartels) have taken advantage of these four years to organize themselves, arm themselves, strengthen their structures, their finances," he said. "I believe there are more weapons than three years ago. All of organized crime's armies have strengthened, not just the Chapitos, and this is the price that society is paying for this strategy of the federal government."

Thursday's violence was unusual in that it also targeted and forced the closure of Culiacan's airport, where one military plane and a civilian airliner were hit by bullets.

Guzman was indicted by the United States on drug trafficking charges in 2018. According to both governments, he had assumed a growing role among his brothers in carrying on their father's business, along with longtime cartel boss Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada.
Mali's junta leader Friday pardoned all 49 Ivorian soldiers whose arrest in July triggered a bitter diplomatic row, a government spokesperson said, just a week after the courts sentenced them.

"Colonel Assimi Goita... granted a pardon with full remission of sentences to the 49 Ivorians convicted by the Malian justice system," said a statement from government spokesperson Colonel Abdoulaye Maiga, the minister for territorial administration and decentralization.

On Dec. 30, 46 soldiers were sentenced to 20 years in prison, while three women among the original 49, who had already been freed in early September, received death sentences in absentia.

They were convicted of an "attack and conspiracy against the government" and of seeking to undermine state security, public prosecutor Ladji Sara said in a statement at the time.

The trial opened in the capital Bamako on Dec. 29 and concluded the following day.

The court proceedings came in the run-up to a Sunday deadline set by leaders from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) for Mali to release the soldiers or face sanctions.

Mali's junta had branded the troops  who were detained after arriving at Bamako airport July 10  as mercenaries.

Ivory Coast and the United Nations say the soldiers were flown in to provide routine backup security for the German contingent of the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Mali.

Escalation

Relations between ECOWAS and Mali had already been strained before the arrests, since President Ibrahim Boubar Keita was toppled in August 2020 by officers angered at failures to roll back a jihadi insurgency.

Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara is considered one of the most intransigent West African leaders toward Mali's putschists.

The junta has so far resisted West African pressure and sanctions and remained in power, pledging to step down in February 2024.

It indicted the 49 soldiers in mid-August and has released no information about their health or well-being since.

Junta leader Goita had said he was open to talks "in the strict respect of the sovereignty of Mali," according to a joint statement from the foreign ministers of Togo and Ivory Coast in July.

After the soldiers were arrested, the U.N. had acknowledged some procedural "dysfunctions" in a note addressed to the Malian government and admitted that "certain measures have not been followed."

The Ivorian presidency had also acknowledged in September "shortcomings and misunderstandings," after Mali had demanded an apology.

But the row escalated in September, when diplomatic sources in the region said Mali wanted Ivory Coast to acknowledge its responsibility and express regret for deploying the soldiers.

Bamako also wanted Ivory Coast to hand over people who had been on its territory since 2013 but who are wanted in Mali, they said.

Ivory Coast rejected both demands and was prepared for extended negotiations to free the men, the sources said.

"This hostage-taking will not be without consequences," the Ivorian president said at the time.

That led Maiga, who was then interim prime minister, to denounce a "synchronization of actions" against Mali at the U.N. General Assembly on Sept. 24.

He denounced U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for having declared that the Ivorian soldiers were not mercenaries.

He also criticized ECOWAS leader Umaro Sissoco Embalo as well as the heads of state of Ivory Coast and Niger.

Friendship and brotherhood

An Ivorian delegation traveled to Mali for talks on the crisis before the trial opened, and the Ivorian defense ministry said it was "on the way to being resolved."

An agreement reached between Mali and Ivory Coast had left the possibility open of a presidential pardon by Goita.

"The measure of pardon taken by the president of the transition thus reinforces the momentum created following the signing ... of the Memorandum of Understanding on the promotion of peace and the strengthening of relations of friendship, brotherhood and good neighborliness between the Republic of Mali and the Republic of Ivory Coast," Maiga said in the statement Friday.

The Malian government thanked Togolese President Faure Gnassingbe  who has been mediating in the row and had paid a "friendly working visit" to Bamako on Wednesday  "for his tireless efforts and constant commitment to dialogue and peace in the region."

But it denounced the "aggressive position" of ECOWAS leader Embalo.
Here is a look at some of the top Native American-related stories making headlines this week:

New York nixes bill to protect Native burial sites from desecration

New Yorks governor has vetoed a bill that would have protected ancient Native American burial sites from private land developers.

The Protection of Unmarked Graves Act passed the state legislature unanimously in June. It would have required construction companies to stop work on private property if they encountered human remains and set up a committee including the state archaeologist to coordinate their removal and reburial elsewhere.

Gov. Kathy Hochul vetoed the bill on December 30. In a memo she said she recognized the need for a to handle human remains in a way that is respectful to lineal descendants or culturally affiliated groups, but vetoed it because she said it failed to balance the rights of property owners with the interests of the families of lineal descendants and other groups.

New York, New Jersey and Wyoming are the only U.S. states that do not have laws protecting unmarked graves on private land from being desecrated.

According to Native News Online, there have been several grave desecrations on Long Island. In 2003, a developer unearthed a mass Native burial site on his property, then built a horse barn over the site.

Read more:

Feds to return long-held funds to Klamath Tribes

President Joe Biden has signed a law giving the Klamath Tribes of Oregon self-governance over money that has been held in trust for more than half a century.

In 1954, the federal government terminated its relationship with the Klamath and Modoc Tribes and the Yahooskin Band of Snake Indians  now collectively known as the Klamath Tribes. This occurred during the so-called termination era, in which 109 tribes were terminated from federal benefits and lost treaty rights to more than a million acres of timber-rich land.

That land was the subject of legal claims against the U.S. for mismanagement of tribal assets. Tribal funds were set aside by members recorded on the final roll taken in 1954 to pursue that litigation. Later, funds the tribes won in judgments against the U.S. were added to the fund.

Congress in 1986 restored federal recognition but held those funds in trust.

The Klamath Tribe Judgement Fund Repeal Act, which became law on December 21, requires the Interior Department to disburse to those funds to the tribe as soon as practicable after the date of enactment.

Read more:

Questions, accusations of racism over death of Native woman in South Dakota jail

The family and community in Rapid City, S.D., are grief-stricken and demanding answers in the case of young Lakota woman who died in jail just days after giving birth to a baby.

In May 2021, then-19-year-old Abbey Lynn Steele gave birth to a baby whose urine tested positive for methamphetamine. South Dakota is the only state in the U.S. that makes ingesting a controlled substance a felony. Steele was charged and released, pending trial.

On November 16, 2022, Steele was brought to the Pennington County Jail for failing to comply with conditions of her initial release. The arrest came five days after she had given surgically-assisted birth to a second child. Later that day, she was found not breathing and taken to the hospital and put on life support. She died on December 2.

Her death has opened debate about whether the states ingestion law should be changed. The laws supporters say it holds drug users accountable in a state where meth use is on the rise. Proponents of the bill, including the American Civil Liberties Union, say South Dakota spends a disproportionate amount of money incarcerating people for drug ingestion  money that would be better spent on addiction treatment programs. They also argue that felony convictions make it harder for released prisoners to find work.

Read more:

Colorado beefs up efforts to find Indigenous missing and murdered

Colorado has launched a new statewide alert system to address the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous persons.

Its needed, because we  as Indigenous people, have been silenced too long, and abused too long and not taken seriously, said Daisy Bluestar, a Southern Ute advocate and member of the Missing & Murdered Indigenous Relatives Taskforce of Colorado, which pushed for the new system.

When an Indigenous person is reported missing, law enforcement now has eight hours to alert the Colorado Bureau of Investigation in cases of a missing adult and two hours to report a missing child.

In the case of a missing Indigenous child, an Amber Alert will now go out statewide, messaging residents phones; local and state law enforcement, media outlets and other stakeholders will then be alerted.

Read more:

California bill would speed up university repatriations of remains, artifacts

In a related story, three decades after NAGPRA was enacted, thousands of Native American remains and funerary objects linger in collections across the U.S., many of them at colleges and universities. But these institutions complain the repatriation process is complicated and expensive.

University of California campuses hold hundreds of thousands of remains and artifacts, but a state audit released in November revealed that NAGPRA compliance has been spotty; only two out of the universitys 10 campuses had repatriated the majority of their collections.

State Senator Bill Dodd, a Democrat, has introduced legislation that would require the campuses to allocate sufficient resources for repatriation efforts and to consult with tribes.

Universities said, Well do it, well do it, we dont need new laws, Dodd said. Well, obviously, we do, because they havent been able to adhere to that.

The least we can do is budget adequately so that the time and money can be found to return those items to the tribes, he added.

Read more:
Hong Kongers, worried about the possible influx of mutant strains of COVID-19 when the border with China reopens this weekend, have laid bare pharmacy shelves once stocked with nonprescription drugs for alleviating symptoms.

The panic purchasing of medicines prior to the Sunday reopening has prompted many pharmacies to impose quotas on the purchase of over-the-counter medicines for cold and fever, pain relief and diarrhea. The situation in Hong Kong mirrors that in China, where authorities are urging pharmacies to sell these drugs in smaller packages so more people can buy them.

And while there is a relief in Hong Kong that the economically important tourist traffic from China will pick up once the border opens, worry about what variants may arrive with the visitors has fueled the run on pharmacies.

Faced with empty shelves, Hong Kong consumers are buying whatever medicines they think might be useful, as experts have said the unprecedented surge of omicron cases increases the probability of a new virus mutation taking hold in China.

Late last month, Chief Executive John Lee announced that Hong Kong would cancel mandatory PCR tests for arriving travelers, including those coming from China. Many countries are imposing or considering imposing curbs on travelers from China amid the COVID-19 surge there. Nations that have imposed restrictions on travelers from China include the United States, Britain, France, Spain, Italy, India, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.

At least 60,000 people a day will be allowed to cross the border each way without quarantining as of Sunday, according to the South China Morning Post, a Hong Kong newspaper. The reopening roughly coincides with advent of the first Lunar New Year celebration since 2019. The holiday, January 21-27 this year, is a traditional time of travel for family visits.

Cheung Wing-tak, vice chairman of the Hong Kong General Chamber Pharmacy Ltd., said on a radio program broadcast Wednesday that there's a shortage of anti-diarrhea medicines. Also, depending on the brand, pharmacists are out of some painkillers and fever reducers, although paracetamol, which is also used to treat fever and mild to moderate pain, remains available. He said he expected the supply to return to normal after the long Lunar New Year holiday, but he did not expect Hong Kong to be able to cope with demand from mainland China.

Short-term supplies urged

William Chui Chun-ming, president of the Hospital Pharmacists of Hong Kong, spoke on the same program, according to the Hong Kong Standard, and urged people to refrain from hoarding medicine. He said keeping a five-day supply on hand was sufficient because if symptoms persist longer than that, people should seek medical attention.

Miss Tam, a Hongkonger who works in marketing, told VOA Cantonese on Wednesday that she had stocked up on a variety of medicines. After a family member incurred an injury, she bought drugs for joint pain. Like all other interviewees in this story, she asked VOA Cantonese to use a pseudonym because of fear of government retaliation.

Panic buying "is very serious," she said. "I have been looking for medicines for the past few weeks."

Miss Tam said she worried about the risk of mutated viruses entering Hong Kong after the border with China reopens. She said she's puzzled about why the border is reopening during the case surge in China.

China spent nearly three years under a draconian "zero-COVID" policy that aimed to control the spread of the virus with lockdowns, involuntary quarantining and daily health checks. On December 7, the government announced it would eliminate travel and other restrictions. Since then, COVID cases and deaths have skyrocketed among a population with little immunity and oftentimes poor access to vaccines and health care.

Many Hongkongers anxious to get vaccinated before the border reopens are finding community vaccine stations are fully booked.

A Hongkonger with the pseudonym Miss Lee told VOA Cantonese that she arrived at a vaccination station before noon on Wednesday to get in line for a vaccine session that began at 2:30 p.m. She expected to be jabbed by 4 p.m.

A Hongkonger who asked to use the pseudonym Mr. Hong Kong told VOA Cantonese that he was trying to get vaccinated before the border reopens, when "there will be more people in Hong Kong, and the contagion will be higher."

He and many others expect the reopening to revive Hong Kong's retail and catering industries, where many businesses have gone bankrupt or downsized without Chinese tourists.

Before the pandemic, tourism made up 4.5% of Hong Kong's gross domestic product and employed about 257,000 people, accounting for about 6.6% of total employment, according to government figures. In 2018, of the 65 million tourists visiting Hong Kong, 78% were mainlanders, compared with the 91,000 tourists that arrived last year.

Mr. Hong Kong also cautiously emphasized the importance of self-protection, because, he said, "what happens when reopening starts, I think no Hongkonger knows for sure."

Adrianna Zhang contributed to this report.
Kenyan police said Friday that they had arrested a suspect in the killing of an LGBTQ rights campaigner whose body was discovered stuffed in a metal trunk, a grisly crime that has sparked national outrage.

Edwin Chiloba, a 25-year-old fashion designer and model, was found dead by the roadside earlier this week about 40 kilometers (25 miles) outside the Rift Valley town of Eldoret, media reports said.

"We have a suspect in custody, and we are investigating his role in this murder," said Peter Kimulwo, head of investigations at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations office in Eldoret.

"We are holding him as a prime suspect because there are leads pointing to him and others, but all these are subject to conclusive investigations," he told reporters.

Kimulwo said the suspect was believed to have been a longtime friend of the victim, adding that police were also looking for people seen loading a metal container into a car at Chiloba's home.

"He died a painful death," an unidentified police officer based in Eldoret told the media, describing torture and adding that it appeared Chiloba was strangled.

The Kenya Human Rights Commission urged police "to conduct swift investigations and ensure the killers are apprehended and prosecuted."

"It is truly worrisome that we continue to witness escalation in violence targeting LGBTQ+ Kenyans," it said in a statement.

"Every day, the human rights of LGBTQ+ persons are being violated with little consequence for perpetrators."

Members of the LGBTQ community often face harassment and physical attacks in the predominantly conservative Christian nation.

Homosexuality is taboo in Kenya and across much of Africa, and gays often face discrimination or persecution.

Attempts to overturn British colonial-era laws banning homosexuality in Kenya have proved unsuccessful, and gay sex remains a crime with penalties that include imprisonment of up to 14 years.

"Our sincere condolences to the family and friends of prominent Kenyan LGBTQI+ community member Edwin Chiloba," U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said on Twitter.

"We call for full accountability for his death."

The Kenya LGBTQ Feminist Forum in western Kenya, where Chiloba lived, said he had used "fashion to deconstruct gender and advocate for the rights of the marginalized group."

"We want to know as a community, as Kenyans, what happened to Edwin, why he was murdered and who dropped his body at the scene," the group's programs director Becky Mududa said.

Chiloba's death comes after another LGBTQ activist was found slain in April last year.
After two years of battling the COVID-19 pandemic and facing political unrest, Thailand is looking ahead to general elections and a bumper year for tourism in 2023.

Experts say the elections could promote further economic growth and create stability for the kingdom.

While facing economic setbacks due to the pandemic, Thailand struggled with anti-government demonstrations, with protesters calling for a change in government and a reform of the monarchy and criticizing the countrys COVID-19 policy.

The demonstrations slowed in 2022, in part because of the relaxation of health restrictions and an economic boost as Thailand reopened its borders for tourism.

Elections

Pravit Rojanaphruk, a veteran journalist at Khaosod English, said the results of Thailands general election will be critical to whether Thailand will see political and further economic growth.

As it is, the government is distracted by the looming election as no major or special economic policy will be introduced in the months ahead. Depending on the outcome of the election, Thailand can expect more political certainty, he told VOA.

Thailands government is a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy. The next general elections are scheduled for May 7.

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said in December that he wanted to rule until 2025, hinting he plans to run in the election. But Prayuth could leave his Palang Pracharath Party, which leads the current ruling coalition government, and join a new party specifically formed for him.

Chan-ocha, 68, seized power in a 2014 military coup when he was commander of the Royal Thai Army. He has become deeply unpopular in recent years over his handling of the pandemic and mismanagement of the economy, surviving several no-confidence votes in the past eight years.

With the main opposition party, Pheu Thai, riding high in the polls, the coming election could mean a change in the government, a Thai analyst said.

If Pheu Thai wins by a large enough margin, it will be difficult to deny its role in leading the next government, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a professor at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, told VOA.

Street protests

In recent years, Thai activist groups have regularly taken to the streets, protesting government decisions and demanding that the prime minister quit. Thitinan warned that demonstrations could erupt again if there is evidence of wrongdoing during the elections.

If the [election] results are overturned, either by manipulating margins or outright dissolution, even another seizure of power, then street protests will likely ensue, he said.

Economic growth

Thailands economy was forecast to grow 3.4% in 2022, which would be a return to pre-pandemic economic levels, the World Bank reported. The economy will continue to increase in 2023, although more slowly than initially anticipated, but still with forecast growth of 3.6%, the World Bank said.

Thitinan said he thought more investment would be needed, as well as a long-term strategy.

"In reality, Thailand's trend growth and economic trajectory is settling into a 3% plateau for the medium term with downside risks in the absence of major structural reforms of policy regimes dealing with investment, immigration and innovation for new growth areas in the digital era, underpinned by education and skills training that are globally competitive, he wrote to VOA.

Thailands economy relies heavily on tourism, but amid the pandemic-fueled global economic downturn, the kingdom saw a 6% decline in its economy in 2020.

Tourism already contributed to a 2.4% year-over-year rise for Thailands economy in the first half of 2022. The country said it welcomed its 10 millionth foreign tourist of the year on December 10.

APEC fallout

Thailand also hopes to strengthen foreign investment after having hosted the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Bangkok in November.

Pravit said representatives of the 21 Asia-Pacific economies met to discuss trade and economic integration  and gave Thailand some much-needed publicity.

"It sent a message [that] Thailand is ready to welcome more tourists and do more business, he said.

China-Thailand

One of the key meetings Chan-ocha held this year was with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Thailand is hoping Chinese tourists will again flock to its shores. Thai tourism officials are predicting 12 million Chinese visitors this year.

Gary Bowerman, a tourism analyst based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, said that achieving those figures would take some time.

To expect they will get 12 million Chinese tourists next year, when they only had 11 million in 2019, thats a high figure. I dont think we can take the China forecast very seriously, Bowerman told VOA in November.

Russian tourists

With tourism almost certain to increase in the new year, questions remain about whether Russian tourists should be allowed to visit Thailand amid Russias war in Ukraine.

Thailand has tried to remain neutral amid the rising tension between Western countries and the Kremlin, even abstaining from a U.N. General Assembly vote in October over Russias claims that it had annexed four eastern Ukraine regions.

Mark Cogan, associate professor of peace and conflict studies at Kansai Gaidai University in Japan, said Thailand is thinking pragmatically.

Thailand badly needs to resume pre-COVID trade levels and tourism. And they need Russian tourists as well. The noise surrounding the UNGA [U.N. General Assembly] vote may not have won favor in the human rights community, but when Russia is basically the seventh-largest market for tourism, I can see why they [Thailand] are a bit pragmatic, Cogan told VOA in November.

Local media said Thai officials were predicting that for all of 2022, the number of Russian tourists would reach 1 million.
The U.N. human rights office has called on the government of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko to drop criminal charges against Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Ales Bialiatski and to immediately free him from detention.

Belarusian Laureate Ales Bialiatski went on trial Thursday in the capital, Minsk, on charges that human rights activists widely view as bogus. If found guilty, he faces up to 12 years in jail.

Two other representatives of his organization, the Viasna Human Rights Center, also are on trial and could face lengthy prison sentences. U.N. human rights spokesman Jeremy Laurence says his office has serious concerns about the conduct of their trial.

The trio are among hundreds detained after a violent crackdown on anti-government protests back in 2020," said Laurence. "We call for the charges against them to be dropped and their immediate release from detention.

Bialiatski jointly won the 2022 Nobel peace prize along with Russian human rights organization Memorial and the Ukrainian human rights organization Center for Civil Liberties. Bialiatski did not attend the award ceremony in October because he was in prison.

Laurence says Bialiatski and his colleagues are being held on charges of financing protests against the government and of violating public order.

I am not a lawyer, so I cannot go into the technical detail of the laws itself under which they have been charged," said Laurence. "Suffice to say that we consider these to be arbitrary arrests, constitute arbitrary detention. And that the charges are simply politically motivated.

Laurence notes the human rights office, and the special procedures unit are closely following the case. He says concerns about widespread, gross violations in Belarus have been raised at the Human Rights Council and the U.N. General Assembly.
The United States will provide a military aid package worth more than $3 billion to Ukraine and other countries affected by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Friday.

The military aid could help Ukrainian forces "change the dynamic on the battlefield," Deputy Assistant Secretary Laura Cooper told Pentagon reporters.

During the Pentagon briefing, reported VOA's National Security Correspondent Jeff Seldin, U.S. officials warned that they saw no evidence Putin would ease up on his efforts to seize control of Ukraine and expressed skepticism about a Russian cease-fire called in observance of the Russian Orthodox Christmas.

"This is the same man [Putin] who said he would not invade Ukraine," Cooper said. "I can tell you we see fighting today in Ukraine, even though technically we're in the cease-fire window."

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby echoed those sentiments. "They've been on the offense every single day for the last 10 months, trying to take away Ukrainian lives, Ukrainian civilian infrastructure and certainly Ukrainian territory," he said.

Cooper added that despite difficult winter weather, the fighting in some areas, like in the Donbas in eastern Ukraine, has become even more vicious.

"I think you will see Russian forces trying to advance  sending wave upon wave of forces to try to gain what ends up being very marginal territorial gains," Cooper said.

It's expected that the aid package, which will include 50 Bradley Fighting Vehicles, 500 TOW anti-tank missiles and additional ammunition, will help Ukrainian forces gain an advantage in the east, where much of the fighting is now taking place across open spaces and farmland.

Still, the Pentagon said, it will take a couple of months to get Ukrainian forces the necessary training and then move the Bradleys into Ukraine.

Officials also defended the decision to wait until now to provide Ukraine with the Bradleys and other armored vehicles, saying that until now, Ukrainian forces needed other weapon systems more and that they would not have been capable of doing the necessary maintenance.

U.S. President Joe Biden first announced that Bradleys would be included in the new package, a statement the Pentagon confirmed later Thursday.

"It's not a tank, but it's a tank-killer," Pentagon press secretary Brigadier General Pat Ryder told reporters. "It will provide a significant boost to Ukraine's already impressive armored capabilities, and we're confident that it will aid them on the battlefield."

Germany and France also are sending armored vehicles, the two countries announced this week.

In addition, Germany will match the U.S. in sending Ukraine a Patriot missile battery for defense, the White House said Thursday. Training to use the Patriots, which former officials said would take months to complete, is being finalized.

"We're exploring a variety of options, to include potential training here in the U.S., overseas or a combination of both," Ryder told reporters at the Pentagon.

The Patriot is the most advanced surface-to-air missile system the West has provided to date to help repel Russian aerial attacks.

In his nightly video address Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded to the military aid package, saying: "Finally, we can say that we have managed to bring Ukraine's strength and defense cooperation with partners to a new level, the one we really need right now.

"Now, our soldiers will have even more weapons, equipment, rounds, defense systems, which will make us much more prepared for any escalating plans of Russia and those strikes that the terrorist state inflicts, regardless of whether it is a holiday or a weekday."

'What cease-fire?'

An uneasy calm in Kyiv was broken earlier Friday by air-raid sirens that also blared across the rest of Ukraine despite the 36-hour cease-fire.

"What cease-fire? Can you hear?" said a Ukrainian soldier, using the nom de guerre Vyshnya, as an explosion rang out in the distance at the front line near Kreminna in eastern Ukraine. "What do they want to achieve if they keep on shooting? We know  we have learned not to trust them."

Russia's Defense Ministry said its troops began observing the cease-fire at noon Moscow time (0900 GMT) "along the entire line of contact" but said that Ukraine had kept shelling populated areas and military positions.

One witness in the Russian-occupied regional capital of Donetsk, close to the front, also described outgoing artillery fired from pro-Russian positions on the city's outskirts after the truce was meant to take effect.

The Ukrainian governor of the front-line eastern Luhansk province, Serhiy Haidai, said that in the first three hours of the purported cease-fire the Russians had shelled Ukrainian positions 14 times and stormed one settlement three times.

Russia's Defense Ministry alleged that Ukrainian forces continued to shell its positions, and said its forces returned fire to suppress the attacks. But it wasn't clear from the statement whether the attacks and return of fire took place before or after the cease-fire was to have taken effect.

The ministry's spokesman, Igor Konashenkov, reported multiple Ukrainian attacks in the eastern Donetsk, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia regions. It was not possible to verify the claims.

Ukrainian and Western officials said they suspected an ulterior motive in Putin's apparent goodwill gesture.

Zelenskyy accused the Kremlin of planning the fighting pause "to continue the war with renewed vigor."



"Now they want to use Christmas as a cover to stop the advance of our guys in the [eastern] Donbas [region] for a while and bring equipment, ammunition and mobilized people closer to our positions," Zelenskyy said late Thursday.

Biden echoed Zelenskyy's wariness, saying it was "interesting" that Putin was ready to bomb hospitals, nurseries and churches in recent weeks on Christmas and New Year's.



"I think [Putin] is trying to find some oxygen," Biden said.

VOA National Security Correspondent Jeff Seldin contributed to this report. Some information came from The Associated Press and Reuters.
U.S. health officials on Friday approved a closely watched Alzheimer's drug that's been shown to modestly slow the early stages of the brain-robbing disease, albeit with potential safety risks that doctors and patients will have to weigh carefully.

The drug, Leqembi, is the first that's been convincingly shown to slow the decline in memory and thinking that defines Alzheimer's by targeting the disease's underlying biology. The Food and Drug Administration approved it specifically for patients with mild or early cases of dementia.

An uncommon success

Leqembi, from Japan's Eisai and its U.S. partner Biogen, is a rare success in a field accustomed to failed experimental treatments for the incurable condition. The delay in cognitive decline brought about by the drug likely amounts to just several months, but some experts say it could still meaningfully improve people's lives.

"This drug is not a cure. It doesn't stop people from getting worse, but it does measurably slow the progression of the disease," said Dr. Joy Snider, a neurologist at Washington University in St. Louis. "That might mean someone could have an extra six months to a year of being able to drive."

Snider stressed that the medicine, pronounced "leh-KEM-bee," comes with downsides, including the need for twice-a-month infusions and possible side effects such as brain swelling and bleeding.

Approval came via FDA's accelerated pathway, which allows drugs to launch based on early results, before they're confirmed to benefit patients. The agency's use of that shortcut has come under increasing scrutiny from government watchdogs and congressional investigators.

Last week, a congressional report found that the FDA's approval of a similar Alzheimer's drug called Aduhelm  also from Biogen and Eisai  was "rife with irregularities," including a number of meetings with drug company staffers that went undocumented.

Average price tag: $26,500 a year

Scrutiny of the new drug, known chemically as lecanemab, will likely mean most patients won't start receiving it for months, as insurers decide whether to cover it and for whom.

The drug will cost $26,500 for a typical year's worth of treatment. Eisai said that price reflects the drug's benefit in terms of improved quality of life, reduced burdens for caregivers and other factors. The company pegged its overall value at $37,000 per year, but said it priced the drug lower to reduce costs for patients and insurers. An independent group that assesses drug value recently said the drug would have to be priced below $20,600 to be cost-effective.

Some 6 million people in the U.S. and many more worldwide have Alzheimer's, which gradually attacks areas of the brain needed for memory, reasoning, communication and daily tasks.

The FDA's approval was based on one mid-stage study in 850 people with early symptoms of Alzheimer's who also tested positive for a type of brain plaque that is a hallmark of the disease.

Since then, Eisai has published the results of a larger 1,800-patient study that the FDA is expected to soon review to confirm the drug's benefit, setting up a decision on full approval later this year.

The larger study tracked patients' results on an 18-point scale that measures memory, judgment and other cognitive abilities. Doctors compile the rating from interviews with the patient and a close contact. After 18 months, patients receiving Leqembi declined more slowly  a difference of less than half a point on the scale  than patients who received a dummy infusion. The delay amounted to just over five months.

There is little consensus on whether that difference translates into real benefits for patients, such as greater independence.

"Most patients won't notice the difference," said Dr. Matthew Schrag, a neurology researcher at Vanderbilt University. "This is really quite a small effect and probably below the threshold of what we'd call clinically significant."

Schrag and some other researchers believe a meaningful improvement would require at least a difference of one full point on the 18-point scale.

Leqembi works by clearing a sticky brain protein called amyloid that's a key indicator of Alzheimer's. But it's not clear exactly what causes the disease. A string of other amyloid-targeting drugs have failed, and many researchers now think combination treatments will be needed.

Aduhelm, the similar drug, was marred by controversy over its effectiveness.

The FDA approved that drug in 2021 against the advice of the agency's own outside experts. Doctors hesitated to prescribe the drug, and insurers restricted coverage.

The FDA did not consult the same expert panel before approving Leqembi.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut  a frequent FDA critic  said in a statement Friday that she was "deeply concerned that FDA chose to forego" a panel meeting on the drug.

Schrag said many of the same concerns apply to both drugs.

"Is this slight, measurable benefit worth the hefty price tag and the side effects patients may experience?" she asked. "I have pretty serious doubts."

About 13% of patients in Eisai's study had swelling of the brain and 17% had small brain bleeds, side effects seen with earlier amyloid-targeting medications. In most cases those problems didn't cause symptoms, which can include dizziness and vision problems.

Also, several Leqembi users died while taking the drug, including two who were on blood-thinning medications. Eisai has said the deaths can't be attributed to the drug. The FDA label warns doctors to use caution if they prescribe Leqembi to patients on blood thinners.

Insurers are likely to cover the drug only for people like those in the company study  patients with mild dementia and confirmation of amyloid buildup. That typically requires expensive brain scans or a spinal fluid test. Doctors will need to perform a different type of scan to periodically check for brain swelling and bleeding.

Medicare coverage still up in air

A key question in the drug's rollout will be insurance coverage by Medicare, the federal health plan that covers 60 million seniors and other Americans. The agency severely restricted coverage of Aduhelm, essentially wiping out its U.S. market and prompting Biogen to abandon marketing plans for the drug.

Eisai executives said they have already spent months discussing their drug's data with Medicare officials. Coverage isn't expected until after the FDA confirms the drug's benefit, expected later this year.

"Once we have a Medicare decision, then we can truly launch the drug across the country," said Eisai's U.S. CEO, Ivan Cheung.

Betsy Groves, 73, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2021. A former lecturer at Harvard's graduate school of education, she noticed she was having trouble remembering some students names and answering questions.

Her initial diagnosis, based on a cognitive examination, was later confirmed by a positive test for amyloid.

Groves, of Cambridge, Massachusetts, says she is "more than willing" to try Leqembi, despite potential side effects and the need for infusions.

"For me, the minute that drug comes on the market  and I get my doctor's approval  I'm going to take it," Groves said.
A senior State Department official is leading a U.S. delegation to three Western Balkan nations in the coming days following weeks of ethnic tensions in the region.

Counselor of the United States Department of State Derek Chollet and the U.S. delegation will be traveling to Serbia, Kosovo and North Macedonia.

The border between Kosovo and Serbia is open again after roadblocks by protesting Serbs led authorities to close border crossings between Kosovo and Serbia, as authorities worried the tensions could turn violent.

Chollet told VOA Serbian on Thursday that his visit next week comes at a key moment.

The last few weeks has, unfortunately, seen a rise in tensions between Kosovo and Serbia. In the last 48 hours we've seen barricades come down, we've seen the border crossings reopened between Kosovo and Serbia. That's good news, he said.

Since 2011, Serbia and Kosovo have been part of an EU-facilitated dialogue whose purpose is the normalization of relations. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008  which was never recognized by the Serbian authorities.

The European Union facilitated dialogue between the two sides last year, but the talks frequently ended up deadlocked.

Chollet said he wants to focus on talking about the future of Kosovo and Serbia as well as the normalization proposal laid about by the EU.

In the recent months, American and European officials were engaged in speeding up the dialogue regarding the normalization of relations between Serbia and Kosovo. The European Union has presented a proposal, but Chollet declined to provide details.

I think sometimes in any negotiation, some of those details are best left behind closed doors until they're ready. But we think the EU has laid out a viable path. Again, it's going to be hard, and it's going to require a lot of work, tough decisions, and courage by leaders to put aside differences and to do what's in the best interests of their country. We want to help them achieve that goal, Chollet said.

He also said that the U.S. continues to prioritize the 2013 Brussels Agreement that calls for forming the association of Serbian municipalities.

We've been very clear about this. We believe that this is a commitment that's been made and should be set up. But there are many other issues, both sides have obligations here we'd like to see them move forward, said Chollet.

The Association of Serbian municipalities is a planned association of municipalities with a Serb majority population in Kosovo. It should have an overview of the areas of economic development, education, health, urban and rural planning.

Kosovo authorities are opposed to its creation citing it is unconstitutional and pushed by the Serbian government from Belgrade.

Yet, Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti praised the European proposal for an agreement between the two countries, saying it includes universal principles, such as territorial integrity, sovereignty, independence, equality, rule of law, democracy, [and] self-determination that he said would make an agreement sustainable.

But he told VOA Albanian Service that Belgrade has not signaled that it is ready to accept it.

To mask the rejection of this proposal they resigned from the institutions in Kosovo north of the Ibar (river) and with these barricades on one side they wanted to territorialize the issue  and on the other hand they wanted to stifle the political pluralism of the Serbian community.

The prime minister said the agreement on the Association of Serbian Municipalities has not passed the test of Kosovos Constitutional Court.
LONDON/MADRID 

Britain's Prince Harry says his older brother and heir to the throne Prince William knocked him to the floor during a 2019 argument over Harry's American wife, Meghan, in his much-awaited memoir, which went on sale days early in Spain on Thursday.

In his book Spare, Harry also discloses how the brothers, the sons of King Charles, had begged their father not to marry his second wife, Camilla, now Queen Consort, and that he had taken cocaine as a teenager.

The book was due to be published on January 10, but The Guardian newspaper printed leaked extracts overnight, and Reuters and other media have been able to obtain Spanish-language versions that went on sale early in Spain.

Details of its contents also come as ITV released a clip of an upcoming interview with Harry in which he said he could not commit to attending his father's coronation in May and defended his decision to speak out.

Revelations

Harry's memoir gives a personal account of his struggles dealing with the death of his mother Princess Diana, his time in the military  when he said he killed 25 Taliban insurgents while serving in Afghanistan  and his conflicts with the press.

But the most striking revelations concern the relationship with his family, something that has hung like a shadow over the British royals since he and Meghan stepped down from official duties in 2020 to move to California to forge a new life.

As is usual for the royal family, spokespeople for King Charles and Prince William have declined to comment.

Harry, 38, wrote in his memoir that his brawl with William, 40, took place in 2019 at his then London home after his brother had called Meghan "difficult," "rude" and "abrasive."

"He grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and he knocked me to the floor," Harry wrote.

"I landed on the dog's bowl, which cracked under my back, the pieces cutting into me. I lay there for a moment, dazed, then got to my feet and told him to get out."

William then challenged his younger brother to hit back, but Harry said he refused. William later returned to the scene, "looking regretful, and apologized," Harry wrote, with his brother asking him not to tell Meghan that he had "attacked" him.

William and Harry were once seen as very close after the death of their mother in a Paris car crash in 1997. But the brothers have fallen out since Harry married Meghan, a former actress, in 2018 and the couple then quit their royal role.

In another section of the book, Harry refers to his first meeting with Camilla, whom Diana had blamed for the breakup of her marriage. Harry says he and William had approved of Camilla but asked their father not to marry her.

"Despite the fact that Willy and I asked him not to do it, my father went ahead," Harry wrote. "Despite the bitterness and sadness we felt in closing another loop in the history of our mother, we understood this was irrelevant."

Stinging criticism

Since their exit from royal life, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, as Harry and Meghan are officially known, have delivered stinging criticism of the Windsors and the British monarchy, which has included accusations of racism that William himself has dismissed.

Last month, Harry and Meghans six-part Netflix documentary, which attracted record audiences, aired with renewed accusations, including that William had screamed at Harry during a crisis summit to discuss his future.

The main criticism from Harry and Meghan is that royal aides not only refused to hit back at hostile, inaccurate press coverage but were complicit in leaking negative stories to protect other royals, most notably William.

"I don't know how staying silent is ever going to make things better," Harry said in Thursday's ITV clip.

Asked why he was invading the privacy of his family, something he had railed against, he replied: "That will be the accusation from the people that don't understand or don't want to believe that my family have been briefing the press."

The title of his book Spare comes from an oft-cited quote in British aristocratic circles about the need for an heir, and a spare.

Harry says Charles reputedly said to Diana on the day he was born: "Wonderful! Now you've given me an heir and a spare  my work is done."

How much the disclosures will resonate with the public is unclear. A YouGov poll this week found 65% of those surveyed were "not interested at all" in his upcoming book, while another found greater sympathy among respondents for William and his wife, Kate, than for Harry and Meghan.

Charles himself is still hoping for a reconciliation with his son, unnamed sources told newspapers this week.

In its leaked extracts, The Guardian says the king had stood between his two sons during a difficult meeting at Windsor Castle following the April 2021 funeral for their grandfather Prince Philip, the late Queen Elizabeth's husband.

"Please, boys," Harry quoted his father as saying. "Dont make my final years a misery."
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The Marianna Police Department reports the arrest of Greenwood resident Rachel Dean, 32, on multiple charges on Jan. 2.

Agency officials said in a press release that, at approximately 9 a.m. on that date, officers went to a residence on Village Court in response to a report of an armed trespasser. Upon arrival, Dean was located in the front yard of the residence.

She immediately informed officers that she threatened to kill the victim with a knife, as well as damaged his vehicle which was parked on the curb, officials stated in the release. The suspect appeared to be under the influence of an unknown type of substance and was detained for officer safety. She informed officers that she had placed the knife back in her purse, which was in the front yard of the residence. The suspect openly threatened to kill the victim while in officers presence at which time she was placed under arrest, the release continued.

Upon a search of her property, to include her purse and carry bag, a large black folding knife was located. This matched the description given by the victim as the knife Dean was holding when she threatened to kill him. Upon further search of her purse, several cut straws, a glass pipe, and 11 small plastic baggies were located. All items had the presence of white residue which after field testing revealed a positive response for ALPHA-PIHP. Dean was transported to Jackson County Correctional Facility to await first appearance, the release stated.

Authorities report that she was charged with the following: Felony Criminal Mischief-Greater than 1000; Aggravated Assault w/ deadly weapon; Armed Trespass; Possession of Controlled Substance (ALPHA-PIHP); and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.
Recently we went to see a movie called The Menu. I didnt know much about it and wasnt quite sure what to expect. It turned out to be a sort of roast of the foodie culture, which, at least in my view, is ripe for ridicule.

Dont get me wrong; I like good food. I enjoy eating it as much as I enjoy cooking it. I like to read about food, see pictures of food, and smell food cooking even when I wont get any of it. If I were a dog, I would not be the sort of dog that eats what it wants and walks away from a dish thats not empty. I would be the dog who wolfs down his bowl and then tries to eat every other dogs food, too.

I have two journals for recipes; whenever I cook something thats a keeper, or tweak one recipe or another, I put it in the books. On my phone I have links to a couple of cloud accounts so I can stash recipes I find online.

It seems odd to me when I stop to think about it because I dont consider myself to be a particularly discerning diner. When I first left home, I moved to Savannah for a job. Near my apartment were a Burger King and a seafood restaurant called Cary Hilliards. I dont remember having eaten anything else for months.

In college, it was delivery pizza or fast food. In the rare moments that Id cook, it was some variation on a one-dish concoction that began with rice or noodles, chicken breast, canned cream of whatever soup, and copious amounts of cheese.

I have eaten many things that were unidentified without flinching, with the exception of a meal in Egypt, where the entree included a large piece of meat that the server characterized as beef. But when my companions mused that in several days of traveling across the desert country, wed seen no cows but plenty of camels, I lost my appetite.

I ate a dish of greens and noodles at family-style meal gathering at a lychee farm in rural Guangdong province in China. It had grubs in it for protein. I ate a healthy portion so as not to offend my host. It didnt taste like chicken; fortunately, the grubs had no flavor at all. At another meal, I finished a bowl of shark fin soup for the same reason, only to have the host order me another bowl of the delicacy because he thought I liked it. I did not, but I ate the second bowl, too.

I remember good meals, too. One that stands out in my memory is a beef Wellington I had on a birthday dinner at a long-closed Fairhope restaurant years ago. It was outstanding. So was a giant steak I had at Nicholsons Farmhouse in Havana, Florida, a million years ago. That place is long gone, too.

In more recent years, I have taken up cooking things more challenging than my old repertoire of chili, tacos, and grilled everything. Ive discovered that it can be easy, and it can be treacherous. Some ingredients should come with a warning label. For instance, it makes sense that tahini should be well mixed before using, but no one told me I would need a cement truck to get the job done. Molasses should be handled carefully; otherwise, youll get the whole kitchen sticky.

And there are occasional landmines you wont soon forget.

Throughout my life, I have heard reference to rotten eggs, such as Last one in is a rotten egg. Or an artesian well, with its concentration of hydrogen sulfide, stinks like a rotten egg. It had not occurred to me that I didnt have a frame of reference for that  until I encountered an actual egg gone bad.

A bad egg does not smell like artesian well water, beached seaweed in the sun, or the paper mill on a windy day.

Its near impossible to describe, so if you havent had the misfortune to experience the proverbial rotten egg, consider yourself fortunate.
Venice promises 18 days of Carnevale fun in 2023.

Venice, the Italian queen of carnival cities, will host 18 days of Carnevale this year, with events taking place along the city's canals and across its bridges and squares from 4-21 February 2023.

Artisans in the lagoon city are busy preparing masks and floats for the annual Carnevale di Venezia, one of the world's best-loved carnivals, whose theme is 'Take your Time for the Original Signs'.

Costumed visitors can look forward to, allegorical floats,and night parades, with aopening this year's festival on 4 February.

Another traditional event, the Festa delle Marie pageant, will be held on 11 February with a sumptuous parade from Piero di Castello that will reach St Mark's Square where the most beautiful of the 12 "Marias" will be crowned on 21 February.

Il 2023 ci riservera tantissime sorprese: un ricco programma di eventi, tutti da vivere! Ve li presentiamo!



It is going to be a 2023 full of wonders, in #Venice: let's have a sneak peek into the future with the extended version of "#Venezia 2023 - What's Next"! pic.twitter.com/R6juzYH4Yt  Venezia Unica (@veneziaunica) January 4, 2023

The Venice Carnival this year looks back to look forward. A plunge into the past to think about the future - said the city's mayor Luigi Brugnaro - The origins and meaning of one of the most famous Venetian festivals in the world take their cue from the Latin Saturnalia and the Greek Dionysian cults, great religious celebrations that involved the use of masks and symbolic representations, reworking them for their own purposes."

History and origins of Venice Carnival

The Carnevale di Venezia dates back to the 14th century, maybe earlier, and over the centuries the event was frequently forbidden under various rulers.

The modern version of the Venice Carnival, as we know it today, has taken place for the past 100 years.

Carnival ends each year the day before Ash Wednesday which signifies the beginning of Lent, traditionally a period of fasting and abstinence leading up to Easter.

For 2023 programme details see Carnevale di Venezia official website. Photo credit: Kefca / Shutterstock.com.
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After six years of turbulent, shouty politics and extravagant promises of future greatness, the leaders of the UKs big two parties have opened the New Year by competing to be the more reasonable man in the room. Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight Both Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labour leader Keir Starmer set out their respective stalls in major speeches this week, one day after another. If their partisans were expecting what US President George H.W. Bush called the vision thing, they will have been sorely disappointed. Meanwhile, media commentators of all political persuasions deride their pedestrian efforts.

But so what? Its about time British politics returned to planet Earth.

Instead of pledging a post-Brexit paradise of trade-deal opportunity, deregulation and swinging tax cuts, the prime minister set out five modest targets for improvement this coming year. Sunak isnt for the boosterism of Boris Johnson or the move fast and the break things philosophy of Liz Truss  in fact, he was apologetic about predecessors political tricks. Starmers approach on Thursday was similarly down to earth  socialist utopias and public-spending bonanzas are off the menu.

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Its easy to imagine these two pragmatic men of business sitting down together over an alcohol-free beer this dry January, comparing notes and finding common ground  just as the dull but effective German politicians do.

So imagine such a chat on the health crisis. For all the rhetorical differences over the NHS, both men look to piecemeal improvement. In an honest exchange of views, Sunak would maybe say: You know, Keir, every time we Tories try out some grand scheme to reform the health service, it just makes things worse. Im the son of a pharmacist. Why cant we simply let high street drugstores prescribe medicines and let doctors and nurses get on with treating people for serious conditions

Starmer would perhaps reply: Thats right, Rishi. Lets not worry about letting private hospitals treat state patients either. Im not interested in state-first ideology. My health spokesman Wes Streeting is always telling me that the idea of the National Health Service being treated as a religion is nonsense, and we have to stand up to the doctors union who want to run things all their own way.

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In reality, both men agree there is no magic money tree that will pay for huge spending increases. Sunak: We cant afford to pay for these enormous union demands of higher pay. I will have to face them down. Starmer: You hold the line, Rishi, but excuse me if we attack you for it. No hard feelings, thats politics. Anyway, Im telling my party that we cant antagonize the markets by splurging money when we get into power. Look what happened to Truss. Sunak: Thats right. I warned Liz that unfunded tax cuts would lead to disaster. And it did. Now we have both been left with the bill. However, I will try to post-date the necessary spending cuts until you get into Downing Street after the general election.

Both leaders would likely approach the subject of Brexit in a similarly no-nonsense fashion, seeking to improve trading arrangements with Europe despite their differing views about the referendum.

In an earlier era of British politics in the 1950s and 1960s, there was consensus over the great issues of politics: The Conservatives supported Labours post-war creation of the welfare state, and Labour accepted that a flourishing market economy, not socialism, was essential to the UKs prosperity. This was called Butskellism after the reforming Tory minister Rab Butler and Hugh Gaitskell, Labours centrist leader.

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Its true that Butskellism had no panacea for Britains relatively poor economic growth record  relative to booming continental Europe  but the country prospered for more than a decade, divested itself of empire without too much bloodshed and was reasonably at peace with itself.

Doubtless there will be sharp dividing lines between the parties before the next general election. And neither Sunak nor Starmer have proposed anything like a winning formula for restoring economic growth. But a pragmatic consensus between the Conservatives and Labour on some major issues will be welcomed by many voters  and might begin to sort out the UKs deeper problems.

After the sound and fury of the last decade, a little modesty might be just the thing.

More From Bloomberg Opinion:

 Who Are the Nepo Babies Among Us?: Adrian Wooldridge

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 Rishi Sunak Has the Biggest New Years Hangover: Therese Raphael

 Frederick the Greats Advice for Ukraine Negotiations: Andreas Kluth

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Martin Ivens is the editor of the Times Literary Supplement. Previously, he was editor of the Sunday Times of London and its chief political commentator.

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Silicon Valley is Americas innovation capital, but lenient remote work policies and a spate of layoffs have fueled an exodus of workers and cleared the way for rising investment in other tech hubs, especially Austin and Miami.
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Its harder to argue that your parents should leave you alone when youve just smashed up the car. As digital assets lost more than $2 trillion in value and a string of prominent ventures blew up in 2022, most notably the FTX exchange, the debate over cryptocurrency regulation shifted sharply. The turmoil also heightened the stakes in a battle that had already been brewing in Congress over which of the nations top market regulators, the Securities and Exchange Commission or the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, should take the lead on crypto oversight. Separately, the SEC has made clear that it considers most digital assets to be securities, a designation that brings with it an extensive set of requirements, while the top US banking regulators issued a sweeping statement on the dangers of crypto.

1. How did the debate change?

The collapse of FTX and the charges of criminal fraud filed against its co-founder, Sam Bankman-Fried, led to widespread embarrassment in Congress and among regulators. He and several other top FTX executives had donated heavily to the campaigns of Democrats and Republicans and taken a leading role in an effort to craft a new regulatory regime that reflected the priorities of some in the crypto community. While regulators pointed to the fact that cryptos woes had not destabilized traditional financial markets, they faced criticism for not having taken actions to head off the industrys worst abuses.

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2. What had crypto leaders been pushing for?

Crypto executives and financial titans like Citadel Securities had joined a 2022 industry push for a Senate bill that would have given the CFTC, the US watchdog on futures and derivatives trading, more power to regulate crypto assets. Currently, the CFTC primarily oversees crypto futures. The biggest crypto trading platforms argued that the assets they list should be considered commodities  that is, items whose values rise and fall separate from the profitability of the venture producing them. Even after the fall of FTX, CFTC Chairman Rostin Benham said its implosion was an example of why his agency needs more power to oversee cryptocurrency trading.

3. Whats the case for the SEC?

Many opponents of the Senate bill said that the SECs rules offer more protections for small investors. The SEC was formed in the wake of the market crash of 1929 and sees its core mission as protecting investors by requiring copious disclosures by financial entities. SEC Chairman Gary Gensler, a former head of the CFTC, has responded to criticisms that traditional regulations dont match the realities of cryptocurrency by saying the agency could waive some of its rules to better suit digital assets, while also ensuring investors are protected, if exchanges work with the agency to register.

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4. What has the SEC been doing?

Its been making clear it thinks many digital assets look like the kinds of investor-funded ventures that are considered securities and so fall under its rulebook. Anxieties among crypto traders rose when the SEC took the unusual step in an insider trading case in mid-2022 of identifying nine crypto assets that it considered to be securities.

5. What does it mean for something to be a security?

For the SEC, the question is whether something resembles a stock sold by a company to raise money. Specifically, the SEC asks whether a venture involves an investment of money in an enterprise whose profits will come from the efforts of others  a four-pronged assessment known as the Howey test, from a 1946 Supreme Court ruling. For instance, in 2020 the agency sued Ripple Labs Inc., claiming that the company was funding its growth by issuing the XRP digital tokens to investors who were betting that its value would rise. If a token is designated as a security, those creating it are subject to the same raft of rules that govern initial public offerings in the stock market, such as registration and reporting requirements. For crypto exchanges, the designation means they cant offer for public sale any token that doesnt meet those requirements, as well as imposing strict investor-protection requirements for platforms.

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6. What coins are or arent considered securities?

Theres a lot of ambiguity on that question. US regulators agree that Bitcoin, by far the largest digital asset, isnt a security. It was started by an unknown person or persons going by the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto and does not exist as a way to raise money for a specific project. In 2018, Ether, the second-biggest token, was also deemed not to be a security: While the Ethereum Foundation initially issued Ether to raise money, it had grown into something sufficiently decentralized that it probably wasnt a security, a senior SEC official said  a position Gensler has declined to endorse. And when Ethereum switched in September to a new system for recording transactions that depends on coins being pooled or staked, Gensler asked whether the interest offered on such deposits could make staked coins a security.

7. What did the banking regulators say?

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The USs top banking regulators  the Federal Reserve, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency  on Jan. 3 issued a joint statement raising concerns about the risks posed by digital assets, such as scams, legal uncertainties around custody and misleading statements from crypto firms. In a warning to lenders, they said its important that risks that cant be controlled arent allowed to migrate to the banking system.

8. Is this an issue elsewhere?

Yes. Rules adopted by the European Union that have not yet come into effect will seek to regulate tokens that reference another type of asset or act like a digital version of fiat money, like stablecoins. The UKs Financial Conduct Authority also regulates digital assets it considers investments that come with rights to repayment or a share in profits. But payment tokens like Bitcoin, or utility tokens that provide access to a service, remain unregulated in both regions. Singapore regulates both types but under different laws. It considers coins that are digital representations of other assets, such as unlisted shares, to be securities provided they are offered by an approved exchange. In 2022, the Monetary Authority of Singapore announced proposals to tighten access of crypto trading to retail customers after the crash in the digital token market. In Brazil, a new law was enacted in December that created the countrys first framework for cryptocurrency, with ground rules for brokerages that offer crypto as well as the assets day-to-day use. Brazils Congress acted after the FTX collapse increased interest in putting regulations in place.

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 A Treasury Department report on issues related to crypto regulation.

 A look at the crypto industrys push in Washington to avoid securities regulation.

 Gary Genslers first interview on crypto after taking over as SEC chair with Bloomberg Businessweek.

 A BGOV OnPoint of cryptocurrency legislation being considered by Congress.

 A Bloomberg QuickTake from 2018 shows how long these fights have been going on for.

 The executive order on crypto regulation signed by Biden.

 An article on the SECs fight with Ripple.

 The UK FCAs breakdown of regulated versus unregulated tokens.

--With assistance from Ben Bain.

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Sreamings latest hit show, McCarthy Agonistes, has ended its five-day run, but the protracted vote for speaker of the House highlighted one unexpected yet welcome facet of the Republican Party: actual diversity  and not just of the ideological variety. Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight I recently wrote about how Black Republicans in the House, in doubling their numbers from just two to four, might be able to leverage their newly found prominence. I didnt expect their opportunity to come so soon.

On the second day of voting, the anti-Kevin McCarthy faction settled on Representative Byron Donalds of Florida as its preferred candidate for speaker. Donalds, elected in 2020, had announced shortly after the November election his interest in running for the Republican Conference chair position currently held by Representative Elise Stefanik. Stefanik beat back the challenge easily, but the effort immediately marked Donalds as someone to watch. Sure enough, after supporting McCarthy on the first two ballots, Donalds threw in with the insurgents.

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When Donaldss name was put forth, the Democratic caucus didnt exactly cover itself in glory. In his speech nominating Donalds, Representative Chip Roy observed that, with the Democrats earlier nomination of Hakeem Jeffries, for the first time in history, there have been two Black Americans placed into the nomination for speaker of the House.

Republicans leapt to a standing ovation. Democrats were notably slow to rise. Representative Cori Bush later tweeted that Donalds is not a historic candidate for Speaker. He is a prop.  His name being in the mix is not progress  its pathetic.

Bushs prop language is a demeaning insult, one often made against minority Republicans. Even more, it denies Donalds agency: Hed already made it clear that he wanted a significant role in the Republican caucus. Why not offer himself up for a possible major leadership position?

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Bushs tweet also betrays an ignorance of how diversity and opportunity work in the real world. Progressives have long argued that diversity is a strength of US society, business and culture. By nominating Donalds, Republicans were acknowledging this truth. Yes, the nomination was symbolic, even quixotic, but so are many early opportunities.

Indeed, McCarthys supporters immediately saw the symbolic value of the Donalds nomination. On the third day of voting, another Black Republican, John James of Michigan, stepped forward to present arguably the best McCarthy nominating speech of the week. Jamess speech was partly about his own biography, but it was also about the GOP as the historic vehicle for African-American aspirational achievement  and McCarthys role over the last two elections in working to diversify the party. The racial, ethnic and gender diversity of the GOP was then highlighted over the next several votes, with nominating speeches delivered by Representatives Anna Paulina Luna, Kat Cammack and Juan Ciscomani.

Republicans may not have had their act together in terms of actually naming a speaker  it took them five days to settle on McCarthy (and in the end, Donalds was a supporter). But the debate showed they understand some of the broader politics of diversity. No matter how right-wing various factions in the party might be, or how much trouble they might yet cause, theyve absorbed the progressive lesson that representation matters.

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More From Bloomberg Opinion:

 This Wont Be the Last Breakdown in the House: Jonathan Bernstein

 Republicans Are in Power Without a Plan: The Editors

 Kevin McCarthys Fiasco Is Making History: Stephen Mihm

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This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Robert A. George is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist and member of the editorial board covering government and public policy. Previously, he was a member of the editorial boards of the New York Daily News and New York Post.

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Thailand's largest industrial developer Amata Corp has eyes to shift its focus on fast-growing Vietnam and emerging Laos this year while halting a project in Myanmar.

"When planning expansion, we focus on the Mekong [River] region as a whole," said Viboon Kromadit, Amata's chief marketing officer, in an interview with Nikkei Asia.

"For this year, we are still focused on Vietnam, while Laos is emerging as a new and interesting country that we entered last year. We will soon start developing an industrial estate there," he said.

The company has set aside some five billion baht ($144 million) of capital expenditure for next year. Of this, more than 50% is earmarked for industrial development in Vietnam, 20% for projects in Thailand and the remainder for a new undertaking in Laos.

The company already controls three industrial parks in northern and southern Vietnam totaling 18.3 square kilometers. The parks house more than 200 factories.

With average economic growth of around 8% annually and a young, relatively inexpensive labor force, Vietnam has attracted many investors from around the world.
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Ever since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his attack on Ukraine last year, the West has faced a conundrum: How do you support Ukraine in its heroic self-defense without tripping over Putins red lines and ending up with Russia and NATO shooting at each other directly? Put differently: How do you help Ukraine win without starting World War III?

This week, the US, Germany and France took a big step forward in probing that evolving question. All three announced that theyd give the Ukrainians new kinds of tanks. The Americans will send armored fighting vehicles called Bradleys. The Germans will supply their equivalent, called Marders (German for martens). The French will ship similar vehicles, called AMX-10s.

Calling them tanks is technically a stretch. The Bradleys and Marders have guns and treads, but their main purpose is to bring infantry soldiers wherever theyre needed. The AMX-10s have wheels instead of treads and mainly gather reconnaissance.

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Ukraine needs these vehicles badly. But itll also require so-called main battle tanks such as the American M1 Abrams, the German Leopard 2 or the French Leclerc. Those are the heavy fire-breathing monsters that can punch through Russian lines and retake occupied Ukrainian territory.

Even so, the Bradleys, Marders and AMX-10s already represent a welcome shift. More than the other weapons the West has sent to Ukraine, they straddle the blurry line between defensive and offensive warcraft, a distinction that often makes little sense on the battlefield.

It does make a big difference in strategy and statecraft, of course. Western leaders such as German Chancellor Olaf Scholz have so far erred on the side of caution, which theyve defined as supplying Ukraine only with defensive weapons. These include Germanys Gepard (cheetah) tanks, which specialize in shooting down enemy aircraft, missiles or drones, and IRIS-T, also an air-defense system. The Americans are sending their Patriot anti-missile launchers, and the Germans will add a second Patriot battery from their stocks.

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The moral and strategic logic is that even Putin and the Russian public couldnt possibly spin the supply of defensive weapons as crossing a red line. IRIS-T only fires at Russian objects if the Russians first shoot them at Ukrainian cities, so if the Russians dont like it, they can just stop terrorizing Ukrainians.

But for Ukraine to defend itself and its people, it must also kick the Russians out of the Ukrainian regions that Putin ludicrously claimed last fall to have annexed  Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk and Donetsk. At a tactical level, the distinction between defense and offense therefore breaks down. Ukraine cannot win, and Russia cannot lose, if the Ukrainians cant take the fight to the Russians.

Thats why the US, Germany and other allies must go further and deliver the main battle tanks and other arms Kyiv demands. But one stipulation makes sense. The Ukrainians must not use any Western weapons to launch a counterattack into Russia proper, and should probably restrain themselves from striking the Russian homeland altogether. If the Kremlin, with or without Putin, does have a red line, such an incursion would be its crossing  as Russias nuclear doctrine implies.

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Beyond that, however, it probably makes no sense to worry all that much about Putins red lines. If he has any at all, theyre more likely to resemble something between magenta scribbles and pinkish shading. With his KGB mind, he could just be bluffing when he rattles his nuclear saber and makes other diabolical threats. Like all bullies, he wants to inspire fear but dreads strength. Let him worry about the Wests red lines instead.

When Putin invaded Ukraine, he assumed that he could overwhelm it while dividing, blackmailing and cowing the West into accepting the outcome  thats the lesson he took from his annexation of Crimea in 2014. As he must now be realizing, he was wrong on all counts. But he must stay wrong. The best policy for the Ukrainians is to fight him with everything theyve got, and for the West to give them everything they need to win.

More From Bloomberg Opinion:

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Frederick the Greats Advice for Ukraine Negotiations: Andreas Kluth



Economic Chaos of a Taiwan War Would Go Well Past Semiconductors: Hal Brands



All Is Not Quiet on the Eastern Front: Niall Ferguson

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Andreas Kluth is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering European politics. A former editor in chief of Handelsblatt Global and a writer for the Economist, he is author of Hannibal and Me.

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It was long ago  in 1906  that German psychiatrist Alois Alzheimer first connected a case of dementia to abnormal deposits in the brain. Modern researchers have largely proceeded on the thesis that treatments for the disease named for him would need to clear away these aberrant clumps, consisting of a protein called amyloid, that clog patients brains. After many disappointing performances by amyloid-targeting drugs, including one controversially approved by US regulators in 2021, a treatment called lecanemab became the first to unambiguously slow the progression of Alzheimers disease in a large trial reported in late 2022. The results provided a rare burst of hope to the field of Alzheimers research. At the same time, the medicine, cleared by the FDA Jan. 6, has many limitations.

1. What is lecanemab?

Jointly developed by Eisai Co. and Biogen Inc., lecanemab is a laboratory-made antibody designed to target a form of amyloid called protofibrils, which were implicated in the case of a Swedish family ravaged by early-onset Alzheimers. In an 18-month efficacy trial involving 1,800 patients with early Alzheimers, those who received lecanemab, which will be sold under the brand name Leqembi, saw a significant reduction in brain amyloid levels. More importantly, the drug slowed their cognitive and functional decline by 27% compared to a group that received a placebo.

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2. What is lecanemabs availability?

Based on the drugs amyloid lowering ability, the FDA gave a greenlight for it using an accelerated approval process for drugs that treat serious conditions, fill an unmet need and perform in a way that predicts a benefit to patients without actually measuring that benefit. Full FDA approval isnt likely to come before later this year. The US federal Medicare program for the elderly, which covers most people with Alzheimers, has indicated it wont broadly cover amyloid-lowering drugs until they receive full approval based on clinical benefits, as opposed to accelerated approval based on amyloid lowering alone.

3. Who is lecanemab for?

The drug has been tested on people in the early stages of the disease, in which symptoms include mild forgetfulness that often accompanies aging but also possibly problems concentrating. Most patients in the big lecanemab trial had mild cognitive impairment, while some had mild dementia. To qualify for the drug, people will likely need to be tested for signs of brain amyloid, present in more than two-thirds of Alzheimers patients and around half of 10 million more with mild cognitive impairment. A brain amyloid PET scan is one possibility but it can cost as much as $7,000. Medicare has restricted coverage of the scans, and most hospitals perform this test only occasionally. Spinal taps are another way to get tested, but theyre invasive and sometimes painful, so some patients shy away. A few blood tests available commercially in the US can provide an indication whether amyloid is present in the brain, but none are routinely covered by insurers or cleared by the FDA. Japans health ministry approved such a test, developed by Sysmex Corp and Eisai, in December.

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4. What are the limitations of lecanemab?

The slowing of cognitive decline seen in the trial was modest, and the drug does not stop disease progression. Lecanemabs benefits come with side effects. In the trial, more than one in five people on the medicine experienced brain swelling or bleeding. Most cases werent symptomatic, though patients sometimes had headaches, visual disturbances and confusion, and five people developed large brain hemorrhages. Two people taking blood thinners died in the extension phase of the trial; Eisai says lecanemab wasnt to blame. The drug is administered as an infusion every two weeks, which means patients must receive it at a health center. Its likely to be expensive. Using earlier stage studies, Eisai researchers estimated the annual price might range from $9,000 to $35,000.

5. Why was the approval of a different amyloid drug controversial?

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In June 2021, the FDA approved Aduhelm, another Alzheimers treatment from Biogen and Eisai, despite conflicting trial results. One big study showed no effect while another showed a small benefit in slowing cognitive decline; both trials were stopped early by Biogen, making the results hard to interpret. The agency cleared the drug against the advice of a panel of outside medical experts. Three members of the group resigned afterward, and Medicare heavily restricted payments for Aduhelm. The drugs makers eventually stopped marketing it in the US. Congressional investigators in December concluded that the Aduhelm approval process was rife with irregularities, stating that the FDA collaborated excessively with Biogen while assessing the drug.

6. Will lecanemab have competitors?

Not many initially. The main potential competitor nearing approval is Eli Lilly & Co.s donanemab. In a phase 2 trial reported in 2021, donanemab dramatically lowered brain amyloid and slowed cognitive and functional decline by 32% in people with early stage Alzheimers. The company has applied for accelerated approval in the US based on amyloid lowering. It is conducting a larger phase 3 trial that should report results this year; a positive outcome could lead to full approval. Another amyloid lowering antibody from Roche Holding AG called gantenerumab failed to slow cognitive decline in two large trials reported at a medical conference in November.

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7. What are the future paths for Alzheimers research?

After the Aduhelm debacle, the lecanemab results strengthened the argument that researchers are on the right path in targeting amyloid. Still, its not yet clear why the lecanemab results were better than those from most amyloid-lowering medications. Some researchers suspect that a certain threshold of amyloid removal must be met before drugs show a benefit. But with the benefits limited even to those in the early stages of Alzheimers  possibly because damage to key brain areas is already extensive  some researchers are focused on getting ahead of the disease. Brain scan studies suggest that amyloid starts accumulating in the brain as long as two decades before someone has dementia. In massive final-stage trials underway at Eli Lilly Co. and Eisai Co., researchers plan to test amyloid-removing drugs on thousands of healthy adults. The hope is to stave off cognitive decline before it begins, or at least delay it. Meanwhile, researchers are also focused on other things that go awry in Alzheimers, including an increase in a second protein called tau, and brain inflammation that may lead to nerve cell death. Various companies are targeting both these processes with other drugs in testing, though there have been no breakthroughs so far.

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Smell plays an important role in our limbic systems  which influence emotions and behaviour  so adding scent to a virtual retail exhibit or therapeutic VR environment can change the way people respond to it, OVR chief and co-founder Aaron Wisniewski said. In hospitals, for example, OVRs tech is being tested to help burn victims manage pain. Its also courting big retailers to add scent to at-home shopping or fancy marketing exhibits. Adding scent to a VR environment can change the way people respond to it. Credit: istock There are limits, of course. Lingering smells tend to blend into one another, so OVR must make its whiffs as short and distinct as possible, chief business officer Chris Scott said. And some smells dont enhance the experience  does anyone want to smell blood in a shooting game? We tried OVRs headset accessory to learn what smell could add to a romp through VR. The virtual rose we plucked from the virtual ground smelled floral on one end and peaty on the other. An oceanside smelled like lavender. A waterfall was oddly vanilla-ish. OVRs smell-a-verse isnt elegant, but its the first iteration of something that might one day seem as natural as the scent of grass at a park. Let your Samsung TV give you a check-up

Lets be honest: sometimes successfully scheduling an appointment with a doctor feels like winning the lottery. To help, Samsung  yes, thats Samsung  is trying to make it a little easier to get medical expertise in the moment. As usual, the company showed up with a bevy of flashy televisions in tow, all of which can use a built-in Samsung telemedicine app to spell out symptoms and connect to a relevant doctor. (The camera, however, isnt built-in, youll have to buy one separately.) The best part? Samsung claims youll generally be able to get a healthcare professional on the line in about 60 seconds, at which point you can unpack your concerns and sit through a handful of remote exams. Alana Gomez-Solis, communications and content specialist at Samsung Electronics America, at the CES event, where the company spruiked its built-in telemedicine app. Credit: Bloomberg Once thats done, the company says, youll have the option of scheduling a follow-up appointment and even getting a prescription filled remotely. If that all sounds just a little too convenient to be true, well, you may be right  pretty as they are, none of Samsungs eye-catching TVs here in Las Vegas were connected to doctors offices or hospitals. But what if youd rather give yourself a check-up instead?

Loading If you already bought a compatible camera, a new health monitor app will use it to peer at your face and measure vital signs such as heart rate, breaths per minute and blood oxygen saturation. This feature leans on a process called remote photoplethysmography, where software tracks minute colour changes on your face as you breathe and isnt as kooky as it may sound. Still, theres at least one possible catch here: this tech may not work equally well on everyone. Analyse your pee at home Your pee contains all sorts of clues about your health, but usually it takes a trip to the doctor to start decoding them. Withings, a connected healthcare company that makes smart scales and watches, is trying to solve this problem with a sensor inside your toilet. The device, called U-SCAN, measures the make-up of your urine and delivers insights to an app on your phone. Two initial consumer versions, available soon in Europe, monitor nutrition and menstrual cycles, respectively, by tracking components such as vitamin C and hormone levels. The sensor looks like a palm-size white disk that sits under the front rim of the toilet bowl. (If you pee standing up, youll have to make some adjustments.) The company touts changeable analysis cartridges, so some rubber gloves might come in handy.

A booth worker, right, being interviewed about U-SCAN, a health lab which sits within any toilet bowl. Credit: AP Beyond use at home, the device may also prove useful for medical professionals monitoring patients and conducting research. Withings says it can even help screen for bladder and ovarian cancer. For obvious reasons, we didnt test this one on the show floor. But with the ubiquity of health-tracking and sensors on your wrist, your finger and your bedside table, your toilet seems like the inevitable next frontier that companies will tout. Start a party from your fridge New refrigerators usually make for some of the least interesting reveals at CES, unless, like LGs MoodUp fridge, theyre specifically designed to start a party.

For one, it changes colour to suit your mood for the moment  not to mention your next kitchen overhaul. Thanks to its LED-laden door panels and a handy smartphone app, owners can choose between 23 colour options for the top half of the fridge and 19 for the bottom. (Dont worry, if the idea of all that mixing and matching is making you anxious, you can fire up a preloaded theme instead.) Light up your party with LGs MoodUp fridge. Credit: AP As if that werent enough, the MoodUp fridge also packs a built-in Bluetooth speaker for playing audio from connected gadgets nearby. Of course, it wouldnt be a party without a light show, so the fridges LED panels can be set to change colours to the rhythm of whatevers playing through the speaker. This might all seem like some silly fun, and on some level, it is  but there really are some practical benefits on offer here. Our favourite: the fridge door panels will blink to let you know when theyre not fully closed. Ease your anxiety with a pillow that breathes

Running around CES in search of the new and valuable can be pretty stressful. Thankfully, the Japanese robotics firm Yukai Engineering helped take the edge off by letting us cuddle with a soft, hefty prototype of a cushion called Fufuly that breathes. Fufuly, a heavy cushion that breathes. Credit: Washington Post photo by Chris Velazco All right, it obviously isnt breathing for real  instead, the pillow subtly expands and contracts to help it feel like it is. When the cushion transitions from its normal breathing state to a slower, deeper pattern mid-cuddle, the idea goes, your body will start to do the same. And as your sink into that relaxed cadence, your stress may well start to melt away. So, how does it feel? If were being honest, it really was just a bit comforting, especially after a long day of traipsing around the Las Vegas Strip. (Your mileage, of course, may vary.) If this sounds a touch familiar, its because the Japanese company that created Fufuly also developed Amagami Ham Ham, the finger-nibbling cat robot we found so delightful at last years show. And with any luck, Fufuly will become a real product just like its predecessor did  since launch, Yukai Engineering says it has sold about 30,000 nibbling animal robots in Japan.

Be fully present in the metaverse When talking about the challenges of fully representing a persons body in virtual spaces, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg once remarked that legs are hard. Turns out, not everyone seems to think so. The solution, at least according to a Panasonic subsidiary called Shiftall, is a series of wireless sensors that strap to your chest, knees, hips and ankles that relay motion data to compatible Steam VR games running on a PC. The result: a way to make your in-game avatar move around just like you do, assuming youre willing to shell out $US349 ($517). The Shiftall booth at CES, where the Panasonic subsidiary wants to make your in-game avatar move around just like you do. Credit: AP Turns out, those sensors are just the beginning. Shiftall also makes a product called the Mutalk, a rounded white box with a built-in microphone that straps over your mouth and prevents bystanders from hearing you chat with people in games and virtual spaces.
An employee counts Vietnamese banknotes at a bank in Hanoi. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Huy

Vietnams private equity company ABB is seeking to raise $100 million for its second fund in the second half this year.

ABB, which is associated with local investment banking company Asia Business Builders, launched its first $20 million PE fund in 2018, which has now fully invested, according to DealStreetAsia.

The second vehicle will continue to back growing Vietnamese small and midsize enterprises (SMEs) that are already making money or substantial revenue, said Peter Sorensen, co-founder and managing partner at ABB.

ABB has invested in local SMEs such as DTP Education Solutions, retail pharmacy chain Trung Son Care, industrial services provider Care Solutions, KA Logistics and smart-living platform Aplus Home.
As a result, the sprawling coalition of government and activist forces dedicated to killing off coal now believes the first phase is already achieved  the pipeline of new coal power stations has effectively been shut. Loading Countries such as China and India are still building plants permitted and contracted over the past decade, but are rapidly turning towards renewables. At the end of 2021, the coal industrys key financiers  China, Japan and South Korea  declared they would no longer invest in new offshore coal plants. As an Australian miner complained in a parliamentary inquiry last year, banks no longer wanted to finance coal projects because the grief to income ratio was not worth it. Activist shareholders were becoming too much of a pain. Camilla Fenning, who leads the coal program for the British-based climate think tank E3G, told me this week the speed of the retreat from coal over the past couple of years has been startling.

There are now only around 35 countries that have a coal pipeline [of planned new plants], Fenning said. None of those are now in Europe, and only four are in the OECD  thats Turkey, Australia, the US and Japan. Of those 35 countries, something like 16 only have one planned new coal plant, so even they are near the tipping point of no new coal. And also, of those 35, probably half of them were dependent on China or Japan or Korean investment, and now they have pulled the plug, its pretty unlikely they will get the investment to build. So now we have a domino effect. And with coal costs so high, even Chinas new plants are running far below capacity. The problem is that a new coal plant lasts for about 40 years. So even with the pipeline of new plants cut to a trickle, if the existing global fleet is allowed to live for the course of its natural life, the emissions it creates will blow the worlds limited remaining carbon budget to keep warming under 1.5 degrees or even 2 degrees. So now the anti-coal movement has shifted its attention to how it can most effectively shut them down sooner.

Huge steps were taken in this direction at the last two world climate talks in Glasgow in 2021 and Sharm El-Sheikh in November. In Glasgow, a new model to accelerate the process was finalised and announced. Loading Under the so-called Just Energy Transition Investment Partnership (or JET IP, as it is now referred to in the jargon-rich world of climate diplomacy) the United States, Britain, Germany, France and the European Union agreed to provide $US8.5 billion ($12.59 billion) in grants and cheap loans as seed money for a fund to purchase and close South Africas coal fleet and replace it with renewables. South Africa is the perfect laboratory for such a program because it has some of the worlds best access to sun and wind. And because it has, even by a dirty industrys standards, a particularly dirty coal fleet. As a result, a dollar spent greening South Africa cuts far more carbon than a dollar spent in, say, Europe. The model is also in keeping with one of the Paris Agreements core principles, which recognises that nations have common but differentiated responsibilities in tackling climate change.

In simple terms, this means that poor nations agreed to take action if rich ones  which caused the problem in the first place  agreed to pay for it. Loading In Egypt in November, the JET IP backers and South Africa detailed impressive progress in the plan and now negotiations have begun for similar agreements to accelerate coal retirement in Indonesia and Vietnam. Because each nation has different energy demands and different coal industries, developing the plans is complicated, says energy analyst Tim Buckley. And care must be taken to ensure the money is well spent. There is no point in buying out a coal plant only to later see it resold, Buckley explains. Nor is there any point in shutting off the power before it is adequately replaced with clean alternatives. Due to generations of failure to properly address climate change, even this rapid progress is not fast enough, says Fenning. She hopes the South African model will be improved as versions of it are deployed in Indonesia and Vietnam, and then, hopefully, across the world.

Many climate scientists believe the 1.5 degrees target has already slipped from our grasp, though rapid decarbonisation could see temperatures stabilise and then slowly drop by the end of the century. Until then, we will face unfeasibly warm winters across Europe, and a return to infernal summers in Australia. The Opinion newsletter is a weekly wrap of views that will challenge, champion and inform your own. Sign up here. More from our award-winning columnists Sky-high cost-cutting: Do we really need two pilots in the cockpit? With advances in technology, wont one pilot on a flight do? Heres what QF32 hero and Sully Sullenberger think  Peter FitzSimons
Education authorities say Chinese student demand to stay and learn in Australia shot up as a direct result of the calmed relationship between the two nations governments, but Australias largest accommodation provider says it is running out of beds in major cities.

Overall student visa applications were 40 per cent higher in the second half of 2022 than during the same period in 2019, before the pandemic dented the lucrative export sector that added $40 billion to the Australian economy.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong during her visit to China last month. Credit: AAP

Enrolment data for 2023 is not yet available, but industry leaders who study the Chinese market  International Education Association of Australia chief executive Phil Honeywood and Scape student accommodation founder Craig Carracher  said renewed dialogue with Chinas leaders had spurred dormant interest.

Honeywood said several education agencies in China reported massive rises in inquiries from their students after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met the Chinese president in Bali in November.
He was officially announced Speaker of the 118th US Congress at 12.38am Saturday morning (US time) as his colleagues chanted USA! USA! . Of 428 votes cast, McCarthy received 216. Democrat nominee Hakeem Jeffries, who succeeded Nancy Pelosi as his partys leader, had 212 votes. Newly minted Speaker Kevin McCarthy gavels the House to adjournment for the day at the US Capitol in Washington on Saturday. Credit: AP As he took the Speakers gavel to deliver his first speech shortly after 1am, McCarthy joked: That was easy, huh? I never thought wed get here. He also outlined his list of priorities for the next two years, including combating Chinas rise, curbing wasteful Washington spending and launching investigations into the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, the origins of COVID-19 and the weaponisation of the FBI. Now, the hard work begins, he said. What we do here today, next week, next month, next year, will set the tone for everything that follows.

US President Joe Biden congratulated McCarthy, saying he was prepared to work with Republicans when I can and that voters had made clear at the midterm elections that they expect Republicans to be prepared to work with me as well. The American people expect their leaders to govern in a way that puts their [the peoples] needs above all else, and that is what we need to do now, Biden said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also tweeted congratulations to McCarthy amid concerns that some House Republicans want to re-evaluate Americas military aid to his country to combat Russias invasion. Were counting on your continued support and further US assistance to bring our common victory closer, Zelensky wrote.

Trump took to his own Truth Social platform to congratulate McCarthy and our great Republican Party. Among the most notable members to switch to McCarthy were Scott Perry, the chair of the ultra-conservative Freedom Caucus, who had previously been a staunch critic; Florida congressman Byron Donalds, who had earlier been nominated as an alternative Speaker; and Texas congressman Chip Roy, who has been a key negotiator behind the scenes to overhaul the rules of the House. Loading But McCarthy was always going to face an uphill battle to win over the Never Kevin faction, particularly after Gaetz launched such a scathing attack on him before Fridays vote that dozens of Republicans walked out during his speech. Gaetz on Thursday had even nominated Donald Trump for the role due to a bizarre rule allowing anyone to be named as candidate. During a speech earlier, the outspoken congressman accused McCarthy of selling shares of himself to lobbyists and then doing their bidding at the expense of the American people.

You only earn the position of Speaker of the House if you can get the votes, Gaetz said. Mr McCarthy does not have the votes. Mr McCarthy doesnt have the votes today, he will not have the votes tomorrow, and he will not have the votes next week, next month or next year. And so, one must wonder, Madam Clerk, is this an exercise in vanity for someone who has done the math, taken the counts, and is putting this institution through something that absolutely avoidable? Loading The bitter fight over the speakership foreshadowed how hard it could be for McCarthy to govern with only a four-seat majority and an unpredictable hard-right faction intent on slashing spending, reducing the size of government and overhauling the way Congress works. Crucial tasks such as passing government funding bills or addressing the federal debt could prompt major struggles over the next two years. The shift in votes came after McCarthy agreed to many of his detractors demands, including to a House rule that will allow a single member to call a vote to oust him from office.

Another concession will give members of the Freedom Caucus more seats on the powerful House Rules Committee, allowing them to assert greater influence over amendments that can be considered  or blocked  in the chamber. He has also agreed to allow a vote to establish term limits for House politicians, as well a vote on a border security bill. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy swears in members of the 118th Congress in the early hours of Saturday. Credit: AP McCarthy briefed Republicans on a morning conference call on the concessions he had made to the rebels. Some allies had previously been concerned that he would give too much ground to his detractors, while others urged the rebels to take the deal and compromise. Asked what the turning point was to get some of his detractors to support him, McCarthy told reporters : I think getting together and finding the ability [to establish] how were all going to work together. Its new for us... being in a tight majority, but I think at the end of the day were going to be more effective, more efficient, and the government is definitely going to be more accountable.
Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung speaks to the National Assembly on January 3, 2022. Photo by VnExpress/Pham Thang

The Vietnamese government expects to nearly double the countrys GDP per capita by 2030 and increase it eightfold to $32,000 by 2050.

The country recorded a per capita GDP of VND95.6 million ($4,100) last year, up 10.8% from 2021. The government wants to boost this figure to $27,000-$32,000 by 2050, Nguyen Chi Dung, Minister of Planning and Investment, said in a proposed nationwide development plan that was presented to the National Assembly on Thursday.

This means Vietnam needs to achieve an average GDP growth of 6.5-7.5% annually between 2030 and 2050.

Dung said that according to the plan, by 2030, Vietnam will prioritize the North-South economic corridor and two East-West economic corridors, (namely Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong - Quang Ninh and Moc Bai - Ho Chi Minh City - Vung Tau).

The country will focus on key industrial sectors and prioritize high-technology and digital transformation, with plans to build regional and global financial centers.

Lawmakers, however, said that the proposed plan has not identified specific strategies to achieve growth.

"The proposed policies are general and there are no breakthroughs," said Vu Hong Thanh, chairman of the National Assemblys Economic Committee.

The committee said that more clarification is needed concerning the resources required to achieve the high growth targets.

The plan said that VND4,830 trillion will be needed to achieve an average growth of 7% between 2021 and 2030, which would triple the investment required in the 2011-2022 period, which was around VND1,500 trillion.

The plan requires the government to mobilize around VND9,700 trillion for the 2021-2030 period, or 20% of the total investment needed, even though the National Assembly has already decided that only VND2,870 trillion be used for the 2021-2025 period.

Thanh said that according to the proposal a lot of money will be needed for infrastructure investment but he added that the countrys resources are limited.

He said that more strategies concerning education, training and improving peoples healthcare should be added to the plan.
READING, PA. - Authorities say the former treasurer of the Reading Education Association, a teacher herself, stole nearly 400,000 dollars over several years.

49-year-old Lisa Herbinko of Douglassville is accused of withdrawing nearly $400,000 from the association and depositing the funds into two bank accounts: one in her name, and one in the name of a juvenile relative.

"This was not a complex theft whatsoever. It was just a blatant theft of moneys that were not hers," said District Attorney John Adams.

Adams's choice words regarding the charges against Herbinko included blatant and shocking.

According to court paperwork, in 2016, the former Reading Education Association treasurer began making the suspicious transactions.

"I was shocked that this theft, which had been going on for a number of years, was not uncovered before now. I was shocked at the amount of money, and quite frankly, I was shocked at how blatant this theft was," explained Adams.

Adams said, this September, the president of the association became skeptical about the suspicious transactions. Court documents say the president reportedly confronted Herbinko who confessed to taking the money. Herbinko then resigned and promised to pay back the association. Adams says, so far, that has not happened.

"I don't know where that money is, as we speak, but clearly, that will be a part of any prosecution that the monies must be paid back," Adams reassured.

Authorities say Herbinko also didn't pay taxes and other required payments for the union and that she filed false paperwork on behalf of the REA.

According to the criminal complaint, Herbinko is charged with theft by unlawful taking, theft by deception, receiving stolen property, theft by failure to make required disposition of funds received, tampering with records or identification and tampering with public records and information.

"These are serious charges, many of them are felonies, and we look forward to prosecuting this case and, hopefully, getting the money back to the union," he said.

Thursday night, Herbinko turned herself in to police. She was released on bail.

The Pennsylvania State Education Association and Reading Education Association tell 69 News they are monitoring the case very closely and cooperating with law enforcement.

According to a statement from Reading School District, the district was made aware of the arrest of a Central Middle School teacher Friday.

It states: "The charges are related to her work with the Reading Education Association (REA,) which is the exclusive bargaining agent for Reading School Districts professional employees, and not in her role as a teacher. The REA is an independent entity. Its funds are held separately from the Districts funds and are subject only to union oversight."
PALMER TWP., Pa. - A Palmer Township family is breathing a sigh of relief.

Police tell us they've arrested the person who fired shots into their house on New Year's Eve.

Katie Thompson Crowell and her husband Ray showed us the holes from the bullets that ripped through several walls of their house just after 1 p.m.

"The kids come running into the kitchen, where Ray and I both were, and the one that was in the laundry room says something just came through the wall," said Katie.

They found a hole in the laundry room wall, and a bullet from a 9mm hand gun lying on the floor.

"Had my son, who was in the laundry room, been standing over three feet to this side and not that side, it could have been him," said Katie.

Northampton County District Attorney Terry Houck said in a news release his office now knows who did it. 37-year-old Jonathan Cornelius, who knew Katie's brother, is accused of driving by the house and firing the shots.

"We are just grateful because it could have gone so differently in this house," said Katie.

Unfortunately for Katie's family, it did go differently years ago in a separate shooting.

"Our family has been victim to mental health crisis in the past and gun violence in the past," said Katie.

In that previous case in 1992, a man randomly shot her father, Joe Thompson, as he was out for a walk not far from the family home on Eldridge Avenue. It has Katie calling for more to be done to stop gun violence.

"We're not against guns, but I would definitely say that there's a disconnect between a mental health record and the ability to purchase and use firearms," said Katie.

For Cornelius, who now faces more than three charges, including aggravated assault, she amazingly wishes him the best.

"He needs help, and it's our prayer that he gets it," said Katie.
Boy's death in concrete pillar still haunts first man to make rescue attempt

The man who made the first attempt to get the 10-year-old boy out of the 35-meter-deep bridge pillar in southern Vietnam last week is still haunted by the tragedy.

"Its been a week now and every time I go to the site I hear him screaming for help in my head," Doan Tuan Em, 34, a worker at the Roc Sen Bridge construction site in Dong Thap Province, says.

He cannot sleep at night.

On the last day of 2022, as Em and other workers were about to have lunch at a makeshift tent, three kids from the neighborhood ran up to them "with blood drained from their faces," he recalls.

"A boy fell into the hole, please help him," a girl in the group told them.

Em and the others rushed to the spot. They heard Thai Ly Hao Nams cries for help: "Please pull me up!"

"Where are you?," Em screamed and the boy screamed back from the hollow concrete pile, which had been driven to a depth of 35 m below ground.

Em recalls panicking at the moment, sweating profusely and his heart beating very fast. He could not imagine how a boy could drop into a pillar that was just 25cm across.

Doan Tuan Em recalls the moment he came to save Thai Ly Hao Nam on January 6, 2023. Photo by VnExpress/Ngoc Tai

The workers found a rope and asked for two oxygen tanks to be brought.

They cut off a rope tied to a boat and brought it over and dropped it into the pillar.

"Hold the rope and we will pull you up!" another worker shouted to little Nam.

As they took up the slack the rope felt heavy, and they knew that Nam had clung to it.

They started pulling.

But when they hauled it up by around a meter, it suddenly went very light and Nam screamed at the same time.

The workers were stunned, and no one said anything, but everyone knew the boy had fallen deeper into the pile.

A kilometer away from the construction site, Thai Van Tan Tai, 40, learned about his sons accident after finishing work on a farm.

At first he was confused and thought the boy might have fallen into the drainage system of a nearby fish pond. He even rushed to the pond but found no one there.

When Tai finally arrived at the bridge construction site, the workers were lengthening the rope.

As he called out to Nam, he heard him scream once "Daddy save me!"

He told the boy to grasp the rope tight, but the only response was an unidentifiable gurgling sound as if he was drowning in water. Tai instantly feared the worst.

An aerial view of the site where 10-year-old Thai Ly Hao Nam fell into 35-meter-deep pillar. Photo by VnExpress/Ngoc Tai

Local police then brought more oxygen tanks to the spot.

"When we shined the flashlight into the pillar we could not see anything and there was no response from the boy," Captain Nguyen Phuong Hong recalls.

Since the moment Em first heard Nam scream for help, 10 minutes had elapsed.

Police and rescuers then tied a torch to an oxygen canister and dropped them down in the hope Nam would see the light and grab the oxygen and remain alive. But they got no indication he did.

On the evening of January 4 Nam was pronounced dead.

Dong Thap deputy chairman Doan Tan Buu says a team of medical and forensic experts and local authorities concluded the boy had died based on the site of the accident, the depth of the pillar, the length of time the rescue attempt had gone on, and possible injuries he had suffered.

Nam and three of his neighbors went to the bridge construction site to gather pieces of scrap iron to sell for money.

The boy, who weighed merely 20kg, was walking around when he fell into the pile.

Police and rescuers coordinated with Military Zone 9 and others and used specialized equipment to try and dig up the entire pillar, but in vain.

The local government said the rescue effort was difficult and prolonged due to the lack of experience and limited equipment and human resources.

On Thursday a group of Japanese experts arrived at the site to help pull out the pillar, but had made no progress as of Saturday morning.
LIMERICK TWP., Pa. - In Montgomery County, officials are asking for the public's help to locate a missing mother.

Jennifer Brown, age 43, was last seen this past Tuesday. It seems she may have disappeared under suspicious circumstances. Neighbors say they're shaken by the news.

"Law enforcement is very concerned about the welfare of this mother," Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele said. He, along with Limerick Township Police Chief Robert J. Matalavage, are asking for information that can help authorities locate Brown.

She was last seen this past Tuesday afternoon by a friend and business associate.

Brown, who lives on Stratford Court in Limerick Township, is described as a white female with brown hair and green eyes. She is 5-foot-1 and weighs approximately 150 pounds.

Neighbors say she's a single mother, but her son was sleeping over at a friend's house Tuesday night.

Officials say she was supposed to pick up her son from the bus the following afternoon.

Neighbors who didn't know her well tell 69 News that she was often seen outside waiting for her son to come home from school. Those who knew her better say she was very vigilant about her son all the time, so to not show up was extremely unlike her.

But, perhaps most unsettling, her car was parked outside her home. Her car keys, wallet, purse and work cellphone were found inside the home.

Officials say Brown's personal cellphone has not been found, and it has not been communicating since Wednesday morning.

Friday night around 8 p.m. Philadelphia police were seen combing the area.

Brown's family is offering a $10,000 reward for any information that may help law enforcement to locate her.

Friends of Brown in the neighborhood held a vigil Saturday evening.

Officials are asking anyone with any information that might help locate Brown to please contact the Limerick Township Police at 610-495-7909 or Montgomery County Detectives at 610-226-5553.
ALLENTOWN, Pa. - From the streets of New York City to your living room. Let's get these three kittens, rescued from certain death, a new home.

Karen Hoff of Starting Over Animal Rescue visited WFMZ with three rescued kittens who need their forever home.

The kittens' names are Gelato, Confetti, and Purrington. They were scheduled for euthanasia before being rescued and brought to the Lehigh Valley.

Starting Over Animal Rescue is a shelter for animals who have been abused, neglected, or abandoned.

Their adoption fee $125 which also covers spay or neutering. All kittens and cats are vaccinated, tested, and dewormed.

The shelter also rescues dogs, including puppy mill dogs.

To learn more about the kittens featured on Pet of the Month or to find out how you can help, visit the Starting Over Animal Rescue website.
Portage police announced Friday that they have taken a 15-year-old girl into custody as a result of an investigation into active shooter threats Tuesday at Portage High School.

Portage Police Captain Dan Garrigan released a statement informing the public that a collaborative investigation between the Portage Community School District and the police department resulted in their apprehension of the teenager early Friday afternoon.

They took the 15-year-old into custody at the direction of Columbia County Juvenile Intake authorities. She was taken to a secure juvenile detention facility.

Police are recommending the teen be charged with causing public fear by making terroristic threats as a party to a crime and disorderly conduct. They also recommended the felony charge of swatting which is defined by statute as intentionally conveying threatening and false information about attempts to destroy property via explosives, as a party to the crime.

The investigation remains active, Garrigan said, and police anticipate they will arrest others.

It began after police were called around 9:30 a.m. Tuesday by office staff at the high school, who reportedly received a call about an active shooter at the building.

The school resource officer was onsite at the time and worked with staff to secure school entrances. Portage police, Columbia County sheriffs deputies and officers from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources were on scene within minutes, Garrigan said. They cleared the building and its surrounding grounds.

Officers determined there was no active threat to students or staff members.

These types of incidents are traumatic to all involved and it is not fair to our students and school staff who expect and deserve to always learn and teach in a safe environment, Garrigan said. The Portage Police Department takes any and all reports of potential threats seriously. We will always respond accordingly, investigate and hold those responsible accountable for their actions.
It is a time of change for PAVE with plans for the new shelter going forward and with a new executive director in place. Emily Shier was named executive director of PAVE on Dec. 30.

We are excited to bring Emily on board, said Ken Ostermann, president of PAVEs board of directors. Her many talents and skills will enable PAVE to achieve its mission of providing a new shelter and enhancing our ongoing services for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. PAVE is in a time of transition with new leaders, and construction of the new shelter will start within months. Emilys passion, commitment, and leadership will help put PAVE right where the community needs us to be.

Shier has lived in Fox Lake and Beaver Dam over the last 16 years and has volunteer experience in a number of areas, including serving as the president of the Beaver Dam Are Community Theater; leading Boy Scouts of America Troop 724; and being a licensed foster parent for Dodge County Humane Services. Shier is a certified doula, a licensed real estate agent and previously was a teacher and parent educator and care manager at a community health agency.

Shier said she is excited about the changes happening for PAVE and was meeting with the architect for the upgrades to the new shelter on Friday. They are now projecting work to begin in March with the shelter being put into use in November.

In addition, they are doing some needed work in the former shelter to make that building more usable as they wait for the new building to be completed, Shier said.

Shier said her interest in helping others has been visible since she got her bachelors degree in criminal justice from UW-Platteville. She also holds a masters degree in education from UW-Stout. At the time she worked as a residential assistant and health counselor.

However, it was her experience at ARC Community Services in Madison as a caseworker that she feels will help her the most in her new position. At the time, Shier said she was working with adult women who were recovering from AODA issues.

Shier said someone shared with her that the position at PAVE was open. Shier said she was already very familiar with the mission of PAVE. In fact, as a foster parent, she had helped care for children at times over the years.

I have a deep appreciation for the treasury of human resources in our local community, Shier said. PAVE has a strong and impressive history of responding to the needs of our most vulnerable citizens. The organization is fueled by the efforts and sponsorship of its volunteers and the dedication of skilled staff. I share the vision of PAVE and am honored to take on the role of Executive Director as a steward of progress and hope.

Shier said she is excited about some changes that will happen with the new shelter, first being greater visibility; and second, having a better range of services for LGBTQIA members of the community.

Hopefully the shelter will offer transitional housing so people will be able to experience living on their own before they are living in their own long term space, Shier said.

Shier is succeeding past director Ashley Welak, a 15-year employee who left to become a grants specialist with the Office of Crime Victims Services at the Wisconsin Department of Justice.

Shier said she appreciates how organized Welak was and is having an easier time with her position due to how well things were left by the past director.

Shier can be reached at eshier@pavedc.org or via PAVEs business phone line at 920-887-3810.

Beaver Dam Middle School hosts fine arts night BDMS fine arts1.jpg BDMS fine arts2.jpg BDMS fine arts3.jpg BDMS fine arts4.jpg BDMS fine arts5.jpg BDMS fine arts6.jpg BDMS fine arts7.jpg BDMS fine arts8.jpg BDMS fine arts9.jpg BDMS fine arts10.jpg BDMS fine arts11.jpg
A glimpse of Spring Festival travel rush across China

Xinhua) 15:21, January 07, 2023

Passengers prepare to board a train in Shenzhen North railway station in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, Jan. 7, 2023. The Spring Festival travel rush this year, will continue for 40 days from Jan. 7 to Feb. 15. (Xinhua/Mao Siqian)

Passengers prepare to board a train in Shenzhen North railway station in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, Jan. 7, 2023. The Spring Festival travel rush this year, will continue for 40 days from Jan. 7 to Feb. 15. (Xinhua/Mao Siqian)

Trains are pictured at Shenzhen North railway station in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, Jan. 7, 2023. The Spring Festival travel rush this year, will continue for 40 days from Jan. 7 to Feb. 15. (Xinhua/Mao Siqian)

A worker examines a train at a maintenance base in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Jan. 6, 2023. The Spring Festival travel rush this year, will continue for 40 days from Jan. 7 to Feb. 15. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)

A worker examines a train at a maintenance base in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Jan. 6, 2023. The Spring Festival travel rush this year, will continue for 40 days from Jan. 7 to Feb. 15. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)

Passengers prepare to board a train in Shenzhen North railway station in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, Jan. 7, 2023. The Spring Festival travel rush this year, will continue for 40 days from Jan. 7 to Feb. 15. (Xinhua/Mao Siqian)

Passengers are seen in Shenzhen North railway station in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, Jan. 7, 2023. The Spring Festival travel rush this year, will continue for 40 days from Jan. 7 to Feb. 15. (Xinhua/Mao Siqian)

Passengers prepare to board a train in Shenzhen North railway station in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, Jan. 7, 2023. The Spring Festival travel rush this year, will continue for 40 days from Jan. 7 to Feb. 15. (Xinhua/Mao Siqian)

This aerial photo shows bullet trains at a maintenance base in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Jan. 7, 2023. The Spring Festival travel rush this year, will continue for 40 days from Jan. 7 to Feb. 15. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)

This stitched panoramic aerial photo shows bullet trains in a maintenance base in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Jan. 7, 2023. The Spring Festival travel rush this year, will continue for 40 days from Jan. 7 to Feb. 15. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)

A worker examines a train at a maintenance base in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Jan. 6, 2023. The Spring Festival travel rush this year, will continue for 40 days from Jan. 7 to Feb. 15. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)

(Web editor: Xian Jiangnan, Wu Chaolan)
On January 7, 1979, the Cambodian revolutionary armed forces and Vietnamese volunteer soldiers enter Phnom Penh to overthrow the Pol Pot genocidal regime (Photo: VNA).

In his recent article commemorating the fall of the Pol Pot's regime on the 44th anniversary of Cambodias January 7 Victory Day (1979  2023) posted on Freshnews - the website with the highest number of readers in Cambodia, the scholar noted that with the help of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers, the Cambodian army and people overthrew the Pol Pot genocidal regime in 1979.



According to the author, the Vietnam-Cambodia relations have been increasingly strengthened in a comprehensive and sustainable manner, bringing about mutual benefits for the sides.



He wrote facing many challenges stemming from complicated political upheavals in the region and the world, the nations have continued to consolidate and expand their good neighbourliness, traditional friendship, and mutual support in difficult times to maintain socio-political stability and promote growth.



The expert affirmed that the ties have thrived across fields, bringing practical benefits to the two countries' people./.
Republican lawmakers who control the Wisconsin Legislature are moving closer to supporting the legalization of medical marijuana, after years of fighting efforts to loosen the states laws, the GOP leader of the state Senate said Thursday.

Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that he believes a bill to create a medical marijuana program in the state could be passed this legislative session as long as regulations are put forward to ensure its for those in serious pain.

Our caucus is getting pretty close on medical marijuana, LeMahieu, R-Oostburg, told the newspaper.

LeMahieus comments mark the first time a leader of the Senate Republicans has shown support for the idea. Opposition within the caucus has been a key hurdle for proposals in the past.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, in recent years has shown support for legalizing medical marijuana. A spokesperson for Vos did not say whether Assembly Republicans are on board.

Democrats, including Gov. Tony Evers, have long called for marijuana to be legalized in Wisconsin for medical and recreational use.

Sixty-four percent of Wisconsinites support legalizing marijuana for any use, according to October polling by the Marquette University Law School. More than 80% of Wisconsinites supported the idea of a medical marijuana program, according to 2019 polling.
When Chrissy Barnard faced a mental health crisis and most needed care, law enforcement handcuffed her, placed her in the back of a patrol car and drove her five hours to Wisconsins only state-run mental health facility for the general public.

Barnard remembers the patrol cars cold seats. She would eventually have her shoes confiscated, presumably so she couldnt hang herself with the laces.

The 330 miles between Barnards hometown of Superior and Winnebago Mental Health Institute near Oshkosh made it difficult for her loved ones to comfort her in person.

Barnard  who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and borderline personality disorder  stayed there for months and saw her family just three times, she said.

Fifteen years later, after getting the help she needed, Barnard is now a peer support specialist with the National Alliance on Mental Illness Wisconsin. Shes among many calling on lawmakers to overhaul an emergency mental health system that she says poorly served her and many others.

Mental health crisis services in Wisconsin operate on a county-by-county basis, yielding wide disparities in care. With few exceptions  such as Madison, which employs two-person teams of health care professionals to respond to certain mental health emergencies instead of police  counties lean heavily on law enforcement to detain people who are considered a threat to themselves or others, and transport them to receive care.

The nearest treatment facility might be hundreds of miles away for some rural residents.

Aside from the Winnebago County institute, the state runs only one other mental health facility: Mendota Mental Health Institute in Madison, which primarily serves people involved in the criminal justice system.

The whole system needs to change, because its so traumatizing. Youre treated like a criminal from the get-go, said Barnard, who earlier in her life was hospitalized for mental health challenges in Wisconsin and Minnesota more than 30 times.

She has company in pushing for change, including other advocates, mental health practitioners and law enforcement officials. Citing examples in neighboring states, the coalition calls for Wisconsin to build new regional mental health facilities, add care options outside of lengthy hospital stays and fund teams of mental health experts to respond during emergencies  lifting such burdens from law enforcement.

The system we currently have right now for emergency detention in Wisconsin is broken, said Attorney General Josh Kaul, a Democrat who in 2019 convened a summit focused on solutions. And we need to find alternatives.

In his 2021-23 biennial budget, Democratic Gov. Tony Evers proposed more than $17 million for such an overhaul, but the Republican-led Legislature rejected the proposal among hundreds of others from Evers. Republican lawmakers have expressed support for regionalizing mental health crisis services, but $10 million allocated for doing so remains tied up in bureaucracy.

Rural challenges

Wisconsin is among the few Midwest states that still rely on individual counties to deliver emergency mental health services. Iowa, Minnesota and Missouri have regionalized mental health crisis services to various extents, while Ohio and Illinois have adopted hybrid approaches, said Dr. Tony Thrasher, medical director of crisis services for the Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Division and president of the American Association for Emergency Psychiatry.

In that way, you can spread out the care, said Thrasher, who advocates for a regional approach in Wisconsin that would include making sure that each region has a psychiatric hospital and other services. Instead of doing this with 72 different counties, turn us into four or five regions where the counties can work together.

Wisconsin sends some mental health funding to counties. But sparsely populated rural counties lack money to build crisis centers or hire specialized staff, Thrasher said.

That is the case in Barnards home county of Douglas, requiring her journey to Winnebago County. Its even more complicated these days for some Douglas County patients, since they live near the Minnesota border, Barnard said; they might end up in hospitals in Rochester, Minnesota, or Fargo, North Dakota, and later struggle to find transportation home.

In Minnesota, higher-population counties typically operate their own emergency mental health services, while rural counties often pool their resources to offer regional care, according to the Minnesota Department of Health Services.

Illinois is divided into five regions for the purpose of emergency mental health services, offering nine state-operated hospitals, more than 30 community hospitals with psychiatric units and more than 162 community mental health centers and agencies.

Public safety

Thrasher said residents need better options in a crisis than simply call police.

Relying on law enforcement to respond to mental health emergencies distracts them from other public safety duties, Kaul told Wisconsin Watch.

Officers seem to agree. Most respondents to a 2019 Wisconsin Department of Justice survey of police chiefs and sheriffs said that mental health interventions requiring detention ate up too much time. Of 354 respondents, 96% said that additional mental health facilities and transportation options outside of law enforcement would likely improve the process.

Across most of the state, law enforcement officers respond first to mental health crises. But trained medical professionals can defuse a mental health crisis in most cases, while law enforcement may escalate threats due to a lack of training, according to the American Psychological Association.

Some of Wisconsins more populous communities, including Madison and Milwaukee, are shifting such duties to trained civilians.

Madisons Community Alternative Response Emergency Services program responded to 935 calls in its first year of operation and resolved most situations on scene, according to a report released in November. CARES provided in-person help and transportation in 31% of instances, and just 3% of calls required police transfers.

Short-term options

What about patients who require care following a crisis? They need options outside of Winnebago County, overhaul advocates say.

Across much of Wisconsin, law enforcement and others who respond to mental health crises face a binary choice between emergency detention or no intervention at all, said Kaul. But investing in short-term inpatient facilities, psychiatric emergency rooms and receiving centers could give responders useful middle ground.

In Madison, that includes University Hospitals 20-bed psychiatric inpatient wing, where patients who may not require a longer hold can receive care for just a few days.

A lot of people in crisis can turn around and feel markedly better in 24 to 48 hours, Thrasher said. It does not require a lengthy inpatient stay.

Fight for funds

In his last budget, Evers proposed funding a variety of services that mental health advocates and law enforcement representatives support. He sought $12.3 million over two years to build up to two regional crisis centers  each with crisis urgent care capabilities, a temporary observation center, a 15-bed stabilization facility and at least two inpatient psychiatric beds.

Evers also proposed $5 million to create five regional crisis stabilization facilities for adults voluntarily seeking care. The centers would offer 16 crisis stabilization beds for less traumatic and more community-based care in the least restrictive setting, according to his proposal.

Republicans leading the Legislatures budget committee stripped each proposal from the budget that Evers ultimately signed.

The committee did include $10 million for regional crisis services or facilities in its supplemental budget, but those funds have yet to be released. State law requires agencies designated to receive such funds to request their release and justify the need. In this case, thats the Department of Health Services.

The department has twice requested meetings with the committee for this purpose, once in January and more recently in December. The committee has yet to hold a meeting, an Evers spokesperson told Wisconsin Watch.

Sen. Howard Marklein, a Spring Green Republican who co-leads the Joint Finance Committee, declined to comment for this story. But his office later provided Wisconsin Watch a Dec. 21 letter to DHS in which the committee accused the agency of failing to detail how it would use the $10 million.

We have, instead, resorted to requesting information on uses of the funds from stakeholder groups because your agency is unwilling to provide basic information, said the letter, signed by Marklein and his co-chair, Sen. Mark Born, R-Beaver Dam.

Our goal is to ensure the $10 million is used in the most effective way possible so as to have the largest overall impact, the letter adds.

Leaders on the budget committee support a regional mental health crisis model that would include crisis urgent care and observation centers, the letter said, adding that committee staff would reach out to DHS to set up a meeting.

Outside of the budgeting dispute, the Evers administration sought to help counties by requesting federal reimbursement for counties that transport Medicaid recipients during emergency detention. But the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services denied the request, saying it would violate the Social Security Act, Evers spokesperson said.

Evers plans to unveil his next budget on Feb. 15, following a set of public listening sessions.

Gov. Evers remains committed to improving our crisis response system, but we dont have to wait until the next biennial budget passes to do so, Evers office told Wisconsin Watch. There are $10 million of taxpayer money sitting idly in an appropriation controlled by Republicans on the Joint Finance Committee, and its time for them to release those funds.

Advocate for others

As she looks back upon the dark chapter of her mental health struggles, Barnard said she feels grateful for her progress and stability.

I ended up losing my house and my job and my fiance and all kinds of things, Barnard recalls. I lost basically everything, my pets, everything.

Barnard now owns her own home in Superior, where she lives with two cats and a dog. She has spent 12 years working for Essentia Health, an integrated health organization serving patients in Minnesota, Wisconsin and North Dakota. Her recovery made that tenure possible.

Barnard now sits on the board of directors for NAMI Wisconsin, which in 2019 named her Peer of the Year, and she serves on a variety of councils, task forces and peer support groups related to mental health and recovery.

I like to advocate for mental illness recovery wherever I go, she said. Because I know from personal experience that recovery is possible.
Durian is one among the products expected to enjoy strong export growth after China's reopening. (Photo: thanhnien.vn)

Many Vietnamese agricultural and aquatic products such as rice, fruits, shrimp and fish, are expected to enjoy strong export growth following Chinas reopening of its market. At present, prices of several products have reported surges.

Nguyen Thuy Thuan, Director of Tra Thanh Long Company in Ho Chi Minh City, said that the price of dragon fruits currently surpasses 30,000 VND (1.28 USD) per kilogramme, much higher than the 1,000-2,000 VND per kilogramme in the same period last year.

Shrimp is also one of the products that are favoured by Chinese people on the occasion of the Lunar New Year (Tet) festival which will be celebrated later this month. At present, Chinese enterprises are increasing imports of black tiger shrimp.

Dragon fruits among the products favored in the Chinese market. (Photo: congthuong.vn)

To meet a 40% rise in orders from Chinese partners, Anh Khoa Co. Ltd. in the southernmost province of Ca Mau is actively coordinating with farming areas to purchase shrimp right after Tet in order to serve this market.

The Border Office of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (China) announced that it will maintain customs clearance during the Tet holidays to ensure that trade activities and supply chains are maintained smoothly to facilitate import and export activities of both sides.

From January 21 to 27 (the 30th day of the last lunar month to the sixth day of the first lunar month), all border gates in Guangxi will carry out customs clearance by appointment.

Some 10 million Vietnamese products sold on Amazon

In 2022, Vietnamese sales partners have sold nearly 10 million products on Amazons online stores globally, and the export value of Vietnamese sales partners on Amazon has increased more than 45%.

Photo for illustration. (Source: baodautu.vn)

Amazon Global Selling has officially released the report on cross-border e-commerce business on Amazon. Accordingly, despite the challenges of the world economic situation, cross-border e-commerce still shows many positive growth signals, contributing to the recovery of local businesses.

Specifically, the number of Vietnamese sales partners on Amazon increased by more than 80%, most of which are small and medium enterprises.

Many Vietnamese small and medium enterprises such as AnEco, Lafooco, Sunhouse or HMG continue to be successful as they welcome the cross-border e-commerce wave with Amazon, creating more jobs for local people.

Amazon Global Sellings Small and Medium Enterprise Empowerment Report also shows how Vietnamese businesses have overcome challenges over the past 12 months, confidently and boldly experimenting with new business models and the sales growth results from online sales and exports.

Specifically, the number of products sold by Vietnamese sales partners on Amazons stores increased by more than 35% over the same period last year. The number of sales partners in Vietnam exceeded the sales milestone of 500,000 USD when doing business on Amazon, increasing by 60% over the same period last year.

Kon Tum strives to have 10,000 hectares of Ngoc Linh ginseng by 2030

The Central Highlands province of Kon Tum has set a goal to form a concentrated medicinal herb growing area by 2025, with about 4,500 hectares of Ngoc Linh ginseng; and by 2030 have 25,000 ha of medicinal herbs, including 10,000 ha of Ngoc Linh ginseng.

Ngoc Linh ginseng seedling. (Photo: VNA)

The Kon Tum Peoples Committee has just issued a project on the investment, development and processing of medicinal herbs in the province until 2025 and orientation to 2030.

The promulgation and implementation of the project aims to exploit the potential and advantages of the province on medicinal herbs; sustainably and effectively use existing natural medicinal materials; and develop the Kon Tum herbal medicinal area into a national key medicinal area and a major pharmaceutical production center of the country by 2025.

During the implementation process, Kon Tum divided the project into 2 phases; in which the 2018-2020 period has been completed. The 2021-2030 period is being implemented.

As of the end of 2022, Kon Tum has about 1,749 hectares of Ngoc Linh ginseng; in which, the newly planted area of 508 ha is mainly developed by Ngoc Linh Kon Tum Ginseng Joint Stock Company and Dak To Forestry One Member Limited Liability Company.

The area of other medicinal herbs was approximately 5,120 ha, reaching 109.8% of the plan, of which, nearly 2,500 ha were newly planted, reaching 122.8% of the plan.

Hanoi strives to have 20 more enterprises in supporting industries

The Hanoi Peoples Committee has issued a Plan on the Program to develop the supporting industry in Hanoi in 2023.

The plan aims to concretize the orientations, goals and tasks of the supporting industry development program in 2020-2025; encourage the development of supporting industries, and improve the capacity of Hanois supporting industry enterprises in the new post-COVID-19 situation.

The production line of motorcycle tires at Manh Quang Mechanical Company Limited in Thanh Tri district. (Photo: hanoimoi.com.vn)

The plan also sets a target to have about 950 enterprises operating in the fields of supporting industries in 2023, an increase of about 20 enterprises compared to 2022; in which there are about 300-350 enterprises with production systems and products of international standards, sufficient supply capacity to participate in the global production network of multinational corporations in Vietnam.

The industrial production value of the supporting industry accounts for about 16-17% of industrial production value of the processing and manufacturing industry in Hanoi, and the industrial development index of the supporting industry sector increases over 11-12% every year, up about 1% compared to 2022.

Aiming to realize the target, the plan proposes four contents, such as supporting enterprises to apply management systems to meet the requirements of global production chains in corporate governance and production management; and supporting research, development and application of technology transfer and innovation in trial production of components, spare parts, and materials./.
Nguyen Tien Hai (R), Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the Peoples Council of Ca Mau province, and Vanxay Phongsavan, Secretary of the Party Committee and Governor of Khammouane province, at the meeting on January 5 (Photo: VNA)

On January 5, in Ca Mau province, a high-ranking delegation of Khammouane province led by Secretary of the Party Committee and Governor of Khammouane province paid a visit and Tet greetings to the province.

Secretary of the Ca Mau Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the People's Council Nguyen Tien Hai said that in the post-COVID-19 pandemic, Khammouane province in particular and Laos in general had overcome difficulties and regained growth momentum, especially tourism activities, budget revenue, and increased per capita income.

He informed the Lao delegation of the outstanding and comprehensive socio-economic development results of the locality in 2022; and shared about the potential and advantages that the locality has strengths such as agriculture and fisheries.

Mr. Nguyen Tien Hai emphasized that the 16th Party Congress of Ca Mau province identified three breakthroughs, focusing on promoting infrastructure development, especially transport infrastructure; administrative reform; and human resource development.

With that orientation, Ca Mau actively invites and attracts potential investors to implement large-scale projects to promote comprehensive local development.

Since 2014, the two localities have had high-level signing minutes for cooperation and development. In the period from 2019-2023, each year, Ca Mau supports Khammouane province with VND1 billion to train cadres. After 2023, Ca Mau commits to continue a support plan in the next period.

At the meeting, Governor of Khammouane province Vansay Phongsavan shared that the visit was an opportunity for the delegation to learn and exchange experiences in the field of socio-economic development and investment attraction of Ca Mau province in the past time; and further tighten the relationship between the two Parties, the two States and the people of the two countries. In particular, the relationship between Ca Mau province and Kham Muon province is a valuable asset, a favorable condition for the two localities to continue to open up opportunities to learn, cooperate and develop together.

The Governor of Khammouane province congratulated Ca Mau province on its great achievements in recent years; highly appreciated and was very impressed with the rapid, strong and sustainable development momentum of the province.

He expressed that Khammouane province wishes to learn information, have the opportunity to promote cooperation in all fields, especially focusing on cooperation in areas where the two sides have strengths in agriculture-forestry, tourism development and energy.

At the exchange, leaders of the two provinces of Ca Mau and Khammouane highly agreed on many important contents; while he said that the potential and room for development cooperation in many fields between the two localities is still very large.

The two provinces leaders added that Ca Mau and Khammouane will step up popularising each others images and create the best possible conditions for bilateral investment and overall cooperation, thereby further strengthening their friendship in the future./.
On December 20, 2022, the Itzehoe Regional Court in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein sentenced 97-year-old Irmgard Furchner, a former secretary at the Stutthof concentration camp near Gdansk, to a suspended juvenile sentence of two years for aiding and abetting murder in more than 10,500 cases.

Furchner worked at the concentration camp in Nazi-occupied Poland between June 1943 and April 1945 as a secretary to camp commandant Paul Werner Hoppe. There, according to the indictment, she assisted those in charge of the camp in the systematic killing of detainees. It is the first trial in which a civilian employee of a concentration camp stood trial.

Concentration Camp Stutthof, Main gate, on November 11, 2015 [Photo by Andrzej Otrebski / CC BY 4.0

Since Furchner was between 18 and 19 years old at the time, the trial against her was held before the Juvenile Chamber of the Itzehoe Regional Court. The trial took place in a warehouse in the industrial area of Itzehoe, which had been converted into an improvised courtroom, due to the great media interest, numerous joint plaintiffs and their attorneys, and social distancing rules from coronavirus protection measures. The case began on October 19, 2021, more than two weeks late, as the defendant had initially attempted to evade the start of the trial by fleeing from her senior citizens residence in Quickborn by cab on September 30, 2021.

During Furchner's trial, the court heard witness testimony of eight joint plaintiffs over 40 days. These concentration camp survivors recounted the suffering and mass death at Stutthof. As in earlier trials, they desired to present the monstrous crimes of the Nazi regime, which they had experienced firsthand, to a German court. Through the international media they also wanted to let a larger audience know what had been done to them and their relatives.

All those involved were well aware that the sentence could only have a symbolic character after such a long time. But it was important to them that these acts, as well as those who had participated in and enabled them, be condemned. They did not want what had happened at that time to be forgotten. In this way, the joint plaintiffs, survivors of the Stutthof concentration camp and their relatives, simultaneously made a case against the current dangers of fascism and war.

The Stutthof concentration camp, like every Nazi concentration camp, was an institution for torturing, humiliating and murdering people, a death machine. Whoever worked in it was guilty of making these atrocities possible, and thus of aiding and abetting murder.

Claims by the defendants and their defense attorneys that they had no knowledge of much of what went on in the camp, such as the existence of a gas chamber, were not very credible from the outset and were refuted during the trial both by the historical expert and by the testimony of survivors of the Stutthof concentration camp.

The Stutthof concentration camp is less well known than the camps at Auschwitz, Buchenwald or Dachau. The camp in Nazi-occupied Poland was opened on September 2, 1939, one day after the German Wehrmacht [military] invaded Poland. It stood until the end of World War II and was liberated by Red Army soldiers on May 9, 1945, one day after the end of the war.

Immediately after the invasion of Poland by the Wehrmacht, the Gestapo began mass arrests. Polish and Jewish civilians, including teachers, members of parliament and academics from Danzig, were deported to Stutthof. Under the most brutal conditions, the prisoners were forced to construct the buildings on the camp grounds themselves. Of several hundred Danzig Jews who were captured and brought to Stutthof by mid-September 1939, most died within a few weeks.

Because of its early origins, Stutthof is considered the first concentration camp outside the German border. On January 29, 1942, it was given Level I status, which it retained until the end of the war. Its incorporation into the concentration camp system enabled integration of the prisoners into the war economy of the German Reich. The economic profit that the SS derived from the exploitation or renting of prisoners to private companies and farms amounted to an estimated 10 million Reichsmarks for the years 1942 to 1944.

In the Stutthof concentration camp, the SS imprisoned more than 100,000 people in deplorable conditions during World War II, including a great many Jews. At least 65,000 people were murdered at Stutthof. Many died by a gunshot to the neck (there was a special facility for this) or in a gas chamber built on the camp grounds. Most of them were worked to death. That is, they died of starvation, debilitation, and epidemics due to the deliberately inadequate food supply and nonexistent medical care.

The court was able to hear only two hours of proceedings per day of session because of the advanced age of the defendant. Here follow some of the statements made by the historical expert in the case as well as concentration camp survivors who appeared as joint plaintiffs. They are based on the NDR (Norddeutscher Rundfunk) account from December 20, 2022, Stutthof Trial - A Chronology of Events.

A key witness in the trial was historian Stefan Hordler, who spoke as an expert witness at 14 sessions. Among the testimonies Hordler read out in court on March 1, 2022 was that of an SS man who had married the defendant after the war. He had testified in 1954: In the Stutthof camp, people were gassed. This was talked about in the commandants staff. Another SS man, also from the commandants staff, testified in 1974, according to Hordler, that in about six cases he had observed men and women being forced to climb into narrow gauge rail cars whose doors had then been closed. Only later, he said, did he learn that these were gassings.

In April and May 2022, expert witness Hordler showed, based on several statements made by SS men and civilian employees of the Stutthof concentration camp in the post-war period, that the camps staff knew very well about the crimes committed in the camp. The expert rejected the defendants claim that only orders and invoices had passed over her desk. As evidence, he cited several letters concerning prisoner transports: One of these letters was about the deportation of almost 2,000 Jewish prisoners to Auschwitz.

On December 7, 2021, the first survivor, 83-year-old Josef Salomonovic from Vienna, testified as a witness before the court in Itzehoe. Salomonovic was the only survivor of the Stutthof concentration camp to appear in court in person. He had long hesitated on whether to testify and came to Itzehoe only with the greatest reluctance, and only because his wife and his lawyer had convinced him of the importance of his testimony. In an interview with NDR shortly before the end of the trial, Salomonovic said: I didn't want that. To see F. [Furchner] and talk for two hours, in a hall, in person. That caused me pain.

In court he described the deportation and the suffering of his family. Salomonovic was deported from Prague first to Auschwitz and then, at the age of six, to Stutthof. He had been deported together with his mother, his father and his brother, three years his senior. His father was murdered in September 1944 in the Stutthof concentration camp with a phenol injection to the heart when he asked for medicine in the camp hospital barracks.

In the interview shortly before the end of the trial, Salomonovic and his wife stated that they were convinced of Irmgard Furchners guilt. The sentence was not the important part. All that mattered to them, they said, was that she was convicted. This is symbolic, Josef Salomonovic explained. It is a matter of justice. For the state. For Germany. For conscience. He stressed that it was also important for future generations to understand that in a crime like the Holocaust, aiding and abetting must also be punished.

On December 14, 2021, 93-year-old Asia Shindelman recounted her ordeal via video link from the United States, where she lives. Shindelman was born in Lithuania in 1928. In 1941, after the German occupation, she and her parents were initially moved to a ghetto. Three years later, they were deported to the Stutthof concentration camp near Danzig. She described how SS guards received her and her parents, an uncle and grandmother with whips and dogs. The SS men were allowed to do anything, she said. The Germans could also beat us to death. After a month, she said, she was taken to a external camp where she and other Jewish women were made to dig trenches for military defense.

Further, on January 25, 2022, Shindelman described her experiences on the death march from Stutthof concentration camp, which many did not survive. Preceding that, she told how she, then 15 years old, and her mother had had to help dig trenches and build tank traps as forced laborers in the bitterly cold last months of the war.

On February 15, 2022, 94-year-old concentration camp survivor Abraham Koryski described the atrocities he had witnessed and suffered as a 16-year-old in the Stutthof concentration camp between September 1944 and the end of January 1945. He addressed the court by video from Israel. Koryski reported how he had to collect the still-hot human bones in the crematorium, how guards had set a dog on prisoners, and that he had been surrounded by corpses every day. Repeatedly there had been beatings, and on several occasions he had observed executions.

Important in connection with the trial of Furchner was his testimony that everyone in the camp had known about the goings-on. From the barracks where he was housed, Korysik could see the commandants office, the workplace of the accused.

On February 22, 2022, 97-year-old Towa-Magda Rosenbaum testified as a survivor. She, too, was connected via video link from Israel. Rosenbaum, who comes from Hungary, had been deported to the Stutthof concentration camp together with her sister. She spoke of the terrible hunger, the plague of lice and the blows of the guards. When the concentration camp was liberated, only about 900 women were still living, and many of them succumbed to their illnesses shortly thereafter.

On June 14, 2022, 95-year-old survivor Halina Strnad of Melbourne, Australia, described via video: I was beaten, I was kicked, I was spat on. When she collapsed in pain and lay on the ground, the camp commander kicked her, she says. As a result of this brutal treatment, she suffered a fractured skull and several broken ribs. After the war, she had to undergo two operations as a result.

Strnad had been taken from Auschwitz to the Stutthof concentration camp near Danzig in September 1944. At the beginning of 1945, almost all the women who were imprisoned with her in a barrack fell ill with typhus, including herself. Her mother died in her arms. She was told by fellow prisoners that the many dead were burned in a pit. The camp constantly reeked of burning corpses, she said. I cannot imagine how it was possible not to know what was happening, since there was this permanent stench of burned corpses, Strnad said.

The 96-year-old Marek Dunin-Wasowicz, who testified by video link from Warsaw on June 28, 2022, had been taken to the Stutthof concentration camp with his brother in May 1944. He reported that he and his family had previously been active in the Polish resistance against the German occupiers. Dunin-Wasowicz said that since his time in the concentration camp he knew what fear and hunger were. He likewise reported that there was a constant stench of burned corpses in the camp, especially when there was not enough space in the crematoria. Then the murdered and deceased were burned on pyres.

The defendant Irmgard Furchner followed the testimonies of the joint plaintiffs and survivors via a monitor and headphones. She showed no emotion whatsoever. Furchner remained silent for the entire duration of the trial, which lasted for over a year. Only at the end did she utter three short sentences, Im sorry for everything that happened. I regret that I was in Stutthof at that time. Thats all I can say.

One week after Furchner was sentenced by the Itzehoe Regional Court at the end of December, representatives of both the joint plaintiffs and the defendants defense filed an appeal against the verdict. It is thus not legally binding. Furchners two defense attorneys demanded an acquittal for their client. Even after the trial with its extensive evidence, they claim that it could not be proven beyond doubt that Irmgard Furchner had known about the systematic killings in the camp. The Federal Supreme Court must now examine whether there was a procedural error.

As the World Socialist Web Site has previously clarified, these trials of the murderous regimes abettors have come so late because the German judiciary has shown little interest in prosecuting Nazi crimes, their perpetrators and supporters throughout the postwar period. Earlier efforts to bring to justice those responsible for atrocious mass crimes have often been prevented or rebuffed. One important reason for this was the virtually seamless transition of German lawyers, judges and prosecutors with Nazi pasts into the judicial apparatus of the Federal Republic.

In Germany, there has never been a real coming to terms and reckoning with the monstrous crimes of the Nazi dictatorship, let alone with those responsible for them.

For decades, it was necessary to prove that the SS henchmen in the concentration camps had committed specific murders of specific persons in order to be able to bring charges against them at all. This was often very difficult or impossible because fewer and fewer eyewitnesses were still alive. This only changed with the Demjanjuk trial, which ended in May 2011 with the conviction of the defendant. Since this verdict, anyone who participated in any way in systematic killings in concentration camps can be charged with accessory to murder. For the first time, a systematic search was conducted for SS men who were still alive and who had participated in the Holocaust.

In 2015, the trial of former SS man Oskar Groning, who worked on the ramp at Auschwitz, took place. Groning's conviction for aiding and abetting the murder of more than 300,000 Jews at the Auschwitz concentration and extermination camp was upheld by the Federal Supreme Court in September 2016. However, he never served his sentence. Groning died in a hospital in March 2018 at the age of 96.
According to official statistics released by Health Canada, 2022 proved to be the deadliest year of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada so far. Almost 20,000 Canadians died from COVID-19, representing close to a 30 percent increase in fatalities compared to 2021.

As stark as they are, these official figures represent a significant undercount of the true toll the virus has taken across the country. Data compiled by Dr. Tara Moriarty, an infectious disease expert at the University of Toronto, show that the country has recorded almost 65,000 excess deaths since the start of the pandemic. The excess death rate was almost 1.5 times higher in 2022 compared to 2020 and 2021.

Unsurprisingly, total infections and hospitalizations were also at their highest levels during 2022. Unlike the previous two years, there was no significant drop in hospital admissions at any point during the year, with thousands hospitalized continuously. The height of the original Omicron wave in the winter of 2021-22 saw over 10,000 Canadians in hospital care at the end of January 2022. At no point since has that number dipped lower than 3,000. The last reported national data shows that hospitalizations are currently around 5,000, a number that most public health experts expect to rise drastically in the coming months with the emergence of new variants.

Meanwhile, despite the vast curtailing of PCR testing by public health agencies across the country, over half of the countrys official 4.5 million infections occurred in 2022 alone.

Taken together, these figures represent a damning indictment of the claim advanced by the political and media establishment that the Omicron variant was mild. This grotesque lie was used by the Liberal Trudeau government and all provincial governments to justify the dropping of all measures aimed at mitigating the spread of COVID-19. The scrapping of the last remaining public health measures in the spring of 2022 was in fact a direct response to the demands of the far-right Freedom Convoy, a movement comprised of fascistic social elements.

Incited and built up by significant sections of the capitalist ruling class, including the official opposition Conservative Party and fascistic figures in the US such as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former President Donald Trump, the movement was invoked as an excuse by the Trudeau government and provincial health agencies to legitimize their refusal to implement mitigation measures to curb the disease and death that Omicron caused during 2022.

Officials often assert that there is a lack of public appetite for public health measures, but this is a filthy lie. Polling has, since the start of the pandemic, shown that the public has consistently supported stronger health measures than those governments were willing to implement. A poll conducted in November by CTV News revealed that almost 70 percent of Canadians supported a return of face mask mandates, with 52 percent saying they supported such a measure fully and 17 percent saying they somewhat support a return to face masking. Just 22 percent of respondents said they opposed such a measure.

As the virus spread unchecked throughout the year, pressure continued to be applied to the countrys over-stretched and under-funded health care system. Hospitals across Canada buckled under the massive amounts of disease circulating in communities across the country, a trend that only accelerated as the winter respiratory virus season commenced.

Vancouver General Hospital, the largest in the province of British Columbia, reports that patients are waiting over 7 hours to receive care in the ER. Statistics provided by the Quebec Ministry of Health showed that most major hospital ER rooms in the province are currently operating at over 100 percent capacity. The chief of Montreal General Hospitals, Dr. Cristian Toarta, told the Montreal Gazette that the month of December was the worst he has ever seen. In Edmonton, the provincial capital of Alberta, hospitals have reported the longest wait times for emergency care since they began collecting data in 2015.

The situation appears to be even more dire in rural communities, where emergency care is collapsing altogether. According to data collected by CBC News, emergency rooms were closed for the equivalent of 4 months throughout small communities in British Columbia in 2022, or 2,900 hours. The community of Clearwater, BC saw its hospital ER close on 62 different occasions. In Ontario, Clinton Public Hospital announced on December 29 that it was closing its ER room for at least 12 hours.

The decision by the Trudeau government and provincial health authorities to let the virus rip unimpeded, a policy adopted by all capitalist governments around the world, has enabled COVID-19 to mutate into ever more dangerous variants. The latest example is the XBB.1.5 variant, which is now spreading rapidly in the northeastern part of the United States. Due to extremely limited genomic sequencing by provincial health authorities, it is impossible to say how rapidly the variant is spreading in Canada, but experience with previous dominant variants such as the original Wuhan strain, Alpha and Omicron would suggest that by now most of the country has already been seeded.

As of Wednesday, the Public Health Agency of Canada reported 21 cases in which the new variant had been sequenced. The variant has been sequenced in small numbers in Ontario and Quebec. On January 3, British Columbia Chief Public Health Officer Bonnie Henry revealed during an interview with CBC radio that the province had identified five such cases. Given Henrys track record of previously lying to the public to conceal the spread and danger of COVID-19, including in February 2021 when it was revealed by CTV news that she deliberately misinformed the public of how rapidly the then-new Alpha and Beta variants were spreading by a factor of 10, her latest figures are almost certainly a massive undercount.

Montreal-based microbiologist Dr. Donald Vinh sharply criticized the absence of widespread PCR testing across Canada in response to the emergence of the new variant. Ever since the eruption of Omicron last winter, health care authorities have made it all but impossible for the vast majority of infected people to get tested, unless they access care in an emergency room. To think that we are living in Canada and yet if youre sick, you cannot get tested for COVID easily  I think that is just the antithesis of medicine, he told Global News. Every wave that weve had has led to an increase in hospitalizations. And even though we can buffer that increase, thats come at a price to our health care system. And so going forward, we should be very aggressive against XXB.1.5. or whatever other variant is emerging.

Under these conditions, the rank hypocrisy of the Trudeau governments announcement that travellers from China will be screened for COVID-19 upon arrival as of January 5 is hard to beat. The decision by the Chinese government to abandon its Zero COVID policy in November, which has led predictably to a massive outbreak in the country, is one which the Canadian government, in partnership with its US imperialist ally, has long demanded.

While it allows XBB.1.5 to spread unchecked at home, the Trudeau government and the public health establishment would have the population believe that they are deeply concerned about protecting their health by banning travelers from China who test positive for the virus. As principled medical and public health experts have noted, this policy has nothing to do with protecting the Canadian public. It is a policy that is explicitly political in nature, serving only to poison public opinion towards China and thereby whip up public support for Washington and Ottawas aggressive preparations to wage war against China.
In the aftermath of the November midterm elections which saw the defeat of prominent Trump-backed election deniers and failed to produce the predicted red wave, media pundits proclaimed a victory for democracy and return to normalcy in American politics. The events of Friday, however, the second anniversary of the January 6 attempted coup, have well and truly exploded all such fantasies.

Late Friday night, the narrow Republican majority in the House of Representatives elected Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House.

The vote in the 14th round earlier that night came down to Matt Gaetz of Florida, one of the most adamant supporters of the January 6 coup, who the previous day nominated Trump to be House Speaker. Gaetz voted present, denying McCarthy the necessary votes and forcing another round.

After feverish behind the scene negotiations with the fascist Gaetz, McCarthy was elected on the 15th vote, which concluded after midnight. The number of ballots required to elect the Speaker is the most since the run-up to the Civil War.

Prior to the vote, McCarthy, himself an accomplice in Trumps failed coup, made a series of concessions that would immensely increase the influence of the fascist right over the operations of Congress and advance a program of savage attacks on the social conditions and democratic rights of the working class.

California Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy, right, talks with Georgia Republican Rep. Andrew Clyde during the 13th vote in the House chamber as the House meets for the fourth day to elect a speaker and convene the 118th Congress in Washington, Friday, January 6, 2023. Two years ago, both Clyde and McCarthy voted against certifying the 2020 presidential election after the attack on Congress. [AP Photo/Alex Brandon]

Those opposing McCarthy included key players in the conspiracy to overthrow the 2020 presidential election and maintain Trump in power as dictator-president: Andy Biggs and Paul Gosar of Arizona, Matt Gaetz of Florida, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Scott Perry of Pennsylvania and Bob Good of Virginia. They are now set to have power within the House far out of proportion to their numbers or popular support.

CNNs list of concessions and promises made by McCarthy over the course of closed-door negotiations includes:

Lowering the threshold to bring a motion to oust the House Speaker from the current 50 percent of the Republican conference, reduced in earlier talks to five members, to just a single member.

Substantially increasing representation of the far-right House Freedom Caucus on key committees, beginning with the Rules Committee.

Giving members greater ability to offer amendments on the House floor.

Promising that McCarthys leadership PAC will not intervene in open primaries in safe Republican districts (where in a few cases the PAC had opposed far-right candidates).

These procedural changes, far-reaching in themselves, are reportedly tied to substantive agreements to make historic cuts in domestic spending and federal taxes that add up to a reversal of all social reforms since the 1930sthat is, a social counterrevolution.

McCarthy has agreed to hold votes on:

A balanced budget amendment, banning deficit spending

The further militarization of the US-Mexico border

Capping discretionary spending at 2022 levels

He has further pledged to restore the Holman rule, which will allow members to propose amendments to appropriations bills that cut the salaries of specific federal workers or funding for specific programs down to $1, effectively defunding them.

He has also agreed to oppose a debt ceiling increase that is not paired with sweeping spending cuts.

CNBC wrote: House Republican holdouts who switched their votes to back GOP leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy for Speaker after weeks of opposing him are touting what they say is a historic deal reached with the California Republican that will fulfill their longtime goals of radically reducing federal spending.

This escalation of class war against the vast majority of the American people is proceeding without any opposition from the Biden administration or the Democratic Party. The ability of the Republicans and Trumpwho is publicly backing McCarthyto intensify the assault on social and democratic rights is due to the refusal of the Democrats to prosecute or arrest any of the ringleaders in the Trump administration, Congress, the military, the FBI and police, and on the US Supreme Court involved in the attempted overthrow of the Constitution. On the contrary, they are being allowed to continue the conspiracy.

One of the demands of the Republican fascists reportedly accepted by McCarthy is the creation of a subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, which will be under the House Judiciary Committee and its chairman, the far-right provocateur Jim Jordan. It will likely be used to exonerate the hundreds of fascist foot soldiers arrested for storming the Capitol and to shield Trump himself from any potential criminal indictment.

The Democrats are doing their best to conceal from the American people the dire implications of the machinations in the House. They are either treating the disarray as a joke or using it to step up their appeals for a bipartisan partner with which to govern.

President Joe Biden speaks in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Friday, January 6, 2023, during a ceremony to mark the second anniversary of the January 6 coup. [AP Photo/Patrick Semansky]

On Friday, even as the voting on the House floor and backroom deal-making were continuing, Biden held a ceremony at the White House to mark the second anniversary of the coup. He made no mention of the latest reactionary plot being hatched against the American people in the US Capitol. Nor did he take note of the role of powerful sections of the police, the military, the intelligence agencies and the Supreme Court in the attempted coup two years before.

Biden never so much as uttered Trumps name. Instead, he used the event to promote the police as saviors of democracy and hail the role of patriotic Republican officials who balked at Trumps demands to overturn the election results.

Biden awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal to nine police officers caught up in the fascist attack on Congress, three posthumously; four election officials who defied right-wing harassment and even armed threats to count and certify the vote, three Democratic and one Republican; and former Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers, a Republican, who refused demands that he certify pro-Trump electors and ignore the pro-Biden popular vote in Arizona.

There was no mention of the failure of the FBI, Secret Service and Department of Homeland Security to issue advance warnings, despite a mountain of evidence of an impending attack to block congressional certification of Bidens victory; or the desperate appeals by US Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund for National Guard troops to halt the assault on the Capitol, which went unanswered; or the 199-minute delay in approval by Trumps hand-picked Pentagon officials of pleas from the D.C. Guard commander for sanction to send forces to clear out the insurrectionists; or the fact that 139 House Republicans, including both McCarthy and most of his opponents, a full 65 percent of the Republican conference, voted against certifying the election hours after the mob had been cleared out of the Capitol.

Instead, Biden began his remarks by noting the damage to US geopolitical interests resulting from the violent events of two years prior, citing statements by world leaders at a subsequent G7 meeting questioning the stability of the US government. ThisUS imperialist foreign policyhas been the basis of Democratic opposition to Trump from the outset, and remains so today.

The overriding concern of the Democratic Party is to maintain a working relationship with the Republicans to conduct the escalating war against Russia in Ukraine and prepare for military confrontation with China. As far as the democratic rights of the mass of American workers go, the Democrats attitude was amply shown when they united with the GOP last month to pass a law banning a strike by over 100,000 rail workers and impose a sellout contract that had been voted down. This fascistic measure was carried out with the support of the rail unions.

As the World Socialist Web Site explained in its New Years statement (2023: The global capitalist crisis and the growing offensive of the international working class):

The recklessness of US foreign policy cannot be understood solely in relation to the geopolitical interests of American imperialism. A central factor is the extreme domestic crisis within the United States itself. For all its dreams of global conquest, the American ruling class presides over an increasingly dysfunctional political system. As far back as the Clinton impeachment crisis of 199899 and the Supreme Courts intervention in 2000 to suppress the counting of votes and award the presidency to George W. Bush, the International Committee has warned that the American ruling class was moving toward dictatorial forms of rule

In the present situation, the pressure of the objective crisis drives the ruling elite to abandon democratic forms of rule and strike a preemptive blow against the emerging movement of the working class.

The defense of the social and democratic rights of the working masses depends on the expansion of this movement and its development into an independent political struggle for socialism against American capitalism and both of its parties.
At least two people have died in California this week as a result of the most recent onslaught of massive storms that have rampaged across the state. The first death was a 19-year-old young woman in Fairfield, a city north of San Francisco, who according to early police reports hydroplaned while driving on a partially flooded road and crashed into a utility pole.

Aptos Beach Flats resident Dawn Wilkinson walks through floodwaters from her house in Aptos, California, Thursday, January 5, 2023 [AP Photo/Nic Coury]

The second death was a two-year-old in Sonoma County who died after a redwood tree fell onto the childs home. My son was just sitting there, playing, Aisha Tocchini, the childs mother, told the San Francisco Chronicle. The rainfall from the storms in the county, also north of the Bay Area, caused the soil to oversaturate and loosen, which in turn allowed the high winds to ultimately uproot decades-old trees.

As of Friday afternoon, more than 64,000 people remain without power as a result of massive flooding across the state after hundreds of thousands went without during earlier parts of the storm. Among those are 51,000 customers of Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), the company infamous for causing numerous forest fires, including the 2018 Camp Fire which killed 84 people as a result of faulty power lines.

The ongoing storms are among the wettest the Northern California region has ever seen. According to the National Weather Service (NWS), San Francisco received 10.33 inches of rain during the ten days between December 26 and January 4, the most since 1871. The majority of the rain, 5.46 inches, fell on New Years Eve.

In addition to the record rainfalls, several feet of snow have been dumped on the Sierra Nevada above 6,000 feet. As a result, the NWS issued a high avalanche danger through Friday morning from Ebbetts Pass to Yuba Pass, a stretch of about 120 miles that includes Lake Tahoe. It has also issued a Backcountry Avalanche Watch in the same region through Sunday morning.

The storms facing California, moreover, are not over. While rains and snows abated Thursday evening, they are predicted to pick up again across northern California and southwest Oregon late Friday. The NWS predicts three to six inches of rainfall across the region, with local totals that may be even higher, threatening further flash flooding. More storms of similar magnitude are expected to make landfall next week.

The immediate source of the storms over the past several days are a weather phenomenon known as atmospheric rivers. Also known as tropical plumes, they are narrow bands of concentrated moisture often generated by cyclones that form over the oceans. They then travel hundreds or even thousands of miles before hitting land and dropping the contained moisture and inducing intense rainfall.

The current atmospheric rivers flowing over California also induced what is known as a bomb cyclone, during which atmospheric pressure falls at least 24 millibars in 24 hours. The sharp drop in pressure causes torrential rainfall in a very concentrated area, the result of which has been the storms all along the West Coast.

The moisture carried by the current set of atmospheric rivers is also expected to reach further east than just the California coast. Snowfalls of up to 18 inches in places as far inland as Utah are possible, according to NWS forecasts, before spreading across the central part of the Rocky Mountains.

Atmospheric rivers have been studied for decades as data from early weather satellites clearly revealed the narrow bands of traveling moisture. They are typically thousands of miles long, hundreds of miles wide and can deliver more water than Earths largest river, the Amazon River.

They are also increasing in frequency. An article published last August in the journal Nature showed that atmospheric rivers are responsible for most of the damage caused by flooding in the western United States, and are expected to become more intense as human-caused climate change continues unabated.

In particular, rising sea temperatures are causing more evaporation from the oceans, causing atmospheric rivers that are more frequent and more intense. While there is a side-effect of reducing the number of light and moderate storms, the expected average damages are projected to jump from $1 billion each year to $1.9 billion a year by the 2050s and up to $3.6 billion a year by the end of the century as rainfalls and floods set new destructive records. The total is ultimately hundreds of billions of dollars in damages just from flooding, not to mention the massive loss of human life.

The study also noted that these projections are based on historical data that did not include the potential for 1-in-100-year or 1-in-1000-year floods. A series of such storms, which are happening with increasing frequency across the US (such as Hurricanes Katrina, Sandy and Harvey), could cause up to $860 billion in damages in California alone.

The increasing frequency of these extreme weather events is a direct product of climate change. The extra heat trapped in Earths atmosphere by increasing amounts of greenhouse gases generated through the anarchy of capitalist production is ultimately transformed into energy that creates more powerful cyclones and hurricanes, as well as making more dangerous conditions for heatwaves, polar vortexes, wildfires, droughts and other increasingly deadly weather phenomena that have developed over the past ten years.

These dangers were spelled out explicitly by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in its Sixth Assessment Report published last year. It notes that, as a result of human-induced greenhouse gas emissions, that, recent hot extreme events would have been extremely unlikely to occur without human influence on the climate system. The report continued, In particular, this is the case for temperature extremes, the intensification of heavy precipitation including that associated with tropical cyclones, and the worsening of droughts in some regions.

The science is quite clear: the ongoing crisis of climate change will produce increasingly dangerous, damaging and deadly events across the globe. At the same time, capitalism has not merely proven unwilling but incapable of solving an inherently global problem on the basis of the worlds division into rival and warring nation states. It is up to the working class, the only international social force on Earth, to abolish such an outmoded social system and end the climate crisis once and for all.
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI attends an outdoor mass in Stara Boleslav, north of Prague, the Czech Republic on September 28, 2009. (Photo: AFP/VNA)

In the message sent to the community on behalf of the VFF Presidium, Chien said the passing is a great loss to the universal Catholic Church in general and the CBCV in particular.



The VFF Presidium believes that the CBCV always guides Vietnamese Catholics to well implement the late popes teachings and ideas of charity, harmony, solidarity and commitment, in contribution to the construction and defence of the fatherland for the nations prosperity, democracy, justice, and civilisation.



Chien also presented the presidium to send a similar message of condolences to the Committee for Solidarity of Vietnamese Catholics.



Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI passed away on December 31, 2022 at the age of 95./.
This is the first part of a two-part interview. The second part of the interview with can be accessed here.

Soon after the COVID-19 pandemic began to sicken millions of people, complaints of post-viral syndromes afflicting those who had recovered from the acute bout of infection began to appear on social media, and then in the popular press. At first these reports were anecdotal, but in May 2020, Elisa Perego, an archaeologist at University College London, created the term Long COVID as a hashtag on Twitter.

There remains no consensus definition of the disease due to the multi-factorial, and as of yet not fully understood, pathophysiological process that causes the multitude of symptoms associated with Long COVID.

The World Health Organization (WHO) established a clinical case definition for Long COVID in October 2021 based on its understanding at the time, with the caveat that as new evidence emerged on the consequences of COVID-19 infection, there would be changes in the clinical definition to diagnose the condition.

The WHO wrote:

Post COVID-19 condition occurs in individuals with a history of probable or confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, usually three months from the onset of COVID-19 with symptoms that last for at least two months and cannot be explained by an alternative diagnosis. Common symptoms include fatigue, shortness of breath, cognitive dysfunction but also others and generally have an impact on everyday functioning. Symptoms may be new onset following initial recovery from an acute COVID-19 episode or persist from the initial illness. Symptoms may also fluctuate or relapse over time.

The British National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have provided clinical criteria for post-COVID conditions that qualify as Long COVID. As of September 2022, the CDC estimated that 7.5 percent of US adults (15.6 million) were experiencing ongoing symptoms three or more months after their initial infection.

A recent published study in the Lancet synthesized the global evidence on the prevalence of persistent symptoms in a general post-COVID population and found that on average at least 45 percent of COVID survivors, regardless of the clinical course of their illness, went on to experience one unresolved symptom four months out. More than one-quarter complained of persistent fatigue. Among the hospitalized cohort, imaging and pulmonary studies revealed abnormalities and impaired functioning.

However, evidence of the impact of COVID infections on the health of the population remains sparse and a systematic analysis and study of the long-term impacts of COVID infection and reinfection remain sorely lacking.

In this regard, the studies being conducted and presented in peer-reviewed publications by Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly and his colleagues have been critical in developiing an insight into Long COVID. Dr. Al-Aly is director of the Clinical Epidemiology Center and chief of research development at the Veterans Affairs St. Louis Health Care System. Their findings underscore the dangers posed by SARS-CoV-2 infection and reinfection, regardless of vaccination status or severity of the disease after recovery from the acute phase of illness, particularly in damage to the heart, lungs and kidneys, and in metabolic diseases, neurological sequalae (after-effects) and mental health outcomes.

Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly [Photo by Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly]

Dr. Al-Aly recounted in a recent talk he gave on Long COVID that when the pandemic first hit the country, we as a research group in St. Louis started pondering what can we do as a group of researchers and physician scientists to address the challenge with the pandemic. He added, As clinical epidemiologists we started deliberating the best way we could contribute to the fight against COVID-19.

Dr. Al-Aly explained that his group shifted to studying COVID-19. Out of this grew the recognition, brought forward by a coalition of patients afflicted with Long COVID, of the need to study this condition. He was surprised by the breadth of symptoms that affected so many organ systems. This was a historic moment in the annals of medicine, he said, when patients came to the fore and alerted all of us scientists that something here is wrong and needs to be investigated and researched and gave the entity its name.

But what is Long COVID, what are the true manifestations of the disease and how is it to be researched? The St. Louis group led by Al-Aly set out to address these questions in an unbiased manner, utilizing the Veterans Affairs Health System database. The group published its first report on Long COVID in Nature on April 22, 2021, titled High-dimensional characterization of post-acute sequelae of COVID-19. The report laid out the researchers extremely concerning finding that beyond the first 30 days of illness, people with COVID-19 exhibit a higher risk of death and use of health resources.

This was one of the first investigations into the long-term consequences of COVID infection, underscoring the dangers posed to the population beyond just the initial phase of infection. And the damage inflicted by the infection affected multiple organ systems, regardless of disease severity or age of the person. Perhaps most fundamentally, the report posed concretely the harmful relationship between communicable diseases and their potential consequences for population health despite the oft-repeated and scientifically unproven notion that the exposure of children and young adults to germs is good for them.

Dr. Al-Aly kindly accepted our invitation for an interview to discuss his work and the COVID pandemic.

* * * *

Benjamin Mateus [BM]: Good afternoon, Dr. Al-Aly. I hope you are doing well.

Ziyad Al-Aly [ZA]: Yes, thank you. Delighted to be here.

BM: Thank you for taking the interview, Dr. Al-Aly. Your time is valuable. I have several questions for you but first Id like to begin by asking you to tell us who you are, what you do, and your interest in Long COVID.

ZA: Im Ziyad Al-Aly. I'm a clinical epidemiologist at Washington University School of Medicine, and the chief of research and development at the Veterans Affairs (VA) St. Louis Health Care System. And I direct the clinical epidemiology center here at the St. Louis VA.

Very early in the pandemic, we started seeing reports from patients and patient advocacy groups about patients who developed various symptoms after their acute COVID illness had resolved. Clinically, we were also seeing people coming back with lingering symptoms after what we all thought at the time was just an acute infection that if it resolves, it resolves completely in most people and does not really result in any post-acute or chronic sequelae.

But we started receiving those reports and that sort of launched us on a trajectory to understand what's going on with these patients. That led us to the characterization of Long COVID and on a pathway to try to understand the post-acute and long-term consequences of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

BM: Historically, we know that viral infections can lead to post-acute syndromes. Was there any thought at the beginning of the pandemic that this was a possibility, or were people just not aware of these or considering these issues? Maybe you can touch on these points?

ZA: Sure. I think hindsight is always 20-20. Now its very clear to us that many viruses in human history have resulted in long-term consequences. But I have to also admit that we as a medical community or the community of medical professionals and people who deal with chronic disease and infectious diseases have generally ignored the idea that viruses can result in long-term consequences.

When initially SARS-CoV-2 hit I don't think it was at the forefront of our minds. At least it wasnt on my mind, although knowing, even dating back to the flu pandemics in the early decades of the 20th century, that flu also resulted in some long-term consequences in some individuals who were infected with the influenza virus. Still, I dont think that [clinical insight] was sufficiently hardwired in our minds when the pandemic hit.

Now, fast forward. Hindsight is 20-20. But what were ultimately trying to tell people is that infections with viruses can lead to adverse long-term health consequences. This is a major concern, along with mortality.

SARS-CoV-2 is unique and at the same time not unique. It is unique because of its novelty at this moment, but its not unique in the sense its not the only virus in the world that can lead to long-term sequelae. We have had to almost rediscover this field in the wake of the early days of the pandemic.

And I think an important lesson to take going forward from all this is that we must recognize that pandemics are going to happen. These are one of the certainties of life. Pandemics are going to keep happening and there are going to be pandemics down the road, and we must recognize that pandemics are not only cause acute events, but they could in some instances lead to long-term serious manifestations, which can have enormous consequences not only on health outcomes, but potentially on the economy and societal well-being.

All this means, going forward, is that we must think about how to learn from this pandemic and be prepared for the next one. One key step is to evolve our data systemsour data systems need to be able to capture all this information needed to help us assess the toll of post-acute and long-term effects of emerging infectious diseases.

BM: Has anybody ever compared the post-viral syndromes between SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2?

ZA: No, not to my knowledge. I think that this is really to your point, Benjamin, is that we havent really invested in or thought sufficiently about the post-viral condition to fully characterize different viruses and their long-term consequences, nor do comparative analyses to try to understand similarities and differences in the long-term adverse health consequences of different viruses.

So, what are the consequences of SARS-CoV-1, SARS-CoV-2, and MERS? What about Ebola and post-polio? And post flu? And we draw quite a bit of comparison to COVID versus flu, but I also have to admit, what are the five-year outcomes of COVID versus flu? Does anybody know the answer? Its not known. Look, the flu has been around a very long time, meaning we should know these things, but we dont. Its been around for more than a hundred years, but weve also ignored it for more than a hundred years.

Dr. Al-Aly at his desk [Photo by Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly]

And as a result, when you ignore something, you dont have a lot of knowledge about it. So going back to your question of SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV2, there isnt a whole lot of data out there that can give us a full view for a comparative analysis or the long-term consequences of one versus the other.

BM: Regarding ME/CFSmyalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndromeis there a better understanding now that this may be a post-viral syndrome that has manifested in a blanket name for this disease, whose pathophysiological mechanisms are poorly understood?

ZA: There are many hypotheses on ME/CFS, which has been talked about for more than 30 years. But it has been substantially underfunded and therefore not sufficiently studied. One of the hypotheses of the pathobiology of ME/CFS is that its initially triggered or the initiating event is a viral infection.

So, what is the virus that initiates ME/CFS still needs to be clarified. But many of those patients, when they are eventually diagnosed with the condition, when they track back the origins of their symptomatology, in a lot of these patients the triggering event is an upper respiratory tract infection or some sort of an infection with fever that only lasted a few days or just symptoms of a cough, some shortness of breath and sore throat for a few days what we generally classify broadly under the umbrella of an upper respiratory tract infection or the symptomatology that overlaps substantially or what we commonly refer to as upper respiratory tract infection. It's at least clear from those data that that maybe the triggering event is a viral infection.

But I also caveat that by saying that the science on that is not definitive. The identity of that virus has not been pinned down. Still, all of this speaks to the notion that we are talking about, that these entities may have a viral origin and they could be broadly classified under the post-viral illness category, or more appropriately called an infection-associated chronic illness. Thats the term that most people prefer to use. There are different terminologies, and the field is still nascent and evolving but presently the most accepted term is infection-associated chronic illnesses.

However, those baskets of conditions, including ME/CFS, have not been sufficiently studied for us to sit and have a conversation without the data being available to review. The short answer is that we dont really know conclusively if ME/CFS is initiated by a virus and then which virus. But plausibly, there are hypotheses suggesting that may be the case.

BM: Which raises the topic that has captured the attention of the mainstream press and social media, that is, the pseudo-scientific construct of immunity debt. Additionally, many people, whether theyre politically reactionary or they just dont know, think that getting infected is somehow good for building your immunity. Within the confines of long COVID and these post viral acute syndromes, what would you tell someone who raises those issues?

ZA: Sure. I hear that a lot and I hear people saying that a cold never really killed anyone! And it is true that getting a cold doesnt really kill anyone [immediately]. But I would like to ask the question, Does a person who gets, between the ages of 20 and 50, if they get five colds and another person with the same characteristics gets 20 colds, do they have the same risk of cardiovascular outcomes or neurologic outcomes?

And the answer to that is that we dont really know. People trivialize infections because they dont really see immediately the [long-term] consequences of infections. Thats not only true for SARS-CoV-2, but also for a lot of other infections. Even going back to the mildest infection that people generally try to trivializethe common cold but we dont really know what repeat infection means for the life of a person, though we should. Are those people who have more colds at higher risk of long-term disease?

BM: These are important questions and in the context of the pandemic not inconsequential.

ZA: And I would posit, based on some of the evidence we have obtained from our studies, I would hypothesize that the person who gets more infections actually has a higher risk of long-term outcomes, even with a cold.

People trivialize these things without really knowing that there are phases of infection, and it may be true that in the acute phase, if youre only observing for a few days after an upper respiratory tract infection with a common cold and they quickly bounce back and seemingly on the surface there is no real damage, we cant be certain on the long-term impact it will have on their health.

We really dont know, but this is really what we need: more understanding of repeat infections.

Now, with SARS-CoV-2, we know because weve done some work to characterize these risks between one, two or three infections. And it is abundantly clear that the people who got hit twice or three times with COVID have it worse compared to those with only one prior infection, both in the acute phase and the long-term phase or post-acute viral phase.

So I think that this idea that infections provide you with immunity and thats going to shield you and its going to totally offset the long-term cost of an infection is bizarre to me. Its too simplistic and wishful thinking. I wish this was trueto be a kid in a candy store trying to imagine life like that. It would be nice to get one infection that would immunize us from subsequent infections and carry no further riskit would be wonderful, but thats simply not the case at all, at least for SARS-CoV-2.

BM: Just one more question along this line before circling back to something you mentioned earlier. What is the latest hypothesis around the mechanism behind post-COVID syndrome? Is it the persistence of the virus? Is it immune dysregulation? Is it a vasculitis and micro-thrombi?

ZA: Brilliant question, Benjamin. But the short answer is we still dont definitely know with absolute certainty. There are multiple hypotheses and many interesting experimental works that are being done by researchers throughout the world on this question.

One central hypothesis suggests the idea of viral persistence in immune-privileged sites. And when we say viral persistent, it doesnt mean the whole virus but fragments of the viral RNA or proteins that reside in immune-privileged sites that provoke chronic inflammation. That hypothesis is plausible, but it still remains in the realm of a hypothesis, meaning it would still need to be supported with evidence or refuted with evidence. Thats what hypotheses area line of thinking that would need to be tested experimentally and clinically to validate whether it's true or false. In other words, we would conclude that a certain hypothesis is not valid based on A, B, C, D, and E evidence.

At this point, I still classify viral persistence under the umbrella of a hypothesis. And there are a lot of other hypotheses that have been presented. One of them, as you pointed out, is immune dysregulation. Another revolves around the idea of a microbiome dysbiosis. This idea that within us, within the human body, there are more bacteria than human cells. And with viral infections, these microbiomes are disturbed, causing microbiome dysbiosis, which then provokes a state of ill health or disease. Again, all of those are hypotheses.

I also have to say that theyre not necessarily mutually exclusive. The idea there could be immune dysfunction does not really exclude the possibility that viral persistence or microbiome dysbiosis is causing chronic inflammation or a state of disease.

When we speak about Long COVID, and we both have studied it and thought about it deeply, to know its not really one thing. At the end of the day, its unlikely to be one thing. We can certainly classify it under the broad umbrella of post-acute illness or post-viral illness. That would be correct. But I think we have to be reluctant to oversimplify a complex condition like that and make it one thing. Its unlikely to be just one thing.

When I speak to the lay press I give the example of our conception of cancer a hundred years ago, when we lumped all cancers under one categorythis is tumor outgrowth or this is cancerbut we now know that there are more than 800 types of malignancies and all have different genomic signatures and different responses to treatment, and so on.

In that sense, the field of Long-COVID [and post-acute viral syndromes] is really that nascent or that embryonic in the sense that maybe ultimately, over time, well recognize Long COVID type A, type B, and type C with different manifestations, different responses to treatment, and also different pathophysiology on different mechanisms, meaning, that some of it, maybe Type A, is driven by viral persistence, but type B is driven by microbiome dysbiosis.

The field is nascent or embryonic, which means we have to have an open-minded approach to it and learn from the evidence and adjust our thinking accordingly.

To be continued.
In the first days of the Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei (Socialist Equality Party, SGP) campaign for the Berlin state election, members and supporters have distributed thousands of leaflets at vocational schools, in residential neighbourhoods and at factories, and held countless discussions with workers and young people. The SGP is the only party in Germany to oppose the war policies of the ruling class and turn the recall election to the Berlin House of Representatives (state legislature) into a referendum against war and social devastation.

The SGP is fighting to build an international mass movement against NATOs proxy war in Ukraine, which threatens to escalate into a nuclear war against Russia. In its election statement, the party is demanding the expropriation of the war and crisis profiteers, an end to all arms deliveries and economic sanctions, and 100 billion euros for nurseries, schools and hospitals.

The SGP is deploying a loudspeaker truck to discuss the election campaign with workers, hold rallies and hand out campaign material. We invite all readers to come to the first candidate forum in front of Spandau City Hall next Saturday at 2 p.m., ask the candidates questions and actively participate in the SGPs election campaign.

Despite the bad weather, the SGPs campaign has been met with a great response and much approval. In the working class neighbourhood of Siemensstadt in Spandau, residents reacted with raised fists to the announcement that the party stood in the tradition of the revolutionary socialism of Karl Liebknecht, Rosa Luxemburg, Vladimir Lenin and Leon Trotsky. Others applauded when SGP members called for the 100 billion euro special fund for the Bundeswehr (Armed Forces) to be eliminated and instead invested in education and social services.

Asked about the fact that the parties of the Red-Green-Red Senate (Berlin state executive)referring to the Social Democrats (SPD), Greens and Left Partysupport the Ukraine war, a BMW worker outside the motorcycle plant at the Julius Tower in Berlin-Spandau said, Actually, they all do. The war could have ended long ago if they didnt keep escalating it. It is clear that the capitalist parties and the wealthy classes they speak for wont stop the war, he said, Theyre all getting rich from the war, after all.

Ulrich Rippert, founding member and long-time leader of the SGP [Photo: WSWS]

I am surprised that there is not yet a mass movement against these policies, said Vanco, who has been a retiree for many years. Western countries are destroying the whole world in the name of democracy and freedom. They are raping other statesfirst Yugoslavia, now Ukraine. I come from Macedonia, where there are almost no doctors left because many have come to Germany. Now I have to collect bottles [to claim the deposit] because people cant manage on their pensions. There are a million homeless people in Germany and 6.2 million people who cant read and write properly.

We have such a staffing emergency in schools and nurseries, reported Witali, who works as an educator in Berlin and supports the SGP campaign. When the pandemic came, they didnt think of anything better than opening the windows every 15 minutes. Air filters dont cost very much, but the schools alone cant pay for them. The government would have to spend money on that instead of weapons. Billions are needed in so many places. Also, measures like the energy subsidy are laughable considering how much energy and food prices have gone up. Its like throwing a dog a bone. Compared to the war machine, its nothing.

For 30 years, there have been discussions about educators getting the pay of elementary school teachers. But this is always rejected, on the grounds that the money was not there. Yet it is so important, especially in kindergarten, to provide good developmental support and to make the profession as attractive as possible. How are children to be supported if there is a constant shortage of staff? One only supervises the children and can no longer do any pedagogical work.

Today it is said that propaganda only exists in countries like the Soviet Union, but I dont agree with that. America and the Western countries are fighting for democracy and against terrorism, but in reality, terrorism is promoted and democracy is destroyed. Terms are simply exchanged and reinterpreted. I find this frightening, and this is longstanding Western propaganda.

Gregor Link, IYSSE member and SGP executive committee member [Photo: WSWS] [Photo: WSWS]

Luc met the SGP a few weeks ago when its youth organizationthe International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE)campaigned in Berlin to promote the IYSSEs international online rally on the campus of Humboldt University. Luc is a freshman studying business administration. He actively supports the SGPs campaign and is calling on friends and family to vote SGP:

The SGP is the only party that represents an international perspective, which is very important. It is also the only party that truly represents the interests of the working class and is not pandering to a wealthy middle class.

The development of war is drastic. Events like those in 1939 are looming. The signs are the same: tremendously increased military spending and breathtaking war rhetoric from all parties in politics. Fatal historical correlations can be noticed. The government does everything to keep the war going. From the media, there is only a very one-sided viewone then wonders what is behind it and what is intended. The right-wing terrorist networks in the army and the police are also not dealt with; there is only talk of lone perpetrators.

It is clear that war, capitalism and right-wing extremism are inevitably linked and go hand in hand, Luc continues. Capitalism demands imperialist and warlike actions to keep going. Its about elites who want to increase their wealth and secure their power through the exploitation of other countries.

With the unprecedented rearmament of the Bundeswehr, which has been given a special fund of 100 billion euros during the pandemic, a total disaster is coming for the working class, Luc warns, Billions are being spent on armaments and policies that benefit the elites. But the people who really need helpthe workers, the general populationsee nothing of all these billions.

The fact that the German government is arming fascist groups in Ukraine that celebrate the collaborators of the Nazi Wehrmacht (army) is a total absurdityespecially for a country like Germany, which should actually bear an immense historical responsibility, he said. This shows that politics is blind on the right. They are not only tolerated, but actively supported because it benefits the elites. The SGP is the only party that opposes this, he said. Thats why I support the election campaign.

For more information on SGPs election campaign, visit www.gleichheit.de/
This is the second in a series of articles reviewing the January 6 Select Committees Final Report issued last month. This article will focus on the role of the Supreme Court in Trumps failed coup.

In this Sept. 20, 2019, file photo, Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, right, and wife Virginia Ginni Thomas arrive for a State Dinner with President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington. Lawyers who aided former President Donald Trump's coup regarded an appeal to Justice Thomas as a key to their success. [AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File]

In seeking to depict the failed coup of January 6, 2021 as the brainchild of the former president and a few crazies, the Final Report issued December 22 by the now-dissolved House Select Committee necessarily downplays the critical role played by figures on the US Supreme Court in the conspiracy that culminated in the violent assault on the Capitol.

Marxists understand that the state is not a neutral arbiter, dispensing blind justice, but an instrument of class domination. As inequality continues to widen, exacerbating social contradictions, the Supreme Court is increasingly controlled by right-wing justices whose decisions are more and more openly directed against the democratic rights and social conditions of the working class.

As this author noted in the WSWS first article on the January 6 Committees report, the names Virginia Ginni Thomas and Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas do not appear once in the report. This is not an innocent omission, but rather a calculated decision by the committee to protect the Supreme Court as an institution of class rule.

The anti-democratic, pseudo-legal theory advanced by Trumps coup lawyers, including John Eastman, a former law clerk for Clarence Thomas, which claimed that state legislatures can award Electoral College votes regardless of the popular vote, was first put forward in the 2000 Supreme Court decision Bush v. Gore.

That infamous ruling halted vote counting in Florida and handed the presidential election to George W. Bush, who had lost the national popular vote to Democrat Al Gore by 600,000 ballots. Chief Justice William Rehnquist wrote a concurring opinion, joined by Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas, arguing that the US Constitution, under Article II, did not give citizens the right to vote for president of the United States.

Rehnquist wrote that the state legislatures power to select the manner for appointing electors is plenary; it may, if it so chooses, select the electors itself.

He asserted that even after states had passed laws giving the power to choose presidential electors to the voterswhich every state in the union did in the 19th centurythe legislature could at any time rescind the voters right to choose. The state, of course, after granting the franchise in the special context of Article II, can take back the power to appoint electors, he wrote.

Thomas and Scalia concurred, agreeing that state legislatures, at any time, can decide to overrule the popular vote and appoint presidential electors as they see fit. This argument was not joined by the other conservative justices at the time, and a different legal concoction was conjured up to justify the theft of the election and the ascension of the future war criminal Bush to the White House.

In the January 6 Committees final report, several chapters are dedicated to Trump and his allies embrace of the independent state legislature theory. Chapter 2 of the report notes that [M]ore than a month before the Presidential election the Trump Campaign was already developing a fallback plan that would focus on overturning certain election results at the State level.

Citing an article in the Atlantic, the committee wrote: With justification based on claims of rampant fraud, Trump would ask State legislators to set aside the popular vote and exercise their power to choose a slate of electors directly.

The committee adds that people around President Trump were pushing this idea, and pushing it hard. Among those flooding Mark Meadows phone before and after Trump lost the 2020 election with messages of support for the state legislature strategy were Donald Trump Jr. and Reps. Scott Perry (Pennsylvania) and Andy Biggs (Arizona).

Not named in the report, but one of the most avid promoters of this theory, was Virginia Thomas. As previously reported by the WSWS, while Trump was fighting to overturn the election, Virginia Thomas sent dozens of emails to Wisconsin and Arizona state legislators in November 2020 urging them to reject the popular vote and choose a pro-Trump clean slate of Electors.

Article II of the United States Constitution gives you an awesome responsibility to choose our states electors, Thomas wrote to then-Arizona Speaker of the House Rusty Bowers and other lawmakers.

Rehashing her husbands arguments from 20 years earlier, Ginni Thomas wrote, This means you have the power to fight back against fraud and ensure our elections are free, fair and honest.

The emails reveal that a core strategy of Trump and his Republican co-conspirators to overturn the election emanated not from Trump, but from Clarence Thomas and the Supreme Court.

With complete contempt for the law and basic principles of jurisprudence, Thomas refuses to recuse himself from cases that involve the activities of his wife, even where she is promoting the very theories he has advanced in court rulings.

Thomas was the only Supreme Court justice last year to vote to block the National Archives from turning over Trump administration documents to the House Select Committee. Among those documents were messages between Meadows and Ginni Thomas discussing not only sending the Biden crime family to the Guantanamo Bay torture facility, but also Ginnis admission that she was texting Meadows about discussions she was having with her best friend, Clarence.

In addition to confirming that she was referring to her husband in texts with Meadows, in her interview with the House Select Committee in September 2022, Virginia Thomas admitted advancing the independent state legislature theory while being very active with the Trump campaign between November 2020 and January 2021.

I was very active with Trump rallies, with the Trump campaign, Thomas said. She added that she was generically involved in efforts to advance the state legislature theory.

What I was doing, Thomas said, was seeing that it was the state legislators who had power to decide if there were problems in the election.

Speaking to the committee, she admitted to being a leader and instigator of several high-level right-wing groups such as Groundswell, Conservative Action Project, Frontliners and Council for National Policy, all of which coordinated Republican efforts to overturn the election in the courts.

As a leader of these groups, Thomas admitted to setting agendas and helping them connect people, helping look for state leaders that were missing that I knew of.

The committee notes that by November 5, 2020, two days before the election was called for Joe Biden, right-wing election lawyer Cleta Mitchell was emailing Dr. John Eastman of Chapman University.

The committee report states that in her email to Eastman, Mitchell asked Eastman to write a memo justifying an idea that state legislatures reclaim the power to pick electors.

Eastman in turn wrote a memo titled, The Constitutional Authority of State Legislatures to Choose Electors.

In her interview with the Select Committee, Mitchell spelled out what was in Eastmans memo, and the fact that the same argument was used to justify handing the 2000 election to Bush.

The Constitution of the United States, Mitchell told the committee, grants plenary power to state legislatures to choose the electors of the state. Congress has enacted a statute which is an enabling law, which I happen to think is unconstitutional, because that power granted in the Constitution to state legislatures is complete and total. Theres nothing in the Constitution about allowing people, citizens, to vote on electors. (Emphasis added).

Mitchell confirmed to the committee that she knows Virginia Thomas very well. Shes a very dear friend.
Taiwan Business Association (China) gave Thai Binh province 300 Tet gifts worth VND150 million for needy people in the province. (Photo: NDO)

He made the statement during a year-end meeting with over 100 FDI enterprises in the province, on January 5.

Thai Binh province currently has 111 valid FDI projects, with a total registered capital of more than USD2 billion. In 2022 alone, the province granted 11 new FDI projects, with a total registered investment capital of more than USD500 million.

FDI projects help the province realize its goal of innovating the growth model from broad to in-depth development, relying on productivity, quality and competitiveness of products.

The reason the locality has attracted many FDI projects with a large amount of registered investment capital is because the province has well controlled the COVID-19 pandemic situation, creating favorable conditions for production and business development, and creating trust for investors.

In addition, Thai Binh has made efforts to promote the potentials and advantages of Thai Binh Economic Zone, and transport infrastructure connecting with Hai Phong city, especially the coastal road that generations of leaders have developed.

On this occasion, the Traders Association of Taiwan (China) gave the Vietnam Fatherland Front of Thai Binh province 300 Tet gifts worth VND150 million for the poor and disadvantaged people in the province./.
Photo for illustration. (Source: baodautu.vn)

Amazon Global Selling has officially released the report on cross-border e-commerce business on Amazon. Accordingly, despite the challenges of the world economic situation, cross-border e-commerce still shows many positive growth signals, contributing to the recovery of local businesses.

Specifically, the number of Vietnamese sales partners on Amazon increased by more than 80%, most of which are small and medium enterprises.

Many Vietnamese small and medium enterprises such as AnEco, Lafooco, Sunhouse or HMG continue to be successful as they welcome the cross-border e-commerce wave with Amazon, creating more jobs for local people.

Amazon Global Sellings Small and Medium Enterprise Empowerment Report also shows how Vietnamese businesses have overcome challenges over the past 12 months, confidently and boldly experimenting with new business models and the sales growth results from online sales and exports.

Specifically, the number of products sold by Vietnamese sales partners on Amazons stores increased by more than 35% over the same period last year. The number of sales partners in Vietnam exceeded the sales milestone of 500,000 USD when doing business on Amazon, increasing by 60% over the same period last year./.
According to the WHO, over 500 different variants of SAR-CoV-2 have been recorded so far. Omicron is now the dominant variant of infection cases globally with many sub-variants. In particular, XBB sub-variant, discovered since October 2022, has so far spread in more than 70 countries.



Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)

Pratt said XBB is a recombination of Omicrons two sub-variants. To date, XBB and its offshoots have been found in more than 10 countries in the West Pacific, including Vietnam, and will spread in the coming time.



They prove more contagious than other sub-variants, which should be worrying, she said.



However, there has been not any evidence of a change in disease severity caused by XBB variant. Current diagnostic and protective measures remain potent, including COVID-19 vaccines approved by WHO.



Therefore, WHO still suggested wearing masks in high-risk places such as crowd and enclosed spaces and washing hands regularly. Adults and children should be fully vaccinated, including all booster shots recommended by health authorities, she said.



She added that though COVID-19 is still circulating in Vietnam, there are no signs showing that hospitals and medical stations are overloaded with COVID-19 cases.



According to her, the Vietnamese Health Ministry is raising public awareness of COVID-19 preventive measures during the upcoming Lunar New Year festival, which, she said, is important to slow down the spread of the virus.



The ministry has directed relevant agencies to enhance supervision at border gates and medical stations, as well as accelerate genome sequencing to brace for any possible outbreak./.
At the meeting (Photo: VNA)

In the morning, lawmakers discussed in groups the National Master Plan for the 2021-2030 period with a vision to 2050, the implementation of the NAs Resolution dated July 28, 2021 on COVID-19 prevention and control measures at the 15th NAs first meeting, and the proposal to permit the continued use of registration certificates for drugs and medicinal ingredients which expired on January 1, 2023 in accordance with the Law on Pharmacy.



In the afternoon, the NA convened a plenary meeting under the chair of NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue, which was live broadcast on the Vietnam NA Television's channel.



Under the direction of Permanent Vice NA Chairman Tran Thanh Man, they discussed the draft revised Law on Medical Examination and Treatment.



A majority of opinions agreed with a report examining the draft amended Law.



Concluding the discussions, Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan explained several matters raised by deputies.



On January 7, legislators are scheduled to mull over the above issues again and the adjustment of localities refinancing plans 2022, the 2021 regular expenditure estimate from foreign non-refundable aids and adjustment of the unused budget estimate 2021 of the General Department of Taxation and the General Department of Customs./.
The United States is providing Ukraine with a military aid package worth more than $3 billion, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has said on Friday.

During a press briefing, Jean-Pierre said the United States is allocating more than $3 billion in military assistance to Ukraine.

According to Jean-Pierre, the largest aid package for Ukraine will include unified Bradley tracked platforms and other types of weapons, as well as ammunition.
Image via Connecticut House Democrats

Connecticut state representative Quentin Q Williams has died in a wrong-way highway crash after he attended his own swearing-in ceremony for a third term, NBC News reports.

The Democrat lawmaker was killed in the crash on Thursday evening after leaving the swearing-in ceremony at the governors inaugural ball. Police said that he and the driver of the other vehicle died, although the name of the other victim has not been released. Williams represented the 100th district in Middlesex County, a role he held since 2019. He was 39.

"We are overcome with disbelief and heartbreak at tragic news of the loss of Representative Quentin Williams ("Q") last night," reads a statement from the CT House Democrats. "A champion for Middletown and CT, Q had just yesterday been sworn in and appointed House Chair of the Labor and Public Employees Committee."

We are overcome with disbelief and heartbreak at tragic news of the loss of Representative Quentin Williams ("Q") last night. A champion for Middletown and CT, Q had just yesterday been sworn in and appointed House Chair of the Labor and Public Employees Committee. pic.twitter.com/Hbsps3xp82  CT House Democrats (@CTHouseDems) January 5, 2023

Speaker of the House Matt Ritter, alongside Majority Leader Jason Rojas, issued a statement on Williams death. I am in shock, Ritter said. Q was my dear friend and I am scarred by his sudden loss. We will have time to reflect on Q as a legislator in the weeks to come, but right now I deeply mourn my friend and send all of my love to Carrissa, Queen and Qs family. We will all miss Q.

Williams was the first Black lawmaker to represent Middletown in the General Assembly, and was recently named the co-chair of the General Assemblys Labor and Public EMployees Committee. Rep. Williams truly embodied the phrase larger than life, added Middletown Mayor Ben Florsheim. His laugh, smile, and presence were felt in every space shared with him. His passing is a true loss for our community. A light has been dimmed today.

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Matt Gaetz hating McCarthy - Credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images

Kevin McCarthy was well aware he was going to lose his bid to become Speaker of the House of Representatives on the first ballot, three people with knowledge of the situation told Rolling Stone. What he was not privately predicting was that the beatings would continue for an entire week. He knew he was going to get fucked  he just didnt know they were going to fuck him this many times, or this hard, explained one congressional aide.

Among the major factors in McCarthy losing more than a dozen speakership ballots, people familiar with the matter say, was the severity of Florida Rep. Matt Gaetzs enmity toward the Republican leader. Gaetzs intense and personal distaste for McCarthy has been an open secret in Washington political circles for years, so much so that Gaetz and McCarthys colleagues would argue it isnt even a secret at all.

More from Rolling Stone

But Gaetzs hatred curdled into something even more powerful after it was revealed in early 2021 that the MAGA congressman was the target of a federal investigation into the sex trafficking of a minor. (No charges were filed against Gaetz, but his wingman Joel Greenberg was sentenced to 11 years in prison.) McCarthy, in Gaetzs opinion, failed to mount a forceful enough defense on his behalf. According to two sources familiar with the matter, Gaetz has been furious at McCarthy for the perceived lack of support ever since  despite the fact that McCarthy did not strip him of any committee assignments during the probe.

The enmity between the two Republicans spilled into open view on the floor of the House during the 14th vote Friday night that McCarthy had bragged would finally put him over the top to secure the speakers gavel. Gaetz placed himself at the center of the drama. He skipped his turn in the alphabetical role call vote, setting himself up to vote at the end of the proceeding. With McCarthy needing one more yes vote, Gaetz instead voted present  leaving McCarthy with 50 percent of the vote, a hair short of victory. McCarthy strode up to Gaetz on the House floor, and a the foes had a heated exchange that did not change the total. McCarthy again was left hanging. (Gaetz again voted present along with the other Never Kevin rebels in the 15th vote that finally gave McCarthy the gavel.)

Story continues

The original source of Rep. Gaetzs acute loathing of McCarthy is less clear. Rolling Stone contacted members of Congress, sources on Capitol Hill, and activists in conservative organizations to ask what the root cause was. They all just knew Gaetz hated the House GOP leader. One Republican who knows both Gaetz and McCarthy says they even once asked the latter why Gaetz dislikes him so much. This source recalls McCarthy answering: I dont know.

Gaetzs animosity toward McCarthy was on full display throughout the week, as he stood to deliver nominating speeches on behalf of both Jim Jordan and Donald Trump. Maybe the right person for the Speaker of the House isnt someone who wants it so bad, Gaetz said when nominating Jordan. Maybe the right person for Speaker of the House isnt someone who has sold shares of themself for more than a decade to get it.

We have to restore to the Speakers Office the actual person who ought to be in the Speakers Office, not the squatter who is currently there, he later added while nominating Trump. And if the Architect of the Capitol is listening  I sent a letter, and I would like to know what the basis is to allow someone to occupy the Speakers office who comes in second place ten straight times? Is there, like, some basis in law or rule or precedent for that?

Both men nominated by Gaetz were working to whip votes for McCarthy. Jim Jordan nominated McCarthy in a forceful floor speech. Meanwhile, Trump made public call on Truth Social for Republicans to back McCarthy. Both the former president and his eldest son Donald Trump Jr. have also made phone calls in recent days to GOP members of Congress in support of McCarthy, two knowledgeable sources say. The former presidents recent whipping for McCarthy was described by one person with direct knowledge of one of the calls as lackadaisical.

Asked to comment on reports that he personally despises McCarthy  and that his loathing was intensified by McCarthys failure to aggressively stand up for him during the sex-crimes probe  Gaetzs office did not deny it. Instead, they pointed Rolling Stone to a TV interview on Thursday in which the congressman said he would not vote for McCarthy under almost any circumstance, while insisting his motivation was principled, not personal.

Kevin McCarthy is the masthead of the lobby core, Gaetz told Fox News Laura Ingraham when asked point-blank if his grudge against McCarthy was personal. I resent the extent to which Kevin McCarthy utilizes the lobbyists and the special interests to be able to dictate how political decisions are made, how policy decisions are made, and how leadership decisions are made. Kevin McCarthy has been in the leadership for 14 years, and he has sold shares of himself to special interests, to political action committees. And so thats why I dont think he is an appropriate choice.

McCarthys office did not respond to a request for comment.

By midday Friday, it became clear that McCarthys opponents with less intense feelings toward him were ready to accept his concessions, give in to the McC-mentum, and allow the House to begin its business. Fourteen of them changed their vote to McCarthy during the 12th ballot, with another, Andy Harris, relenting during the 14th. McCarthy crowed that he would have the votes to win the speakership Friday night. Gaetz seemed to acknowledge the inevitable, as well. I think the House is in a lot better place with some of the work thats been done to democratize power out of the speakership, he said. And thats our goal.

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Screenshot: Edwin Chiloba via Instagram (Fair Use)

Kenya police are investigating the gruesome killing of LGBTQ activist and fashion designer Edwin Chiloba. According to Huffington Post, his body was found stuffed inside a metal box on the side of the road. Human rights advocates mourned his death and accosted Kenya for fostering a hostile environment for queer people.



The report says a motorcycle taxi operator observed someone in a car with no license dump a box. The taxi driver alerted the police and the officers opened the box to find Chilobas lifeless body folded inside. Graphic videos of the stomach-churning moment have circulated Twitter. His body was taken to the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital to establish his cause of death, which has not yet been revealed. Other videos of what appeared to be Chilobas last moments showed him at a club with a few friends.

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One of them, Jacktone Odhiambo, was named a prime suspect in the murder and arrested, according to Kenyan newspapers. Reports say he was Chilobas roommate and best friend. Pictures of the two are scattered across Chilobas Instagram page.

Unfortunately, this was the fatal end to a number of attacks Chiloba experienced for his activism and proud display of his sexual identity. According to a report from Citizen Digital, last year Chiloba was attacked by a group of unknown assailants leaving him with serious injuries.

Supporters took to Twitter to honor the memory of Chiloba and condemn the ongoing violence against LGBT people in Kenya.



This is a frightening crime but its becoming common in Kenya - evidence of a growing epidemic of violence in the country, read a tweet from the Kenya Human Rights Commission. The [government] must reinforce legal protections against non-discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity #JusticeForEdwinChiloba.

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On Tuesday, the body of Edwin Chiloba was found in Kapseret, Uasin Gishu county after he was brutally killed & dumped in the area by unknown assailants.



It is truly worrisome that we continue to witness escalation in violence targeting LGBTQ+ Kenyans.#JusticeForEdwinChiloba pic.twitter.com/CZLuD5Khb8  KHRC (@thekhrc) January 6, 2023

#EdwinChiloba from Kenya was murdered.



Murdered for being who they are, for being different. Murdered for living their truth & for loving who they wanna love.



Enough of hate, discrimination,homophobia, transphobia & genocide against sexual & gender minorities#EnoughIsEnough! pic.twitter.com/oMXIPbi8XE  Solome Nakaweesi (She/Her) (@SonaKimb) January 6, 2023

Please stop sharing the pictures of Edwin Kiprotich Chiloba's lifeless body next to the metal box his body had been stuffed in. Remember him for the iconic fashion designer & fun loving person he was. pic.twitter.com/s4ciMTqd5Q  Sina Source (@ChichiKoech) January 6, 2023

The killing and violence against Edwin Chiloba is prejudice and hate!

We will only prevent these crimes if our government and all Kenyans are brave enough to address that all Humans are equal irrespective of their gender identity &sexual orientation.#Justiceforchiloba pic.twitter.com/n8hXVUBiEO  Nadharia Kenya (@and_aak) January 6, 2023

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I was given a tool to cut trees. Thats how aid started for me as a refugee fleeing Sierra Leone's civil war to Guinea in 1991.

Now, as someone who has spent decades leading international aid, its the perfect metaphor. With machetes we could gather large sticks and build a temporary shelter, but we werent given any tools to grow trees. And thats the challenge with our current approach to international aid. Eventually, there are no more trees. And there is no one left who knows how to plant them.

Once refugee camp systems appear, you are assigned a number that often replaces your name. It starts a process of treating all refugees the same, irrespective of their ages, social backgrounds, education or goals.

More than 100 million displaced people worldwide

As a Sierra Leonean teenager in a refugee camp in Nongoa, Guinea, my questions turned to the future  what I wanted to be, the lost dreams of education, a career, a relationship. For my parents, they grieved over their lost properties and all the stability they had toiled for.

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Now Ive worked in the humanitarian sector for more than 20 years and see the same kind of approach in project development  without context, without involvement of the local community. We label people vulnerable, so we act on their behalf. But before they were vulnerable they were already many other things: doctor, plumber, parent, teacher, mayor.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reported that there are now more than 103 million displaced people. After Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, over 4 million Ukrainian children were displaced in a month.

Official reports are sharing that more than 260,000 Congolese have been displaced in recent months by rebel groups. Our local partners say this number is closer to 500,000 families.

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A child receives medical attention at a health clinic in Kanyaruchinya on Nov. 11, 2022, after taking refuge there while fleeing conflict in Congo.

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Over 35 million refugees are children

Focusing on immediate solutions alone is creating ripple effects that last generations, deepening inequities and ongoing conflict.

No refugee camp begins and ends in one day. The average is about 10 years. For my family, it was 11 years.

At least 37 million refugees are children, dealing not only with their predicament due to conflict but also losing a significant portion of their future. Without proper education and skills, they enter adulthood without the necessary preparation for a career, parenthood or participation in a healthy civil society.

No wonder we see a spike in violence and banditry when a war is over. We invested in it as soon as we failed to see the most valuable resource in humanitarian situations  the people themselves.

Abraham Leno is executive director of the Eastern Congo Initiative.

5 ways to improve international aid

Its time for us as a global community to rethink the way we approach aid:

1. Shift power to local communities. My organization, Eastern Congo Initiative, acknowledges that actions led by local organizations are more successful. No one understands complex challenges better than those living with them, and no one is more invested. When ECI funded the formation in 2017 of IFCCA (Initiative des Femmes Congolaises dans le Cafe & Cacao), it was because dozens of women came forward to change the way women were represented and equipped in coffee and cacao farming.

Conference in 2017 by the Eastern Congo Initiative to fund the formation of IFCCA (Initiative des Femmes Congolaises dans le Cafe & Cacao), to change the way women are represented and equipped in coffee and cacao farming.

Today, IFCCA reports more than 20,000 members. Imagine the ripple effect this organization is having. Rather than go for short-term metrics, we need to invest in building sustainable change. It needs to be from, of and for the community with goals that extend beyond a grant.

2. Build what you yourself would use. When I was in the refugee camp, we were given rations of bulgur, but we were rice people. We had no idea what bulgur was, and we didnt know how to identify that it was contaminated. All over the camp, everyone was sick because of the rotten grain  everyone but the staff because they ate different food, better food.

I never want to eat better food than the people we're helping. My nine-month-old daughter received her vaccines in Congo at one of our clinics. Everyone on our team drinks water from our taps, just like our 200,000 clients. If we want to make lasting change, we have to eliminate us vs. them. There is just us.

Eastern Congo Initiative Executive Director Abraham Leno, left, gives a tour of water kiosks and health clinics in 2014 to regional leaders and, third from right, Earl Gast, formerly with the U.S. Agency for International Development, and James Swan (holding cup), former U.S. ambassador to Congo.

3. Dignity and agency build a future. Let me borrow from the U.S. Constitution  life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. To me, thats dignity. For years, no one asked me what I wanted or what I could contribute. If you take away agency, you remove part of someones humanity, and we treat them as temporary.

Temporary people receive temporary solutions. We need to center our work on dignity to raise expectations on ourselves and the quality of life for those we serve.

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4. Get it right for one, then aim for 1,000. We are a sector fixated on metrics, impact numbers of people served and projects completed. Its easy to forget that those numbers are people and the future of entire communities. We must remember that numbers do not always equal lasting, positive change. After all, would you send your child to a private school that boasted building a new location every day? No. But we see that on a nonprofit organization website and dont blink. We might even donate.

5. Define the problem, then see the opportunity. Most world leaders, even some NGOs, describe refugees as a problem. I understand the strains an influx of people has on the resources of a country. However, this blinds us to actual progress. The problem is not the refugees but the situation that made them refugees.

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Often when I share my story, people offer compliments about overcoming obstacles and my accomplishments in aid. The reality is that there are millions of Abrahams around the world who dont get a chance to contribute. When I see street kids selling gas out of used water bottles, I see myself. I did that.

I often think about all the potential sitting in those kids. Imagine what the world is missing out on.

Abraham Leno, executive director of Eastern Congo Initiative, has dedicated his life's work to promoting health, dignity and joy in the worlds most difficult places  starting in Guinea, where he and his family were refugees themselves for 11 years.

You can read diverse opinions from our Board of Contributors and other writers on the Opinion front page, on Twitter @usatodayopinion and in our daily Opinion newsletter. To respond to a column, submit a comment to letters@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Refugees need more than handouts from international aid. I know why.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky described the announcement of the delivery of the Patriot air defense system by Germany as a "significant step forward."

"We have a significant step forward by Germany to strengthen the security not only of Ukraine, but of the whole of Europe, first of all, the region bordering Russia. Strengthening our air defense is direct work for de-escalation here and now," he said in a video statement on Friday.

"The less Russia has the ability to terrorize peaceful cities, the less will be the overall potential for Russian aggression. I thank Chancellor Scholz for the decision to provide Ukraine with the Patriot air defense system. Together with the shiny German IRIS-Ts, the Patriots will make the Ukrainian and European skies much safer," he said.

"We also discussed other aspects  40 Marders, which are necessary to stop Russian aggression," he said.
Jody Greene won reelection as Columbus County, North Carolina, sheriff and then stepped down for a second time.

Jody Greene won reelection as Columbus County, North Carolina, sheriff and then stepped down for a second time.

A sheriff in a small North Carolina county resigned Wednesday, marking his second time stepping down from the position since making racist comments about Black deputies in his department.



Jody Greene, the embattled former sheriff of Columbus County, initially resigned from his position in October after audio surfaced of him disparaging Black deputies. But he didnt withdraw from the November election and ultimately beat out his Democratic challenger.



County District Attorney Jon David filed a petition last week seeking to permanently remove Greene from office.



We simply do not feel as though Jody Greene should be someone who ever carries a badge again, David said in a media release.



A hearing was set to take place this week, but Greene stepped down before a judge could issue a ruling on whether he should be permanently disqualified from serving as sheriff.



Local activists including Curtis Hill, chairman of the Columbus County NAACP, said they were disappointed that Greene is still eligible to be sheriff.

We were thinking we were going to have an opportunity to actually hear what the prosecutor has put in his petition to remove Jody Greene, which we thought was really important for the citizens of Columbus County, Hill said in a statement. Nothing they did today will prevent him from serving in law enforcement again, and that is very troubling to me and for the citizens of Columbus County.



Jeff Loperfido, interim chief counsel of voting rights at Social Coalition for Social Justice, said Greene was trying to game the system by resigning before the judge determined whether he was eligible to serve in the future.



Greenes comments, which were first reported by local TV station WECT in September, were recorded during a six-and-a-half-minute phone conversation with Jason Soles, a former police captain, in February 2019. Greene referred to some employees as Black bastards. He said he would clean house and that no one could stop him because he was still the motherfucking sheriff.



Soles was Greenes Democratic opponent for Columbus County sheriff last fall. Greene won with 54% of the vote.

Deputy Chief David Norris will take over the position of sheriff, the county district attorney announced.
Ana Montes, a former analyst for the Defense Intelligence Agency, the U.S. military's spy arm, walked free from a federal prison in Fort Worth, Texas, on Friday after more than 20 years behind bars.

Montes spied for Cuba for 17 years, revealing the identities of the United States' undercover intelligence officers and its highly sensitive collection capabilities, until her arrest in 2001. By day, she was the Defense Intelligence Agency's senior Cuba analyst. At night, she typed up pages and pages of government secrets that she had memorized, passing them to Cuban intelligence.



In a statement released in Spanish, Montes said she is in Puerto Rico and looks forward to living a quiet life. She encouraged those interested in her to instead focus on the problems facing Puerto Ricans and the United States' economic embargo on Cuba.

Photo of Ana Montes after her release from prison. / Credit: Obtained by CBS News

Michelle Van Cleave, who was head of U.S. counterintelligence under President George W. Bush, told Congress in 2012 that Montes was "one of the most damaging spies the United States has ever found."

"She compromised everything  virtually everything  that we knew about Cuba and how we operated in Cuba and against Cuba," Van Cleave said. "So the Cubans were well aware of everything that we knew about them and could use that to their advantage. In addition, she was able to influence estimates about Cuba in her conversations with colleagues and she also found an opportunity to provide information that she acquired to other powers."

Her spying took place around the same time that Robert Hanssen and Aldrich Ames spied for the Soviet and Russian intelligence services while they worked for the FBI and CIA, respectively. (Both are serving life sentences in prison.) But Montes' case was somewhat different. Hanssen and Ames took large sums of money for their spying and physically removed classified materials from their agencies.

Montes was instead motivated by ideology. Her decision to spy was based in part on her hostility toward President Ronald Reagan's policies on Latin America, especially U.S. support of the Nicaragua Contras, according to a heavily redacted report from the Defense Department's inspector general.

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Montes was recruited by Cuban intelligence in 1984, when she was approached by a fellow student at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University after she expressed her outrage about U.S. actions in Nicaragua. The student was an access agent  someone who recruits spies  and introduced her to a Cuban intelligence official under the guise that they needed Spanish language news articles about Nicaragua translated into English. At dinner in New York City, Montes "unhesitatingly agreed to work through the Cubans to 'help' Nicaragua," the inspector general's report said.

She then began her espionage career with a secret trip to Cuba, where she received training from Cuban intelligence. By the end of 1985 she was working at the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency  possibly at the direction of the Cubans  where she had access to top secret information.

In the following years, Montes met with her Cuban handlers every few weeks at restaurants around Washington, D.C. She visited pay phones to send coded messages to pagers used by the Cubans. She received her orders from numeric messages transmitted over shortwave radio. She also took the risk of traveling to Cuba to meet with people there.

As Montes climbed the career ladder and received a number of accolades for her work, the FBI got a tip about a U.S. government employee who appeared to be spying for the Cubans, leading the bureau to eventually begin investigating Montes, according to a 2013 Washington Post story.

She was arrested days after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks as the Defense Intelligence Agency shifted its focus to Afghanistan and the director did not want to risk Montes passing along the Pentagon's war plans.

Pete Lapp, one of the FBI agents who investigated and arrested Montes, said she was stoic during her arrest.

"I believe she had planned for that day, if it happened, for 17 years," Lapp told CBS News.

The arrest was humiliating for Montes' family, some of whom worked for the FBI. In a statement, they said she "committed treason" against the U.S. and none of them were aware of her espionage at the time nor supported her position.

"We continue to disavow what she did and any statements she has made or may make," the family said ahead of her release.

Lapp, who is writing a book on Montes, declined to say where she is going after her release "out of respect for the family." But he doesn't expect her to put her newfound freedom in jeopardy by trying to get in contact with the Cubans.

"That part of her life is over," Lapp said. "She's done what she's done for them. I can't imagine her risking her liberty."



Rob Legare contributed reporting.

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A man from Pasadena was arrested for attempted murder and child abuse for allegedly driving a Tesla off a cliff in Northern California with his family inside.

The Tesla sedan plunged more than 250 feet down the cliff along Highway 1 at Devils Slide in San Mateo County on Monday morning.

According to Brian Pottenger of the Coastside Fire Protection District/Cal Fire, the vehicle appeared to have flipped a few times before landing wedged against the cliff on its wheels.

Inside the Tesla were driver Dharmesh A. Patel, 42; his wife Neha, 41; and their 4-year-old daughter and 9-year-old son.

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All four passengers survived the crash.

We go there all the time for cars over the cliff and they never live. This was an absolute miracle, Pottenger told ABC7 News.

Rescuers had set up a rope system to retrieve the family. The rescue operation took several hours amid heavy winds and rain.

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The children were pulled from the back window and brought off the cliff using a rescue basket. Their parents had to be airlifted by a helicopter.

The family was rushed to the hospital. The children escaped with musculoskeletal injuries, while the parents suffered traumatic injuries.

This Tesla Model Y fell 300ft down a cliff in California and miraculously the four occupants, including a 4 year old and 9 year old, survived the crash, but with serious injuries. The family was airlifted to hospital. Hopefully they all make it through.pic.twitter.com/TlB7lALqWE More from NextShark: Man Gives Wife Bouquet of Over $700 in Cash as a Wedding Anniversary Gift  Drive Tesla  (@DriveTeslaca) January 3, 2023

Upon investigation, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) concluded that the incident was an intentional act by Patel.

The CHP believes that the Tesla was not operating in Autopilot or Full Self-Driving mode at the time of the crash. The roads condition was also not believed to be a factor in the incident.

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Due to the probable cause, Patel was placed under arrest for attempted murder and child abuse.

CHP investigators worked throughout the night interviewing witnesses and gathering evidence from the scene, the CHP said in a statement, according to NBC Bay Area. Based on the evidence collected, investigators developed probable cause to believe this incident was an intentional act.

Patel, who is a radiologist at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills, will be booked into San Mateo County Jail upon his release from the hospital.

Providence Holy Cross Medical Center is deeply saddened to learn of a traffic incident involving one of our physicians and his family, the medical center said in a statement to ABC7 News. We are extremely grateful there were no serious injuries. We will not respond further, as this incident is under investigation.

The incident is still under investigation, with officials inspecting what might have caused the vehicle to veer off the highway. Witnesses are urged to contact the CHP in San Francisco at 415-557-1094.

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After a two-year spike during the pandemic and national outrage over police accountability, Chicago has begun to see a decline in homicides, as the Chicago Police Department works to correct crime trends to levels before the coronavirus and turmoil over the killing of George Floyd took hold.

Our plans in 2020 were disrupted by civil unrest and the gun violence crisis as well as the global pandemic, Chicago police Superintendent David Brown told the Tribune. So we obviously had to address what was happening.

Chicago had more than 800 homicides in 2021, one of the deadliest years in the last quarter century. It was a year when the city joined national trends after Floyds killing by police in Minneapolis.

In 2022, the city had 689 homicides through Dec. 28, according to city data and figures from the Police Department.

Despite the 14% reduction, the total was still higher than it had been in 2019, the last year before COVID-19 took hold, when the city saw 496 killings through Dec. 28.

The number of shooting victims also was down, to 3,442 in 2022 from 4,339 in 2021, police said.

Brown credited police attention to detail at the block level for the improvement.

I will say that the data-driven intelligence led community-policing strategy along with collaborating with other departments is our overarching strategy, Brown said. But more specifically, around the beat-policing model, really more precise, in policing to even smaller geography than beats  down to the block.

Chicago still struggled with high-profile crime downtown, most notably with the killing of Seandell Holliday, 16, who was fatally shot near the The Bean sculpture in May. Marion Richardson, 17, was charged in the shooting, which prompted Mayor Lori Lightfoot to ban unaccompanied minors from visiting Millennium Park after 6 p.m. Thursday through Sunday.

Since that order was out, weve not seen similar behavior. I think that the public dialogue that we had  really resonated with parents, Brown said. (It) resonated with other stakeholders who have programs for young people. And all of that working together really has diminished  that type of behavior for our young people.

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Among other key issues last year was street racing, generating viral videos and embarrassing moments for the department.

Brown said a task force created to stop street racing did have some effect as the city battled the issue across many districts. Brown credited the City Council for helping officers handle the trend.

Council members created a new ordinance, giving us a little bit more tools in our toolbox to hold these people accountable, Brown said. Since then, really the last several months, the ordinance along with our task force had been very effective. We hadnt seen as much even before the weather turned and we were able to tow more cars. We were able to identify more vehicles on video that we could hold accountable.

Chicago also struggled with crime on public transportation, leading to police promising to boost efforts to make the CTA safer. Brown said that despite the headlines, CTA crime has been lower than it was before the pandemic, and has been on the decline.

We have to sustain that, which may mean adding even more resources from both CTA and CPD as we continue to recruit more officers, Brown said. Fingers crossed, were starting to see a decline every month.

Most recently, the department has struggled with mental health issues within its ranks. Three officers within a week died by suicide late last month, according to officials.

Brown said the department is up to 17 clinicians compared with three in 2020. All police districts should have a dedicated professional within months, he said.

Theres a shortage of clinicians in this country. So its been much, much more difficult to hire clinicians than we thought, Brown said. Some of the facilities are available off-site to make officers and their families more comfortable, the superintendent said.

Officers are aware of the services that are available, which are available seven days a week, 24 hours a day through peer support and our employee assistance program, and finally, I would say were trying to build infrastructure around officer wellness, he said. Meaning we have created quiet rooms  those are spaces within the district, where officers can go and decompress during the shift, after the shift, anytime when theyre at work.

pfry@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @paigexfry
CNN's Don Lemon has criticized Prince Harry's new memoir, "Spare." Randy Brooke /Contributor/Getty Images/Penguin Random House

Don Lemon criticized Prince Harry for discussing family disagreements in his new memoir, "Spare."

Lemon was discussing an excerpt in which Harry claims he was physically attacked by Prince William.

But some viewers have since criticized Lemon for what they perceive as "excusing physical assault."

Prince Harry dominated headlines this week as leaked excerpts from his new memoir, "Spare," have spilled jaw-dropping details about the royal family.

There has been support and criticism on both sides of the Atlantic, but CNN anchor Don Lemon said he's found Prince Harry's book to be "gauche."

Lemon and fellow anchors Poppy Harlow, Max Foster, and Bianca Nobilo were discussing a particular passage in which Prince Harry accused Prince William of physically attacking him during an argument over Meghan Markle in 2019.

CNN This Morning (@CNNThisMorning) January 5, 2023

"He grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and he knocked me to the floor. I landed on the dog's bowl, which cracked under my back, the pieces cutting into me," Harry wrote in an excerpt, which was seen by The Guardian. "I lay there for a moment, dazed, then got to my feet and told him to get out."

After Harlow read the excerpt out loud, Lemon said his first reaction was "Why?"

"Everyone has a family. I have arguments in my family," he continued. "Am I going to put that out there for the whole world to see? I just don't understand why on earth he would want to put that out there."

Prince Harry and Prince William on the balcony the balcony of Buckingham Palace on July 10, 2018, in London. Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

As the anchors discussed Prince Harry's claims that he wants to reconcile with his family, Lemon added: "What exactly is he achieving by airing family dirty laundry?"

"To talk about a physical family fight, to me  I wouldn't," he added. "That's just me."

After CNN This Morning shared a clip of the discussion on Twitter, Lemon was criticized by some viewers for what they perceived to be "excusing physical assault." Others noted that Lemon has opened up about his own family in his 2011 memoir "Transparent," which included details about his father's infidelities.

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Meanwhile, some appeared to agree with Lemon and shared their support for William.

Prince Harry's memoir, which will be officially released on January 10, has been hotly anticipated since it was announced in July 2021.

In excerpts that have already been leaked, Prince Harry has called Prince William his "beloved brother and archnemesis" and shared how many people he killed while serving in Afghanistan.

Representatives for CNN and Don Lemon did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Read the original article on Insider
Officers found a large amount of drug paraphernalia during an investigation at a home where three children lived.

Floyd County police said the departments drug task force conducted a drug bust at a home on Oakwood Drive.

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During the investigation, officers found 548 fentanyl pills, four grams of cocaine and a pound of marijuana.

Authorities arrested 34-year-old Nicole Sexton and added that her children, a toddler and two teens, lived in the home where the investigation occurred.

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Sexton was charged with felony child cruelty, felony gun charges and several felony drug offenses.

Police did not provide details regarding what happened to the children following Sextons arrest.

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Almost 15 years later, seeing the aurora borealis is a bit like a drug, says photographer Ronn Murray.

"Once you get a taste for it . . . you're always trying to see it again because you get this kind of spiritual high from it."

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The lakes by Delta Junction in Alaska weren't frozen over yet when it was just dark enough to see the magical halation over the night's sky and another phenomenon Murray instantly knew - a moving train of lights.

Guide and part-owner of the Aurora Chasers, an Alaska based tour group, Murray had seen the lineup of satellites a few days prior. He recognized it from other people's accounts but had never seen it himself. Literally the stars aligned, and the night sky opened up on a drive 150 miles outside of Fairbanks. The footage shows what looks like stars trailing one another amid the emerald glow of the northern lights.

"We were a bit baffled at first then realized, 'Wait, that must be Starlink,'" he said. "Then my wife got her star tracker app out, and it showed that's what we had seen."

The view, as mesmerizing as it is surprising, has astronomers wondering, is there any way to dim the lights on these satellites, or are we doomed to a mega-constellation future?

Murray captured the 46 objects launched on Aug. 31 by SpaceX clumped together, reflecting the sun back to observers on Earth. These satellites are part of the growing Starlink constellation aimed at providing broadband internet around the globe, much in the manner GPS provides location data to cellphones around the planet.

But unlike GPS, the task requires tens of thousands of satellites for service to work without drops in coverage. In three years, the aerospace company SpaceX, owned by Elon Musk, has gone from 60 satellites to launching over 3,500 Starlinks to date. Nearly half of all active satellites are from SpaceX, according to data from the nonprofit satellite tracker CelesTrak. A recent Federal Communications Commission authorization approved the launch of 7,500 more satellites and a nodding sentiment in the company's plan to launch 30,000 orbiting internet boxes - a feat, that at this rate, it could achieve before 2050.

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Why are Starlink satellite trains visible?

Most satellites are visible. Timing is everything.

The most famous satellite, our moon, is visible as it traverses our sky. We see the lunar surface because one half of it is pointed at our sun at all times. It's easier to see the moon at night when we are in the shadow of the sun.

These principles hold up for smaller orbiting bodies as well. If you time it right, you can see the International Space Station at night. You can see it pass in front of a full moon.

Starlink satellites are also quite luminous, something they've been working on dimming with the astronomical community since they started launching satellites.

The most distinct factor in creating Starlink trains has to do with physics:

A satellite rides along a launch vehicle into low Earth orbit (LEO).

The satellite is released into space where, barring any interruption, it will spin in orbit around Earth.

As a Starlink satellite orbits, it will unfold its solar panels and lay flat in a low drag position to resist gravity's pull back to Earth.

When ready, it will point its panels directly "up" and its antennas directly down toward Earth to communicate data for customers.

SpaceX doesn't just launch one satellite. Any given launch contains 50 to 60 satellites; on Dec. 28, SpaceX put 54 into orbit.

Moving at the same altitude and speed, these satellites initially spin around the globe clumped together. This is what is seen on land as the "train." When the timing is right, each satellite uses its ion thruster to ascend into higher altitude and operational orbit.

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How does the theory hold up in practice?

Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist working at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, has been tracking orbital data from every Starlink launch. He's observed that batches of satellites will ascend to operational orbits in groups, taking advantage of what's known as plane drift, to cover different parts of the globe with a single launch.

Rising to operational orbit in phases might improve global coverage, but it means a non-trivial part of these satellites' life is sitting parked where they are more visible. McDowell notes, "Instead of taking one month from launch to operational, in some cases it takes three months from launch because they're in this intermediate orbit for a while."

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SpaceX wants to shorten Starlink trains

To a certain extent, it is in the company's best interest to limit how visible their constellation is. Seeing them at night is a byproduct of them not achieving operational orbit. For however long they are parked or navigating past the ISS and Tiangong altitudes, it is that much longer they are not providing internet to customers and not making money for SpaceX.

Satellites we depend on for GPS faced similar infrastructure issues. It took decades of failed launches and cut federal budgets until the constellation of 24 GPS satellites we rely on today was finished in 1994. Early applications required timing usage with the availability of enough satellites to triangulate a position. Nowadays, there are a handful of GPS-like constellations offering 16 feet (4.9 meter) accuracy for users around the world.

SpaceX's gambit is to also meet that goal with its planned 30,000-satellite constellation. While this mega-constellation sounds like a lot, OneWeb and Amazon's Project Kuiper are vying for similar fleets. By some estimates, the combined satellites may number over 100,000 by 2030.

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How will this affect terrestrial astronomy?

Visibility of these satellites affect critical scientific work from our planet. As SpaceX works to limit its visibility, astronomers are worried about the big picture. A study simulating the effects of 65,000 proposed satellites published in the Astronomical Journal found that 1 in 5 observations of the night sky will be streaked by the passing of satellites. The level of disruption depends on whether operators are able to reduce brightness enough for astronomers.

SpaceX's operating altitude, less reflective materials and angle toward the sun all contribute to how much scientific data is obstructed. One of the research's authors, Meredith Rawls at the University of Washington, is cited in SpaceX's FCC filings that these mitigation efforts are "voluntary, insufficient, and in the case of Starlink Gen2, untested." SpaceX did not reply to a request for comment for this report.

Astronomer Patrick Seitzer from the University of Michigan said that there are other issues beyond what we can see, since satellites will also emit thermally. Even when there is "no shadow," he said, "they're always going to be visible."

A final concern is that mega-constellations interfere with radio communication. These satellites use high-frequency bands to transmit data to customers. It is the main reason the FCC is the compliance agency approving the launch of Starlink's next batch of devices. Unlike light interference, obstruction is difficult to pinpoint, said radio astronomer Harvey Liszt from the University of Virginia, so responsibility becomes diffused across the many companies now vying for the skies.

Currently, Starlink communication stays within its allocated frequency, bands but the airwaves are getting crowded. In the past, astronomers could avoid noise from commercial radio bands by moving to remote locations such as the Atacama mountains in Chile or the desert of New Mexico. As satellite companies communicate among higher-frequency bands, however, there is no mountain high enough to avoid their emissions. Scientists must adapt.

Broadcasting in remote regions is also a market target for SpaceX. It's company webpage lists maritime, aviation and RVs among its applications.

Ashley VanderLey of the National Science Foundation radio astronomy facilities said that the NSF has been able to coordinate with SpaceX with its constellation and that generally companies in the United States have shown a good-faith effort to work with astronomers to try to resolve issues.

For Murray, the Starlink constellation may give his company a competitive edge. Some tours can take them 200 miles from their home base of Fairbanks, where you are guaranteed no cell service. Without it, it is hard to track where a cloud-free view might be for his clients.

"It's not the aurora we're chasing - it's the clear skies," Murray said. "We're like storm chasers, but we're trying to get out of the storm."

Starlink-based internet would allow Murray to locate open skies. Whether the vantage above is clear from satellites will depend on the stewardship of space from the ground.

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UNITED NATIONS (AP)  The United Nations announced Thursday it is disbanding a fact-finding mission requested by Russia and Ukraine to investigate the killings at a prison in eastern Ukraine controlled by Moscow-backed separatists that the warring nations accuse each other of carrying out.

U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said Secretary-General Antonio Guterres decided to disband the team in the absence of the required security guarantees and the conditions required for the deployment of the mission to the site.

Russia claimed that Ukraines military used U.S.-supplied rocket launchers to strike the prison in Olenivka, a settlement controlled by the Moscow-backed Donetsk Peoples Republic, on July 29. Separatist authorities and Russian officials said the attack killed 53 Ukrainian POWs and wounded another 75.

The Ukrainian military denied making any rocket or artillery strikes in Olenivka. In August, the intelligence arm of the Ukrainian defense ministry said it had evidence that local Kremlin-backed separatists colluded with the Russian FSB, the KGBs main successor agency, and the Russian mercenary group Wagner to mine the barrack before using a flammable substance, which led to the rapid spread of fire in the room.

Dujarric told reporters that there was a political agreement by both sides for the fact-finding mission but for such a complex, delicate and dangerous mission in an active war zone we require clear safety and access guarantees from both sides and we didnt feel we had received them.

He refused to say specifically whether the U.N. did get the right access guarantees from the Russians or Ukrainians, stressing that the U.N. has been in contact and trying for the past five months, and we are pushing very hard.

We can only hope that in the future there will be the right conditions and we, of course, stand ready to reconstitute the team  as soon as we feel that we have the proper security guarantees, Dujarric said.

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Secretary-General Guterres thanked retired Brazilian Lt. Gen Carlos Alberto dos Santos Cruz, who had been appointed in late August to lead the fact-finding mission and the other members, Ingibjorg Solrun Gisladottir of Iceland and Issoufou Yacouba of Niger, for their readiness to participate.

The Ukrainian POWs at the Donetsk prison included troops captured during the fall of Mariupol. They spent months holed up with civilians at the giant Azovstal steel mill in the southern port city. Their resistance during a relentless Russian bombardment became a symbol of Ukrainian defiance against Russias aggression.

More than 2,400 soldiers from the Azov Regiment of the Ukrainian national guard and other military units gave up their fight and surrendered under orders from Ukraines military in May.

Scores of Ukrainian soldiers have been taken to prisons in Russian-controlled areas. Some have returned to Ukraine as part of prisoner exchanges with Russia, but other families have no idea whether their loved ones are still alive, or if they will ever come home.

Ukraines defense ministry said on Aug. 3 that Ukrainian captives at the prison had been subject to bullying, physical humiliation, and psychological demoralization in an attempt to coerce them into starring in pro-Russian propaganda videos.

Secretary-General Guterres reiterated his call for the protection of prisoners of war as required under international humanitarian and human rights law, Dujarric said.
President Joe Biden isnt fooling anyone with his new immigration plan, one that shuts the door on all but select groups.

Biden announced on Thursday that hell handle the throngs of asylum seekers by expelling more of them under the Trump-era Title 42 policy he has sought to end.

On Sunday, the president will travel to El Paso, Texas, marking his first border visit since he took office two years ago. Hell presumably assess the border situation before heading to Mexico City for a summit with the presidents of Mexico and Canada, where immigration will almost certainly come up.

Immigrants bundle up against the cold after spending the night camped alongside the U.S.-Mexico border fence on December 22, 2022 in El Paso, Texas.

Its never too late to see firsthand the chaotic and humanitarian disaster playing out at the U.S.-Mexico border, but Biden ought to know that hardly anyone likes his new plan.

Republican critics wont be happy with anything short of shutting down the border completely, while immigrant advocates will continue to blast him for backtracking on his promises of humane immigration.

Cherry-picking who gets a welcome mat

Under the new policies, the U.S. will expel people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela back to Mexico under Title 42.

But it will grant humanitarian parole to 30,000 people per month from those countries as long as they apply through mechanisms set by the administration. The change doesnt allow asylum claims at the border without first going through the parole program.

Title 42 is a policy created under the guise of protecting public health during a pandemic, a practice Biden as a presidential candidate had promised to end. Instead, he is expanding its use. Biden is essentially doubling down on the inhumane treatment of asylum seekers that he once condemned.

The Administration is circumventing immigration law which will exacerbate chaos and confusion at the Southern Border, Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey fumed in a statement.

Keeping Title 42 is wrong: It won't solve our border crisis  and Republicans know it.

Menendez added hes glad for the Cubans, Nicaraguans, Venezuelans and Haitians wholl benefit, but it comes at the expense of everyone else fleeing violence and who also has the right to ask for asylum.

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In other words, Biden is cherry-picking who gets the welcome mat, immigrant advocates say, instead of setting up a system allowing everyone to apply for asylum, review each case and decide on its merits.

Seeking asylum to safeguard your life and well-being is a basic human right protected under our laws and by our international obligations, Angelica Salas, executive director of the immigrant rights organization CHIRLA, said in a statement.

Biden only has himself to blame for border mess

Biden has nobody but himself to blame for the mess at the border.

To win votes, including those from Latinos and immigrant advocates, Biden promised to end Trumps stringent policies that included caging kids and separating migrant families. He also boldly promised to pass comprehensive immigration reform to legalize the millions of undocumented immigrants already in the U.S.

Instead, his administration has been gripped by inaptitude and indecision.

President Joe Biden speaks about border security in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) ORG XMIT: DCPS101

The steady climb in asylum seekers has made a mockery of Bidens immigration failures. Except theyre the ones paying the heavy price, to human traffickers and violent cartels that exploit them to get them to the U.S. border and once they are expelled without due process.

Another view: Biden's White House is fine with the chaos it created at the border. What's the endgame?

Border patrol agents have encountered more than 560,000 people at the southern border since October. That number doesnt necessarily represent individuals since it may include repeat offenders. Still, the number is staggering, which has permitted Republicans to decry that America is facing a border invasion.

Biden's border plan undermines fight to end Title 42

Its clear this latest move is a desperate attempt from Biden to control the flow of asylum seekers while trying to placate intense criticism over border security.

Opinion alerts: Get columns from your favorite columnists + expert analysis on top issues, delivered straight to your device through the USA TODAY app. Don't have the app? Download it for free from your app store.

I get it. Biden needs to do something. But expanding the use of Title 42 isnt the answer. If anything, it undermines the White House bid to end it.

The president wants to have it both ways and that just wont do. His administration is seeking to terminate Title 42, but the U.S. Supreme Court prohibited them from doing so until legal arguments are made.

And while that plays out, Biden decides to expand it?

The president couldnt admit his failing any clearer. He doesnt have any credible, practical means to control the border and still make good on his promise of humane and orderly immigration.

Elvia Diaz is editorial page editor for The Arizona Republic and azcentral. Reach her at elvia.diaz@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on Twitter, @elviadiaz1.

You can read diverse opinions from our Board of Contributors and other writers on the Opinion front page, on Twitter @usatodayopinion and in our daily Opinion newsletter. To respond to a column, submit a comment to letters@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Biden's border policy undermines effort to end Trump-era Title 42
USA to seek from its allies to expand military aid to Ukraine  Pentagon

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, in a phone conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart Oleksiy Reznikov, said the United States will convince its allies of the need to increase military assistance to Kyiv, according to Pentagon.

Austin reaffirmed its commitment to encouraging allies and partners to provide additional air defense systems, combat vehicles and other critical capabilities to support Ukraine.

At the same time, the U.S. minister said assistance would be provided "as much as needed."

The Pentagon also said Austin had already discussed with German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht ways to increase assistance in the run-up to the meeting of the Ukrainian Defense Contact Group in Ramstein, Germany.

Austin appreciated Germany's decision to provide Ukraine with a Patriot air defense battery and Marder infantry fighting vehicles.

According to Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States Oksana Markarova on her Facebook page, in addition to a new $3.075 billion U.S. military aid package for Ukraine, Washington provides "$682 million in additional foreign military funding to stimulate and compensate for the transfer of military equipment to Ukraine from allies and partners".

As previously reported, the United States on the eve of officially announced the allocation of a new package of military assistance to Ukraine for more than $ 3 billion.
Editors Note: The Caprock Chronicles are edited by Jack Becker, Librarian Emeritus, TTU Libraries. This weeks Caprock Chronicles is written by John McCullough, author and aviation historian of Lubbock, who holds a masters degree in history from Texas Tech. This article is the first in a two-part series about the Alaska highway that was constructed in 1942-43 in response to threats of possible Japanese military incursions there. As final refinements to the Alaska highway neared completion in the spring of 1943, Lubbock leaders envisioned a branch of it being directed south to the Hub City on its way to the ports of southern Texas, the Rio Grande Valley, Mexico, and South America.

As we saw in part one of this series, the United States and Canada agreed to build a military highway from Fairbanks, Alaska to Dawson Creek, British Columbia in March 1942 in response to potential Japanese Army incursions into Alaska during World War II. The Alaska highway would allow for military troops and supplies to be trucked to Fairbanks quickly so that they could then be shipped to settlements and military posts in other regions of Alaska.

The Alaskan highway was one of the most ambitious construction projects in the early period of the war and involved thousands of civilian workers from both the U.S. and Canada.

Soon, leaders began seeing beyond the military capacity of the Alaska highway and into its possible commercial and civilian uses. Officials proposed that the highway should continue south through Canada and then on to the Great Plains states and finally to the ports of lower Texas, the Rio Grande Valley, and eventually Mexico. Lubbocks leaders saw an opportunity to have one of these routes directed through the Hub City.

The Alaskan highway was one of the most ambitious construction projects in the early period of the war and involved thousands of civilian workers from both the U.S. and Canada. The initial, primitive highway  mostly composed of dirt but with some areas of it made of wood  was completed by October 29, 1942, and stretched an incredible 1,671 miles.

Originally named the ALCAN (Alaskan-Canadian) highway, the more commonly used name, Alaska highway, was adopted as finishing touches to it were nearing completion in 1943.

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With the temperatures warming in the spring of 1943, additional finishing work began in order to smooth out the primitive highway and make it more passable for men and materials.

The spring thaw damaged the Alaska highway less than feared and already buses like those on highways in the states amaze settlers deep in the heart of the northland.

Brigadier General James A. OConnor of the Northwest Service command, is confident the first land route in history to Alaska will become a permanent year-around road, stated the Avalanche-Journal on May 14, 1943.

The Alaska highway was now a topic of interest to Lubbockites. In the May 26, 1943, edition of the Avalanche-Journal, the newspaper ran an article on a speech and slide show given by Lt. Galen M. Carr of Abernathy. Lt. Carr showed slide film scenes of various points along the Alcan highway to the Lubbock Optimist club at their luncheon held in the Lubbock Hotel.

Lt. Carr was home on furlough and had to report back for duty in Canada on June 5. For the last seven months, he had been employed on the southern half of the Alcan highway. Soon, officials in Lubbock were ready to make their claim to the Alaska highway.

Highlighting all this excitement was an advertisement in the Avalanche-Journal on June 10, 1943. Its headline read: Alaska Highway! for Your After-War Trip? U.S. Army Engineers couldnt be told that it couldnt be done. Like Superman, they cut and smoothed the wilds of Alaska. The Alcan highway leads nearer to Victory Day, when you hope to head your car northor to the Rio Grande.

On Sept. 12, 1943, the Avalanche-Journal reported that Lubbock and Plainview delegations planned to leave soon for Denver, Colorado, for the next meeting of the U.S. Highway 87 association at the Brown Palace Hotel. Charles R. Bacon and A. B. Davis, both of the chamber of commerce, would speak for Lubbock.

Representatives are expected at the meeting from most of the towns and cities between Great Falls, Montana, and Laredo, Texas, on the highway 87 connecting link between the Alcan highway into Canada and Alaska and the Pan-American highway into Mexico.

U.S. Representative Angell (R-Ore) told the House on Sept. 15 that construction of the Alaska highway typified the outstanding road construction by our military forces.

Angell was a member of the House Congressional committee which went to Alaska and traveled over 1,000 miles of the road by bus, reported the Avalanche-Journal.

The farthest north through bus service in the world was put into operation this week, when busses chartered by the American Army began rolling into Fairbanks on the Alaska highway, continued the Avalanche-Journal on Nov. 13, 1943.

Hollywood produced a motion picture about this northern-most military road entitled Alaska Highway, starring Richard Arlen and Jean Parker. An advertisement for the motion picture appeared in the Dec. 26, 1943 edition of the Avalanche-Journal, with the tagline Headline Road Builders!

In that same edition, the Avalanche-Journal reported that Mrs. C. M. Chandler was to present a short report of the building of the The Alcan Highway at the home of Mrs. Charles Smith 2209 Tenth Street two days hence. At that same meeting, Miss Vera Murfee will speak on Canada: Today and Tomorrow.

The articles about the Alaska highway and its connection to the Pan-American highway faded over the next few years, perhaps as the focus of officials and citizens turned more to winning the war and enjoying the peace.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Caprock Chronicles: Alaska highway promised much commerce for Lubbock
Prince Harry has reportedly opened up about his tainted romance with Caroline Flack and reflected on the TV presenters death, in his leaked memoir.

Sections from the book have been quoted by the UK press after the memoir was accidentally put on sale on 5 January in Spain. The book was officially supposed to be released next Tuesday (10 January).

These include claims Prince William allegedly physically attacked the Duke of Sussex during a confrontation over Harrys wife Meghan Markle in 2019.

You can follow live updates about Harrys book here.

Harry has also reportedly addressed the scandal involving his uncle, Prince Andrew, and written about killing 25 people during military service in Afghanistan.

In another excerpt, published by US Weekly, the duke revealed he met the former Love Island host Flack, who died by suicide in 2020, at a restaurant during a night out with their mutual friend in 2009.

Harry wrote he was introduced to Flack months after he broke up with ex-girlfriend Chelsea Davy.

Describing Flack as funny, sweet, and cool, the 38-year-old said Flack wasnt taken aback that I didnt recognise her.

She didnt have a big ego, he continued, before explaining how the media was responsible for their relationship ending shortly after.

Harry shared: Very soon after they papped me and Flack, those photos set off a frenzy. Within hours a mob was camped outside Flacks parents house, and all her friends houses, and her grandparents house.

She was described in one paper as my bit of rough, because she once worked in a factory or something, he continued. Jesus, I thought, are we really such a country of insufferable snobs?

They kept on seeing each other, Harry wrote, because we genuinely enjoyed each others company, and because we didnt want to admit defeat at the hands of these arseholes.

Press intrusion had, however, tainted their fledgling relationship irredeemably, he said, adding: We realised it just wasnt worth the grief and harassment. Especially for her family.

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Goodbye, we said. Goodbye and good luck.

Harry also described what it was like to receive the horrible news that Flack had died, writing that he felt so awful for her family.

I remembered how theyd all suffered for her mortal sin of going out with me. Shed been so light and funny that night we met. The definition of carefree, he said.

Flack also wrote about how being described as Harrys bit of rough led to the couple calling it quits, in her autobiography Storm in a C Cup.

Ahead of the UK release of his book next week, Harrys interview with ITV presenter Tom Bradby will be telecast at 9pm on Sunday (8 January).

If you are experiencing feelings of distress and isolation, or are struggling to cope, The Samaritans offers support; you can speak to someone for free over the phone, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.

If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). The Helpline is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you
Prince Harry has reflected on his relationship with his older brother, Prince William, and how he felt like his sibling was gone forever after he married Kate Middleton in 2011.

In his memoir Spare, which is set for release on 10 January, Harry reportedly recalled how he felt on Williams wedding day. According to an excerpt of the book published by Page Six, the Duke of Sussex wrote about saying goodbye to his brother, whose childhood nickname was Willy, and reflected on some of their memories together.

The brother Id escorted into Westminster Abbey that morning was gone  forever. Who could deny it? he wrote. Hed never again be first a foremost Willy. Wed never again ride together across the Lesotho countryside with capes blowing behind us. Wed never again share a horsey-smelling cottage while learning to fly. Who shall separate us? Life, thats who.

The Duke reportedly went on to describe the occasion as yet another farewell under this horrid roof and another sundering.

He shared more details about his feelings during the end of Williams royal wedding, where he served as the grooms best man.

And I recall Willy walking her back up the aisle, and as they disappeared through the door, into the carriage that would convey them to Buckingham Palace, into the eternal partnership theyd pledged, I recall thinking: Goodbye, he continued.

Harry also wrote that while the wedding ceremony was mostly a blank in [his] mind, he did remember that Kate looked incredible in her gown.

In addition to his thoughts about his brothers marriage, Harrys memoir also includes a number of bombshell claims about the pair, including an allegation that William physically attacked him. According to The Guardian, Harry wrote that an argument took place at Nottingham Cottage in 2019 about his marriage to Meghan Markle.

[William] called me another name, then came at me. It all happened so fast. So very fast. He grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and he knocked me to the floor, he wrote.

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The outlet claims that the alleged incident occurred after William reportedly described Meghan as difficult, rude and abrasive.

Leading up to his book release, Harry has spoken often about his relationship with his older brother. During a conversation with ITVs Tom Bradby, which will air on 8 January, he said that his family have shown absolutely no willingness to reconcile with him and his wife. However, he stills wants a relationship with William and his father, King Charles III.

I would like to get my father back, I would like to have my brother back, Harry also said in a teaser clip of the interview, before adding: They feel as though its better to keep us somehow as the villains.

In an upcoming with Good Morning America co-anchor Michael Strahan, Harry noted that while he calls William his beloved brother and arch nemesis in the memoir, he still wants to create peace with the royal family.

Ultimately, what this all comes down to is, I dont think that we can ever have peace with my family unless the truth is out there, he said.
Jen Shah, star of Bravos The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, has been formally sentenced in the wire fraud case. Shah will be going to prison for 6.5 years, or 78 months.

My intention is to impose a sentence of 78 months of incarceration and other conditions. Any formal objection to the procedure? Guideline range [from] 135 to 168 months. I sentence you to 78 months, Judge Stein sentenced. (via Inner City Press)

More from Deadline

Shah would also serve an additional 5 years of supervised release. She would have to surrender to prison on February 17, 2023. During the sentencing, Shah mentioned that her manager was there to which Judge Stein raised concerned adding, If you intend to profit from this procedure. There should be no intention to profit from this crime. I assume the government will take steps to effectuate this. Assets in Kosovo or Cyprus?

The judge said he was a little concerned Shahs manager is in the courtroom. He warned her against trying to profit from her crime and instead focus on restitution to victims  Aaron Katersky (@AaronKatersky) January 6, 2023

Shah agreed to pay restitution to all the victims and said that the profits from the merchandise with the tagline Free Jen Shah that she was selling through a third party vendor would be devoted to the victims.

Jen Shah: I sold merchandise about this case through a third party vendor. I will devote it to the victims. Thank you for reviewing my sensitive information. Longstanding untreated mental issues caused me to create my own fractured reality  Inner City Press (@innercitypress) January 6, 2023

News of Shahs sentencing comes as the Feds requested 10 years in prison for the reality show star. A filing from December 2022 said that Shah was the most culpable person charged in this case and an integral leader of a wide-ranging telemarketing fraud scheme that victimized thousands of innocent people.

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Shahs camp requested a maximum sentence of three years, according to the docs obtained by NBC News. The television personality pled guilty to the charges brought upon her despite spending all of Seasons 2 and 3 of RHOSLC claiming she was innocent.

It was during Season 2 of the Bravo series that the FBI showed up at a filming location with all of the cast of the show while cameras were rolling. As the ladies were getting ready to take a cast trip, the footage shows how Shah was seemingly tipped off authorities were coming to arrest her and she fled the scene claiming her husband had a medical emergency. Shah would eventually get arrested and indicted for the telemarking fraud scheme she participated in.

Back in July 2022, the Department of Justice released a statement in regard to the case.

Jennifer Shah was a key participant in a nationwide scheme that targeted elderly, vulnerable victims, said Damian Williams, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York in a statement. These victims were sold false promises of financial security but instead Shah and her co-conspirators defrauded them out of their savings and left them with nothing to show for it. This Office is committed to rooting out these schemes whatever form they take.

Most recently, Shah refused to participate in the RHOSLC Season 3 reunion saying that out of respect for the courts and a standing judicial order, I would not be in a position to discuss anything related to my legal case or sentencing.

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On her first-ever trip to Greece, one writer stops worrying about being a tourist and starts enjoying every moment.

Federico Ciamei Riviera in the caldera of Santorini, Greece.

Am I the only one? Or have you, too, looked on skeptically at the passengers who trail a flag-toting guide upon arrival at a cruise port? Thatll never be me, I used to swear, presuming the group to be en route to some nearby tourist trap  one that could easily be found with a quick Google search and visited for a lower price, to boot. But last summer on a 10-day sailing from Oceania Cruises, I became one of those passengers. Willingly. And you know what? I loved it.

Let me explain. Although I had been on 25 cruises in my life, this was my first in Europe. I was headed on a voyage on the Oceania Riviera that departed from Trieste, Italy, for ports of call in Croatia, Montenegro, and Greece (including three of its islands) before concluding in Istanbul. Thousands of miles from my usual Caribbean beat, each destination was virgin territory to me  Split as unfamiliar as Santorini, Kotor as much of a mystery as Kusadasi. This was the moment, I figured, to finally give guided tours a shot.

Not that my decision was entirely off-base. There are, it turns out, advantages to booking excursions along with your cruise ticket. For one thing, major cruise lines vet tour providers for safety, and they will usually bear responsibility if things go wrong, such as a late return. (The ship will always wait for line-approved excursions.) And if the itinerary diverges  as it did on my trip, when our Montenegro and Mykonos stops were nixed because of bad weather  youll be fully refunded.

Federico Ciamei From left: Riviera cruising the Adriatic; the Church of St. George in Perivolas, on Santorini.

Cruising to new countries also made me realize that some destinations are less suited to independent exploration  places with attractions that are far from port, or activities where the intimidation level is high (looking at you, rug shopping in Turkey). I also found a new appreciation for the historical context and cultural guidance that local experts can offer. And with more than 70 excursions available on our sailing, from canoeing Croatias Cetina River to cooking classes in Athens, I was spoiled for choice.

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Oceanias vast catalogue of outings is part of Go Local, an initiative launched in 2019 whose goal is to learn about and experience generations-old traditions and get a glimpse into the day-to-day lives of a destinations residents, according to Christine Manjencic, the lines vice president of destination services operations, who spoke with me pre-cruise. And with the pandemic still front-of-mind for many travelers, the company also reports an uptick in interest in its Oceania Exclusive tours, which are limited to 16 participants.

Federico Ciamei From left: Taking in the sunand the viewsas the Riviera cruises the Adriatic; an elaborate breakfast spread during a tour of Kusadasi, Turkey.

Federico Ciamei From left: Chania, Greece, is one of Cretes principal cities and a frequent port of call for cruise ships; executive chef Frederic Camonin in the ships Grand Dining Room.

If left to my own devices, I would have dined at restaurants in port, and Id definitely have spent hours browsing boutiques and markets for locally made souvenirs. But would I have plucked white mulberries fresh from the tree, and sipped my first Turkish tea at a hillside farm 30 minutes drive from the port in Kusadasi? Would I ever have found my way to the Croatian hamlet of Skopljanci (population: 9), where a local farmer welcomed me with homemade cherry schnapps? Would I have been serenaded with ballads deftly played on his gusla, a traditional stringed instrument crafted from wood, horsehair, and donkey leather? If not for the patient instruction by chef Nektarios Danielides during a private cooking class in his Athens restaurant, BarBQ, a kitchenphobe such as myself would ever have learned to make melitzanosalata, a Greek eggplant dip, from scratch. Even now, weeks after returning to my downtown Miami neighborhood and its cityscape of high-rise buildings, I keep thinking about the afternoon I spent in Skopljanci, a Croatian village that seemed straight out of the Shire in The Lord of the Rings.

Shore excursions also offer a way to visit a place more than once while having a completely different experience each time  an important factor for frequent cruisers. In Santorini, for example, a first-timer like me might hop on a bus tour of the Greek island, hitting all the sightseeing highlights, like the maze of sugar-cube-shaped houses in the town of Oia overlooking the submerged caldera.

Federico Ciamei The Venetian Harbor, on Chania.

But on a second visit, a meditative yoga class followed by a tasting at Venetsanos Winery, a family operation founded in 1947, could have the power to transform a been there, done that moment into an opportunity to gain a deeper, richer understanding of the land and its people. These types of tours make particular sense for Oceania, whose repeat-guest percentage hovers at around 50 percent. For people like Brian and Penelope Webb  a couple I met who were on their 67th voyage  thats reason enough to keep on sailing.

A version of this story first appeared in the December 2022/January 2023 issue of Travel + Leisure under the headline Follow the Leader.

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Read the original article on Travel & Leisure.
Are you an FTX victim? Better call the Feds.

Or at least visit the website theyve set up to distribute information about their criminal case against FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried.

On Friday, U.S. Federal prosecutors filed documents in Manhattan asking permission to use a website to communicate with people who lost money in FTXs spectacular collapse. U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan, whos overseeing the case, approved it the same day.

According to FTX's bankruptcy filing on November 11, it owes money to more than 100,000 creditorsbut that excludes users of its crypto exchanges, FTX and FTX US. Including users in the count brings that number to more than 1 million people. Prosecutors argued it would be impractical to contact all of them one-by-one.

In criminal cases, prosecutors are required to notify victims ahead of plea or sentencing proceedings and allow them enough time to give testimony if they want to be heard.

Based on the number of victims who provide such notice, the court will rule on the manner in which victims will be heard at such proceedings, Kaplan wrote in his court order.

John Ray, currently CEO of FTX and overseeing its Chapter 11 restructuring, told the U.S. House Financial Services Committee during a hearing in December that a small number of US customers, were among the FTX.com users.

Heres the Latest in the Sam Bankman-Fried FTX Fraud CaseAnd How We Got Here

We do know that there were 2.7 million users in the U.S. silo, which again is overstating the customer relationships because people had multiple trading accounts, Ray said in his testimony. In the [FTX.com] silo, we had over 7.6 million usersagain, overstating the actual customer relationships due to the multitude of accounts by any particular customer. So we need to get to the bottom of those customer numbers. But its unlikely that many of them will be able to appear at the Manhattan court in person.



In fact, an analysis of monthly active user data by CoinGecko estimates that South Korea, Singapore and Japan account for 16% of all the traffic going to FTX.com before it was shuttered. Although the website was set up to automatically detect if a user was in the U.S. and redirect them to FTX US, the companys U.S.-based arm, customers in the states still accounted for 2% of all traffic.

Story continues

To be clear, the Department of Justices criminal case against FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried in the Southern District of New York is completely separate from the bankruptcy proceedings that have been underway in Delaware since November.

U.S. prosecutors hit Bankman-Fried with eight criminal charges on December 9 (and unsealed the indictment on December 13), including wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering, a day after he was arrested in the Bahamas. He was extradited to the U.S. on December 21 and appeared in Manhattan to plead not guilty on all the criminal charges hes facing.

Federal prosecutors also charged ex-Alameda Research CEO Caroline Ellison and FTX co-founder Gary Wang, although both have pleaded guilty and been cooperating with investigators in their case against Bankman-Fried.

In FTXs bankruptcy case, there have been signs that those millions of creditors and users are getting impatient.

Earlier this week, the Ad Hoc Committee of Creditors of FTX Trading, represented by law firm Venable, objected to FTXs request for more time to compile a detailed account of its assets and liabilities.

FTX initially asked for a deadline extension on November 17, bumping the due date back to January 23. Then on December 21, FTX submitted another filing asking the deadline to be moved back to April 15.

But the ad hoc committee doesnt believe the extra time will make a difference.

'Grossly Inexperienced and Unsophisticated' Leadership Caused FTX Collapse, Says New CEO

It does not appear that the Debtors will ever be able to reconcile their pre-petition books and records (or, more likely, create them in the first instance) and file accurate schedules and statements in these Chapter 11 cases, attorney Daniel OBrien wrote in the objection, and they do not say as much in the motion, supplement, or any of the declarations. There is no reason to extend the deadline under these circumstances.

He went on to argue that in the Celsius bankruptcy case, the company considered all account holder claims to be against all the debtors entities so that it could proceed, leaving the resolution of which specific business owes a claimant money for later.

A similar solution could be helpful in FTXs bankruptcy proceedings, OBrien wrote, especially since the company will likely never be able to file accurate Schedules and Statements under the circumstances.
Business Reporter

Joel Donofrio is the business reporter for the Yakima Herald. He was born and raised in the Chicago area, but he and his wife, Cathy, fell in love with the beauty (and low humidity) of the West and moved here in 2009, eventually relocating to Yakima in September 2021. They have two young adult children, Anthony and Joanna, and a dog, Molly. When he is not taking photos of construction sites, tracking down new and relocating businesses or catching up on agricultural trends, Joel enjoys playing guitar, singing, listening to music and playing and watching sports.
Fighting in the Russian-Ukrainian war has continued at a routine level during the Orthodox Christmas period, according to a defense intelligence report on Twitter by the Ministry of Defense of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on Saturday morning.

"One of the most fiercely contested sectors continues to be around the town of Kreminna, in Luhansk region," the intelligence said.

In the last three weeks, the fighting around Kreminna has focused on the heavily forested terrain to the west of the town. "As is typical with operations in forests, combat has largely devolved to dismounted infantry fighting, often at short range," the intelligence said.

"Russian commanders will highly likely view pressure around Kreminna as a threat to the right flank of their Bakhmut sector, which they see as key for enabling any future advance to occupy the remainder of Donetsk Oblast," the intelligence said.
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A district judge Thursday sentenced a 34-year-old man to 28 to 38 years in prison for his part in sex trafficking three girls in Lincoln and sexually assaulting one, a 14-year-old.

Luis Vasquez-Chiquirin pleaded no contest to attempted sex trafficking and first-degree sexual assault but continued to deny having a leading role in the scheme to get money for setting up sex with underage girls.

Deputy Lancaster County Attorney Chris Reid asked for a lengthy sentence, given the nature of the charges, the number of victims and the exploitation that took place.

He said sex trafficking of minors wasn't a crime in state statute until a few years ago but has become a greater focus recently.

"It's not that this crime never existed 10 years ago. We're just better at identifying victims and these crimes occurring in our county than we used to be," Reid said.

He said this case involved three high-risk youths, some of whom were runaways. They were given drugs. Two were put in a bedroom with multiple men and told to have sex with them and Chiquirin benefitted financially from it.

"In meeting with them throughout this case, they all have described to me in their words that he is a monster and someone who needs to be put away for a long time," Reid said.

Lincoln Police say the investigation started when they found a 14-year-old runaway at an apartment near 56th and Holdrege streets who said she was being trafficked.

She told police she was given meth to use with a group of men, then had sex with three or four of them. After, Chiquirin handed her $80 and told her she'd "earned it."

Another time, she said Chiquirin set up sex acts for her and a 15-year-old friend, telling her he would call the police on her if she didn't do what he wanted.

Chiquirin and his roommate, Jose Rivas, ended up facing charges, along with a third man, Troy Springer.

Defense attorney Eddy Rodell said Chiquirin maintains he had a lesser role than the others but accepted responsibility for what he did.

When he gets out of prison, he'll be deported to Guatemala.

Chiquirin, who took English classes at the jail, told the judge he was sorry for his mistake and what the girls are going through, but said he "wasn't guilty of everything what they are charging me."

"I'm here to take responsibility for what I've done. I'm sorry. That's all I can say," he said.

In the end, Lancaster County District Darla Ideus said she thought Chiquirin's involvement in the enterprise was "significant." One witness described him as the one responsible for finding the men to pay for sex. Another said he had sex with her to "determine her worth."

Ideus said Chiquirin showed a lack of remorse and no empathy for the victims.

"Your pattern of behavior and your denial of wrongdoing as well as the ages of the children that you assaulted, all of these things make it clear to me that if you're not incarcerated you will continue to be a danger to the community because I think you will continue this type of behavior," she said.

Chiquirin will have to serve 19 years before he's released and deported.

Counties with the shortest life expectancy in Nebraska Counties with the shortest life expectancy in Nebraska #42. Saline County #41. Saunders County #40. Thayer County #39. Douglas County #38. Dawes County #36. Dawson County #36. Clay County #34. Madison County #34. Jefferson County #29. Furnas County #29. Merrick County #29. Howard County #29. Red Willow County #29. Butler County #27. Hall County #27. Adams County #25. Gage County #25. Lincoln County #23. Dundy County #23. Box Butte County #19. Dakota County #19. Nuckolls County #19. Johnson County #19. Boyd County #16. Cheyenne County #16. Richardson County #16. Polk County #14. Webster County #14. Nemaha County #12. Morrill County #12. Pawnee County #10. Dodge County #10. Gosper County #9. Sheridan County #8. Nance County #5. Scotts Bluff County #5. Franklin County #5. Garden County #3. Burt County #3. Hitchcock County #2. Kimball County #1. Thurston County
The group of state senators tasked with assigning members of the Legislature to various standing and special committees forwarded its final report to the full body late Thursday afternoon.

But the report from the Legislatures Committee on Committees will likely ignite a contentious and potentially lengthy floor debate when it comes up for lawmakers approval Friday morning.

Several state senators  mostly Democrats in the officially nonpartisan body  say they were disappointed with the way committee membership was decided at the onset of the 90-day session.

They alleged the process was infused with partisan politics and ignored several precedents used to decide committee membership in previous legislative sessions, and indicated they planned to file a motion to recommit the report to committee.

The procedure to recommit is most commonly used by opponents to bills in a legislative filibuster.

This institution only works because we adhere to rules and norms, and we have respect for each other and the value of the institution, said Omaha Sen. Megan Hunt, a member of the Committee on Committees, who cast the lone vote against sending the final report to the floor.

The Committee on Committees consists of three caucuses representing Nebraska's three congressional districts with four senators elected from each caucus by its members. According to the rules of the Legislature, it is charged with submitting a preliminary report on committee membership immediately following chairmanship and Committee on Committees membership elections.

The committee must also meet the following day and, after considering any amendments to its preliminary report  if two senators agree to switch committees, for example  it then must, by a majority vote of all its members, submit to the Legislature a final report for its approval.

The rules dont spell out how to put what senator on which committee, however, leaving those decisions up to the caucuses.

Hunt said members of the committee, who are elected by their caucus ahead of the legislative session  there are 10 Republicans and three Democrats on the committee this year  are there to advocate for senators from their own caucus to get their preferences on the more than a dozen standing committees like Education, Judiciary and Revenue.

Omaha Sen. Tony Vargas, another member of the committee, said the 2023 process ignored precedent and wasnt as fair as it should be or was in the past.

We make sure incumbents stay on committees, we make sure we protect seniority, and then we take preferences, Vargas said. Some people got what they wanted, some people didnt get what they wanted. I just want to make sure the process is not political.

Sen. Joni Albrecht of Thurston, who was elected chair of the Committee on Committees on Wednesday, defended its work as fair on Thursday, saying the outrage originated from senators  all Democrats  who she said did not submit their preferences to the committee in time.

She said there was also some confusion about the process among the 17 new senators who believed they would serve on whichever committees they were assigned.

The argument is that I want to railroad them because theres more of (Republicans) than there are of (Democrats), she added. Thats not it at all. Theres a reason we do what we do in asking people what their preferences are before we ever sit down to do what we did yesterday.

Ahead of voting to move the report to the floor on Thursday, senators on the Committee on Committee broke off into those one-on-one discussions to consider a handful of requests from senators to move to new committees.

Ultimately, the committee approved an amended report with three changes: Sen. Julie Slama of Dunbar will move from the Judiciary Committee to the Natural Resources Committee; Sen. Ray Aguilar of Grand Island will move from the Natural Resources Committee to the Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee; and Sen. Rick Holdcraft of Bellevue will move from the Government Committee to the Judiciary Committee.

All three are registered Republicans who worked out the changes with the caucus members on the committee.

Vargas, who accepted the changes by voting to send the report to the floor, said he had no problem fighting for as many people as possible to get their first or second preferences.

We did not honor that in many instances, and thats a major problem, he added.

Hunt added she also did not have any problem allowing senators to move around, saying that they had worked those moves out themselves.

But, she signaled that Friday, Day Three of the session, might be the first time the political minority in the Legislature will use the stall tactics available under the rules that are now in place.

This is the beginning of a lesson some people need to learn, Hunt said, referring to former Omaha Sen. Ernie Chambers, who would routinely bring the Legislature to a halt by deploying various motions to slow down business. If you mess with the process, youre going to pay. You might win in the end, but its not going to be easy for you.

The only weapon we have in the minority is time, and we can take as much time as we want, she added.

Ultimately, it will take 25 votes by the Legislature to approve the final report on committee membership for the 108th Legislature  or to send it back to committee for changes.

The Committee on Committee includes:

First caucus: Rita Sanders, Bellevue; Eliot Bostar, Lincoln; Bruce Bostelman, Brainard; Mike Moser, Columbus.

Second caucus: Tony Vargas and Megan Hunt, Omaha; Lou Ann Linehan and Brad von Gillern, Elkhorn.

Third caucus: Mike Jacobson, North Platte; Dave Murman, Glenvil; Steve Erdman, Bayard; John Lowe, Kearney.

Photos: Opening day of the 2023 Legislature
Air India CEO Wilson Campbell said in a statement that the airline is reviewing its policy of serving alcohol to passengers on flights after the urination case. The decision comes after a passenger Shankar Mishra got inebriated on the airline's plane and urinated on a septuagenarian co-passenger. The airline also grounded the crew members and the pilot of the plane for not handling the incident properly. Along with this, the CEO of the Tata-owner airline apologized to the passengers after the incident and promised to cooperate in the investigation.

In his statement, Wilson Campbell said, "Air India is deeply concerned about the in-flight instances where customers have suffered due to the condemnable acts of their co-passengers on our aircraft. We regret and are pained about these experiences."

Also read: Air India urination case: Delhi Police arrests Shankar Mishra from Bengaluru, first picture out

Air India acknowledges that it could have handled these matters better, both in the air and on the ground, and is committed to taking action." With questions about the airline not immediately reporting the unruly passenger to law enforcement authorities, he advised staff to report all incidents irrespective of a settlement being reached.

"In the instance of the incident onboard AI-102 operating between New York and Delhi on November 26, 2022, four cabin crew and one pilot have been issued show cause notices and de-rostered pending investigation," he said, adding internal investigations into whether there were lapses by other staff are ongoing.

The airline is investigating aspects including the service of alcohol on the flights, incident handling, complaint registration on board, and grievance handling.

As a responsible airline brand, Air India has commenced a comprehensive education programme to strengthen crews' awareness of and compliance with policies on the handling of incidents and unruly passengers with a view to materially strengthen and improve how such incidents would be addressed in future. The airline is reviewing "policy on service of alcohol in flight," he said without elaborating.

Also, it is reviewing the meeting frequency of the DGCA-prescribed 'Internal Committee', tasked with assessing incidents, so that cases are assessed and decisions reached in a more timely manner.

"To improve the robustness of its legacy incident reporting processes, which are presently paper-based and manual, Air India signed a Letter of Intent in December 2022 to acquire a license for the market-leading provider of incident management software, Coruson," he said
A Delhi court on Saturday sent Shankar Mishra, accused of urinating on a woman co-passenger on an Air India flight, to judicial remand for 14 days while rejecting a plea by police for his custody. The police sought his remand for three days for custodial interrogation, saying he was required to be identified by three cabin crew members and two captains and other co-passengers were also to be examined. Metropolitan Magistrate Anamika passed the order to send Mishra to judicial remand, noting that his custody was not required by the police for recording the statements of other witnesses, including cabin crew and co-passengers.

AI passenger urinating incident of Nov 26 | Delhi's Patiala House Court sends accused Shankar Mishra to 14 days judicial custody pic.twitter.com/7KrXYObI5J  ANI (@ANI) January 7, 2023

"Just because there's public pressure, don't do this. Go by the law, the judge said.

All reasons stated above... . PC is not required for recording the statement of witnesses. They can be interrogated in his absence. Statements can be recorded, and there is no requirement of his PC, the judge said.

The court noted that on the basis of the evidence, the accused prima facie did not cooperate in the investigation.

Perusal of records shows that the accused was deliberately avoiding joining of investigation. In order to make further investigation, recording of statements of crew members, recording statements, his custody is not required, the judge said.

Also read - LIVE Updates: Air India Urination incident - Delhi's court sends accused Shankar Mishra to 14 day judicial custody

During the arguments, the court asked the police why it required his custody.

He is not required for others' questioning, TIP (Test Identification Parade). Everything is known? Why his custody is required? Nobody else is to be arrested. No ground of PC, the judge said.

The police submitted before the court during the arguments that the cabin crew did not handle the situation and that they were also complicit in the alleged offence.

The police, meanwhile, refused to hand over a copy of the FIR to an advocate appearing for the complainant, saying the case has been so viral, we do not want to give a copy of the complaint to anyone but complainant.

Bengaluru police had assisted Delhi police in arresting Shankar Mishra, accused of urinating on a co-passenger on a Delhi-bound Air India flight from New York on November 26, from the Sanjay Nagar area in the city.

With inputs from agencies
An Indian-origin doctor recently tended to an emergency on a long-haul flight and saved the life of a co-passenger twice. Consultant hepatologist in Birmingham, Dr Vishwaraj Vemala, was caught in the mid of an emergency when a 43-year-old traveller on his flight collapsed on the aisle of the aircraft because of a cardiac arrest. However, fortunately for the passenger, the doctor onboard the Air India London-Bengaluru flight stepped up for help and resuscitated the passenger twice using the first-aid kit on the aircraft and items from the passenger. In a statement, Dr Vemala stated that he would remember this incident throughout his life.

Informing of the incident, University Hospitals Birmingham tweeted, "Dr Vishwaraj Vemala, one of our consultant hepatologists, saved the life of a passenger who suffered two cardiac arrests mid-flight. With limited supplies, Dr Vemala was able to resuscitate him before handing over to emergency crews on the ground."

Also read: Cold Wave: Delhi IGI Airport issues advisory for travellers amid foggy conditions

As per a press note issued by the University Hospital, the doctor was on his flight from the UK to India to take his mother to Bangalore when the passenger with no previous medical history on his flight went into cardiac arrest. Following this, the Air India crew called out for doctors onboard to help, and that's when Dr Vemala rushed in to help the passenger in distress.

After an hour of effort, the passenger regained consciousness. Later on, the doctor asked the Ai India cabin crew for a medication kit. "Luckily, they had an emergency kit, which, to my utter surprise, included resuscitative medication to enable life support."

He did add that the only equipment on board to check on him was an automated external defibrillator and oxygen, though. However, with the other passengers' help, the doctor was able to get his hands on a blood pressure machine, heart-rate monitor, glucose meter, and pulse oximeter to aid the 43-year-old man suffering.

As per the statement, "In total, he was without a good pulse or decent blood pressure for nearly two hours of the flight, alongside the cabin crew, we were trying to keep him alive for five hours in total. It was extremely scary for us all, especially the other passengers, and it was quite emotional."

Dr. Vemala and the Air India pilot attempted to request permission to land at the closest airstrip in Pakistan out of concern for the passenger's chance of survival, but their pleas were rejected. They were able to plan a landing at Mumbai Airport in India, though, where rescue personnel were waiting for them.
Epiphanius in Lavra: We don't want this war, but enemy treacherously violates peace, invades our land

The Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), Metropolitan Epiphanius, at a service at the Assumption Cathedral of Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, expressed confidence in Ukraine's victory in the war with Russia.

"We did not want this war. As a people, we strove to live in peace, having agreement with everyone. But the enemy treacherously violated the peace and invaded our land, shedding blood, sowing death, wanting to destroy our statehood," Epiphanius said during the divine service on the occasion Nativity of Christ in the Assumption Cathedral of Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.

The Metropolitan expressed confidence that the enemy would certainly be defeated in the war, "because the truth is on our side, and where the truth is, there is God, and with God we will undoubtedly win."

According to him, having destroyed the plans of the "Kremlin tyrant," the Ukrainians have already achieved a moral victory. "Since all people condemn the acts of genocide, terror and the numerous war crimes that the Russian evil empire is perpetrating on our land," he said.

Epiphany remembered the Ukrainian servicemen who protect Ukrainians from Russian aggression. In addition, the metropolitan remembered the citizens of Ukraine in the temporarily occupied territories, prisoners, displaced persons, refugees, volunteers, the president, speaker, prime minister, heads of communities.
New Delhi: Former Microsoft employee and CEO of Invact Tanay Pratap has been trolled brutally on social media for promoting hustle culture when he shared his selfie of attending a meeing while getting haircut. Called it peak productivity unlocked today, Tanay appeared to attend a meeting while getting haircut. He thanked the staff to stop music so he could attend the meeting. In the post, he said that startups were not for everyone and the only time you got when you're not working was sleeping.

ALSO READ | AI robot to defend a human in court for first time in history next month

Peak productivity unlocked today. Took meeting while getting a haircut.



The staff were the sweetest to stop music while I took the meeting.



Startups are not for everyone. The only time you get when youre not working is while youre sleeping. pic.twitter.com/RnPXQq8gXP  Tanay Pratap (@tanaypratap) January 4, 2023

Netizens troll him with sarcasm

One user named Pulkit Saraf commented, Wo bhi band kar do.. sleep is for the weak, right?

ALSO READ | FACT CHECK: Is Niti Aayog planning to privatise some public sector banks?

Tanay replied to that person and said yes, I wanted to give it up. But theres no way to it physically. I felt sleep was the most wasteful activity we engaged in.

Ha yaar I want to give it up. But theres no way to do it physically. I feel sleep is the most wasteful activity we engage in.

 Tanay Pratap (@tanaypratap) January 4, 2023

Another user took a dig and said sleep was the goal, everything else was just waste.

A Twitter user named Baibhav Mishra shared the picture of Viru Sahastrabudhhe, a popular fiction character from 3 Idiots movie who was famous for getting shave while sleeping.

Another user named Anil wrote, better yet, expose yourself to copious amounts of gamma rays. That way all your hair will fall out and you won't need to waste time on a haircut. Who know, the radiation could even stimulate brain cell growth.

better yet, expose yourself to copious amounts of gamma rays. That way all your hair will fall out and you won't need to waste time on a haircut.



Who know, the radiation could even stimulate brain cell growth  Anil (@AnilGanti) January 6, 2023

A Twitter user named Garv Malik said,  Suggestion: can do Urban clap home services. You control music at home+travel time saved.

Suggestion: can do Urban clap home services. You control music at home+travel time saved.  Garv Malik (@malikgarv) January 6, 2023

One user wrote, Bhai tweet bhi kyu kiya 5 minute bach jaate,
New Delhi: Karkardooma Court on Saturday acquitted nine persons, accused of setting ablaze a shop and house during the Delhi riots.The court granted relief to the accused persons as their identity could not be established as members of the riotous mob and the allegations were not proved beyond a reasonable doubt. The court also noted that there was an unexplained delay in recording the information regarding the involvement of accused persons in the alleged offences. Additional Sessions Judge Pulastya Pramachala of Karkardooma Court acquitted accused Mohd. Shahnawaz alias Shanu, Mohd. Shoaib alias Chhutwa, Shahrukh, Rashid alias Raja, Azad, Ashraf Ali, Parvej, Md. Faisal and Rashid alias Monu by giving them the benefit of doubt. The judge said, "I hold that sole testimony of head constable Vipin cannot be sufficient to assume the presence of accused persons in the mob, which set ablaze property of the complainant in Chaman Vihar. In such a situation, accused persons are given the benefit of the doubt."

In view of my foregoing discussions, observations and findings, I find that charges levelled against all the accused persons, in this case, are not proved beyond doubt, the judge said. "Hence, the accused are acquitted of all the charges levelled against them in this case," they said in the judgement passed on January 7, 2023.

Also Read: Delhi riots accused on bail caught red-handed while fleeing after burglary

The court observed that the prosecution witness head constable Vipin had a thorough knowledge of the names and particulars of the accused persons, but he did not take to formally get this information recorded, before April 7, 2020.The court also observed that In his cross-examination, Vipin conceded that there had been a briefing at the police station every day, which was attended by him as well as Investigation Officers (IOs).

Still, the knowledge about the involvement of the accused persons was not formally recorded anywhere, till April 7, 2020. "However, he stated that he had orally informed his senior officers about information with him, after about a week or 15 days of riots. No explanation has been offered for such delay in passing on such crucial information to senior officers by this witness," the court further observed.

Moreover, if actually such information was given to the senior officers, then what prevented the senior officers to get such information recorded in a formal manner? the court noted. The accused persons were chargesheeted by the police for having committed offences punishable under Section 147/148/149/188/427/436 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The present case was registered at police station Gokalpuri on 01.03.2020, pursuant to a written complaint of February 28, 2020, filed by one Neetu Gautam.She alleged that she was residing in Chaman Park, Delhi. On the ground floor, there was a shop and on the first floor, she was residing. She had gone to Meerut and her shop and house were burnt on February 25, 2020, in the riots.
New Delhi: Amid the furore over urinating incident in an Air India flight, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was prompted to criticise the Congress over a somewhat related controversy by party leader Kanhaiya Kumar back in 2015, when he was a student at Jawaharlal University. Amit Malviya, the leader of the BJP, criticised the venerable party for its "second-most popular" politician being accused of urinating in public.

BJP leader Malviya tweeted, Since we are in the middle of a #PeeGate, lets not forget, Kanhaiya Kumar, the second most popular Congress leader, after Rahul Gandhi (as declared by Jairam Ramesh), was accused of peeing in open on campus and flashing when asked not to. The Congress has such talent in its ranks.

Since we are in the middle of a PeeGate, lets not forget, Kanhaiya Kumar, second most popular Congress leader, after Rahul Gandhi (as declared by Jairam Ramesh), was accused of peeing in open on campus and flashing when asked not to.



The Congress has such talent in its ranks. Amit Malviya (amitmalviya) January 7, 2023

The event happened in 2015 before Kumar became the head of the student organisation. The Congress leader was allegedly seen urinating in public, but when a former female JNU student approached him, he "misbehaved with her and threatened her." The former student provided an unsigned letter from the JNU's top proctor to support her assertions that Kumar was a "fake revolutionary."

Later, the authorities verified that Kanhaiya had received a fine for the incident. The All India Students' Federation (AISF), the organisation Kumar then represented, however, denied the accusations and described them as an effort to harm his reputation.

In order to "defend the idea of India" in "this moment of urgency," the former head of the Communist Party of India (CPI) and president of the JNU Students' Union joined the Congress in 2021. Before Rahul Gandhi, Kumar was referred to be "the second-most popular politician" in the Congress by MP Jairam Ramesh.
A day after a bomb threat mail was received at school in Rajajinagar on Friday, a minor student from another school has been identified as sender, according to the officials. According to the officials, the student searched the email id of the school on the internet and sent the mail without knowing the consequences. The report will be given to the Juvenile Board for further investigation.

"A minor student from another school has sent the Bomb threat email to the NAFA school without knowing the consequences. The report will be given to Juvenile Board for further inquiry," Laxman B Nimbaragi, DCP of West Bengaluru said.

A bomb threat mail was received by School in Rajajinagar at 8:28 pm on Thursday night and was seen at around 11:30 pm, according to the officials.Bomb disposal and dog squad rushed to the spot after receiving the information, the official said.

"Bomb threat received by NPS School, Rajajinagar under Basaveshwar Nagar Police Station. We`ve ensured students are taken to a safe place, bomb disposal and dog squad have reached the spot. Case to be registered and investigation is being done," DCP said on Friday. 950 students from nursery to 12 standards are enrolled at the school. (ANI)
New Delhi: In Karnal, Haryana, today, on Saturday, 7 January, Rahul Gandhi was continuing his Yatra but this time he had a special visitor with him, his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's beloved dog, adding to the number of picture-perfect moments from the Kanyakumari to Kashmir foot march. The Bharat Jodo Yatra will soon come to an end in Srinagar, Jammu, and Kashmir. The grand old party took advantage of the opportunity to post images and videos of Rahul and his pet dog Luna on social media.

Luna has been patiently watching you pour all your love on her other canine cousins.



So she decided enough is enough - and joined you herself!



You see, no one wants to share your affection :)



We get you Luna!



(Luna, lives with Priyanka Ji - Rahul Ji adores her) pic.twitter.com/6CcpBMKUPt January 7, 2023

"You are cheating on me Rahul"



Today Luna's complaint was removed... Few days back Luna had complained to RahulGandhi ji... for not taking her to BharatJodoYatra.



Today, Luna came to visit, walked a lot, mischief and complaints were removed. pic.twitter.com/lcrF4V0y6D Telangana Pradesh Congress Sevadal (SevadalTL) January 7, 2023

This comes after Priyanka was seen embracing Rahul in the BJP-ruled state of Uttar Pradesh, where the sibling love was documented in pictures that the venerable party released. Earlier, during the Delhi leg of the Bharat Jodo Yatra, on Christmas eve, the Gandhis and mother Sonia were spotted together.

While the foot march, which was started in September to restore the party's mass connect, is being documented for Instagram-worthy moments, occasionally tense political exchanges are also being recorded. The party has argued repeatedly in an effort to disparage the BJP that the mass campaign intends to combat polarising politics and bring up concerns affecting ordinary people.

As usual, Rahul was seen clutching onto the dog's leash while wearing only a white T-shirt and no jacket or sweater.
Kasaragod (Kerala): In another suspected case of food poisoning, a 20-year-old woman died on Saturday after allegedly consuming Kuzhimanthi, a biryani dish from a local hotel. Police said Anju Sreeparvathy from Perumbala near here, had consumed Kuzhimanthi which she purchased online from a restaurant named Romansia at Kasaragod on December 31 and was undergoing treatment since then.

"A case has been registered after her parents filed the complaint. The girl died early Saturday morning," police told PTI, adding that further action will be taken based on the post-mortem report. The girl was undergoing treatment at a private hospital, from where she was taken to another hospital at Mangaluru in Karnataka, where she died.

Meanwhile, state Health Minister Veena George, ordered a probe into the incident. "Directions have been issued to the Food Safety Commissioner to file a report with regard to the incident. The DMO is also looking into the incident and the treatment given to the girl," George told reporters at Pathanamthitta. She said the licence of the hotels which are accused of food poisoning, will be cancelled under the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA). Earlier this week, a nurse in Kottayam Medical College died allegedly after consuming food from an eatery in Kozhikode.


New Delhi: With temperatures falling down, the air quality in Delhi-NCR has reached the severe category, forcing the government to reimpose the Stage-III of GRAP (Graded Response Action Plan) and ban construction works in the entire NCR except for Railways, Delhi Metro, and some other departments. The air quality index (AQI) at various hotspots in Delhi-NCR reached the severe category, including Mathura Road (440), Patparganj (448), Nehru Nagar (462), Sahibabad (452) and Noida Sector-62 (426).

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has ordered reinforce a strict ban on construction and demolition activities in the entire NCR and a nine-point action plan as per Stage-III of GRAP became applicable with immediate effect from Friday.

Also Read: Cold wave: Delhi shivers as temperatures get colder than hill stations Nanital, Dharamshala: See pics

This is in addition to the preventive and restrictive actions under Stage-I and Stage-II of GRAP, which are already in place.

Delhi`s overall AQI spiked to 438 on Friday, as per the AQI bulletin provided by the CPCB.

The nine-point action plan includes steps to be implemented and ensured by different agencies and the pollution control boards of NCR, including the Delhi Pollution Control Committee.

This includes intensified frequency of mechanised and vacuum-based sweeping of roads, daily water sprinkling along with the use of dust suppressants before peak traffic hours.

The agencies must check the hotspots on roads and the right ways, including the heavy traffic corridors.

Before releasing the order, a meeting was held with the sub-committee which comprehensively reviewed the air quality scenario in the NCR as well as the forecasts for meteorological conditions and AQI of Delhi.

While assessing the overall air quality parameters, the sub-committee noted that the air quality had suddenly and unexpectedly deteriorated owing to dense foggy conditions without much sunlight and very low temperatures, coupled with calm winds and stable atmospheric conditions.
Srinagar: Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and People's Democratic Party President Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday accused the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) of destroying the constitution of India. Mehbooba said that "BJP has destroyed the constitution of J&K and in coming time they will do the same with the constitution of India, they 'BJP' will change the tricolour (for which people of Kashmir and people of the country have given their blood) with saffron flag." "If powerful countries were able to keep people intact using their powers than America would not have come out of Vietnam and Bangladesh would be still a part of Pak," Mufti said while addressing a gathering at the grave of her father Mufti Muhammad Syed in the Brijbihara area of Anantnag in South Kashmir.

She said in Kashmir, people are being targeted unnecessarily on one or another pretext just because they are Kashmiris and not because they have done something illegal or wrong. She appealed to people to visit those families whose children are being arrested and then sent outside J&K jails or whose residences are raided.

Also Read: BJP benefits when innocent people are killed in Kashmir: Mehbooba Mufti

Mehbooba Mufti said that "there was a time during congress rule when country's courts were so empowered that they announced a verdict against Indira Gandhi but today our CJI said that courts are afraid of giving bail to people fabricated in false cases". Mufti also said that today media is also under pressure and aren't speaking for truth.

Mehbooba Mufti stressed upon her party workers not to lose faith and stay strong, she said during her rule as chief minister in Jammu and Kashmir she revoked cases from more than 12 thousand youths and bought top leaders at the doors of separatists for dialogue but unfortunately, they didn't respect that, Separatists missed the bus by not talking to All party delegation in 2016, she added.

She repeated that Jammu and Kashmir did not accede to Godse's India. We acceded to the secular India of Gandhi and Nehru, and we will fight for that identity.
New Delhi: A man was arrested for allegedly killing his lover's husband and then burning the body in Delhi's Wazirabad area, police said on Saturday. Munishddin, 27, has an extramarital affair with the wife of deceased Rashid, police said, adding both the accused and deceased were close friends. Rashid's charred body, with 90 percent burn injuries, was found in Ram Ghat under the Wazirabad police station area on Monday. A paper cutter and a matchbox were also recovered from the spot, police said.

Rashid was murdered by the accused by stabbing him in the abdomen and slitting his throat. Thereafter, he burnt the body, a police officer said. The CCTV footage of the area was scrutinized and a person was seen with the deceased Rashid. Based on the analysis of CCTV footage, and technical and manual surveillance, the investigation zeroed in on accused Munishddin, the officer said. (Also Read: BUMPER RETURN business idea! Post Office offering scheme to earn upto Rs 80,000/month by just investing Rs 5000 once)

On a tip-off that the accused would come to near Nala, Bawana road, Rohini Sector-16, a trap was laid, and accused Munishddin was apprehended, he said. The accused had studied up to class 6 only and afterward started work as a plumber. The accused Munishddin and the deceased Rashid, an electrician, were residing in the Wazirabad area and had become close friends. (Also Read: MIRACULOUS RETURN! Save Rs 150 daily to get Rs 20 lakh in 15 years in THIS Post Office Scheme, check calculator, policy terms)

They used to visit each other's house, police said, adding that accused Munishddin and the deceased's wife later developed an illicit relationship. Both hatched a conspiracy to eliminate Rashid as relations between him and his wife turned sour as he used to drink and beat her. For the last 10-15 days, she was pressuring Munishddin to get rid of Rashid, police said.
New Delhi: Uttar Pradesh Police arrested former minister of BSP govt Yaqoob Qureshi for running an unlicenced business of meat packaging and processing on Saturday (January 7).

Qureshi along with his son was arrested by UP Police from the from Chandni Mahal area of Delhi and a case was registered against him under Gangsters Act and IPC.

Yaqoob Qureshi, who was a minister in BSP Govt in UP, arrested from Chandni Mahal area of Delhi by UP Police, with the help of Delhi Police. He has been arrested for running an unlicensed business of meat packaging&processing. Case registered against him under Gangsters Act & IPC  ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) January 7, 2023

According to ANI former UP minister and his son were running an unlicensed business of meat packaging and processing and Meerut Police had announced reward for their arrest.
The next meeting of the Contact Group for the Defense of Ukraine in the Ramstein format will be held on January 20, 2023, according to the website of the German Ministry of Defense.

At her first international conference call of the new year on Friday, German Defense Secretary Christine Lambrecht spoke with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, discussing, among other things, the current military situation in Ukraine and how to coordinate further military support for Ukraine's defense through preparations for the upcoming meeting of the Contact Group.

"Jointly and in close cooperation with our American Allies, we are taking the next step in our support of Ukraine and its courageous defence against Russia's brutal war of aggression. Patriot fire unit with a set of ammunition," she said.

"We will now deliver a Patriot fire unit in addition to the GEPARD self-propelled armoured air defence gun system and the state-of-the-art IRIS-TInfra-Red Imaging System  Tail/Thrust Vector controlled SLM air defence system provided by Germany and already in use in Ukraine. Particularly in major urban centres, the civilian population will be better protected against the relentless Russian air strikes. This will reinforce the Patriot package that will be provided to Ukraine by the United States," Lambrecht said.

According to her, the parties also discussed the supply of infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine. "While the United States will provide Bradley fighting vehicles, Germany will deliver up to 40 MARDER IFVs from industry and respectively Bundeswehr stocks. Ammunition for the IFVs will initially be provided from Bundeswehr stocks. This will also complement the planned delivery of armoured reconnaissance vehicles by our French Allies. In combination with the approximately 100 Soviet-built main battle tanks and IFVs that we have provided together with our Allies through backfilling arrangements, these joint efforts will considerably strengthen the robustness of the Ukrainian Armed Forces," the minister said.

"Germany will also provide the necessary training as well as supply spare parts and maintenance (in coordination with industry), both for the Patriot fire unit and for the MARDER vehicles," Lambrecht said.
New Delhi: The Centre has banned the People's Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF), a proxy outfit of the terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed, for its involvement in terror acts in Jammu and Kashmir and elsewhere. The Union Home Ministry on Friday also designated Arbaz Ahmad Mir, a Lashkar-e-Taiba member, as an individual terrorist under the stringent anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.

In a notification, the ministry said the PAFF has been regularly issuing threats to security forces, political leaders and civilians working in Jammu and Kashmir from other states.

The PAFF, along with other organisations, is involved in pro-actively conspiring both physically and on social media to undertake violent terrorist acts in Jammu and Kashmir and major cities in India, it said.

Along with other organisations, the PAFF is indulging in radicalisation of impressionable youth for recruitment and training in handling guns, ammunition and explosives. The group has also been involved in terrorism. It has committed and participated in various acts of terrorism in India, the ministry said.

Therefore, exercising the powers conferred by clause (a) of sub-section (1) of section 35 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, the central government declared the PAFF a banned organisation, it said.

In a separate notification, the Union Home Ministry said it has designated Arbaz Ahmad Mir, who hails from Jammu and Kashmir but is presently based in Pakistan and working for the banned terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba, as an individual terrorist.

It said Mir has been involved in target killings and has emerged as the main conspirator in the killing of a woman teacher, Rain Bala, in Kulgam of Jammu and Kashmir a few months ago.

Mir has been involved in coordinating terrorism in the Kashmir Valley and supporting terrorists by transporting illegal arms or ammunition or explosives from across the border, the ministry said.

The central government believes that Mir has been involved in terrorism and therefore exercising the powers conferred by clause (a) of sub-section 1) of section 35 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 designated him as an individual terrorist, the notification said.
Shimla: The much-awaited cabinet expansion in Himachal Pradesh will be finally held on Sunday (January 8) in Raj Bhavan, news agency ANI reported. The swearing-in ceremony of the new ministers would take place at the Raj Bhavan here on January 8 at 10 am, news agency PTI quoted Raj Bhawan souces as saying. Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu earlier in the day said he has handed over the list of probables for induction in his ministry to the Congress high command for approval.Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar will administer the oath to new ministers. Earlier today, newly elected Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu said that he has handed over the list of probables for induction in his council of ministers to the Congress high command for approval. "The list has been handed over to the high command and expansion would be done only after the list is cleared by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. The swearing-in ceremony of members is possible on Sunday or later," Sukhu said while addressing reporters upon his return to Shimla. Talking about the promise of implementing the Old Pension Scheme, Sukhu said "We will implement the OPS in the state soon after the first cabinet meeting."

There has been much speculation over the names of new ministers since Sukhu and his deputy Mukesh Agnihotri took oath nearly a month ago following the Congress' win in the assembly election. There are 10 vacancies in the council of ministers as the total number of ministers, including the chief minister and deputy chief minister, in Himachal Pradesh cannot exceed 12.

Also Read: Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu announces end of VIP culture; stays appointments made by BJP govt

Congress is facing a daunting task due to the aspirations of various regions, castes and factions for representation. It also has to strike a balance while inducting old and new faces. Three out of 12 districts have been given representation - Sukhu from Hamirpur, Agnihotri from Una and five times MLA from Bhatiyyat Kuldeep Pathania, who is from Chamba, as Assembly Speaker, a party source noted.

The swearing-in ceremony of the members of the Himachal Pradesh cabinet will take place on January 8, 2023 at the Himachal Pradesh Raj Bhavan. https://t.co/W6bf6yQ39V  ANI (@ANI) January 7, 2023

One minister is expected from the Tribal areas of Lahaul and Spiti and Kinnaur. Kangra and Shimla with ten and seven Congress MLAs respectively are expected to be given a share in the cabinet.

The Congress has won 40 out of 68 assembly seats including four each in Una, Solan, and Hamirpur, three in Sirmaur, two each in Chamba and Kullu, and one each in Mandi, Bilaspur, Kinnaur and Lahaul and Spiti districts. Sukhu had maintained that the cabinet would be expanded in consultation with the high command and it would be a mix of professionals, youth and representatives of various sections.

Former ministers and a number of second and third-time MLAs are among those aspiring for ministerial berths. The party has to also reconcile the claims of the two factions led by Suhkhu and state Congress chief Pratibha Singh.

The front runners include Chander Kumar from Jawali in Kangra, a former minister and former Lok Sabha Member, and oldest MLA Dhani Ram Shandil from Solan, who is also a former minister and former Lok Sabha member. Former minister Sudhir Sharma from Dharamshala in Kangra, six-time MLA Harshvardhan Chauhan from Shillai in Sirmaur, former deputy speaker Jagat Singh Negi from Kinnaur, former chief minister Virbhadra Singh's son Vikramaditya Singh and four-time MLA from Jubbal-Kotkhai Rohit Thakur, who is the grandson of former chief minister Ram Lal Thakur, are also among the top contenders.

(With agency inputs)
Rajouri: The recent terror attack in Dhangri village of Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri not only created a fear psychosis among the people particularly the minority community, but also opened the wounds of Bal Jarallan massacre that had taken place over two decades ago. Bal Jarallan is a village four kms ahead of Dhangri, the scene of deadly terrorist firing on January 1 and subsequent Improvised Explosive Device (IED) explosion the next morning which left a total of six civilians, including two cousin sisters, dead and several others injured. The Bal Jarallan massacre had taken place on February 19, 1999 when terrorists had entered a marriage hall and sprayed bullets on the guests waiting for 'Bharat'. Seven persons belonging to the minority community were killed and an equal number injured in that incident. Dalip Singh, a resident of Dhangri, said the latest incident had opened the old wounds and caused a scare among the local populace about the revival of terrorism in the border district.

"A number of my close relatives had gone to attend the marriage ceremony and we came to know about the incident only when the victims were being evacuated to hospital while passing in front of our homes as there were no mobile phones in J&K at that time," he said. He said although all his relatives had escaped unhurt in the attack, people from the minority community suffered a big blow as it was the first such attack on minorities in their close vicinity.

Besides the Bal Jarallan, the other major terror attacks targeted against minorities in Rajouri district in the past include killing of seven persons in Swari village in 1997, killing of five persons in Kotedhara in 1998, killing of three persons in Nirojal in 2002, killing of five persons in Patrara in 2003 and killing of five persons in Panglar in 2005."Now this Dhangri attack has not only given a fresh wound but also created a wave of terror among the minority community," he said.

Also Read: Rajouri killings: Centre to deploy 18 additional CRPF companies for anti-terror ops in J&K

Sanjay Kumar said the Dhangri incident is a cause for major concern as it signals the revival of terror activities in the district after it was declared terrorism free many years ago. "The government should take all necessary measures to rebuild the confidence of the people in the security system and track down the attackers to ensure justice to the victims," Kumar said.

Senior Superintendent of Police Rajouri, Mohammad Aslam had assured that the terrorists involved in the Dhangri incident would be neutralised soon.

He also said various measures have already been taken to tackle the terror threat effectively.

"A massive exercise is underway to strengthen Village Defence Committees in the district for which special camps are going on in different villages. We are examining and servicing the weapons at these camps, while hundreds of VDC members have also been provided with ammunition," the officer said. He said the process of deploying the additional troops in sensitive areas and notorious infiltration routes is also in progress to instill a sense of security among the people.
Uttarakhand Joshimath News: The rift is widening, the people of the area adjacent to Joshimath are worried about what is in store for them. Joshimath of Uttarakhand is in the face of destruction. More than 600 houses are already cracked. Meanwhile, a house in Joshimath suddenly collapsed on Friday afternoon. Residents were alarmed. Fearing for their lives, they ignored the severe cold and spent the night in the open sky. Danger is gradually increasing in Devbhoomi.

According to local sources, not only Joshimath but the neighbouring town of Auli has also faced the same problem. Although no one was injured in the accident, traffic has been stopped in Auli for safety reasons. The administration has also ordered the closure of major projects like the hydel Power Plant and Chardham road. Residents of the area said that cracks were seen in the temple a few days ago. After that , the idol was moved to another place. But the temple collapsed on Friday. Due to this landslide, an ancient temple of Maa Bhagwati in Joshimath collapsed. However, there is no information about any loss of life or property in this accident. It is being heard that this was a family temple. Worshiped for more than the last six generations.

Also Read: Uttarakhand town in DANGER; temple collapses, residents forced to leave homes - key points

According to administration sources, all the families who are affected due to cracks will be given Rs. 4000 per month for the next 6 months. It is known that this cost will be borne by the Chief Minister's Relief Fund. It is reported that Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami will visit the area today i.e Saturday. CM will visit Joshimath along with officials and will also examine the rehabilitation plan. Along with this, discussions can also be held with the experts regarding how to secure Joshimath?

A total of 561 buildings have developed cracks in Joshimath. Based on investigations, 127 in Gandhi Nagar, 28 in Marwari, 24 in Lower Bazar, Narsingh Mandir, 52 in Singdhar, 69 in Manohar Bagh, 29 in Upper Bazar, 27 in Sunil, 50 in Parasari, 153 in Ravigram have developed cracks. According to the Uttarakhand Disaster and Accident Synopsis (UDAS) report, 700 houses in Joshimath are not fit to live in. Now the PMO is also monitoring the matter, but the question is arising about how this situation came about in Joshimath? Joshimath city is important from an ancient, spiritual and strategic point of view, but the existence of the city is in danger. Landslides happening from place to place in the city are continuously increasing. Joint Magistrate Deepak Saini said that information has also been sought from the PMO on the Joshimath landslide. The matter is also being monitored by the PMO.
New Delhi: New facts continue to emerge in the Kanjhawala hit-and-drag case that led to the shocking and painful death of 20-year-old Anjali Singh. Now according to ANI, a friend of Anjali's has revealed she and Nidhi - a friend, who was riding pillion with Anjali at the time of the accident - had fought over money, before both of them left the hotel on the fateful New Year's Eve. Anjali was killed in the early hours of January 1 after her scooter was hit by a car that dragged her for over 12 kilometers from Sultanpuri to Kanjhawala in the national capital.

The Delhi Police tracked the CCTV footage and traced and recorded the statement of Nidhi. Naveen, who claimed to be a friend of Anjali said both the deceased and Nidhi were partying at a hotel along with a few other friends during which there was an altercation between the two women. "Both were partying there (hotel). Some other friends were also there. A little later, they started quarrelling. Nidhi asked for her money, and Anjali asked for her keys. They then had a physical altercation," Naveen told ANI. "We separated them. I told Anjali to calm down. Nidhi went downstairs and created a scene. The hotel staff told us about it. Anjali went downstairs to calm her down. They had a quarrel downstairs. By the time we went there, they had left on a scooty," Naveen added.

According to Naveen, he and Anjali had been friends for the past few years and he added that she was the one who had booked the hotel room. "I was partying that day and I received a call from Anjali. I did not respond to her calls after which Anjali sent a boy to pick me up and at around 11:30 pm I reach Anjali's place, where she was partying with friends," Naveen said.

Also read: After Kanjhawala case, cops in Delhi's Rohini asked to share live location during night duties

Meanwhile, Anjali's mother has termed the accident as a "well-thought-out conspiracy" and has demanded the accused be given strict punishment."Nidhi is saying all the wrong things. If Nidhi was my daughter's friend, then how did she leave her alone? This is a well-thought-out conspiracy. Nidhi might be involved in this. There should be an investigation and the five men should be punished," Rekha, Anjali`s mother told ANI earlier.

Delhi Police on Friday arrested two more persons including Ashutosh, the purported owner of the car involved in the accident. According to the police, the two have been accused of shielding the five persons - Deepak Khanna, Amit Khanna, Krishan, Mithun, and Manoj Mittal- who had been arrested in the case earlier. While Ashutosh was arrested on Friday and remanded to police custody for three days, the seventh person accused in the case - Ankush Khanna, the cousin of accused Amit Khanna who was allegedly driving the car at the time of the incident - was arrested later on Friday after he surrendered at the Sultanpuri Police Station.

(Inputs by ANI)
New Delhi: Eyewitness Nidhi, who was riding pillion with Anjali Singh, the 20-year-old who died after her scooty was hit by a car that dragged her for several kilometers in the national capital on New Year's Day, was earlier arrested in a drug smuggling case, Delhi Police said. Nidhi was arrested in Agra in a Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, (1985) case according to an FIR registered in December 2020. Currently, Nidhi is out on bail, police sources said. Nidhi had been intercepted and arrested on December 6, 2020, at the Agra railway station for bringing ganja (drugs) by train from Telangana. She was subsequently placed under arrest. Two boys named Sameer and Ravi were also arrested along with Nidhi.

Meanwhile, in the Kanjhawala case, Delhi Police said on Friday that Nidhi has been asked to join the investigation and clarified that she has not been arrested."There are media reports that Nidhi (eyewitness) has been arrested by police. It is clarified that she has been called by Police to join the investigation," a Delhi Police official said. On Tuesday, Nidhi who was with Anjali at the time of the incident told the media that the latter was drunk on the day of the incident."She was in a drunken state but insisted on driving the two-wheeler. After being hit by the car, she came under the car and got dragged with it. I was scared and ran away and returned home, didn't tell anything to anyone. It is the fault of the girl who was driving in an inebriated state. I insisted that she shouldn't drive. I told her 'I am conscious, let me drive'. She didn't trust me and trusted herself instead," Nidhi claimed on Tuesday.

Anjali's body was found on January 1 in the Kanjhawala area of the national capital. She was dragged for over 12 kilometres by a car that hit her scooter near Sultanpuri. Seven accused in the case are now in the custody of Delhi Police."In the Sultanpuri case, the sixth accused Ashutosh has been arrested who had given false information to the police. Further investigation is on," the Special Commissioner of Police (Law & Order) Delhi Police Sagar Preet Hooda said Friday.

The other five accused in the case - Deepak Khanna, Amit Khanna, Krishan, Mithun and Manoj Mittal were arrested earlier. The five were driving the car that they borrowed from Ashutosh. All the accused were taken to Sanjay Gandhi Hospital on Thursday night for a medical examination. Police said that they were taken during the night as a security precaution. On Thursday, Hooda said that the other two accused were Ashutosh and Ankush Khanna. Both of them are the friends of the five men in custody and had tried to protect the accused. According to the Special CP, the duo also attempted to tamper with the evidence as they tried to help the accused. A total of 18 teams of Delhi Police are investigating the case. During the interrogation, it was found that the car was driven by Amit, not Deepak.

(Disclaimer: Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Zee News staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Kolkata: Two suspected Islamic State terrorists were nabbed in West Bengal, police said on Saturday. Acting on a tip-off from a central investigating agency, a team of Kolkata Police's Special Task Force (STF) arrested the duo in Howrah's Tikiapara area after nabbing them on Vidyasagar Setu, connecting the twin cities, on Friday evening, a senior officer said. "They have been arrested for conspiring to wage war against the Government of India and overthrow it to establish a caliphate by means of terror attacks and propagation of fundamentalism and hatred in the society. "The duo was involved in spreading the tentacles of the terror outfit in Howrah. We are questioning them to understand more about their roles," the police officer told PTI. One of the two arrested persons is an MTech engineering student and a resident of Aftabuddin Munshi Lane in Tikiapara, while another is from Shibpur in Howrah, he said. They were in touch with their handlers in Pakistan and West Asia, the officer said.

"The duo was involved in brainwashing local youths towards anti-national activities. They were also in the process of recruiting youths, collecting arms, ammunition and explosives, and raising funds for terror activities," he said.

Also Read: Govt bans PAFF, a proxy of Jaish-e-Mohammed; declares LeT's Arbaz Ahmad Mir individual terrorist

"They were promoting anti-national activities and radicalism on social media. They used videos of explosions and killings to incite anti-national sentiments among youths. Several youths seem to have fallen into their trap," the officer said.

Two persons - Md. Saddam and Sayeed Ahmed - have been arrested from the eastern slope of Vidyasagar Sethu, Kolkata for recruiting young Muslim youths and collecting arms ammunition and explosives and to raise funds for terror: West Bengal STF pic.twitter.com/lSRuHQA3Bb  ANI (@ANI) January 7, 2023

Several documents, laptops, mobile phones, hard drives, pen drives, CPU, notebook, diary, debit cards and a motorcycle were seized from their possession on Friday, he said. The duo was produced before a court, which remanded them to 12 days in police custody.
New Delhi: In a shocking incident, a government teacher in Uttar Pradesh's Kannuaj allegedly gave a love letter to a girl student in class 8th and asked her not to tell anybody about the letter.

According to the reports, the teacher gave the letter to the minor on December 30, 2022 just before the winter vacation of the school. In the letter going viral on social media platforms, it is seen that the teacher had allegedly written that he loves her a lot and that he will miss her during the winter vacation. In the letter he also asked her to call him as and when she can.

According to a Hindustan Times report, the family has lodged a complaint with Sadar Kotwali police accusing the teacher, who is a 47-year-old man, of harassment and intimidation.

Speaking on the matter, Kannauj SP Kunwar Anupam Singh said the police was investigating the case, and the state education department had been asked to conduct an inquiry and share the report with the police.

"We have requested the police to match the handwriting in the letter with that of the teacher," HT quoted Basic Shiksha Adhikari Kaustubh Singh. He further said that stringent actions will be taken against the teacher if found guilty.
New Delhi: Bollywood director Rohit Shetty was injured during the filming of his web series 'Indian Police Force' in Hyderabad on Saturday.

The director sustained an injury on his hand during the shoot at Ramoji Film City on the city outskirts.

He was admitted to the Kamineni Hospital where doctors performed minor surgery. He was later discharged from the hospital.

According to sources, Rohit Shetty sustained an injury while shooting a car chase sequence. The production team immediately brought him to Kamineni Hospital. A team of doctors performed minor surgery.

The shoot for the ambitious cop web show is currently underway at Ramoji Film City. A huge set is said to have been erected for the key schedule.

The shoot involved car chase sequences and other high-octane action and stunt scenes.

Sidharth Malhotra, who plays the lead character in the Amazon Prime Video show, and other key actors are participating in the shoot.

In May last year, Sidharth Malhotra sustained a minor injury during the shoot for 'Indian Police Force' in Goa.

Both Rohit Shetty and Sidharth are making their web series debut. The show also stars Vivek Oberoi and Shilpa Shetty in key roles.
New Delhi: Jeremy Renner has paid tribute to his ICU team for taking care of him after his snow plough accident.

The 52-year-old actor has been in intensive care since being run over by his own snow plough at his Lake Tahoe ranch and Jeremy took to Instagram to thank the medical team who have been looking after him, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

The picture shows Jeremy in his hospital bed, with a number of medical professionals standing around him and he wrote: "Thank you Renowned Medical ICU team for beginning this journey."

The accident came after Jeremy tried to help remove a stranded family member's car from the snow near his home in Tahoe.

Jeremy was struck by a snow plough and left "completely crushed" by the vehicle, according to a 911 call made after the incident.

A doctor - who lived nearby - fixed a tourniquet to his leg, which was bleeding heavily, until the actor was airlifted to hospital, where he was kept in an intensive care unit in a critical condition, before he underwent surgery for blunt chest trauma and orthopedic injuries.

His family released a statement thanking fans, saying they were "tremendously overwhelmed and appreciative of the outpouring of love and support."

The Washoe county sheriff, Darin Balaam, said earlier this week: "At this point in the investigation... we believe this is a tragic accident."

The 'Avengers' actor has been flooded with well-wishes from fellow Marvel co-stars including Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Chris Pratt and Paul Bettany as he recovers, with famous faces including Penelope Cruz, Orlando Bloom and Heidi Klum also sending him uplifting messages.
Syria will reopen its diplomatic mission in Tunisia and appoint an ambassador there, Damascus and Tunis said in a joint statement Wednesday after more than a decade of strained ties.
New Delhi: Bollywood actress and social worker Somy Ali dated superstar Salman Khan for the longest time during the initial phase of her career. The two were said to be in a relationship during the 90s for almost a decade. Somy, who is an avid social media user, has of late been posting stuff about former lover Salman but later deleting it. In her recent post, she explained her action in doing so.

In a long post, Somy Ali revealed the abusive relationship she had with the Bigg Boss host and why it ended. She wrote: There are times when you posted and then deleted the post.. Can you please share the reason behind it?

Yes, because I had used profanity and my anger got the best of me. As an executive director of an NGO, it did not sit well with me to have profane posts on my social media. Thus, I deleted them.

* What happened between Somy Ali and Salman Khan -- this is one question that everyone is asking. Can you please share the answer?

The eight years spent with him were the worst years of my entire existence. In addition to tons of affairs and flings he would constantly belittle me by calling me ugly, stupid and dumb. Not a day went by that he wouldn't make me feel worthless and small. He would not acknowledge me as his girlfriend in public for years and when he finally did he would insult me in front of his friends and berate me nonstop. I have no qualms in saying that given his treatment of me I chose to have affairs which essentially defined as a search for someone who would care for me and love me. Someone who would not insult me and would actually be nice to me. Unfortunately, I was unaware that these men were simply using me and I was building a future with each affair while I was simply being used. When Salman learned of these affairs he had the guts to after beating me saying that I am a man and only men can cheat not women. I was aghast at that statement and the sexism that reeked from it. Let's not forget that just because Salman or anyone else is nice to you, they are the same with others. I had it the worst in terms of verbal, sexual and physical abuse.

After Somy, Salman reportedly dated Aishwarya in the early 2000s but it fizzled out and turned ugly resulting in the two never sharing screen space ever after.

Somy Ali starred in many Bollywood films from 1991 to 1998 with leading actors and was rumoured to be dating Bollywood superstar Salman Khan in the 1990s. She is now an activist, working for women's rights, and victims of domestic and sexual abuse. She is the founder and president of No More Tears USA and is happy working for society.
New Delhi: 20-year-old TV actress Tunisha Sharma committed suicide and it has shaken everyone. The actress was found dead in her co-actor and alleged boyfriend Sheezan Khan's make-up room on the sets of their show 'Dastaan-E-Kabul.' Actress' mother accused Sheezan of her daughter's murder and the actor is currently in jail. In a recent development, the bail plea of Sheezan has been cancelled as Tunisha's mother's statement was not recorded.

The court deferred the hearing after the Mira Bhayandar Vasai Virar police submitted that they had not been able to record the statement of Vanita Sharma as she is busy with post-death rituals.

Seeking relief for Sheezan, his counsels Shailendra Mishra and Sharad Rai told the court that the actor has already been in jail for 14 days. After hearing both sides, the court has now kept the hearing on January 9.

The two were earlier in a relationship and are said to have broken up recently.

Tunisha was found dead on December 24 on the sets of the show 'Alibaba: Dastaan-e-Kabul'. She was said to be in a relationship with Sheezan, her co-actor. On the basis of a complaint filed by her mother, he has been arrested under Section 306 of the IPC.
New Delhi: WhatsApp has announced to bring a new proxy feature around the world that will allow volunteers and organisations to set up a proxy server of WhatsApp. It will allow them to commuincate freely and privately through the popular messaging app even though the country or government has blocked the app.

ALSO READ | Amazon India to lay off around 1000 of its employees in coming days: Report

These proxy servers set up by volunteers and organisations will let to communicate with each other despite a blanket ban of WhatsApp servers in the region or the country.

ALSO READ | Redmi Note 12, Redmi Note 12 Pro & Redmi Note 12 Pro+ launched in India; Check prices, RAM, display, camera, processor and other key details - In PICS

"We are making it easier for anyone to connect to WhatsApp using a proxy. So when a connection to WhatsApp is blocked, people have the power to restore access," said Will Cathcart, Head of WhatsApp.

"Your personal messages will still be protected by end-to-end encryption - ensuring they stay between you and the person you're communicating with and are not visible to anyone in between, not the proxy servers, WhatsApp, or Meta," it said in a blog post.

"We are making it easier for anyone to connect to WhatsApp using a proxy. So when a connection to WhatsApp is blocked, people have the power to restore access," said Will Cathcart, Head of WhatsApp.

The company said that connecting via proxy maintains the high level of privacy and security that WhatsApp provides.

How to use WhatsApp proxy on Android, iOS

Those who are having the latest version of the app can create a proxy server via WhatsApp.

Step 1: Go to WhatsApp and open settings.

Step 2: Tap on Storage & Data, then go to proxies and use proxy.

Step 3: Select Set up Proxy and enter the proxy address.

Step 4: Tap Save once done.

Step 5: You will see a green check once it is set up.

You have to use Proxy server only when youre unable to connect with WhatsApp as the creators IP address will be visible. WhatsApp says that the proxy does not affect the privacy of users as private messages cannot be accessed by proxy, or Meta as these messages will be end-to-end encrypted.
New Delhi: In the upcoming episode 'Bigg Boss 16', family members of the housemates would be seen in a discussion with the show's host Salman Khan in the 'Weekend Ka Vaar' episode.

Before the discussion with the family, Salman will be seen addressing the issues between MC Stan and Archana Gautam.

The drama doesn't end here. With the "Karela Ka Shot" task, housemates pay for talking behind each other's backs and spreading bitterness in the house. The task drops some truth bombs about what the housemates think of each other.

It leads to Salman Khan reciting a remark made by one of the contestants to another. The housemates must identify the person who leveled these accusations against them and gulp down a fire shot of karelas for them.

In tonight's episode, family members come to the defense of housemates, who are playing against 'Bigg Boss' himself. Right after Salman asks them who in their opinion is khatra for their loved ones inside the house, a huge fight broke out among family members.
In his recently released memoir, Prince Harry has revealed that he killed at least 25 Taliban members during his two deployments in Afghanistan. In the book, he describes these individuals as "chess pieces" that needed to be eliminated and admits that he did not view them as human beings at the time. This confession has been met with criticism from the Taliban, who have referred to Harry's actions as "war crimes" and condemned his statements.

Taliban condemns Prince Harry's revelation

The Taliban's interim administration released a statement on the matter, with a leader named Anas Haqqani writing on Twitter, "Mr. Harry! The ones you killed were not chess pieces, they were humans; they had families who were waiting for their return. Among the killers of Afghans, not many have your decency to reveal their conscience and confess to their war crimes." This statement has prompted a response from national and international media, particularly in light of the Taliban's history of human rights violations and the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.

Also Read: SHOCKING! Prince Harry claims his brother William knocked him to the floor over argument about Meghan Markle

A few army veterans criticised his revelation.

Prince Harry has claimed that he was responsible for killing 25 people, during his second tour of Afghanistan.



He made the claim in his book SPARE.



No respectful Service Person or Veteran will share these details, it is certainly nothing to be proud of, or ever mentioned. January 5, 2023

Prince Harry describes first time he lost his virginity

In addition to his statement about killing at least 25 Taliban members during his military deployments in Afghanistan, Prince Harry's upcoming memoir, "Spare," also includes details about his personal life. According to reports, the book includes a revelation about Harry's loss of virginity in a field behind a pub to an older woman who treated him like "a young stallion." This alleged incident took place in 2001 when Harry was a student at Eton, at the age of 17.

I went into this incredibly naive. I had no idea the British press was so bigoted. Hell, I was probably bigoted before the relationship with MeghanI didnt see what I now see.#PrinceHarrys awakening as part of an interracial couple isnt uncommon.pic.twitter.com/1wnWA6QaIQ  R.S. Locke / Royal Suitor (@royal_suitor) January 5, 2023

According to reports, in his upcoming memoir "Spare," Prince Harry admits to using cocaine multiple times at the age of 17 in an attempt to feel something and to be different. He also admits to using cannabis and magic mushrooms, which caused him to hallucinate that a toilet was talking to him.

(With agency inputs)
Ahram Online highlights a selection of do-not-miss events this week (12-18 April) in Egypt
Egyptian authorities released on Sunday 27 pretrial detainees, according to an announcement posted on Facebook by lawyers Tarek El-Awady and Tarek El-Khouly, who are members of the Presidential Pardon Committee.

The released detainees were jailed pending investigation in different cases.

Among the released is activist and engineer Ahmed Badawy, who was arrested in 2019 over spreading false news and assisting a terrorist group.

Also included is actor Hamada Semeida, who was detained four months ago on accusations of misusing social media.

Since the reactivation of the Presidential Pardon Committee in April 2022, more than 1,000 pretrial detainees have been released and 12 convicts have been pardoned.

Pardons and release orders have included high-profile figures, including political activists Hossam Mones, Yahia Abdel-Hady, Hisham Fouad, as well as leftist activist and lawyer Haitham Mohamadein.

The committee was originally established in 2016 to review the cases of those imprisoned for political crimes and others who meet certain criteria set by the committee.

The committee receives appeals from entities and political entities such as the National Council for Human Rights (NCHR) and parliaments Human Rights Committee as well as through its website.

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Egypt's agricultural exports in 2022 reached nearly 6.5 million tons for the first time ever, reaching a total value of about $3.3 billion, said Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation El-Sayed El-Quseir.

The ministers statements were based on a report from the Head of the Central Administration of Plant Quarantine (CAPQ), Ahmed El-Attar.

According to the report, this years exports increased 14 per cent over 2021, from 6,432,565 tons to 5,640,144 tons.

It stated that 406 agricultural products were exported from Egypt to 160 markets worldwide in 2022.

The top products were citruses, potatoes, fresh onions, grapes, fresh tomatoes, sweet potatoes, strawberries, guava, garlic, mango, watermelon and pomegranates, according to the report.

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Egypts National Council for Human Rights (NCHR) issued a statement on Saturday calling for the return of five-year-old boy Shenouda to the Christian family who raised him until their lawsuit to regain custody of the child is ruled on.

In late 2022, the case of boy Shenouda stirred controversy after authorities removed the boy from the custody of the couple who raised him and placed him in an orphanage following DNA tests which revealed that the couple were not his biological parents.

The boy was later assigned to the Islamic faith per customary practice and renamed Yusuf.

The childless couple who raised boy Shenouda told the authorities that they found him as an abandoned infant who was a few days old in a church in Cairo.

They added that they named him Shanouda Farouk Fawzy after the father.

The couple have filed a lawsuit to regain custody of the child and reverse his conversion to Islam.

Adoption is prohibited by Egyptian law as it contradicts Islamic Sharia.

However, an alternative care system for abandoned children  which allows orphans to be raised as part of a foster family  exists.

Egyptian law does not regulate the religion of children with unidentified parents.

However, the Ministry of Interior's civil status department customarily attributes them to Islam after picking a full name for them.

The NCHR intervenes

The NCHR said it would assign its legislative committee to explore ways to be involved in the childs lawsuit based on the relevant laws.

It also said that it would suggest legislative and procedural amendments to both the parliament and the government.

The council will also coordinate with all relevant parties to make sure that the case ends in a way that guarantees the best interest of Shenouda, which is bringing the child back to his family, the statement said.

"It is the right of the child at this early age to live in a family, not in an orphanage," the NCHR stressed.

The council called for all judicial authorities working on the case as well as the Ministry of Social Solidarity to make sure that they take the child's best interest into account in all decisions related to the child and to ensure that their decisions are in line with the Constitution and the Child Law 12/1996.

The NCHR called for returning the child to the family until the lawsuit is decided.

The council asserted that taking the child from the family that he lived with during his first five years and placing him in an orphanage is in contradiction to article 80 of the Constitution, the Child Law, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and standards of childrens rights.

"The council affirms that the humanitarian nature of this situation requires us to act in the interest of the child, to ensure his rights, and to show mercy until the case is decided," the statement said.

The lawsuit "should not be an obstacle to the child's enjoyment of a decent life with the family in which he was raised for a full five years," the statement added.

President of the NCHR Moushira Khattab wrote an opinion in December under the title "Shanoudas rights as a child," where she stressed the need to underscore how the constitutional provisions are framed in a way that gives priority to the role of the family in the life of any child.

Khattab expressed hopes that Shenouda can "celebrate this holy season back home in the embrace of the family who has loved and cared for him all these years."

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Egyptian-EU cooperation on migration stands at 111 million euros covering 34 projects, Head of the European Union (EU) Delegation to Egypt Christian Berger said on Saturday.

Berger made his remarks to the Egyptian state new agency (MENA), adding that cooperation between Egypt and the EU will be furthered in 2023, especially on migration.

Berger highlighted an agreement signed last October to launch the first phase, worth 23 million euros, of a border management programme.

The programme will develop the capacity of the Egyptian authorities and civil society stakeholders to apply "rights-based, protection oriented and gender sensitive approaches" in border management.

Berger added that the second phase, worth 57 million euros, will be implemented with the Egyptian government this year.

He also lauded the positive implementation of a 2017 agreement, worth 60 million euros, that aimed to improve Egypt's migration management, solve the causes of irregular migration and to support those communities that host migrants and refugees.

Egypt has stepped up its efforts since 2016 to deal with irregular migration, when President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi launched the countrys first national strategy to combat irregular migration and ratified Law 82/2016 that set out penalties criminalising all forms of migrant smuggling.

President El-Sisi has affirmed that Egypt will not be a transit point for illegal migrants seeking to reach Europe.

Egypt hosts around nine million migrants and refugees, who have full autonomy and access to all basic services, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in December.

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Egypt welcomed on Saturday the outcomes of last week's meeting between rival Libyan leaders in Cairo as an important step towards holding presidential and parliamentary elections simultaneously as soon as possible.

Speaker of the Libyan House of Representatives Aguila Saleh and Head of Libyas Higher Council of State Khaled Al-Mishri agreed to draw a road map for finalising the arrangements necessary to complete the election process. The announcement comes following talks they both held in Cairo on Thursday.

The leaders of Libyas two rival legislative chambers also agreed on referring the countrys constitutional document to the two entities to be endorsed. The endorsement of the constitutional document, they said, will pave the way for holding elections.

In a statement on Saturday, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it welcomes the consensus reached by Saleh and Al-Mishri to refer the draft constitutional document to the two entities for approval with the aim of completing electoral laws and executive measures and unifying state institutions.

The ministry cited the UN-sponsored Libyan Constitutional Track Committee that comprises both entities and whose rounds kicked off in the Egyptian capital in April last year as the main track that embodies the will of the Libyan people.

The relevant state institutions in Libya take full ownership of this track with the aim to establish the framework for reaching a political settlement in future, the ministry added.

The ministry praised the role played by the two entities in undertaking their responsibilities and expressed aspiration that they fulfill the rest of their tasks in the coming period.

Cairo has hosted three rounds of the Constitutional Track Committee meetings. During the last round, which was held in June, Libyan leaders reached a consensus on the constitutional framework to hold elections.

Libya has witnessed a political stalemate since it has failed to hold the long-awaited elections in December 2021. The country is currently divided between two rival governments; one based in Tripoli, led by Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah, and the other appointed by the east-based parliament and led by Fathi Bashagha.

Dbeibah, who has refused to hand over power before holding elections, asserted last week that his government is ready to hold general elections in 2023.

Egypt has repatedly affirmed that holding elections is the only way to resolve the ongoing crisis in Libya.

In a joint press conference following Thursdays talks, Al-Mishri said that all Libyan committees have been able to reach a consensus  under Egypts sponsorship  on many of the points of the constitutional document.

Al-Mishri added that election laws would be jointly drafted by both Libya's House of Representatives and Higher Council of State and that in case of disagreement the election laws would be put up for vote in a public referendum.

"Egypt will always remain supportive of the choices of the Libyan people and the role of the Libyan institutions in a way that leads to achieving security, stability, and unity in Libya," the foreign ministry said.

Egypt will also support Libya in a way that leads to the exit of all foreign forces and mercenaries from Libyan lands. It will also work towards safeguarding Libyas sovereignty and its peoples resources in line with the resolutions of the UN Security Council and the outcomes of the Paris and Berlin tracks, the ministry added.

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A thirty-year-old Egyptian woman who had recently undergone a lung transplant from a living donor  the first operation of its kind in Egypt and the Middle East  at Ain Shams University Hospital has died, the university announced on Friday.

The patient, Sahar, suffered "abrupt deterioration" despite experiencing "three weeks of relative success" following a post-operative complication that occurs in 30 percent such cases, the university explained in a statement, reported by Ahram Arabic news gate, during her last hours.

"After the relative success of the patient for a period of three weeks, her separation from the cardiac-pulmonary perfusion and partial support ventilation devices, her full interaction with people, and the start of the physical rehabilitation programme to help move and walk, a sudden deterioration occurred," the hospital statement read.

Such complications "occur in such cases by 30 percent" of cases the hospital clarified, adding that she, as a result, was put back on ventilators.

Medical examinations conducted by the hospital staff showed that "the patient's body rejected the transplanted lung violently, despite receiving the best treatments available in the world," it added.

The 14-hour long operation was performed on 17 December after a long period of preparations.

Medical specialists in the fields of chest pathology, thoracic surgery, anesthesia and the cardiovascular field participated in the operation.

The patient, who was suffering respiratory failure, received two lung lobes donated by her two brothers.

In its statement, the university stressed its determination to press ahead with lung transplantation programme to fulfill the needs of its wait-list lung patients, reiterating its confidence in its medical team.

Transplantation in Egypt began for the first time in 1978 with kidney transplants. It was followed 20 years later by the first liver transplant in 2001.

Today, more than 5,400 liver transplants have been completed.

In previous remarks to Ahram Online, Minister of Health and Population Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar said the field of organ transplantation in Egypt is expected to witness an unprecedented qualitative leap.

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Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi on Friday told Egyptians not to worry while wishing a year of goodness, safety and security for all Egyptians and the whole world as he attended the Christmas mass ceremony held by the Egyptian Coptic Orthodox Church.

Addressing the public at Christmas Mass at the Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ in the New Administrative Capital, Sisi hailed Pope Tawadros as a symbol of wisdom.

Egyptians are united against division, he added

In his short speech, El-Sisi reassured the Egyptian people that the state does not hide anything, warning them from listening to rumours or any irresponsible person.

The state and its officials are keen on the Egyptian people, he added.

The international crisis has a very huge impact; the world could change and many countries will be economically affected if the war continues for an additional year or more than that, the president said, referring to impacts of the Russia-Ukraine war.

We are moving at a steady pace despite the current circumstances, he said, calling on Egyptians not to be afraid or anxious.

Coptic Orthodox Egyptians, who make up 90 percent of the countrys Christian population, celebrate Christmas on 7 January according to the Julian Calendar.

Smaller Egyptian Christian denominations  such as Catholics and Evangelicals  celebrate Christmas on 25 December, according to the Gregorian Calendar.

Coptic Christmas was declared a public holiday in Egypt in 2003.

This year, the government announced that Sunday, 8 January will be a paid day off for public and private sector workers on the occasion of Coptic Christmas.

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The Presidential Pardon Committee will not approve the release of anyone who may pose a threat to the lives of Egyptians, said the committee member MP Tarek El-Kholy said on Saturday.

In an interview with Egypts official Middle East News Agency (MENA), the MP said that the committee will be fulfilling its job, and its job would be done after the release of all eligible for presidential pardon along with their re-integration with society.

The main criterion for the committee is that the detainee or prisoner did not threaten Egyptians' lives nor was a member of a terrorist organisation, he added.

Since the reactivation of the Presidential Pardon Committee in April 2022, more than 1,000 pretrial detainees have been released, and 12 convicts have been pardoned.

Pardons and release orders have included high-profile figures, including political activists Hossam Mones, Yahia Abdel-Hady, and Hisham Fouad, as well as leftist activist and lawyer Haitham Mohamadein.

El-Kholy said that re-integration into society is a crucial step in line with presidential directions not to leave the released prey to the difficult social and economic conditions

We focus on this issue in the committee to identify the challenges facing each person, he said.

He pointed out that a common challenge facing those released is finding or returning to jobs. He added that the committee is working with government bodies and civil and private sectors to facilitate the detainee or prisoners return to work.

The biggest challenge facing the committee is returning dismissed students to their university because university regulations prevent this, he said. He explained that the committee reports these challenges to the concerned authorities and parliament.

El-Kholy said it was still unclear exactly how many people had been successfully reintegrated into society, as the work is still ongoing.

One of the most critical tasks entrusted to the committee is the issue of imprisoned debtors, the MP said, adding that it has a significant humanitarian dimension and reflects community solidarity and the application of the vast concept of human rights.

Asked about whether the committee would turn into a permanent institution, as some have suggested, El-Kholy stated that he believes the committee has a temporary role and was established for a temporary purpose, which is to review and examine cases related to opinion and expression.

These cases occurred in an exceptional period during Egypts fight against terrorism, so it was natural after the situation stabilised that the temporary committee would conclude its work, he added.

The committee was initially established in 2016 to review the cases of those imprisoned for political crimes and others who meet certain criteria set by the committee. However, the final decision on eligibility for pardon rests with the president.

The committee receives appeals from entities and political entities such as the National Council for Human Rights (NCHR) and parliaments Human Rights Committee, as well as through its website.

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Somalia's government claimed Saturday that the al-Shabab extremist group has for the first time asked to open negotiations, amid a military offensive the government has described as ``total war.''

There was no immediate statement by al-Shabab, an al-Qaida-affiliate that for well over a decade has carried out high-profile bombings in Somalia's capital and controlled parts of the country's central and southern regions, complicating efforts to rebuild the once-failed state after decades of conflict.

``Al-Shabab requested to open negotiations with the Somali government, but there are two groups within al-Shabab,'' Deputy Defense Minister Abdifatah Kasim told journalists in Mogadishu.

``The first part is foreigners, and the second part is local Somalis. Those locals have a chance to open up negotiations, but those foreigners who invaded our country have no right for talks. The only option is to return to where they are from.''

The deputy defense minister added that ``for the Somalis, we are ready to receive them, for they are willing to surrender to the Somali government. They must follow the government's instructions, reintegrate with their society, or face the Somali National Army on the front lines.''

This is the first time Somalia's federal government has said that the extremist group has requested talks. In September, during a U.S. visit, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said ``they are not willing to negotiate,'' while stressing that ``we are ready to talk to them`` and have sent messages about it.

Al-Shabab numbers several thousand fighters, including an unknown number of foreigners, both from regional countries like neighboring Kenya and beyond. The extremists have carried out several high-profile attacks over the years in Kenya, including in the capital, Nairobi, and at a military base used by the U.S.

Al-Shabab has long sought to impose strict Islamic law in Somalia and seeks the withdrawal of foreign troops operating in the Horn of Africa country. The United States has a military presence in Somalia to combat the extremists, along with Turkey and a multinational African Union force.

Somalia's president after being elected last year launched a military offensive against al-Shabab with the support of some local militias that have regained control of some communities from the extremists. The president in a New Year's address vowed to eliminate al-Shabab this year.

The extremists, under pressure as the government seeks to squeeze its sources of financing, have lashed out. An October bombing at a busy intersection in Mogadishu killed at least 120 people, and a pair of bombings Wednesday in a region at the heart of the government offensive killed at least 35 people.

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"I was able to come this year because there is peace," says Asme Mamo as he joins crowds of worshippers celebrating Orthodox Christmas in the historic Ethiopian town of Lalibela.

Two months after a ceasefire deal between the Ethiopian government and Tigray rebels to end two years of a devastating war, Africa's largest Christian site is alive with excitement and religious fervour as the faithful flock to Lalibela for the festivities.

A white tide of tens of thousands of worshippers of all ages, draped in their immaculate "netela" (a shawl covering the head and shoulders), thronged the UNESCO World Heritage Site and its magnificent rock-hewn 12th and 13th-century churches.

In recent years, the crowds were much sparser in Amhara town, one of Ethiopia's holiest and most storied places.

Lalibela lies only 40 kilometres (25 miles) as the crow flies from Tigray, where the conflict erupted between government forces and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) in November 2020, spilling over periodically into neighbouring regions.

The town itself was at the centre of a fierce struggle between the warring sides, changing hands four times during the fighting, although the ancient churches appear to have been spared the scars of war.

Seized by Tigray rebels in an offensive in mid-2021, it was recaptured by pro-government forces on December 1, 2021, before falling back into the hands of TPLF fighters 10 days later. The rebels finally left Lalibela at the end of December of that year after they announced a withdrawal to their Tigray stronghold.

A surprise peace deal was signed last November 2 in the South African capital Pretoria to silence the guns in northern Ethiopia and allow the gradual resumption of humanitarian aid and the restoration of basic services -- communications, electricity, banking, transport -- in Tigray, long cut off from the outside world.

'So many people'

"I wanted to come last year but I couldn't because of the war," says Asme, who travelled from Wolkait in western Tigray, a disputed area claimed by both the Amhara and Tigrayan ethnic groups.

"I didn't expect so many people to be here," says the 30-year-old science teacher of Amhara origin.

The Pretoria agreement has allowed traffic to resume in northern Ethiopia, so Asme came to Lalibela by bus with fellow pilgrims from his home village.

Others arrived on foot from surrounding villages, by car, or by plane from the capital Addis Ababa and abroad from countries such as Britain, German and the United States.

Asme described the atmosphere of the festival as "special".

"Even the greetings among each other are unique because people have missed each other. Everybody is excited about peace."

Lalibela's high priest Kengeta Belay said he was "overwhelmed" by the numbers joining the celebrations.

"This is the benefit of peace. People are coming from all four directions to worship freely without fear of anything... My joy is boundless."

"I have been attending the festivities for over 40 years. I was born and raised here and became a priest. This year's celebration is the biggest crowd of pilgrims I've ever seen," smiled the 55-year-old clergyman, just minutes before the start of a night of candlelit ceremonies.

'Prayers for freedom'

Massed in and around Lalibela's unique complex of churches -- but also on surrounding hills and even in trees, the faithful sang, prayed, ate, slept or enjoyed long discussions with their fellow pilgrims.

Songs, psalms and ululations rang out from Saint Mary's church, the oldest of the 11 stone houses of worship and the heart of celebrations for Genna (Christmas in Amharic).

With her eyes closed and her head bent over a prayer stick, Bethlehem said she was savouring the "peaceful and joyful atmosphere" of the festivities.

"Our country was unstable in the past few years, there was war. Thanks to God, all that has passed," said the young banker from Addis Ababa, who did not want to give her family name or age.

"Today, I witnessed that peace is worth more than anything. My prayer and my wish is that God grants freedom for my country, for myself, and for all of us."

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Forty-six Ivorian soldiers detained in Mali since July departed the capital Bamako on Saturday, a day after being pardoned by Mali's junta leader, an airport official, a Malian army officer and a diplomatic source told AFP.

The Ivorian soldiers, whose detention triggered a bitter diplomatic row between Mali and Ivory Coast, were arrested on July 10, 2022, after arriving in Bamako.

Mali accused them of being mercenaries, while Ivory Coast and the United Nations say they were flown in to provide routine backup security for the German contingent of the UN peacekeeping mission.

On December 30, a Malian court sentenced the 46 soldiers to 20 years in prison, while three women among the original 49 arrested, who had already been freed in September, received death sentences in absentia.

They were convicted of an "attack and conspiracy against the government" and of seeking to undermine state security, public prosecutor Ladji Sara said at the time.

On Friday, Mali's junta leader Assimi Goita pardoned all 49 soldiers.

From Bamako, they will travel to Togo's capital Lome before carrying on to Abidjan, a Togolese diplomatic official told AFP.

Togolese President Faure Gnassingbe mediated in the row and had paid a "friendly working visit" to Bamako on Wednesday.

Diplomatic efforts

The trial opened in Bamako on December 29 and concluded the following day.

It came in the run-up to a January 1 deadline set by leaders from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) for Mali to release the soldiers or face sanctions.

An Ivorian delegation had travelled to Mali for talks before the trial opened, and the Ivorian defence ministry had said the dispute was "on the way to being resolved".

An agreement reached between Mali and Ivory Coast at the time had left the possibility open of a presidential pardon by Goita.

The Malian government on Friday cited a memorandum of understanding the two countries had signed "on the promotion of peace and the strengthening of relations of friendship, brotherhood and good neighbourliness between the Republic of Mali and the Republic of Ivory Coast".

It also thanked Togo's president but denounced the "aggressive position" of ECOWAS leader Umaro Sissoco Embalo.

Longstanding tensions

Relations between Mali and its West African neighbours had already been strained before the arrests, since elected president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita was toppled in August 2020 by officers angered at failures to roll back a jihadist insurgency.

Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara is considered one of the most intransigent West African leaders towards Mali's putschists.

After the troops were detained, the UN acknowledged some procedural "dysfunctions" in a note addressed to the Malian government, saying that "certain measures have not been followed".

The Ivorian presidency also admitted "shortcomings and misunderstandings".

But the row escalated in September, when diplomatic sources in the region said Mali wanted Ivory Coast to acknowledge its responsibility and express regret for deploying the soldiers.

Bamako also wanted Ivory Coast to hand over people who had been on its territory since 2013 but who are wanted in Mali, they said.

Ivory Coast rejected both demands and was prepared for extended negotiations to free the troops, the sources said.

"This hostage-taking will not be without consequences," Ouattara said at the time.

The tensions led Mali's interim prime minister at the time, Abdoulaye Maiga, to denounce a "synchronisation of actions" against Mali at the UN General Assembly in September.

He attacked UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for having declared that the Ivorian soldiers were not mercenaries.

He also criticised ECOWAS chief Embalo as well as the heads of state of Ivory Coast and Niger.

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The head of the United Nations human rights office called Saturday for a prompt, transparent investigation into the deaths of at least 28 people whose bodies were found in northwest Burkina Faso last month.

Volker Turk, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, said it was encouraging that authorities had announced an investigation into the incident in Nouna town, a predominately ethnic Fulani and Muslim community.

"I call on them to ensure it is prompt, thorough, impartial and transparent and to hold all those responsible to account regardless of position or rank", he said in a statement.

"The victims and their loved ones are owed no less", he added.

Local human rights groups allege that volunteer militias supporting Burkina Faso's army killed dozens of Fulani civilians, including children. Fulani people have been increasingly targeted by the military and local defense militias because they are suspected of supporting the West African country's Islamic extremist rebels who have been inflicting violence on the country for years.

The U.N. human rights office said Turk had previously raised concerns with the government about possible abuses "linked to recruitment, arming and deployment of auxiliaries in Burkina Faso.

"There is an urgent need to strengthen their vetting procedures, predeployment training on international human rights and humanitarian law, their effective supervision by the security and defence forces and to ensure inclusion and transparency during their recruitment", the Geneva-based office said.

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Packing Kyiv's 1,000-year-old Lavra Cathedral for Orthodox Christmas, hundreds of worshippers heard the service in that church in the Ukrainian language for the first time in decades, a demonstration of independence from the Russian Orthodox Church.

Richly decorated with golden icons and panels, the cathedral - part of the complex known as the Monastery of the Caves and a UNESCO World Heritage Site - put up a video screen outside for the overflow of worshipers, despite the frigid temperatures of -10 Celsius (14 F).

Overlooking the right bank of the Dnieper River, the cathedral and monastery complex has been a pilgrimage site for centuries. And for the first time in the 31 years of Ukraine's independence, the service there was held in the Ukrainian language. Ukrainian army troops in uniform were among those singing well-known Ukrainian carols.

Ukraine's government on Thursday took over the administration of the revered Lavra complex from the Moscow patriarchate and allowed the Ukrainian church to use it for the Orthodox Christmas service. The move highlights the long-running tensions between the two churches exacerbated by Russia's war in Ukraine.

"It's a first victory'' for Ukraine, said Oksana Abu-Akel who hailed it as a significant step in the Ukrainian Orthodox Church's efforts to cut ties with Russia after it started the war more than 10 months ago. "This is the first time in 300 years that there is really our own service here. Every person feels this joy. It is a victory for all Ukrainians.''

Ukrainian Culture Minister Oleksandr Tkachenko said Thursday that the Lavra complex had been taken over by the state after the lease of the Moscow-controlled church expired on Dec. 31.

"It's an amazing moment. Previously this place - on Ukrainian territory, within Kyiv - has been linked to Moscow. Now we feel this is ours, this is Ukrainian. This is part of the Ukrainian nation,'' said Alex Fesiak, who attended the service.

The Metropolitan Epiphanius, the primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, spoke not just about Christmas but delivered a political message about the war.

"As a nation, we sought to live peacefully, having a good understanding with all our neighbors. But the enemy meanly and treacherously broke the peace and invaded our land, shedding blood, sowing death and wanting to destroy our statehood and our very Ukrainian identity,'' he said during the service.

"Those who held us in captivity could not endure our achievements and our success," he said. "The devil's malice and envy prompted them to make war, but they are sure to be defeated. After all, the truth is on our side.''

Natalia Levshyna said her husband couldn't come to the Christmas service as he is fighting on the front line, but she will send him photos of the service as it's very important to him. Originally from Donbas, she said she stopped attending the church of the Moscow Patriarchate in 2014, when Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula and supported the conflict in the eastern part of Ukraine.

"Our emotions are running high,'' she said, barely holding back tears, describing her conviction that the Ukrainian church on Ukrainian soil should be independent from the Russian Orthodox Church.

"Our church must be synchronized with state policy. They must be one,'' Levshyna said.

Others in Ukraine have decided to distance themselves from the Russian Orthodox Church by celebrating Christmas on Dec. 25.

On Friday, the Church of Moscow Patriarchate condemned the Ukrainian plans to hold a service in the Lavra Cathedral as ''an attempt to forcefully seize ... the cathedral by means of blackmail and misinformation of society.''

In 2019, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine received recognition from the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, but Moscow's patriarch refused to accept that.

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church declared independence from Moscow's Patriarchate after Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, ending the Ukrainian church's loyalty to the Moscow patriarch which dated back to the 17th century. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church removed Moscow Patriarch Kirill as its leader in public worship and now uses its own sacramental oil for blessings rather than oil supplied by Moscow.

But Ukrainian security agencies have claimed that some in the Ukrainian church have maintained close ties with Moscow. They've raided numerous holy sites of the church and later posted photos of rubles, Russian passports and leaflets with messages from the Moscow patriarch as proof that some church officials have been loyal to Moscow.

Prominent Ukrainian Orthodox Church leaders have rejected the allegations of ties with Moscow, insisting that they have loyally supported Ukraine from the start of the war and that a government crackdown will only hand a propaganda coup to Russia.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new government is little more than a week old but it's already giving the Biden administration headaches.

Just days into its mandate, a controversial member of Netanyahu's right-wing Cabinet riled U.S. diplomats with a visit to a Jerusalem holy site that some belief may be harbinger of other contentious moves, including vast expansions of Jewish illegal settlement construction on land claimed by the Palestinians.

And, Netanyahu's government adopted punitive measures against the Palestinians that run in direct opposition to several recent Biden moves to boost U.S.-Palestinian relations, including restoring assistance to the Palestinian Authority that had been cut during the Trump administration and allowing Palestinian officials to visit the United States.

The new government is an unwelcome complication for a Biden national security team seeking to shift attention away from the Middle East and toward rivals like China and Russia. It also comes as Republicans take control of the House of Representatives and are eager to cast Biden as unfriendly to Israel ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

Bracing for more turmoil, Biden is dispatching his national security adviser to Israel in mid-January in a bid to forestall potentially deepening rifts between his administration and its top Mideast partner.

That visit by Jake Sullivan may be followed by other high-level trips to Israel, including one by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, according to administration officials.

Their message goes beyond warnings about inflaming tensions with Palestinians: It's also about not cozying up with Russia, particularly now that Moscow is relying on Israel's main enemy, Iran, in its war on Ukraine; and not upsetting the delicate Middle East security balance.

Since Netanyahu won hotly contested elections last year with huge support from the Israeli right, U.S. officials have sought to tamp down predictions of a collision course, saying they will judge his government on actions rather than personalities. Biden himself spoke of his years-long relationship with Netanyahu.

``I look forward to working with Prime Minister Netanyahu, who has been my friend for decades, to jointly address the many challenges and opportunities facing Israel and the Middle East region, including threats from Iran,'' Biden said when Netanyahu took office Dec. 29.

Yet while Biden and Netanyahu have known each other for years, they are not close.

Biden and former Obama administration officials who now work for Biden still harbor resentment toward the prime minister who, during his previous iteration as Israel's leader, sought to derail their signature foreign policy achievement: the Iran nuclear deal.

Still, the administration is signaling it will engage with Netanyahu while avoiding more extreme members of his government. That approach wouldn't be unprecedented in the region: The U.S. deals with Lebanon's government while shunning members from the Hezbollah movement, a designated foreign terrorist organization that is nonetheless a domestic political power. But, it would be remarkable for the U.S. to take a similar approach with such a close ally.

``We will be dealing directly with Prime Minister Netanyahu,'' State Department spokesman Ned Price said this week when asked about possible contacts with Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's, whose visit to the site known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary prompted a major outcry.

The inclusion of Ben-Gvir, a West Bank settler leader, and other extreme right-wing figures in Netanyahu's government who are hostile to the Palestinians and opposed to a two-state resolution has put Israel and the United States on opposite paths.

On Thursday, the deputy U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Robert Wood, at an emergency meeting of the Security Council called by Arab states to condemn Ben-Gvir's holy site visit, underscored Biden's firm support for ``the historic status quo,'' especially the ``Haram Al-Sharif/Temple Mount.''

Wood noted that Netanyahu had pledged to preserve the status quo - ``We expect the government of Israel to follow through on that commitment,'' he said - and stressed that the administration placed a priority on preserving the possibility of a two-state solution.

But on Friday, Netanyahu's Security Cabinet approved a series of punitive steps against the Palestinian leadership in retaliation for the Palestinians pushing the U.N.'s highest judicial body to give an opinion on the Israeli occupation of the West Bank.

Those moves underscored the hardline approach to the Palestinians that Netanyahu's government has promised at a time of rising violence in the occupied territories.

The Security Cabinet decided to withhold millions of dollars from the Palestinian Authority and transfer those funds to a compensation program for the families of Israeli victims of Palestinian militant attacks. And, it will deny benefits, including travel permits, to Palestinian officials who ``are leading the political and legal war against Israel.''

Meanwhile, Biden's administration is moving in a diametrically opposed direction. Since taking office, the administration has reversed the Trump ban on aid and provided more than $800 million in economic, development, security, and other assistance to the Palestinians and the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.

In the fall, the State Department obtained a Justice Department opinion that allows Palestinian officials to visit the United States and spend money in the U.S. despite laws barring such travel and transactions and a Supreme Court ruling that Congress has an enforceable role in the foreign policy process.

The administration ``may reasonably assess that being prevented from hosting the PLO delegation in Washington would seriously impair the president's diplomatic efforts,'' the Justice Department said in a little-noticed Oct. 28th opinion.

Then, exactly one week before Netanyahu took office in late December, the State Department imposed but immediately waived terrorism sanctions against the Palestinian leadership, saying engagement with the Palestinians is a critical U.S. national security interest.

On Dec. 22, Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman notified Congress that she had imposed travel bans on senior leaders of the Palestinian Authority and Palestine Liberation Organization because they ``are not in compliance'' with requirements to tamp down and publicly condemn terrorist attacks against Israelis.

But, in the same notification, the State Department said Sherman had waived the travel bans ``based on her determination that such a waiver is in the national security interests of the United States.''

``An enduring and comprehensive peace between Israel and the Palestinians remains a longstanding goal of U.S. foreign policy,'' the department said.

``A blanket denial of visas to PLO members and PA officials, to include those whose travel to the United States to advance U.S. goals and objectives, is not consistent with the U.S. government's expressed willingness to partner with the PLO and PA leadership.'' he added.

Despite a more-than-$3 billion annual assistance package to Israel and diplomatic backing in international forums, U.S. sway with Netanyahu appears limited.

The Biden administration has not yet followed through on its pledge to re-open the U.S. consulate in Jerusalem, which had historically served as the main contact point with the Palestinians, and it has made no move to re-open the Palestinian embassy in Washington. Both facilities were shut down during the Trump administration.

Alon Liel, a former director-general of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, said further U.S. rapprochement with Palestinians may be the only way to influence Netanyahu.

``If they really want to inflict pressure (on Israel), Biden tomorrow should say in the coming months, we will consider reopening the Palestinian embassy in Washington. Then they will see the earth-shaking here,'' Liel said.

``But there is no sign of that,'' he said. ``As long as they say, `We're worried about your democracy,' those words are meaningless because there were so many words. There's nothing behind the words.''

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Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appointed on Saturday a new police chief, nearly four months into protests triggered by Mahsa Amini's death.

Khamenei, who has the final say in major state policies and is the commander-in-chief of Iran's armed forces, appointed General Ahmad-Reza Radan to replace Hossein Ashtari, said a statement posted on the leader's official website.

Khamenei ordered the police department to "improve its capabilities" as well as "train specialized forces for various security sectors".

Radan, born in 1963, was deputy police chief from 2008 to 2014 and went on to lead the police's Centre for Strategic Studies. He was replaced as deputy by Ashtari, who was made the force's commander in 2015.

Both Radan and Ashtari began their military career in the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The new police chief was sanctioned by the United States in 2010, and later on by the European Union, over "human rights abuses" in connection with protests that followed Iran's contested presidential elections of 2009.

In the statement announcing Radan's appointment, Khamenei expressed "gratitude and satisfaction" with Ashtari's eight-year service.

The Islamic Republic has been gripped by unrest since the September 16 death in custody of Iranian Kurdish Amini, 22, following her arrest for allegedly violating the country's strict dress code for women.

Iranian authorities describe the current nationwide protests as "riots" and say hundreds of people, including members of the security forces, have been killed and thousands arrested.

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Director of the Horn of Africa and Sudan Department of the Arab League Zayd Saban said the AL has received an official memorandum from the Iraqi government notifying it that it will cancel part of Somalias debts to Iraq.

In an interview with MENA on Saturday, Saban said the decisions issued by consecutive Arab summits have urged Arab countries to give priority to forgiving Somalia's debts.

According to Somali figures, the total amount of Mogadishu's debts towards Iraq was approximately 187 million US dollars, until December 2019.

Somalia has been experiencing exceptional conditions over the past decades, he said, noting that the AL has launched unprecedented work since 2016 to handle Somalia's foreign debt issue.

He referred to an AL-United Nations conference held last month to review means of supporting Somalia's capabilities in the face of climate change.

He noted that the conference resulted in the launching several unprecedented initiatives for supporting Somalia.

He lauded the efforts exerted by Arab countries to support Somalia, highlighting Egypt's relief efforts for backing the African Arab state.

He also referred to the Egyptian-Somali agreement to open a branch of Banque Misr in Somalia to facilitate financial cooperation between the two sides.

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Republican favorite Kevin McCarthy was named speaker of the US House of Representatives on Saturday as he quelled a fierce rebellion among his party's ranks that had paralyzed the lower chamber of Congress for days.

McCarthy was always the frontrunner to lead the Republican-led House, but his victory in the small hours of the morning was almost derailed by a right-wing revolt in his party that extended the contest to a historic 15 rounds of voting.

The speaker wields huge influence in Washington by presiding over House business and is second in line to the presidency, after the vice president.

As he accepted the gavel, McCarthy vowed House Republicans would "pass bills to fix the nation's challenges, from the wide open southern border to 'America last' energy policies, to woke indoctrination in our schools."

"America's long term challenges -- the debt and the rise of the Chinese Communist Party -- Congress must be with one voice on both of these issues," he told the House.

Democratic US President Joe Biden congratulated McCarthy in a statement calling for cooperation between the leaders of the two parties.

"As I said after the midterms, I am prepared to work with Republicans when I can and voters made clear that they expect Republicans to be prepared to work with me as well," Biden said.

Republican infighting

McCarthy had been hoping to secure the gavel in the 14th voting round before midnight Friday but suffered a shock setback amid astonishing scenes of Republican infighting as he came up short of a majority by just one vote out of more than 400 cast.

As Matt Gaetz voted "present" to deny McCarthy the gavel, the disappointed Republican leader went over to talk to the Florida lawmaker-elect face-to-face.

Gaetz pointed a finger at McCarthy, who began retreating as Alabama's Mike Rogers lunged at Gaetz and had to be held back with a restraining arm across his face.

"The 'Speaker' selection process, as crazy as it may seem, has made it all much bigger and more important than if done the more conventional way," former president Donald Trump chimed in on his Truth Social platform.

"Congratulations to Kevin McCarthy and our GREAT Republican Party!"

The Republicans, who hold a razor-thin majority, had been mired in internecine warfare as Trump-backed McCarthy failed to win the speakership in multiple ballots, with around 20 conservative hardliners blocking his path since Tuesday.

But the 57-year-old Californian was able to pick up more than a dozen votes among the defectors in two afternoon voting rounds Friday after offering major concessions.

McCarthy predicted he would win in the 14th round -- but suffered a humiliation given wall-to-wall coverage on US news channels before finally bagging his victory in the 15th.

Major concessions

There were more rounds of voting in the fractious 2023 contest than in any speaker election since the Civil War.

McCarthy had projected confidence all week, even as he was bleeding votes rather than adding to the base of around 200 Republicans who have backed him all along.

His party's takeover of Congress is expected to herald the end of cross-party cooperation, with the legislative process gridlocked and Republicans promising an aggressive agenda of investigations into most aspects of Biden's administration and his family.

Democrats and some of McCarthy's supporters, in private, are concerned that he has been offering his far-right critics radical policy commitments that will make the House ungovernable.

There were reports, which AFP has not verified, that he had agreed to propose keeping spending at 2022 levels, including a cap on military funding which would have the same effect as a $75 billion cut.

That has raised alarm among defense hawks pushing for the United States to project strength amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine and an emboldened Chinese stance on Taiwan.

Poisoned chalice?

No single lawmaker, however senior, has the authority to set budgets, but the fact that the suggestion was being taken seriously underscores the Republicans' turn towards isolationism under Trump's leadership.

Other lawmakers-elect were complaining that McCarthy was handing the hardliners plum committee posts and changes to the rules that would severely curtail the role of the speaker.

The renegade Republicans are understood to have flipped their votes in exchange for rule changes making it possible to oust the speaker in a vote called by just one member.

They are also asking for an outsized role in deciding which bills make it to the floor and how they are handled.

Democrats said the speaker role would be a poisoned chalice, as the compromises McCarthy has made will leave him as the weakest speaker in modern history.

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A top U.N. envoy met with the Taliban-led Afghan governments higher education minister on Saturday to discuss the ban on women attending universities. Markus Potzel is the first international official to meet with him since the ban was introduced last month.

Taliban authorities on Dec. 20 ordered public and private universities to close for women immediately until further notice. It triggered widespread international condemnation, including from Muslim-majority countries such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey.

Higher Education Minister Nida Mohammad Nadim has defended the ban, saying it is necessary to prevent the mixing of genders in universities and because he believes some subjects violate Islamic principles.

That ban was followed days later by a ban on Afghan women working for national and international non-governmental groups, another decision that caused global condemnation and the suspension of work by major aid agencies.

The U.N. mission in Afghanistan said that special envoy Markus Potzel called for the urgent lifting of these bans in his meeting with Nadim, saying the country is entering a new period of crisis. "Taliban bans on female education & work for aid agencies will harm all Afghans," the mission said.

Nadim told Potzel the ministry was working for the development and improvement of Afghans, with the protection of Islamic and national values, according to information shared by ministry spokesman Ziaullah Hashmi.

He said opponents were criticizing the implementation of Islamic affairs, using education as an argument to achieve their "evil goals".

"We need to make sure there is no place for them to criticize and, at the same time, fulfill the wishes of Afghans who have made sacrifices for Islamic rule and the implementation of Sharia rules in the country", Nadim told Potzel at the meeting.

He also said Afghanistan's rulers will not accept anyones demands in the form of pressure against Islamic principles.

Potzel thanked Nadim for his time, saying the higher education of any country has a direct impact on the economic situation of that country, according to the ministry spokesman.

The envoy promised to cooperate in the development of Afghanistans higher education and shared his plan for female education with Nadim.

Potzel has also met with Economy Minister Qari Din Mohammed Hanif, who issued the NGO ban; Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Salam Hanafi; Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani and former President Hamid Karzai in recent days to discuss the crackdowns on women and girls.

The discussions come ahead of a closed-door meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Jan. 13 about Afghanistan.

Nadim, a former provincial governor, police chief and military commander, was appointed minister in October by the supreme Taliban leader and previously pledged to stamp out secular schooling. He opposes female education, saying it is against Islamic and Afghan values.

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It's been a big week for U.S.-Mexico relations, and that was even before President Joe Biden becomes the first U.S. leader to visit Mexico in nearly a decade.

In the lead-up to that trip, Biden announced a major border policy shift, with Mexico's blessing, that will result in the United States sending 30,000 migrants from four other countries per month back across the border. In Mexico, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's security forces nabbed one of the sons of imprisoned former Sinaloa cartel boss Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, touching off violence that left 30 dead and dozens injured. The son, Ovidio Guzman, is a reputed drug trafficker wanted by the United States.

The two presidents, along with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, will gather in Mexico City on Monday and Tuesday for a North American leaders summit. Even with progress on the migration issue, there is much to discuss: climate change, manufacturing, trade, the economy and the potential global clout of a more collaborative North America.

Biden arrives at the Palacio Nacional in Mexico City on Monday afternoon and the presidents will meet before Trudeau joins them for dinner. Biden and Trudeau will hold talks Tuesday and then the three will gather for discussions. It will be the first time since 2014 that Mexico has hosted a U.S. president.

Biden hopes to use the summit "to keep driving North America's economic competitiveness and help promote inclusive growth and prosperity", said National Security Council spokesman John Kirby.

For the U.S., the major talking points are migration, drug trafficking and building on Biden's push on electric vehicles and manufacturing.

Lopez Obrador is focused on economic integration for North America, supporting the poor in the Americas and regional relationships that put all governments on equal footing.

The U.S. and Mexico are expected to continue discussions about ending a dispute over U.S. corn after Mexico announced it would ban imports of genetically modified corn. In addition, Mexico is seeking money to boost solar energy projects.

As for Canada, the goal is simply to carve some attention and space in this summit, said Louise Blais, a longtime Canadian diplomat.

Mexico sees the event as a chance to advance its economic interests.

It stands to benefit as U.S. companies reconsider their relationships with China after supply chain disruptions, coronavirus outbreaks and changes in federal policy. Both Mexico's proximity to the U.S. and existing trade agreements would be incentives for American factories to relocate south of the border. The U.S. imported more than $380 billion worth of goods from Mexico through the first 10 months of 2022 _ the third-largest source of imports after China and the European Union, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Canada is the fourth-largest U.S. partner by imports, with the State Department calling it "the world's most comprehensive trading relationship". The U.S. and Canada are each other's largest market for exports, and Canada is the largest foreign supplier of energy products to the U.S.

The U.S., Mexico and Canada are already in a long-standing trade agreement that was updated in 2020. When U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai met last month with Mexico's secretary of the economy, Raquel Buenrostro, they discussed further economic integration as well as energy, fisheries and the trade agreement's ban on importing goods made by forced labor _ a subject that is among the tensions with China.

Analysts at Bank of America estimated in October that Mexico could increase its trade by as much as 30% if more supply chains returned to North America. Their report notes there had already been a bump in Mexican manufacturing as U.S. policymakers and businesses increasingly focus on bringing more trade to allied countries that are near American consumers.

"Every country is arriving with different priorities, but there is common ground", said Enrique Perret, managing director of the U.S.-Mexico Foundation, a think tank focused on cooperation between the two nations. "It's competitiveness, it's economy, it's education, it's labor mobility.

But it's not all rosy.

The leaders of Canada and Mexico have voiced concerns over Biden's "Buy America'' plan. And while Biden's push toward electric vehicles is a boon to both nations because of the tax credits for North American batteries, there's concern the U.S. allies will be left behind.

Meantime, the U.S. and Canada accuse Lopez Obrador of trying to favor Mexico's state-owned utility over power plants built by foreign and private investors, something that is forbidden under the three countries' free trade pact.

The leaders did meet in Washington last November, but until then, there hadn't been a summit in five years and many of the current disputes have festered despite constant discussion. They include fentanyl trafficking, corn production, automobile rules of origin and Mexican energy laws.

"These topics are really complicated issues and they will not be solved in a two-day summit", said Carin Zissis of the Americas Society, a nonprofit dedicated to education, debate and dialogue in the Americas.

The chemistry between Biden and Lopez Obrador is tricky, too. Their relationship is highly transactional and absent any of the warmth and camaraderie Biden has with other world leaders.

Lopez Obrador has made no secret of his admiration of Biden's predecessor, Donald Trump. Lopez Obrador did not recognize Biden's election victory from November 2020 until after the formal Electoral College vote a month later.

Biden has raised concerns over security and drug trafficking in Mexico and the deaths of journalists there. The U.S. took issue with Lopez Obrador for boycotting the Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles last year over Biden's decision not to invite the leaders of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua.

Biden plans to stop in El Paso, Texas, on Sunday for his first visit as president to the U.S.-Mexico border, just days after announcing that the U.S. will immediately begin turning away Cubans, Haitians and Nicaraguans who illegally cross into the U.S. from Mexico. The new policy is an effort to manage the spiraling numbers of migrants arriving at the border.

Mexico agreed each month to take 30,000 Cubans, Nicaraguans, Venezuelans and Haitians who walk or swim to the U.S. and are turned back, and the U.S. each month will offer 30,000 people from those four nations work permits for two years and a legal path if they come to the U.S. by plane, have eligible sponsors and pass background checks. People from those four countries now make up the most migrants crossing the border.

Biden's attempt to tackle border security issues has drawn considerable criticism from immigrant advocates and refugee rights groups ,who say the changes are inhumane and reminiscent of Trump's hard-line approach.

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But the most striking revelations concern the relationship with his family, something that has hung like a shadow over the British royals since he and Meghan stepped down from official duties in 2020 to move to California to forge a new life. As is usual for the royal family, spokespeople for King Charles and Prince William have declined to comment.

Harry's memoir gives a personal account of his struggles dealing with the death of his mother Princess Diana, his time in the military -- when he said he killed 25 Taliban insurgents while serving in Afghanistan -- and his conflicts with the press.

Details of its contents also come as ITV released a clip of an upcoming interview with Harry in which he said he could not commit to attending his father's coronation in May and defended his decision to speak out.

The book was due to be published on Jan. 10, but The Guardian newspaper printed leaked extracts overnight, and Reuters and other media have been able to obtain Spanish-language versions that went on sale early in Spain.

In his book "Spare," Harry also discloses how the brothers, the sons of King Charles, had begged their father not to marry his second wife, Camilla, now Queen Consort, and that he had taken cocaine as a teenager.

Britain's Prince Harry says his older brother and heir to the throne Prince William knocked him to the floor during a 2019 argument over Harry's American wife, Meghan, in his much-awaited memoir, which went on sale days early in Spain on Thursday.

Harry, 38, wrote in his memoir that his brawl with William, 40, took place in 2019 at his then London home after his brother had called Meghan "difficult," "rude" and "abrasive." "He grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and he knocked me to the floor," Harry wrote. "I landed on the dog's bowl, which cracked under my back, the pieces cutting into me. I lay there for a moment, dazed, then got to my feet and told him to get out."

William then challenged his younger brother to hit back, but Harry said he refused. William later returned to the scene, "looking regretful, and apologized," Harry wrote, with his brother asking him not to tell Meghan that he had "attacked" him. William and Harry were once seen as very close after the death of their mother in a Paris car crash in 1997. But the brothers have fallen out since Harry married Meghan, a former actress, in 2018 and the couple then quit their royal role.

In another section of the book, Harry refers to his first meeting with Camilla, whom Diana had blamed for the breakup of her marriage. Harry says he and William had approved of Camilla but asked their father not to marry her. "Despite the fact that Willy and I asked him not to do it, my father went ahead," Harry wrote. "Despite the bitterness and sadness we felt in closing another loop in the history of our mother, we understood this was irrelevant."

 Stinging Criticism

Since their exit from royal life, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, as Harry and Meghan are officially known, have delivered stinging criticism of the Windsors and the British monarchy, which has included accusations of racism that William himself has dismissed.

Last month, Harry and Meghan's six-part Netflix documentary, which attracted record audiences, aired with renewed accusations, including that William had screamed at Harry during a crisis summit to discuss his future.

The main criticism from Harry and Meghan is that royal aides not only refused to hit back at hostile, inaccurate press coverage but were complicit in leaking negative stories to protect other royals, most notably William. "I don't know how staying silent is ever going to make things better," Harry said in Thursday's ITV clip.

Asked why he was invading the privacy of his family, something he had railed against, he replied: "That will be the accusation from the people that don't understand or don't want to believe that my family have been briefing the press."

The title of his book "Spare" comes from an oft-cited quote in British aristocratic circles about the need for an heir, and a spare. Harry says Charles reputedly said to Diana on the day he was born: "Wonderful! Now you've given me an heir and a spare -- my work is done."

How much the disclosures will resonate with the public is unclear. A YouGov poll this week found 65 percent of those surveyed were "not interested at all" in his upcoming book, while another found greater sympathy among respondents for William and his wife, Kate, than for Harry and Meghan.

Charles himself is still hoping for a reconciliation with his son, unnamed sources told newspapers this week. In its leaked extracts, The Guardian says the king had stood between his two sons during a difficult meeting at Windsor Castle following the April 2021 funeral for their grandfather Prince Philip, the late Queen Elizabeth's husband. "Please, boys," Harry quoted his father as saying. "Don't make my final years a misery."
KYODO NEWS - Jan 6, 2023 - 23:04 | All, Japan

Japan's exports of agricultural, forestry and fishery products and food products totaled 1,243.3 billion yen ($9.3 billion) for the 11 months through November, hitting an annual record with one month left, the farm ministry said Friday.

The result comes as the restaurant industry has been recovering in the United States, Europe and China following a sharp drop in demand due to the coronavirus pandemic, the ministry said. The weak yen against other major currencies also helped lift Japanese exports.

The exports of those products hit a record high for the 10th consecutive year. In 2021, the 12-month total was 1,238.2 billion yen.

The government aims to increase such exports to 2 trillion yen ahead of its target year of 2025.

The latest 11-month result represents a 15.4 percent increase from the same period a year ago, led by fisheries products.

Exports of scallops grew 46.9 percent to 84.8 billion yen, while those of pearls rose 38.5 percent to 21.5 billion yen.

Alcoholic beverages also gained momentum, with Japanese sake exports rising 21.3 percent to 43.4 billion yen and whisky climbing 21.3 percent to 52.4 billion yen.

Exports of beef, meanwhile, fell 3.4 percent to 46.0 billion yen.

Related coverage:

Japan farm exports in 2022 1st half hit record high as more dine out

Japan 2021 farm exports hit record high for 9th year amid pandemic

Japan's agricultural exports exceed 1 tril. yen for 1st time
Yang Pengcheng weighs traditional Chinese medicine in Baoding, north China's Hebei Province, Dec. 30, 2022.(Xinhua)

SHIJIAZHUANG, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- Yang Pengcheng, a rural doctor in north China's Hebei Province, has been on a tight schedule lately, delivering medicine to 50 or 60 households with COVID-19 patients a day.

"Although it's hard work, the needs of the villagers are the driving force for us doctors, and this is also our duty. So it doesn't feel difficult," said Yang from Zhujiayu Village, Quyang County, in the city of Baoding.

On the interview day, Dr. Yang's work began by decocting traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for the patients.

"This kind of TCM is decocted according to the formula recommended by the county's health bureau and according to each patient's conditions," he noted.

After that, the veteran doctor embarked on a long trip, delivering the boiled TCM to the patients from house to house.

He also brought his usual medical bag with antipyretic medicine, and his sphygmomanometer, pulse oximeter, thermometer, and stethoscope to check the patients' health conditions.

The 50-year-old has provided medical support for 28 years in Zhujiayu Village.

Even in winter, with the temperature below minus 10 degrees Celsius, Dr. Yang, with chapped hands, wears only a white working uniform, which he refers to as "a work habit."

In China, rural doctors are indispensable, called "guardians" of people's health. With China having recently optimized relevant COVID response measures, the health of people in rural areas has become a big concern for many and an unprecedented challenge faced by village doctors.

"Not so long ago, my whole family contracted COVID-19. So I called our village doctors, and they brought us TCM decoctions and other Western medicine," said Yang Shaokun, a villager.

"In the following days, they called us to ask about our conditions. With village doctors here, we are confident we will overcome the epidemic. Now that we have all recovered, we are not afraid of COVID-19. We are happily preparing for the Chinese Lunar New Year now," said Yang Shaokun in a cheerful tune.

In Baoding, there are more than 7,700 rural doctors like Yang Pengcheng. In Zhujiayu Village alone, 12 rural doctors protect the health of more than 6,500 villagers, including over 600 elderly aged 65 and above, many of whom have difficulty walking.

Night had fallen when Dr. Yang wrapped up his visits and returned to the clinic. Without much rest, he began to prepare herbal decoctions to be delivered to patients the following morning.

"Village doctors play an important role in epidemic prevention and control," said Wang Xuehui, head of the local health bureau, adding that on the township level, there are 43 patrolling medical teams to carry out inspections.

"For those patients faced with higher risk, we will immediately contact hospitals at the county level to transfer them there for further treatment," Wang said. 
This video screenshot shows a wild giant panda walking in Xiaohe Village of Lushan County in Ya'an City, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Jan. 5, 2023.(Xinhua)

CHENGDU, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- A wild giant panda in Lushan County in Ya'an City, southwest China's Sichuan Province, has been rescued through the joint efforts of local villagers, forestry authorities, police and experts, after it was found in a villager's courtyard.

On Thursday morning, local police received a report that a giant panda had been found in a villager's courtyard in Xiaohe Village, Dachuan Township. The wild animal did not look well when discovered, laying there motionless, and it was seemingly lethargic and had a poor appetite for the meat and apples it was offered, according to witnesses.

Local police and forestry officials rushed to the site after receiving the report of the giant panda. Though no visible signs of trauma were found, local forestry workers speculated that it was likely unwell or searching for food and water, leading it to travel down the hill and into the village.

At approximately 4 p.m. Thursday, experts from the Bifengxia panda base in Ya'an, under the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, took the wild panda to the center's veterinary hospital for further observation and care.

The animal was later confirmed to be an adult male weighing approximately 58 kilograms. Experts gave the panda preliminary first-aid measures and further physical examination and medical treatment are underway.

Dachuan Township is part of the Lushan section of the giant panda national park, and several villagers have recently reported traces of wild giant pandas.

This is the third time that wild pandas were reported to have visited local villages since December 2022. 
by Xinhua writers Bian Zhuodan, Xuan Liqi

BRASILIA, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's return to the Brazilian presidency is expected to energize China-Brazil relations and cooperation between China and Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries, and help promote common prosperity around the world, Brazilian media, experts and scholars say.

Chinese President Xi Jinping's Special Representative Vice President Wang Qishan attended Lula's inauguration on Jan. 1 in capital city Brasilia, along with representatives from more than 60 countries and international organizations.

NEW ERA OF LULA DIPLOMACY

In his inaugural speech, Lula stressed his new government will be committed to "unity and reconstruction," to resolving the current crises and challenges facing Brazil, to placing Latin America's largest country among the world's leading economies once again, and to promoting Brazil's return to the international arena.

This is Lula's third presidential term. He was given another four-year mandate in general elections in October 2022, winning with 60.3 million votes, or 50.9 percent of the total, while his predecessor Jair Bolsonaro obtained 58.2 million votes, or 49.1 percent.

On the foreign policy front, Lula pledged to pursue multilateral diplomacy and actively develop cooperative ties with China, the European Union (EU) and other international partners, underscoring the importance of multilateral mechanisms such as South American trade bloc Mercosur and the BRICS bloc of emerging economies comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

As Xi's special representative, Wang handed over a letter signed by Xi and conveyed Xi's congratulations as well as his invitation for Lula to visit China. He said Lula is an old friend of the Chinese people, who has long been caring for and supporting the development of China-Brazil relations.

Mauricio Santoro, a political scientist and professor at the State University of Rio de Janeiro, said Lula stresses the importance to Brazil's economic growth of partnerships with major developing countries, and seeks to create more balanced relations with Western heavyweights.

ELEVATED CHINA-BRAZIL TIES

Brazilian scholars view Lula's new term as a chance to lift Brazil-China relations to higher levels, which will also contribute to global governance, the international order and multilateral mechanisms.

Marcos Cordeiro Pires, a professor at Brazil's Sao Paulo State University, believes "Brazil and China have great potential for future cooperation."

"During Lula's administration, Brazil-China relations will be further improved, developed and enhanced. The two countries will strengthen coordination on issues such as global development and security, support multilateralism, oppose protectionism, cooperate in building infrastructure, and respond actively to climate change and global warming," he said.

"Brazil-China relations will become an important cornerstone for maintaining world peace and development," Pires added.

Bruno de Conti, an economist and professor at the Economic Research Institute of Brazil's State University of Campinas, expects scientific and technological cooperation between Brazil and China to be deepened and better benefit the two countries.

Filipe Porto, a researcher at the Brazilian Foreign Policy Observatory, agrees, saying Brazil and China are likely to fully cooperate in an array of fields besides economy.

Being confident in a better relationship between Brazil and China, de Conti said, "as the trust between Brazil and China becomes stronger and stronger, starting in January, there will be more and more opportunities for various negotiations between the two sides."

CHINA-LAC COMMON PROSPERITY

As Latin America is a region with abundant potential and growing international influence in recent years, higher-level China-Brazil relations are also expected to spur China-LAC cooperation.

China is willing to work with LAC countries in such fields as green economy, poverty alleviation, food security, vaccines and climate change to improve people's well-being and boost common prosperity around the globe through cooperation.

Ivan Oliveira, a researcher at Brazil's Institute for Applied Economic Research, believes that green finance will play an important role in bilateral and multilateral cooperation between China and LAC countries.

Brazilian scholars also share the view that China's path to modernization, high-quality development and sustainable development strategies can offer opportunities for bilateral and multilateral partnerships between China and LAC countries.

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, China, as one of the first countries to distribute vaccines to developing countries, has provided nearly 400 million doses of vaccines and nearly 40 million units of pandemic-fighting supplies to the LAC region.

Looking to the future of China-Latin America relations, Chinese Ambassador to Brazil Zhu Qingqiao said Latin America will also embark on a modernization path tailored to its needs like what China has been doing.

"In the new era, China is committed to building a China-Latin America relationship that is equal, mutually beneficial, innovative, and open and beneficial to the people, and to boosting China-Latin America ties and overall cooperation between China and Latin America to a higher level, so as to better benefit the people of China and Latin America," said Zhu. Enditem

(Xinhua correspondents Zhao Kai and Yan Liang in Mexico City, and Chen Weihua in Rio de Janeiro also contributed to the story.)
BERLIN, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- Norway replaced Russia as Germany's biggest gas supplier in 2022, accounting for 33 percent of its total gas imports, the Federal Network Agency (BNetzA) said on Friday.

"Norway is our most important energy supplier today and should remain so as we move toward a carbon-neutral future," Germany's Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action Robert Habeck said on Thursday during a visit to Oslo, Norway, stressing that the two countries were looking to deepen their energy cooperation.

As a result of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, only 22 percent of Germany's imported gas came from its once biggest supplier Russia in 2022, according to the network agency. Back in 2021, the country had still provided more than half of the gas imports of Europe's largest economy.

Gas supplies from Russia declined over the course of last year and finally ceased altogether in September. The shortfall of Russian gas sparked the energy crisis in Europe and had to be compensated with additional imports from countries such as Norway, the Netherlands and Belgium.

To ensure sufficient supply, the German government set up incentives to save energy and stepped up efforts to fill its gas storages before the winter and heating season. In addition, new supplier agreements were concluded as liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals were built on the North Sea coast to create the necessary infrastructure. 
NANJING, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Six survivors of the Nanjing Massacre have passed away since Dec. 24 last year, and their deaths reduced the total number of registered survivors to 48, according to the Memorial Hall of the Victims in the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders.

The six survivors to have recently passed away include Wang Jin, Zhang Shixiang, Yuan Guilong, Chang Zhiqiang, Ma Tinglu, and Guo Linda. Guo, the latest survivor who departed this earthly plane among the six, died at the age of 93 on Friday.

The average age of the survivors is over 90 years old, making them a key group to focus on amid the COVID-19 outbreaks in China, said the Aid Association of Victims in Nanjing during the War of Aggression against China by Japanese Invaders.

Of late, the association staff has paid close attention to the health conditions of each survivor, and local medics in Nanjing, the capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, have designed emergency treatment plans for them.

The municipal government of Nanjing also provided supplies, including medicines, blood oxygen detection apparatuses, facial masks, and the like for the elder survivors, and planned express channels for the elderly to their doctors.

The Nanjing Massacre took place when Japanese troops captured the then-Chinese capital on Dec. 13, 1937. Over six weeks, they killed approximately 300,000 Chinese civilians and unarmed soldiers in one of the most barbaric episodes of World War II.

In 2014, China's top legislature designated Dec. 13 as the national memorial day for the victims of the Nanjing Massacre. 
HEFEI, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- A new mode of improved plasma confinement was discovered and demonstrated at the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) in Hefei, capital of east China's Anhui Province.

The findings were published in the latest issue of Science Advances on Saturday.

An abundant, safe, and environmentally competitive energy such as nuclear-fusion mastering is a great challenge for humanity. Tokamak represents one of the most promising paths toward controlled fusion. However, obtaining a high-performance, steady-state, and long-pulse plasma regime remains a critical issue to ensure the feasibility of fusion reactors.

At the end of 2021, a steady-state plasma was successfully maintained for a world-record length of 1,056 seconds on the EAST device. The machine and its subsystems were reliable and operated safely, owing to the integration of real-time controls and careful prior preparation. The discovery was made during that campaign.

The new high-confinement and self-organizing mechanism not only demonstrates the reliability and advancement of the machine itself but also offers insights into how to stably maintain plasma operation for a long duration, according to the research team from the Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

These achievements contribute to the integration of fusion plasma technology and physics, essential to operating next-step fusion devices. 
MACAO, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- More than 1,400 senior high school students in the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) on Saturday sat the exam for entering universities in the Chinese mainland, a record high number over the years, according to the Education and Youth Development Bureau of the Macao SAR government.

This year, altogether 109 mainland universities will recruit 1,339 Macao students, an increase of nine universities on the list thanks to support from the Ministry of Education aiming to help Macao develop its major industries and nurture talents on science and engineering, the bureau said.

The first round of recruitment results will be released on Sunday. Students who are not accepted by their chosen universities can continue to apply for vacancies in others. 
People visit the exhibition area of Chinese company TCL during the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, the United States, Jan. 6, 2023. Chinese consumer electronics brands launched a diverse range of innovation products at the 2023 CES, held this week in Las Vegas. (Photo by Zeng Hui/Xinhua)

by Xinhua writer Tan Jingjing

LAS VEGAS, the United States, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- Chinese consumer electronics brands launched a diverse range of innovation products at the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), held this week in Las Vegas.

The world's premier tech show draws more than 3,200 exhibitors from over 170 countries and regions. Hundreds of Chinese companies participated in the show, including well-known brands like TCL, Lenovo, and Hisense as well as startups.

TCL, one of the dominant players in the global TV industry, announced new innovative TV, sound bar models and home appliances at the show, including its ultra slim 8K mini LED TV and 49-Inch R800 5000+ Zones MLED Display.

Its smart wearable products such as Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) glasses also attracted lots of visitors.

Tamir Berliner, a show attendee from Tel Aviv of Israel, tried on TCL's VR glasses to play games. "It is one of the best VR glasses I tried on for its high-resolution and very immersive experience," he told Xinhua.

"TCL smart screens rank the second in the highly competitive U.S. sales market. TCL hopes to take the opportunity of CES to show our smart technology innovation products to the whole world," Mark Zhang, general manager of North America Business Group, TCL Industries, told Xinhua.

Lenovo unveiled the latest lineup of devices and solutions focused on innovation and improving the user experience. Among them are Lenovo's cutting-edge laptop -- Yoga Book 9i, the LA AI chip -- the world's first dedicated AI chip on a gaming laptop, and Lenovo's biggest and most powerful tablet -- Lenovo Tab Extreme.

From new form factors, design-led products, and innovative uses of AI, the new portfolio gives consumers a more personalized technology experience.

Hisense launched its new ULED and Laser TV product lineups at CES 2023, featuring more mini LED options and laser cinema options. It also debuted new appliances and presented at its booth how smart kitchen solutions make life easier and more convenient.

"CES is a great platform for us to show our leading products, learn the latest trend of the industry and have exchanges with counterparts," Fisher Yu, executive vice president of Hisense Group, told Xinhua.

He said Hisense will continue to strengthen investment in research and development, and better analyze user behavior and consumer behavior in different overseas markets, to develop more innovative products accordingly.

Clean energy and energy storage solutions have been a focus at CES 2023. Chinese companies take limelight at the show, and their clean energy solutions attracted attention and recognition from visitors.

Jackery, a pioneer in the portable power industry which is based in Shenzhen in Guangdong province, unveiled innovative portable solar generators at CES 2023.

Its Solar Generator 3000 Pro, producing a maximum of 8500Wh per day, can provide backup power for five days of outdoor adventures or home emergencies.

Jackery also bagged four CES 2023 Innovation Awards for its innovative portable renewable energy solutions.

"The pandemic has changed people's lifestyles. A lot of people prefer outdoor activities. Portable solar power generators could offer power for RVs, electric appliances such as microwaves, refrigerators, and BBQ ovens while they are outdoors," Jack Sun, founder and chairman of Jackery, told Xinhua.

Chinese consumer electronics companies have taken technology innovation to facilitate the diversified development of brands, leading to an overall increase in market share for the Chinese consumer electronics industry.

CES 2023 kicked off in Las Vegas on Thursday and runs through Sunday. 

People visit the exhibition area of Chinese company Hisense during the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, the United States, Jan. 6, 2023. Chinese consumer electronics brands launched a diverse range of innovation products at the 2023 CES, held this week in Las Vegas. (Photo by Zeng Hui/Xinhua)

A man experiences a virtual reality (VR) product of Chinese company TCL during the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, the United States, Jan. 6, 2023. Chinese consumer electronics brands launched a diverse range of innovation products at the 2023 CES, held this week in Las Vegas. (Photo by Zeng Hui/Xinhua)

A man experiences augmented reality (AR) glasses of Chinese company TCL during the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, the United States, Jan. 6, 2023. Chinese consumer electronics brands launched a diverse range of innovation products at the 2023 CES, held this week in Las Vegas. (Photo by Zeng Hui/Xinhua)

A man experiences a 49-inch mini LED curved gaming screen of Chinese company TCL during the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, the United States, Jan. 6, 2023. Chinese consumer electronics brands launched a diverse range of innovation products at the 2023 CES, held this week in Las Vegas. (Photo by Zeng Hui/Xinhua)

People visit the exhibition area of Chinese company Jackery during the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, the United States, Jan. 6, 2023. Chinese consumer electronics brands launched a diverse range of innovation products at the 2023 CES, held this week in Las Vegas. (Photo by Zeng Hui/Xinhua)

People visit the exhibition area of Chinese company Hisense during the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, the United States, Jan. 6, 2023. Chinese consumer electronics brands launched a diverse range of innovation products at the 2023 CES, held this week in Las Vegas. (Photo by Zeng Hui/Xinhua)

People visit the exhibition area of Chinese company TCL during the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, the United States, Jan. 6, 2023. Chinese consumer electronics brands launched a diverse range of innovation products at the 2023 CES, held this week in Las Vegas. (Photo by Zeng Hui/Xinhua)

People visit the exhibition area of Chinese company Hisense during the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, the United States, Jan. 6, 2023. Chinese consumer electronics brands launched a diverse range of innovation products at the 2023 CES, held this week in Las Vegas. (Photo by Zeng Hui/Xinhua)

People look at a drone in the exhibition area of Chinese company Autel Robotics during the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, the United States, Jan. 6, 2023. Chinese consumer electronics brands launched a diverse range of innovation products at the 2023 CES, held this week in Las Vegas. (Photo by Zeng Hui/Xinhua)




by Xinhua writers Bian Zhuodan, Xuan Liqi

BRASILIA, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's return to the Brazilian presidency is expected to energize China-Brazil relations and cooperation between China and Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries, and help promote common prosperity around the world, Brazilian media, experts and scholars say.

Chinese President Xi Jinping's Special Representative Vice President Wang Qishan attended Lula's inauguration on Jan. 1 in capital city Brasilia, along with representatives from more than 60 countries and international organizations.

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva attends the inauguration ceremony in Brasilia, capital of Brazil, on Jan. 1, 2023. (Xinhua/Wang Tiancong)

NEW ERA OF LULA DIPLOMACY

In his inaugural speech, Lula stressed his new government will be committed to "unity and reconstruction," to resolving the current crises and challenges facing Brazil, to placing Latin America's largest country among the world's leading economies once again, and to promoting Brazil's return to the international arena.

This is Lula's third presidential term. He was given another four-year mandate in general elections in October 2022, winning with 60.3 million votes, or 50.9 percent of the total, while his predecessor Jair Bolsonaro obtained 58.2 million votes, or 49.1 percent.

On the foreign policy front, Lula pledged to pursue multilateral diplomacy and actively develop cooperative ties with China, the European Union (EU) and other international partners, underscoring the importance of multilateral mechanisms such as South American trade bloc Mercosur and the BRICS bloc of emerging economies comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

Chinese President Xi Jinping's Special Representative Vice President Wang Qishan hands over a letter signed by Xi to Brazil's new President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva while meeting with him in Brasilia, capital of Brazil, Jan. 2, 2023. (Xinhua/Liu Bin)

As Xi's special representative, Wang handed over a letter signed by Xi and conveyed Xi's congratulations as well as his invitation for Lula to visit China. He said Lula is an old friend of the Chinese people, who has long been caring for and supporting the development of China-Brazil relations.

Mauricio Santoro, a political scientist and professor at the State University of Rio de Janeiro, said Lula stresses the importance to Brazil's economic growth of partnerships with major developing countries, and seeks to create more balanced relations with Western heavyweights.

A cargo ship loaded with soya beans from Brazil prepares to unload at Yangpu port in the Yangpu Economic Development Zone in Danzhou, south China's Hainan Province, July 22, 2022. (Xinhua/Guo Cheng)

ELEVATED CHINA-BRAZIL TIES

Brazilian scholars view Lula's new term as a chance to lift Brazil-China relations to higher levels, which will also contribute to global governance, the international order and multilateral mechanisms.

Marcos Cordeiro Pires, a professor at Brazil's Sao Paulo State University, believes "Brazil and China have great potential for future cooperation."

"During Lula's administration, Brazil-China relations will be further improved, developed and enhanced. The two countries will strengthen coordination on issues such as global development and security, support multilateralism, oppose protectionism, cooperate in building infrastructure, and respond actively to climate change and global warming," he said.

"Brazil-China relations will become an important cornerstone for maintaining world peace and development," Pires added.

Bruno de Conti, an economist and professor at the Economic Research Institute of Brazil's State University of Campinas, expects scientific and technological cooperation between Brazil and China to be deepened and better benefit the two countries.

Filipe Porto, a researcher at the Brazilian Foreign Policy Observatory, agrees, saying Brazil and China are likely to fully cooperate in an array of fields besides economy.

Being confident in a better relationship between Brazil and China, de Conti said, "as the trust between Brazil and China becomes stronger and stronger, starting in January, there will be more and more opportunities for various negotiations between the two sides."

Photo taken on Jan. 18, 2021 shows Longping High-Tech Brazil, a Chinese-invested company owned by Longping Agriculture Science Co., Ltd., in Cravinhos, Brazil. (Xinhua)

CHINA-LAC COMMON PROSPERITY

As Latin America is a region with abundant potential and growing international influence in recent years, higher-level China-Brazil relations are also expected to spur China-LAC cooperation.

China is willing to work with LAC countries in such fields as green economy, poverty alleviation, food security, vaccines and climate change to improve people's well-being and boost common prosperity around the globe through cooperation.

Ivan Oliveira, a researcher at Brazil's Institute for Applied Economic Research, believes that green finance will play an important role in bilateral and multilateral cooperation between China and LAC countries.

Brazilian scholars also share the view that China's path to modernization, high-quality development and sustainable development strategies can offer opportunities for bilateral and multilateral partnerships between China and LAC countries.

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, China, as one of the first countries to distribute vaccines to developing countries, has provided nearly 400 million doses of vaccines and nearly 40 million units of pandemic-fighting supplies to the LAC region.

Looking to the future of China-Latin America relations, Chinese Ambassador to Brazil Zhu Qingqiao said Latin America will also embark on a modernization path tailored to its needs like what China has been doing.

"In the new era, China is committed to building a China-Latin America relationship that is equal, mutually beneficial, innovative, and open and beneficial to the people, and to boosting China-Latin America ties and overall cooperation between China and Latin America to a higher level, so as to better benefit the people of China and Latin America," said Zhu.

(Xinhua correspondents Zhao Kai and Yan Liang in Mexico City, and Chen Weihua in Rio de Janeiro also contributed to the story.)
Rebels of the March 23 Movement (M23) withdraw from Rumangabo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), on Jan. 6, 2023. (Xinhua/Alain Uaykani)

Rebels of the March 23 Movement (M23) on Friday officially handed over the Rumangabo military base they seized in the northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in October, to the military force of East African Community (EAC).

GOMA, DR Congo, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Rebels of the March 23 Movement (M23) on Friday officially handed over the Rumangabo military base they seized in the northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in October, to the military force of East African Community (EAC).

The handover ceremony of this military base, about 40 km from the city of Goma, the capital of the province of North Kivu, took place in the presence of officials from the command of the EAC regional force, the joint verification mechanisms of the Great Lakes region and the authorities of the M23 rebellion.

For Emmanuel Kaputa, the deputy commander of the EAC regional force, this ceremony showcases the continuity of a process already in motion preceded by the withdrawal of the rebels from the town of Kibumba in December 2022.

On Dec. 23, 2022, the rebel group withdrew from Kibumba, about 20 km from Goma, as a "goodwill gesture done in the name of peace."

Soldiers of the regional force of East African Community (EAC) are seen at Rumangabo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), on Jan. 6, 2023. (Xinhua/Alain Uaykani)



"We welcome this commitment by the authorities of the M23 rebellion to respect their commitments. We must accelerate this process in other areas to give the chance for lasting peace and allow our population to find their homes peacefully," said Emmanuel Kaputa.

John Imani Nzenze, an M23 commander, said their withdrawal from the Rumangabo military base and the handing over to the EAC is further proof that total peace remains the priority for M23.

The M23 commander warned the DRC government of the disrespect of its commitment to engage in a direct dialogue with the M23. In his speech, the rebellion representative vigorously castigated the attitude of the DRC government on the military actions against the M23 positions across the territory of Rutshuru.

This photo shows a press conference held by the regional force of East African Community (EAC) and rebels of the March 23 Movement (M23) at Rumangabo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Jan. 6, 2023. (Xinhua/Alain Uaykani)

"We warn the government that we are more than ready to stop the killings and its attacks on our positions and our people. We have demonstrated our goodwill enough, but in the face of the facts that we continue to observe from the government, we are not going to sit with our hands crossed," warned the commander.

It was on Oct. 24 last year that M23 rebels took control of the Rumangabo military base, the largest in the North Kivu province.

Since April 2022, the EAC has carried out a two-track approach that includes facilitating inter-Congolese dialogue and deploying a regional force in the eastern DRC to deal with armed groups who refuse to join the dialogue process.

Since last month, the M23 rebels have taken control of several territories northeast of Goma after intense fighting with the Congolese army, which has forced thousands of civilians to seek refuge. 
U.S. Congressman Kevin McCarthy (C, Front) talks with a House member in the House chamber as the House meets to elect a speaker in Washington, D.C., the United States, on Jan. 6, 2023. The U.S. House of Representatives has adjourned until late Friday night as Congressman Kevin McCarthy is seeking to flip more Republican holdouts to overcome the embarrassing speakership impasse. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

WASHINGTON, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. House of Representatives has adjourned until late Friday night as Congressman Kevin McCarthy is seeking to flip more Republican holdouts to overcome the embarrassing speakership impasse.

McCarthy, a Republican from California, picked up more than a dozen votes from conservative hardliners on Friday afternoon but still failed to clinch the necessary votes to be elected the new House speaker.

"I'll have the votes," McCarthy told reporters on Capitol Hill after the House adjourned to allow more time for negotiations. "I believe we'll have the votes to finish this once and for all."

Among the offers that McCarthy has made to win over his opponents include lowering the threshold to force a vote on ousting the House speaker.

Six House Republicans, including Congressmen Andy Biggs of Arizona and Matt Gaetz of Florida, are still opposed to McCarthy's bid to become speaker after the longest contest in 164 years.

All House Democrats have voted for Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, a Democrat from New York, to be speaker in the election.

Though it's unlikely for Jeffries to attain the position, he is set to become the first African American lawmaker to lead a party in either chamber of the U.S. Congress.

With the historic deadlock dragging on, the House remains paralyzed three days after the new and divided 118th Congress convened. Newly-elected and re-elected U.S. senators were sworn in on Tuesday.

On Friday morning, House Democrats and reportedly only one Republican gathered on the steps of the Capitol, located at the eastern end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., to mark the second anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack.

"The Jan. 6 insurrection shook our republic to the core," U.S. Congresswoman and former top House Democrat Nancy Pelosi said. "For many in the Congress and across our country, the physical, psychological, and emotional scars are still raw."

Exactly two years ago, a large group of supporters of outgoing U.S. President Donald Trump violently stormed the Capitol and disrupted a joint session of Congress to affirm the results of the 2020 presidential election in which Democrat Joe Biden won.

Some of the rioters chanted "Hang Mike Pence" while making their way into the Capitol. Pence, then U.S. vice president presiding over the procedure to formally verify Biden's victory, was rushed out of the building by Secret Service agents to a secure location.

Panicked lawmakers took shelter and crouched behind chairs in the House gallery after the chaos broke out and shocked the United States and the rest of the world.

Approximately 140 police officers were assaulted in the worst attack on the U.S. Capitol in more than 200 years to which at least five deaths have been linked. Over 900 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the landmark complex.

At a ceremony in the White House on Friday, Biden awarded the "Presidential Citizens Medal" to law enforcement and state and local officials who, the White House said, defended the U.S. Capitol and upheld the integrity of the 2020 election.

"We know it could happen again," Biden said of the Capitol riot from the White House, adding that "we face an inflection point" in the nation's history.

Trump, who refused to concede to Biden after the 2020 election and pushed the unsubstantiated claim that their face-off was rigged, was impeached by the Democratic-led House for incitement of insurrection a historic second time before he left office on Jan. 20, 2021. The Senate, evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans at that time, acquitted him later.

A House special committee led by Democrats launched an 18-month investigation into the Jan. 6 attack and issued a "final report" last month, alleging and detailing a "multistep effort" devised and driven by Trump to overturn the 2020 presidential election and block the transfer of power.

The panel, which is poised to be dissolved by House Republicans, accused Trump of inciting an insurrection, conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to make a false statement, and obstruction of an official proceeding, and made criminal referrals to the Department of Justice.

The criminal referrals are not legally binding, and it is up to the Department of Justice to decide whether to pursue charges. Federal prosecutors are running a separate probe into the Capitol riot.

Trump, who launched a third bid for the White House after the 2022 midterms, has strongly slammed the House investigators and their report, stating that they "did not produce a single shred of evidence that I in any way intended or wanted violence at our Capitol" and that the events of Jan. 6 "were not an insurrection" but "a protest that got tragically out of control." 

Photo taken on Jan. 6, 2023 shows the empty chair of the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington, D.C., the United States. The U.S. House of Representatives has adjourned until late Friday night as Congressman Kevin McCarthy is seeking to flip more Republican holdouts to overcome the embarrassing speakership impasse. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

U.S. Congressman Kevin McCarthy (C) is seen in the House chamber as the House meets to elect a speaker in Washington, D.C., the United States, on Jan. 6, 2023. The U.S. House of Representatives has adjourned until late Friday night as Congressman Kevin McCarthy is seeking to flip more Republican holdouts to overcome the embarrassing speakership impasse. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

U.S. Congressman Kevin McCarthy (C) gestures in the House chamber as the House meets to elect a speaker in Washington, D.C., the United States, on Jan. 6, 2023. The U.S. House of Representatives has adjourned until late Friday night as Congressman Kevin McCarthy is seeking to flip more Republican holdouts to overcome the embarrassing speakership impasse. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

Members of the U.S. House of Representatives kneel in prayer prior to a session to elect a House speaker in Washington, D.C., the United States, on Jan. 6, 2023. The U.S. House of Representatives has adjourned until late Friday night as Congressman Kevin McCarthy is seeking to flip more Republican holdouts to overcome the embarrassing speakership impasse. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

Members of the U.S. House of Representatives gather in the U.S. House chamber as the House meets to elect a speaker in Washington, D.C., the United States, on Jan. 6, 2023. The U.S. House of Representatives has adjourned until late Friday night as Congressman Kevin McCarthy is seeking to flip more Republican holdouts to overcome the embarrassing speakership impasse. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

Members of the U.S. House of Representatives gather in the U.S. House chamber as the House meets to elect a speaker in Washington, D.C., the United States, on Jan. 6, 2023. The U.S. House of Representatives has adjourned until late Friday night as Congressman Kevin McCarthy is seeking to flip more Republican holdouts to overcome the embarrassing speakership impasse. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)
U.S. Congressman Kevin McCarthy (C) is pictured in the House chamber in Washington, D.C., the United States, on Jan. 6, 2023. The U.S. House of Representatives elected Congressman Kevin McCarthy as speaker early Saturday morning after a historic deadlock that kept the lower chamber from being fully functional days after the new Congress convened. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

WASHINGTON, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. House of Representatives elected Congressman Kevin McCarthy as speaker early Saturday morning after a historic deadlock that kept the lower chamber from being fully functional days after the new Congress convened.

McCarthy, a California Republican, clinched enough votes to become House speaker in the 15th round of voting -- the longest contest in 164 years -- after a bitter fight with a group of hardline conservatives and 14 failed ballots.

It was the first time a House speaker -- who maintains order, manages its proceedings, and governs the administration of its business on the lower chamber's floor -- had not been elected on the first ballot in 100 years.

U.S. President Joe Biden, a Democrat, said earlier this week that it is "embarrassing for the country" not to have a fully functional Congress, the legislature of the federal government.

All House Democrats voted for Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, a Democrat from New York, making him the minority leader and the first African American lawmaker to run a party in either chamber of the U.S. Congress.

To flip Republican holdouts, McCarthy reportedly made a series of concessions, including a lower threshold to force a vote on ousting the House speaker and a floor vote on a border security bill. He also promised that efforts to raise the nation's debt ceiling must be paired with spending cuts.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, also a New York Democrat, responded to the alleged concessions after McCarthy's election, saying the proposals "will cause a government shutdown or a default with devastating consequences to our country."

"Speaker Kevin McCarthy's dream job could turn into a nightmare for the American people," Schumer said. "To get the votes, he surrendered to demands of a fringe element of the Republican party."

On Friday morning, House Democrats and reportedly only one Republican gathered on the steps of the Capitol, located at the eastern end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., to mark the second anniversary of the mayhem on Capitol Hill on Jan. 6, 2021.

"The Jan. 6 insurrection shook our republic to the core," U.S. Congresswoman and former House speaker Nancy Pelosi said. "For many in the Congress and across our country, the physical, psychological, and emotional scars are still raw."

Two years ago, a large group of supporters of outgoing U.S. President Donald Trump violently stormed the Capitol and disrupted a joint session of Congress to affirm the results of the 2020 presidential election in which Biden won.

Some of the rioters chanted "Hang Mike Pence" while making their way into the Capitol. Pence, then U.S. vice president presiding over the procedure to formally verify Biden's victory, was rushed out of the building by Secret Service agents to a secure location.

Panicked lawmakers took shelter and crouched behind chairs in the House gallery after the chaos broke out and shocked the United States and the rest of the world.

Approximately 140 police officers were assaulted in the worst attack on the U.S. Capitol in more than 200 years, to which at least five deaths have been linked. Over 900 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the landmark complex.

At a ceremony in the White House on Friday, Biden warned that things like the Capitol riot "could happen again" as the United States faces "an inflection point" in its history.

Two years after the riot, U.S. democracy "is in distress and the House is a total mess," said Brad Bannon, a Democratic pollster and CEO of Bannon Communications Research. "The impasse in the U.S. House of Representatives over the election of the Speaker is another demonstration of the decline in our political institutions." 

Members of the U.S. House of Representatives pray before the voting for a new House speaker in the House chamber in Washington, D.C., the United States, on Jan. 6, 2023. The U.S. House of Representatives elected Congressman Kevin McCarthy as speaker early Saturday morning after a historic deadlock that kept the lower chamber from being fully functional days after the new Congress convened. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

This photo taken on Jan. 6, 2023 shows the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., the United States. The U.S. House of Representatives elected Congressman Kevin McCarthy as speaker early Saturday morning after a historic deadlock that kept the lower chamber from being fully functional days after the new Congress convened. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

U.S. Congressman Kevin McCarthy (C) is pictured in the House chamber in Washington, D.C., the United States, on Jan. 6, 2023. The U.S. House of Representatives elected Congressman Kevin McCarthy as speaker early Saturday morning after a historic deadlock that kept the lower chamber from being fully functional days after the new Congress convened. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)
RAMALLAH, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian leadership will firmly confront the Israeli government's serious violations against the Palestinians, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Friday.

Abbas made the remarks during a dinner held in the West Bank city of Bethlehem on the occasion of Christmas according to the eastern calendar, reported the official Palestinian news agency WAFA.

Abbas said that the Palestinians will confront "the serious violations committed by the new Israeli government and extremist settler groups," such as the visit to Al-Aqsa Mosque and Islamic and Christian sanctities, or enacting "racist laws and programs" that are contrary to international law and signed agreements.

"The Palestinian leadership is coordinating with King Abdullah II of Jordan, the Custodian of the Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, as well as with brotherly and friendly groups, taking actions at the level of international and regional forums," Abbas said.

Palestine actively promoted the launch of the UN Security Council emergency session on Thursday with the aim of putting an end to "violations" targeting the historical and legal status of Jerusalem and its sanctities.

Abbas stressed that the Palestinian people "will continue to stand firm on their land and the land of their ancestors and protect their cultural heritage and their Christian and Islamic sanctities, foremost of which are Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Church of the Resurrection, the Church of the Nativity and the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron."

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on Tuesday visited the flashpoint holy site Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East Jerusalem, which was denounced by the Palestinian side as a provocation. 
Photo taken on Jan. 6, 2023 shows a military base at Rumangabo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Rebels of the March 23 Movement (M23) on Friday officially handed over the Rumangabo military base they seized in the northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in October 2022, to the military force of East African Community (EAC). (Xinhua/Alain Uaykani)

GOMA, DR Congo, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- Rebels of the March 23 Movement (M23) on Friday officially handed over the Rumangabo military base they seized in the northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in October, to the military force of East African Community (EAC).

The handover ceremony of this military base, about 40 km from the city of Goma, the capital of the province of North Kivu, took place in the presence of officials from the command of the EAC regional force, the joint verification mechanisms of the Great Lakes region and the authorities of the M23 rebellion.

For Emmanuel Kaputa, the deputy commander of the EAC regional force, this ceremony showcases the continuity of a process already in motion preceded by the withdrawal of the rebels from the town of Kibumba in December 2022.

On Dec. 23, 2022, the rebel group withdrew from Kibumba, about 20 km from Goma, as a "goodwill gesture done in the name of peace."

"We welcome this commitment by the authorities of the M23 rebellion to respect their commitments. We must accelerate this process in other areas to give the chance for lasting peace and allow our population to find their homes peacefully," said Emmanuel Kaputa.

John Imani Nzenze, an M23 commander, said their withdrawal from the Rumangabo military base and the handing over to the EAC is further proof that total peace remains the priority for M23.

The M23 commander warned the DRC government of the disrespect of its commitment to engage in a direct dialogue with the M23. In his speech, the rebellion representative vigorously castigated the attitude of the DRC government on the military actions against the M23 positions across the territory of Rutshuru.

"We warn the government that we are more than ready to stop the killings and its attacks on our positions and our people. We have demonstrated our goodwill enough, but in the face of the facts that we continue to observe from the government, we are not going to sit with our hands crossed," warned the commander.

It was on Oct. 24 last year that M23 rebels took control of the Rumangabo military base, the largest in the North Kivu province.

Since April 2022, the EAC has carried out a two-track approach that includes facilitating inter-Congolese dialogue and deploying a regional force in the eastern DRC to deal with armed groups who refuse to join the dialogue process.

Since last month, the M23 rebels have taken control of several territories northeast of Goma after intense fighting with the Congolese army, which has forced thousands of civilians to seek refuge. 

Photo taken on Jan. 6, 2023 shows a press conference held by the regional force of East African Community (EAC) and rebels of the March 23 Movement (M23) at Rumangabo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Rebels of the March 23 Movement (M23) on Friday officially handed over the Rumangabo military base they seized in the northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in October 2022, to the military force of East African Community (EAC). (Xinhua/Alain Uaykani)

Soldiers of the regional force of East African Community (EAC) are seen at Rumangabo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), on Jan. 6, 2023. Rebels of the March 23 Movement (M23) on Friday officially handed over the Rumangabo military base they seized in the northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in October 2022, to the military force of East African Community (EAC). (Xinhua/Alain Uaykani)

Rebels of the March 23 Movement (M23) withdraw from Rumangabo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), on Jan. 6, 2023. Rebels of the March 23 Movement (M23) on Friday officially handed over the Rumangabo military base they seized in the northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in October 2022, to the military force of East African Community (EAC). (Xinhua/Alain Uaykani)

Soldiers of the regional force of East African Community (EAC) are seen at Rumangabo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), on Jan. 6, 2023. Rebels of the March 23 Movement (M23) on Friday officially handed over the Rumangabo military base they seized in the northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in October 2022, to the military force of East African Community (EAC). (Xinhua/Alain Uaykani)
Tourists visit the famed tourist bazaar Khan el-Khalili in Cairo, Egypt, on Jan. 6, 2023. Shop owners in Khan el-Khalili, one of the most famed tourist bazaars in the Egyptian capital Cairo, are expecting the return of Chinese guests after China announced its easing of travel restrictions starting from Jan. 8. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)

CAIRO, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Shop owners in Khan el-Khalili, one of the most famed tourist bazaars in the Egyptian capital Cairo, are expecting the return of Chinese guests after China announced its easing of travel restrictions starting from Jan. 8.

Located in the heart of Cairo's old Islamic district, the centuries-old market used to bustle with tourists coming from all over the world.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic that broke out three years ago has depleted the market of its vibrant vibe.

Amr Dahi, who sells precious stones and copper artifacts in the market, told Xinhua that his shop used to enjoy good business before the pandemic.

"Before the spread of COVID-19, the business was good as large numbers of tourists, especially Chinese, flocked here," he said.

He said that he looked forward to the coming back of Chinese tourists, which might help boost his flagging business.

China used to be the fourth-largest exporter of tourists to Egypt, with hundreds of thousands coming each year for its historical sites and sunny sandy beaches.

"Chinese tourists constitute a large percentage of buyers ... They would spend a lot on buying antiques and gifts," the middle-aged man said.

Mohammed Saleh, the owner of a traditional Egyptian food restaurant in Khan al-Khalili, told Xinhua that the Chinese people are very friendly.

"They love Egyptian traditions and prefer traditional Egyptian food and are always keen to try it," he said.

He recalled the days when the market's alleyways were bustled with Chinese tourists.

"We pray that Chinese tourists will return so that the situation will improve," Saleh said.

In 2019, tourism revenues in Egypt hit a record high of 13.03 billion U.S. dollars, receiving 13.1 million tourists. The tourism sector had been badly hit amid the pandemic.

During the first half of 2022, some 4.9 million tourists visited the ancient country, the number of which increased by 85.4 percent compared to the same period in 2021, said Egypt's official statistics agency. 

A tourist buys souvenirs the famed tourist bazaar Khan el-Khalili in Cairo, Egypt, on Jan. 6, 2023. Shop owners in Khan el-Khalili, one of the most famed tourist bazaars in the Egyptian capital Cairo, are expecting the return of Chinese guests after China announced its easing of travel restrictions starting from Jan. 8. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)

Tourists enjoy their time at the famed tourist bazaar Khan el-Khalili in Cairo, Egypt, on Jan. 6, 2023. Shop owners in Khan el-Khalili, one of the most famed tourist bazaars in the Egyptian capital Cairo, are expecting the return of Chinese guests after China announced its easing of travel restrictions starting from Jan. 8. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)

Tourists visit the famed tourist bazaar Khan el-Khalili in Cairo, Egypt, on Jan. 6, 2023. Shop owners in Khan el-Khalili, one of the most famed tourist bazaars in the Egyptian capital Cairo, are expecting the return of Chinese guests after China announced its easing of travel restrictions starting from Jan. 8. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)

Tourists visit the famed tourist bazaar Khan el-Khalili in Cairo, Egypt, on Jan. 6, 2023. Shop owners in Khan el-Khalili, one of the most famed tourist bazaars in the Egyptian capital Cairo, are expecting the return of Chinese guests after China announced its easing of travel restrictions starting from Jan. 8. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)

Tourists visit the famed tourist bazaar Khan el-Khalili in Cairo, Egypt, on Jan. 6, 2023. Shop owners in Khan el-Khalili, one of the most famed tourist bazaars in the Egyptian capital Cairo, are expecting the return of Chinese guests after China announced its easing of travel restrictions starting from Jan. 8. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)
Photo taken on Feb. 19, 2020 shows the Pentagon seen from an airplane over Washington D.C., the United States. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

Cihat Yayci, a retired Turkish admiral known for his expertise in naval geopolitics, emphasized that the United States controls 336 biological laboratories in 30 countries, noting that they pose global threats if used for military purposes under special services.

ISTANBUL, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- The international community should unite against and launch a comprehensive investigation into the military biological laboratories run by the United States in many parts of the world as the threat is immense, a prominent Turkish security analyst said.

"All nations must unite to establish an international organization and openly and transparently audit them because the danger is significant," Cihat Yayci, a retired Turkish admiral known for his expertise in naval geopolitics, told Xinhua in a recent interview.

Yayci emphasized that the United States controls 336 biological laboratories in 30 countries, noting that they pose global threats if used for military purposes under special services.

"COVID-19 might be over, but other menaces are likely to occur. As far as we have seen, some data suggest other (biological) threats have lurked behind the scene," said Yayci, adding that the world might see such threats become acute through insect vectors, migratory birds dispersing dangerous infectious diseases and biological agent targeting selected ethnic groups.

"That's why all nations and the United Nations should act together," he said.

According to the Turkish analyst, the United States has been concentrating on producing genetic weapons since the early 20th century and the technology has become competent in this field in the 21st century.

U.S. intelligence agencies have been actively using almost every opportunity to develop genetics science since the 2000s. James Clapper, former director of National Intelligence of the United States, also stated that genetics could be among the weapons of mass destruction in the future, according to Yayci.

The Turkish analyst stressed the importance of establishing an independent international organization to launch an investigation into the U.S. laboratories as the United States, one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council with veto power, could exert its influence on the process if the probe is within the UN system.

Yayci cited the example that Washington threatened to withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO) as the COVID-19 pandemic was gripping the globe in July 2020.

Such behavior hampered the WHO efforts during one of the world's worst pandemics and disabled the essential organ of the United Nations, he said. 
Passengers prepare to board a train in Shenzhen North railway station in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, Jan. 7, 2023. The Spring Festival travel rush this year, will continue for 40 days from Jan. 7 to Feb. 15. (Xinhua/Mao Siqian)

Passengers prepare to board a train in Shenzhen North railway station in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, Jan. 7, 2023. The Spring Festival travel rush this year, will continue for 40 days from Jan. 7 to Feb. 15. (Xinhua/Mao Siqian)

Trains are pictured at Shenzhen North railway station in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, Jan. 7, 2023. The Spring Festival travel rush this year, will continue for 40 days from Jan. 7 to Feb. 15. (Xinhua/Mao Siqian)

A worker examines a train at a maintenance base in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Jan. 6, 2023. The Spring Festival travel rush this year, will continue for 40 days from Jan. 7 to Feb. 15. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)

A worker examines a train at a maintenance base in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Jan. 6, 2023. The Spring Festival travel rush this year, will continue for 40 days from Jan. 7 to Feb. 15. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)

Passengers prepare to board a train in Shenzhen North railway station in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, Jan. 7, 2023. The Spring Festival travel rush this year, will continue for 40 days from Jan. 7 to Feb. 15. (Xinhua/Mao Siqian)

Passengers are seen in Shenzhen North railway station in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, Jan. 7, 2023. The Spring Festival travel rush this year, will continue for 40 days from Jan. 7 to Feb. 15. (Xinhua/Mao Siqian)

Passengers prepare to board a train in Shenzhen North railway station in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, Jan. 7, 2023. The Spring Festival travel rush this year, will continue for 40 days from Jan. 7 to Feb. 15. (Xinhua/Mao Siqian)

This aerial photo shows bullet trains at a maintenance base in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Jan. 7, 2023. The Spring Festival travel rush this year, will continue for 40 days from Jan. 7 to Feb. 15. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)

This stitched panoramic aerial photo shows bullet trains in a maintenance base in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Jan. 7, 2023. The Spring Festival travel rush this year, will continue for 40 days from Jan. 7 to Feb. 15. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)

A worker examines a train at a maintenance base in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Jan. 6, 2023. The Spring Festival travel rush this year, will continue for 40 days from Jan. 7 to Feb. 15. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)

Passengers prepare to board a train in Hefei South railway station in Hefei, central China's Anhui Province, Jan. 7, 2023. The Spring Festival travel rush this year, will continue for 40 days from Jan. 7 to Feb. 15. (Xinhua/Zhou Mu)

This photo shows bullet trains in a maintenance base in Guiyang, capital of southwest China's Guizhou Province, Jan. 6, 2023. The Spring Festival travel rush this year, will continue for 40 days from Jan. 7 to Feb. 15. (Xinhua/Liu Xu)

Passengers are seen in Beijing West railway station in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 7, 2023. The Spring Festival travel rush this year, will continue for 40 days from Jan. 7 to Feb. 15. (Xinhua/Zhang Chenlin)

Passengers prepare to board a train in Hefei South railway station in Hefei, central China's Anhui Province, Jan. 7, 2023. The Spring Festival travel rush this year, will continue for 40 days from Jan. 7 to Feb. 15. (Xinhua/Zhou Mu)

This aerial photo shows bullet trains in a maintenance base in Guiyang, capital of southwest China's Guizhou Province, Jan. 6, 2023. The Spring Festival travel rush this year, will continue for 40 days from Jan. 7 to Feb. 15. (Xinhua/Liu Xu)

This aerial photo shows bullet trains at a maintenance base in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, Jan. 7, 2023. The Spring Festival travel rush this year, will continue for 40 days from Jan. 7 to Feb. 15. (Xinhua/Chen Sihan)

This aerial photo shows bullet trains at a maintenance base in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, Jan. 7, 2023. The Spring Festival travel rush this year, will continue for 40 days from Jan. 7 to Feb. 15. (Xinhua/Chen Sihan)

Passengers wait for train in Tianjin West railway station in north China's Tianjin, Jan. 7, 2023. The Spring Festival travel rush this year, will continue for 40 days from Jan. 7 to Feb. 15. (Xinhua/Li Ran)

This photo shows bullet trains in a maintenance base in Guiyang, capital of southwest China's Guizhou Province, Jan. 6, 2023. The Spring Festival travel rush this year, will continue for 40 days from Jan. 7 to Feb. 15. (Xinhua/Liu Xu)

Passengers are seen on a bullet train in Beijing West railway station in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 7, 2023. The Spring Festival travel rush this year, will continue for 40 days from Jan. 7 to Feb. 15. (Xinhua/Zhang Chenlin)

This aerial photo shows bullet trains at a maintenance base in Fuzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province, Jan. 7, 2023. The Spring Festival travel rush this year, will continue for 40 days from Jan. 7 to Feb. 15. (Xinhua/Zhou Yi)

Passengers wait for train in Urumqi railway station in Urumqi, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Jan. 7, 2023. The Spring Festival travel rush this year, will continue for 40 days from Jan. 7 to Feb. 15. (Xinhua/Ding Lei)

This aerial photo shows bullet trains in a maintenance base in Guiyang, capital of southwest China's Guizhou Province, Jan. 6, 2023. The Spring Festival travel rush this year, will continue for 40 days from Jan. 7 to Feb. 15. (Xinhua/Liu Xu)

Passengers pose for photos in the waiting hall at Suzhou Railway Station in Suzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, Jan. 7, 2023. The Spring Festival travel rush will continue for 40 days from Jan. 7 to Feb. 15 this year,. (Xinhua/Li Bo)

Passengers line up to enter Suzhou Railway Station in Suzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, Jan. 7, 2023. The Spring Festival travel rush will continue for 40 days from Jan. 7 to Feb. 15 this year,. (Xinhua/Li Bo)

Passengers are pictured in the waiting hall at Harbin Railway Station in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Jan. 7, 2023. The Spring Festival travel rush will continue for 40 days from Jan. 7 to Feb. 15 this year,. (Xinhua/Wang Jianwei)

Passengers are pictured in Chengdu east railway station in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Jan. 7, 2023. The Spring Festival travel rush will continue for 40 days from Jan. 7 to Feb. 15 this year,. (Xinhua/Wang Xi)

Passengers line up to enter Suzhou Railway Station in Suzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, Jan. 7, 2023. The Spring Festival travel rush will continue for 40 days from Jan. 7 to Feb. 15 this year,. (Xinhua/Li Bo)

Passengers are pictured on the platform in Guiyang north railway station in Guiyang, capital of southwest China's Guizhou Province, Jan. 7, 2023. The Spring Festival travel rush will continue for 40 days from Jan. 7 to Feb. 15 this year,. (Xinhua/Liu Xu)

People wave goodbye at Wuhan railway station in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Jan. 7, 2023. The Spring Festival travel rush will continue for 40 days from Jan. 7 to Feb. 15 this year,. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)

A train crew member decorates the carriage of a train at Wuhan Railway Station in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Jan. 7, 2023. The Spring Festival travel rush will continue for 40 days from Jan. 7 to Feb. 15 this year,. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)

Passengers are pictured in Kunming Railway Station in Kunming, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Jan. 7, 2023. The Spring Festival travel rush will continue for 40 days from Jan. 7 to Feb. 15 this year,. (Xinhua/Chen Xinbo)

A passenger sits in a bullet train in Xi'an Railway Station in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Jan. 7, 2023. The Spring Festival travel rush will continue for 40 days from Jan. 7 to Feb. 15 this year,. (Xinhua/Li Yibo)

Passengers queue for security check at Haikou Meilan International Airport in Haikou, south China's Hainan Province, Jan. 7, 2023. The 40-day Spring Festival travel rush in China kicked off Saturday. (Xinhua/Yang Guanyu)

Passengers are seen at Jinan West Railway Station in Jinan, east China's Shandong Province, Jan. 7, 2023. The 40-day Spring Festival travel rush in China kicked off Saturday. (Xinhua/Xu Suhui)

Passengers prepare to board a train at Shenzhen North Railway Station in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, Jan. 7, 2023. The 40-day Spring Festival travel rush in China kicked off Saturday. (Xinhua/Liang Xu)

Passengers are seen at Zhengzhou East Railway Station in Zhengzhou, central China's Henan Province, Jan. 7, 2023. The 40-day Spring Festival travel rush in China kicked off Saturday. (Xinhua/Li An)

Passengers go through automatic ticket gates at Beijing West Railway Station in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 7, 2023. The 40-day Spring Festival travel rush in China kicked off Saturday. (Xinhua/Ren Chao)

Passengers get off a train at Xi'an Railway Station in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Jan. 7, 2023. The 40-day Spring Festival travel rush in China kicked off Saturday. (Photo by Zou Jingyi/Xinhua)

Passengers are seen at Shenzhen North Railway Station in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, Jan. 7, 2023. The 40-day Spring Festival travel rush in China kicked off Saturday. (Xinhua/Liang Xu)

Passengers are seen at Guangzhou South Railway Station in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province, Jan. 7, 2023. The 40-day Spring Festival travel rush in China kicked off Saturday. (Xinhua/Lu Hanxin)

Passengers are seen at Beijing West Railway Station in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 7, 2023. The 40-day Spring Festival travel rush in China kicked off Saturday. (Xinhua/Ren Chao)

Passengers go through automatic ticket gates at Beijing South Railway Station in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 7, 2023. The 40-day Spring Festival travel rush in China kicked off Saturday. (Xinhua/Zhang Chenlin)

Passengers and stewards pose for a photo at Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station in east China's Shanghai, Jan. 7, 2023. The 40-day Spring Festival travel rush in China kicked off Saturday. (Xinhua/Wang Xiang)

Passengers queue to board a train at Beijing Fengtai Railway Station in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 7, 2023. The 40-day Spring Festival travel rush in China kicked off Saturday. (Xinhua/Zhang Chenlin)

A passenger checks in at Haikou Meilan International Airport in Haikou, south China's Hainan Province, Jan. 7, 2023. The 40-day Spring Festival travel rush in China kicked off Saturday. (Xinhua/Yang Guanyu)

A passenger adjusts the face mask of a child at Zhengzhou East Railway Station in Zhengzhou, central China's Henan Province, Jan. 7, 2023. The 40-day Spring Festival travel rush in China kicked off Saturday. (Xinhua/Li An)
Tourists visit the Khan el-Khalili historical market in Cairo, Egypt, on Jan. 6, 2023. Shop owners in Khan el-Khalili, one of the most famed tourist attractions in the Egyptian capital Cairo, hope for the return of Chinese guests after China announced its easing of travel restrictions starting from Jan. 8. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)



CAIRO, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Shop owners in Khan el-Khalili, one of the most famed tourist bazaars in the Egyptian capital Cairo, are expecting the return of Chinese guests after China announced its easing of travel restrictions starting from Jan. 8.

Located in the heart of Cairo's old Islamic district, the centuries-old market used to bustle with tourists coming from all over the world.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic that broke out three years ago has depleted the market of its vibrant vibe.

A tourist buys souvenirs at a store of the Khan el-Khalili historical market in Cairo, Egypt, on Jan. 6, 2023. Shop owners in Khan el-Khalili, one of the most famed tourist attractions in the Egyptian capital Cairo, hope for the return of Chinese guests after China announced its easing of travel restrictions starting from Jan. 8. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)



Amr Dahi, who sells precious stones and copper artifacts in the market, told Xinhua that his shop used to enjoy good business before the pandemic.

"Before the spread of COVID-19, the business was good as large numbers of tourists, especially Chinese, flocked here," he said.

He said that he looked forward to the coming back of Chinese tourists, which might help boost his flagging business.

China used to be the fourth-largest exporter of tourists to Egypt, with hundreds of thousands coming each year for its historical sites and sunny sandy beaches.

"Chinese tourists constitute a large percentage of buyers ... They would spend a lot on buying antiques and gifts," the middle-aged man said.

People visit the Khan el-Khalili bazaar market in Cairo, Egypt, April 29, 2021. (Xinhua/on Sui Xiankai)

Mohammed Saleh, the owner of a traditional Egyptian food restaurant in Khan al-Khalili, told Xinhua that the Chinese people are very friendly.

"They love Egyptian traditions and prefer traditional Egyptian food and are always keen to try it," he said.

He recalled the days when the market's alleyways were bustled with Chinese tourists.

"We pray that Chinese tourists will return so that the situation will improve," Saleh said.

People ride camels at sunset at the Giza Pyramids scenic spot in Giza, Egypt, on Dec. 22, 2022. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)

In 2019, tourism revenues in Egypt hit a record high of 13.03 billion U.S. dollars, receiving 13.1 million tourists. The tourism sector had been badly hit amid the pandemic.

During the first half of 2022, some 4.9 million tourists visited the ancient country, the number of which increased by 85.4 percent compared to the same period in 2021, said Egypt's official statistics agency. 
BAMAKO, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Malian transitional president Assimi Goita has pardoned 49 Ivorian soldiers arrested in July last year, a government statement has said.

Goita granted a pardon with full remission of sentences to the 49 Ivorians convicted by the Malian justice system, said the statement released on Friday from government spokesman Abdoulaye Maiga.

The Ivorian soldiers were arrested on July 10, 2022, at Bamako International Airport. On Dec. 30, 46 soldiers were sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment, while the other three soldiers, all women, who had been freed in September, were sentenced to death.

Mali's ruling junta said the soldiers were acting as mercenaries, while Cote d'Ivoire said they were part of a United Nations peacekeeping mission. 
Farmers present their buffalo at "Dhaka Cattle Expo 2023" in Bangladeshi capital Dhaka on Jan. 6, 2023. The largest show of Bangladesh's dairy farm industry "Dhaka Cattle Expo 2023" kicked off here on Friday to highlight investment opportunities and advanced technology in the dairy and livestock sectors of the country. (Xinhua)

DHAKA, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- The largest show of Bangladesh's dairy farm industry "Dhaka Cattle Expo 2023" kicked off here on Friday to highlight investment opportunities and advanced technology in the dairy and livestock sectors of the country.

Organized by the Bangladesh Cattle Farmers' Association, or BCFA, in collaboration with the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock and the Directorate of Youth Development of the Bangladeshi government, the two-day exhibition was attended by a large number of dairy farms, clients, and visitors.

The salient features of the cattle show are breed contests and international breed displays.

It also provides opportunities for animal purchasing.

On the sidelines of the 2-day show, cultural and traditional programs are also being held at the Bangabandhu International Conference Center (BICC), also known as the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Center which is located at Dhaka's Sher-e-Bangla, a busy commercial and central neighborhood.

The organizers said the exhibition aimed at enhancing the knowledge of farms and farmers, and skills by adopting modern techniques for value addition, which in turn will contribute to the country's national GDP or gross domestic product. 

Farmers present a bull at "Dhaka Cattle Expo 2023" in Bangladeshi capital Dhaka on Jan. 6, 2023. The largest show of Bangladesh's dairy farm industry "Dhaka Cattle Expo 2023" kicked off here on Friday to highlight investment opportunities and advanced technology in the dairy and livestock sectors of the country. (Xinhua)

Farmers present a bull at "Dhaka Cattle Expo 2023" in Bangladeshi capital Dhaka on Jan. 6, 2023. The largest show of Bangladesh's dairy farm industry "Dhaka Cattle Expo 2023" kicked off here on Friday to highlight investment opportunities and advanced technology in the dairy and livestock sectors of the country. (Xinhua)
NEW DELHI, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- India is to seek help of satellite images to look into buildings developing cracks and underground water emerging through fissures in roads and floors due to land subsidence in the country's northern hilly state of Uttarakhand.

Local media reported on Saturday that a couple of buildings have recently collapsed in parts of the state. Teams of the Indian army and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have rushed to the crisis-hit Joshimath area of Uttarakhand.

Over 600 houses have developed cracks and hundreds of inhabitants have been relocated to makeshift shelter camps.

According to media reports, satellite images will help geoscientists to figure out the reasons behind the land subsidence. 
ISTANBUL, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- The international community should unite against and launch a comprehensive investigation into the military biological laboratories run by the United States in many parts of the world as the threat is immense, a prominent Turkish security analyst said.

"All nations must unite to establish an international organization and openly and transparently audit them because the danger is significant," Cihat Yayci, a retired Turkish admiral known for his expertise in naval geopolitics, told Xinhua in a recent interview.

Yayci emphasized that the United States controls 336 biological laboratories in 30 countries, noting that they pose global threats if used for military purposes under special services.

"COVID-19 might be over, but other menaces are likely to occur. As far as we have seen, some data suggest other (biological) threats have lurked behind the scene," said Yayci, adding that the world might see such threats become acute through insect vectors, migratory birds dispersing dangerous infectious diseases and biological agent targeting selected ethnic groups.

"That's why all nations and the United Nations should act together," he said.

According to the Turkish analyst, the United States has been concentrating on producing genetic weapons since the early 20th century and the technology has become competent in this field in the 21st century.

U.S. intelligence agencies have been actively using almost every opportunity to develop genetics science since the 2000s. James Clapper, former director of National Intelligence of the United States, also stated that genetics could be among the weapons of mass destruction in the future, according to Yayci.

The Turkish analyst stressed the importance of establishing an independent international organization to launch an investigation into the U.S. laboratories as the United States, one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council with veto power, could exert its influence on the process if the probe is within the UN system.

Yayci cited the example that Washington threatened to withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO) as the COVID-19 pandemic was gripping the globe in July 2020.

Such behavior hampered the WHO efforts during one of the world's worst pandemics and disabled the essential organ of the United Nations, he said. 
by Burak Akinci

ANKARA, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Turkiye has intensified its efforts to broker a permanent ceasefire and eventually a settlement between Russia and Ukraine, following successful grain and prisoner swap deals, but Ankara's balancing act has its limitations, experts said.

On Thursday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held phone conversations with his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts.

He told Volodymyr Zelensky that Ankara was ready to take on mediation and moderation duties to secure a "lasting peace between Russia and Ukraine," according to a readout from Erdogan's office.

The Turkish leader told Vladimir Putin that peace efforts in the ongoing conflict should be supported by a unilateral ceasefire and a "vision for a fair solution," the Turkish presidency said.

Soner Cagaptay, a political scientist at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, told Xinhua that Ankara hopes to mediate and host final peace talks after two rounds of preliminary discussions between Russia and Ukraine were held in Istanbul and the southern Turkish resort town of Antalya shortly after the conflict.

"Ankara is one of the few capitals that has maintained communication ties with Moscow and Kiev alike," Cagaptay said.

Despite pressure from the United States and Europe, Turkiye has not joined Western sanctions on Russia, believing that talking with Moscow is better than isolating it.

But on the other side, Ankara has defended Kiev's territorial integrity and provided the latter with drones.

Selcuk Colakoglu, director of the Ankara-based Turkish Center for Asia-Pacific Studies, told Xinhua in a recent interview that Turkiye has adopted "a very delicate balancing policy" since the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Turkiye's leadership has been keen to capitalize on its previous diplomatic success with the grain deal concluded in June last year, which could work as the first step toward permanent peace.

However, both Cagaptay and Colakoglu emphasized that Ankara's mediator role in the ongoing conflict has limitations.

"So far, Ankara's role in the Russia-Ukraine conflict is to eliminate certain problems, but reaching a final peace deal or solution is not that easy," Colakoglu said.

A source close to the Turkish government acknowledged the difficulty in persuading both sides to agree to begin discussing peace talks.

"If they want to meet in Turkiye and discuss peace, we will certainly encourage it. But we should be realistic about what can be attained by those talks," the source said on condition of anonymity.

The source added that Turkiye wants to keep communication open to both Russia and Ukraine, and is urging Western allies to do the same.

Meanwhile, Ibrahim Kalin, Erdogan's chief adviser and spokesperson, who has been involved in meetings with both Russian and Ukrainian officials, warned that the conflict is likely to escalate in the coming months.

"More war means more destruction, and a deeper, longer crisis. This is not good for anyone," Kalin on Friday wrote on Twitter.

"Turkiye will continue its efforts for negotiations, ceasefire, prisoner exchange, nuclear security, and grain export," he added. 
SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- A security guard working in San Francisco's Japantown was fatally shot and two teenagers in connection with the shooting were arrested, police said on Friday.

Officials at the San Francisco Medical Examiner's Office, in the western U.S. state of California, identified the deceased as 40-year-old Gavin Boston.

Boston was "involved in a dispute" on Wednesday outside a collectibles shop in Japantown, police said. Boston was escorting someone when he was shot in the head, and died at the scene, according to the incident summary.

Two teenagers, aged 15 and 14, in connection were booked into the Juvenile Justice Center. The 15-year old was arrested on suspicion of murder and the 14-year old was arrested on suspicion of being an accessory to murder, police said. 
WASHINGTON, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- A six-year-old boy shot and gravely injured a teacher during an "altercation" Friday in an elementary school in the eastern U.S. state of Virginia, said local police.

Police in the city of Newport News said the victim was a teacher in her 30s and her injuries were believed to be life-threatening.

No students were injured in the incident at Richneck Elementary School, local police chief Steve Drew told reporters.

The boy had a handgun in the classroom, and investigations were underway to figure out where he obtained it, he said.

The junior student is right now in custody, said the police chief, adding that "this was not an accidental shooting." 
Kamishli: In an eight-day operation against Daesh militants, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced on Friday that they had detained more than 100 "terrorists."

After thwarting a Daesh attempt to release fellow militants from prison in Raqqa, the extremist group's former stronghold in Syria, Kurdish-led forces launched the sweep known as Operation Al-Jazeera Thunderbolt last week.

As NATO ally Turkey continues to threaten to launch a new cross-border attack against territory under their control, the Syrian Kurds have been attempting to emphasise their value as a partner to the West in its campaign against Daesh.

Also Read: Israeli police detain 2 teenagers after an assault on a Christian cemetery

Our forces detained 154 wanted terrorists... and criminals during the sweep and raid operations, according to a statement from the SDF.

The statement continued, "Among them were 102 individuals suspected of being part of a Daesh cell and 27 others suspected of supplying propaganda or logistical support." In the east, 55 villages and farms were destroyed by SDF fighters, along with "large portions of the Syrian-Iraqi border."

The US-led coalition has not yet confirmed that the operation was conducted in conjunction with its troops, according to the SDF.

Also Read: Grand Imam of Egypt: Major cause of conflict and violence is a decline in religious values

During the Christmas and New Year holidays, it stopped attacks on the major Kurdish cities of Hasakah and Qamishli, according to the statement.

The most significant Daesh operation in Syria since a successful breakout from Ghwayran prison in Hasakah last January was last week's foiled prison break in Raqqa.

Numerous militants who were imprisoned broke out, leading to clashes that claimed hundreds of lives.

According to the SDF, three of the suspects apprehended during the recent sweep were suspected of providing bombs and other supplies for the Ghwayran attack.

Also Read: 'Hindu religion is not good,' accused arrested for trying to convert 40 Hindus to Christianity

Daesh still has a network of sleeper cells on both sides of the border that can still launch deadly attacks, despite being a pale imitation of the group that seized large portions of Syria and neighbouring Iraq in 2014 and proclaimed a "caliphate." Last week, 12 oil workers and a Kurdish fighter were killed in attacks in eastern Syria that were attributed to Daesh militants.
No threat of attack on capital from Belarus now, but army and defenses prepared, says Kyiv commander 7 January, 07:09 PM Oleksandr Pavlyuk (Photo:screenshot of the video Military Television of Ukraine / YouTube)

There is currently no immediate threat of another attack by Russia on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv from Belarus, Commander of the Forces and Means of Defense of Kyiv, Lieutenant General Oleksandr Pavlyuk has said.

The enemy has neither the necessary forces nor the means to launch such an attack, Pavlyuk said in an interview with Ukrainian national broadcaster Suspilne, published on Jan. 7.

Read also: Ukrainian commander says any Russian offensive from Belarus will fail

There are certain groups on the territory that is the border between Ukraine and Belarus. But, given our potential, it is unlikely that they will succeed, Pavlyuk said.

Video of day

All that is being done now (by the enemy) is containing our forces on the northern border so that we cannot transfer them to the east, he said.

The lieutenant general noted that the Russian military units at the Belarusian training grounds are gradually occupying Belarus  most likely, for a long time.

We are considering possible options for aggression in the coming months, Pavlyuk added.

But for this, (the enemy has to) transfer the appropriate forces and means, which are now being revived by Russia at their training grounds. So far, we do not see such intentions, but we are preparing for them.

The general said that the Ukrainian Armed Forces were constantly monitoring the movement of the Russian army from the training grounds in Belarus, and the Ukrainian army group on the border with Belarus is ready to meet any attack by the enemy.

There are several lines of defense around Kyiv with a total length of about a thousand kilometers. A powerful defense system has been created there on the basis of professional positions and long-lasting structures, Pavlyuk said.

In an interview in December with UK news magazine the Economist, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valeriy Zaluzhnyy said that the Russian Federation might launch a new offensive in February.

The offensive may not take place in Donbas, but in the direction of Kyiv from Belarus, said Zaluzhnyy.

However, he also said he does not rule out an attack coming from the south.

Spokesman of the State Border Service Andriy Demchenko said on Jan. 6 that the situation on the border with Belarus remains under control, and that Ukrainian border guards have not detected the movement of enemy equipment or personnel near the border.

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Putin's ceasefire a ploy to buy time, EUs top diplomat says 7 January, 01:07 AM Josep Borrell (Photo:Yves Herman/Reuters)

The so-called Christmas ceasefire announced by Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is an attempt to buy time to regroup Russian troops, EU diplomacy chief Josep Borrell said on Jan. 6, as reported by The Guardian.

Borrell stressed that Putin's statements werent credible, noting that Moscow was solely responsible for starting the war in the first place and keeping it going for nearly a year.

"When the aggressor talks of a ceasefire, I think the response that comes to us all is skepticism in the face of such hypocrisy," said Borrell.

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He called on Russia to make "concrete actions," including a "complete halt of military attacks" and the withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukrainian territory.

Read also: Russia recruiting mercenaries in Balkans

In the absence of such concrete actions, a unilateral ceasefire seems to be an attempt by Russia to buy time to regroup its troops and try to repair its damaged international reputation, Borrell concluded.

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin instructed Defense Minister Sergei Shoygu to introduce a ceasefire along the front lines in Ukraine from 12:00 on Jan. 6 until 24:00 on Jan. 7. Putin explained the decision with appeals from his henchman, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, as well as his alleged concern for the religious community. The dictator then called on Kyiv to join the Christmas truce and institute a similar ceasefire.

Ukrainian officials and foreign leaders pointed out that Putin had no qualms about launching deadly air strikes against civilian targets in Ukraine on Christmas Day and New Years Eve in December 2022.

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Russian attacks during Putins 'Christmas ceasefire' kill two in Donbas, wound seven 7 January, 12:00 PM Donetsk Oblast (Photo:REUTERS/Yevhen Titov/File Photo)

The Russian military killed two civilians in Donetsk Oblast and wounded seven more on Jan. 6, regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko reported on Telegram.

According to him, the casualties during the day were among residents of Bakhmut and Krasna Hora.

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin declared that Russian invasion forces in Ukraine would observe a unilateral ceasefire during Orthodox Christmas on Jan. 6 and Jan. 7, but Russian invasion forces continued to shell Ukrainian towns and cities all along the front line even after the ceasefire was supposed to go into effect at 11.00 on Jan. 6.

Video of day

In total, since the beginning of the full-scale Russian aggression against Ukraine, 1,292 people have been killed in Donetsk Oblast, another 2,823 have been injured. These figures do not include casualties in Mariupol and Volnovakha, where the exact number of victims cannot be established  though Ukrainian officials reckon the number could be in the tens of thousands.

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin instructed Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to introduce a ceasefire along the front lines in Ukraine from 1200 on Jan. 6 until 2400 on Jan. 7. This is according to Moscow time  in Ukraine the times are an hour earlier.

Read also: SBU says Russian propaganda found in raids of Moscow Patriarchate church premises

The dictator said the decision was prompted by the appeals of one of his regime cronies, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, as well as his own alleged concern for the religious community.

Putin then called on Kyiv to join the Christmas truce and institute a similar ceasefire.

A few minutes after the alleged start of the "ceasefire," it was reported that Russia's had shelled the city of Kherson, killing a rescue worker.

Read also: Russian agent gets 14 years in jail for spying on Ukrainian positions in Kramatorsk

Russian invasion forces also attacked Kramatorsk and Kurakhove in Donetsk Oblast, and a settlement in Luhansk Oblast.

Ukrainian and foreign journalists reported from the frontline city of Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast, where Russian invasion forces are currently concentrating their assault on the country, that there had been no letup in Russian artillery fire after the ceasefire was supposed to have come into effect.

They also said Ukrainian forces were returning fire.

There was also a countrywide air raid alert across the whole of the country at 12.45 p.m., and hour and 45 minutes after Russias ceasefire was supposed to have come into effect. It was triggered by the launch of a Russian MiG-31K warplane in Belarus.

The warplane is of a type that can launch Russian Kinzhal hypersonic, nuclear-tipped cruise missiles.

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Home  Opinion  Data-driven policymaking in Nepal can make a positive impact. How can it be promoted then?

Representational image. Photo: Pexels/ Lukas

Data-driven policymaking involves using data and evidence to inform the development and implementation of policies. It uses data and evidence to understand a policy problem, identify potential policy options, evaluate its potential impacts and trade-offs, and make informed decisions about which opportunities to pursue.

It involves collecting and analysing data from various sources, including government agencies, research studies, and community surveys, to understand the policy problem and identify potential solutions.

Data-driven policymaking is increasingly used in various policy areas, including education, healthcare, economic development, and criminal justice. It is also being used at all levels of government abroad, from local to national.

In the global scenario, data-driven policymaking is an essential tool for policymakers seeking to address the challenges facing their communities and help them achieve their goals.

But, Nepal has not been an earlier adopter of this practice as the state of data-driven policymaking in Nepal is still developing, and there is significant room for improvement to integrate this concept into the policymaking process fully.

Challenges in implementation

One of the main benefits of data-driven policymaking is that it can help policymakers be informed while making more evidence-based decisions. This eventually leads them to take decisions on objective data rather than subjective opinions or beliefs. This indicates a better understanding of the needs and priorities of the communities they serve, leading them to design policies that are more likely to be effective and impactful.

Photo: Pexels/ Andrea Piacquadio

Data-driven policymaking involves using data and evidence to inform the development and implementation of policies. While there are efforts to improve data collection and reporting systems in Nepal and promote data and evidence in policymaking, several challenges limit the use of data-driven policymaking in the country.

There are some critical challenges to data-driven policymaking in Nepal. Firstly, Nepal has limited data and evidence on many policy issues, making it difficult for policymakers to make informed decisions. This may be due to a lack of data collection and reporting systems or limited resources available to collect and analyse data.

Secondly, the quality of the data available in Nepal may be questionable, with errors or inconsistencies that could impact the reliability of the data. This may be due to data collection or reporting issues or outdated or unreliable sources.

Thirdly, the data available in Nepal may not be easily accessible to policymakers and other stakeholders, making it difficult for them to use it to inform policy decisions. This may be due to data storage and management issues or limited data analysis and visualisation resources.

Fourthly, there may be a lack of data literacy among policymakers and other stakeholders in Nepal, making it difficult for them to use data to inform policy decisions effectively. This may include a lack of understanding of collecting, analysing, and interpreting data or familiarity with data visualisation tools and techniques.

The way forward

There are many steps that could be taken to improve data-driven policymaking in Nepal. Some potential strategies include:

Photo: Pexels/ Lukas:

Improving data collection and reporting systems

Nepal has limited data and evidence on many policy issues, making it difficult for policymakers to make informed decisions. Improving data collection and reporting systems could help to increase the availability and quality of data in Nepal.

Promoting data literacy

There may be a lack of data literacy among policymakers and other stakeholders in Nepal, making it difficult for them to use data to inform policy decisions effectively. Promoting data literacy could involve training programmes or initiatives to improve understanding of collecting, analysing, and interpreting data and using data visualisation tools and techniques.

Developing systems for storing, managing, and accessing data

Ensuring that data is easily accessible to policymakers and other stakeholders is critical for effective data-driven policymaking. Developing strategies for storing, managing, and accessing data more efficiently could help to improve data accessibility in Nepal.

Investing in data analysis and visualisation

Analysing and visualising data can be critical for understanding complex policy issues and identifying potential solutions. Therefore, investing in data analysis, visualisation tools, and expertise could help policymakers use data better to inform policy decisions in Nepal.

Building partnerships and collaborations

Building partnerships and collaborations with data experts, research institutions, and other stakeholders can help Nepal improve data-driven policymaking. These partnerships can provide access to new data sources, expertise, and resources and facilitate the exchange of ideas and best practices.

Generally, many steps could be taken to improve data-driven policymaking in Nepal. And by addressing these challenges and building on these opportunities, Nepal can strengthen its capacity for data-driven policymaking.
A mother of a nine-year-old girl from Kathmandu started to notice some sudden changes in her daughters behaviours. She would excel in her studies previously but gradually started showing poor performance. She stopped playing and talking with her friends too. She became more of a rebel at home. Worried, she took her daughter to a hospital to see if she had any health problems.

When the physical examination showed no problems, she was taken to a child psychiatrist. When the doctor asked the girl about herself and her family, she revealed that her parents were fighting and, one such day, her father left the house and did not return. She shared that she had been wondering why he left home and never came back.

After a long conversation with the girl and her mother, it was later revealed that the parents got divorced a year ago, and it left a toll on the little girl.

This incident exposed the mother to the long-lasting psychological impact of divorce on innocent children. As divorce cases are increasing in Nepal recently, stakeholders are concerned about how children can be saved from the impact.

Different cases, different problems

A 16-year-old boy was in a relationship with a girl. It was going well for about two months. But, then, they started fighting over small things and she stopped talking to or seeing him.

When the person he loved stopped speaking to him, he lost faith in relationships. Earlier, his mother divorced his father when he was just eight years old. And thinking about his relationship and his parents relationship he lost hope in relationships, which hurt him emotionally.

He started getting more stressed and started staying alone. He got lost in his thoughts so much that he felt that there was no point in living anymore and the teenager even tried to kill himself by suicide. Thankfully, he was rushed to the hospital on time and saved.

Child psychiatrist Dr Utkarsh Karki says childrens behaviours depend on the environment they grow up in. There is a deep connection between a childs growing years and family relationships.

Sometimes, children are affected by parents quarrels. Most people ignore these things, he says, But when the family environment is bad, its impact can be seen on the children and their future. A divorce between a couple has short-term and long-term effects on children.

After the divorce between the parents, the childs surrounding environment, family and school environment will also determine what good and bad impacts it will leave on the children, Karki adds.

The psychological burden

Psychologists say children under the age of 10 are not able to understand everything about adulthood. Therefore, when parents suddenly get separated, it leaves various psychological impacts on them. They show it through their behaviours like being afraid, anxious, angry, disobedient, depressed, and blaming themselves for their parents separation.

Children above the age of 10 are more understanding and they will face impacts like depression, lack of attention to studies, disobedience and fighting with friends. Meanwhile, children above the age of 16 may show symptoms of mental illness just like adults including depression, anxiety and suicide attempts.

Photo: Ccnull

Not just age, the impacts of divorce can also be different between sons and daughters. Emotional trauma may be more visible in daughters as they will cry and prefer to be alone. They will also feel low on self-esteem, Karki says, adding, Sons could be angry, fight more, be more stubborn and even start bullying on small things.

After divorce, a child has to live with either their father or mother. So, when a child is separated from either parent, a kind of loneliness, and depression seeps into the child. They cannot express themselves directly like adults, but they show it in their behaviours. Karki says, After divorce, if the child lives with the mother, but she does not have an income, the child will have to suffer as it will impact the childs basic needs like education and it also affects the child psychologically.

According to psychiatrist Dr Sagun Ballav Pant, children also show symptoms such as insomnia, bad dreams, bad academic performance, and fights with friends.

Beyond psychology

Some couples remarry and the parents add a new person not just to their life but also to the childs life. Seeing a new person enter their parents life or making them a part of their life is also not easy for children. They have to give that new person the status of new mother or new father while they are not even sure if that new person will love them or not.

Sociologist Tika Ram Gautam says, Its the parents responsibility to give love and protection to the children. When the parents get separated, their separation directly affects the children. According to our society, the parents must take all the responsibility for the child.

There is also no strong mechanism or agency that takes care of the children, so they feel lonely, he adds.

Not only the immediate impacts, but the parents divorce also causes some long-term effects on children. Karki says that growing up, those children may experience problems in their other relationships including romantic relationships. They will doubt that after marriage, their partner will also leave them.

Divorce happens between couples due to various socio-economic reasons. Many divorce cases are linked to irrefutable differences, inequality and violence. But divorce also has various immediate impacts on the social relations of that family. Usually, couples who get divorced have weak family backgrounds in terms of both financial and social aspects, says Gautam.

Nonetheless, he adds that there are many examples of divorce between couples leaving a positive impact on children. Divorce may not affect all children in the same way and it does not mean that all children will have a negative impact, he says. If there is a rift between the parents and they are getting into daily quarrels and beatings, continuing the marriage will affect the child even more than divorce.

How to protect children?

Child playing in a park. Photo: Pexels

Karki suggests that parents should solve their problems without affecting the daily life of their children.

After the divorce, if all the responsibilities of the child are put on the mother, the father should also realise his responsibility and visit and spend time with his child frequently. It might protect the child from being affected negatively, in long term. Post-divorce, even if the husband and wife do not have a relationship anymore, if they can co-parent the child well, the child can be saved from various psychological problems, Karki says.

If the couple are preparing for a divorce and there is a daily fight between them, children should be kept away from that situation. If the couple are going through the process, the child should be explained about it, in a language that they understand. By doing this, they can prepare the child to some extent so that the news of divorce is not sudden and the child can face the situation more maturely.

If the children get angry, cry or shout in response when they get separated from their mother or father, they should not react immediately. Instead of scolding them, they should understand their feelings and console them.

Also, one should not give them false assurances. They should not be assured that their mother or father will come back after separation. It should be clearly said that the separation is permanent.

But it should be assured that though they would not live together in the same house, they will be visiting all the timegoing for a walk or watching a film. Adopting co-parenting can help to reduce the negative impact on the childs psychology.

This story was translated from the original Nepali version and edited for clarity and length.
Description

Our Town will be the theme of the show on January 7, 8, 14, and 15, when the award-winning photos of photojournalist, Ryan Sweezey will be on view. Ryan Sweezey has won multiple New York Press Association honor, including two first-place awards for best front page. He currently serves as the head photographer for the Suffolk County News, a position he came into while still in high school when he began photographing community events. He became the official photographer for the Greater Sayville Chamber of Commerce at the age of 14. Sweezey has won a first-place award from the Bay Area Friends of the Fine Arts and a first-place award from the Photographic Federation of Long Island. He is currently a college student majoring in photography. The photographs can be seen from 12-4 PM with an artists reception on Friday, January 6, from 7 to 9 PM
GreyViews

Boat Wiring Harness Market Size by Distribution Channel (Aftermarket and OEM), By Application (Gasoline Boats, Hybrid Boats and Electric Boats), Regions, Segmentation, and forecast till 2030.

Pune India, Jan. 07, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The market has been studied for the below mentioned-segmentation and regional analysis for North America, Europe, Asia, South America, and the Middle East and Africa. These are the key regions where the boat wiring harness market is operating and is predicted to expand soon. The manufacturers and suppliers involved in the boat wiring harness market are present across various countries in the above-mentioned regions.

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The report provides a detailed understanding of the market segments which have been formed by combining different prospects such as distribution channels, applications, and regions. The key driving factors, restraints, potential growth opportunities and market challenges are also discussed in the paragraphs below.

The significant players operating in the global boat wiring harness market are Pacer Group, La Cro Products, AdCura Manufacturing, Mar-Lan Industries, Wiring Harnesses Australia, Guangzhou Youye Electronics, Marine Electrical Products, NetSource OEM, Inc., Yamaha Corporation, Electro-prep, American Auto/Marine Wiring, Rockford Components Ltd., BEP Marine, Connex among others. To achieve a substantial market share in the worldwide boat wiring harness market and strengthen their position, manufacturers are pursuing expansion methods such as current developments, mergers and acquisitions, product innovations, collaborations, and partnerships, joint ventures.

A boat wiring harness may also be called a wiring loom or a wiring assembly, it is an assembly of wires or cables that transmit electricity or signals. Wire harnesses are used in boats to protect the bulk of wire that connects the electric and electronic devices. Connecting wires and cables with a harness will protect the wires from vibrations, abrasions, and dampness, which can damage them. It's safe to say that the global boat wiring harness market is a competitive market, and many well-known market players are focusing their efforts on product development which is playing a key role in the growth of the market globally. As a result of strict government regulations regarding safety and security as well as the advent of electric boats, the market is growing rapidly. The boat wiring harness market is influenced by consumer preference for electric boats due to the comfort they offer and by growing fisheries production propelling the high number of traders towards the market. Furthermore, as performance-oriented boats become more popular due to their high capacity, heavy performance, and long life, the boat wiring harness market will continue to grow. Many countries are now in need of customized boat wiring harnesses, which will create lucrative opportunities for the market in the future.

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Scope of Boat Wiring Harness Market Report:

Report Metric Information Study Period 2022-2030 Base Year 2022 Forecast Period 2023-2030 Market Share Unit USD Million Segments Covered Distribution Channel, Application, and Regions. Regions Covered North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America, and Middle-East and Africa Major Players Pacer Group, La Cro Products, AdCura Manufacturing, Mar-Lan Industries, Wiring Harnesses Australia, Guangzhou Youye Electronics, Marine Electrical Products, NetSource OEM, Inc., Yamaha Corporation, Electro-prep, American Auto/Marine Wiring, Rockford Components Ltd., BEP Marine, Connex among others.

Segmentation Analysis

OEMs are expected to be the fastest-growing segment in 2022.

The distribution channel segment includes aftermarket and OEM. OEMs are expected to be the fastest-growing segment in 2022. Today, original equipment manufacturers (OEM) are focused on developing advanced boat wiring harnesses, which is boosting the growth of the market. In addition, as a result of technological advancements in electric and hybrid boats, sales of boat wiring harnesses are on the rise.

Electric boats are expected to be the fastest-growing segment in 2022.

The application segment includes gasoline boats, hybrid boats and electric boats. The electric boat segment is expected to witness the highest growth rate during the forecast period. The Electric Boat is the most popular model and is expected to capture the greatest share of the market during the forecast period. The lower noise and eco-friendliness of electric boats make them much more favourable than gasoline- or diesel-powered boats. In addition, the number of people who use electric power for boating equipment is growing, thus more electric boats are using boat wiring harnesses, propelling the growth of the market

Regional Analysis

The regional analysis provides a detailed perception of the key regions and the countries. Some of the key countries analyzed for boat wiring harnesses include the US, Canada, Mexico, Germany, France, the U.K., Italy, Spain, Russia, China, Japan, India, Brazil, Peru, UAE, South Africa, and Saudi Arabia.

The North American region witnessed a major share. The high usage of commercial and tourist boats in the region, as well as the adoption of customized boat wiring harnesses, contribute to the growth of the industry. A growing population and global trade are contributing to the growth of the boat wiring harness market. Moreover, it is estimated that there will be an increase in the number of tourist boats and commercial boats in North America, which will benefit the market.

Country Analysis

Germany

Germany's boat wiring harness market size was valued at USD 1234.04 million in 2022 and is expected to reach USD 1908.27 million by 2030, at a CAGR of 5.6% from 2023 to 2030.

It has been determined that the safety regulations enacted by the government in the country have a positive effect on the growth of the boat wiring harness market.

China

Chinas boat wiring harness market size was valued at USD 1283.42 million in 2022 and is expected to reach USD 2014.9 million by 2030, at a CAGR of 5.8% from 2023 to 2030.

China's manufacturers are driving Asian sales of boat wiring harnesses. In addition, the countrys market growth is also propelled by the increased demand for tourist and commercial

India

India's boat wiring harness market size was valued at USD 987.25 million in 2022 and is expected to reach USD 1538.25 million by 2030, at a CAGR of 5.7% from 2023 to 2030

The technological advancement in the country in the boat wiring harness market such as adding wired electronic devices to boats helps to enhance the safety of the boat and avoid electric leakage; additionally, the growing fishery production in the country boosts the market growth.

Covid-19 Impact

Covid-19 had a major impact on almost all industries, such as electronics, semiconductors, manufacturing, automobile, etc. However, several companies operating in the technology sector have seen increased revenue due to significant changes in consumer preferences toward technological services. In addition, the pandemic has led to significant growth in technology across developing and developed countries.

Furthermore, the growth of this market is mainly driven owing to the rising demand for boats equipped with wiring harnesses in order to prevent electric shocks and vibrations.

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Officials with the U.S. Department of Justice's Eastern District of New York (EDNY) and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) are examining transfers between Digital Currency Group (DCG) and the conglomerate's Genesis subsidiary, Bloomberg reported late Friday.

The prosecutors with the DOJ's Eastern District of New York office have requested interviews and documents from DCG and Genesis, the report said, while the SEC appears to be in a similarly early stage of its own inquiry. The report, which cited people familiar with the matter, said that neither Genesis nor DCG, which is also the parent company to CoinDesk, has "been accused of wrongdoing."

The inquiries seems specifically focused on the financial interplay between Genesis and DCG, according to the report.

CoinDesk reported in late June that Genesis Trading was facing major losses due to loans made to the now-imploded hedge fund Three Arrows Capital, later filing a claim for $1.2 billion. DCG assumed the claim for Genesis.

In November, Genesis announced that its lending unit would suspend withdrawals, which had knock-on effects against companies including Gemini, which relied on Genesis for its Earn platform. Gemini co-founder Cameron Winklevoss and DCG founder Barry Silbert have since begun publicly feuding over issues arising from this suspension. Genesis has also undertaken major layoffs in the past few months, replacing its executive leadership and nearly halving its headcount since August. The subsequent implosion of crypto empire FTX further damaged Genesis's books.

Genesis has also tapped advisers to explore options, which could potentially include a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing.

As of early December, Genesis creditors had made claims totaling upward of $1.8 billion, CoinDesk reported at the time.

Separately, another DCG subsidiary, Grayscale, is facing issues with its key bitcoin trust product. A discount in the price of a share of the trust relative to the price of bitcoin broke 50% last month, indicating a lack of trust in the product or in investors' ability to cash out of it.

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A DCG spokesperson told CoinDesk Saturday morning that "DCG has a strong culture of integrity and has always conducted its business lawfully. We have no knowledge of or reason to believe that there is any Eastern District of New York investigation into DCG.

A spokesperson for Genesis did not immediately return a CoinDesk request for comment. Bloomberg quoted a Genesis spokesperson as saying it "maintains regular dialogue" with regulators but couldn't comment on any specific issues.

UPDATED Jan. 7, 2023 17:30 UTC: Adds DCG spokesperson's comments.
CALGARY, AB, DUBAI, UAE and MUMBAI, India, Jan. 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Fluid Energy Group Ltd and Dorf Ketal Chemicals India Private Limited, have today announced Dorf Ketal FZE, a wholly owned subsidiary of Dorf Ketal Chemicals India Private Limited has acquired Fluid Energy Group's global Modified and Synthetic acid business including the Triton industrial business. The business had a turnover of approximately CAD 80 million in 2022 (Full calendar year).

Innovation isn't just what we do. It's who we are. (PRNewsfoto/Dorf Ketal Chemicals India...)

Fluid Energy has developed and marketed a robust, technologically advanced patented product line of Modified and Synthetic acids that are applied widely across a range of industries, including Water Treatment, Energy and Petroleum, Mining, Industrial, Consumer, and Food & Beverage.

The technology strongly aligns with Dorf Ketal's global ESG focus, and the acquired business has a significant impact on improving HSE profile, greatly reducing Water Consumption and CO 2 emissions from operations, all while greatly reducing or eliminating the risks associated with storing, transporting, and handling strong mineral acids. The acquired company will operate as Fluid Energy Limited, a corporation incorporated under the laws of the province of Alberta, Canada.

"This acquisition will bring additional strategic assets, innovative new technology, talented people, and strong customer relationships into Dorf Ketal," said Subodh Menon, Founder, Director  Business and Operations, of Dorf Ketal Chemicals India Private Limited. It will enable our continued sustainable global growth, aligning with our global focus on improving the environmental impact of our business and our customers operations and commitment to providing innovative services across a wide range of industries."

"This strategic divestment aligns with the future development and repositioning of the Fluid Energy Group into a leading sustainable chemistry supplier" said Clay Purdy, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman. "We will continue our journey bringing new technologically advanced and innovative sustainable chemistries across the biofuels, fine chemistry, cellulosic ethanol and life sciences markets through our SixRing and SciencePak subsidiaries. With its strong reputation as a supplier of premium products and services to the industrial marketplace, its vast geographical presence, and its solid customer relationships, Dorf Ketal is the ideal owner for the continued global development of the business, providing a greatly increased level service and support infrastructure for our employees, customers, and other stakeholders moving forward".

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"We are thrilled to welcome another large international investment into Alberta. Dorf Ketal's acquisition of Fluid Energy Group is once again proof that Alberta continues to be a world class leader in innovative technologies and still the best place in North America to invest and conduct business. This international investment into our oil and gas sector will assist Alberta in continuing to be the economic workhorse of Canada. Furthermore, it will create new avenues and opportunities for new employment in Alberta." Said Rajan Sawney, Alberta Minister of Trade, Immigration and Multiculturalism.

The Energy and Power Division of Piper Sandler Limited served as the exclusive corporate finance advisor to the shareholders of Fluid Energy Group for the transaction. Ernst & Young India advised Dorf Ketal on this transaction. The acquisition was partially funded from internal accruals and long term loan from Citibank and EXIM Bank of India.

About Fluid Energy Group

Fluid Energy Group (www.fluidenergygroup.com) was founded in Calgary, Alberta, Canada in 2011. Established on principles of researching and developing safer, eco-friendly chemical technologies, the company has developed a hub of innovation and superior quality manufacturing. With a proven track record of product development and superior service delivery, Fluid technologies and contract manufacturing services are used across multiple industry verticals including HI&I, water treatment, petroleum, food and beverage, construction and coatings, life sciences and transportation. Fluid's focus is to solve problems identified by the market and customers and our mission is to create products that are effective, technically advanced, and minimize impact to our environment while providing the highest levels of quality and safety.

About Dorf Ketal

Dorf Ketal Chemicals ( www.dorfketal.com ) is a privately-owned global specialty chemicals company based in Mumbai, India with operations in the Asia Pacific, China, Europe, Middle East South America, and North America regions. The firm's core strategic focus on new chemistries is reflected in numerous patents and industry recognition for innovation in solving customers' most demanding problems. Dorf Ketal's quality, health, safety, security, and environmental systems are purposely designed to maintain corporate and community resiliency in every country where it operates.

Cision

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SOURCE Dorf Ketal Chemicals Pvt. Ltd.
Aurora, Jan. 07, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aurora, Colorado -

Denver, CO - Franklin D. Azar & Associates represented an injured military veteran in his three-year battle with his insurance company - a battle over the extent of his injuries. A Denver jury delivered their verdict this month, ordering the company to provide additional compensation to the plaintiff as he deals with the long-term costs associated with the accident.

The case results from a 2019 crash on a rural road in the eastern part of El Paso County. The Frank Azar client, a man in his late thirties and a veteran of multiple tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, survived a T-bone impact by a vehicle that failed to heed a yield sign. He sustained broken ribs and a head injury and was transported by Flight for Life to a hospital, where he received treatment for several days.

Franklin D. Azar senior attorney DezaRae LaCrue won a victory at trial

The other driver was cited for failure to yield. The Azar client, who had little memory of the incident, filed a claim to address his medical bills and other damages and received $250,000 from the other motorists insurance, the maximum limit of his policy. However, concern over a need for future care because of the head injury also led the client to file a claim under his own insurance policys underinsured motorist coverage. During his military service, the individual had previously suffered a traumatic brain injury, which significantly raised the prospect of complications from the subsequent car crash head trauma, according to a representative of the firm.

The insurance company offered $15,000 to settle the case before trial. "The company took the position that he had already been fully compensated," says Azar senior attorney DezaRae LaCrue. "But there were real concerns about his future care and whether he could do certain activities after sustaining an injury like this."

At trial, LaCrue and the Azar legal team presented evidence regarding the circumstances of the crash, resulting injuries, and the likelihood of future medical needs. The jury awarded the plaintiff close to $35,000 in damages; with interest and costs, the total judgment is expected to be around $75,000. LaCrue says her client is pleased with the result.

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"My client is a soldier," she says. "He wants to get on with his life, and we want to make sure he has the means to do that."

According to a representative of the firm, the attorneys at Franklin D. Azar & Associates have helped thousands of injured people obtain complete and timely compensation for their losses. "Our proven track record and expertise have allowed us to grow into the largest personal injury law firm in Colorado, with offices in Denver, Aurora, Thornton, Fort Collins, Greeley, Grand Junction, Colorado Springs, and Pueblo. If you've been injured in a bus, truck, bicycle, motorcycle or car accident, you may be entitled to compensation." For more information, Franklin D. Azar & Associates can be reached at (303) 900-5595, or contacted via their website.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kaBarA1cH88



Related News: Jury Awards Franklin D. Azar Client with $35,000 in Damages Stemming From Auto Accident.

###

For more information about Franklin D. Azar & Associates, P.C., contact the company here:



Franklin D. Azar & Associates, P.C.

Media Relations

(303) 900-5595

info@fdazar.com

https://www.fdazar.com/

14426 E Evans Ave

Aurora, CO 80014

CONTACT: Media Relations




Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc.

Zumwalt-class destroyer

USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000) underway at Sea. U.S. Navy Image

PASCAGOULA, Miss., Jan. 06, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HIIs (NYSE: HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division was awarded a $10.5 million contract today for the modernization period planning of Zumwalt-class guided missile destroyers, USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000) and USS Michael Monsoor (DDG 1001).



Ingalls is honored to have been selected to deliver this new capability with our Navy and industry partners, Ingalls Shipbuilding President Kari Wilkinson said. Our shipbuilders stand ready to do what is necessary to enable our fleet in the protection of peace around the world.

HII has invested nearly $1 billion in the infrastructure, facility and toolsets at Ingalls Shipbuilding enabling the work of Ingalls shipbuilders, improving product flow and process efficiency, and enhancing product quality.

Zumwalt-class destroyers feature a state-of-the-art electric propulsion system, wave-piercing tumblehome hull, stealth design and is equipped with the most advanced warfighting technology and weaponry. These ships will be capable of performing a range of deterrence, power projection, sea control, and command and control missions while allowing Navy to evolve with new systems and missions.

Ingalls has delivered 34 Arleigh Burke-class (DDG 51) destroyers, with five currently under construction including Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125), Ted Stevens (DDG 128), Jeremiah Denton (DDG 129), George M. Neal (DDG 131) and Sam Nunn (DDG 133). Additionally, the third of the Zumwalt-class ships, Lyndon B. Johnson (DDG 1002) arrived in Pascagoula, Mississippi, in January 2022 for a combat systems availability.

Zumwalt January 6 2023





A photo accompanying this release is available at: https://hii.com/news/hii-ingalls-shipbuilding-advanced-planning-contract-zumwalt-class-ships.

About HII

HII is an all-domain defense and technologies partner, recognized worldwide as Americas largest shipbuilder. With a 135-year history of trusted partnerships in advancing U.S. national security, HII delivers critical capabilities ranging from the most powerful and survivable naval ships ever built, to unmanned systems, ISR and AI/ML analytics. HII leads the industry in mission-driven solutions that support and enable an all-domain force. Headquartered in Virginia, HIIs skilled workforce is 44,000 strong. For more information, visit:

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HII on the web: https://www.HII.com/

HII on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TeamHII

HII on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/WeAreHII

HII on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/WeAreHII

Contact:

Kimberly Aguillard

Kimberly.K.Aguillard@hii-co.com

(228) 935-6821

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a0d679ab-027e-410d-84de-8f6052b0d934




Regal and Lakeside offer more than 30 years of healthcare expertise and support to communities throughout Southern California

RIVERSIDE, Calif., Jan. 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Regal and Lakeside Medical Groups along with health plans, Wellcare and Health Net partnered with the Riverside Black Chamber of Commerce to help sponsor Parkview Hospital's second annual toy drive and giveaway. Toys from anonymous donors and sponsors poured in to make the toy drive and giveaway a joyful event for Riverside families. More than 400 new toys brought happy smiles to children of all ages. Parents and grandparents alike were touched by the generosity of those who have made their holiday extra special.

The Riverside Black Chamber of Commerce also provided 50 boxes of food to help feed the community. Pepi Jackson, President of the Riverside County of Black Chamber of Commerce added, "It takes a village to keep a village healthy. On behalf of the RCBCC, we want to thank all of our fellow 'villagers'. First, Covered California because healthcare starts with having affordable access. Thank you to Parkview Hospital, Wellcare, Health Net, and Regal Medical Group and their providers for going above and beyond to assist the underserved families. Without their generous support events like our Annual Toy Drive and Giveaway would not be possible."

Local doctors Andro Sharobiem, M.D., and Vicente Vazquez, M.D., and their dedicated staff helped to welcome all of the attendees. Dr. Sharobiem added, "Our family at Optima Health are so grateful to have been part of Saturday's Toy Drive & Giveaway "It was incredibly heartwarming to see how excited and thankful the children were to receive their brand new toys. Events like these bring hope, warmth and a sense of community at a time when families need it most. We are extremely proud to work alongside Regal Medical Group and look forward to participating in many more events to come."

The Health Net RV team and the Riverside University Health Systems (RUHS) vaccination team also provided free COVID-19 vaccines. Target donated toys and photographer, Mirelda Najers and her assistant Alejandra Morales took holiday photos. "It's been such a heartwarming experience being able to photograph the toy drive two years in a row," said Mirelda. "Seeing the children's excitement over choosing a toy of their choice brings me so much joy. Then the fun part is I get to photograph them and their parents!"

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Fourteen-year-old Nevaeh Artis also volunteered her time to help organize items on the day of the event and made sure that everyone was supported. "Being around smiling faces and watching the kids pick out a toy was the most uplifting experience," said Nevaeh.

The annual toy drive and giveaway is one of the many community events sponsored by Regal and Lakeside Medical Groups throughout the year. Regal and Lakeside Medical groups are already the healthcare network of choice for thousands of members throughout Riverside, Orange, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and Ventura counties. With resources that go beyond the doctor's office, Regal and Lakeside help members live a well-balanced life through every stage of their healthcare journey. For more information or how to enroll, please call (833) 261-9269.

Mariel Calva Hernandez, Community Outreach Coordinator at Parkview Community Hospital, expressed, "Regal's second annual toy drive was one for the books! Seeing the kiddos smile and knowing they will have a positive memory motivates me to make this event even bigger for the years to come!"

About Regal and Lakeside Medical Groups

Regal Medical Group and Lakeside Medical Groups are affiliates of Heritage Provider Network (HPN), which serves as a trusted healthcare network for over 30 years with half a million Southern California members. As the largest physician-led medical group in Southern California, HPN and its affiliates are dedicated to quality, affordable and patient-centric healthcare through its robust programs and services offered to its members. For more information, please visit www.regalmed.com or www.lakesidemed.com.

Cision

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SOURCE Regal Medical Group; Lakeside Medical Group
(update 26-Aug-2020: the MSVC team has recently added C11 language support to their roadmap, hooray!)

(update 28-Sep-2019: some fixes and error corrections)

When discussing C with C++ programmers I often notice a somewhat outdated view of C, usually a familiarity with a C dialect that lies somewhere between C89 and C99, because thats essentially the subset of C thats supported by C++.

I cant blame them though because when I started writing C code again I had a similar outdated view of the language.

Also to be clear, the Modern C Im talking about here is not modern at all, but already two decades old. Ill focus on the subset of C99 which is supported by clang, gcc and MSVC (clang and gcc both fully support the latest C standards of course, while (AFAIK) Microsofts stance unfortunately hasnt changed much since this post from 2012.

Its not all bad in Visual Studio land though, the Microsoft C compiler actually supports a pretty solid subset of C99 since around VS2015. I guess there are some guerilla warriors at Microsoft who secretly sneak updates into the C compiler when the C++ people are out in the field on one of their C++ Committee trips.

But lets get started:

Modern C is not a subset of C++

C++ programmers sometimes recommend to compile C code in C++ mode to take advantage of the slightly stricter type checking in C++ (more on type safety below), and thats even recommended in that Microsoft blog post I linked to above:

We recommend that C developers use the C++ compiler to compile C code

Im sorry to be a bit blunt, but thats a load of rubbish because C++ still only supports a terribly old-fashioned version of C. The new stuff in C99 which makes C a much friendlier language isnt supported in C++, at least not in standard C++.

GCC and especially Clang both have compiler-specific extensions which allow to use more of C99 in C++ mode, but unfortunately the only compiler where such non-standard C++ extensions would be really useful (MSVC) doesnt have any.

To iterate on that point, because its really important:

C is not a subset of C++

Apart from the fact that C99 code simply doesnt compile in C++ (and probably never will even in future versions of C++), programming in C requires a different approach of how to work with data, and sometimes how to structure a project (for instance: dont think in classes, but in modules and systems). Trying to emulate missing features from C++ in C usually isnt such a great idea.

C++ is also not a replacement or a successor to C, its a fork which slowly devolved its C subset into a slightly different dialect of C without much hope that the two languages can ever be united again (which IMHO is a damn shame, because being able to mix C with a sane subset of C++ would be really useful for writing libraries).

But aaaaanyway its moot to complain about this from the side lines.

The simple stuff

In the unlikely case that you last had a look at C around 1990, lets get the simple things out of the way first:

winged comments ( // ) are allowed

) are allowed variables can be declared anywhere, not just at the beginning of a scope block

the loop variable in a for loop can be declared inside the for() so that the variable doesnt leak into the outer scope: for (int i = ...)

so that the variable doesnt leak into the outer scope: integer types have much clearer names now: uint8_t, uint16_t, int32_t etc (these are not built-in but defined in the stdint.h header)

etc (these are not built-in but defined in the stdint.h header) theres now a standardized bool with true/false (also not built-in but defined in stdbool.h) (update: I made a small error here, the bool type is indeed a (private) builtin type, usually named something like _Bool, the stdbool.h header just redefines this to the common bool name)

By the way, a subtle yet important difference between C and C++ is a function declaration with an empty argument list:

void my_func () { ... }

In C++ this function takes no arguments, but in C this function takes any number of arguments (I cant think of a situation where that would actually be useful, since theres no way to access this variable argument list inside the function, I guess its a leftover syntax pollution from old K&R style function declaration syntax).

Instead in C, declare the parameter list explicitely as void so that you actually get compiler errors when accidently passing arguments to my_func():

void my_func ( void ) { ... }

Enable all warnings!

Cs type system is in some details a bit more relaxed than C++ which can at times be annoying. This is also the reason why C++ people sometimes recommend to compile C code as C++. The more realistic alternative is to enable the highest warning levels a compiler allows. This generates warnings for all type system related problems (I know of) which C allows but C++ catches as errors.

These are the relevant flags:

-Wall and -Wextra on GCC

on GCC -Weverything on Clang

on Clang /W4 or /Wall on MSVC

Especially /W4 on MSVC will generate a lot of fairly pointless spam though, so some additional warning hygiene may be required by carefully disabling warnings in selected places. I would advice to not do this globally though (ok, maybe with a few exceptions), but instead only suppress specific warnings in specific places after making sure the warnings are indeed uncritical spam.

Proper warning hygiene is a topic worth of its own blog post though.

Wrap your structs in a typedef

One of the first annoyances a C++ programmer will notice in C is that one needs to write struct all over the place.

In C++ you can simply do:

struct bla_t { int a , b , c ; }; bla_t bla = ...;

while in C you must explicitly write:

struct bla_t bla = ...;

Wrapping a struct in a typedef fixes that, and thats why youll see this a lot in C code:

typedef struct { int a , b , c ; } bla_t ; bla_t bla = ...;

This way of typedefing from an adhoc anonymous struct has a problem though, you cant forward-declare the struct:

// forward-declaring bla_t and a function using bla_t: struct bla_t ; void func ( struct bla_t bla ); // actual struct and function, using the typedef: typedef struct { int a , b , c ; } bla_t ; void func ( bla_t bla ) { // <= warning 'parameter different from declaration' ... }

The workaround is to rewrite the typedef like this:

typedef struct bla_t { int a , b , c ; } bla_t ;

Now you have a named struct bla_t which is typedefed to a type alias bla_t , and the named struct can be properly forward-declared.

So if you see a strange redundant typedef like this in C code the reason is that it enables forward declaration.

updates: (1) apparently the Linux coding guidelines discourage typedefing a struct, and (2) the POSIX standard reserves the _t postfix for its own typenames to prevent collisions with user types  make of that what you will ;)

Use struct wrappers for strong typing

Typedefs weakness is another annoyance, both in C and C++:

typedef - creates an alias that can be used anywhere in place of a (possibly complex) type name.

Typedef only creates a weak type alias not a proper new type (its really not much better than a preprocessor define), meaning theres no warning when assigning to a different type from the same base type:

typedef int meters_t ; typedef int hours_t ; meters_t m = 1 ; hours_t h = m ; // this isn't an error, but it really should be

Wrapping the types into a struct makes this code properly typesafe:

typedef struct { int val ; } meters_t ; typedef struct { int val ; } hours_t ; meters_t m = { 1 }; hours_t h = m ; // compile error!

Depending on how much of a fan of strong typing you are, this approach makes sense both in C and C++.

Initialization in C99

C99s new initialization features are by far the biggest usability improvement over C89 to a point where it almost feels like a new language, (and to be honest, it makes the many different ways C++ offers for initialization look a bit silly).

The two relevant features are compound literals and designated initialization .

Both together let you do things like this:

typedef struct { float x , y ; } vec2 ; vec2 v0 = { 1 . 0 f , 2 . 0 f }; vec2 v1 = { . x = 1 . 0 f , . y = 2 . 0 f }; vec2 v2 = { . y = 2 . 0 f }; // missing struct members are set to zero

For globals, only compile-time constants are allowed for initialization (which is a good thing because it completely avoids C++s undefined initialization order problem for globals).

Inside functions, runtime-variable values can be used for initialization:

float get_x ( void ) { return 1 . 0 f ; } void bla ( void ) { vec2 v0 = { . x = get_x (), . y = 2 . 0 f }; }

Unfortunately the C compiler cant always infer the type from the left-hand side of an assignment:

vec2 v0 ; // this doesn't work v0 = { 1 . 0 f , 2 . 0 f }; // instead a type hint is needed: v0 = ( vec2 ) { 1 . 0 f , 2 . 0 f };

Heres a more interesting real-world example from the sokol_gfx.h example code. This initializes a nested option bag structure which contains dozens of members, where only a few of the members get non-default values:

sg_pipeline_desc pip_desc = { . layout = { . buffers [ 0 ]. stride = 28 , . attrs = { [ ATTR_vs_position ]. format = SG_VERTEXFORMAT_FLOAT3 , [ ATTR_vs_color0 ]. format = SG_VERTEXFORMAT_FLOAT4 } }, . shader = shd , . index_type = SG_INDEXTYPE_UINT16 , . depth_stencil = { . depth_compare_func = SG_COMPAREFUNC_LESS_EQUAL , . depth_write_enabled = true , }, . rasterizer . cull_mode = SG_CULLMODE_BACK , . rasterizer . sample_count = SAMPLE_COUNT , . label = "cube-pipeline" };

The good news is that C++20 is getting basic designated initialization too, the bad news is that it will only be a very limited subset of the C99 feature. For instance this wont work in C++20:

... . buffers [ 0 ]. stride = 28 , ...

You cant use an array index in C++20, and you cant chain designators like that.

(worth mentioning that at least Clang has a C++ extension which allows much more powerful C99-style designated-initialization already now than what C++20 will offer, such code is not portable to other compilers though)

Dont be afraid to pass and return structs by value

Theres still a lot of outdated optimization advice about passing and returning structs by value in C and C++ around. In C++ this advice is sometimes even justified because copying a non-trivial C++ object may be much more expensive than it looks on the surface because complex custom copying code might be invoked under the hood (passing std::string objects by value is the best/worst example).

The situation in C is a whole lot simpler, copying a struct is always a straight data copy without involving custom code.

Furthermore, the new 64-bit calling conventions pack small structs into registers (at least on Intel, dont know whats the situation on ARM). So theres a good chance that passing small-ish structs by value doesnt ever hit memory.

And on top of that, with optimization enabled, and the compiler being able to inline a function call, even bigger structs are most likely optimized away completely. But dont take my word for granted! When in doubt, always check godbolt.org and/or the code generated by your compiler.

Heres an example how old-fashioned C code might look like to add two 2D vectors:

struct float2 { float x , y ; }; void addf2 ( const struct float2 * v0 , const struct float2 * v1 , struct float2 * out ) { out -> x = v0 -> x + v1 -> x ; out -> y = v0 -> y + v1 -> y ; } ... struct float2 v0 , v1 , v2 ; v0 . x = 1 . 0 f ; v0 . y = 2 . 0 f ; v1 . x = 3 . 0 f ; v1 . y = 4 . 0 f ; addf2 ( & v0 , & v1 , & v2 ); ...

Heres the Modern C version:

typedef struct { float x , y ; } float2 ; float2 addf2 ( float2 v0 , float2 v1 ) { return ( float2 ) { v0 . x + v1 . x , v0 . y + v1 . y }; } ... float2 v0 = { 1 . 0 f , 2 . 0 f }; float2 v1 = { 3 . 0 f , 4 . 0 f }; float2 v3 = addf2 ( v0 , v1 ); ...

You can also move the initialization of the two inputs right into the function call:

float2 v3 = addf2 (( float2 ){ 1 . 0 f , 2 . 0 f }, ( float2 ){ 3 . 0 f , 4 . 0 f });

Named optional arguments

C99s designated initialization enables an interesting Easter Egg feature: lets say you have a C function which requires many input parameters, most of them optional (in which case default values should be used). In C++ you can have optional args with default values, but they must appear in order and at the end of the argument list.

C99s designated initialization to the rescue. Put the argument list into a parameter struct, like in this function from sokol_gfx.h:

sg_image sg_make_image ( const sg_image_desc * desc );

This takes a pointer to a big option bag struct with creation parameters for an image object, where the parameters have useful defaults. In C99 you can call the function while setting up the option-bag struct right in the function call:

sg_image img = sg_make_image ( & ( sg_image_desc ){ . width = 256 , . height = 256 });

(note how its possible in C99 to take the address of a temporary inside a function call, this is an example of code thats completely valid in C, but not in C++)

This function call creates an image of size 256x256 with all other parameters using their default values.

In case I also need to use a non-default pixel format I simply add that to the option-bag parameter list, the parameter order doesnt matter:

sg_image img = sg_make_image ( & ( sg_image_desc ){ . width = 256 , . height = 256 , . pixel_format = SG_PIXELFORMAT_R8 });

Etc etc Of course its possible to do something similar in C++ with an sg::image_desc class and the builder pattern, but this requires to write a lot of rather boring boilerplate code to implement the builder pattern on the class authors side.

Be (somewhat) afraid of pointers

IMHO, pointers in C should be treated like the unsafe keyword in Rust. The presence of pointers in C code and in structs always requires special attention and mental effort to read and understand all the code tainted by those pointers.

To be a bit more specific owning pointers are the main problem, meaning pointers which own the thing they point to, and where the pointer might outlive the pointee, or the pointee might move to a different memory location (familiar to C++ programmers as everybodys favourite memory corruption feature AKA iterator invalidation).

Pointers which are immutable borrow references are usually ok as function arguments though, the important point is that the pointed to object is only borrowed for the duration of the function call, and no ownership transfer takes place.

But as you can see, C pointers always come with their own set of caveats and a lot of explanation overhead for each use of a pointer. Thus its best to avoid them alltogether (or at least as much as possible).

Now I can literally hear the audience burst into laughter crying C without pointers? Hows that gonna work, smart-ass?!?.

Ill get straight to that in the next section:

What to do about missing RAII

Im using the term RAII (which IMHO is one of the worst names in computing) for C++s ability to automatically call user-defined destruction code at the end of a scope block, and when copying or moving objects (these are the actually important parts of RAII, not the fused allocation and initialization of an object).

My opinion (and of course you dont have to agree with it) on RAII is that it is mostly useful in the same situations where garbage collection is useful: automatic memory management - more specifically keeping track of myriads of tiny memory allocations and deciding when its safe to free them.

Yeah I know I knooow theoretically RAII is about general resource management, not just about memory. But at least in my experience, its always about memory management.

Garbage collection or RAII are certainly great features to have - assuming having tons of small memory allocations to keep track of is nothing to worry about.

And thats the core of the problem right there. If you dont want to worry about memory management it will ineviatably come back to haunt you when its too late to do anything about it. It doesnt matter whether many small allocations are managed through a GC or through RAII. The problem is the many small allocations.

If you dont have such small (and often hidden) memory allocations happening decentralized all over the code in the first place, both GC and RAII lose most of their appeal. Controversial claim, I know, and I realize that its very easy to make such a claim without having a million-line C code base maintained by a huge team under the belt to back it up (but at least I have the counter-experience of a million-line C++ OOP code base which does its memory management through smart pointers - which admittedly is very robust, but also slow and impossible to meaningfully profile and optimize).

aaanyhoo back to what to do about the missing RAII:

The smart-ass advice is of course dont do many small memory allocations.

A more reasonable advice is to work with what C offers, instead of trying to work around it.

The C way is to have dumb data instead of smart objects. A struct is just some plain data blob without a behaviour of its own. When the data is copied, its always a simple copy. When the data is destroyed, its always a no-op.

Dont build data structures with stuff dangling off which needs to be tracked (for instance pointers to a unique memory allocation).

Dont build data structures which require special deep copy operations.

Dont waste a unique allocation for a single data item and dont allocate in random places in your code, instead keep many data items of the same type stored in few arrays managed by central systems and reference them through tagged index handles.

Consider keeping small transient data structures on the stack and pass them around by value instead of wasting a heap allocation on them.

Embrace DOD (Data Oriented Design), this is built around the basic idea that data items never come alone and should be stored and processed in simple linear arrays to improve CPU cache hit rate. The same core idea is also useful for drastically reducing the number and frequency of memory allocations, and getting rid of owning pointers.

And you dont need a fancy high-level language for all of that.

So should I switch to C now or what?

Erm no, thats not the intention behind this blog post, at most doing my tiny part to update the somewhat prevalent view (in some circles at least) of C as an outdated language which must be replaced at all cost (usually with languages that dont quite understand the essence of why people actually choose C).

I dont want to fuel the language wars, and higher level general languages like Rust, C# or C++ of course have their place in the world, but so have small languages like C.

Because sometimes it simply doesnt make sense to bring an aircraft carrier to a knife fight ;)
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson warns that China could take over the moon if the US loses in the "space race." The truth is the US wants the moon for itself and is worried that China is doing well in its moon projects.

Follow China.org.cn on Twitter and Facebook to join the conversation.


Mary Washington Hospital is dealing with a double-edged sword in terms of COVID-19: It has a high number of patients who require a lot of care and a shortage of workers to provide it, because theyve also got the virus.

Since Dec. 1, at least 100 associates at Mary Washington have tested positive for COVID, said Dr. Stephen Mandell, senior medical director. The Fredericksburg hospital has treated the bulk of local virus patients since the pandemic began in March 2020  and also has seen doctors, nurses and therapists leave the field as part of the national shortage of health-care workers.

When youre working with razor-thin staffing, every associate that may not be well and cant come in for a day or two impacts the whole, Mandell said. It kind of magnifies the staffing crisis.

Various other viral illnesses have sickened hospital staff and the public alike, he said. But by far and away, it seems to be COVID.

Across Virginia, 1,101 patients were hospitalized with the virus as of Friday, according to the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association dashboard. That number surpasses daily hospitalization rates in late February 2022, when the state and nation was coming off COVID-19s worst, and deadliest, surge of cases.

Mandell often cites those horrible times last January, when Mary Washington treated more than 200 COVID patients in 10 days and dozens and dozens of people died.

We dont expect that to happen this January, he said, as case numbers have not climbed as dramatically.

As of Wednesday, there were 35 people hospitalized at Mary Washington, Stafford Hospital and Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center, according to data from the Rappahannock Area Health District. Seven of the patients were in intensive care.

The last time the RAHD posted hospitalization numbers, on Dec. 15, there were 30 people hospitalized and six in the ICU.

Figures for the local health district, which includes Fredericksburg and the counties of Caroline, King George, Spotsylvania and Stafford, have been difficult to acquire as a result of ongoing changes to the Virginia Department of Health website.

Even Erin Perkins, the health districts COVID-19 response team coordinator, was unable to get weekly case updates as she said her team is still navigating the most recent changes made to the state dashboards in late December.

Hospitalization rates have remained fairly consistent since the first of December which is what we hope to see, Perkins said. However, COVIDs transmission rate was listed as high in every locality this week and its community level, which indicates the impact the virus is having on hospitals and the health-care system in general, was rated medium to high in the region.

Its been climbing since November and is in line with what communities across the state and nation are experiencing, Perkins said.

It is not too surprising due to increased travel and indoor gatherings during the holidays, she said.

Mandell also wanted to remind people that COVID-19 hasnt gone away, as much as society wishes that it would. The Centers for Disease Control and Preventions data shows 470,699 new cases and 2,731 new deaths per week throughout the United States.

When you pause for a second, you think, thats a big deal, Mandell said. Its still a pretty significant number.

Still, there is room for the kind of extremely positive sentiments expressed recently by Dr. Jorge Dolajan, a pulmonologist at Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center. He also has treated the respiratory issue since the beginning but believes its an entirely different environment than previous years because the vaccine and antiviral treatments have weakened the virus.

New omicron strains have not responded to monoclonal antibodies the way they did in the early going because they targeted a specific strain of virus, according to a recent report in Beckers Hospital Review. One expert compared the former antibody treatment to creating a key for a lock that keeps changing. Others said the way subvariants are named so similarly makes it seem the virus hasnt mutated all that much, but it has.

These new strains are pretty complex, Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the America Public Health Association, said in the Beckers report.

The mutations can make the virus more contagious or more lethal, but they also impact the effectiveness of drugs used to treat them, Benjamin said.

As always, health officials pointed to measures people can take to protect themselves including keeping current with vaccines and boosters, washing hands regularly and staying home when sick.

Mandell also suggested that people with other immune-related issues who are at higher risk of developing a severe case of COVID-19 wear a mask when theyre out in public.
RTG Medical in Fremont recently announced that Paul Fishburn has been named vice president of healthcare staffing.

Fishburn will help lead RTG Medicals Sales Team. He brings 16 years of industry experience, beginning as an account manager, moving into leadership roles within C & A Industries and most recently serving as the director of RTG Medicals major accounts and interim director of the long-term care division.

RTG Medical is led by Charlie Janssen, President and CEO, and Chief Operations Officer, Jeremy Guenthner. Founded in 2001, RTG Medical is a veteran-owned healthcare staffing company. The RTG Medical team works every day to alleviate the national healthcare provider shortage by matching the traveling healthcare professionals with facilities across the country.

In addition to being a six-time Inc. 5000 recipient for Fastest Growing Privately Held Companies, RTG Medical has been recognized by Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA) as a 2021 Largest Healthcare Staffing Firms in the United States, three-time Baird Holm LLP Best Places to Work in Omaha; sponsored by the Greater Omaha Chamber and two-time Excellence in Philanthropy sponsored by the Greater Omaha Chamber. Focusing on company culture and employee wellness, RTG Medical was recognized as Merit Awards 2022 Gold Medal recipient for Healthcare.

We were very fortunate to have our leader already under our roof, Guenthner said in a press release. Paul Fishburn is a calm leader that I am confident offers a peace to potential storms, level-headed thinking, and challenges the norms that define the way things have always been done. I am very excited to watch and work with Paul to see the new heights that his leadership brings to RTG Medical in 2023 and the years to come.

For more information about RTG Medical, visit: https://rtgmedical.com.
The effect of the increased minimum wage in Nebraska for Fremont employers is a mystery, as many local restaurants and businesses contacted about the issue did not offer comment to the Fremont Tribune.

The voter-approved raise in the state minimum wage went into effect on Jan. 1, 2023, raising the hourly minimum wage for most workers at businesses with four or more staff from $9 an hour to $10.50 an hour.

According to officials at several local governmental entities contacted by the Tribune, the rate hike will not affect pay rates for Dodge County governmental employees or staff nor teachers at Fremont Public Schools.

Some City of Fremont staff employees will have their pay rates adjusted, however full details have not been determined.

The Fremont Tribune contacted 11 local businesses that usually hire staff for lower-paying hourly jobs.

Ten of the businesses contacted either did not respond to messages seeking comment or told the Tribune that the owners or managers were the only staff able to make comments to the media. An assistant manager who asked not to be named at Tortilleria y Taqueria Anitas said he had no comment on the issue.

Tara Lea, president and CEO of the Fremont Area Chamber of Commerce, said in an email she doubted the raise in the minimum wage had much of an impact in the region.

Because of the workforce shortage, many businesses are offering well above the $10.50 minimum wage increase that began Jan. 1, 2023, that nearly 59 percent of Nebraskans voted for this past election, Lea said in her email. If any businesses have any questions, please feel free to call your trusted business resource, the Fremont Area Chamber of Commerce, and we would be happy to answer any questions (they) may have.

Fremont Public Schools Superintendent Mark Shepard said the minimum wage hike has zero effect on the school district, in part because the district already pays well above the new $10.50 per hour for classified staff.

It really doesnt impact us at all. Our lowest step on the classified staff pay was $13.56 an hour and we raised that at the last board meeting in December by $1.10 to $14.66 an hour, Shepard said. Our board had in the past adopted new goals to raise the starting (pay) step by $2 an hour over the next two years.

At Dodge County, newly elected County Clerk Micki Gilfry  who does human resources duty for the entire county  said the minimum wage increase had no impact on the county in any manner at this time.

The county does not have any minimum wage employees. Even our temporary election workers are paid well above minimum wage, Gilfry said. Maybe in the future, by 2026, it may affect us. There may be some temporary, part-time workers at the moment who now make $13 to $14 an hour we would have to assess. Well see what happens then.

Under the changes passed by voter in the Nov. 8 general election, the minimum wage goes up by $1.50 an hour every year from 2023 through 2026. In 2023, the rate is $10.50 an hour, and by Jan. 1, 2026, the minimum wage will be $15 an hour.

The new minimum wages only apply to certain employers and employees. Those not eligible for the minimum wage increase include agricultural sector workers; baby sitters in private residences; employees of the federal or state government or any political subdivision of those two entities; apprentice learner workers; children employed by their parents; veterans in training; and certain types of workers in nonprofit, educational, religious or charitable organizations of which they are not an official employee.

Multiple messages left for City of Fremont Human Resources Director Jennifer McDuffee were not returned by press time.

During the Dec. 27 meeting of the Fremont City Council, McDuffee told council members during an agenda item on utility department employees pay rates that the city had staff working on the minimum wage issue.

The temporary classification of Utility Worker currently has a pay range of $9 to $18 per hour and staff is proposing adjusting the range to $12 to $18 per hour. This range more accurately reflects the going rate for this type of work and will meet or exceed the new minimum wage requirements for 2023 and 2024, McDuffee told the council. (City) staff has been discussing how the city will approach this change in minimum wage as it continues to rise and will include this in planning for the next budget cycle.
Allegations that the Fremont Planning Commission was engaging in improper and incomplete documentation of plans and not following the states open meetings law made by a resident of Fremont during the Dec. 27 meeting of the Fremont City Council were inaccurate and disappointing, the citys planning director told the Fremont Tribune.

Jennifer Dam, Fremonts planning director, said the extensive comments by local resident Steven Ray during the public comment portion of the final meeting of 2022 on Dec. 27 were misleading, inaccurate and could make the public confused about the planning process.

I would characterize (Rays comments) as a lack of understanding on his part, Dam said on Jan. 5. (The comments) were inaccurate.

Rays complaints at the Dec. 27 meeting included allegations that two business representatives seeking to have various site plans approved at the Dec. 19 Planning Commission meeting had supposedly not given commissioners official paper copies of their site plans, and also that the minutes from the commissions meetings were not being given to the Fremont City Council.

Ray asked that the council reject the two issues if the items were on their agenda for possible approval, and asked city officials to request that the members of the Planning Commission give more thorough, complete and accurate paper copies of all plans to council members so elected officials know what they are voting on.

Youre going to be getting a couple of things from the planning commission from when they met last week. I dont know how they can pass them, Ray told council members. They did not have a total plan, the people that were wanting things done. The Planning Commission told them they were going to work with them, but there was no plans.

Ray said anyone who goes to the Planning Commission with requests for any building or landscaping type of plan approvals, changes or waivers should be required to present the plans in official, paper or electronic document format so the public, council and commission members will have a record of the plans.

At the meeting, (planning commissioners) said they would work with them and (petitioners) gave oral plans. (There was) no (paper) plan in front of them and they passed it. That is now going to come to you, Ray added. Tell them you would like some notes, some minutes from their meetings. You need to be informed. I see no reason why they cannot forward (meeting) minutes to you. I encourage you to see whats going on there.

Dam said Rays claims that petitioners to the Planning Commission were not providing paper or electronic version of plans was inaccurate, noting that the officials who submitted requests for the two agenda items he specifically referred to had already given the commission paper versions of their proposals.

One was a waiver of landscaping that was requested, Dam said. There was a plan for that attached with it. The applicant has since submitted in paper a revised plan.

As for the meeting notes or minutes, Dam admitted that the Planning Commission meeting minutes are not formally sent to city council members, but she said the minutes are attached and posted to each Planning Commission meeting agenda after their approval for the public to see and review.

Dam also said the city council has full access in any staff reports to all paper-version of plans and designs for any Planning Commission item they may have to consider at the council level. She noted that requests for waivers to landscaping requirements do not get reviewed by the city council.

The (Nebraska) Open Meetings Act requires minutes to be posted within 10 business days of the meeting. We have meeting minutes available for review at the city offices, although they are not always posted to the website, but that is not required under the act, Dam said.

Rays criticisms came the same night a controversial agenda item was before the city council, a proposal to limit the publics ability to comment on council consent agenda items. However, that proposal was never discussed nor voted on after it was removed from the agenda by the council in a 6-2 vote.

One of the critics of the proposal was former council member Brad Yerger, who has during the past several years criticized the city staff and his fellow council members for a lack of specificity or depth that he believes is required on resolutions, agenda items and meeting minutes.

Dam did admit that sometimes, it takes longer than expected for her to compile the minutes from the planning commission meetings, but she always does it and complies with state law.

Im a department of one, so Ive got a lot of balls in the air, she added, referring to other job duties.

Dam said while she respects the right to make public comments, when false information is stated and presented as factual when it is not, that can be problematic. The comments from the public are recorded on video and posted to the citys YouTube page for viewing by the public.

It is disappointing and frustrating, Dam said of false comments.

Attempts to reach Ray on Jan. 6 were unsuccessful.
Saturday

HomeStore open, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., 701 E. Dodge St., Fremont. The HomeStore sells donated items at discounted prices. Proceeds support the mission of Fremont Area Habitat for Humanity.

Men of Integrity Breakfast, 8 a.m., Lighthouse Ministry Center, 84 W. Sixth St., Fremont. Men of all ages are invited for a time of fun, fellowship and breakfast by Valentinos. The music guest will be Doug Wittmann. The meeting will feature an open microphone. All men in attendance will have 2-3 minutes to share how the Lord has blessed them this past year.

Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, 10 a.m., Chapter 5 Club, 136 N. Main St., Fremont.

Alcoholics Anonymous womens heart-to-heart group, noon, Chapter 5 Club, Fremont.

Fremont Eagles Club open, noon to midnight, 649 N. Main St., Fremont. The club may stay open later or close early depending on business.

Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, 5:15 p.m., Chapter 5 Club, Fremont.

Spiritual 12-Step Recovery Program, 7 p.m., Lighthouse, 84 W. Sixth St., Fremont.

Narcotics Anonymous The Lie is Dead meeting, 8 p.m., LifeHouse, 723 N. Broad St., Fremont. The hotline number is 402-459-9511.

Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, 10:30 p.m., Chapter 5 Club, Fremont.

Sunday

American Red Cross Bloodmobile, 7:30 a.m. to noon, First Lutheran Church, 3200 E. Military Ave., Fremont. Appointments may be scheduled online at www.redcrossblood.org or by calling 1-800-RED-CROSS. Donors should bring their donor card or a photo ID, eat breakfast and drink plenty of water prior to donating blood.

Alcoholics Anonymous Happy Sober Sunday Group, 9 a.m., Chapter 5 Club, 136 N. Main St., Fremont.

Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, 10 a.m., Chapter 5 Club, Fremont.

Narcotics Anonymous Seekers of Serenity meeting, 10:30 a.m., LifeHouse, 723 N. Broad St., Fremont. The hotline number is 402-459-9511.

Fremont Eagles Club open, noon to 6 p.m., 649 N. Main St., Fremont. The club may stay open later or close early depending on business. A Veterans of Foreign Wars meal will begin at noon.

Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, 5:15 p.m., Chapter 5 Club, Fremont.

Narcotics Anonymous Freedom Works Group, 7 p.m., Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 1440 E. Military Ave., Fremont.

Alcoholics Anonymous Sunday speaker, 7:30 p.m., Chapter 5 Club, Fremont.

Monday

TOPS Club (Take Off Pounds Sensibly), 9 a.m., First United Methodist Church, 850 N. Broad St., Fremont. Weigh-ins begin at 8 a.m. Visitors (preteens, teens and adults  male and female) are welcome. The first meeting is free.

Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, 10 a.m., Chapter 5 Club, 136 N. Main St., Fremont.

Lightkeepers Womens Group, 10 a.m., Lighthouse, 84 W. Sixth St., Fremont.

Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, noon, Chapter 5 Club, Fremont.

Fremont Eagles Club open, 3 p.m. to midnight, 649 N. Main St., Fremont. The club may stay open later or close early depending on business. There will be a trustees meeting at 4 p.m.

Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, 5:15 p.m., Chapter 5 Club, Fremont.

Celebrate Recovery, 6:30 p.m., Fremont Church of the Nazarene, 960 Johnson Road.

Fremont Board of Education meeting, 6:30 p.m., Main Street Education and Administration Building, 130 E. Ninth St., Fremont. The meeting is open to the public.

Fremont Parks & Recreation Board meeting, 7 p.m., Fremont Municipal Building, second-floor conference room, 400 E. Military Ave. The meeting is open to the public.

Fresh Hope Mental Health Support Group, 7 p.m., Lighthouse, 84 W. Sixth St., Fremont.

Narcotics Anonymous Freedom Works Group, 7 p.m., Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 1440 E. Military Ave., Fremont.

Presentation of The (Mad) Queen of the Prairies: Frenzied First Years of the Nebraska Territory, 7 p.m., Gallery 92 West, 92 W. Sixth St., Fremont. The presentation will be given by Nebraska historian Jeff Barnes. The talk is presented by Keene Memorial Library and sponsored by Humanities Nebraska.

Alcoholics Anonymous 12x12 meeting, 8 p.m., Chapter 5 Club, Fremont.
Democratic candidates dominated Colorados November election, creating perhaps the most liberal-leaning legislature in state history. But that doesnt mean the fight for progressive policies has been won.

Democrats flipped seven seats from red to blue in November, leading to a 69-31 Democrat-Republican split at the Capitol. In the House, the 46-19 split is likely the largest Democratic advantage in state history. And in the Senate, after months of predictions that a red wave would result in Republicans seizing control of the state Senate, Democrats ended up gaining two seats, only one short of a two-thirds majority.

While these margins make Republicans almost powerless to block whatever legislation Democrats want to pass, political analysts see the defining conflict in this months legislative session as emerging among Democrats themselves  pitting those who wish to push the envelope with the progressive proposals against those who favor a more moderate approach.

Shifting delegation

After the election, Colorado now has the seventh-highest percentage of Democratic state lawmakers in the nation, according to data from the National Conference of State Legislatures. By that metric, Colorado ranks sixth in the nation in terms of Democratic state House dominance and 11th for Democratic state Senate control.

In addition to having more Democrats, the members of this years Legislature could be the most liberal that the state has ever seen, particularly in the state House.

Theres no denying that the new class of lawmakers contains some very progressive new legislators, said Ian Silverii, a Democratic insider and former executive director of ProgressNow Colorado. Id be surprised if this werent one of the youngest class of freshmen, majority caucus or even entire House chamber in state history.

He added: There are more women than ever before, more LGBTQ+ folks, more people of color and more Democrats from rural parts of the state than any class I believe Ive ever seen.

The infusion of new blood comes as some of the partys most influential mainstream members are leaving the state House in January. Among them are outgoing House Speaker Alec Garnett, who will become the new chief of staff for the governor; Rep. Kerry Tipper, the Denver city attorney-designee; and, U.S. Rep.-elect Yadira Caraveo. At the same time, the House is getting an influx of progressive policymakers, notably Reps.-elect Elisabeth Epps, an abolitionist; Stephanie Vigil, a community organizer; and Javier Mabrey, a housing rights attorney.

In the Denver metro delegation  which makes up roughly half of the 65 House seats  15 legislators were replaced in November, almost entirely by more progressive candidates. Weeks later, Rep. Adrienne Benavidez announced her resignation and another three long-standing Denver representatives could potentially leave the House in a matter of months, as theyre running for local offices in April: Reps. Alex Valdez, Leslie Herod and Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez, with the first two seeking the mayors office and Gonzales-Gutierrez gunning for Denver City Council.

Adrian Felix, president of Young Denver Democrats and secretary of Denver Democrats, said the new blood leaning further left than the outgoing Democrats reflects Colorados voters.

Denver has this new delegation that I really think represents the city in terms of how left were moving. The ones that weve elected are much further left, Felix said. Not to rag on the older generations, but we kind of inherited a lot of these problems from their inability to solve these issues. So, maybe it takes a new group of people to get these things figured out. 

The shifting ideological lean among Denver lawmakers is especially important, as those lawmakers are largely responsible for setting policy trends for the state, said Seth Masket, professor of political science and the director of the Center on American Politics at the University of Denver.

The legislators from the city, in some ways, set the tone for the majority party, Masket said.

That means Coloradans could see a lot of legislation regarding affordable housing, criminal justice reform and "green" climate policies be introduced next session  but it doesnt necessarily mean those bills will pass.

Potential roadblocks

While the incoming class of rookie lawmakers could be the most progressive , theyll still be first-year lawmakers and, therefore havent accumulated political influence .

Floyd Ciruli, founder of the public policy research and consulting firm Ciruli Associates, said this will be one of the main challenges facing the progressive agenda, as moderate Democrats, such as House Speaker-designee Julie McCluskie, take the reins of the legislative session.

Its extremely important as to who the leadership is, Ciruli said. The new speaker from Dillon is pretty moderate. The chairmen and the vice chairmen have a lot of power. Theres a lot of new people, but theyre not necessarily in the position to dominate or set the agenda. My sense is that there will be at least some pressure from the opposite direction. They will be restrained by folks with more experience and leadership.

Ciruli said longer-standing centrist Democrats may fear political backlash for pursuing progressive policies. He pointed to the 2013 recall of two Democratic senators in Colorado for supporting gun-control legislation as evidence of what can happen when voters feel a party has overreached.

We have moved much more progressive than that 2013 era, but that was a very liberal group and the backlash took place very quickly, Ciruli said. That made Democrats extremely, extremely cautious.

Even with their massive majority, Democratic leadership, indeed, appears to be moving cautiously.

Senate President Steve Fenberg told Coloado Politics he is going to make a conscious effort to keep legislation bipartisan and include Republicans in policy development. In her House committee assignments, McCluskie continued the tradition of making Rep. Marc Catlin vice chair of the agriculture committee, the only Republican to hold committee leadership for the third year in a row.

These kinds of decisions have made some Republicans optimistic about the upcoming session, despite being at a numerical disadvantage.

House Minority Leader Mike Lynch said McCluskie and Majority Leader Monica Duran have been very cognizant of giving Republicans the opportunity to contribute to the conversation.

The leadership seems to be very common sense and concerned about all views at this point. I can just hope for the best that it will carry through in legislation, Lynch said. Im very hopeful that well still be able to get some stuff done and not have to be playing defense the whole time. ... But Speaker McCluskie  shes got a challenge of a very diverse caucus. I dont know how shell handle that.

Epps, one of the biggest names among the incoming progressive lawmakers, appears to be less optimistic than Lynch about the upcoming session. Already she has signaled that a fight is brewing. In a tweet posted on Dec. 16, Epps said she expects progressive efforts will fail more than they will pass.

Were going to lose much more than we win in the coming year, Epps said. Our wins are gonna be big  yes, but our losses will be painful and numerous (and indefensible). I hope you keep rocking with those of us who are in this work for the long haul.

Mabrey said he believes the issues Coloradans want solved are not going to be controversial or divisive among the Democratic Party.

The Democrats got to 46 seats, because the voters want us. They trust us to address the rising cost of living, to fight for affordable housing, to fight for these basic kitchen-table issues. I dont even want to delineate it in terms of progressive or not. I think its just common-sense policies that will help working families, Mabrey said.

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But as Mabrey has seen firsthand, Democrats have not always been willing to veer too hard to the left when it comes to passing big-ticket progressive legislation. Take, for example, 2021s Senate Bill 273, which sought to change the pretrial detention process by clamping down on the use of arrests and cash bail for low-level offenses.

Epps and Mabrey, then community organizers, were among the advocates who pushed the bill through a 7-hour hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee. Epps sparred with the Republican committee members over the veracity of the points they made in opposition, while Mabrey and his mother, Catherine, told their personal stories of how the legislation could have affected their lives after an incarceration due to an incident involving a barking dog.

The bill advanced on party lines that day, but picked up bipartisan opposition as it moved through the General Assembly. Less than three weeks after clearing Senate Judiciary, the bill died in the House Finance Committee after two Democrats  Reps. Shannon Bird and Matt Gray  voted with Republicans to shut it down.

While Mabrey said he cannot ensure this kind of thing wont happen again next session, he hopes Democrats will be more willing to stand together because the stakes are too high for us to fail.

We have to demonstrate to voters that democracy is a tool that can work for them to meaningfully and materially improve their lives, Mabrey said. Our economic system for too long has been stacked against working families. They trust Democrats to do something about it. 

Other factors could still prevent legislation from passing despite widespread support from Democratic legislators.

Though the Senate reached a 23-12 Democratic majority, in seven of the 10 Senate committees, there is only a one-member difference between Republicans and Democrats, meaning Republicans only have to persuade one Democrat to vote no on a bill to prevent it from advancing to the full chamber.

Newly Democratic Sen. Kevin Priola could help tip the scales for some bills. Though Priola switched from Republican to Democrat in August, he said it would not change how he votes, including opposing Democrat-backed abortion protections.

In addition, the Senate is one Democrat short of a two-thirds majority, meaning Democrats alone would not be able to counteract Gov. Jared Polis if he vetoes a bill.

This is a major concern for Felix of Young Denver Democrats.

The problem theyre going to run into is that they have a governor who seems far more concerned about his presidential aspirations than he does with helping their constituents, Felix said. I know all of these legislators have great ideas, but its really about what the governor is going to allow. At this point in his career, hes just going to be prioritizing his own future.

Felix said he fears Polis will veto any legislation that could be seen as controversial to avoid bad press. Polis is a mainstay on shortlists identifying potential presidential candidates for 2024.

Felix pointed to last session, when Polis threatened to veto a bill expanding rights for mobile home residents because it would have capped lot rent increases in mobile home parks. Though the measure had broad Democratic support and enough votes to pass the House and the Senate as written, the bill was amended to remove the rent-stabilization portion to avoid Polis veto.

A lot of (legislators) feel that Polis is going to be the be-all, end-all, Felix said. If he doesnt think itll benefit him in terms of his aspirations for running for president, hes probably not going to support it.

Polis spokesman Conor Cahill defended the governors track record of supporting Democratic policies.

The governor just had an over 19-point win on a platform and record of delivering for peoples pocketbook issues of saving them money, saving people money on health care, tackling high housing costs, and making us one of the top 10 safest states in the country, Cahill said. The governor intends to continue to focus on delivering on those promises and will always do whats right for Colorado.

Felix said he is specifically worried that Polis will kill legislation regarding rent control, progressive criminal justice reform and increasing education funding next session, with the latter due to a reportedly lacking budget for the year.

Voter response

After Democrats expanded their legislative dominance in November  in addition to winning every statewide office, five of eight congressional seats and nearly unseating Republican U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert  some party insiders believe the Republican Party is all but dead in Colorado. However, Silverii warns that a revival is possible, depending on the Democrats performance this session.

When I got here in 2006, we were a red state that was quickly 'empurpling,' and anyone who thinks the pendulum cant swing just as hard and just as fast in the other direction needs to pay closer attention to history, Silverii said.

Silverii encouraged the Democratic leadership to focus on caucus unity, common-sense progressive legislation and responding to community needs, while cautioning against ideological purity tests, performative legislation and personality politics.

Though the worst thing Democrats could do, he said, is squander the opportunities the voters have given them by doing nothing.

Ciruli suggested that voters may not have been choosing Democrats as much as they were rejecting Republicans, an opinion he thinks some moderate Democrats share.

My thought is that new leadership in general is going to be very conscious of it. They won a great victory here, but it was a surprise. While its a welcome surprise for them, I think they recognized that it wasnt because the Democratic brand was completely adopted by everyone. Rather, there was a sense that the Republicans collapsed, Ciruli said.

Though, this newest batch of lawmakers from the November election could also bring hope for Colorados Republican Party, said Eric Sondermann, an independent political analyst .

The Republican caucus in both the House and the Senate, not just in the metro area but across the state, has gotten somewhat more mainstream. A number of those Republican primaries last June were won by the centrist Republican as opposed to the hardcore Trump-y Republican, Sondermann said. Moderate Republicans will have the opportunity to have somewhat more influence in an overwhelmingly Democratic legislature, so that piece is probably for the better.

Of the 10 sitting GOP House members considered to lean the furthest right, nine of them did not run for reelection in November: Reps. Ron Hanks, Tim Geitner, Patrick Neville, Andres Pico, Kim Ransom, Shane Sandridge, Dave Williams, Mark Baisley and Kevin Van Winkle, the last two of whom switched to the state Senate. That leaves Rep. Stephanie Luck, who won her reelection, as the only remaining far-right House member.

Pico, Geitner and Van Winkles seats were all won by Democratic candidates. For Republican candidates who are holding on to the seats, most are much more moderate than their predecessors. For example, Reps.-elect Lisa Frizell, Anthony Hartsook and Rose Pugliese, who are replacing Neville, Ransom and Sandridge, respectively.

Dick Wadhams, a Republican political consultant and a former Colorado Republican state chairman, said in a recent column that, given the Democrats dominance at the state Capitol, little doubt exists the majority will push for more progressive legislation  and therein lies an opportunity for the GOP. Wadhams said Democrats might actually go too far even in the minds of the unaffiliated voters who stood by them in 2022.
Colorado's second-highest court has determined a Boulder County judge misunderstood the sequence of events in a criminal case, and it is plausible a public defender was constitutionally ineffective for failing to tell her client 14 years ago about a plea offer that would have freed him from prison by now.

A jury convicted Mark Andrew Barajas of sexual assault in 2009 and he received a sentence of 20 years to life. Barajas subsequently claimed he received ineffective assistance of counsel because the public defender who represented him at the outset of his prosecution allegedly received a plea offer that would have only put Barajas behind bars for 12 years. According to Barajas, she never told him about the proposal.

In 2020, District Court Judge Andrew Hartman dismissed Barajas' claims, finding the evidence did not support the existence of such an offer.

However, a three-judge panel of the Court of Appeals found that Hartman had misread the record.

In reality, while the private lawyer Barajas hired did not have knowledge of the plea deal, other statements made during Barajas' case suggested the proposal did exist and the original public defender did know about it.

"Therefore, we conclude that Barajas has sufficiently alleged deficient performance by the public defender," wrote Judge Jaclyn Casey Brown in the Jan. 5 opinion.

In October 2008, the victim awoke to find a man in her bed having sex with her. She struggled with her assailant, who then fled. A friend took her to the hospital, where she underwent an examination.

Barajas denied committing the offense, but the victim's DNA was found on his genitals. He alleged he had met the victim that same night, and the DNA transfer could have happened from shaking hands with her. The victim died in a motorcycle accident prior to trial.

The Court of Appeals upheld Barajas' conviction in 2012 and the state Supreme Court declined to review the case. Then in 2014, Barajas filed a postconviction motion alleging his original defense lawyer failed to inform him of a plea offer from the prosecution.

Under the Sixth Amendment, criminal defendants have the right to effective assistance of counsel, including during plea bargaining. Demonstrating ineffectiveness requires not only that a lawyer's performance was deficient, but it also harmed the defendant.

Barajas claimed prosecutors extended a deal whereby Barajas would plead guilty to felony menacing in exchange for a 12-year sentence. However, the offer would only last until the case's preliminary hearing in late 2008. The public defender represented Barajas until January 2009, after which a private attorney took over.

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Hartman, in denying Barajas' request for relief, saw no evidence of that narrative. He cited a memo  written months after the public defender had departed  in which Barajas' new lawyer first talked about Barajas authorizing plea deal discussions.

That memo was "directly contradictory to (Barajas') statement that he was unaware until after the trial that an offer had been made," Hartman wrote.

But the appellate panel believed Hartman misunderstood the timeline. The memo could illustrate Barajas' private attorney was unaware of a prior plea offer, but not that one never existed before he arrived on the case.

Further, the prosecution's own statements in court suggested the government had extended an earlier proposal. In 2009, the prosecutor explained that she "told Mr. Barajas previous attorneys that if we went to preliminary hearing, the offer was off the table."

At Barajas' sentencing hearing, the prosecutor further mentioned that a felony menacing plea would have been consistent with the victim's wishes. Felony menacing "was really the most significant charge to her because of the fear that she felt," the prosecutor explained.

Given that circumstantial evidence, the Court of Appeals believed Barajas' claims were credible.

"And it would have been objectively reasonable to accept twelve years in prison for menacing when facing an indeterminate sentence for a sexual offense," Brown explained. "So, we think the record sufficiently corroborates Barajas claim that he would have accepted the offer."

The panel returned Barajas' case to the trial court with instructions to hold a hearing and determine if Barajas received constitutionally-ineffective assistance by his public defender.

At the same time, the appellate judges rejected Barajas' other claim that his trial lawyer was ineffective for trying to show at trial the victim's DNA on Barajas' genitals came from a handshake transfer, rather than from their shared cocaine use. The Court of Appeals decided the focus on the handshake appeared to be a deliberate strategic decision because, even if the theory was less plausible, it did not remind jurors of Barajas' illegal drug use.

The case is People v. Barajas.
On Friday afternoon Carnel Davis pleaded not guilty to all charges for allegedly killing 37-year-old Glenn Fruster outside the Havana Nightclub in Colorado Springs last year.

Davis, 41, faces 12 charges including first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and menacing for allegedly killing Fruster on Aug. 19, 2022.

At a preliminary hearing in November, new information was revealed where the prosecution claimed that not only did Davis kill Fruster, but that he also attempted to shoot and kill two other woman  one of which was his ex-girlfriend  outside the nightclub just minutes prior to Fruster's death.

During the preliminary hearing, where Judge Diana May determined there was probable cause to bound Davis over for trial, the prosecution showed video evidence of what they claimed was Davis shooting and killing Fruster.

In the surveillance video shown to the court, Fruster can be seen walking in front of a car Davis had entered, and as soon as Fruster walks past the front of the car a series of bright lights  which CSPD detective Matthew Kerr testified he believed to be gunshots  can be seen from the passenger side of the car. Davis' defense attorneys argued that he shot Fruster out of self-defense, and pointed to a handgun found among Fruster's belongings as proof.

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While May didn't find the defense's argument sufficient for charges to be dismissed, the self-defense argument will likely be used again at his upcoming trial.

The jury trial for Davis is scheduled to begin on May 15, but he will next appear in court on March 17, for a motions hearing. The prosecution estimated that the trial will likely be around two weeks long.

Davis appeared to the Friday hearing in custody, and currently resides in the El Paso County jail with no possibility of posting bond.
An El Paso County judge listened to prosecutions testimony and evidence Friday in the case of Dane Kallungi, the man accused of killing his wife in 2019, to allow for a specific police interview to be used in his upcoming trial.

The prosecution called Colorado Springs police detective Mike Lee to testify, asking him to walk through several interviews with Kallungi from 2019 to 2021.

The interview brought into question by Kallungis defense attorney Austin Vos was from June 2021, just after Kallungis arrest in New Mexico, where Lee spoke with Kallungi.

The interview with Kallungi, according to Lee, was an attempt to get him to reveal where he hid Jepsy Kallungis body after allegedly killing her. Lee said that during this 2021 conversation Dane Kallungi was very forthcoming and genuinely wanted to help, even going as far as using Lees computer to look at different locations in Teller County.

Vos argued that the interview in question should be suppressed from Dane Kallungis impending trial because he had not been properly Mirandized before speaking with Lee, and that Lee used intimidation factors by saying things like this will be in the news tomorrow to get his client to speak.

The prosecution, however, argued that Lee had Mirandized Kallungi before the interview, and even gave him the option to call an attorney instead of speaking with Lee.

Despite saying she appreciated the arguments made by Dane Kallungis defense, Judge Jessica Curtis ruled in favor of the prosecution determining there was no bad conduct on the part of Lee, and that the June 2021 interview with Kallungi will not be suppressed at trial.

Curtis said her reasoning for the ruling was that Dane Kallungi never asked for an attorney during the conversation, but instead asked Lee what would happen if he did ask for an attorney. Curtis added that when Dane Kallungi did ask Lee what would happen if he got an attorney, Lee answered honestly and did not mislead him.

Lee stated that in additional interviews conducted after Dane Kallungi was moved to El Paso County jail he refused to speak further on the subject, and requested an attorney.

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Judge Curtis also reviewed a second motion filed by the defense over the legality of some search warrants, but she will not give a ruling on the subject until a hearing scheduled Jan. 13.

Dane Kallungi is set to go to trial next month, starting on Feb. 7, for allegedly killing his wife Jepsy Kallungi and hiding her body.

On the night of March 20, 2019, Jepsy Kallungi returned from Fort Carson, where investigators say she was having a sexual relationship with a soldier stationed at the post, according to an affidavit. Prosecutors are expected to argue that Dane Kallungi killed his wife because she was having an affair.

At 10:30 p.m., someone used Jepsy Kallungis phone to make a 911 call, but the caller immediately hung up. That call was the final one made from her phone.

That night was also the last night anyone heard from Jepsy Kallungi before she went missing, with police launching an investigation into her disappearance in April 2019.

For two years the investigation remained open, until Dane Kallungi told his ex-wife, Alaine Kallungi, that he had killed Jepsy Kallungi in a phone call recorded by police.

I put her on the floor and it was like there was still some kind of breathing going on even though she was gone and I just, just regretted that, Dane Kallungi said on the phone call, according to the affidavit.

Dane Kallungi put his wifes body into the trunk of his vehicle, took his son to school the following morning, then went to work, the affidavit states. After work, Dane took Jepsys body to a remote area in Teller County where he buried her in a clandestine grave.

Dane Kallungi was arrested in New Mexico in June 2021 on suspicion of first-degree murder. If convicted, he would serve a mandatory sentence of life in prison.
When U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack spoke Friday at the Boots n Business Luncheon, his remarks centered on how essential it is that farmers and ranchers thrive, and how 20% of all American jobs are connected to agriculture.

He also praised the sponsoring Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce and National Western Stock Show, along with the Colorado State University Spur campus, for bringing An innovative edge to the agriculture industry.

'Super Bowl' of livestock shows: National Western Stock Show prepares for Jan. 7 opening day

It was Gov. Jared Polis, though, who in greeting the distinguished guest elicited a knowing chuckle from those whove been grocery shopping lately. Welcome, Secretary Vilsack. I hope you brought eggs.

(Eggs are in short supply, and much more expensive than in the past, thanks to a widespread outbreak of avian flu and a requirement that egg producers now must give one square foot of space to all egg-laying hens before their eggs can be sold in Colorado).

Like Vilsack, Polis underscored the agricultures importance in Colorado, noting that it contributes $47 billion to the states economy and supports some 200,000 workers.

The 2023 Boots n Business Luncheon brought 1,360 rural and urban political and community leaders to the National Western Stock Show for an afternoon that included a beef tenderloin buffet by the SSA Group, and performances by horsewoman Jill Barron  who trains the Calgary Stampede Showriders and Colorados famed Westernaires. Plus, there was a running of some Texas longhorn cattle.

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National Western Stock Show parade attracts thousands; longhorns lead the way

The luncheon is a popular prelude to the National Western Stock Show, which Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce CEO J. J. Ament describes as The Super Bowl of livestock shows." Its a great chance for urban and rural communities to mesh, and to demonstrate how important agriculture is to Colorado and its economy, he said.

If it didnt exist, Ament joked, Wed have to invent it.

Everything we have is either mined from, dug from or grown from the earth, said George Sparks, president/CEO of Denver Museum of Nature & Science and chair of the Denver Chamber board. And as our population grows and land becomes more precious, we are lucky to have the CSU Spur and the answers its scholars are going to provide as to how were going to feed an increasing population.

Among the guests:
On January 5, 2023, the handover ceremony of the China-aided Sierra Leone Foreign Service Academy was held in Freetown. H.E. President Julius Maada Bio, First Lady Fatima Bio, Ecowas Speaker Tunis, Chief Minister Jusu, Foreign Affairs Minister Francis,other ministers,Members of Parliamentarians, Chinese Ambassador Wang Qing, the head of the contractor China Railway Seventh Group Company and Members of the diplomatic corps attended the ceremony.





Ambassador Wang said that under the strategic guidance of H.E. President Xi Jinping and H.E. President MaadaBio, China-Sierra Leone cooperation has achieved fruitful results and made new progress. With the relentless efforts of the two countries the building was completed on time and was handed over as a Christmas and New Year gift from China to Sierra Leone,which fully reflects that China and Sierra Leone are good friends, good brothers, and good partners. China is willing to work with Sierra Leone to implement the important consensus reached by the two Heads of State, promote the development of China-Sierra LeoneComprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership and usher in a better tomorrow for our relations in the new era.

President Bio conveyed his sincere gratitude toPresident Xi Jinping for Chinas generosity and commitment to supporting his countrys sustainable development and socioeconomic transformation. The two countrieshave registered significant progress of cooperation in the areas of health, agriculture, education, infrastructure and defense, etc. The Foreign Service Academyis another testament to the mutually beneficial cooperation, shared vision and ever-deepening relations between the two countries and two peoples.

Later on, President Bio and Ambassador Wang cut the ribbon for the Foreign Service Academy and took a conducted tour of the ultra-modern building.
Deaths in Colorado related to domestic violence jumped in 2021, according to a review board that classifies these fatalities.

A new report from the Colorado Domestic Violence Fatality Review Board suggests abusers access to guns and the COVID-19 pandemic likely contributed to the spike. But underlying patterns in predominantly female victims and male perpetrators persist.

Ninety-one people died in 61 incidents in 2021, the highest number classified as domestic violence-related fatalities by the review board  chaired by Attorney General Phil Weiser  since its creation in 2016. Of those, 45 were the primary victims of the domestic violence identified, 32 were the perpetrators and 14 were collateral victims. Four were children.

Although no studies to date have addressed DVF (domestic violence fatality) rates during the pandemic, research indicates a significant increase in the incidence of nonfatal DV during the pandemic, and it is likely the factors contributing to this increase are also impacting DVF rates, says the report.

The board recorded 63 domestic violence fatalities in 2020. However, the report acknowledges that factors such as the difficulty of in-person data collection and limitations of homicide investigations by police during the pandemic might mean local domestic violence fatality review boards did not record all deaths.

Gunshots caused 81% of domestic violence fatalities in 2021, according to the report. It references the Mothers Day shooting in Colorado Springs when a man killed his girlfriend and five of her family members before turning the gun on himself. Access to guns by an abuser increases the likelihood of death by 1,000%, according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

This data reflects the dangers associated with DV perpetrators access to firearms, says the report.

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As a result, the board includes a recommendation for more investment in firearm relinquishment processes for domestic violence perpetrators.

Eighty-eight percent of 2021 victims classified by the report were female, and 90% of perpetrators were male. Nine percent of cases had female perpetrators and male victims, while 2% involved female perpetrators and victims.

This pattern reflects the overall trend that DV more broadly is a very gendered crime, says the report, but notes the data underscores DV is an issue that crosses genders and needs to be addressed in all relationships.

The fatality review boards classifications cast a net broader than deaths of people killed by their intimate partners to include people who have died in the context of domestic violence. Its reviews include collateral victims such as new partners, family members, law enforcement officers or bystanders killed by perpetrators of domestic violence, children killed by abusers in revenge against their victim and suicides of victims or perpetrators.

Among the reports recommendations, the board supports creating a mechanism for law enforcement agencies to report domestic violence fatalities directly to the attorney generals office. While some data is collected from local domestic violence fatality review boards  the state report identifies four in Colorado  the board has to rely on publicly available sources such as media reports and arrest affidavits for data on deaths that have not been reviewed by a local board.

The board also suggests better domestic violence training for judges. An investigation by The Gazette last fall found skepticism by judges of abuse allegations in custody cases sometimes led to children being placed in dangerous arrangements where abuse by a parent continued or even led to death.
After voting for rival candidates for House speaker 13 times over four days, Colorado Republican Lauren Boebert helped hand the gavel to GOP leader Kevin McCarthy by voting "present" late Friday night.

The procedural move by Boebert and a pair of fellow McCarthy critics allowed the California Republican to finally win the chamber's top spot in a historic 15th roll call vote after dramatic twists and turns stretched the proceedings past midnight in Washington, D.C.

Another Colorado Republican, Ken Buck, provided McCarthy with a crucial vote after returning to the Capitol from Colorado midway through the night's first vote, though that tally finished with McCarthy still a single vote short of the required majority.

Following the deadlocked vote, Republicans at first attempted to adjourn but then reversed course after reportedly being able to twist the arm of another McCarthy critic, and then held the final vote, which McCarthy won.

Without a speaker, the House was prevented from swearing in members for the new Congress and couldn't begin conducting business.

Boebert, a Silt Republican who won reelection to a second term by a narrow margin in November, was among McCarthy's most prominent detractors this week, including nominating two other Republicans for speaker.

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By voting "present" in the final two roll calls instead of voting for another Republican, Boebert  and eventually five other Republicans  lowered the threshold McCarthy had to clear in order to claim victory.

Buck, a consistent McCarthy backer earlier in the week, returned to his home state on Thursday for a scheduled medical appointment, his office said.

Doug Lamborn, the third Republican member of Colorado's House delegation, supported McCarthy through the week.

The state's five House Democrats voted for their party's leader, Hakeem Jeffries of New York, in every roll call vote, along with all of the chamber's other Democrats.

As the drama unfolded near midnight, Centennial Democrat Jason Crow, who was elected to a third term in November, slammed the GOP.

"What I can tell you and what I know for certain is, in now my own little over four years in Congress, every time the Republicans are put in charge of something, chaos ensues," he told MSNBC.
The federal appeals court based in Denver has upheld a trial judge's decision to block access to certain court records, out of concern that members of a Colorado Springs church would use the information to harass and intimidate witnesses.

A long-running and unusual quest for transcripts has been intertwined with the Colorado Springs Fellowship Church and its pastor, Rose Banks. A federal jury convicted six of her members of wire fraud and other charges following their 2011 trial. One of them received a reduced sentence in 2017 after U.S. District Court Senior Judge Christine M. Arguello learned of Banks' attempts at controlling the defendant.

There was reportedly a fear of "continued retaliatory harassment" from CSFC following the resentencing hearing, and Arguello granted the defense's request to seal the transcript and block access to other court filings.

On Thursday, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit found Arguello was justified in her decision.

"The trial judge has some concern based on past conduct that if certain information is shared with Pastor Banks or with the church, it could very well result in harassment of witnesses  just like we had harassment in the past and even, most egregiously, harassment of jurors," said Judge Carolyn B. McHugh during oral arguments before the panel in November.

The appeal came from David A. Banks, Rose Banks' son and one of the six criminal defendants nicknamed the "IRP-6." Federal officials in the mid-2000s pursued an indictment of five Black men and one white man, which drew questions around the time about a racially-motivated prosecution. The men ran IRP Solutions Corporation, which misrepresented its business dealings and ended up owing $5 million to multiple staffing companies.

After representing themselves at trial, a jury found the IRP-6 guilty. Arguello gave them prison sentences ranging from 87 to 135 months. The harshest sentences went to Banks, the chief operating officer, and Gary L. Walker, the company president. The IRP-6 were all members of CSFC.

In 2015, Walker filed a petition for review of his sentence, arguing he had ineffective assistance of counsel during his initial sentencing. Arguello granted a hearing and heard from 16 witnesses, including Walker and several CSFC members.

She found Rose Banks effectively "directed" Walker's lawyer, who was another church member and who, therefore, had a conflict of interest. The judge listed off other ways Banks had sought to exercise her authority over Walker: alienating him from his wife and son, promising his parents would suffer from cancer for speaking ill of her, and telling Walker that "god is going to bring you down."

"She told us one time we were in jail, we were in prison, so that we could learn to be better Christians," Walker, who realized the extent of Banks' influence after his conviction, told Arguello.

The judge reduced Walker's sentence from 135 months to 70 months. Walker's lawyer moved to restrict the transcript, for fear that CSFC members would harass Walker, his parents and the former church members who had spoken. Arguello granted the request.

Gwendolyn Lawson, the lawyer who was conflicted while representing Walker, then tried to obtain the transcript for herself and Walker's other co-defendants. CSFC also attempted to unseal the proceedings. Arguello allowed Lawson to access her testimony, but otherwise refused to permit access.

In January 2019, the 10th Circuit ordered Arguello to reconsider. In sealing the transcript, she neglected to narrowly fashion the restriction to the stated purpose of preventing harassment. For example, it was not clear to the appellate judges why the testimony of an expert witness, who was unconnected to the CSFC, would need to be shielded.

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"Here, the district court issued a series of text orders that neither stated the requirements for restricting access to judicial records nor critically analyzed whether sealing the full transcript was appropriate," wrote McHugh, who, along with Senior Judge Mary Beck Briscoe, would later sit on the panel hearing David Banks' appeal.

She added that while CSFC was "far from the most upstanding litigant, the court was still required to carefully consider the publics interest in judicial records."

CSFC demanded Arguello recuse herself from the case and a church-connected group posted press releases online accusing her of "concealment of misconduct," but Arguello largely refused to budge. In a November 2019 order, she went witness-by-witness to explain why their testimony would continue to be shielded. The judge found some witnesses had already "endured harassment" from Rose Banks, and Arguello was "extremely concerned" for the safety of former CSFC members who testified about leaving Banks' church.

Arguello also raised specific allegations related to the IRP-6's proceedings. A church member had harassed jurors  which the defendants acknowledged had happened  and Lawson, the lawyer who was conflicted, reportedly substituted a "dummy" binder for a notebook containing evidence in order to abscond with the court documents.

"CSFC lashes out  unrelentingly  towards those whom Pastor Banks perceives to have wronged her or her church," Arguello wrote. "CSFC wants transcripts of the testimony so that its members, even those who were not present at the hearing, can threaten and harass witnesses who were critical of CSFC."

CSFC again appealed Arguello's decision, but the 10th Circuit rejected it as untimely. Then David Banks moved separately to unseal the transcript and other records from Walker's resentencing. Banks claimed his co-defendant's records would be useful if he sought a presidential pardon or expungement of his own conviction. Arguello rejected the motion, pointing out Lawson had not even represented Banks at his sentencing like she had with Walker, so the records were irrelevant to any relief he might pursue.

At the 10th Circuit, Banks argued there was no evidence he had harassed anyone. His lawyer told the appellate judges that Banks was denied the records simply for being the member of a religious organization, a punishment akin to "being a Jew" in 1930s Germany.

"The ruling does serious injury to the basic principle of public access," attorney Bernard V. Kleinman told the panel.

Ultimately, the 10th Circuit concluded Arguello acted within her authority to maintain a seal on the records.

"To be sure, (Banks) argues that the district court did not find that he personally represented a threat of misusing the transcripts and records," wrote Briscoe in the Jan. 5 order. "But that is immaterial because the district court determined that the threat of misuse of the transcripts and records by Bankss mother and members of CSFC remained and Banks does not challenge that finding."

McHugh agreed about the continued sealing of the transcript, but she took issue with Arguello blocking access to the other documents related to Walker's resentencing. While McHugh acknowledged some court filings contained statements critical of CSFC and should rightly remain sealed, she identified other, more mundane documents Arguello had apparently not analyzed.

"None of the district courts reasons for maintaining the restriction on portions of the transcript apply to these documents. And having reviewed each document, I do not believe the district court could articulate any non-arbitrary reason for maintaining the restriction to access on these documents," McHugh wrote.

Kleinman, who represented Banks and also CSFC, said the panel's decision will enable judges to seal records with "little, or no, basis in fact," and harms the principle of public access to court records.

During much of the appeal, CSFC and Rose Banks were involved in a defamation lawsuit they had filed against a former attendee of the church, who publicly accused Banks of harassment and labeled the organization a "cult." The parties settled the case in November after the church agreed to dismiss its complaint.




Fatima Hasanova

A peaceful protest of Azerbaijani eco-activists and NGO representatives against ecocide in Karabakh has been underway on the Lachin road for the twenty-seventh day in a row, Azernews reports.

On January 6, the conditions for the unhindered passage of two passenger cars, four trucks, and a supply vehicle owned by the Russian peacekeepers along Azerbaijan's Lachin-Khankandi road were made available.

A total of 24 vehicles passed through the Lachin-Khankandi road on January 6.

Earlier, false information about Azerbaijanis allegedly blocking the Khankandi-Lachin road and preventing supply vehicles from passing was circulated in the Armenian media.

In a nutshell, following discussions with the command of the Russian peacekeeping contingent on December 3 and 7, 2022, Azerbaijani specialists from the Ministries of Economy, Ecology, and Natural Resources, the State Service for Property Issues under the Ministry of Economy, and AzerGold CJSC were to conduct primary monitoring on illegal exploitation of mineral deposits on Azerbaijani territory. However, the monitoring failed due to the provocation of ethnic Armenians.
The Iowa Democratic Party renewed calls for the Democratic National Committee to let Iowa keep its first-in-the-nation caucuses after Georgia and New Hampshire missed a key deadline in the process for changing the early state lineup.

The DNCs Rules and Bylaws Committee in December granted conditional waivers to South Carolina, Nevada, New Hampshire, Georgia and Michigan to hold their primaries earlier than other states.

But there are several more steps before that proposed calendar is finalized. The five states were required to submit a letter to the committee Jan. 5 showing that their states leaders had taken steps toward changing the dates of their primaries. New Hampshire had an additional requirement of showing they were taking steps to make early voting more accessible. If states did not send the letter, they would give up their ability to hold a DNC-approved early contest.

A letter from rules committee co-chairs Jim Roosevelt and Minyon Moore, sent to panel members late Thursday, said New Hampshire and Georgia were unable to meet that deadline. The chairs recommended the states be granted a deadline extension, and wrote that the committee will meet soon to discuss the extensions before the early February meeting of the DNC to vote on the proposed calendar.

In response to the missed deadlines, Iowa Democratic Party Chair Ross Wilburn sent a letter to the DNC Friday which requested consideration for a conditional waiver.

The Iowa Democratic Party believes that, with two states apparently unable to meet the criteria set forth as conditions of a waiver, within the timeline set forth by this committee, we have a compelling case to be granted a conditional waiver for a pre-window contest, Wilburn wrote.

Because the Iowa caucuses are run by the state party, the states contests can be altered to meet DNC rules and specifications in a way that state-run primaries cannot, Wilburn wrote.

In an earlier bid for consideration of an early state spot, the Iowa Democrats proposed major changes to the Iowa caucus system, turning it from an in-person, multistep process to a vote-by-mail contest, in which participants only select their top choice to support. While the party will continue to work within state law, Wilburn wrote, the party-run caucuses have more flexibility to meet DNC expectations than other states contests may have.

But DNC leaders have not indicated plans to consider other states for the proposed calendar. Roosevelt and Moore wrote that they remained committed to seeing out the calendar that this committee approved last month, according to reports from CNN.

New Hampshire unable to meet DNC requirements

But meeting the DNCs requirements, even if an extension is granted, could prove difficult for New Hampshire and Georgia. New Hampshire Democratic Party Chairman Ray Buckley wrote in a letter to the rules committee Thursday that their state party was unable to meet the DNCs requirements as they are unable to change state law mandating they hold the first primary in the nation. Republicans, who control the state legislature, will not be willing to change the primary date law, nor be willing to make the changes to New Hampshires early voting process that the DNC requested.

New Hampshire Republicans, who control the governorship and both houses in the state legislature, have repeatedly shown their hostility to expanding voting laws, Buckley wrote.

While Georgias primary date is set by Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, his office ruled out the idea of holding the party primaries on separate dates, and said any changes would need to be equitable to both parties, Politico reported.

Iowa is staying first in the Republican nominating process in the upcoming presidential election cycle. Wilburn said that Republicans in Iowa have used the DNCs decision to feed the narrative that Democrats have turned their back on Iowa and rural America.

Small rural states like Iowa must have a voice in our Presidential nominating process, Wilburn wrote. Democrats cannot forget about entire groups of voters in the heart of the Midwest without doing significant damage to the party for a generation.

Close Mason City firefighters Brad Meyer (L) and Craig Warner wash a truck as part of the station's weekly maintenance. Members of the Mason City police and fire departments respond to a medical call. Members of Mason City Fire and Ambulance's Third Battalion have breakfast together while on a 24-hour shift. Officer Steve Klemas of the Mason City Police Department tags evidence bags after returning from the scene of an investigation. Officers working the third shift at the Mason City Police Department are briefed by Chief Jeff Brinkley before heading out on their respective patrols. Mason City Police Officers respond to a harassment call. Dispatcher Mallory Dempsey enters information into a call during a night shift at the Cerro Gordo County Sheriff's Office. Cerro Gordo County Deputy Mitch Kruse returns to his vehicle after checking on a driver whose truck had no brake lights. A cross hangs inside Cerro Gordo County Deputy Tami Cavett's vehicle while she is on duty. Cerro Gordo County Sheriff's Deputy Tami Cavett checks in with a resident while making daily rounds through rural towns within the county. Cerro Gordo County Sheriff's Deputy Russell Jensen speaks to a resident in Clear Lake. Lt. Neil Maki makes breakfast for the Third Battalion of the Mason City Fire Department. PHOTOS - First responders Mason City firefighters Brad Meyer (L) and Craig Warner wash a truck as part of the station's weekly maintenance. Members of the Mason City police and fire departments respond to a medical call. Members of Mason City Fire and Ambulance's Third Battalion have breakfast together while on a 24-hour shift. Officer Steve Klemas of the Mason City Police Department tags evidence bags after returning from the scene of an investigation. Officers working the third shift at the Mason City Police Department are briefed by Chief Jeff Brinkley before heading out on their respective patrols. Mason City Police Officers respond to a harassment call. Dispatcher Mallory Dempsey enters information into a call during a night shift at the Cerro Gordo County Sheriff's Office. Cerro Gordo County Deputy Mitch Kruse returns to his vehicle after checking on a driver whose truck had no brake lights. A cross hangs inside Cerro Gordo County Deputy Tami Cavett's vehicle while she is on duty. Cerro Gordo County Sheriff's Deputy Tami Cavett checks in with a resident while making daily rounds through rural towns within the county. Cerro Gordo County Sheriff's Deputy Russell Jensen speaks to a resident in Clear Lake. Lt. Neil Maki makes breakfast for the Third Battalion of the Mason City Fire Department.
The charges against a Nevada, Iowa, man who was arrested in August and accused of five counts of felony sexual abuse have been dismissed.

According to court records, the dismissal of charges against 26-year-old Bradley Erik Purdy was due to a speedy trial expiration.

According to Iowa Code, if a defendant indicted for a public offense has not waived the right to a speedy trial the defendant must be brought to trial within 90 days after indictment or the court must order the indictment to be dismissed unless good cause to the contrary be shown.

Purdy was indicted on Aug. 4. On Dec. 20 his attorney filed a motion to dismiss, writing that Purdy was in the custody of the Iowa Department of Corrections at all relevant times after the filing and the investigating officer could have easily ascertained Purdy's whereabouts during that time.

The motion to dismiss was granted Jan. 4.

The charges were filed in June for crimes that allegedly took place in Belmond from August of 2010 to October of 2011.

Purdy was convicted of lascivious acts with a child and indecent exposure in Greene County in 2019 and is on the Iowa Sex Offender Registry. He was facing more than 100 years in prison had he been found guilty of the most recent charges.

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HIGH POINT  High Point police found five people dead at a home Saturday morning in what theyre investigating as a murder-suicide incident.

Officers arrived at 7:05 a.m. at a home in the 2700 block of Mossy Meadow Drive, in the northeastern part of the city, on a report of two people screaming for help, police said. Afterward, several people called 911.

When officers arrived, they forced their way into the home, where they found three juveniles and two adults dead, police said.

Police Capt. Matt Truitt declined to identify the victims or provide details on how they died.

Emergency medical technicians pronounced the five people dead at the scene, police said.

Investigators later interviewed the two people who had screamed for help, Truitt said. One of the two lives in the home and the other person was a visitor, Truitt said.

They are both safe at this point, and they are unharmed, Truitt said.

A Guilford County medical examiner was at the scene Saturday, Truitt said. The victims bodies will be taken for autopsies.

A High Point police car blocked the intersection of Running Cedar Trail and Mossy Meadow Drive Saturday afternoon. The house where the incident occurred stands about 100 yards from the intersection, in the High Point neighborhood of Williams Grove.

A group of six people stood along Running Cedar Trail, talking quietly with one another. They declined to speak to a Journal reporter about what had happened. There was no active threat Saturday to the High Point community, police said.

High Point police are continuing their investigation.
REIDSVILLE  Reidsville Police investigators arrested Rahzavior Lamont Bullock, aka AJ, on Jan. 4 in connection to vandalism charges and a break-in at a vape shop.

The suspect, 19, had several outstanding warrants related to recent vandalism near Wentworth and Carroll streets and for breaking and entering at 7 Wonderz Vapor LLC, at 131 Scales Street in Reidsville.

Police reports from October and December 2022 show Bullock was formerly charged with trespassing and failure to appear in court. The disposition of those charges was not immediately available.

Bullock is being held in the Rockingham County Detention Facility in Wentworth on a $30,000 secured bond. No court date was immediately available.
RALEIGH  According to multiple media reports, there will likely be major efforts during the 2023 session of the North Carolina General Assembly to raise and reform teacher compensation and enact other public-education reforms while also expanding the states school-choice programs.

Are such initiatives inconsistent? Not at all. One can be in favor both of improving public schools and of giving more parents a wide range of educational options. Indeed, I am strongly of the opinion that these policies are mutually reinforcing.

For starters, even a welcome and net-beneficial change in how North Carolina funds public schools and pays teachers wont please everyone. Thats impossible. Offering dissatisfied parents or educators alternatives such as magnets, charters, or lab schools can act as a safety valve to defuse tensions while also best serving the individual needs of students.

At the same time, increasing parental choice and competition in education tends to make public schools more responsive and effective, not less so. Thats what a growing body of empirical research suggests. A recently published study of Ohios primary voucher program, for example, found that the academic performance of students in public schools was significantly higher than it would have been in the absence of vouchers.

Earlier this year, a team of scholars from Northwestern, Emory, and the University of California-Davis released their own study of tax-credit scholarships in Florida. This program provides dollar-for-dollar tax credits to companies that donate to organizations that, in turn, give parents vouchers for private-school expenses. Their study, published in the journal EducationNext, examined the effects of the resulting competition on Floridas public schools.

Our analysis finds consistent evidence that, as the scholarship program scaled up, academic and behavioral outcomes improved for students attending traditional public schools, the researchers wrote. In districts with the most school competition, students scored 14.5% of a standard deviation higher in reading and math. Their suspension and absence rates also improved when compared to those in public schools facing less competition. Our findings from this long-lasting early program show that in Florida, at least, it seems that a rising tide of competition has lifted many boats, the professors concluded.

There are dozens of other studies of competitions effects on public education. Some have found benefits smaller than those in Florida and Ohio, to be sure, and a few found no benefits at all. But when scholars examine the overall effects across the country, they generally find them to be positive.

Anna Egalite, an education professor at North Carolina State University, published a review of the data some years ago in the Journal of School Choice. Of the 21 scholarly studies she examined, nearly all found a positive effect of competition on public-school performance. More recently, University of Kentucky professor John Garen looked at the relationship between school-choice policies such as vouchers and education savings accounts (ESAs) and average state scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress. He found strikingly large test score gains for states with school choice. Though per-pupil spending on K-12 has a positive effect on test scores, Garen wrote, its magnitude is very small and is swamped by the effect of having a voucher or ESA program.

I realize longtime skeptics of the states choice programs will be sorely tempted to reject this evidence. And I realize activists whove tried for years to hitch the school-reform wagon to the Leandro-litigation horse are loath to give up their belief that only by appropriating billions of additional dollars to district-run public schools can North Carolina meet its obligation to provide the opportunity for a sound, basic education to every child.

But they really ought to rethink their strategy for 2023 and beyond. In the midterm elections, voters essentially unhitched that litigation horse from the wagon. There will be no court-ordered financial settlement of Leandro. Forget it.

If you seek significant pay raises for teachers, signal your willingness to couple them with school-choice expansions. Thats a package that might actually pass the General Assembly.
House Republicans discovered how Pelosis staffers deliberately weakened security at the U.S. Capitol for Jan.6 and ordered a cover-up. Steven A. Sund, the Capitol Police chief on that fateful day, not only confirms her culpability along with the rest of the Democratic leadership, but also how his own agency and the intelligence community let the Capitol attack happen.

The Washington Post acquired an advance copy of Sunds book Courage Under Fire, which will be released on Tuesday. He unveils his perspective on what happened, who he most blames (not Donald Trump), and why America still remains vulnerable to a similar attack.

Sund also reminds America that Pelosi utilized him as a scapegoat and forced him to step down as Police chief. We all know now she was just trying to obfuscate her own responsibility for the attack.

From the Post:

The FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and even his own agencys intelligence unit had been alerted weeks earlier to reams of chilling chatter about right-wing extremists arming for an attack on the Capitol that day, Sund says, but didnt take the basic steps to assess those plots or sound an alarm. Senior military leaders, citing political or tactical worries, delayed sending help.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/01/big-new-book-ex-capitol-police-chief-confirms-gops-report-pelosis-culpability-jan-6-reveals-fbi-dhs-agency-knew-weeks-planned-attack/

The Capitol Police chief who handled the Jan. 6 riot says political bureaucracy under Speaker Nancy Pelosi put optics over safety and hampered his department from crafting an appropriate security plan to protect the home of Congress that fateful day.

https://justthenews.com/government/congress/ex-capitol-police-boss-says-politics-hampered-jan-6-security-under-pelosi

Glad to see that what we figured out a long time ago is finally coming out, hopefully it will open a lot of eyes.
Baku has responded to a US concern about Azerbaijans alleged "blocking" of the Lachin-Khankandi road, Azernews reports.

The United States remains concerned the Lachin Corridor has now been blocked for over three weeks, creating a grave humanitarian situation. We thank @ICRC for providing critical aid during this time, but call on Azerbaijan and Russia to restore access immediately, US ambassador to OSCE Michael Carpenter alleged in a tweet.

In a response to the US ambassador, Spokesperson for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Ayxan Hajizada regretted the tweet.

It is unfortunate that @USAmbOSCE is deceived by false narrative on `blockade & `humanitarian situation. If #Lachin road w/be under block no vehicle would pass through it. Why it is OK to use the road for all sorts of illegal activities, but protesting agnst is not appropriate? the spokesperson questioned.

A peaceful protest of Azerbaijani eco-activists and NGO representatives against ecocide in Karabakh has been underway on the Lachin road for the twenty-seventh day in a row, Azernews reports.

On January 6, the conditions for the unhindered passage of two passenger cars, four trucks, and a supply vehicle owned by the Russian peacekeepers along Azerbaijan's Lachin-Khankandi road were made available.

A total of 24 vehicles passed through the Lachin-Khankandi road on January 6.

Earlier, false information about Azerbaijanis allegedly blocking the Khankandi-Lachin road and preventing supply vehicles from passing was circulated in the Armenian media.

In a nutshell, following discussions with the command of the Russian peacekeeping contingent on December 3 and 7, 2022, Azerbaijani specialists from the Ministries of Economy, Ecology, and Natural Resources, the State Service for Property Issues under the Ministry of Economy, and AzerGold CJSC were to conduct primary monitoring on illegal exploitation of mineral deposits on Azerbaijani territory. However, the monitoring failed due to the provocation of ethnic Armenians.
GREENSBORO  The first-ever elementary charter school in Rockingham County is expected to open in Reidsville this August.

The State Board of Education voted to approve Legacy Classical Academy this week after denying it last month.

American Traditional Academies will operate the school. That is a new educational management organization directed by Summerfield resident Mary Catherine Sauer. She is listed as a managing partner on the company's website, along with Taft Morley, a longtime charter school developer and financier and son of former Utah legislator Mike Morley.

Sauer previously founded three charter schools in Guilford County: Cornerstone Charter Academy, Piedmont Classical High School and Revolution Academy.

Charter schools are tuition-free public schools, chartered by the state, but governed by nonprofit boards. The school plans an open enrollment period from January 13 through February 28.

Legacy Classical Academy will feature classical academics, school uniforms, twice-a-day recess and cursive writing instruction.

Presuming it satisfies all requirements in this planning year, it expects to open with 201 students in kindergarten through fourth grade. Eventually, the school looks to serve students up through 8th grade.

This would be American Traditional Academies' first school to operate.

Last month, state Board of Education members balked at approving Legacy Classical Academy despite a positive recommendation from the state's Charter Schools Advisory Board. The measure passed this time after one member who had voted against it last time was not present at the meeting.

Alan Duncan, the board's vice chairman, represents the Piedmont-Triad Education Region, which includes Guilford and Rockingham counties among others.

He said he voted twice against approving the school. Duncan said he was concerned that the contract for the school could give too much control to the management organization, versus the school's local nonprofit board, and what he saw as potentially too much in revenues to the management organization as well. With that said, he acknowledged the vote this week means moving forward together.

"We will work with that school and work to support its success with our students," he said.
RALEIGH  The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has concluded its investigation of former North Carolina Sen. Richard Burr related to investment sales early in the coronavirus pandemic without taking any action, Burr said on Friday.

Burr, a Republican from Winston-Salem who didnt seek reelection in November after three Senate terms, and Gerald Fauth, the brother of Burrs wife, had been scrutinized for potential insider trading by the SEC. Fauth's attorney said separately Friday that the SEC probe of his client is also over with no such trading found.

Burr and other members of Congress had been the focus of public criticism for aggressive trading in early 2020, before the economic threat from the virus was widely known.

Burr had already been cleared of wrongdoing by the Justice Department of President Donald Trump's administration for offloading $1.6 million from his portfolio in January and February 2020. But the SEC continued, according to federal court filings made public in fall 2021.

This week, the SEC informed me that they have concluded their investigation with no action, Burr said Friday in a written statement released by his lawyer. Burr, who formally left the Senate on Tuesday as GOP Ted Budd was sworn in to succeed him, said he was "glad to have this matter in the rearview mirror as I begin my retirement from the Senate following nearly three decades of public service.

Fauth attorney Joseph Warin said separately: "The SEC "has closed its investigation into our client. We are thrilled that the SEC and the DOJ appropriately closed their investigations without any findings of insider trading.

An SEC spokesperson said later Friday that the agency doesn't comment on the opening or closing of a possible investigation.

Both Burr and Fauth were being investigated under the STOCK Act, which makes it illegal for members of Congress to act on inside information gained through their official duties to benefit financially.

Burr drew significant attention because he was captured in a recording privately warning a group of influential constituents in early 2020 to prepare for economic devastation. Burr denied trading on private information, but he stepped aside from his position as chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee after the FBI obtained a search warrant to seize a cellphone.

Additional court filings stemmed from the case that had been brought by the SEC to force Fauth, who is a member of the National Mediation Board, to comply with a subpoena. The agency argued that his close relationship with Burr and a phone call between the two, followed by calls to Fauths brokers, made Fauth's testimony critical. Fauth had repeatedly cited his health as a reason for not complying with the SEC's request for him to testify.

Burr was elected to the U.S. House in 1994, where he served for 10 years until he defeated Democrat Erskine Bowles in the 2004 Senate race to succeed then-Sen. John Edwards. The mediation board upon which Fauth serves helps resolve disputed labor-management conflicts within the railroad and airline industries.
Accounting and business advisory firms Anderson ZurMuehlen based in Helena and Pinion based in Loveland, Colorado, combined businesses under the Pinion name on Jan. 1.

Following the merger, Pinion now has U.S. revenue of $121 million, employs more than 650 people, and serves clientele nationally across the United States and globally through partners and affiliates, according to a press release sent Friday from the company.

With roots dating back to 1932, Pinion provides solutions for food and agriculture, biofuels and manufacturing industries, as well as regionally-focused businesses, the press release says. Pinion advisers work with clients to overcome their challenges, secure their legacies and seize opportunities that allow their businesses to grow, it says.

The combination of Pinion and Anderson ZurMuehlen is an outstanding fit as both our storied histories center on community-focused values and a shared mission to drive business forward and improve the lives of people," Pinion CEO Jeff Wald said in the release. "As one firm, we look forward to the powerful expansion of resources, locations, and scope of service that will elevate businesses across the U.S.

Founded in 1957, Anderson ZurMuehlen is the largest Montana-based CPA and business services firm with 217 personnel in offices in Billings, Bozeman, Butte, Great Falls, Havre, Helena and Missoula.

This opportunity to join with Pinion has exceeded our hopes in finding a partner firm that offers complementary service and industry expertise," Anderson ZurMuehlen CEO Rick Reisig said. "With our shared values and vision for serving our clients, we are excited to see how this relationship will bring greater solutions and results across an expanded footprint.
The government said earlier this week as the two-year anniversary of the riot in Washington, D.C., neared that it continues to investigate losses that resulted from the Jan. 6, 2021, breach, including damage to Capitol building and grounds.

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland called the investigation one of the largest, most complex and most resource-intensive in the departments history

We will never forget the sacrifice of the law enforcement officers who defended the members of Congress and others inside the Capitol that day," he said. "And we will never forget the five officers who responded selflessly on Jan. 6 and who have since lost their lives.

Those officers were Brian Sicknick, Howard Liebengood, Jeffrey Smith, Gunther Hashida and Kyle DeFreytag.

Garland said the Justice Department remains dedicated to honoring them and "we remain committed to doing everything in our power to prevent this from ever happening again.

The following information about the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection was released Jan. 4 by the U.S. Department of Justice:

Losses are about $2,734,783. That amount also includes, among other things, costs borne by the U.S. Capitol Police.

More than 950 defendants have been arrested in nearly all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Under the leadership of the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of Columbia and the FBIs Washington Field Office, the investigation and prosecution of those responsible for the attack continues.

Criminal charges

More than 284 defendants have been charged with assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers or employees, including about 99 people who have been charged with using a deadly or dangerous weapon or causing serious bodily injury to an officer.

Nearly 140 police officers were assaulted Jan. 6, 2021, at the Capitol, including about 80 from the U.S. Capitol Police and about 60 from the Metropolitan Police Department.

About 11 people have been arrested on charges that relate to assaulting a member of the media, or destroying their equipment, on Jan. 6, 2021.

There have been about 860 defendants charged with entering or remaining in a restricted federal building or grounds. Of those, 91 defendants have been charged with entering a restricted area with a dangerous or deadly weapon.

Fifty-nine defendants have been charged with destruction of government property, and 36 defendants have been charged with theft of government property.

More than 295 people have been charged with corruptly obstructing, influencing, or impeding an official proceeding, or attempting to do so.

Nearly 50 people have been charged with conspiracy, either: conspiracy to obstruct a congressional proceeding, conspiracy to obstruct law enforcement during a civil disorder, conspiracy to injure an officer, seditious conspiracy, or some combination of the four.

Pleas

Nearly 484 people have pleaded guilty to a variety of federal charges, many of whom faced or will face incarceration at sentencing.

About 119 have pleaded guilty to felonies. Another 364 have pleaded guilty to misdemeanors.

Fifty-two of those who have pleaded guilty to felonies have pleaded to federal charges of assaulting law enforcement officers. An additional 22 individuals have pleaded guilty to felony obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder. Of these 74 defendants, 41 have now been sentenced to prison terms of up to 90 months.

Four of those who have pleaded guilty to felonies have pleaded guilty to the federal charge of seditious conspiracy.

Trials

Forty people have been found guilty at contested trials, including three who were found guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.

Another 10 people have been convicted following an agreed-upon set of facts.

Sixteen of these 50 defendants were found guilty of assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers, a felony, including one who has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Sentencings

Nearly 351 federal defendants have had their cases adjudicated and received sentences for their criminal activity on Jan. 6, 2021.

About 192 have been sentenced to incarceration.

Nearly 87 have been sentenced to home detention, including 14 sentenced to a period of incarceration.

Public Assistance

People nationwide have provided assistance in identifying people in connection with the attack. The FBI continues to seek the publics help in identifying about 350 people believed to have committed violent acts on the Capitol grounds, including over 250 who assaulted police officers.

The FBI released 14 videos of suspects wanted for violent assaults on federal officers and one video of two suspects wanted for assaults on members of the media on Jan. 6 and is seeking the publics help to identify them.

Some of the violent offenders about whom the FBI is seeking public tips to identify or locate are Evan Neumann and Jonathan Daniel Pollock, AFOs #91, #292, #371, and #383. AFO #91 uses what appears to be a stick to strike multiple officers numerous times while in the doorway of the Lower West Terrace, commonly referred to as the tunnel. AFOs #292, #371, and #383 are all shown on video charging at and assaulting officers, and they appear to grab and attempt to take possession of the officers batons.

For images and video of the attackers, visit https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/capitol-violence. Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.
The total number of teaching licenses issued in Montana has decreased by 9% in the last five years, according to the 2022 teacher licensure report from the Office of Public Instruction.

In that time, the amount of new licenses issued decreased by 21% and the number of educators who have maintained their licenses shrunk by about 7%, Montana Superintendent Elsie Arntzen's office stated. Emergency authorizations, which allow people who are not currently qualified educators to fill vacant positions, grew by 42% from 2018 and peaked with 173 emergency licenses in 2021.

Teachers must renew their licenses every five years in Montana. Emergency licenses expire after one year.

As superintendent, Arntzen pushed for flexibility with teacher licensing rules in hopes of alleviating ongoing teacher shortages across the state. Some of those changes now allow teachers with standard, unrestricted, out-of-state licenses with two years of experience to teach in Montana without providing their Praxis exam score, college GPA or student-teaching portfolio.

It also created the opportunity for those with out-of-state licenses to teach in Montana with no previous classroom experience if they have at least a 3.5 GPA, a passing Praxis score or a passing grade on a portfolio.

OPI also launched a new, streamlined, teacher licensing system from RANDA Solutions in June. The modernized system eliminates most of the manual work that was done previously to process applications and is also used by state education departments in Tennessee, Colorado, Kentucky and South Carolina.

I have sought solutions by offering flexibilities in our teacher licensing rules, streamlining our teacher licensing system, increasing our professional development courses and developing a teacher resident program to ensure our first-year teachers are classroom-ready, Arntzen said. Through these innovative solutions Montana is putting our students first.

OPI remained optimistic that those changes would lead to an increase in licenses in 2022. However, the total number of licenses issued decreased by 6% from 2021 to 2022.

As Ive said before, our schools mirror the many 'help wanted' signs in businesses throughout our Montana communities, Arntzen said.

Teacher shortages in Montana mirror similar trends happening across the country since the COVID pandemic. In the two years from the beginning of the pandemic, state and local education employment fell by nearly 5% overall, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Low pay is also top of mind with educators, administrators and education advocates. Generally, K-12 teachers are paid 19.2% less than similar workers in other occupations according to the Economic Policy Institute in 2022.

When it comes to pay, Montana school districts often struggle to maintain pay scales competitive with neighboring states.

The average starting salary for a teacher in Montana was $32,871 during the 2019-2020 school year, the lowest of any other state in the country and nearly $8,000 less than the national average, according to the Learning Policy Institute. On average, Idaho starts its teachers at $38,015, North Dakota at $40,106 and Wyoming at $46,558.
SPRINGFIELD  For retired elementary school teachers Karen Irvin and Diane White, the last straw was the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida in 2018.

Watching the coverage of yet another school shooting, as a teacher that retired after 32 years in the school district, and having gone through the traumatic active-shooter trainings with young children, we both kind of reached that tipping point, said Irvin, of Bloomington.

The pair helped form the McLean County chapter of Moms Demand Action, a group that advocates for stronger gun control measures. They have about 50 to 60 active members, Irvin said, with many more also expressing support for the mission.

The group got an action call to come to the Capitol on Thursday, leading a handful of them to make the drive to Springfield to join about a hundred other gun control activists from across the state to advocate for legislation that would, among other actions, ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.

Today is about this action that we know legislators can take, Irvin told Lee Enterprises under the Capitol rotunda. And that we know the majority of people in Illinois are saying that they are supportive of this."

"We also want them to know, yeah, we're here today and we might not catch them today," she said. "But our group has been calling and leaving messages and writing emails and sending letters. We are active behind the scenes for this bill because it has been on our radar for a while."

Just hours later, with the clock a few strokes before 1 a.m. and Gov. J.B. Pritzker present in the chamber, the Democratic-controlled Illinois House fulfilled activists hopes, passing a landmark gun control bill banning several high-powered guns and high-capacity magazines. The vote was 64-43.

Earlier in the evening, lawmakers also approved an expansive reproductive health bill meant to build on Illinois' already-established status as a haven for abortion rights. The measure passed on a 67-41 party-line vote.

The measures follow through on Democrats' promises of legislative action on the topics after fall of Roe v. Wade in June and the mass shooting at a Fourth of July parade in suburban Highland Park that left seven people dead and more than four-dozen injured.

Both now head to the Illinois Senate, where they face an uncertain future.

Senate President Don Harmon, in a statement Friday, said that his members "are giving these proposals an extensive review and careful evaluation," adding that they are "committed to enacting the most effective legislation possible."

He also confirmed that the Senate will return to Springfield on Sunday, presumably to consider the measures. They will need to be considered before noon Wednesday, when the new General Assembly is sworn in.

Pritzker's presence in the House chamber Thursday night and early Friday morning was notable. The governor spent more than two hours on the floor, sitting through the entire assault weapons ban debate next to House Speaker Chris Welch, D-Hillside.

Pritzker, asked by reporters as he left the House chamber, called the early morning vote "terrific."

"I was excited to hear the debate and, honestly, this is big progress for the state of Illinois," Pritzker said, adding that his presence on the floor was a signal that he's "been engaged in this process all along and wanted to see it through to the end."

I know were going to get a bill," he said when asked about concerns over the legislation's fate in the Senate.

The gun control package is a product of months of behind-the-scenes discussions between lawmakers and key stakeholders in working groups. Legislation was introduced in early December and three public hearings were subsequently held.

State Rep. Bob Morgan, D-Deerfield, who was marching in the Highland Park parade when the shooting occurred, has been the House Democrats' lead negotiator on the assault weapons push.

However, it was Welch who dropped an amendment Thursday afternoon that featured key changes to the law as it was initially proposed by Morgan.

The legislation that passed the House, dubbed by supporters as the Protect Illinois Communities Act, bans several kids of semi-automatic weapons.

Those who currently own these weapons would be grandfathered in but required to register weapons covered under the ban with the state police within 300 days of the laws effective date.

It also strengthens the state's "red flag" law, allowing family members or law enforcement to petition a court to have a persons firearms taken away for up to one year if they are deemed a danger to themselves or others. Currently, weapons can only be taken for up to six months.

But in other ways, it is watered down from what what lawmakers introduced last month. Dropped completely from the legislation was a provision that would have prevented most under 21 from obtaining a firearm. Currently, 18-, 19- and 20-year olds can obtain a Firearm Identification card and buy guns with the consent of a parent.

Morgan said this "reasonable" change was meant to accommodate hunters.

Maximum magazine capacity was also increased from 10 to 12 rounds. Another change was the elimination of a felony charge for violating the high-capacity magazine ban, with each violation now a petty offense resulting in a fine of $1,000.

This was meant to address concerns from gun rights advocates that law-abiding gun owners could be made felons overnight due to possession of high-capacity magazines. It also addresses some concerns from Black Caucus members and progressives over penalty enhancements.

However, it was not enough for many lawmakers. All but one Republican, outgoing House Minority Leader Jim Durkin, R-Western Springs, voted against the measure. So did four Democrats.

This bill is another encroachment on the Second Amendment rights that are guaranteed to each and every citizen of this state if they are of sound mind, said state Rep. Dan Caulkins, R-Decatur, who added that all its going to do is create felons out of law-abiding citizens.

Several Republicans also criticized the measure for not adequately addressing mental health issues surrounding guns. Morgan quickly retorted that lawmakers have passed increased amounts of funding for mental health in recent budgets, many that received no Republican votes.

Proponents and activists acknowledged that the bill doesn't solve all gun-related problems. But, they say it will have a positive impact.

"We know they don't solve all gun violence problems," said Sarah Breeden, a Mom's Demand activist from Bloomington. "No one bill is going to do that. This one has a chance of saving many lives and that's why we feel strongly that we should be here to make sure that our legislators and legislators across the state understand why it's important."

Abortion rights

The reproductive health measure, sponsored by state Rep. Kelly Cassidy, D-Chicago, takes a number of actions meant to protect the abortion rights island that's been established in Illinois while also expanding capacity to accommodate the influx of out-of-state patients seeking care here.

Among other things, the item allows advanced practice clinicians such as nurse practitioners and physician assistants to perform in-clinic abortions.

Currently, advanced practice clinicians in Illinois can only prescribe abortion-related medications, which are typically only prescribed within the first 11 weeks of a pregnancy.

But, by allowing them to perform "aspiration" abortions, which involve the use of suction to empty the uterus and typically occur 14 to 16 weeks into pregnancy, advocates believe this would help alleviate staffing shortages they are facing.

The measure would also prevent doctors from automatically losing their licenses to practice in Illinois if it is revoked in another state for performing healthcare services that are legal in Illinois.

It would also make it easier for out-of-state physicians, physicians' assistances and and advanced practice nurses to practice in Illinois. Many abortion clinics in states that have outlawed or severely restricted the procedure are setting up shop in states with more abortion-friendly laws.

Cassidy said the measure "ensures that our providers, our patients, our families and our supporters are not subject to outrageous overreach from hostile states" and "would reinforce Illinois position as a national leader on reproductive freedoms."

It heads to the Senate with an uncertain fate.

Though the bill's language and a competing bill introduced yesterday by Harmon have near identical language in some areas, the two sides have disagreed on whether to include language defining gender-affirming care.

Cassidy's bill includes it; the Senate's does not.

Lawmakers have until Wednesday to wrap up work on these topics, or else they will be forced to start over as the new General Assembly is sworn in.

Erin Henkel contributed to this report.

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On January 6, delegations led by the First Deputy Chairman of the State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan, Acting Chairman, Lieutenant-General of the Customs Service Shahin Bagirov, and the Head of the State Border Service of Azerbaijan, Colonel-General Elchin Guliyev, visited checkpoints across the state border in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, Azernews reports citing the State Customs Committee.

It was noted that after the delegations inspected the facilities and working conditions of the staff at the Sadarak checkpoint on the border between Azerbaijan and Turkey, as well as at the Julfa and Shakhtakhty points on the border with Iran, instructions and recommendations were given to further enhance the standard of service at checkpoints and streamline international transit procedures. Additionally, suggestions and directives covered the efficient implementation of border and customs controls as well as the accelerated border crossing procedures.
A Meadowview man is in jail after authorities said he walked into a magistrates office on Friday evening and confessed to killing his wife.

According to a press release from the Washington County Virginia Sheriffs Office, 41-year-old Ava Renee Morgan of Meadowview was pronounced dead after deputies made entry into the residence and found the victim on the floor with apparent gunshot wounds.

The deputies went to the home after Morgans 76-year-old husband, George William Morgan, reported the crime himself.

Authorities say George William Morgan went to the Washington County Virginia Magistrates Office and claimed he had just killed someone. Morgan reportedly confessed to the murder and was placed under arrest without incident.

He has been charged with first-degree murder and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.

George Morgan is currently being held at the Southwest Virginia Regional Jail Authority in Duffield, Virginia, without bond.

The body of Ava Morgan is being transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Roanoke, Virginia for an autopsy.
As the U.S. House of Representatives moved into its 14th round of voting for speaker Friday night, 9th District Representative Morgan Griffith reflected on what it has been like over the past couple of days on the House floor.

Its always very interesting when you get into these situations, lots of negotiation, sometimes waiting. But, things are moving, and were gonna get there eventually, Griffith said. Not everything runs smoothly as some might like it, and its messy, but its meant to be messy. Its a legislative body.

So far, Representative Kevin McCarthy, who is the frontrunner for the House speakership with now 214 votes apparently secured, has failed to receive the necessary amount of votes 218 to assume the position. Griffith highlighted that despite this, there is no other realistic alternative among his fellow Republican representatives.

McCarthy has been working on this for some time, hes laid the groundwork, and he, at this point, hes the only one that has anywhere close to 218, Griffith said. The candidates who have been proposed by some others havent laid the groundwork to run for speaker, and nobody truly believes they have the ability to get to 218 at this time.

Griffith explained that one of the main factors as to why the process of electing the House speaker for the 118th House of Representatives has been so complex is that since 1923, when the legislative body last faced a stalemate of this magnitude, the amount of power the position of speaker has absorbed has only grown.

There are several different factors. Probably the biggest is that each speaker since probably 1923 has absorbed more power, and at some point, there comes a breaking point, Griffith said. Part of what you see happening in this floor process is that we are trying to reform Congress to the betterment, to empower each member with a little more authority to be able to get things done, to cast votes on bills that arent gargantuan.

When it comes to initially 20 Republican representatives, now reduced to six, who have voted for candidates other than Rep. Kevin McCarthy for speaker of the House, Griffith, pointed out that before the first round of votes, he was also on the fence and highlighted that each representative has to do what is right by their constituents.

Every member comes in charged by the people in their districts to do what they think is right, and sometimes there are fine lines between those who are on one side of an issue or another, and I think thats where weve been, Griffith said. In fact, for me, I was on the fence until we worked out some rules related to germaneness and single purpose of a bill, and that brought me over before the voting started.

Griffith emphasized that if the stalemate continues, they will continue to vote for the speakership through the weekend.

If it doesnt happen at 10 oclock, votes are expected during the weekend, and we may have votes over the weekend anyway because we have to get everybody sworn in, and we have to pass the rules package, Griffith said. So, well get this past us, and then well get some good work done.
HICKORY  The Catawba Valley Community College Small Business Center will host a no-cost ABCs of Starting a Small Business on a Limited Budget webinar on Thursday, Jan. 12, from 2-3 p.m. and again from 6:30-7:30 p.m.

The program will be in webinar format, allowing participants to participate from their computers and mobile devices.

In this webinar participants learn how to start a small business combined with winning strategies from low-cost startups. Starting a small business on a limited budget is easier now than it has ever been. In these challenging times everyone from the government to your local banker is trying to help you succeed.

There is no charge to attend this webinar, but pre-registration is required. To register or for more information contact the CVCC Small Business Center at 828-327-7000, ext. 4117 or visit http://sbc.cvcc.edu to register online.
There we were, two hometown boys separated in age by 15 or 20 years, sitting in one of the last old-school, full-service gas stations in the world (or at least in the parameters of my world), talking about where things used to be.

Needing a vehicle inspection for my truck, I pulled into Main Street Exxon on a new set of tires I had to break down and buy to pass that inspection and sauntered inside.

Main Street Exxon, conveniently located on Main Street, is for sale. Its been there a while, long before Esso became Exxon. Ownership, according to various sources, some of which are reliable, went from two fellows who opened it in 1945, then to another fellow, then to Little John, then to Johnny, who recently decided it was time to slow down a bit and do something else.

Back before previous owner Little John rode off into the sunset, he talked about the business in a newspaper story published a decade ago.

We still pump our customers gas, clean their windshields and check their oil if they want, Little John said. We also do light repairs and oil changes. Thats the way weve always done things. Like they say, you cant teach an old dog new tricks.

He left out vehicle inspections, but thats what I needed that day and thats what I got, plus a pleasant conversation about where things used to be.

I spoke with Johnnys son Caleb, told him the keys were in the truck and sat down in the office by the bays across from the only other person there, a well-dressed gray-haired gentleman some years my senior.

How are you doing? I said in a friendly manner meant to assure him I wasnt there to rob the place. Its vehicle inspection time for me again.

We dont have to do that in South Carolina anymore, he said, leading to a discussion about how it was a government racket designed to bilk hard-working taxpayers like us while failing to adequately compensate honest gas stations like the one in which were sitting for the time it takes fine fellows like Caleb to do it.

What brings you here? I asked him.

Someone told me I had a brake light out.

Dont they fix those down in South Carolina? Maybe they ought to crank up those inspections again.

They do, he said. Weve got a house just north of here. We split our time between South Carolina and here.

He said he planned to move to that house full time once he finished up business in the Palmetto State, where he moved in 1984 when the textile industry was in a steep decline.

Where did you grow up? he asked.

Right down the road, I said. A house back up on the hill behind where Tri-County Oil Co. used to be.

Now where was that located?

It was right beside where Marion Equipment used to be.

Wait, I thought that was on down where the fish camp used to be?

No, you are thinking of where the Ford place used to be. This was across the creek and up the hill from where Briscoes Trade Lot used to be.

Finally, we got our used-to-bes in a row and I told him that Main Street Exxon was for sale, something he was not aware of. He said growing up, he worked there and nearly every other gas station in town, pumping gas, cleaning windshields and checking oil. Those were all used to be.

I said I hoped whoever took it over would try to keep it like it is. It would be a shame to sit around talking about where one of the last old-school, full-service gas stations in the world (or at least in the parameters of my world) used to be.
Cornelius Police are seeking witnesses from Madison County as they continue their search for missing 11-year-old Madalina Cojocari.

In a social media post, police shared a photo of a gray or green Toyota Prius and asked anyone who may have seen it between Nov. 22 and Dec. 15 to come forward. Police also shared a photo of a white female, who is also identified in the post as her mother, Diana Cojocari.

They are asking if anyone saw her in the area between the same dates.

Madison County is north of Asheville, in western North Carolina.

Madalina was last seen sometime between Nov. 21 and Nov. 23, according to previous information released by police.

Multiple law enforcement agencies, spurred by Cornelius Police Department, have been searching for Madalina since Dec. 15.

Her mother, Diana Cojocari, and stepfather, Christopher Palmiter, waited until Dec. 15 to report her missing  and only after a school resource officer and counselor went to the familys home.

On Dec. 17, Cojocari, 37, and Palmiter, 60, were charged with failure to report the disappearance of a child to law enforcement, police records show.

Madalinas extended family shared a handwritten letter, dated Dec. 22, with the Cornelius Police Department and FBI pleading with the public for help finding her. Authorities have not said who wrote the letter.

The family wrote that they are shocked by the circumstances surrounding Madalinas disappearance.

Case of Madalina Cojocari

In court and police records obtained by The Charlotte Observer, officials provide details about the puzzling explanations Madalinas parents gave about when she went missing and why they didnt report it.

These arrest records show that on the night of Nov. 23, when her mother claims Madalina disappeared, her parents were fighting. Her mother told investigators she believed her husband, Madalinas stepfather, put their family in danger. She also told police she did not report her daughter missing sooner because she feared conflict with him.

It is unclear whether or not Madalina disappeared on Nov. 23, or if it happened earlier. CMS officials say her last day of school was Nov. 22, but later local police and the FBI released footage of Madalina getting off her school bus on the afternoon of Nov. 21. Thats the last time police have been able to independently confirm she was seen, they said.

Days after a police investigation was opened, authorities searched Lake Cornelius as a precaution but did not report finding her or any clues.

She was last seen wearing jeans, pink, purple and white Adidas shoes, and a white T-shirt and jacket. She is 4 feet, 10 inches tall, has dark brown hair and weighs about 90 pounds.

Anyone with information on Madalinas whereabouts is asked to call the Cornelius Police Department at 704-892-7773 or the FBI at 1-800-CALL FBI. Anyone who wishes to remain anonymous can call North Mecklenburg Crime Stoppers at 704-896-7867.
DECATUR  One of the doctors treating Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin is a Decatur native.

Dr. Timothy Pritts, who attended the Lutheran School Association and Eisenhower High School in Decatur and graduated with a bachelor's degree from Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, was one of two doctors who gave an update on Hamlin's condition to ESPN on Thursday. Hamlin is awake and responding, he said.

"It appears his neurological condition and function is intact," Pritts said in the briefing. "We are very proud to report that and very happy for him, and for his family and for the Buffalo Bills organization, that he is making improvement."

Hamlin is being treated at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where Pritts is on staff, and is still critically ill and in intensive care, Pritts said.

The Lutheran School Association posted on Facebook that the school is proud to celebrate alumni like Pritts.

"We love to celebrate our alumni and the work God has called them to. Would you join us and praise God for the important work LSA eighth grade graduate, Dr. Timothy Pritts, is doing?"

Hamlin collapsed on the field during a game on Jan. 2 with cardiac arrest and underwent CPR until an ambulance arrived. When he regained consciousness on Wednesday, he was unable to speak due to the breathing tube in his throat, but was able to communicate through notes, doctors said. His first question was "Did we win?" which greatly encouraged family and medical staff. As Pritts described it during a news conference, That tells us that its not only that the lights are on. We know that hes home, and that it appears that all the cylinders are firing within his brain.

Pritts is a professor in the Department of Surgery at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and Division Chief of General Surgery and Vice Chair for Clinical Operations at UC Health.

He specializes in general surgery, trauma, emergency general surgery, and surgical critical care at UC Health. He is certified in surgery by the American Board of Surgery, with Added Qualifications in Surgical Critical Care.

Dr. Pritts also leads an active research program that seeks to improve care for injured and critically ill patients, with a focus on resuscitation strategies and blood product improvement. His research is funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense. Results of his work have been presented nationally and internationally.

Mark Denzler went to Eisenhower and Illinois Wesleyan University with Pritts.

"Tim is just a truly genuine and humble person," said Denzler, president and CEO of the Illinois Manufacturers Association. "Its really surreal to see a fellow Eisenhower Panther and IWU Titan on news but there is nobody better to handle these emergency cases. While this is a high profile case, Tim and his team at the U of C deal with trauma every day as they save lives."
CHARLESTON - Eastern Illinois University has narrowed its search for the institution's next president with four candidates.

The candidates are Jay Gatrell, the current vice president of academic affairs at Eastern; David Brennen, former dean of the University of Kentucky's David Rosenberg College of Law; Diana Rogers-Adkinson, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania; and Michael Godard, provost at Southeast Missouri State University.

Each candidate will have a day scheduled to meet with stakeholders, the staff, faculty, students and the greater Charleston community. Community portion will take place from 5 to 5:50 p.m. on their respective days in the Arcola/Tuscola Room of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union or remotely via Zoom.

Current president, David Glassman, is scheduled to retire in June. Glassman has served as the university's president since 2015 and announced his retirement in October 2021.

Gatrell has worked at Eastern since 2017 and will meet with stakeholders on Jan. 10. In his current role Gatrell oversees Eastern's academic endeavors and has assisted in increasing full-time enrollment numbers at the university, the increase of international students and creating Eastern's Gail and Richard Lumpkin School of Nursing.

Brennen currently serves as the vice chair of the Council of the American Bar Association and is a professor of law at the University of Kentucky. He will meet with stakeholders on Jan. 12.

As a former dean, Brennen boasts securing several $1 million gifts and a $20 million naming gift for his college, raising $56 million in gifts, state appropriations and bonds for a new building, and increasing the college's endowment by 25%.

Brennen shared his passion for working in higher education.

"As a product of public schools and first-generation African American college graduate, I can attest to the positive impact of higher education. College is a transformative place that opens eyes, forges paths, and births leaders," Brennen said. "This is especially so at a place like EIU  a public comprehensive university that offers superior accessible undergraduate and graduate education where '(t)hroughout their education, students refine their abilities to reason and to communicate clearly so as to become responsible citizens and leaders.

Rogers-Adkinson's current position requires her to serve across a three-campus university as second-in-command to the president of Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania. She will meet with stakeholders on Jan. 17.

Starting her current role in July, she has facilitated the creation of a new mission, vision, and values for her university, established procedures meant to unify academic affairs operations across the three campuses and facilitated the reorganization of the academic colleges and departments. Before her current role, she served as the provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Bloomsberg University.

Rogers-Adkinson said she believes Eastern and her values and experience will align.

"I believe my leadership experiences to date have prepared me well for the presidency of Eastern Illinois University," Rogers-Adkinson said. "I have led at rural regional comprehensive institutions with a strong first-generation emphasis. Each has had a strong grounding in the liberal arts and have been American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) affiliated institutions"

As provost of Southeast Missouri State University, Godard has experience in leading academic side of a university similar in size to Eastern. He will meet with stakeholders Jan. 23.

In his current role, Godard co-chaired the University Strategic Action Planning Committee and is implementing the plan, worked with deans, chairs, the Faculty Senate and full-time faculty on a comprehensive academic prioritization review process and collaborated with the university's foundation office to secure several large gifts.

"The emphasis on diversity and inclusion, student-faculty scholarship, and applied learning experiences with a student-centered campus culture aligns directly with my core values," Godard said. "I have great respect for Eastern Illinois University as a premier comprehensive university. Having served at comprehensive institutions in both Missouri and Illinois for a large portion of my career, I feel I have a firm understanding of the innovative solutions that are vital to respond to the ongoing challenges and the ethic of care necessary to ensure that Eastern Illinois University achieves further academic advances."

Those interested can find more information on each candidate on the president search page on Eastern's website, including the candidates' letter of interest, curriculum vitae and diversity statement.

The Eastern Illinois University campus through the years
MATTOON  All seven members of the Mattoon school board have expressed opposition to a proposed Illinois House bill amendment that would remove local control from school districts regarding new national sex education standards.

The board members have expressed their opposition by having a letter drafted for delivery to the amendment's sponsor, state Sen. Ram Villivalam, D-Chicago.

Board member and former Republican state Sen. Dale Righter said fellow member Ashli Overton suggested he write the letter. He said Republican state Sen. Chapin Rose, set to represent Coles County in the reworked 51st District, has volunteered to hand deliver the letter when the Senate reconvenes Sunday.

The board plans to send the letter to Villivalam due to him being the primary sponsor listed for proposed Amendment 1 to House Bill 5188. The letter states that the board members "respectfully but adamantly request" that he table or otherwise set aside his efforts to pass this legislation.

"Local control of curriculum is a hallmark of elementary and secondary education in Illinois. Indeed, it is the primary manner in which we recognize that in education, as with many other subject and policy areas, not all communities in Illinois are alike. This is particularly true on topics such as those undertaken by the national sex education standards," the letter states.

The letter goes on to state that, "We respectfully submit that the duly elected board members of this school district are best equipped to determine what and at what grade levels these matters should be the subject of instruction."

Righter said the board wants to start a conversation with Villivalam, who is familiar with Chicago schools but may not be as familiar with schools in small towns such as Mattoon. Board members Michelle Skinlo, Gary Kepley, Erika Weaver, John Hedges and Heidi Larson also signed the letter.

"We need to communicate directly with the sponsor," Righter said. "We need to talk to the sponsor himself."

The proposed amendment regarding statewide requirements for comprehensive sex education was proposed on Thursday. The Senate Executive Committee voted 11-6 that evening to advance the legislation for consideration by the full Senate.

Though all Democrats supported it in committee, many suggested that it was a courtesy to the sponsor, indicating they were unlikely to support if it came to a vote on the floor.

"I'll vote to get it out of committee, but I have a problem with the mandate part," said state Sen. Cristina Castro, D-Elgin. "I believe in the curriculum, I believe in the work of what's it's done, but we've got to give the school districts more time."

If passed and signed into law, the legislation would take effect July 1.

State Sen. Kim Lightford, D-Maywood, described that timeline for implementation as "inadequate."

Under the proposed guidelines, "A student's parent or guardian may (still) opt the student out of comprehensive personal health and safety and comprehensive sexual health education by submitting the request in writing."

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the Keeping Youth Safe and Healthy Act into law in August 2021, making Illinois the first state in the U.S. to formally pass legislation codifying new national sex education standards developed by SIECUS: Sex Ed for Social Change nonprofit based in New York City.

The state's new sex education act currently only applies to school districts that are teaching comprehensive health and sex education, but Mattoon and many other districts teach general health education that incorporates some sex education.

NBC news affiliate KPVI reported that Villivalam said, All Illinois public school students need and deserve age appropriate, medically accurate inclusive instruction that will affirm them and help them be safe and healthy."

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Ammunition was discovered by police officers in Azerbaijan's Gubadli District, Azernews reports citing the Barda regional group of the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

8 anti-tank guided missile systems, 5 grenade launchers, 35 grenades, 66 different types of shells, and other ammunition were discovered and handed over to relevant structures during activities carried out by employees of the Gubadli District police department in abandoned military positions in the district.
"It's really been a true and complete circle of information and family history," Wright-Griggs said of being back at the library with the finished exhibit, which draws on Powell's extensive scrapbook of her extended family's history. "My exhibit is the story of three African American families who came to Mattoon in its early history  Powell, Perry and Brown families."

Wright-Griggs said the exhibit begins around the time Mattoon was incorporated in 1855 and John Powell arrived there as a free man with his manumission papers to signify his release from slavery. He had been born into slavery in North Carolina. She said Powell and fellow free man Austin Perry became the first professional barbers in Mattoon, as seen in an 1863 business directory.

John Powell moved to Mattoon with his wife, Martha, and their daughter, Susie. Wright-Griggs said the couple's son, John Powell, Jr., became the first Black child to be born in Mattoon. The exhibit tells the story of the family's line continuing over the decades to include Zella Powell and concludes in 2022 with her becoming a co-namesake for an EIU residence hall.

The Zella Powell information was previously displayed at EIU's Booth Library with a "Women of Distinction: Zella Powell and Ona Norton" exhibit that also honored Powell-Norton Hall's other namesake. Charleston resident Ona Norton helped provide residences for Black students struggling to find off-campus housing in the 1950s and was active in many community groups.
SPRINGFIELD  When the clock strikes noon on Monday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker will be sworn in for his second four-year term in Springfield.

After soundly defeating Republican nominee Darren Bailey and helping Democrats win up and down the ticket in 2022, Pritzker will enter the term as powerful as he's ever been.

With Democrats expanding their supermajority to a 78-40 advantage over Republicans in the House and maintaining a 40-19 edge in the Senate, Pritzker will have more allies in the Capitol seeking to enact a progressive policy agenda.

With this dynamic, not to mention speculation that he could be eyeing a 2024 presidential run should President Joe Biden step aside, all eyes are on the course Pritzker seeks to chart as he sets course in this second term.

Pritzker, asked by Lee Enterprises at a press conference Thursday what he hopes to accomplish in the next four years, said the first priority isn't sexy but is perhaps the most important: balancing the state's budget.

"We've got to balance the budget," Pritzker said. "And the legislators that stand behind me know how hard that is to do. But we've been doing it, and we've been running surpluses, which have allowed us to pay off debt and really lift up the economic circumstances, the fiscal circumstances of the state."

"And then you can do things like expand early childhood education, or, as we are doing, working toward providing free college for anybody that's at or below median income level in the state of Illinois," Pritzker said.

Indeed, the state has entered a period of relative budget stability after several decades of structural deficits and credit rating downgrades that left it in the worst fiscal position of any state in the country.

A mix of federal COVID-19 stimulus funds and robust tax revenues spurred by a strong economy have helped the state turn around the fiscal ship.

The state's projected budget surplus at the end of this fiscal year, for instance, is anywhere between $3.7 billion to $4.9 billion, according to two government reports.

The five-year budgetary forecast from the Governor's Office of Management and Budget shows trouble ahead. In fiscal year 2024, GOMB projects a $357 million surplus. But it projects deficits of $384 million in 2025, $625 million in 2026, $567 million in 2027 and $708 million in 2028.

However, even those numbers represent major progress. Just three years ago, deficits in 2024 and 2025 were projected north of $3 billion.

This improving financial picture coupled with more than a half-dozen credit rating increases gives Pritzker a story to tell  and something to protect  as he enters his second term.

"I think the one issue that he wants to embrace with a vengeance is Illinois' fiscal comeback," said John Shaw, director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University. "He's obviously happy with the multiple credit upgrades, the fact that the kind of chaos of the Rauner years ended and there's kind of a modicum of fiscal stability. So, he's embracing that fully."

When asked about second-term priorities, Pritzker has always started with the budget. If there is money to work with, it could allow for more funding in crucial areas such as education, public safety and social services.

Shaw said that by virtue of winning reelection largely by defending what he's already done and not necessarily laying out a second term agenda, Pritzker maintains "flexibility" but cannot necessarily claim a mandate for any particular policy position.

But, whatever he seeks to do, he may have an easier time given the strengthened Democratic majorities in the legislature.

And, not to be overlooked, Pritzker no longer has to deal with other barriers, such as former House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, who was long known to frustrate legislative agendas of governors in both parties.

Pritzker also seized control of the state's Democratic Party last year, giving him more influence over the party than a Democratic governor has had in decades.

The governor is in a "much stronger political situation" now than when he took office, said Kent Redfield, a retired professor of political science at the University of Illinois Springfield.

"Pritzker's is in a pretty good fiscal situation right now, he's in a strong political situation right now," Redfield said. "That doesn't mean the wheels can't come off all of this, but he's well-positioned  if he doesn't decide to waste the next two years running for president  to solidify a lot of things in terms of state government and to solve some problems."

Though he has not laid out an agenda, Pritzker has dropped some hints, mentioning his desire to offer free college to those earning the median income or below.

This could be done by further increasing support of the Monetary Assistance Program (MAP), a state-funded, need-based grant awarded to Illinois college students, along with federal Pell grants.

He has also mentioned increasing support for childcare. Currently, the state offers childcare assistance for families at up to 225% the federal poverty level. Pritzker indicated he would like to increase that to 300%.

And in every budget, Pritzker has included the $350 million increase to K-12 education funding called for under the evidence-based formula law enacted in 2018. This is likely to continue if funds are available.

Pritzker may kick off his new term with two major bills to sign: an assault weapons ban and a reproductive health bill that would expand Illinois' status as an island for abortion rights.

Pritzker late Thursday was on the House floor as the abortion measure passed, congratulating its proponents. He then stayed to watch the debate over the assault weapons ban, a rare occurrence for a governor.

The measures now go to the Illinois Senate.

State Sen. Doris Turner, D-Springfield, said that Pritzker and Democrats "did some bold things" the previous few years, including the massive overhaul of the state's criminal justice system known as the SAFE-T Act.

The fact that Illinois Democrats were not punished at the polls as many expected, Turner said, is "a validation that we continue along that path" of bold policy action in the new term.

"I think that we are at a place now where people feel comfortable being their own authentic self and have not really been looking so much at the political ramifications of things, but how we can be bold in moving our state forward," said Turner, who won a tight race.

His one major flop was the failure of the graduated income tax amendment on the ballot in 2020. He campaigned heavily on the issue in 2018 and spent millions on advertising supporting it.

Shaw said he expects Pritzker to take this "tale of two approaches" as a lesson heading into the new term.

"I think he's proved pretty adept at working the system and less adept at changing the system," Shaw said. "And he's obviously a smart man, so he realizes that maybe it makes a lot of sense, particularly when you have strong Democratic majorities in the General Assembly, to work the system and see if he can kind of build on the accomplishments that he achieved in his first term."

If Pritzker completes his second term, he will be the first Illinois governor to do so since former Gov. Jim Edgar, who served from 1991 to 1999.

Edgar's successor, former Gov. George Ryan, under the cloud of investigation, did not run for reelection. Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich was impeached halfway through his second term and former Govs. Pat Quinn and Bruce Rauner were defeated in their attempts for a second full term.

If Pritzker does not finish his second term, many believe it will be for less nefarious reasons than his predecessors, but instead due to a presidential campaign.

Shaw said that "to have a strong record of fiscal accomplishment is a plus," especially as a Democrat, running for higher office.

Redfield said Pritzker's ability to govern Illinois, the nation's sixth-largest state and the one that best reflects the demographics of the nation as a whole, could also be a selling point.

"You can run things, you can make things work, but you also are championing ideas that appeal to progressive as well as moderates," Redfield said, explaining the argument Pritzker could use.

Whether that is a possibility should be known soon as Biden is expected to make a decision in the coming weeks.

"I would just see what that State of the State (address) looks like," Redfield said, referring to the speech the governor typically delivers to lawmakers in February. "Are there some things in there that really look like national dogwhistles or is it all pretty much just 'we're gonna make Illinois the best it can be,' so to speak?"

2022 in review: The year in photos
Kankakee County Judge Thomas Cunnington set off a chaotic chain reaction Dec. 29 with his ruling that the General Assembly over-stepped its constitutional grounds when it voted to eliminate cash bail. Cunnington essentially said that a cash bail requirement, even though not specifically mentioned in the constitution, could be inferred; and that the General Assembly had exercised powers that properly belonged to the judicial branch.

Judge Cunningtons ruling only applied to the jurisdictions where 64 lawsuits had been filed to block implementation of the law on Jan. 1, without regard to the fact that some cities are in multiple counties. Aurora, for instance, is in four counties, including Kane and DuPage counties, which did not sue to stop the law from taking effect. Aurora is also in Kendall and Will, which were plaintiffs. Naperville straddles DuPage and Will counties.

Some county leaders who were not part of the lawsuit added to the confusion by filing for local Temporary Restraining Orders, often giving minimal or even no warning to the attorney generals office. Some counties actually filed for TROs without giving any notice at all to the AGs office at all, including Alexander, Lawrence, Pike and St. Clair, according to the office.

It seemed to some that a few counties may have been coordinating their efforts to thwart the attorney generals efforts to dispute their TRO demands. In Menard County, for instance, the AGs office asked for a one-hour delay while they argued in another county. The request was ignored, and the states attorney reportedly entered the TRO without any ability for the state to respond.

Finally, on Dec. 30, the Democratic states attorney for Kane County, Jamie Mosser, and the Republican states attorney for DuPage County, Bob Berlin, filed an emergency motion for a supervisory order from the Illinois Supreme Court. Mosser had supported the push to eliminate cash bail and Berlin helped work behind the scenes to get the revisions in place during veto session. The two pointed to the massive jurisdictional issues and the TRO filings and asked the court to enter an order sufficient to maintain consistent pretrial procedures because without such an order, defendants in different jurisdictions will be subject to different treatment upon arrest and throughout pretrial proceedings, creating an equal protection problem for citizens across the state.

The Supreme Court complied within hours, staying the effective date of the SAFE-T Acts cash bail provision during an expedited appeal process and effectively stopping the chaos from spreading further.

When asked by reporters last week, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said he expected the Illinois Supreme Court to decide what to do about the states cashless bail law sometime in the next few months.

That could well be, but the top court wont even hear oral arguments in the case until March.

A joint motion filed with the Supreme Court by the state and the county plaintiffs set out an agreed briefing schedule and the Supreme Court adopted it. Opening briefs will begin in late January and will run through the end of February. Oral arguments will be held during the courts March calendar.

From there, itll be up to the Supremes to hash out their decision and draft their opinion(s). So, it could possibly be a while.

Meanwhile, a poll taken Nov. 15-20 by Impact Research found that 32 percent of voters had a favorable view of the SAFE-T Act, which included the elimination of cash bail, while 40 percent had an unfavorable view. The super-controversial law was the subject of millions of dollars in campaign advertising, not just statewide, but also in state legislative districts. So, its not surprising that those who had a strongly unfavorable view of the law outnumbered those with strongly favorable views by 20 points (34-14). Even so, 28 percent had no position on the law. Criticism of the law didnt seem to ultimately harm Democrats except maybe in a couple of legislative races.

The poll of 800 likely 2024 voters with a margin of error of +/-3.5 percentage points was taken for a group called Giffords, a gun control organization founded by former Congressperson Gabby Giffords.

The poll also found that Gov. Pritzkers favorables were 51 percent, while his unfavorables were 46 percent. 29 percent had a very favorable view of Pritzker, while 40 percent had a very unfavorable view of the incumbent.

And 41 percent of those polled said they had a positive view of the National Rifle Association, while 53 percent had an unfavorable view (46 percent said they had a very unfavorable view).

ARCHIVE PHOTOS: Journey back to the Illinois State Fair Illinois State Fair Happy Hollow Heinhold Hog Race Aerial view of Illinois State Fair Illinois State Fair Coliseum Ferris wheel Goat Competitions Chester White gilt pig Auctioneer Merrill Anderson Sale of champions Shave and a haircut Illinois Department of Agriculture Arts and Textile Building
The Moultrie County Historical & Genealogical Society and The Realitea Project of Cumberland County are two of 27 partners who will receive funding and resources through Illinois Humanities' new Foreground Rural Initiative.

Located across 19 counties in Illinois, the inaugural Foreground grantee partners will receive grants of up to $10,000 and participate in skill- and resource-sharing programs. Illinois Humanities will also partner with grantees on the co-creation of place-based hubs that will host community events in 2023 in the regions where they are located.

The organizations we fund in rural and small towns serve places that were under duress even before the COVID-19 pandemic, said Gabrielle Lyon, executive director of Illinois Humanities. They are trusted, responsive community members that serve as critical social and economic anchors. In short, they are the places that keep the people in our state creative and connected.
The timeline for a federal ban on menthol-flavored cigarettes has moved forward, but analysts continue to caution it could be a decade or more  if ever  before smokers are affected.

The Biden administration released Wednesday its Unified Agenda and Regulatory Plan for fall 2022, which includes the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

In April, the Food and Drug Administration issued an expected proposal to ban menthol flavoring in traditional cigarettes and all non-tobacco flavorings in cigars.

Among the FDAs considerations are addressing scientific, legal, law enforcement, public health, industry and budgetary stakeholders.

Of the eight rules addressing the tobacco industry, three have what Barclays analyst Jain Gaurav called "notable changes" from the spring 2022 plan. They are:

 Rules on a menthol ban in cigarettes and flavored cigars have moved to "final rule stage" vs. "proposed rule stage."

 Rules to ban characterizing flavors in cigars also have progressed to the final rule stage.

 The nicotine cap proposed standard development has been moved from May to October.

"We continue to believe the Food and Drug Administration's focus is going to revolve around the evaluation of Premarket Tobacco Applications of deemed products, notably e-cigarettes, in the next few months," Gaurav said.

"The FDA intends to publish a final (menthol) rule by August 2023. We expect a two- to three-year cycle from the day FDA passes any rule to the time such rule survives the inevitable court challenges.

"We dont expect a menthol cigarette ban from the FDA implemented (if it were to pass) at least until 2026."

Menthol ban impact

Gaurav, as well as other tobacco industry analysts, have said a menthol ban on cigarettes could have negative implications for tobacco stocks with a significant U.S. presence.

Gaurav has reported that menthol cigarettes account for 35% of cigarettes sold in the United States.

That includes more than 50% of cigarette volumes for both Reynolds American Inc., which makes No. 2-overall traditional menthol cigarette Newport and Camel menthol brands, and for ITG Brands Inc., which makes Kool and Salem menthol brands.

Gaurav said U.S. menthol cigarette sales account for 25% of overall profits for Reynolds parent company, British American Tobacco Plc., as well as 15% of ITGs parent company Imperial Brands Plc.

The FDA likely will face multiple lawsuits from tobacco manufacturers and anti-smoking groups considering that in 2009, Congress exempted menthol from banned flavorings in traditional cigarettes in the federal Tobacco Control Act.

The FDA said its actions have the potential to significantly reduce disease and death from combusted tobacco product use, the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S."

The FDA has said 30% of all adult smokers and more than 40% of all youth smokers consume a menthol style. About 85% of Black smokers prefer menthol flavoring, compared with 30% of white smokers, the agency said.

Rachel Denlinger-Apte, an assistant professor of social sciences and health policy at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, said that decades of research has shown that menthol flavoring makes cigarettes more appealing, harder to quit, and are disproportionately used by youth and young adults, Black and African-American individuals, and members of the LGBTQ+ community.

Nicotine levels

Gaurav said the nicotine cap regulations currently only affects 22nd Century Group Inc., which has its manufacturing operations in Mocksville.

The manufacturers VLN King and VLN Menthol King brands contain up to 95% less nicotine than conventional traditional cigarettes. It has been selling those cigarettes in test markets in Chicago and Colorado and is preparing for distribution in Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.

More than 40 anti-tobacco and public-health advocacy groups have filed a joint submission to the FDA urging it to reduce the nicotine levels to as low as legally possible to zero in hopes of curtailing demand.

Meanwhile, pro-tobacco and anti-smoking advocates expressed concern that smokers would opt to smoke more cigarettes to get the same levels of nicotine, which could make consuming cigarettes even riskier given the burning of tobacco leaves is the main carcinogen involved with traditional cigarettes.

They also expressed concerns about very-low-nicotine requirements being the catalyst for a thriving black market of foreign-made traditional cigarettes.

The FDA formally rolled out in June its proposal to reduce nicotine content in traditional cigarettes to minimal and potentially non-addictive levels by as early as May 2023.

"We think it will take a decade or longer for the FDA to introduce nicotine caps due to the long nine-step process at the FDA, the inevitable litigation, and then the one year given to retailers to get rid of the excess inventory," Gaurav said.

BAT has stated its opposition  and staked its reputation  on calling enhanced FDA oversight of tobacco products not justified or workable.

The global manufacturer strongly voiced its opinion in an analyst presentation, saying it believes the FDA does not have the (congressional) authority to ban a category of product (in traditional markets) ... or reduce nicotine (levels) in tobacco products to zero.

Responses

Reynolds Tobacco said in an April statement that we strongly believe that there are more effective routes to deliver tobacco harm reduction than banning menthol in cigarettes.

Evidence from other markets, including Canada and the European Union where similar bans have been imposed, demonstrates little impact on overall cigarette consumption.

Reynolds said its viewpoint on scientific studies on menthol flavorings is that they show no difference in the health risks associated with menthol cigarettes compared to non-menthol cigarettes, nor does it support that menthol cigarettes adversely affect initiation, dependence or cessation.

As a result, we do not believe the published science supports regulating menthol cigarettes differently from non-menthol cigarettes," Reynolds said in the statement. "We believe our portfolio of scientifically substantiated reduced risk products can play a critical role in its delivery. We will continue to work with FDA to support access and choice for adult consumers.

Goldman Sachs analyst Bonnie Herzog said that while there is some risk a federal ban on menthol cigarettes could reduce smoker initiation and potentially be a catalyst that prompts a number of smokers to quit, thereby having some negative impact on cig volumes, we continue to believe a more likely scenario is for menthol cig users to convert to non-menthol cig products or to reduced-risk products that have a menthol variant such as e-vapor.
Three people, including two students in Davidson County Schools, died Friday in a traffic crash just north of Denton, authorities said.

The crash happened at 8 p.m. on N.C. 109, said Trooper Noah Overby of the N.C. Highway Patrol.

A Toyota 4 Runner SUV was traveling south on the highway while a Chrysler passenger vehicle and a Chevrolet SUV were traveling north, the highway patrol told WGHP/FOX8, the news-gathering partner of the Winston-Salem Journal.

The Toyota SUV traveled left of center and collided head-on with the Chrysler passenger car and then struck the Chevrolet SUV, the television station reported.

After the impact, all three vehicles ran off the road, Overby said. The Chrysler passenger overturned and caught fire, the television station reported.

The three people in the Chrysler passenger car suffered serious injuries and died at the scene, the television station reported.

The driver of the Toyota SUV was taken to Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist with serious injuries, the television station reported.

The driver and a passenger in the Chevrolet SUV were taken to Thomasville Hospital by EMS with non-life-threatening injuries, the television station reported.

The highway patrol, which is investigating the crash, has not identified the victims.

Emily Lipe, the superintendent of Davidson County Schools, confirmed that two students in the school district died in the crash but also did not identify them.

It is with heavy hearts that we learned of the loss of two of our students, a first grader from Silver Valley Elementary (School) and a seventh grader from South Davidson (Middle and High School), who were involved in a tragic car accident on (Highway) 109 last night, Lipe said.

Our heartfelt sympathy and prayers go out to the families and friends impacted by this tragedy, Lipe said. Additional personnel will be on site at both schools on Monday to provide emotional support.
A Winston-Salem man was stabbed to death early Saturday in the 600 block of West 13th Street, authorities said.

Winston-Salem police were dispatched at 2:29 a.m. on a report of unknown trouble in the 600 block of West 13th Street, police said.

When officers arrived, they found Christopher Lewayne Salley Jr., 28, of Piedmont Circle suffering from a stab wound in his upper torso, police said.

Salley was in a parking lot on West 13th Street and was pronounced dead at the scene by Forsyth County emergency medical technicians, police said.

Investigators determined that Salley had been involved in a domestic disturbance with a woman, police said. Salley was then stabbed, police said.

No other suspects are being sought at this time, police said. Salleys relatives have been notified of his death.

Salleys death is the citys second homicide this year, as compared with none during the same period in 2022, police said.

Anyone with information about this incident can call Winston-Salem police at 336-773-7700, Crime Stoppers at 336-727-2800 or its Spanish line at 336-728-3904. Crime Stoppers of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County is on Facebook.

The Text-A-Tip program at 336-276-1717 allows people to text tips, photos and videos to the police.
A Winston-Salem man was shot and wounded early Saturday in the the southeastern part of the city, authorities said.

Winston-Salem police were dispatched to the 600 block of Waughtown Street on a reported shooting, police said. When they arrived, officers found evidence of gunfire, but no one who was injured.

A short time later, Charles Anderson Jr., 29, of Pinebluff Road arrived at a local hospital for treatment of a non-life-threatening gunshot wound that happened at the Waughtown Street location, police said.

Winston-Salem police are asking for the publics help in this case.

Anyone with information about this shooting can call Winston-Salem police at 336-773-7700, Crime Stoppers at 336-727-2800 or its Spanish line at 336-728-3904. Crime Stoppers of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County is on Facebook. The Text-A-Tip program at 336-276-1717 allows people to text tips, photos and videos to the police.
A judge will decide by the end of the month whether to move the high-profile murder trial out of Forsyth in which a man is accused of shooting another man outside a restaurant at Hanes Mall more than three years ago.

Robert Anthony Granato, 26, is facing a charge of first-degree murder. Forsyth County prosecutors alleged that Granato fatally shot Julius Randolph Sampson Jr. outside BJs Restaurant and Brewhouse on Aug. 6, 2019. Authorities said that the two men had an altercation inside the restaurant that spilled outside. A Forsyth County prosecutor said at a previous hearing that the altercation started when Granato complained about insufficient alcoholic drinks and used misogynistic language to describe female staffers. The prosecutor, Chief Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Martin, said that Sampson and a friend of his tried to defend the female staffers.

Race has been at the center of the case, with some believing that Granato, who is white, shot Sampson, a married father of three who worked as a barber at Hanes Mall, because Sampson was Black. But a more complicated picture has emerged through court records and statements made at hearings. Granatos attorneys have claimed self-defense and allege that Sampson started the physical confrontation outside the restaurant by rushing at Granato, driving him to the ground and then punching and choking him.

Prosecutors have said that Granato was lying in wait outside the restaurant with a gun.

Granatos previous attorney, Paul James, filed the initial motion to change venue in January 2021. James, Forsyth Countys chief public defender, had to withdraw from the case due to a conflict of interest in his office. Julie Boyer now represents Granato.

At the hearing Friday, Boyer argued that the immense amount of media coverage has made it impossible for Granato to receive a fair trial in Forsyth County. She cited front-page coverage in the Winston-Salem Journal as well as news stories in The Chronicle, a weekly that covers the Black community. One of the stories in The Chronicle described Granato as holding white surpremacist beliefs, which she says is false.

She also said the shooting at Hanes Mall got unfairly linked to Black Lives Matter protests surrounding the fatal shootings of Black people by police officers.

This case has gotten an extraordinary amount of publicity (which) impairs our ability to find an impartial jury, Boyer said.

In the original motion, James cited five front-page stories in the Winston-Salem Journal and nine separate television reports on the case. James said the vast majority of the coverage did not mention James contention that Sampson started the physical confrontation. He also said that the much of the media coverage did not mention that Sampson was shot once in the chest while on top of Granato.

The motion also cited statements from various elected leaders, including Council Members D.D. Adams and James Taylor. Adams said, We know a Black man was publicly shot in our city. We know the alleged killer is a white man. We know social media postings from the alleged killer indicate that he might harbor white supremacist views, according to the motion.

Boyer also pointed out that Mayor Allen Joines held a news conference soon after the shooting in which leaders promised a thorough police investigation and transparency.

Winston-Salem police released little information about the case in the first few months after the incident. Then-Winston-Salem Police Chief Catrina Thompson held a news conference in August 2019 in which she said that there was no evidence that this was a hate crime but declined to describe the context in which Granato was alleged to have used a racial slur.

It was only at a later court hearing that James said that Sampson first used the N-word during an altercation and then Granato repeated the word back at Sampson.

James and Boyer both also cited social media posts about the case, including one on Twitter from Tariq Nasheed, a controversial Black commentator who said, The media is trying to cover up the fact that a Black man named Julius Sampson Jr. was murdered outside of a restaurant in NC by a suspected white supremacist named Robert Granato. Witnesses say Granato was yelling the N-word, deliberately trying to instigate an altercation.

Boyer also mentioned that Sampsons wife, Keyia Sampson, spoke at a protest in front of the Benton Convention Center, advocating for justice for her husband.

Assistant District Attorney James Dornfried, however, said that Boyer had failed to produce any evidence that potential jurors would even know about the case. Dornfried said that potential jurors can be asked whether they knew about it, and if they had heard anything, they could then be asked whether the information they heard would affect their ability to decide the case fairly.

Just because its been in the news doesnt mean that theyve (potential jurors) read the news, Dornfried said.

Based on the 2020 census, Forsyth County had 382,590 residents, Dornfried said.

Judge David Hall of Forsyth Superior Court said there has been a sea change in the way that information is disseminated, pointing out that people now carry iPhones or what he called supercomputers with a video screen.

Hall said there are several options to consider  move the trial out of Forsyth County, bring in an outside jury pool or wait until jury selection begins to consider the issue of whether to change the venue.

He also pointed out that there is a high legal standard for moving a trial due to pre-trial publicity. Hall said he will make a decision by the end of the month.

Granato is in the Forsyth County Jail under a $500,000 bond for first-degree murder. No trial date has yet been set.

PHOTOS: Robert Anthony Granato seeks to move his murder trial out of Forsyth County
District of Columbia Officer Michael Fanone and the others who responded to the Capitol insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, held the line in more ways than one. Sometimes that line can be convoluted and complicated and sometimes it is pretty straightforward.

I just finished reading Hold the Line. The Insurrection and One Cops Battle for Americas Soul by Fanone and John Shiffman, which recounts Fanones career and the events surrounding the insurrection.

My first takeaway was how just grateful I was for Fanones bravery in holding the line and for speaking out in defense of our democracy ever since. My second thought was just how complicated, nuanced and spot on Fanones thoughts on law enforcement and accountability are.

On Jan. 6, Fanone suffered a concussion, fell unconscious, and his heart briefly stopped. Rioters ripped his badge off, took his radio and tried to seize his weapons. One could be heard shouting, Kill him with his own gun!

Fanone sums up the moral and professional dichotomy well with: What happened to me on Jan. 6th is important. But my experiences before and after that day are equally relevant. They represent two of the most pressing issues we have as a nation: what police reform should look like, and how we choose to remember an attempted coup detat.

In our current tribal and hyperpartisan milieu, you can believe one of those ideas, but not both.

Fanone declared that he voted for Donald Trump with enthusiasm in 2016, saying Trump had great timing for launching his campaign in 2015 about the same time that racial justice protests grew into a national movement. Most cops, reeling from the new dynamic, including demonizing and degrading rhetoric level against police, turned to the comfort food offered by Donald Trump and Fox News.

Fanone describes his subtle transformation and explains the complex issues of policing in America: the consequences of race, drugs, guns and poverty that officers must face every day. But the trauma of Jan. 6 is woven throughout.

Fanone notes, I dont believe that police officers are above reproach, but I also dont believe that all police officers are evil. In fact, I think its one of societys most honorable, selfless professions. Some of the Defund the Police! rhetoric on the left is moronic. At the same time, I see people on the right saying We love the police, we just dont love the police who responded on Jan. 6th.

Fanone isnt alone. Illinois Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger rejected the comparison between the Jan. 6 insurrection and the urban riots and looting of 2020. As an Air National Guardsman, Kinzinger was deployed for the summer riots. Kinzinger noted, Not once did I ever feel that the future of self-governance was threatened like I did on Jan. 6th. There is a difference between breaking the law and rejecting the rule of law, between a crime, even grave crimes, and a coup.

The book begins with Fanones account of meeting House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy in his office several months after the insurrection. Fanone was accompanied by Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn and Gladys Sicknick, the mother of Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who died of wounds sustained on Jan. 6. Fanone told McCarthy that his Metropolitan Police Department partner, Jeff Leslie, narrowly escaped a Black Lives Matter protest over the summer, after someone placed a Molotov cocktail under his squad car.

Fanone described how those protests created incredibly difficult challenges for the police but went on to tell McCarthy that no one from the Black Lives Matter movement engaged in sedition. Trying to overthrow the U.S. Capitol and trying to overthrow a CVS are two different things. My partner understands that, and most police officers, and most Americans understand that, too.

It turns out that Fanone was right about that.

Polling before the midterm election showed that both crime and democracy were top concerns for voters. In a Pew Research poll in November, respondents were most concerned about the economy, followed by the future of democracy in the country. Violent crime came in fifth, tied with energy policy.

And when it came down to actual election results, there were two big takeaways from the midterms. Voters overwhelmingly rejected election deniers.

Law enforcement officials who hold the line should receive our gratitude for protecting our lives, our property and our democracy.
Vahid Hajiyev, the Special Representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the districts of Jabrayil, Gubadli, and Zangilan of the Eastern Zangazur economic region, met with representatives of the Gubadli district's executive power, Azernews reports.

The district's executive power's leader, staff members, members of the district's intelligentsia, and members of the general public all attended the meeting.

Hajiyev spoke about the extensive construction and restoration work that started right away in the liberated territories after the Azerbaijani army's victory in the 2020 Second Karabakh War, led by President and Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev, which he noted had historic significance.

He provided detailed information regarding the construction and restoration work done in the Gubadli district, the restoration of its villages, and the work that will be done to revive the existing economic sectors.

The official also discussed the repatriation of former internally displaced persons to Aghali village in the Zangilan district, noting that this process will be carried out throughout Eastern Zangazur, including the Gubadli district.

The staff of the special representative office then learned about the district's executive power-established museum, whose exhibits reflect the district's rich historical and cultural heritage.
Our president wants to change up the presidential selection process by moving the first primary from Iowa to South Carolina, claiming the Palmetto State is more representative of the rest of the country. President Biden is nibbling at the edges of a very important issue, however his solution doesnt address larger problems. If theres anything we learned from Novembers election it is that our electoral process needs widescale reform.

At the very top of the reform list is candidate selection. Too many unqualified candidates slipped through primaries (and sometimes the general election) without proper vetting. The most recent and egregious example is George Santos, who lied about his credentials and whose true beliefs and intentions are unknowable. On Tuesday he became one of 435 in Congress making our laws. Nobody properly vetted him.

Lets begin with the presidential nomination process, a circus that has turned into a made-for-television beauty contest that is neither representative nor guarantees the best qualified nominees.

Prior to 1968 and the Chicago Democratic Convention, the nominating process started with each states political parties selecting delegates to the national party convention. These were week-long must-see events that contained drama, lots of nomination speeches, horse trading for votes and favorite-son candidates. There were genuine debates over the party platform, hammered out through extensive votes. Candidates had to make their case with each state delegation. It wasnt perfect, but the smoke-filled rooms with pols vetting candidates included extensive candidate background checks and records of service, followed by robust discussions, then roll call floor votes. In most instances the process arrived at nominees who best represented their party and were electable. Bottom line: we need a better method for nominating presidential candidates, but the same can be said for state candidates also. It doesnt have to be the old way, but what we are doing isnt serving us best.

In North Carolina we need to do away with runoff elections. They are prohibitively expensive, turn out few voters and often end up doing the thing they were intended to prevent, namely discriminating against those who dont vote a second time. Whether we institute ranked-choice voting or some other reform, lets agree that runoffs are a failed process.

Another must-do reform is to take money out of the process. In North Carolinas November U.S. Senate race, the amount of funds raised by candidates for their campaigns was miniscule in comparison to the sums that large independent expenditure and special interest groups spent on their behalf. Supposedly those groups dont communicate or coordinate their efforts with the candidates, but you are naive if you believe they dont. For example, The Club for Growth spent more than $30 million to elect Ted Budd and we dont know who is giving the money to this group or what they expect in return for their support. Yes, Democrats have similar groups boosting their candidates. The point is that our elections should not be for sale to the highest bidder. There may be several solutions, but we must fix this by stopping, or at least drastically reducing the money flow.

If states cannot provide equal access to voter registrations and regulations that are fair and equitable, the John Lewis Voting Rights Act should be passed and enforced. It would make election day a holiday. Nobody should have to miss voting because they cant get off work. I am totally in favor of Voter ID, but not if it is discriminatory. Other states can do it without all the acrimony and lawsuits; I believe North Carolinians can do the same if our intentions are honorable, IDs are easily attainable and dont discriminate.

I believe the State Board of Elections should be completely bipartisan and so should our 100 county election boards. Workers should be properly trained and, while it is fine to have election observers, there should be very strict rules and penalties for anyone who tries to interfere with or intimidate voters.

Heres my spin: We live in a hyper partisan political environment and finding common ground is often difficult, but people of good will should agree on insisting our elections are fair, efficiently administered and that all people eligible to vote can do so without fear or prejudice. Recent efforts have attempted to undermine our faith in elections. That trust needs restoring, and reforms are needed to achieve these goals.
Friends and colleagues are remembering Lincoln's first female judge, Jan Gradwohl, as a trailblazer and "fierce advocate" for justice, following her death at the age of 93.

Gradwohl died peacefully at her home in Lincoln on Dec. 27, according to family.

Lancaster County District Judge Jodi Nelson, who knew Gradwohl both professionally and personally, described her as truly an amazing person.

"She was a trailblazer, not only as a woman, but as a person dedicated to and passionate about equality, justice, fairness, human rights and the rule of law," Nelson said.

Gradwohl met her late husband, John Gradwohl, while they were students at the University of Nebraska College of Law in the 1950s and married the day after her final exam, family said in her obituary.

He went on to be a distinguished law professor there.

Gradwohl's family said her relationship with the University of Nebraska continued throughout her professional career, and that she both empowered and encouraged countless women who hoped to enter the field of law.

"My mother tirelessly and unselfishly created opportunities for women to attend law school and pursue careers in fields enhanced by a legal education," said Jill Schroeder, one of Gradwohl's daughters.

Gradwohl's legacy at UNL was cemented in 2016, when Schroeder's daughter Shannon graduated from the Nebraska College of Law. According to Schroeder, she was recognized alongside Gradwohl and her daughter as the first family to have three generations of female graduates from the University of Nebraska College of Law.

Gradwohl became Lancaster County's first female deputy county attorney, before being appointed the first female judge in Lancaster County in 1974, then just the fourth woman in the state to earn a spot on the bench.

Nelson said over the years the Gradwohls worked together on many projects receiving much acclaim and were "true partners in every sense of the word."

"It is difficult to summarize in a few words what a lasting impact Jan Gradwohl has made," she said. "For those of us who were fortunate enough to have known her know that she was slight in stature but towering in accomplishment."

Nebraska Supreme Court Chief Justice Michael Heavican called Gradwohl a wonderful person who was always concerned about the courts.

"And she was a wonderful judge. She was a pioneer, he said.

As a county court judge, Gradwohl championed judicial system improvement and equal justice and received the American Bar Association Franklin N. Flaschner Award in 1991, which recognizes distinguished service in improving the quality of justice in the United States.

Heavican worked with Gradwohl and her husband in the '90s on one of Gradwohls many committees aimed at increasing justice in Lancaster County, the Early Access to Justice Commission. He said he remembers them as active, passionate members who helped move crucial ideas forward.

Access to justice was kind of a theme she carried out through her legal career, Heavican said.

To Heavican, her decorated, trailblazing career serves as a solid foundation for the states next generation of female judges.

Im sure they would say that theyre all standing on the shoulders of Judge Gradwohl.

Schroeder agrees, and said that the impact of Gradwohl's influence on the lives and careers of other women is "incalculable."

"I'm aware of a long list of students, attorneys and judges who have told me they learned something from their interactions with her that changed the way they viewed an issue or conducted themselves," Schroeder said.

Gradwohl was a founding member of the International Association of Women Judges, served by presidential appointment on the board of directors of the State Justice Institute and chaired the 900-member special courts judicial section of the American Bar Association during her career.

She also was involved in nonpartisan election work in Nebraska, working closely with Civic Nebraskas nonpartisan election protection and observation program for multiple election cycles during the 2010s.

The group honored her with its Defender of Democracy Award in 2015.

Adam Morfeld, executive director and founder of Civic Nebraska, called Gradwohl "Nebraskas very own 'RBG,'" referring to longtime U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died in 2020.

"Throughout her long and consequential life, Jan was dedicated to equality before the law and justice," Morfeld said in announcing an annual award to honor her passing.

He said the Jan Gradwohl Memorial Defender of Democracy Award will honor a Nebraskan annually whose work strengthens civic life in the state.

To Schroeder, the award is a reflection of how her mother lived her day-to-day life, as well as symbolic of the work she did while serving the state of Nebraska.

"She was inclusive, unafraid of divergent ideas and opinions, and had the strength of character to stand up for people and issues in which she believed."
WAHOO  A Saunders County Sheriff's deputy was seriously injured when he lost control of his cruiser during a Friday night traffic stop.

According to a news release from the sheriff's office, the deputy attempted to stop a vehicle speeding on Nebraska 79 at about 10 p.m. Friday. The vehicle fled from the stop and turned onto a county road at a high rate of speed.

Once on the county road, the speeding vehicle lost control and rolled into a field. The deputy lost control of his cruiser and rolled into a creek and the cruiser caught fire.

The driver who fled the traffic stop suffered minor injuries and was taken into custody following the incident.

The deputy, who has not been identified, was seriously injured. He was first treated at the Saunders Medical Center in Wahoo and later transferred to Bergan Mercy Hospital in Omaha for observation.

The Nebraska State Patrol is investigating the incident.

The Lincoln Journal Star's top photos from 2022
Gov. Jim Pillen announced Friday that he is creating a new Broadband Office within the Nebraska Department of Transportation to help meet Nebraska's broadband needs.

Pillen issued an executive order forming the office to "create a more transparent, flexible and proactive response for Nebraska's broadband needs."

"Affordable, accessible, dependable and high-speed broadband is essential to keeping our kids and having them flourish in our state," the governor said.

"As we expand and improve broadband access, we will be growing future investment and prosperity in Nebraska," Pillen said.

The new Broadband Office will provide policy level direction, work openly and collaboratively with relevant government agencies and other stakeholders, lead efforts to incorporate participation and engagement with the communities with critical broadband needs along with relevant stakeholders while leading efforts to develop directives and strategies for best utilization of federal funds, according to a news release from the governor's office.

The new Broadband Office will be led on an interim basis by Patrick Redmond, who serves as state broadband and infrastructure coordinator in the State Budget Division.

Applicants for the position may apply at governor.nebraska.gov/board-comm-req.

Photos and video: Gov. Jim Pillen's 2023 inauguration
After Southwest Airlines canceled thousands of flights around Christmas, numerous holiday travelers were stranded. Now they want their money back.

Many travelers paid out-of-pocket to rebook on other airlines or to get to their destination through other means, such as a rental car or train. Other prepaid, non-refundable reservations such as show tickets, cruises, tours and hotel rooms might seem like lost costs.

Genna Scisci, a public relations executive from Chicago, was planning to fly to Albany, New York, for the holidays, but she gave up after four canceled Southwest flights. Since she made multiple trips to the airport, she is seeking reimbursement for about $150 worth of rideshares. Scisci says she hasnt received that money back, though she did get a refund for her original round-trip flight.

If you were affected by the cancellations tied to the Great Southwest Meltdown, its not too late to try to recoup some of the costs.

25,000 Rapid Rewards points

Southwest sent promo codes for 25,000 Rapid Rewards bonus points per flight via email to many travelers who had flights canceled or significantly delayed between Dec. 24, 2022, and Jan. 2, 2023. Southwest told NerdWallet that only those with flights between that period that were canceled or delayed considerably  and who elected not to rebook  received codes. However, some flyers have reported getting codes even after traveling on a rebooked Southwest flight.

A screenshot of an email Southwest sent to affected travelers.

To redeem those codes, Southwest travelers have to visit a separate Rapid Rewards points website before March 31, 2023. The website often requires a wait to access it. Usually, the wait times are just a few minutes  a fraction of the hours-long customer service hold times people were reporting during the Southwest meltdown.

Southwest promises that 25,000 points equate to a base fare redemption of more than $300. Though based on NerdWallets analysis, Southwest points are usually worth about 1.5 cents each, making 25,000 points valued at an even-higher $375 when redeemed for a future flight. If you received two codes, thats worth $750, by NerdWallets estimates.

Extending elite status and Companion Passes for some

If you held Southwest elite status that was set to expire, you might get a small extension. Southwest emailed some affected travelers who held 2022 Companion Passes or had A-List or A-List Preferred status, promising to extend their status through Jan. 31, 2023.

Reimbursement for other expenses

Southwest says customers with flights canceled or significantly delayed between Dec. 24, 2022, and Jan. 2, 2023, can submit receipts for reasonable expenses such as rental cars, other airline tickets and food via this webpage for consideration.

Southwest would not provide specifics on the exact items that would be reimbursed, simply stating in an email to NerdWallet that customers are encouraged to submit items for consideration.

For example, travel writer Brittany Mendez is trying to get reimbursed for another type of expense. She and her fiance flew Southwest to California to spend the week of Christmas with her family. Their dogs stayed behind with a dogsitter. When their flight home was canceled, they couldn't get rebooked on another flight until a week later.

Mendez and her fiance stayed with family for their unanticipated extra week in California, so they didnt face additional travel costs. But shes hoping Southwest will pay for the second week of dog sitting. She hasnt heard anything back yet.

When will refunds be issued, and in what form?

While Southwest told NerdWallet that no deadline for reimbursement requests had been set yet, its best to submit receipts as soon as possible to maximize reimbursement odds. Southwest also did not say how long those reimbursements would take, but it could be a while since the airline is prioritizing flight refunds first.

Under Department of Transportation regulations, customers are entitled to a refund if the airline cancels a flight and the customer chooses not to travel. This applies to all passengers with U.S. airfares, no matter the reason.

The government also mandates that refunds are issued within seven business days of the airline receiving the request with proper documentation if a passenger paid by credit card and within 20 days if a passenger paid by cash or check.

That is currently our top priority to assist our customers, said Chris Perry, a Southwest spokesperson, in an email to NerdWallet.

From there, Southwest will turn to other out-of-pocket refunds. Once the reimbursement is approved, Southwest said it would likely send a paper check to the mailing address provided with the flight reservations.

Other avenues for getting compensation beyond Southwest

Travel insurance companies might move faster and may be willing to cover expenses that Southwest will not. If you purchased it, contact your provider immediately.

Even if you didnt purchase trip insurance, your trip mightve been insured anyway. Many travel credit cards insure trips purchased on that card, so check with your issuer to see if they offer the benefit and ask if your trip is eligible for reimbursement.

Whats next for Southwest?

Many customers are still annoyed by the chaos, and many bags are still missing. However, Southwest says it intends to have most separated bags delivered or shipped in the first week of 2023.

And to prevent future issues, Southwest CEO Bob Jordan promised to prioritize building better tools, technologies and processes.

There's just no way almost to apologize enough because we love our customers, we love our people, and we really impacted their plans, he said in a statement. There'll be a lot of lessons learned in terms of what we can do to make sure that this never happens again because this needs to never happen again."
Mark D. Jensen, who was convicted in February 2008 of the murder of his wife at their Pleasant Prairie home, will stand trial again starting Monday in Kenosha County Circuit Court.

It will have been 14 years, 10 months and 20 days since he was convicted of killing Julie Jensen, 40, almost a decade earlier in 1998. The case has been in and out of courts for decades.

Mark Jensen and his attorneys will appear before Judge Anthony Milisauskas with jury selection beginning Monday. It is expected to last five or six weeks with opening statements expected on Wednesday.

Late last year, Milisauskas ruled that a key piece of evidence  the so-called letter from the grave  used to help convict Mark Jensen of killing his wife will not be allowed into evidence.

Mark Jensen was convicted on evidence that included a letter his wife wrote before her death and gave to a neighbor. In it, she wrote that if anything happens to me that her husband would be my first suspect. The letter was revealed after her death.

However, in early 2022 a U.S. Supreme Court rejection helped pave the way for this new trial. The nations highest court declined to hear the case after an appeal of a Wisconsin State Supreme Court ruling that Jensen should receive a new trial without the letter used as evidence.

Mark Jensen has maintained his innocence for decades. His attorneys have argued Julie Jensen was depressed and killed herself after framing her husband for her death.

Prosecutors argued Mark Jensen killed his wife with antifreeze in order to be with his mistress, and that he searched the internet for ways to make her death look like a suicide.

Mark Jensen, who has been in custody in the Kenosha County Jail on a $1.2 million bond, was previously sentenced to life in prison with no chance for parole by Kenosha County Circuit Court Judge Bruce Schroeder.

Schroeder presided over the original trial that was moved to Walworth County in part because of pre-trial public interest. The new trial is expected to draw media from across the nation to the Kenosha courtroom.

The original prosecutor, Robert Jambois, a former Kenosha County District attorney, will also return to prosecute the case before Milisauskas, now the third Circuit Court judge to preside over the case.

Jensen was sentenced in 2008 after a jury convicted him. A series of appeals followed and in 2013 a federal court overturned his conviction and ordered that he be retried or released from prison. A federal judge ruled Julie Jensens letter was harmful to Mark Jensens defense.

When a second prosecution began in 2017, Kenosha County Circuit Court Judge Chad Kerkman ruled the letter should be admitted and Kerkman reinstated Jensens conviction without a second trial.

However, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled in March 2021 that Jensen must receive a new trial and that the letter and incriminating statements his wife made cannot be used by prosecutors. What followed were appeals that ended when the U.S. Supreme Court declined to take up the case.

Prior decisions from courts ruled the so-called letter from the grave violated Mark Jensens Sixth Amendment right to confront witnesses against him.
MOUNT PLEASANT  A total of 91 challenges and 76 complaints were filed Friday against the four Mount Pleasant Village Board candidates challenging incumbents in the April 4 election.

The challenges and complaints were filed by Sam Wahlen, who said he is working on current Village President Dave DeGroots election team.

The challenges and complaints regard errors on the candidates filing paperwork required to appear on ballots for the spring election. The four candidates  Kelly Gallaher, Travis Yanke, Kim Mahoney and Eric Martinez  have until Monday at 5 p.m. to make corrections and respond by affidavit.

Gallaher, who is running for village president against incumbent Dave DeGroot, is among the candidates whose paperwork has been challenged.

This is Gallahers first time running for elected office in Mount Pleasant. She has been a vocal critic of the village board as spokesperson for A Better Mount Pleasant, a government watchdog organization. Gallaher is also a longtime critic of the Foxconn project. Her decision to run for village president stemmed from what she saw as a need for leadership.

This is the second set of challenges and complaints filed this week by Wahlen against the four candidates after his initial set was rejected. The initial set filed Tuesday was dismissed Friday because the challenges and complaints were not notarized by a notary public. Wahlen then resubmitted all 91 challenges and 76 complaints that same day and had them notarized by the Mount Pleasant deputy village clerk, according to Gallaher.

The challenges and complaints were about errors found in the signatures collected by the candidates. Many of the errors are for misspellings of names, invalid addresses and incorrect dates.

Gallaher was quick to dismiss many of Wahlens objections.

Candidate papers are not difficult, even if you make a mistake you can amend it. Nomination papers are pretty straightforward  just read the directions, Gallaher said in a statement. You would have to actually try hard to get 91 things wrong. Mr. Wahlen challenged approximately 73% of our signatures. We are not that dumb or lazy.

One of the complaints was regarding Gallahers legal name, Kelly Gallaher-Dimler, which she filed on her candidate paperwork. That is different than recent court filings, where her name was listed as Kelly Gallaher. Gallaher said the court filings incorrectly listed her name.

Another issue raised by Wahlen was that one of the signers was a felon, which Gallaher says is not true and is a case of mistaken identity.

Wahlen, a self-proclaimed spokesperson for the DeGroot campaign, told The Journal Times Saturday that he was the only one filing challenges against the candidates, saying there was no involvement from DeGroot or any other candidate.

Wahlen said that candidates associated with Gallaher have had numerous issues with their filings in the past.

So I thought it was imperative that we closely examine them this time as well, he said.

Wahlen also said that dismissing the initial set of complaints was an unusual step by the WEC.

I have been reviewing and offering challenges to election packets since 2010, and this is the first time that WEC has required they be notarized, Wahlen said.

Wahlen went on to say that state law requires the complaints be verified but says nothing about notarization. Wahlen has also complained to the WEC that the four candidates are receiving special treatment in getting an extension on the complaints.

Despite issuing the complaints, Wahlen says the four challengers are more than welcome to repair and submit the documentation.

More power to them, Wahlen said. Its a democratic process; if they want to run they absolutely should run. But its extremely important after the last couple of years, both on the national (stage) and statewide and locally, that we ensure political candidates follow democratic processes.

Clarification: This article has been updated from an earlier version. An earlier version indicated the Wisconsin Election Commission was directly involved in rejecting a challenge. But the commission was not directly involved with the decision.

In photos | Foxconn: A Community Conversation Rep. Gordon Hintz and Greta Neubauer Crowd Kathleen Gallagher Livestream of Foxconn: A Community Conversation Kelly Gallaher Rep Gordon Hintz Kathleen Gallagher and David Merriman Nilay Patel Gordon Hintz and Kathleen Gallagher Lawrence Tabak Kelly Gallaher
Members of the Legislatures powerful finance committee have blocked a state Department of Natural Resources plan to spend $15.5 million on a conservation easement to preserve 56,000 acres of northern Wisconsin forest.

The purchase would have been the largest land conservation effort in state history, Wisconsin Public Radio reported.

The DNRs policy board signed off on the deal in October, agreeing to spend about $10.8 million in federal forest legacy dollars on the project with about $4 million coming from the states stewardship fund.

But state Sen. Mary Felzkowski, an Irma Republican who sits on the finance committee, said Thursday that she and other committee members whom she declined to name have objected to using state money for the project.

She told Wisconsin Public Radio that the easement would mean the 56,000 acres could never be developed. She added that public land is already abundant in northern Wisconsin and local governments have concerns about lack of housing and land availability.

You cannot continuously take property up north and take it off the tax rolls, take it away from the private (sector), and take it away from individuals, she said. We cannot afford to keep services up north.

Republican legislators generally oppose taking blocks of private land off the tax rolls.

See the Wisconsin State Journal photo staff's favorites of 2022
1. Yes. Having a community member interview panel is an excellent opportunity for input.

2. Yes. Its good that the city will allow residents to meet the finalist at a reception.

3. No. The city should have conducted a public survey early in the process, as KISD is doing.

4. No. Residents should be able to meet candidates before a lone finalist is chosen.

5. Unsure. Its hard to know how to gauge the proper level of public involvement.

Vote

View Results
Military personnel from Azerbaijan have arrived in Turkey to take part in the Winter-2023 drills, Azernews reports via the Turkish Ministry of National Defense.

"The servicemen of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces who will take part in the exercises have arrived in Kars. Welcome, good luck in the exercises!" the ministry said.
Killeen, TX (76540)

Today

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 54F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 54F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph.
JACKSON  When looking for improvements to his familys farming operation, Taylor Nelson seeks solutions that will lead to greater efficiency.

In that search, hes embraced technology and how it can help get work done faster, better and with fewer workers.

Its about having a mindset that embraces change. Not every problem will be solved with technology, but a lot of them will. Its got to be a willingness to learn and adapt to change, said Nelson, a fifth-generation farmer who operates Nelson Farms with his father, Doug.

That willingness to seek improvement is one reason Nelson was recently named one of Americas Best Young Farmers and Ranchers, an honor given annually to five farmers nationwide by DTN/Progressive Farmer magazine. The award recognizes the next generation of ag producers who demonstrate business innovation, betterment of agriculture and community improvement.

Nebraska farmer awarded one of America's Best Young Farmers and Ranchers Taylor Nelson stands amidst the tractors in the Nelson Farms machine shed in the rural Nebraska town of Jackson. Nelson, 32, was recently reco

You work hard and do the best you can. To be recognized nationwide is an honor, the 32-year-old Nelson said. Its not just a credit to me, but also a credit to the generations before.

Nelson Farms grows corn and soybeans on 9,000 acres in Dakota, Dixon and Thurston counties. Look inside the farms machine shed in rural Jackson, and youll see John Deere tractors and farm equipment similar to what others use. Nelson is helping John Deere take the next step forward, serving as a spokesman for the manufacturers autonomous tractor technology.

John Deere engineers have spent hours at Nelson Farms testing one of the tractors, which through GPS and other technology, operates remotely without a driver and performs fall tillage while Nelson is in the combine harvesting crops in other fields. Autonomous tractors ultimately will be programmed to perform other jobs, allowing farmers to do two or more tasks at once, saving them time and the need to find as many capable hired hands in a tight labor market. Nelson foresees a day when autonomous grain carts will aid harvest.

Were always looking for whats a better way to do something, a more efficient way, he said.

Nebraska farmer awarded one of America's Best Young Farmers and Ranchers Taylor Nelson uses a model to explain John Deeres autonomous tractor technology being tested at Nelson Farms, a 9,000 operation he runs with 

Nelson met the Progressive Farmer editor a year ago at a John Deere symposium and was interviewed about his relationship with the tractor manufacturer. That interview led Nelson to apply for the Young Farmer award, something hed seen featured in the magazine over the years. He submitted his application, highlighting his farms quest for efficiency and also his community involvement.

He was notified in May or June that hed been named one of the award recipients, and magazine staffers came to the farm for an interview, photos and video. They returned for another round of interviews and photos at harvest time before announcing the recipients in November. Nelson and the other four honorees were recognized at an awards program in Nashville.

Nelson wanted to farm since he was a boy. The cost of getting into agriculture after he graduated from college was steep, so he started Jackson Express, a convenience store and fuel center, in 2012. Before selling the business in 2020, hed learned how to build and manage a business and employees, helpful skills for full-time farming. Hes relied upon his familiarity with technology to implement changes he hopes will make Nelson Farms more efficient and increase production.

Along the way, he and other farmers his age helped re-establish the Northeast Nebraska Corn Growers Association, through which they launched the Growing Potential Ag Youth Festival, an annual event in which up to 300 fifth-graders in a six-county area spend a day in hands-on, interactive activities that teach them about agriculture and introduce them to career opportunities.

Nebraska farmer awarded one of America's Best Young Farmers and Ranchers Taylor Nelson climbs into a tractor at the Nelson Farms machine shed in rural Jackson, Neb. Nelson, 32, was named by DTN/Progressive Farmer ma

Ive taken the position of wanting to embrace the future of farming and future of agriculture, Nelson said.

A young farmer hoping to plant the seeds of agricultural possibilities in the minds of the next generation.
Students and staff at Viroqua Elementary School welcomed two special visitors Thursday, Jan. 5  Gov. Tony Evers and Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez.

Evers and Rodriguez, who were sworn into office Jan 3, toured part of the school and met some of the teachers, greeted students as they entered the building following a two-hour delayed start due to inclement weather, and stopped in a classroom to answer fourth-graders prepared questions.

Once in the classroom, the first fourth-grader asked how long Evers and Rodriguez had been in office. Evers said just over four years and Rodriguez replied three days.

Another student asked Evers what he does on the job every day. He said it changes every day and some days include visiting schools.

One young scholar asked the governor how many bills he has signed. Evers said he vetoed 126 and had signed 160.

A young lady asked if girls could be governor. Rodriguez said yes, and they could also be lieutenant governor, an assembly representative or a senator. Evers said about half of the governors in the nation are women.

When one of the students asked where their offices were, Evers said he hoped the students would come see him and Rodriguez if they visit the Capitol.

The governor and lieutenant governor were also asked what their favorite thing was about Wisconsin. I like how different it is, Evers said. Viroqua is in the Driftless; Im from Plymouth, the Cheese Capitol, and Madison is beautiful.

Rodriguez said she likes the state park system because she enjoys camping and biking. They (the parks) are so pretty.

The final question was about the pens the governor uses to sign bills. Evers said he uses a special gold pen to veto bills, while other bills are signed with a blue pen with his name on it. I give it (the pen) to the legislator who (sponsored) the bill.

Following their visit to the elementary school, Evers and Rodriguez toured the school districts early learning center located on Nelson Parkway. The building, which is a former assisted living facility, is being remodeled.

Evers and Rodriguez also visited Stevens Point Area Senior High School. Their visit to Menomonie Middle School was postponed to a later date due to inclement weather.

COLLECTION: Good morning photos of the day Saturday ... in the park, definitely not the 4th of July Strolling swans Eagle watch First robin of spring? Opossum passing by Eagles at sundset Saturday ... in the park, definitely not the 4th of July Snowy skyline Towering Spring rain drop The end of ice fishing season Arcadia flyer Bridge sunset A foggy morning hello Spring rain drop End of ice fishing is a drag Spring snow HARBORMASTER CAPPED Hitting the open water Bikes for everyone Helping our neighbors HyVee work continues PICTURE OF THE DAY PICTURE OF THE DAY: Spring migration A tradition unlike any other... Feeling squirrelly Elm tree flowers Sitting on the dock of the bay A holiday hunt Colorful sunset A nice day for a walk A beautiful sunset Tulip blooms Sunrise in the neighborhood A great day for reflection Enjoying the breeze Right on the river Morning visitor Beautiful blossoms A patriotic pair A trip to the Capitol Misty Mississippi Mallard on the march A balancing act Apple blossoms Flowering Crab trees River overflow Flag Day next week Ready to go for a spin Riverside sunset Doggone beautiful The cat-bird seat La Crosse River at Veterans Memorial Park bike bridge in Riverside Park French Island fiery sunset Cass Street Bridge from Riverside Park End of the Day Holding it together A flower named Sue Hanging out at Goose Island Beautiful day Riding in style On parade at Catfish Days A sun-dappled cemetery lane Pecking away Bunny meets world Cranes by the creek River at Veterans Memorial Park The cat-bird seat Fingers in the fog Dragonfly on the line Breakfast at the birdhouse Spreading her wings Relaxing in the park A view from the stage The Quenten Brown Band Rocking out in Arcadia Viceroy butterfly Dog or lion? Pure Water Days, Chippewa Falls Visiting in style Pedaling is for the birds Working on the new Fire House Dockwork Hurling in the park Swimming swans Hibiscus bloom 'The Remainders' rock the stage Land of milk and honey? French Island dining Anything for a free meal A babbling creek Finches munch on cones Stunning sunset Pucker up Chowing down Hibiscus bloom
After a pandemic-related hiatus, UW-La Crosse faculty are again holding the La Crosse Science Cafe.

The event provides participants an opportunity to engage with scientists  many of them faculty from UW-L  as they explore the latest news in science and technology. The new season kicks off with Markus Mika, a UW-L teaching assistant professor of biology, speaking on Making a Living When Things Heat Up: Life History & Breeding in Flammulated Owls from 6-7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 13, at JavaVino, 2311 State Road, La Crosse. Attending presentations is free while dining at Java Vino.

While raising young, flammulated owl parents face significant energetic tradeoffs. Increasing the rates of bringing food to their offspring may drain reserves in adult birds while their young benefit and grow more quickly. However, when breeding in high-quality locations, abundant food can offset the cost to parents as they are successfully raising their young. For 15 years, Mika has studied populations of flammulated owls, a tiny insectivorous bird in northern Utah. He continues to observe how climate and landscape changes are impacting the forests and resources on which the owls rely.
NEW ORLEANS (AP)  It was a tragically high price to pay for catching a suspected car thief: two innocent teenagers dead and a police officer jailed, facing serious charges for a car crash that resulted from the pursuit.

Maggie Dunn, 17, and Caroline Gill, 16, who were cheerleaders for their high school in the southern Louisiana town of Brusly, died in the collision Saturday. They're the latest fatalities among hundreds every year attributed to accidents involving police pursuits.

Many police departments have tightened their policies on such pursuits in recent years. However, National Highway Transportation Safety data show that 455 deaths were tied to police pursuits in 2020.

The Louisiana case is unusual in that the local prosecutor says the officer, 42-year-old David Cauthron, acted so recklessly that he should face charges and is preparing to ask a grand jury to consider bringing them.

Authorities say Cauthron, an officer in the town of Addis, joined a chase in rural West Baton Rouge Parish that started when police in Baton Rouge pursued a man suspected of stealing his father's car.

Cauthron, authorities said, drove his police car through an intersection in Brusly, which is next to Addis, ignoring a red light and colliding with a car that held the two girls and Dunn's 20-year-old brother, Liam, who was critically injured.

"In my experience, I have not seen a police officer charged criminally in a police pursuit case," said Chicago civil rights attorney Andrew Stroth, who has handled numerous lawsuits in such cases but has no ties to the Louisiana collision.

Cauthron remained jailed Thursday, according to online records. Neither the jail nor the parish court clerk's office listed an attorney for him.

Parish District Attorney Tony Clayton said in a news release this week that he intends to ask the grand jury to consider charging Cauthron. Possible charges include negligent homicide and negligent injury. Clayton stressed that the investigation will be thorough, but he made clear that he believes the hot pursuit of suspect Tyquel Zanders, 24, was a deadly mistake.

"Sirens and police vehicles do not give an officer the authority to cut through a red light," Clayton wrote, adding that evidence so far indicates Cauthron was "grossly negligent."

Clayton didn't limit his criticism to Cauthron. He previously publicly questioned whether police in Baton Rouge should have pursued Sanders, who was arrested, uninjured, following a chase that involved multiple law enforcement agencies on both sides of the Mississippi River.

Baton Rouge news outlets, citing arrest records, say Zanders is accused of entering a relative's home on Saturday and making off with his father's car before leading police on a chase across the river and into Brusly, where the crash occurred. Authorities say Zanders drove back across the river and was arrested in Baton Rouge, where he is charged with car theft, home invasion and aggravated flight.

The Baton Rouge Police Department has a pursuit policy that is posted on the city's website and lays out when officers can an can't give chase. A department spokesman, Sgt. L'Jean McKneely, said the pursuit that led to the two teens' deaths is under review.

Addis police officials did not respond to a request for information about the policy.

Police pursuit deaths often get less attention than controversies over the police use of force, but criminal justice reformers are very aware of them. Policies governing pursuits in New Orleans were adopted after the city agreed to myriad reforms under a 2012 court settlement that followed numerous high-profile incidents involving deadly force.

Michael Downing, a former deputy police chief in Los Angeles, said his department adopted stronger restrictions on pursuits because of deaths, injuries and lawsuits. Strong policies are needed to temper a police officer's natural urge to pursue a criminal suspect, he said.

With no policy, Downing said, "their instincts are going to be engage, engage, engage."

Policies differ from department to department, and the issues at play are complex, including whether a suspect poses an immediate threat, he said.

Despite the policies adopted across the country, pursuit-related deaths remain a problem, said Stroth.

"Officers driving willfully, wantonly at high rates of speed in densely populated communities where there's no real threat," Stroth said. "And the results have been tragic."
A former Montello man was found guilty of first-degree sexual assault of a child under 13 years old in Columbia County.

Kyle J. Wilcox, 26, sat with his attorneys on Wednesday in the Columbia County Courthouse where the verdict was read by a member of the 12-person jury on the second and final day of his trial.

Wilcox was found guilty of having sexual contact with an 11-year-old in May 2022.

The criminal complaint in this case identifies a child of 11 who at the time told a friend that Wilcox touched their thighs and buttocks. That information was told to a school counselor, who was mandated to report it. The victim then spoke at the Safe Harbor Child Advocacy Center, which led to Wilcox being charged with sexual assault of a child.

After the verdict was read, Judge Todd Hepler asked each of the 12 jurors if the guilty verdict was their verdict and all 12 responded it was their decision that Wilcox was guilty.

On the first day of the trial, a number of witnesses testified along with Wilcox and the victim all answering questions about the incident last year.

You are the sole judges of the facts (in this case), Hepler told the jurors.

Wilcoxs attorney Melvin Middleton delivered closing arguments on Wednesday morning before the jury was sent to deliberate the case. He advised the jury to use their collective experience with 11-year-olds to judge the credibility of the victim.

Middleton explained he doesnt believe the victim is lying about what occurred at a home in Cambria; however, he said that the victim is mistaken.

When District Attorney Brenda Yaskal gave her closing statements she said there are two elements of the case. The first is that Wilcox made contact with the victim for sexual arousal or gratification and the second element is that the victim was under the age of 13 at the time.

She explained to the jury that the victims story has not changed since they first told someone about it eight months ago.

Wilcox was found guilty after pleading no contest in 2020 to expose a child to harmful material in Sauk County. In 2015 he was found guilty to causing mental harm to a child in Columbia County. As part of the 2015 sentencing, Wilcox was required to register as a sex offender.

A pre-sentence investigation was requested by Yaskal and ordered by Hepler. Hepler said the sentencing hearing will most likely be held in about eight weeks.

The Class B felony comes with a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison, followed by up to 20 years of extended supervision. The charge has a repeater modifier attached to it which could lead to a harsher sentence as a repeat offender.
By Trend

The total volume of non-cash payments in Turkmenistan under the "Digital Commerce" system from January through October 2022 amounted to 476.09 million Turkmen manats ($135.8 million), Trend reports citing Turkmen media.

During the specified period, the total amount of payments through the "Mobile Bank" system amounted to 11.4 million Turkmen manats ($3.2 million), and through the "Internet Bank" system - 1,4 million Turkmen manats ($399,500).

Meanwhile, non-cash payments via the "Halkbank Terminal" system from January through October 2022 amounted to 20.4 million Turkmen manats ($5.8 million).

During the reporting period, the total non-cash turnover on bank cards in Turkmenistan amounted to 11.52 billion Turkmen manats ($3.28 billion).

Furthermore, at the beginning of December 2021, during a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan, a Program for 2022 on the sustainable development of the national economy was adopted.
Democratic Gov. Tony Evers plans to issue an executive order early next week to ban the use of TikTok on state devices  joining a growing number of states to prohibit the use of the popular social media app due to national security concerns.

Speaking with WISN, Evers said he made the decision to ban the app, which is owned by Chinese company ByteDance, following discussions with the FBI and emergency management officials. At least 18 states, most led by Republican governors, have banned staffers use on government devices of the social media app over concerns about the possible security risks posed by the Chinese-owned company.

We came to the conclusion that its the best idea, Evers said of banning the app in an interview on WISN-TVs Upfront.

We wanted to finish those conversations before we banned it, Evers added. Im planning to have that done by early next week.

Evers told the Wisconsin State Journal last month only a dozen or so state employees actually use TikTok on state devices.

The governors decision comes after Wisconsins six Republican congressional lawmakers  U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson and U.S. Reps. Mike Gallagher, Scott Fitzgerald, Glenn Grothman, Bryan Steil and Tom Tiffany  sent a letter urging him to lead by example and delete TikTok from your own devices.

Gallagher, a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, has become a regular critic of TikTok in recent weeks, likening the phone app to digital fentanyl. He has also introduced legislation to implement a nationwide ban of the app.

This app belongs nowhere near any part of our government and Im glad Governor Evers finally made the decision to ban TikTok on state devices, Gallagher said Friday. Now that Governor Evers has recognized the threat posed by the app, I hope he will also delete his campaigns TikTok account.

Evers does not maintain a personal or governmental TikTok account and the account used during Evers reelection campaign last year was not associated with any state government devices, according to his office.

The social media app is used by two-thirds of American teens but has become the target of bipartisan scrutiny due to potential national security risks if used by the Chinese government to influence American users or collect data from the millions of devices with the app.

FBI director Christopher Wray testified at a congressional hearing in November that his agency is extremely concerned about TikToks operations in the United States. He said the Chinese government could use it to collect data on users and control the apps algorithm to manipulate content and launch influence campaigns.

Last month, Wray again warned about the possibility of TikTok user data getting into the hands of a Chinese government that doesnt share our values, and said China could collect it for espionage.

In an interview with The Associated Press last month, Brooke Oberwetter, a spokesperson for TikTok, called the congressional ban a political gesture that will do nothing to advance national security interests. TikTok is developing security and data privacy plans as part of an ongoing national security review by President Joe Bidens administration.

Photos: The restoration and installation of the Badger Liquor sign
Episode 71: This is the time of the year when many of us make resolutions, and becoming better organized and cutting down on clutter is on many people's lists.

Hosts Richard Kyte and Scott Rada talk about why some people value tidiness, while others say a home filled with cherished items shows a life filled with meaning and memories.

Links to stories discussed during the podcast:

Clutter is good for you, by Rob Walker, The New York Times

In praise of unfinished basements, by Brady Brickner-Wood, The New York Times Magazine

The relationship between mental health and cleaning, by Sherri Gordon, Very Well Mind

About the hosts: Scott Rada is social media manager with Lee Enterprises, and Richard Kyte is the director of the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wis.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
EIR LEAD EDITORIAL FOR SATURDAY JANUARY 7, 2023

The Epiphany of The Ten Principles

Jan. 6, 2023, 2022 (EIRNS)In what acted as a simultaneous commemoration of (Western) Epiphany and (Eastern) Christmas Day, Russian President Vladimir Putin, following the request of Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, declared a ceasefire in the special military operation, beginning at noon on January 6, and ending midnight Christmas Day, January 7. Such a Christmas truce had been advocated by many religious figures in the trans-Atlantic sector as well, and featured as one expression of the anti-war, pro-economic development Ten Principles campaign of the Schiller Institute. Though Ukraines leadership refused the truce, Christians throughout the world, including the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, now being suppressed in that bastion of democracy and tolerance, now know who actually respects the idea, Peace On Earth, Good Will Toward Men.

Recall the December 19 Schiller Institute statement, One Step Away from the Nuclear Annihilation of MankindA Christmas Truce for All! This included the promotion of the international performance of the polyphonic composition Dona Nobis Pacem by small and large choruses, an action which happened in many places before and on December 24-25, the traditional date of Christmas celebration in Western Christianity. The same should be encouraged throughout this Eastern Christmas weekend and after. (For those that wish, that song might be usefully combined with the We Shall Overcome anthem going into the January 14-16 celebration of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther Kings birthday.)

In its fundamental objective, that action, that spiritual exercise, has now proven to be successful. The fact that it was denounced by Ukraine, by the United States government, and by some in NATO, is a self-indictment. What does that say about the image of man that those governments, and their weapons of war, actually represent?

On the Day of Epiphany, it had in times past been a tradition to submerge oneself in ice water. Perhaps that practice should be resumed by officials in the non-truce observing governments. That, or a similar systemic, axiom-busting shock must be delivered to the brain, mind and soul-dead institutions of self-government, the democracies of the trans-Atlantic sector. Only Classical principles of poetry are equal to this task; no pragmatic politics will work. One might here best recall classicist Ray McGoverns admonition that a Metanoia, an inversion of mindsetlike that manifested by President John F. Kennedy only months after the Cuban Missile Crisis in his proposal for a joint U.S./U.S.S.R. mission to the Moonis the only sure pathway to peace. But undergoing a Metanoia, the hubris-killing rejection of axioms, is a choice.

Metanoia is what Hamlet refused to undergo, in terror, when confronted by, not the ghost of his murdered father, but the need to summon the passion necessary for the mission that his fathers ghost, also named Hamlet, entrusts to him. But it is not Hamlet who is tragic. It is the rot of Denmark which Hamlet refuses to rise above, which is the substance of tragedy, as with us today. Is this not our present circumstance in the democracies of the trans-Atlantic, that employ economic hit men and jackal assassins as their enforcers of human rights and saving the planet for financial oligarchies?

Consider Shakespeares King Hamlet/Hamlet dialogue of Act 1, Scene 5. Reflect upon the people of the United States, once again confronted this past month with the truth of their prescience about the international assassination bureau responsible for the death of JFK:

Ghost: ...Now, Hamlet, hear.

Tis given out that, sleeping in my orchard,

A serpent stung me. So the whole ear of Denmark

Is by a forged process of my death

Rankly abused; but know, thou noble youth,

The serpent that did sting thy fathers life

Now wears his crown.

Hamlet: O, my prophetic soul!

In Hamlets epiphany about the murder of his father king, Hamlets ghost does not tell Hamlet anything that Hamlet did not already know. So it is in fact with the American people, whether they presently have the files on the assassinations of John and Robert Kennedy, Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, or not.

Epiphany is also associated with the idea of gift. Three Wise Men, the Magi, are traditionally said to arrive twelve days after the birth of Jesus bearing gold, as an expression of earthly power; frankincense, expressing the divine nature; and myrrh, used in embalming, to stand for human mortality. While the gifts are offerings, all three represent capacities (Capax Dei), not given to Jesus, but acknowledged by the gentile kings as in Him. They have made a Dante-like journey of recognition, through their study of the heavens, as in the Paradiso, and it is this that is embodied in the metaphor of the gifts. They journeyed to receive a gift, not to give one.

The Vatican recently demonstrated, through a spiritual exercise of the principle of epiphany, its capacity to carry out the ontological diplomacy that Cardinal Nicholas of Cusa carried out in his organizing of the 1439 Council of Florence, which sought to unify East and West. The Popes recent apology to the Russian people, so rapidly accepted by that government, which responded a day later that The incident is over; the matter is closed is an example of such diplomacy, and an epiphany-gift to mankind. Its price was an admission of a fault, leading to the beginning of the re-establishment of a potential basis for trust.

In a thermonuclear age, if all trust is gone, the presently escalating conflicts can end only one way. But without an understanding of the ontologicalnot pragmaticbasis for agreement upon the nature of humanity, how can diplomacy of this higher order occur? World peace can never be achieved through geopolitical materialism, which is inherently Malthusian, and therefore, anti-human. Destruction and war are, ultimately, the only product geopolitics can reap.

Another example of higher diplomacy: Take the forum that Helga Zepp-LaRouche has organized for this coming Tuesday, What About International Law, Mrs. Merkel? The invitation for this event states in part that For years (former Chancellor Angela Merkel and former French President Francois Hollande) have repeated the mantra that the sanctions against Russia could be lifted only if the Minsk Agreement was to be fully implemented. But if the conclusion of this agreement was nothing but lip service, what was their intention?

This referred to Merkels revelation last month that The 2014 Minsk agreement was an attempt to give time to Ukraine. It also used this time to become stronger as can be seen today. The Ukraine of 2014-2015 is not modern Ukraine. Many, including most recently Germanys Oscar Lafontaine and Frances Pierre de Gaulle, have denounced both Hollande and Merkel for it. But the title of the forum refers to an episode from Goethes Faust. Have France and Germany made a deal with the devil?

If the American people refuse to dismantle the international assassination bureau that has not only murdered American Presidents, but leaders in Germany, Italy, the Congo, Iran, and now obscenely threatens to decapitate Russia, that is, assassinate Vladimir Putin, how long is it acceptable to say, well, it isnt really the people, its just their leaders? Where do those leaders come from? If, as has sometimes been asserted, people get the governments they deserve, whose responsibility is it to lead? The American Revolution institutionalized the Joan of Arc principle of societal change. We are all people endowed by the Creator with certain unalienable rights, and therefore (here is an epiphany) unalienable responsibility. Whenever any government becomes destructive of the ends of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, it is not only the right but the duty of the governed to not merely alter or to abolish it, but to institute new government, laying its foundation upon such principles and organizing its powers in such form as shall bring about those changes in physical economy and the conditions of life essential to the promotion of the General Welfare of the society as a whole.

In these upcoming days of the New Year, Independent candidate Diane Sares policy conference this Sunday, January 8; Helga Zepp-LaRouches Tuesday, January 10 forum; and the Saturday, January 14 symposium Resurrect the True Mission of Dr. Martin Luther King: Stop NATOs World War, and Dismantle the JFK International Assassination Bureau  are occasions that are all aimed at revealing to and confronting people with the surprise, the Metanoia, that their actions, steeped in the Ten Principles for a New International Development and Security Architecture, are the gift that humanity needs to catalyze a new birth of justice and freedom. We are our own gift of the Magi should we choose to be, rather than not to be, so.
Students and college advisors agree that there are problems with a popular college ranking system in the United States. The magazine U.S. News and World Report produces the rankings.

At the same time, the critics do not believe the rankings will end anytime soon.

The list of recent problems related to college rankings is a long one.

At the start of 2022, Moshe Porat, former leader of the business school at Temple University in Philadelphia, was sentenced to 14 months in prison. A court had found him guilty of giving false information to U.S. News and World Report that raised his schools ranking. He was also ordered to pay a large financial penalty.

Over the summer, Columbia University professor Michael Thaddeus said he believed some of the data the university sent to the magazine were incorrect. As a result, the university held back its numbers and was not included in U.S. News and World Reports 2023 rankings. The publication also removed Columbia from past lists.

Law schools back out

And finally, in autumn, a number of top law schools protested the rankings. They restricted some information they sent to the magazine. The protesting schools included Yale, Stanford, Harvard and the University of California  Berkeley.

In all, nine of the top 14 law schools ranked by U.S. News and World Report joined the protest.

The leaders of the law schools said the magazine does not consider some important information. For example, they said the magazine does not show how the schools prepare students for work in public service.

Heather Gerken is the head of Yales law school. She called the magazines product -- ranking schools -- nearly impossible. She noted that all law schools are different and a one-size-fits-all system cannot provide an accurate picture.

In early 2023, U.S. News and World Report answered the criticism. The magazine said it would change its system. The rankings would not penalize schools whose graduates moved on to advanced degree programs or important, but low-paying, jobs in public service. In addition, the magazine said it would no longer center so much of its final number on the opinions of law professors, lawyers and judges.

The law schools, however, continued to say they would not cooperate.

What comes next?

Heading into 2023, some schools, such as Columbia, will be unranked. Other schools are reconsidering their involvement with rankings. One expert, however, said rankings are still an important way for students to get extra information about colleges.

Allen Koh is the chief executive at Cardinal Education, a company in Northern California that helps students think about colleges and prepare their applications.

He said he does not think the protest will affect the reputations of law schools at Yale or Harvard. In addition, he said it is unlikely universities will stop their participation in the rankings.

For any university that is considered hyper-elite now, it will be considered hyper-elite later. And we dont think thatll change.

In fact, Koh said he thinks universities will continue to try to get good rankings even though everybody understands rankings are imperfect. He noted that rankings are especially important for international students who cannot visit colleges before deciding to attend.

Your ranking  A  helps attract talent. B  instills pride for people who have already graduated. The better ranking you have, everyone whos already gone there, their degrees are getting more valuable.

Koh pointed out that a schools ability to raise money improves as its ranking improves, which permits it to open new buildings and create more programs. He called it a virtuous cycle.

International students

Sarju Poudel of Nepal recently finished his mechanical engineering degree from the University of Texas-Tyler. Tyler is a city in the eastern part of the state, not far from Louisiana.

Poudel said the process of choosing a college in the U.S. was overwhelming. But, he said he never considered just a colleges rankings. He wanted to make sure he received full financial aid at a school that supported computer science, physics and engineering.

As long as the programs and university was regionally accredited, it passed my criteria for consideration, he said.

Now that he has graduated from college in the U.S., Poudel said he thinks higher-ranked schools can sometimes provide better possibilities for their students. For example, high-ranking colleges may indicate availability of more funds, and (therefore) more research and project opportunities.

Still, when he gives advice to students from Nepal, he said he tells them to ignore rankings. He pushes them to explore their programs, professors backgrounds, projects and events related to their program and availability of internships.

Kartik Sundaram of India is finishing an advanced degree at the University of Michigan. The first thing he did when thinking about colleges was look up rankings, just like I would if I was looking to buy a laptop.

Did I think they were important? Yes. Do I think they are important now? No.

The rankings, he said, were good because they gave him a starting point for his research. From there, he could look for more details, such as how often students graduate in four years. Because I did not want to pay for a fifth year, he said.

His advice for international students considering universities to attend?

Dont sweat [the rankings] too much, he said, adding, No matter how much research you do, its unlikely youll even get close to half of the whole picture.

Im Dan Friedell. And Im Jill Robbins.

Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English.

Quiz - Even with Recent Problems, College Rankings Likely to Remain Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz

______________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

rank v. to put a group of things in order, usually from best to worst

accurate adj. correct or proper

penalize v. to punish

advanced degree n. a level of education that comes after a bachelors degree in the U.S.

application n. a document one fills out in order to be considered for a job or a place at a school

participation n. involvement in an activity

hyper-elite adj. one of the very best

instill v. to fill with something

virtuous adj. honorable or worthy

overwhelming adj. a feeling when something is difficult or hard to manage

accredited adj. something that has official approval

criteria n. one piece of important information

indicate v. to give a signal

____________________________________________________________________

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Gambling center Macao eased its border restrictions after China made changes to its zero-COVID policy in December. The move is expected to improve Macaos visitor-driven economy.

The gaming center sits on Chinas south coast near Hong Kong. For now, a new wave of COVID-19 infections in China is keeping large crowds away from Macaos casinos.

From December 23 to 27, the city saw a daily average of just 8,300 arrivals, police data found. That is just 68 percent of Novembers level. The situation improved on New Year's Eve, with 28,100 visitors entering the city for the day. But that is only 66 percent of the level recorded a year ago. In 2019, before the pandemic, the daily average was 108,000.

China has gone through some of the worlds strictest anti-virus controls for nearly three years. But last week, China announced it would begin issuing passports for tourism. That could create more Chinese tourists outside of the country and will likely increase competition for Macao.

Businesses are hoping the Lunar New Year holidays in late January will bring better luck for the territory of 672,000 people. Macao is a former Portuguese colony and the only place in China where casinos are legal.

When the coronavirus hit in 2020, the citys gambling earnings fell 80 percent to just $7.5 billion from a year earlier. In 2021, the number improved to $10.8 billion, but that was still down 75 percent from a peak of $45 billion in 2013.

A recovery could not come a moment too soon for shop owner Lee Hong-soi. He told The Associated Press his business has remained quiet even after entry rules were eased. Entry into Macao required a negative COVID-19 test result before departure. So many people in mainland China have not been able to visit Macao because they were infected.

I am running out of strength after enduring for three years, Lee said.

The increase of cases in China led some people to go to Macao to get the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine is not available in the mainland, the Chinese business news website Caixin reported last month.

So far, there are few signs that visitor numbers have greatly increased in Macao. Glenn McCartney is an associate professor in resort and tourism management at the University of Macao. He told the AP it will take some time for Macao to regain its pre-pandemic energy.

(For) tourism, you cant sort of snap your fingers, and things start to move, McCartney said.

But he added that tourism officials in Macao have kept advertising their businesses in China during the pandemic. The Lunar New Year, McCartney said, could mark the start of a long-term recovery for tourism.

Im Dan Novak.

Dan Novak adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on reporting by The Associated Press.

____________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

gambling  n. the practice or activity of betting money

tourism  n. the activity of traveling to a place for pleasure

casino  n. a building or room that has games for gambling

negative  adj. harmful or bad

endure  v. to continue to exist in the same state or condition
By Trend

The average price of wheat due to the implementation of the grain deal fell from $440 to $320 per ton, Minister of Agriculture of Turkiye Vahit Kirishci said, Trend reports citing TASS.

"As of January 5, 626 ships transported 16.8 million tons of agricultural products, including grain, through the grain corridor. If at the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine the price per ton of wheat was $440, now it is within $320," said the Turkish minister at a meeting of agricultural producers in Istanbul.

According to Kirishchi, 54 percent of agricultural products from Ukrainian ports were delivered to European countries, 28 percent to Asia, 12 percent to Africa, and 6 percent to the Middle East.
To return to its glory days, all Sodaville really needs is a resort. And a seminary, a stagecoach line and a bustling downtown.
A two-story building near Tenney Park that President Harry Truman dedicated in 1950 has been nominated as a city landmark, an effort that could complicate or kill a redevelopment plan that includes demolishing the building.

But the developer, who has shared informal concepts so far, still could keep the redevelopment on track by submitting a formal land use application before the city decides the landmark question.

As part of a large housing project, Vermilion Development of Chicago has proposed razing the utilitarian, two-story building at 1617 Sherman Ave., the first permanent location of the Credit Union National Association. The building was dedicated by Truman in a speech that placed the credit union movement as a key component of the administration's foreign policy.

The latest concepts show nearly 400 units in five buildings, including two five-story, multifamily structures, three sets of two-story townhouses and parking on the 8.2-acre site.

Resident John Rolling, who lived next to the building in the 1970s, holds a doctorate in history from UW-Madison and spent a career in real estate appraisal, has submitted a 33-page landmark nomination for the property that's supported by the Madison Trust for Historic Preservation.

"Cities always change, we know that," Rolling said. "This is the kind of thing we need to keep as our legacy."

But the proposed landmark nomination would be "disruptive" to the redevelopment of the site, Vermilion managing director Darrin Jolas said.

The nomination will be considered by the city's Landmarks Commission at an online meeting at 5 p.m. Monday, with the commission making a recommendation to the City Council, which could decide on a designation as soon as Feb. 7.

A Planning Division staff report says the nomination meets standards and recommends the commission refer it to the council for landmark designation. A designation would "strongly encourage" the adaptive reuse of the structure and its integration into a redevelopment with a high threshold for approving demolition of a historic resource, it says.

The fate of the site may depend on timing.

If Vermilion submits a land use application before the council's decision, the proposal would be considered under the regulations in effect at that time. A future landmark designation would have no effect on the city's land use review of the project, city historic preservation planner Heather Bailey said.

But if Vermilion or any developer offered a land use application after the property is designated, the application would be subject to the city's Historic Preservation Ordinance, which would not stop redevelopment but shape how it is undertaken, Bailey said.

In a statement, Vermilion said it will be submitting a land use application in the next few weeks.

The city now has 182 landmarks. The last, the Alano Society House at 511 N. Carroll St., was designated in 2013.

National news

The property at 1617 Sherman Ave., called Filene House, is being nominated not for its connection to a renowned architect, design or construction, but for its connections to history. Its dedication by Truman on Sunday, May 14, 1950, made the front pages of local newspapers and The New York Times.

The arguments for designating Filene House as landmark include:

CUNA's significance as the leader of the credit union movement during a period of significance;

The organization's choice of Madison as its permanent home; and,

Construction of a simple structure to convey the practical purpose of the work there, which was to broaden the opportunity of banking services beyond the property-owning elite, the staff report says.

The most important figure in the early years of American credit union history was Edward A. Filene, a social reformer and prime mover to establish CUNA's headquarters in Madison, the nomination says.

From 1950 to 1980, the number of U.S. member credit unions rose from 12,000 to 22,000, and membership increased from less than 5 million to 45 million, the staff report says. During CUNA's occupancy of Filene House, its international activity blossomed, with significant sponsorship and growth of credit unions in Latin America, Asia, Africa and across the Caribbean.

The nomination also makes the case that the building is significant because of Truman's speech at the dedication, which made the credit union movement a key component of the administration's foreign policy. Under Truman's Point Four Program, credit unions would provide the economic aid to help reconstruct the economies of developing countries and those recovering from the impacts of World War II, the staff report says.

With construction of the building months from completion, Truman gave the dedication speech to an estimated crowd of 9,000 at the UW Field House, which was broadcast over WIAB radio and carried nationally on NBC.

Truman then traveled to Filene House, where he laid the cornerstone before about 5,000 people, Rolling's nomination says. Crowds lined the motorcade route from a train stop at Commercial and Pennsylvania avenues to Grace Episcopal Church, where Truman and his family attended services, to the Field House for the address, to Filene House and back to the trainyard, it says.

'It's a treasure'

Truman used the speech to highlight the potential impacts of CUNA's work and to campaign for passage of the Point Four Program. Congress approved the stalled legislation only days later.

The association between Filene House and Truman's foreign policy initiatives voiced at the 1950 dedication remained relevant through the building's 29-year headquarters, nationally and internationally, the nomination says.

"That's a very big deal," Rolling said. "I can't think of a property that stands out more as a legacy. It's a treasure."

In 1966, two-story additions were placed at the north and south sides of the building, and a third two-story addition was placed at the rear of the structure in 2000. The building later became home to the Wisconsin Physician Service Insurance Corp. and currently houses Care Wisconsin.

Evolving plans

The city's Comprehensive Plan recommends "medium residential" land use for the property, generally two- to five-story buildings with a density of 20 to 90 units per acre, as well as a street connection through the property between Sherman and Fordem avenues, Planning Division director Heather Stouder said.

In October, Vermilion proposed to demolish the 46,952-square-foot building for a roughly $90 million, six-story redevelopment with 445 apartments and parking at the site adjacent to the park and overlooking Lake Mendota.

At the time, Vermilion said the building had outlived its useful life and is not suitable for renovation to residential use, that the proposal responded to the city's desire for more infill housing and redeveloping existing properties, and that the site was attractive because of its proximity to the lake, Tenney Park, bike paths and public transit.

But the proposal got a mixed reception from neighbors and city officials, and in December, Vermilion offered revised plans that include 405 units in three buildings, which again got a mixed response.

Vermilion has again revised plans, bringing the unit count under 400 and spreading them among the five buildings.

The most prominent building fronting Sherman Avenue would range from one to five stories and features walk-up units. The second five-story, multifamily building would front a new street running through the property. Both include green roofs, and each wraps around two floors of parking. The two-story townhomes feature private garages.

Adaptive reuse

A landmark designation would encourage adapting Filene House as part of a redevelopment.

An example of that is the incorporation of the former Madison Catholic Association Clubhouse in the development of the Hilton Madison Monona Terrace hotel, 15 E. Wilson St., Bailey's staff report says.

Rolling supports an adaptive reuse of the property. "There's a lot of room there," he said. "This is a classic adaptive reuse site."

Potter Lawson, the current and original architect, analyzed the building early in the planning process and determined it did not warrant reuse, Vermilion's statement says. Also, the setback of the existing building would preclude the level of density recommended in city plans, it says.
The worlds glaciers are shrinking and disappearing faster than scientists thought, with two-thirds of them projected to melt out of existence by the end of the century at current climate change trends, according to a new study.

But if the world can limit future warming to just a few more tenths of a degree and fulfill international goals  technically possible but unlikely according to many scientists  then slightly less than half the globes glaciers will disappear, said the same study. Mostly small but well-known glaciers are marching to extinction, study authors said.

In an also unlikely worst-case scenario of several degrees of warming, 83% of the worlds glaciers would likely disappear by the year 2100, study authors said.

The study in Thursdays journal Science examined all of the globes 215,000 land-based glaciers  not counting those on ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica  in a more comprehensive way than past studies. Scientists then used computer simulations to calculate, using different levels of warming, how many glaciers would disappear, how many trillions of tons of ice would melt, and how much it would contribute to sea level rise.

The world is now on track for a 4.9 degrees Fahrenheit temperature rise since pre-industrial times, which by the year 2100 means losing 32% of the worlds glacier mass, or 48.5 trillion metric tons of ice as well as 68% of the glaciers disappearing. That would increase sea level rise by 4.5 inches in addition to seas already getting larger from melting ice sheets and warmer water, said study lead author David Rounce.

No matter what, were going to lose a lot of the glaciers, Rounce, a glaciologist and engineering professor at Carnegie Mellon University, said. But we have the ability to make a difference by limiting how many glaciers we lose."

For many small glaciers it is too late, said study co-author Regine Hock, a glaciologist at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the University of Oslo in Norway. However, globally our results clearly show that every degree of global temperature matters to keep as much ice as possible locked up in the glaciers.

Projected ice loss by 2100 ranges from 38.7 trillion metric tons to 64.4 trillion tons, depending on how much the globe warms and how much coal, oil and gas is burned, according to the study.

The study calculates that all that melting ice will add anywhere from 3.5 inches in the best case to 6.5 inches in the worst case to the worlds sea level, 4% to 14% more than previous projections.

That 4.5 inches of sea level rise from glaciers would mean more than 10 million people around the world  and more than 100,000 people in the United States  would be living below the high tide line, who otherwise would be above it, said sea level rise researcher Ben Strauss, CEO of Climate Central. Twentieth-century sea level rise from climate change added about 4 inches to the surge from 2012 Superstorm Sandy costing about $8 billion in damage just in itself, he said.

Scientists say future sea level rise will be driven more by melting ice sheets than glaciers.

But the loss of glaciers is about more than rising seas. It means shrinking water supplies for a big chunk of the worlds population, more risk from flood events from melting glaciers and about losing historic ice-covered spots from Alaska to the Alps to even near Mount Everests base camp, several scientists told The Associated Press.

For places like the Alps or Iceland ... glaciers are part of what makes these landscapes so special, said National Snow and Ice Data Center Director Mark Serreze, who wasnt part of the study but praised it. As they lose their ice in a sense they also lose their soul.

Hock pointed to Vernagtferner glacier in the Austrian Alps, which is one of the best-studied glaciers in the world, but said the glacier will be gone.

The Columbia Glacier in Alaska had 216 billion tons of ice in 2015, but with just a few more tenths of a degree of warming, Rounce calculated it will be half that size. If theres 7.2 degrees Fahrenheit of warming since pre-industrial times, an unlikely worst-case scenario, it will lose two-thirds of its mass, he said.

Its definitely a hard one to look at and not drop your jaw at, Rounce said.

Most expensive climate disasters in recent decades Most expensive climate disasters in recent decades #50. Midwest, Plains, and Southeast drought (2006) #49. Southeast drought (1983) #48. Hurricane Opal #47. Hurricane Fran #46. Western/Southern Plains drought and heatwave (2022) #45. Western drought and heatwave (2021) #44. US drought (2008) #43. South Plains severe weather #42. Hurricane Georges #41. Western wildfires #40. East Coast blizzard and severe weather #39. Hurricane Floyd #38. Hurricane Jeanne #37. Midwest/Southeast tornadoes #36. Hurricane Matthew #35. Louisiana flooding #34. Missouri River and North Central flooding #33. Central severe weather - Derecho #32. Western/Plains drought and heat wave (2013) #31. Southeast/Ohio Valley/Midwest tornadoes #30. Midwest flooding (2008) #29. Tropical Storm Allison #28. US drought (2002) #27. Hurricane Frances #26. Southern Plains/Southwest drought and heat wave #25. Hurricane Irene #24. Western wildfires - California, Oregon, Washington firestorms (2020) #23. Hurricane Hugo #22. Western wildfires, California firestorm (2017) #21. Hurricane Charley #20. Northwest, Central, Eastern winter storm and cold wave #19. Hurricane Laura #18. Hurricane Rita #17. Western wildfires, California firestorm (2018) #16. Hurricane Florence #15. Hurricane Wilma #14. Hurricane Michael #13. Hurricane Ivan #12. Central/Eastern drought and heat wave (1980) #11. US drought and heat wave (2012) #10. Hurricane Ike #9. Midwest flooding (1993) #8. US drought and heat wave (1988) #7. Hurricane Andrew #6. Hurricane Irma #5. Hurricane Ida #4. Hurricane Sandy #3. Hurricane Maria #2. Hurricane Harvey #1. Hurricane Katrina
Niger's President Mohamed Bazoum says there has been significant growth in cooperation with the United States in the past decade, a development he welcomes. On the sidelines of the US African Leaders Summit, Niger's President Mohamed Bazoum spoke to the Associated Press about American reengagement with Africa, his concerns about regional violence and threats of coups in West Africa.
By Trend

More than 94,000 foreign students are studying at Irans universities, 24 percent (27,000 students) of whom are studying at public universities, a deputy minister said, Trend reports citing IRNA.

Hashem Dadashpour, the deputy minister of science and the head of the Student Affairs Organization, made the remarks on the second day of the conference of heads of universities and higher education centers in Tehran on Friday, noting that enrolling international students is one of the main priorities of Minister of Science, Research and Technology Mansour Gholami, and that President Ebrahim Raisi underlined the need for absorbing foreign students.

Some 107 universities possess the certificates to enroll international students, Dadashpour said, adding that the ministry is mostly focusing on enrolling students from Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Iranian universities have enrolled 56,000 students from Iraq and 33,000 students from Afghanistan, and the remaining 5,000 are from other countries.

Admission of students from Africa and Latin America has been very low, he warned, saying that only 284 students from Africa and 17 others from Latin America have been registered at Iranian universities.

On the admission of foreign students last Iranian calendar year (March 21, 2021, to March 20, 2022), he noted that universities in Qom, Mashhad, Urmia, Esfahan, Mazandaran, Kordestan, Tabriz, Ahvaz, Sabzevar and Yazd have been top higher education centers in absorbing foreign students.

Some 99 percent of international students pay tuition fees, while one percent rely on scholarships, the official mentioned.

The head of the Student Affairs Organization also underlined that some 27 institutes have been qualified to absorb foreign students so far and that 20 others are going to get permission to pave the way for enrolling international students at Iranian universities, so the number of these institutes is scheduled to reach 150 by the next year.

Iran plans to increase the capacity of absorbing international students to 250,000 within the next three years with the aim of being ranked among the top 10 countries in terms of providing foreign students with higher education, Dadashpour said.
As we continue to tell the Long COVID story of many patients  each unique and different -the frustration and pain in their desire to return to a pre-COVID life is evident. Many shared their challenges with outlining the timeframe to begin to feel normal-all different timeframes for different symptoms- some still not back to normal after months/years and may never be. If you are unable to return to work, there has been frustration in applying for disability due to the difficulty of proving Long COVID. There is now a diagnosis code  U09.9 Post COVID available to attach to the patient care. As medical records are requested when filing for disability with Social Security, it is important that your doctor has included the post-COVID diagnosis. (Unfortunately, one patient shared that his doctor said  everyone has Long COVID -and brushed off some of his symptoms. Just wrong). Based on feedback, we have begun a series of Long COVID patient stories with this our Patient #5. We share their experiences while sharing in their desire to be well.

(Long COVID is also known as COVID Long Haulers Syndrome, Chronic COVID, Post-COVID Conditions/CDC).

If you would like to reach out, please do and use the email contact below. No personal identifying information will be used-just your individual story. Thanks a ton!

Long COVID updates:

We have all just enjoyed a holiday season. Unfortunately, it can lead to many new COVID cases but now it is sharing space with the FLU and the cold. Note: in 2020-21, there were very few Flu deaths or serious illnesses. Why? A couple focus points: we were not out in groups/population spread, stayed isolated/only immediate family, and we wore masks to keep the germs from spreading. This year  it is one of the three major hospitalizations: RSV/children, Flu and COVID.

Cost of Long COVID  with new, many times unspecified symptoms, patients are having costly diagnostic testing. Patients are desperate for medical help but with the wide range of symptoms, it is difficult for a physician to zero in on the actual cause without testing. Even then, the tests may not identify the new symptom, pain in many parts of the body, fatigue, cognitive decline, gastric and others as each patient is unique. What if the patient cannot work and looses their commercial insurance? There is help in Idaho thru the Medicaid Expanded program and the Marketplace- but still there will be costs. Being so unexpectedly ill  after the initial two weeks  it is very hard to figure out a way to pay the unplanned, unexpected bills. Be bold and ask for financial help with your new medical bills. Reach out to the provider community who should be able to help you navigate resources  even financial hardship. You never asked to get sick, you never asked to have your insurance pay so little or no insurance and now you are in a long illness. Very hard, indeed.

Patient Story No. 5: Unique COVID cases

I am 46 years old. I am fully vaccinated with all boosters.

In Dec 2019, I was on a family vacation to Mexico and I suddenly had great difficulty breathing. I was taken from the resort to a local hospital three times  each time getting mega-doses of steroids and kept for hours on IV. They took chest x-rays and said they did not know what it was but it was a foreign respiratory virus. (When we took the x-rays to my local physician, we now know it was the COVID virus in my lungs.) I had a severe cough and was unable to breath easily. This continued long after we returned.

In June 2020, I again contracted COVID. I lost my sense of taste and smell for months. Most everything tasted chalky. I was also very fatigued.

After Thanksgiving 2022, I again contracted COVID. I have had Asthma but not actively treating for years. I started having to use a medicated inhaler and for two weeks had trouble breathing. I also had odd cognitive issues  could not put together a pipe fitting..just blank. More severe fatigue  just to move.

I have not had a cold or the FLU in over 10 years. I dont get sick with these but every time I was ill with COVID, it was a new strain. Each time I am getting COVID, it is a new set of symptoms  all impacting my quality of life especially as I am self-employed.

I am fearful of the newest strain as it may be resistant to the boosters which is not good news.

With more vaccinated people, much less chance of a new strain as I seem to get them all.

Happy Healthy 2023! I am ready!
WASHINGTON  Republican Kevin McCarthy was elected House speaker on a historic post-midnight 15th ballot early Saturday, overcoming holdouts from his own ranks and floor tensions that boiled over after a chaotic week that tested the new GOP majority's ability to govern.

"My father always told me, it's not how you start, it's how you finish," McCarthy told cheering fellow Republicans.

Eager to confront President Joe Biden and the Democrats, he promised subpoenas and investigations. "Now the hard work begins," the California Republican declared. He credited former President Donald Trump for standing with him and for making late calls "helping get those final votes."

Republicans roared in celebration when his victory was announced, chanting "USA! USA!"

Finally elected, McCarthy took the oath of office, and the House was finally able to swear in newly elected lawmakers who had been waiting all week for the chamber to formally open and the 2023-24 session to begin.

After four days of grueling ballots, McCarthy flipped more than a dozen conservative holdouts to become supporters, including the chairman of the chamber's Freedom Caucus.

He fell one vote short on the 14th ballot, and the chamber became raucous, unruly.

McCarthy strode to the back of the chamber to confront Republican Matt Gaetz, sitting with Lauren Boebert and other holdouts. Fingers were pointed, words exchanged and violence apparently just averted.

At one point, Republican Mike Rogers of Alabama, shouting, approached Gaetz before another Republican, Richard Hudson, physically pulled him back.

"Stay civil!" someone shouted.

Order restored, the Republicans fell in line to give McCarthy the post he had fought so hard to gain, House speaker, second in the line of succession to the presidency.

The few remaining Republican holdouts began voting present, dropping the tally he needed. It was the end of a bitter standoff that had shown the strengths and fragility of American democracy.

The tally was 216-212 with Democrats voting for leader Hakeem Jeffries, and six Republican holdouts to McCarthy simply voting present.

The night's stunning turn of events came after McCarthy agreed to many of the detractors' demands  including the reinstatement of a longstanding House rule that would allow any single member to call a vote to oust him from office.

Even as McCarthy secured the votes he needs, he will emerge as a weakened speaker, having given away some powers and constantly under the threat of being booted by his detractors.

But he could also be emboldened as a survivor of one of the more brutal fights for the gavel in U.S. history. Not since the Civil War era has a speaker's vote dragged through so many rounds of voting.

The showdown that has stymied the new Congress came against the backdrop of the second anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, which shook the country when a mob of Trump's supporters tried to stop Congress from certifying the Republican's 2020 election defeat to Biden.

At a Capitol event Friday, some lawmakers, all but one of them Democrats, observed a moment of silence and praised officers who helped protect Congress on that day. And at the White House, Biden handed out medals to officers and others who fought the attackers.

"America is a land of laws, not chaos," he said.

At the afternoon speaker's vote, a number of Republicans tiring of the spectacle temporarily walked out when one of McCarthy's most ardent challengers, Gaetz, railed against the GOP leader.

Contours of a deal with conservative holdouts who had been blocking McCarthy's rise had emerged the night before, and took hold after four dismal days and 14 failed votes in an intraparty standoff unseen in modern times.

One significant former holdout  Republican Scott Perry, chairman of the conservative Freedom Caucus, who had been a leader of Trump's efforts to challenge the 2020 election  tweeted after his switched vote for McCarthy, "We're at a turning point."

Another Republican holdout, Byron Donalds of Florida, who was repeatedly nominated as an alternative candidate for speaker, switched Friday too, voting for McCarthy.

Trump may have played a role in swaying some holdouts  calling into a meeting of Republican freshmen the night before, and calling other members ahead of voting. He had urged Republicans to wrap up their public dispute.

As Republican Mike Garcia nominated McCarthy on Friday, he also thanked the U.S. Capitol Police who were given a standing ovation for protecting lawmakers and the legislative seat of democracy on Jan. 6.

But in nominating the Democratic leader Jeffries, Democrat Jim Clyburn recalled the horror of that day and told his colleagues, "The eyes of the country are on us today."

Electing a speaker is normally an easy, joyous task for a party that has just won majority control. But not this time: About 200 Republicans were stymied by 20 far-right colleagues who said McCarthy was not conservative enough.

The House adjourned Friday until late in the night, giving time for last-minute negotiations and allowing two absent Republican colleagues to return to Washington.

Newly elected Wesley Hunt of Texas arrived to vote for McCarthy  to applause, days after his wife had given birth  as did Ken Buck of Colorado.

The disorganized start to the new Congress pointed to difficulties ahead with Republicans now in control of the House, much the way that some past Republican speakers, including John Boehner, had trouble leading a rebellious right flank. The result: government shutdowns, standoffs and Boehner's early retirement when conservatives threatened to oust him.

The agreement McCarthy presented to the holdouts from the Freedom Caucus and others centers around rules changes they have been seeking for months. Those changes would shrink the power of the speaker's office and give rank-and-file lawmakers more influence in drafting and passing legislation.

At the core of the emerging deal was the reinstatement of a House rule that would allow a single lawmaker to make a motion to "vacate the chair," essentially calling a vote to oust the speaker. McCarthy had resisted allowing a return to the longstanding rule that former Speaker Nancy Pelosi had done away with, because it had been held over the head of Boehner. But it appears McCarthy had no other choice.

Photos: Scenes from historic speaker vote of 118th Congress
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

Credit: CC0 Public Domain

The Dutch and Portuguese governments on Friday joined a growing number of nations requiring air passengers arriving from China to show a negative COVID-19 test upon entry.

More than a dozen countries have slapped fresh travel regulations on travelers from the world's most populous nation, which is struggling with a surge in COVID cases following its decision to relax strict virus restrictions.

The Dutch measures, which will come into force on Tuesday, are in line with European Union recommendations, the health ministry said.

"I think it is important for us bring in travel restrictions as part of European anti-COVID measures," said Health Minister Ernst Kuipers said.

Amsterdam-Schiphol is one of Europe's biggest airports and is a hub for numerous intercontinental flight connections.

Later Friday Portugal's health ministry followed suit, announcing that passengers taking a flight from China will have to present a negative test for COVID-19 before boarding the plane, with their new rules coming into forces on Saturday.

Both governments, in their announcements on Friday, said that face masks should be worn on such flights.

EU experts on Wednesday "strongly encouraged" the bloc's 27 member states to demand COVID tests from people on flights from China and conduct random tests on arrivals.

Several other EU nationsincluding Germany, France, Germany, Italy and Spain - have already announced COVID test requirements on those arriving from China.

The United States and Japan are among the non-European countries to have brought in similar measures.

 2023 AFP
Editor's note: This is the second of two stories examining the anesthesiologist shortage in Billings. On Sunday, the Gazette investigated how the shortage is impacting hospitals and patients.

Nurse anesthetists are arguably the best kept secret in health care. But, theyre a secret for all the wrong reasons, according to Alison Carter, secretary/treasurer of the Montana Association of Nurse Anesthesiology.

Even as staffing shortages wreak havoc across Montanas health systems, and hospitals expend huge amounts of money on traveling workers, physician anesthesiologists in Montana remain opposed to integrating nurse anesthetists into regional centers.

Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA) are qualified to administer every type of anesthesia, and they provide 100% of the anesthesia services in rural Montana, Carter said. And they do so without the supervision of a physician anesthesiologist.

As the physician shortage has worsened over the years, exacerbated by burnout from the COVID pandemic, CRNAs have advertised themselves as a viable solution to staffing challenges in the states metropolitan areas.

The shortage of anesthesiologists isnt a new issue. Staffing researchers warned of developing shortfalls about 20 years ago when the need for services began stretching into nearly every department in the hospital, according to Dr. Randall Clark, president of the American Society of Anesthesiology. Since then, anesthesiology departments have struggled to keep up with the rapidly changing health care landscape and demand has since far outpaced supply.

It doesnt take a huge increase in demand to reveal the weaknesses, said Clark.

To fill in the gaps, hospitals started leaning on expensive traveling anesthesiologists. And during the pandemic, local hospitals became more dependent on travelers than ever before, pushing some systems to the brink of financial crisis, according to previous reporting by The Gazette.

Other states have integrated CRNAs in different capacities to help ease the challenges, but health systems in the West have been slow to try it.

In Montana, most hospitals in metropolitan areas have resisted integrating these providers. Billings, Bozeman and Missoula, for example, employ only physician anesthesiologists in the main hospital systems, although CRNAs are already in these cities providing care in the ambulatory surgery center and other facilities, Carter said.

Meanwhile, CRNAs have been making their case to hospitals, outlining their value as more affordable than traveling workers and even less expensive than hiring a permanent physician anesthesiologist.

Montana opts out

In most states, physician anesthesiologists supervise CRNAs and the responsibility for the anesthesia care resides with the medical doctor (MD). But in Montana, CRNAs are free to practice independently due to an opt-out law adopted in the early 2000s.

The law appeals to rural states where persistent physician shortages impede access to health care. Being able to offer procedures that require anesthesia at critical access hospitals (CAH) improves health care access for some of the states sickest residents and keeps rural facilities afloat financially.

Since the pandemic hit in 2020, five more states have adopted the law, making 22 states in total that have opted out of CRNA supervision.

Mounting tensions

Billings Anesthesiology, a medical group that primarily provides anesthesia services to Billings Clinic, briefly considered adding CRNAs to its workforce to ease staffing shortages, said Dr. Brian Harrington, anesthesiologist with the practice. But the idea was eventually abandoned.

Billings Anesthesiology renewed its contract with Billings Clinic in November. But, before the contract could be settled, some anesthesiologist left to work at other hospitals. The remaining doctors were offered positions and wages comparable to traveling anesthesiologists, said Harrington, an agreement he believes isn't sustainable.

While there are many working models to consider when integrating CRNAs, Harrington said the group practice was only willing to introduce a model in which CRNAs work under the supervision of a physician.

Though the supervisory model isnt ideal for CRNAs, who prefer to work independently, Carter said the nurses she works with would be happy to discuss any model if it meant greater work opportunities in urban areas.

Were prepared to face workforce shortages and were ready to meet those challenges, Carter said. But theres not enough opportunity in Montana.

Inquiries about job availability come across Carters desk on a weekly basis from hopeful CRNAs seeking to return to their hometowns or others who are looking to relocate.

But even this proposal stirs tension among MDs who prefer to work their own cases from start to finish and show little interest in supervising.

In fact, Harrington said that adding the provision to the job description for physician anesthesiologists negatively impacted recruitment efforts.

Our patients are very sickwed rather back up someone who is highly trained, Harrington said.

Education

Most CRNAs hold a doctorate, said Joseph Rodriguez, spokesperson for American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA). But at the start of 2022, the accrediting organization for CRNA education made this the minimal degree requirements for certification.

In addition to getting a four-year bachelor's of science degree in nursing and passing the licensure exam, nurses need one to three years in critical care experience before enrolling in a graduate nurse anesthesia program.

Education for CRNAs spans about eight to 10 years, slightly shorter than the approximately 13 years of education to become a physician anesthesiologist.

While there are a number of different models to consider when incorporating nurses to the workforce, CRNAs prefer, like physicians, to work on their own cases.

Its called a collaborative or efficiency model in which nurse anesthetists work mostly independently and consult with physicians on difficult or complex cases.

We can work in a team, autonomously or collaborate, but (in a collaborative model) we can work to our full scope, Carter said, adding that their goal is to help meet the anesthesia workforce needs in the main hospitals systems of Montana's urban cities.

But again, physicians are conscious of the potential rifts that could arise due to differing schools of thought. While nurses are trained with a more holistic approach to healing and patient care, MDs offer a diagnostic and analytical perspective, said Clark.

Historically, nurses have been helpers, but advocates for CRNAs say it is inaccurate to assume that nurses cannot accurately apply science, said Rodriguez with the AANA.

It is immoral to hold professionals back from providing excellent patient care. Theres more than enough to go around, Rodriguez said.

Billing double

In their pitch for employment, Rodriguez added that CRNAs are reimbursed at a similar rate to physicians, yet the overall cost of employing a CRNA is much less than it is for a physician.

In supervisory roles, physicians are allowed to bill twice, meaning a physician fee of $1,000 would become $2,000 with a CRNA.

But Harrington said that in the modeling with Billings Anesthesiology, each physician anesthesiologist would have to supervise three nurse anesthetists in order to make money, although this estimation makes a number of assumptions from the type of case to the payer mix to the volume of patients.

We want to spend our time with patients, not supervising. And patients want (physician) anesthesiologists involved in their care, Harrington said.

CRNAs tout equally positive outcomes to MDs with no increase to malpractice claims as the profession has evolved

Were in crisis across the board. Theres not a lot of room to breathe, Rodriguez said, adding that to hospitals that are disinterested in using CRNAs you have to ask are you doing enough to invest in the problems now? If not, then youre failing as a leader, Rodriguez said.
A sentencing hearing in a Lake County domestic violence homicide from last spring was postponed.

Tyler L. Uhrich, 20, pleaded guilty to one felony charge of deliberate homicide on Oct. 20, 2022, court filings show.

Sentencing was initially set for Dec. 22, but that date was vacated. Uhrich faces a maximum possible penalty of life imprisonment. A plea agreement filed in the case recommends Uhrich be sentenced to 80 years at the Montana State Prison, with none of that time suspended.

A new scheduling order from Judge John W. Larson hasnt been filed in Lake County District Court yet, Chief Deputy Attorney Brendan McQuillan said on Wednesday.

Last May, Lake County officials reported the body of Rozlyn Bluemel, 22, was found in Hell Roaring Canyon.

Flathead County deputies responded to a domestic violence call on May 10. Witnesses said Uhrich was looking for Bluemel in the Hell Roaring Canyon area.

He eventually found her, and the two headed up a road toward Uhrich's car, according to charging documents. A witness then heard gunshots and went to see what was happening and found Bluemel lying on her back on the ground while Uhrich stood over her.

When the witness approached the scene, Bluemel escaped and ran into the woods. Uhrich followed her, and a short time later he returned without Bluemel.

When 911 initially responded, they couldnt find either Uhrich or Bluemel. However, they did find Uhrichs car, which was still running with its headlights on. They also found a 2-year-old child, shared between Uhrich and Bluemel, who was cold and crying, charging documents stated.

Bluemel was found dead in a heavily wooded area near the initial incident the following afternoon, on May 11. It appeared she was shot in the back of the head, according to charging documents. Law enforcement found a bullet buried in dirt close to her body.

Officials found and arrested Uhrich two days later near Pablo.

Uhrich is being represented by Suzanne Malloy.

According to court filings, the sentencing date was postponed because several witnesses are expected to testify and the court intends to set a new date when more time is available for the hearing.

Uhrich was also charged with one count of felony criminal endangerment in the same case, but the plea agreement calls for the dismissal of that charge at Uhrichs sentencing.
The second of two East Helena brothers who participated in the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection in Washington, D.C., was sentenced Friday to 46 months in prison, 3 years of supervised release and $2,000 in restitution, federal officials said.

Jerod Wade Hughes recently stated in court documents he was duped into believing the 2020 presidential election was stolen and was responding to the clarion call of a charlatan when he respond to then-President Donald Trumps pleas to save the country that day.

The sentencing came on the two-year anniversary of the attack on the Capitol.

Authorities had asked for Jerod Hughes, 39, to be sentenced to 51 months of incarceration plus three years of supervised release, and to be ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution and a mandatory $100 special assessment.

His brother Joshua Hughes was sentenced Nov. 22 to 38 months of incarceration, three years of supervised release and $2,000 in restitution. The court recommended he be directed to a Bureau of Prisons facility in Sheridan, Oregon and begin his sentence Jan. 2.

District of Columbia District Judge Timothy J. Kelly presided in both cases.

"I felt the judge fairly considered what should be considered," Jerod Hughes' attorney, Jonathan Zucker, said Friday. "I would have preferred a short sentence."

But he said he felt Jerod Hughes' sentence was on the short end of the spectrum and said the judge was "conscientious."

Zucker said he did not think the fact the sentencing occurred on the two-year anniversary of the breach had any impact on the punishment given.

"I dont think it affected it, not whatsoever," he said.

In a defendants sentencing memo filed Dec. 30, Zucker asked the court to impose the shortest sentence the court believes justice would permit for Jerod Hughes.

Defendant sincerely regrets his involvement in the instant case and is embarrassed that he allowed himself to be so gullible, Zucker, wrote.

The 12-page memo states that Jerod Hughes was responding to the entreaties of the Commander in Chief to save the country.

It is only in retrospect he has learned that he was responding to the clarion call of a charlatan, it says. Defendants intentions were noble in that he was responding to a call to sacrifice and civic duty as a citizen. It is only in hindsight that he recognizes that he was a misguided, naive dupe.

The brothers pleaded guilty Aug. 25 to an obstruction of an official proceeding charge. At one time they faced nine felony counts each.

Federal authorities said recently that more than 950 defendants have been arrested in nearly all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

On Jan. 6, 2021, the brothers were part of a mob of Trumps supporters who broke into the Capitol to contest the Electoral College vote being certified that would name Democrat Joe Biden as president instead of Trump. An attorney for the brothers has said they are not members of the Proud Boys.

The U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia has said the brothers placed themselves at the tip of the spear that day and were among the first 10 rioters to enter the Capitol building, actively engaged in the destruction of government property, harassed and interfered with Capitol police and obstructed a joint session of Congress.

According to a six-page Statement of Offense signed Aug. 14 by Joshua Hughes and Aug. 17 by Jerod Hughes, the brothers acknowledge prosecutors could prove the allegations against them beyond a reasonable doubt.

Officials say in the August detailed statement the brothers drove from Montana to Washington, D.C. to attend the Jan. 6, 2021 Stop the Steal rally.

After the rally, the brothers joined a group of rioters on the northern set of stairs and were part of the crowd that pushed past law enforcement officers at the top of the staircase, forcing the officers to retreat, the document states.

Federal authorities said in the Nov. 15 memorandums that the brothers advanced through a violent crowd on the west front and climbed scaffolding on the northwest steps to pass the crowd and advance even farther.

The brothers entered the U.S. Capitol building about 2:13 p.m. through a window next to the Senate Wing door that had been shattered open by other rioters wielding weapons and a plastic riot shield.

Jerod Hughes kicked open the Senate Wing Door to let hundreds of rioters inside.

The brothers then, according to the memorandum, roamed the hallways and menaced police and chased Eugene Goodman, a Capitol police officer. Authorities said Jerod Hughes then screamed threats to police guarding the Senate chamber.

Authorities said he then went into the Senate chamber and reviewed sensitive documents left behind by Senators forced to flee.

The brothers turned themselves in to authorities after they returned to Montana and initially were incarcerated in early 2021. They pleaded not guilty and were released from custody pending trial, on their own recognizance.

Including the two Hughes brothers, there have been six Montanans arrested in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021 riot upon the Capitol.
Under Montana law, only civilian coroners can investigate when someone dies in police custody. But, most coroners in the state are also elected officials and peace officers  a sheriff/coroner combination.

A bill introduced into the Montana Legislature on Friday would change that, allowing coroners who are also peace officers to determine the cause of death in cases in which inmates die while in custody or being taken into custody of a different agency from that peace officer.

Brian Thompson from the Montana Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association testified in support of Senate Bill 68 in a committee hearing Friday, saying it would address a statewide coroner shortage. Thompson says there are only 15 civilian coroners in the state and most of them are in rural communities. The bill is sponsored by Sen. Barry Usher, a Republican from Yellowstone County.

What we're asking to do is, for this bill to be passed with the amendments that are gonna be brought, to make it a little bit more flexible so that we can have coroner coverage when it's needed, Thompson said.

Maggie Bornstein with the American Civil Liberties Union of Montana opposed the bill, saying that having the inquest done by coroners who work outside the justice system creates transparency when someone dies in custody.

That is a devastating reality for a family. And we feel that the allowance further of peace officers to move forward with carrying out the inquest process is not fair to families, Bornstein said.

During debate of the bill, Sen. Andrea Olsen, D-Missoula, asked Jim Anderson, the Public Safety Chief of the Department of Corrections, if this bill would create an appearance of conflict of interest.

They're all under the same umbrella. They're all elected officials and, and under the county jurisdiction. So even elected, civilian corners are under the county government and elected by the individuals. Same with the sheriff's officers being appointed as corners. Theyre elected individuals, Anderson said.

The committee did not take immediate action on the bill.

Elinor Smith is a reporter with the UM Legislative News Service, a partnership of the University of Montana School of Journalism, the Montana Broadcasters Association, the Montana Newspaper Association and the Greater Montana Foundation.
Citing increased housing costs, legislators would see a sizeable increase in per diem pay under a bill that advanced Friday.

House Pro Tempore Rhonda Knudsen, a Republican from Culbertson, is carrying House Bill 28. The bill came out of Legislative Council, an interim committee that works on bills and procedures related to the function of the Legislature.

Under state law, legislators earn a daily salary of about $104 per day. In addition, they receive a per diem payment specified for lodging and meals. The per diem amount is currently determined via an analysis of rates in neighboring states versus a flat increase of 5%, whichever is less. Under this system, per diem is a little over $132 per day.

HB 28 eliminates the neighboring state analysis in favor of mirroring the federal reimbursement rate for its employees. That would set the daily rate at $171  and increase of $39 per day or nearly 30%.

With most legislators renting housing during the session, the bills aims to close the gap on skyrocketing rental prices in Helena.

We were made aware that many of the legislators coming into the 2023 session were experiencing difficulty in obtaining housing, Knudsen told the House State Administration Committee on Friday. While housing was available, the cost of that housing had increased substantially, but per diem had not.

The rate of $132 per day will not support a lawmaker paying for both a rental in Helena and a home and other expenses back home, she said.

Rep. Llew Jones, who chairs the House Appropriations Committee, testified in support of the bill and echoed similar feedback from legislators. Funding for the per diem increase has been included the Feed Bill which finances operation of the session, he said.

For people I think it is probably the right thing to do or were going to make it so that primarily only wealthy people or retired people will choose to serve in the Legislature, he said. We are impacting the face of who comes here.

Jerry Howe, director of Legislative Services, said in an email that his office keeps a list of landlords who are interested in renting to lawmakers during the session. Landlords contact the division directly and the list, which includes rates and amenities, is provided to legislators, he said.

Howes office does not keep records of historic rental prices or how many properties are available year-to-year, he said.

Sen. Pat Flowers, D-Belgrade, the Senate minority leader, said shortly before the session that as far as he knew, most senators had found housing, but there were a few still firming up their plans.

Its always sort of a scramble, he said, that about this time of the year more rentals start percolating into the system to meet the Legislatures needs. Flowers said he was fortunate in that he was able to rent the same place where he stayed last session at the same price.

Flowers said he favored an increase in the per diem rate as proposed in HB 28, saying the current rate is inadequate to cover expenses.

I think its warranted and its been at the same level for quite a while, Flowers said, adding the cost of food alone has increased in the past year.

The committee quickly took action on the bill, advancing it unanimously to the House floor.
With little pomp or circumstance, the Montana Legislature on Friday officially received the new House and Senate maps being proposed by the states redistricting commission. The handoff opens a politically charged 30-day window for lawmakers to offer their feedback.

The bodys recommendations are due back to the Districting and Apportionment Commission at the end of that period, although the independent redistricting commission isnt bound to accept any of those changes. The clock started ticking at 11 a.m., when Legislative Services Division Director Jerry Howe dropped the House and Senate maps off with the top lawmakers in each chamber. The final maps will go into effect for the 2024 elections.

Redistricting occurs once every decade in order to account for population shifts reflected in the latest census. But this year, it also coincides with Republican lawmakers holding a supermajority in both the House and Senate for the first time in the states recent history  giving the party the votes needed to unilaterally send constitutional amendments to the voters for approval. If early bill requests are any indication, the Montana Constitutions provision creating an independent redistricting commission rests squarely in the GOPs sights.

In an interview this week, Maylinn Smith, the commission's chair, said she looks forward to hearing the Legislatures feedback, but noted that given the bipartisan, consensus-building work of the commission over the past six months, she hopes those recommendations will be bipartisan as well.

The reality is that bipartisan recommendations are going to carry more weight, at least with me, than what I view as partisan posturing-types of statements, she said.

Smith is the nonpartisan member of the five-member commission, which also includes two Democrats and two Republicans appointed by each party. She added that she expects tweaks that have ripple effects on fewer districts will also be more palatable than wholesale changes to a map thats been publicly worked on for nearly six months.

Im not saying that if they have some really good reason for it, and can demonstrate how to make that change without having to throw away the entire map, Im not saying its not a possibility, she said.

No hearings have been scheduled yet for the proposed map, Senate Republican spokesman Kyle Schmauch said Friday. But GOP leadership plans to hold joint hearings with members of the House and Senate state administration committees during the next 30 days. The plan, Schmauch said, is to pull together those recommendations into a joint resolution that will be sponsored by Senate President Jason Ellsworth, R-Hamilton.

A number of Republican lawmakers have already made no secret of their frustration with the process, which some see as having benefited Democrats in the latest legislative maps. The commission is made up of four partisan members  two from each party  and the nonpartisan chair.

After the two sides deadlocked on a pair of proposed legislative maps, Smith sided with the Democrats on a major vote process this fall. Aside from several tweaks advocated for by Republicans since then, that Democrats map has largely survived the process.

Rep. Jed Hinkle, R-Belgrade, is among a half-dozen Republican lawmakers who have requested bill drafts that aim to change the constitutional provision establishing the redistricting commission. Those constitutional referendums first need to secure a two-thirds vote of the entire Legislature, or 100 votes, and then win approval by a majority of the states voters. Republicans control 102 seats across both chambers.

They create these long, snake-y districts that are obviously gerrymandered, because they wind through the valley in strange ways and take in precincts that benefit one particular party, Hinkle said, referring to the Democrats.

Last year, however, it was Republicans who won over Smith with their proposed map. That process, to draw congressional districts after Montana gained a second House seat for the first time in 30 years, resulted in a western congressional district that substantially favors GOP candidates, and an eastern district that tilts Republican by around 20 percentage points. Democrats had wanted a more competitive western district.

The makeup of the commission has in past years been targeted by Republican lawmakers. The state Constitution tasks the four partisans with finding consensus on a fifth member. But when they deadlock, the constitution punts the decision to the state Supreme Court.

For Republicans who have long suggested that the states high court is dominated by liberal-leaning justices, thats a recipe for a process that will tilt toward the Democrats.

If anyone is coherent at all, they understand that the Supreme Court is pretty much a liberal Democratic operation, so they always appoint a Democrat, Sen. Steve Hinebauch, a Wibaux Republican, said in a recent interview.

Many political observers and those in the judiciary  including the justices themselves  dispute that. A Republican-dominated committee set up last session to probe the states high court recently walked back accusations that the chief justice lied to lawmakers, after they called them libelous.

But Hinebauch is one of a half-dozen GOP lawmakers who have initiated legislation that would ask voters to change the constitutions language on the redistricting committee. While none of those drafts have been publicly released, he said he would like to remove the Supreme Court from the process of picking the fifth member.

He suggested instead giving that power to the governor, or a panel of legislators. Both of those branches are currently controlled by Republicans. But Hinebauch argued those elected officials more closely represent the will of the people than a group of appointed judges.

All I want to do is make it so the people can run it, and reflect the peoples ideas, he said.

Minority Leader Kim Abbott, D-Helena, said that Democrats feel the current constitutional language establishes the best possible way to make an inherently political process fair to both sides, and to the voters. And she noted that other states have increasingly moved toward independent redistricting panels.

The process is hard, and its meant to be hard, Abbott said. Its meant to force compromise, and it did that.

Another GOP proposal, sponsored by Sen. Keith Regier of Kalispell, would require the Legislatures approval to finalize a new legislative map. In a recent interview, Regier said his referendum would be a one-word change to the language governing the Legislatures nonbinding recommendations on the map. He sees the commissions fifth member wielding too much power in the process. The most contentious issues are often decided by the nonpartisan chairs tie-breaking vote.

I dont really feel that the framers of the constitution wanted it to where it would come down to one person controlling the whole redistricting that way, Regier said.

But during the 1972 Constitutional Convention that wrote Montanas current constitution, many delegates expressed dissatisfaction with the redistricting process at the time, which gave the job to the Legislature. Arlyne Reichert, one of the delegates who was on the committee that debated the redistricting process, said she feels like giving the Legislature final say over the map will simply revert to the mess that it was before.

The whole session after the Census would be fighting, Reichert said in an interview. Its pretty hard for legislators to be picking their own districts  Some just wanted to protect their own territory, there was squabbling and the people were saying, You arent getting any work done.

Regier doesnt see it that way.

I think it would mean theyd have to get together with the commission and hammer out the differences and make it work, he said. I dont think that would be too difficult to do.

When the constitution was being debated half a century ago, there were a minority of delegates who wanted the Legislature to retain a substantial role in the process. But making the commission fully independent from the Legislature, Reichert said, was the only way to ensure the districting process would be fair and not dominated by party politics.

Its about getting the best possible representation for our state, she said.

In an interview last month, Smith, the current redistricting chair, said been cognizant of the calls from the right to change the commissions structure or the way it operates. But the law school professor defended the constitutions provision establishing the commission as a model approach to navigating a politically fraught process.

I never want to do this again, but Im a huge fan of this process, Smith said. I think it really is the only way you can get independence in the process to create fair maps for everybody, that recognizes those minority voices, that recognizes those communities of interest, that isnt just done for political gain.
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President Joe Biden and his administration unveiled Thursday a series of new enforcement measures meant to curb the flow of migrants attempting to reach the U.S.-Mexico border, and in preparation for the end of Title 42, a public health rule that has allowed U.S. border officials to turn away thousands of migrants at the border.

The new measures announced Thursday expand the use of Title 42 while it remains in place, allowing the U.S. government to immediately expel migrants from Cuba, Haiti and Nicaragua back to Mexico.

At the same time, the U.S. will establish a parole program for migrants from these countries that will allow some to enter the U.S. legally. The parole program is modeled after an earlier version targeting Venezuelan migrants.

"Currently, these four countries account for most of the people traveling into Mexico to start a new life by getting to the American border and trying to cross. But instead of a safe and orderly process at the border, we have a patchwork system that simply doesn't work as it should," Biden said Thursday at the White House.

President Joe Biden speaks about border security in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) ORG XMIT: DCPS101

The U.S. Supreme Court put the repeal of Title 42 on hold, pending arguments to determine the legality of the rule in place since March 2020. It has been used to expel more than 2.4 million migrants at the southern U.S. border. When it started, only migrants from Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Mexico were eligible for expulsion.

Migrants from other countries who are not eligible for Title 42 enforcement are processed under Title 8 of the U.S. Code, which means they have to be taken into custody and processed. They are put into deportation proceedings or released into the country under parole.

With the use of Title 42 expanding to migrants from additional countries, that makes them ineligible to claim asylum at the border, unless they go through the new parole program. There will be 30,000 slots each month for migrants from Venezuela, Cuba, Haiti and Nicaragua to apply for parole. If approved, they will receive a two-year permit that lets them work in the country, but are required to have someone in the U.S. sponsor them.

Story continues

Russell Pearce:Former AZ senator who sponsored Arizona's controversial SB 1070, dies at 75

The White House said that, effectively immediately, individuals apprehended crossing the border illegally and who are not eligible for Title 42 can be placed in expedited removal proceedings and given a five-year ban to reenter the country.

Mexico has agreed to take each month 30,000 expelled migrants from those four countries.

The impact along the Arizona border could be significant, especially in Yuma County. Up until now, nearly 95% of migrants crossing through southwestern Arizona had been ineligible to be expelled under Title 42, according to government figures, so border agents were required to take them into custody.

Migrants from the four countries singled out under the new measures last year accounted for nearly a third of encounters in Yuma County. Now, they can be immediately expelled. That could relieve some of the capacity constraints that had forced border agents to increase the number of migrants they released to the care of nonprofits in the county.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security will oversee the new enforcement measures at the U.S.-Mexico border, which include expanding the use of the Customs and Border Protection One phone application to schedule appointments at legal ports of entry.

While Title 42 is in place, the phone app will be used to petition for humanitarian exemptions to Title 42, according to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. But once that policy goes away, the app will continue to be used to schedule appointments so that asylum seekers can present their claims at ports of entry and be inspected and processed.

"The app is designed to discourage individuals from congregating near the border and creating unsafe conditions," Mayorkas said Thursday during a news conference.

Gov. Katie Hobbs' inauguration:In her speech to thousands at Capitol, Hobbs seeks 'to move past division and partisanship'

Migrants will be able to schedule appointments at eight border crossings along the southern U.S. border; five in Texas, two in California, and the DeConcini border crossing in downtown Nogales.

Mayorkas said his department is working in conjunction with the Department of Justice to reissue a transit ban that would make someone ineligible for asylum in the U.S. if they did not seek protection "in a country through which they traveled on their way to the United States."

Ariel Ruiz, a policy analyst at the Migration Policy Institute said the announcement to expand Title 42 is aimed at stemming a recent surge of migrants from those countries, while allowing those already at the border a chance to enter the U.S.

After the U.S. began expelling migrants from Venezuela under Title 42 in October, the number of migrants arriving at the southern border from that country plummeted, Ruiz noted.

"So that is what the administration is hoping for, for Nicaraguans, Cubans and Haitians" to stop coming, Ruiz said.

The announcement comes as the Biden administration is under political pressure from Republicans to keep Title 42 in place to prevent the border crisis from worsening and under pressure from critics who want the policy ended because it prevents migrants fleeing danger from legally seeking asylum protections in the U.S.

Mark Morgan, the former commissioner for CBP under Donald Trump, criticized the announcement, saying Biden had been responsible for dismantling tools and policies that Trump had put in place to manage flows along the southern border.

His continued attempts to deflect responsibility for the disastrous and deadly crisis are just as dishonest as the nonsensical solutions he put forward in this speech today," he said. "Rather than be honest with the American people and set forth a strategy to reverse course to defend our nations borders, he doubled-down on his failed open-border policies."

Migrant advocacy organizations sharply criticized Biden for expanding the use of Title 42 and restricting access to asylum.

Mary Miller Flowers, the senior policy analyst at the Young Center for Immigrant Childrens Rights, which helps migrant children in Arizona and around the country, called Thursday's announcement discriminatory.

"Let me be clear: seeking safety is a right for everyone, regardless of race, ethnicity, country, or language," she said in a written statement. "The right to asylum should not hinge on your manner of flight from danger or your financial means. Yet, for far too long, seeking safety is treated as a privilege for a select few, and the Biden administrations cherry-picking of who can and cannot access protection proves this."

Joanna Williams, the executive director for the Nogales-based humanitarian aid group Kino Border Initiative, said the new border measures are in direct opposition to the country's obligations.

Opinion:Keeping Title 42 is wrong. It won't solve the border crisis

The whole concept of asylum is based on protecting the most vulnerable of our communities and it's difficult for these particular programs to really reach those most vulnerable, she said.

You're automatically preferring the people that already have more access to power and to resources rather than the most vulnerable, Williams added. You're prioritizing and giving preference to people who have higher levels of education, people who have the ability to navigate complicated government forms.

Even members of his own party joined in criticizing Biden's announcement. Sens. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., Alex Padilla, D-Calif., and Cory Booker, D-N.J., issued a joint statement expressing their disappointment at the expansion of Title 42 and plans to revive a transit ban.

Two Arizona Democrats partly praised Biden, but not about the specifics of Thursday's announcements.

Rep. Greg Stanton focused instead on Biden's planned visit to El Paso on Sunday, his first visit to the U.S.-Mexico border as president.

"Im glad the President will be visiting Texas this weekend to see for himself what Ive seen and heard  and communicated to his Administration: that border communities, humanitarian organizations, and law enforcement desperately need more support from and better coordination with the federal government," he said. "As I told Secretary Mayorkas last year, it seemed they had not yet received the message."

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Rep. Raul Grijalva criticized Republicans, accusing them of politicizing the situation at the border while neglecting the needs of border communities such as the ones he represents in Nogales and Yuma.

For too long, Republicans have refused to meet at the negotiating table on legislation that will modernize our immigration system and give non-governmental organizations and government agencies the tools and resources they need to process migrants and operate effectively in this humanitarian crisis, he added.

Tucson Mayor Regina Romero said the Biden administration had taken "necessary" steps to address the humanitarian situation in southern Arizona and along the southern U.S. border after years of inaction in Congress to reform the country's immigration system. Her city plays a key role in the humanitarian response by nonprofits to assist migrants released under parole into the U.S.

"The City of Tucson as well as our partners on the ground need additional resources to ensure a humane, dignified process," she said. "Federal support is necessary for cities like Tucson and non-profit partners who are on the ground doing the work of supporting asylum seekers. Congress must act now and provide comprehensive, humane immigration reform.

Republic reporters Daniel Gonzalez and Jose Ignacio Castaneda contributed to this story.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Title 42 expansion: Biden unveils new immigration policy, asylum rules
By Trend

Uzbekistan and Qatar discussed prospects of Uzbek-Qatari cooperation in the fields such as trade, investments, transport and communication, cultural and humanitarian, Trend reports citing Uzbek Foreign Ministry.

The issues were discussed between Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Bakhtiyor Saidov, and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Qatar to Uzbekistan Hassan Hamza Hashim.

The sides talked over the schedules and agenda of upcoming joint events at the highest levels.

Furthermore, the parties expressed readiness to coincide efforts to advance the peace process in Afghanistan and restore its socio-economic infrastructure.
Former Chelsea star Gianluca Vialli is battling pancreatic cancer (Mike Egerton/PA) (PA Archive)

Concerns are growing for the health of Gianluca Vialli after members of his family travelled to visit him in a London hospital, according to Italian media reports.

The former Chelsea player and manager is battling pancreatic cancer after being re-diagnosed with the disease in 2021.

The 58-year-old stepped down from his coaching role with the Italy squad last week and his 87-year-old mother Maria Teresa and his brother Nino travelled to be with him over the weekend before returning to Italy on Monday, Corriere della Sera reported.

Vialli was first diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2017 but after being treated at the Royal Marsden Hospital he announced in April 2020 that he had been given the all-clear.

He went on to play a key role in Italys Euro 2020 success in England under head coach Roberto Mancini.

The former Sampdoria and Juventus star made 88 appearances for Chelsea before going on to manage the club between 1998 and 2000.
Jan. 7MACON  A northeast Georgia resident charged with threatening to bomb the Athens-Clarke County Democratic Committee Campaign headquarters in Athens last month and lying to federal investigators was remanded from state to federal custody at her recent initial appearance.

Jessica Diane Higginbotham, aka Jessica Harriod, 35, of Elberton, had her initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Court Judge Charles Weigle at the U.S. Courthouse in Macon; the government's motion to detain Higginbotham was granted by the Court. Higginbotham is charged with one count of communicating a bomb threat and one count of making false statements. If convicted of communicating a bomb threat, Higginbotham faces a maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. If convicted of making false statements, she faces a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.

The indictment alleges that Higginbotham made a threat to bomb the Athens-Clarke County Democratic Committee Campaign building in Athens on Dec. 3, 2022, and lied to federal agents on Dec. 4, 2022, about her knowledge of a specific email address and the use of the TextNow communication application on her Samsung cellphone, both of which belong to her.

The case was investigated by the FBI, the U.S. Capitol Police, the Athens-Clarke County Police Department and the Elbert County Sheriff's Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Will R. Keyes is prosecuting the case.
Nobody was shot or injured in an alleged December road rage incident in Butte but a man has been in jail since it happened and faces up to 40 years in prison if convicted of felony charges against him.

Police arrested 21-year-old Jason Baily Gargus of Butte on felony complaints after the incident on Dec. 13 and prosecutors have since filed formal charges and provided more details on what they say happened.

Gargus pleaded not guilty Thursday to two counts of assault with a weapon and one misdemeanor count of reckless driving. The latter only carries a $100 fine but the assault charges are each punishable by up to 20 years in prison and fines up to $50,000.

According to prosecutors, Gargus was driving a minivan on Front Street around 9:50 a.m. on Dec. 13 when a vehicle in the left lane moved into the right lane and cut the minivan off.

The driver of the first vehicle said he was going slow because of ice and snow and the minivan was riding his ass. He thought he had enough room when moving into the right lane but acknowledged he cut it very close. His wife was in the passenger seat.

The minivan sped around him and Gargus slammed on his brakes, prosecutors said, causing the other driver to slam on his brakes to avoid a collision. Gargus then stuck a black handgun out the window and pointed it at the driver and his wife in the other vehicle.

That driver immediately pulled into the parking lot of a local drugstore to get away from the individual with the gun and called police, prosecutors said in charging documents.

Another motorist saw what happened and also called police, saying a man in a minivan pointed a gun out of his window at another vehicle.

Police soon pulled the minivan over and though Gargus acknowledged he had been involved in a road rage incident, he denied pointing a gun at anyone.

But one of three passengers in the minivan said Gargus became upset and began waving a gun outside his window, and police retrieved a .40-caliber handgun from under the drivers seat.

Gargus has been in jail since and remained there Friday with bond set at $100,000. District Judge Kurt Krueger accepted his not guilty pleas Thursday and set the next hearing for Feb. 3.
Butte police reports

Woman behaving badly

Late Thursday morning, officers responded to the 200 block of Hobson where Brandy Ault Johnson, 51, of Butte had allegedly assaulted a 23-year-old man, who had visible scratches on his face.

When officers entered the home, Johnson, with hammer in hand, was already inside a bathroom. It is alleged she used the hammer to smash the toilet and when told to come out, she reportedly complied but then ran toward an officer with the hammer.

The woman was tased and then taken to St. James Healthcare to be checked out. While there, she reportedly bit the thumb of another officer.

Once medically cleared, Johnson was taken to the jail where she was booked on several offenses, including the felony offenses of assaulting a peace officer, three felony assaults with a weapon, two misdemeanor offenses of assaulting a peace officer, misdemeanor partner or family member assault, and misdemeanor criminal contempt.

Jail booking

Ryan William Pohia, 42, of Butte was booked into the jail at 4 a.m. Friday for misdemeanor partner or family member assault,

A woman living in the 1900 block of Aberdeen Street reported that Pohia had grabbed her and threw her to the ground.

Not getting out

During a routine traffic stop at 2:30 a.m. Friday near Aluminum and Idaho streets, an officer learned that Douglas William Smith, 38, of Butte was driving with a suspended or revoked drivers license. Smith then refused to get out of the vehicle. He was also jailed for the misdemeanor offenses of obstructing a peace officer, no vehicle registration, and no liability insurance in effect.

Meanwhile, his passenger, Angela Marie Kidder, 44, of Butte had felony and misdemeanor warrants out for her arrest out of the counties of Anaconda-Deer Lodge and Lewis and Clark. She was also jailed for felony possession of dangerous drugs (a hydrocodone pill).

Simple assault

Two homeless men, Thomas Andrew OKeefe, 26, and Dylan Matthew OKeefe, 22, were at the Days Inn, 2700 Harrison Ave., and got into an altercation with another man as the man was walking upstairs at the inn.

The two men were booked into the jail just after midnight Friday for misdemeanor simple assault.

Off to jail

Late Thursday night, an officer out on patrol saw three men going through the BSW dumpster at 845 S. Wyoming St.

One of the dumpster divers was Dominic James Hostetler, 44, of Butte, who had four felony warrants out for his arrest from Flathead and Sanders counties. He also had a local warrant out for possession of drug paraphernalia and was taken to jail.

Bond set

Butte police assisted Adult Parole & Probation in the early Thursday night arrest of Matthew Clayton Lamb, 37, of Butte, in the 600 block of South Idaho Street.

Lamb was booked into the jail on felony warrants out of Butte Justice Court for possession of dangerous drugs, possession with intent to sell, and parole violation. Bond has been set at $100,000.

Aggravated DUI

A woman living in the 400 block of Curtis Street reported her parked car had been hit. The alleged driver was Adrian Scott Paulsen, 21, of Butte.

Paulsen was booked into the jail around 1 a.m. Friday for misdemeanor aggravated driving under the influence and for the hit and run of an unattended vehicle. At the jail, he took a Breathalyzer and blew twice over the legal limit.

Out for a walk

At around 2 a.m. Thursday, Sunshine Marie Cameron, 41, of Butte and an unidentified man were walking down Silver Bow Boulevard with a flashlight.

When an officer stopped the two, the officer learned that Cameron had two misdemeanor warrants out for her arrest. While being booked, a small baggie of methamphetamine, along with two syringes, was found in her possession, so she was also jailed for felony possession of dangerous drugs and the misdemeanor offense of possession of drug paraphernalia.

Physical fight

Early Wednesday afternoon, a woman reported that she and Christian Blake Manchaca, 21, of Butte got into a physical fight in the 200 block of Hobson. At some point, it is alleged Manchaca pointed a pistol at her.

He was later found in the 700 block of Galena Street and arrested for felony assault with a weapon.
The city of Napas Planning Commission on Thursday took its first crack at reviewing the citys new draft housing element, which became available for public review late last month.

The draft plan identifies Napas housing needs and challenges over the next eight years, along with strategies to meet those needs. After further rounds of review from the planning commission and Napa City Council, the element is set to be passed by the council in April. Community members can review the draft element, and submit comments on it through the end of January, at napahousingelement.com.

The Thursday meeting consisted of a short presentation by city senior planner Michael Walker to explain everything that goes into the housing element document, followed by roughly an hour of questioning from the commissioners.

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Along with routine questions about definitions of various terms used in the document, some of the questions connected to perhaps the most notable difference of this housing element from past ones  that its required to identify the citys capacity for 2,669 new housing units by 2031, a significant increase from the 835 units required in the 2015-2023 cycle, and past cycles.

What we're demonstrating through this housing element is that we have adequate land available to accommodate those units plus some more, Walker said at the meeting.

In part, the increased allocation  which cities across California are generally facing  is a recognition of, and attempt to remedy, Californias housing crisis. The state assigns housing to regions, and then regional authorities  such as the Association of Bay Area Governments  divide those allocations among counties and cities in whats known as the Regional Housing Needs Allocation.

Community development director Vin Smith noted at the meeting that likely more than 75% of Californias cities and counties are projecting a 40% to 75% increase to projected unit counts compared to the current housing element.

If we met this RHNA number in this eight-year period, it would be the largest amount of growth the city's ever experienced in the history of the city, Smith said.

Walker said that cities dont actually build those housing units, developers do. But Smith noted that cities do play a major part in approving or denying development.

Walker said the city could face certain penalties  which the state has increasingly moved toward adding  if it doesnt meet that 2,669-unit allocation. (The housing element projects the city has capacity to meet that allocation, and already has 1,963 units in the planning pipeline.)

I think it's important to understand that the city of Napa doesn't build houses, Smith said. But the city of Napa can deny housing projects. And so the types of sanctions that Mike just described, are typically avenues taken by the state for those communities that are getting in the way of housing production.

Commissioner Paul Kelley said that given the high number of potential housing units identified in the plan, adding some language regarding quality of life  or design guidelines  to the plan could be helpful. He noted that improving quality of life in building housing doesnt necessarily have to be expensive.

We can go and build as many units as we want, the problem really then becomes quality of life, Kelley said. I think there needs to be  we need to look at quality of life at every single price point, you know, like the skylight in the bath. So somewhere in there, there could be some sort of policy statement about that.

Commission chair Gordon Huether said he agreed with Kelley about the need for quality of life in housing development, and cited Sacramento-area suburbs as a reason why.

I'm sure all of you have flown out of the Sacramento airport, Huether said. And there's so much (development); they're like mushrooms growing everywhere.

Photos: Scenes from around Napa Valley as storms continue to batter the area Storm Coverage 2 Storm Coverage 1 Storm Coverage 3 Storm Coverage 4 Storm Coverage 5 Storm Coverage 6 Storm Coverage 7 Storm Coverage 8 Storm Coverage 11 Storm Coverage 10 Storm 1 Storm 2 Storm 4 Storm 3 Storm 5 Storm 6 Napa Storm 1 Napa Storm 2 Napa Storm 3 Napa Storm 4 Napa Storm 5 Napa Storm 6 Napa Storm 9 Storm Storm Kennedy Park encampment Storm Storm Storm Storm Storm Storm Storm Storm Storm Storm Storm Storm Storm Storm Storm Storm Storm Storm Storm
The Napa Valley Register community calendar includes events submitted by our readers. To list your event in the community calendar, fill out the online form at napavalleyregister.com/forms/nvrcalendar. For more details, email Online editor Samie Hartley at shartley@napanews.com.

Thursday, Jan. 12

Sarah Collins Rudolph at PUC

10 a.m. Sarah Collins Rudolph, a Birmingham church bombing survivor, speaks at Pacific Union College Seventh-day Adventist Church, 10 Angwin Ave., Angwin. Free admission.

Wellness Class

Noon-4 p.m. Nutritionist Mary Sheila Gonnella hosts New Year, New-trition, New You at Dr. Wilkinson's Backyard Resort & Mineral Springs, 1507 Lincoln Ave., in Calistoga. This three-part series allows participants to discover principles and guidelines for eating healthy. Free admission. Info, DrWilkinsonsPR@glodownead.com.

Saturday, Jan. 14

Cezanne - Portraits of a Life

4 p.m. Jarvis Conservatory, 1711 Main St., Napa shows the documentary Cezanne - Portraits of a Life  a film about a man dubbed the father of us all by Matisse and Picasso. Tickets are $15. Info, 707-255-5445.

Sunday, Jan. 15

MLK Celebration

4 p.m. Congregation Beth Shalom, 1455 Elm St., Napa, hosts the 2023 MLK Celebration of Compassion and Action Commemoration, a public interfaith commemoration to renew Dr. Martin Luther King's "Dream" in Napa Valley. The event features community speakers and local musicians.

Monday, Jan. 16

Day of Service

9 a.m.-3 p.m. Napa Valley Center for Spiritual Living, 1249 Coombs St., Napa, serves as the hub for the 2023 MLK Celebration of Compassion and Action Day of Service. To find various service projects in Napa Valley, visit volunteernow.org.

Thursday, Jan. 19

Chinese in Napa Valley

7 p.m. John McCormick discusses his new book, Chinese in Napa Valley: The Forgotten Community that Built Napa Valley at Native Sons Hall, 937 Coombs St., Napa. Tickets are $10-$20. Info, 707-224-1739; info@napahistory.org.

Saturday, Jan. 21

Family Fun Day

1-3 p.m. Napa Valley Museum, 55 Presidents Circle, Yountville, hosts an Old West-inspired family event. Explore the museum, finish a scavenger hunt and win a prize, learn to use a lasso, and throw some horseshoes. Info, napavalleymuseum.org.

'My Sailor, My Love'

4 and 7 p.m. Jarvis Conservatory, 1711 Main St., Napa, screens the Finland film "My Sailor, My Love." The film is about a retired sea captain and his daughter who must reassess their strained relationship after he begins a new romance with a widowed housekeeper. Tickets are $15. Info, 707-255-5445.

Saturday, Jan. 28

'La Boheme'

7 p.m. Jarvis Conservatory, 1711 Main St., Napa, screens Opera Australia's production of the opera "La Boheme." Tickets are $20. Info, 707-255-5445.

Saturday, Feb. 4

Authors Forum

2 p.m. Authors Vanessa Hua and Margo Candela present their latest novels, "Forbidden City" and "The Neapolitan Sisters" at the Napa AAUW Authors Forum held at the Napa Valley College Performing Arts Center, 2277 Napa Vallejo Highway, Napa. Tickets are $40.

Crab Feed Fundraiser

5-10 p.m. Napa Valley Horsemen's Association hosts its annual crab feed fundraiser at 1200 Foster Road, Napa. Tickets are $85, and include dinner and live music by Salty Dawg. Info, napahorsemen.org.

A Cappella Extravaganza

7 p.m. Uptown Theater, 1350 Third St., Napa, hosts the 17th annual A Cappella Extravaganza, featuring high school and collegiate a cappella groups, and headliners m-pact. Tickets are $30. Info, napachoir.org.
As the Bay Area weathers a series of punishing storms, local officials are grappling with a familiar dilemma during both floods and fires: what to do when people refuse to flee for their own safety.

From San Jose, where homeless residents have been ordered to move from rapidly rising creeks and rivers, to Sonoma County, where the Russian River is poised to overflow this weekend, public safety crews are trying to straddle the line between keeping residents safe and respecting their right to make their own decisions. Its a delicate dance and one that can quickly turn scary.

Firefighters rescued a man from the raging Los Gatos Creek in San Jose on Wednesday night after flooding near South Bascom Avenue and the Southwest Expressway forced him to climb a tree. Many others are ignoring evacuation orders, and shelters remain largely empty, despite another round of storms coming this weekend.

Despite the risk, moving people out of harms way by force is a last resort. People are entitled to their own choices, and we respect their individual rights and civil liberties, Carolina Camarena, spokesperson for the city managers office, said in an email.

Farther north, Sonoma County is expecting similar issues as the Russian River is forecasted to overflow its banks starting Sunday evening. More than 13,000 residents in low-lying areas between Healdsburg and Jenner were under an evacuation warning Thursday, which may move to a mandatory order instructing people to leave immediately as flooding becomes imminent. But as happens when fast-moving forest fires threaten those and other communities, there are sure to be people who wont leave.

Were not going to force them. Were not going to drag them out of their houses, said Sgt. Juan Valencia, public information officer for the Sonoma County Sheriffs Office. But if theres an order, we do recommend people leave, because if they stay, whats going to happen is theyre going to end up becoming a rescue.

Deputies and other first responders who go door to door telling residents to evacuate cant waste time getting into a tussle with anyone who disregards the order, Valencia said. Instead, they record the location of the house and the number of people refusing to leave  in case it becomes the scene of a crisis later.

One upside, Valencia said, is that unlike an unpredictable forest fire that might force people to flee at a moments notice, floods usually offer more time to prepare.

While the threat along the Russian River has diminished, minor to moderate flooding appears to be in store, and the county remains concerned, said Sonoma County spokesperson Paul Gullixson.

And even though rain totals Wednesday night were lower than anticipated, it doesnt mean the region can let its guard down, said Dial Hoang, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service of the Bay Area. Additional storm systems are expected to hit the region Friday night and Monday.

Because all these storms are coming in one storm after another, we havent had time for the soil to really dry out, Hoang said. Even a lower amount of precipitation could cause landslides in hilly areas, a lot of flooding for rivers, creeks and streams. And with any winds, it is generally easier for trees and other debris to fall on roadways, homes or waterways.

As a result, those who did evacuate from beside San Joses creeks and rivers are being asked not to return to their campsites for the time being, and outreach teams are continuing to warn people of the dangers. But some people declined to leave, either because they were afraid to abandon their belongings, didnt feel comfortable in a shelter or thought the dangers were overblown.

One 50-year-old man, living in a make-shift shack of concrete and wooden pallets just 10 feet from the edge of Coyote Creek, dismissed the evacuation order Wednesday. Theyre making a big deal out of nothing, the man said, declining to give his name.

If it gets bad enough, hed go to a friends house but not an emergency shelter, he said  he chafes under the rules of such a structured environment.

And hes not the only one. Though the Red Cross opened a new emergency shelter with 150 beds at Seven Trees Community Center in San Jose, only 19 people showed up Wednesday night. In San Francisco, just over half of the 250 available shelter beds were occupied.

In Oakland, outreach workers were going to encampments and trying to convince people to take the more than 50 empty beds at the St. Vincent de Paul shelter in West Oakland, but only one person agreed, said Executive Director Blase Bova.

Pastor Ralph Olmos, president and CEO of San Jose nonprofit Lighthouse Food Rescue and Distribution, didnt get many takers when he was driving around trying to shuttle people from riverbanks to an emergency shelter Wednesday afternoon. But as the rain picked up, he started getting calls. By that point, it was too late  his shuttle bus couldnt make it over the sodden mud paths.

I think last night was kind of a big wakeup call for everybody, he said on Thursday. I think theyre starting to realize they cant be by the water. The water was rising too fast.
EU monitoring mission in Armenia not present in the area when Azerbaijan attacked

Armenia National Security Service Border Guard Troops commander dismissed

Armenia MOD: Tegh village incident that led to undesirable consequences was due to deployment adjustment

Mayor of Frances Lyon expresses unconditional support to people of Karabakh

Pashinyan: Armenian side had recognized Nagorno-Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan

Criminal proceedings launched into Armenia soldiers being killed, wounded by Azerbaijan near Tegh village

Chairman-in-Office: OSCE supports continuation of Armenia-Azerbaijan direct contacts

MFA: Russia asked Armenia to explain information about participating in joint military exercises with NATO

Zakharova does not disclose details of Russian, Turkish FMs talks on Armenia-Turkey relations

Russia MFA spox: CSTO mission deployment details can be talked about when Armenia is ready

Zakharova: Russia favors complete unblocking of Lachin corridor

Russia MFA: Other players engagement will lead to Armenia-Azerbaijan relations destabilization

EU calls on Armenia and Azerbaijan to intensify border delimitation talks, until then to respect 1991 line

Russia MFA spox: Yerevan, Baku accepted proposal to hold another bilateral talks

Pallone: This is another senseless provocation from Azerbaijani forces against Armenia

Zakharova: Russia Border Guard Service, army took measures to de-escalate situation near Armenias Tegh village

Armenia deputy defense minister on possible Azerbaijan provocations again: Nothing can be ruled out

Armenia MP: Azerbaijanis demanded not to do engineering work, our soldiers responded, battle started from that

Marukyan: This is continuation of attacks carried out against Armenia in May and November 2021, in September 2022

About 100 killed in airstrikes in rural Myanmar

Criminal proceedings to be launched against Armenia opposition MP Mher Sahakyan

Armenia MP: Army corps commander was there, talks were to be held but Azerbaijan resorted to provocation

Mher Grigoryan, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State discuss security issues in Armenia, region

Parliament observes minute of silence in memory of Armenia soldiers who died yesterday

Newspaper: How Europe reacts to yesterday's provocation by Azerbaijanis?

Anahit Manasyan is elected Armenia ombudsperson

Armenia MOD: No significant ceasefire violations by Azerbaijan recorded at night

MOD: 3 of wounded Armenia soldiers in satisfactory condition, other 3 in moderate, severe, critical condition

RA MOD announces names of soldiers killed by Azerbaijani Armed Forces

As of 10:15 p.m., the situation on the frontline is relatively stable. RA Ministry of Defense

The destruction of Artsakh and Syunik is a key issue for Turkey and Azerbaijan. David Babayan

Suren Papikyan interrupts his working visit and returns to Armenia

Azerbaijans provocation is another encroachment on the territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia. MFA

Azerbaijan MOD publicizes data on own losses during latest Baku provocation

Russia MOD: 2 ceasefire violations recorded in Karabakh

The reason for Azerbaijan's aggression is not being sanctioned by the international community. Edmon Marukyan

Four Armenian soldiers killed, six wounded because of Azerbaijani provocation. MOD

Video shows how Azerbaijani soldiers approach and open fire at Armenian soldiers

Armenia National Assembly cancels special session

Legislature deputy speaker on Azerbaijani infiltration into Armenia: Not case where accountability is implied

Azerbaijanis opened fire in direction of Sotk

Armenia MOD: Azerbaijan army continues provocation, uses mortars

Azerbaijani shooting resumes in direction of Armenias Tegh village

Haykakan Zhamanak: Armenia Special Army Corps commander wounded in skirmish

MOD: Armenian side has casualties and wounded, according to preliminary data

Shots fired at Tegh village area, Armenia has casualty

Armenia parliament vice-speaker: Turkey border shall be open for 3rd countries citizens at summers beginning

Armenia lawmaker: Azerbaijan has violated mutual understanding on Karabakh issue

Sargis Khandanyan: Armenia does not play football on CSTO issue

Armenia Prosecutor General submits petition to parliament for consent to prosecute opposition MP

Ruling force MP: Before sending mission, CSTO must record Armenia territorys occupation

Photo traps of Armenias Khosrov Forest State Reserve capture grizzly bear again

Peskov calls information about Egypt president's covert shipment of rockets to Russia sensational lie

The Washington Post: Egypt planned to secretly send up to 40,000 rockets to Russia, leaked US document says

Earthquake hits Iran-Turkey border zone, also felt in Armenia

Sharm El Sheikh-Yerevan flight that landed in Turkey arrives in Armenia capital

Bortnikov: Terrorists want to destabilize the situation in Caucasus

15 more people from Karabakh transferred to Armenia medical centers, 10 patients return

Russia airspace to be closed for flights to Europe until 2029, Eurocontrol announces

Armenia defense minister visits NATO Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (PHOTOS)

North Korea leader announces strengthening of war deterrence forces

AraratBank provides support to 100 children from underprivileged families

Foreign Affairs: External threat may force Iran to enter into open conflict on Armenias side

Foreigners make about 400 real estate sales transactions in Armenia in February

Russia emergency service: UAV falls in Belgorod city airport territory on Monday

Armenia becomes donor to International Development Association of World Bank

Bitcoin rises nearly 7% to $30,200

Sharm El Sheikh-Yerevan flight lands in Turkey

Karabakh authorities send proposal to hold meeting to Azerbaijani side

shamshyan.com: Man, 57, found dead at downtown Yerevan churchyard

Yerevan city council supposed to elect new mayor today but majority faction not attending session

Armenia legislature kicks off regular 4-day session

Newspaper: Armenia, Azerbaijan see further negotiations on Washington platform

Next-generation Countryman crossovers first photos surface

Scientific miracle: Atoms first photo is 5 years old

shamshyan.com: Man who returned from Moscow dies suddenly at Yerevan international airport

Woman who threw umbrella at Armenia PM is released from custody

Turkey FM: We coordinate every step with Armenia with Azerbaijan

Woman detained after throwing umbrella at PM Pashinyan in Armenia village

Tokayev: Kazakhstan supports Azerbaijan-Armenia relations normalization process

Aliyev: Work on peace treaty with Armenia not going very smoothly

Turkey FM: It would have been difficult for Azerbaijan to take Karabakh if we had not manufactured UAVs

Yerevan subway resumes normal operations

Shamkhani: Any geographical change in South Caucasus will play into hands of enemies of regional security, stability

Politico: EU mission in Armenia may cast shadow over Azerbaijan-EU natural gas deal

Technical breakdown at Yerevan subway

Philippines, US to hold largest joint military exercise in their history

Azerbaijan arrests 4 more people suspected of collaboration with Iranian special services

CNN: US wiretaps Zelenskyy telephone conversations

MTS Armenia company to not be sold

Sputnik Armenia: CSTO mission ready to arrive in Armenia, Russian ambassador says

Aurora Humanitarian Initiative Selection Committee honorary co-chair Benjamin Ferencz passes

Mayor of Frances Lyon pays tribute to Armenian Genocide victims, Karabakh wars martyrs

US Navy destroyer illegally enters South China Sea, Beijing says

Azerbaijanis found in Armenia rural community, they knock on house door

MOD: Azerbaijan soldier found, detained in Armenia

Armenia MFA: Azerbaijan goal is to subject Karabakh to ethnic cleansing even 35 years after Maragha crime

EU mission presence in Armenia near Azerbaijan border worries Baku

2 Azerbaijan servicemen go missing

Russia interior ministry notes countries whose citizenship is most often obtained by Russians, Armenia among them


62-year-old Chinta Devi belongs to the socially backward Dalit Manjhi caste and is the first ever Scheduled Caste (SC) person to become the deputy mayor of Gaya town.

Sami Ahmad | TwoCircles.net

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PATNA (BIHAR)  Only two years ago, Chinta Devi was sweeping floors in Gaya Municipal Corporation (GMC). Today, she is the Deputy Mayor of the body.

A former sanitation worker, 62-year-old Chinta Devi belongs to the socially backward Dalit Manjhi caste and is the first ever Scheduled Caste (SC) person to become the deputy mayor of Gaya town. She worked as a sanitation worker at Gaya Municipal Corporation (GMC) for 40 years before retiring in 2020.

In the recent municipals elections, whose results were announced on December 30, she won by getting 50417 votes beating Divya Anand by a big margin of 15663 votes. Her victory is significant as she also beat Sunaina Devi, the daughter of former chief minister Jitan Ram Manhi, who was a contender for the post.

The post was reserved for SC female candidate this year.

Chinta Devi told TwoCircles.net that she had never imagined that she would be an office bearer in Gaya Municipal Corporation (GMC).

People have given me so much respect that is beyond my expectation. I thank them all and hope to fulfil the promise of a clean city, said Chinta.

A single mother, she lives with her five children in Madanpur mohalla of Gaya town. Her late husband Ramji Manjhi was a construction worker.

Her story is one of struggle and inspiration as she fought poverty single-handedly as both her parents died when she was still a child.

Chinta found work as a sanitation worker after her aunt Jamuni Devi (her mothers younger sister) passed away. Jamuni Devi, a sanitation worker, had raised her and her siblings after both her parents died.

It was very tough as I lost my husband also. When he was alive, I used to work alongside him after getting my morning work finished at the Corporation. I had to earn for my sisters and children, she said.

Her two sons Bhola Manjhi and Bablu Manjhi work as sanitation workers and the youngest drives an e-rickshaw to make a living.

Even after her retirement in 2020, she had to work to support her family. I started selling vegetables at Kedarnath market. It was the other vegetable vendors there who suggested that I should fight this election. I had no idea about it and the biggest challenge was the money required for it, said Chinta.

Finally, with encouragement from her friends, she decided to fight the election and managed to meet the election campaign expenses through crowd-funding.

Chinta thanks leaders like Mohan Srivastava, former Deputy Mayor, and other leaders of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Janta Dal (United) and Congress for making her the Mahagathbandan (Grand Alliance) candidate. She said these joint efforts enabled her to beat her nearest rival Divya Anand who had the support of the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP).

In a town where a BJP MLA Prem Kumar has won the last seven elections, her victory is seen as significant for Mahagathbandan.

Support from Muslim community

Her victory in the deputy mayor elections was enabled by wide-ranging support not only from the people of her community but from Muslims as well. After her win, she was facilitated by the community. The community leaders hoped that the election of Chinta Devi will be beneficial for the work in minority-dominated wards which has been ignored in the past.

Chinta Devi is fondly referred to as Comrade Chinta, Advocate Masud Manzar of the Communist Party of India (CPI) told TwoCirlcles.net.

Chinta is a socially well-informed person. She was attached to the Local Bodies Employees Federation till her retirement. Her win with such a huge margin has sent a positive message that a person with a very humble background can also win if projected properly, Masud said.

Former GMC Commissioner Vijay Kumar also expressed his happiness over Chintas elevation to the deputy mayor post. She used to work as a sanitation staff during my tenure. She was also active in any agitation for workers rights. I hope she would do much better than the earlier office bearers as she knows the corporations work very well, Kumar said.

Chinta Devi said that she has an advantage as being a former worker at the corporation enables her to be well aware of the problems of the staff. I will raise my voice for them, she said, adding, For example, I am still waiting for my post-retirement emoluments. There are many like me.

Her other main concern will be to work for improving the water supply in Gaya town, besides ensuring people get their ration and voter cards on time.

Kam nahin karenge to agli baar vote kaun dega (If I dont work, who will vote for me next time?), she noted.

Sami Ahmad is a journalist based in Patna, Bihar. He tweets at @samipkb
AFF Cup 2022: Vietnam, Indonesia play to goalless draw

Vietnam were held to a goalless draw against Indonesia in a tight match in the first leg of AFF Cup 2022s semi-finals in Senayan city, Indonesia on January 6.









In the match (Photo: VNA)

Statistics showed that in the first half, Vietnam possessed the ball up to 67% but only made two shots, including one on target.



After the first half ended in a stalemate, there were not many changes in the second half.



The tightness was maintained until the end of the stoppage time.



Following the draw, opportunities for both teams to enter the final remain.



They will go head to head again in the second leg in My Dinh stadium, Hanoi on January 9./.
Turkey, Russia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are redoubling efforts to rehabilitate Syrias President Bashar al-Assad, and shape the decade-long war in his country to the detriment of US-backed forces, Bloomberg reported, citing its sources.

Turkey, which backed the 2011 rebellion against Assad, is now prepared to publicly recognize his rule over Syria and work to rebuild diplomatic, security and trade ties, people briefed on the Turkish position said.

In return, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wants Assad to rule out allowing the U.S.-backed Kurdish YPG (Peoples Protection Units) to form an autonomous area in northern parts of the country that they currently control, as part of any future peace agreement, the people said.

Erdogan floated the idea of meeting with Assad as recently as Thursday after high-level meetings between Syrian and Turkish officials last week in Moscow.

We will come together as leaders according to the developments, Erdogan said in reference to a future meeting with Assad and Putin.

The shift is backed by Assads major military ally Russia and the UAE, which has sought to improve Assads standing in the Middle East to help balance Iranian influence in Syria.

Turkey and Syria mending ties will be a success for Russia, said Elena Suponina, a Middle East expert based in Moscow.

In particular, Ankaras new partnership with Damascus will strengthen the Kremlins role in the Middle East and put pressure on Washington pull out its remaining foothold in Syria. The U.S. needs to understand that its presence there is unnecessary and unjustified, Suponina said.

Whereas several years ago countries in the region would have looked on such a rapprochement negatively, they are now supportive and that is an important shift, she said.

Today countries in the region are increasingly acting independently of the U.S.

Russian President Vladimir Putin had originally proposed Turkey repair ties with Assad last year during a meeting with Erdogan in Sochi. Now Erdogan has warmed to such a deal as he heads into elections this summer, the people said, as he seeks to use foreign policy to bolster his popularity at home. For Russia, such a deal will help it show it can successfully challenge U.S. influence in Syria.

We will not normalize and we do not support other countries normalizing relations with the Assad regime, U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said on Thursday when asked about a potential Erdogan-Assad meeting.

Erdogan has asked Russia to ensure the safety of Syrian refugees who could return home as fighting eases, the people said. He wants to ease the political and economic cost of hosting the worlds largest refugee population, or some 3.5 million people according to U.N. estimates.

A political deal with Assad could help Erdogan claim a victory against the YPG without risking a military operation and greater U.S. ire, the people said, adding that Russian and Turkish troops are expected to start joint patrols along border areas with northern Syria soon. Syria could also start coordinated patrols in the future there.

The YPG and allied fighters in northern areas of Syria bordering Turkey are supported by the United States and estimated to control roughly a third of Syrias territory. Ankara views the YPG as a threat due to its ties to an outlawed Kurdish group which has sought self-rule in Turkey for decades. The Syrian government also opposes any form of eventual Kurdish autonomy in Syria.

The foreign ministers of Turkey, Russia, and Syria are expected to meet this month to discuss the decade-long conflict and how to align their interests, people familiar with the preparations said.

As part of a flurry of diplomatic activity around Syria, the UAEs foreign minister met Assad in Damascus on Wednesday and reiterated support for a political solution to the conflict.

The wealthy Gulf state has moved closer to Assad, with the Syrian president visiting the country last year, his first trip to an Arab state since the start of the war. It was one of the strongest signs that Gulf leaders who initially supported a rebellion against him are ready to welcome Damascus back into the Arab fold.
Iranian Minister of Petroleum Javad Owji said a number of unfinished petroleum projects worth $8 billion in total are scheduled to come on stream by the end of the current Iranian calendar year to March 23, Shana reported.

In a live televised interview on Friday, Owji added that the projects are aimed at addressing such priorities as enhancing oil and natural gas production, boosting natural gas refining capacity, natural gas transmission pipelines, petrochemical compounds, and gathering associated petroleum gases.

One of the projects is Phase 11 of the massive South Pars natural gas field development. Once operational, the project will add 14 million cubic meters of natural gas to the natural gas production capacity of Iran.

The Minister of Petroleum added that for these plans, the capacity of investment participation of domestic and foreign sectors have been tapped.






Some Members of the European Parliament (MEP) believe Brussels is not doing enough over the humanitarian concerns in Nagorno-Karabakh, POLITICO reported.

Nathalie Loiseau, a French MEP and chair of the European Parliaments Subcommittee on Security and Defense, told POLITICO that the current Azerbaijani blockade of Karabakh is illegal, cruel and contradictory with Bakus claims that the territory belongs to Azerbaijan.

Now a humanitarian disaster is nearing, what do Russian peacekeepers in the Lachin corridor [linking Karabakh to Armenia] do? Nothing, Loiseau said. The international community must realize that Russia has not been a peace-maker but has prolonged the conflict in South Caucasus and is not a reliable actor anymore.

She also pointed out that the EU is a major buyer of energy coming from Azerbaijan.

It makes our voice important. We mustnt shy away from defending universal values. If we dont do it, who will act? Loiseau said.

Marketa Gregorova, an MEP from the Greens/EFA grouping and a member of both the parliamentary delegation to Armenia and the EU-Azerbaijan Cooperation Council, went further, telling POLITICO: We could play a bigger role when we are helping negotiate.

Given we have a lot of economic and other relations with both countries, there are ways in which we can persuade thembut we arent using these.

She added that there is a common understanding in the European Parliament that more needs to be done.

But were a little bit dependent on what the Commission and Council decide to do, Gregorova added.

According to her, an agreement signed between Brussels and Baku last summer to step up the import of natural gas in an effort to replace sanctioned Russian supplies has undermined the EUs ability to apply pressure.

Given the memorandum of understanding on gas from Azerbaijan, its clear that has an impact, and the reaction has been much weaker and slower, the MEP said.
Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) Minister of State Ruben Vardanyan gave interviews to the international media, presenting the situation created by Azerbaijan's ongoing blockade of the Lachin corridor linking Artsakh to Armenia, the State Minister's office reports.

In an interview with Radio Sweden, Vardanyan was asked to comment on the environmental reasons brought forward by the Azerbaijani side for closing the corridor, and the violation of the November 9, 2020 trilateral statement. Vardanyan said that Azerbaijans arguments are untrustworthy for everyone because the whole world knows that nothing happens at the responsibility of environmentalists in an authoritarian country.

Can you remember how many environmental protests took place in Azerbaijan in the last 10 years, he asked. We do not have mechanisms in Artsakh to put pressure on a country that has signed a document confirming the right to free use of the corridor, and today it is violating it. We demand that the international community provide us with a humanitarian air corridor so that we can bring food and basic necessities. However, Azerbaijan does not allow this either. Therefore, we perceive this as a state policy, a state position that very clearly shows that they want to get us all out of here and carry out ethnic cleansing in order to get Artsakh without Armenians.

And in an interview to the Byline Times of the UK, Vardanyan presented the situation resulting from the aforesaid Azerbaijani blockade.

Twenty-four days we are into this blockade, he said. We get a little bit of food from the Red Cross and Russian peacekeepers. But in reality, we dont have basic foodstuffs. No fruit, no vegetables. We have a little grain and meat and some milk. Other things do not exist anymore. No cigarettes, he added

Vardanyan said he was among 5,000 natives of Artsakh who will be apart from their families this Christmas.

My wife and four kids planned our Christmas many months ago, he said.

Thanks to the Azerbaijan blockade they are stranded: For the first time in my life I am apart from my family at Christmas. Basically, we are hostages to Azerbaijan while we cant get access to the road, Vardanyan said.

Also, he called on the international community to impose sanctions if Azerbaijan persisted with the blockade.

Theres little chance of that. By a perverse irony, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has forced the west, driven by a desperate search from energy security, into the arms of Azerbaijan. European President Ursula Von Der Leyen made this explicit when she stated in July that Europe is turning to trustworthy energy suppliers. Azerbaijan is one of them, added the Byline Times.

By blocking the Lachin Corridor, [Azerbaijani President Ilham] Aliyev was signalling yet again that he is moving towards full control of an area which Armenians see as a part of their heritage, religion, culture and historic identity, it noted.
Policies in South Asian countries need to create congenial climate for attracting new private investment, with public sector taking the lead in areas that can create large positive externalities, such as infrastructure, education, and health, Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das said. Speaking on raising productivity during a conference held by the International Monetary Fund, Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das on Friday said while sustained and broad-based economic recovery remains the current policy focus, it is necessary to undertake deep structural reforms to raise the potential growth trajectories of the economies in the South Asian region. In this context, the Governor highlighted some specific areas of policy on priority. "First, undertaking desirable structural change would require an improvement in resource allocation - moving production from low productive sectors to high productive sectors and promotion of innovation," he said. Second, the Governor mentioned skill mismatches - a major constraint to resource reallocation - which would warrant policy focus on education and skill upgradation. He said this was particularly important to the South Asian region, as the favourable demography of the region would require that production processes must be labour-intensive while being globally competitive. "Third, while free trade and foreign direct investment (FDI) have been conventionally congenial for diffusion of technology and augmentation of productivity," the region's investment on research and development must also increase from the current low levels, and the policy environment for scientific research and startups must be made more rewarding. Fourth, he added that investment in physical infrastructure -- energy, transportation, and telecommunication -- which are prime drivers of productivity growth would have to be enhanced. The Governor also highlighted that infrastructure in the contemporary world of digital revolution would also include digital infrastructure -- data centres, cellular towers and fibre connectivity, with an emphasis on scalability and resilience. He said fintech, e-commerce, edtech, healthtech and foodtech were the new age growth propellers and these needed quality internet connectivity and reliable digital payments. (ANI)
The Jio 5G services were launched in the presence of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Saturday.

In the next couple of months, Jio 5G services will be available in Kota, Ajmer, and Bikaner as well, Jio said in a release, while every town, taluka, and tehsil across the state will have Jio 5G coverage by the end of 2023.

"Starting today, the technological advantages of high-speed, low-latency, stand-alone True 5G services shall be made available to the people and businesses of these cities, opening new growth opportunities in the areas of tourism, manufacturing, SMEs, e-governance, education, healthcare, agriculture, automation, artificial intelligence, gaming, and IT," Jio said.

The three cities of Jaipur, Jodhpur, and Udaipur follow the launch at the spiritual town of Nathdwara where Jio Chairman Akash Ambani launched Jio 5G services and WiFi services on the occasion of Diwali.

"I congratulate the people of Rajasthan, particularly in Jaipur, Jodhpur and Udaipur on the launch of 5G services. Jio has brought a quality improvement in e-services & 5G will bring a new revolution in the direction. The dream of good governance will also come true with 5G," said Gehlot, according to the Jio release.

Starting today, Jio users in Jaipur, Jodhpur, and Udaipur will be invited to the Jio Welcome Offer and experience Unlimited Data at up to 1 Gbps+ speeds, at no additional cost.

Notably, with these three cities, the total number of cities with Jio's 5G services goes up to 72.

On Friday, it announced the launch of its 5G services in four Indian cities -- Gwalior, Jabalpur, Ludhiana, and Siliguri. (ANI)
Data relating to important assets in health, education, culture, tourism, Gram panchayats, municipal corporation, and social welfare housing are being mapped and data validation is being done for optimum use of PM GatiShakti, Ministry of Commerce and Industry said. A review meeting was held regarding the onboarding of social sector ministries/departments chaired by the special secretary (Logistics), DPIIT at Vanijya Bhawan. The National Logistics Policy along with Gati Shakti's vision has improved the quality of planning of projects and infrastructure in the country, thus helping in cost optimization and also saving time. The 12 Ministries/Departments that have been onboarded and are now in advanced stages of data integration onto the National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP) platform which includes important layers such as schools, hospitals, and Anganwadi centres. Before Gati Shakti came into the picture, there was a lack of coordination between different various departments in delivering projects. The lack of coordination not only caused great inconvenience but was also a wasteful expenditure. The National Logistics Policy was launched on September 17. The need for a national logistics policy was felt since the logistics cost in India is high compared to other developed economies. PM Gati Shakti incorporates the infrastructure schemes of various Ministries and State Governments like Bharatmala, Sagarmala, inland waterways, dry/land ports, UDAN etc. Economic Zones like textile clusters, pharmaceutical clusters, defence corridors, electronic parks, industrial corridors, fishing clusters, agri zones will be covered to improve connectivity & make Indian businesses more competitive. It will also leverage technology extensively including spatial planning tools with ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) imagery developed by BiSAG-N (Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Applications and Geoinformatics). Traditionally, there was a lack of coordination between different Departments, for example, once a road was constructed, other agencies dug up the constructed road again for activities like laying of underground cables, gas pipelines etc. This not only caused great inconvenience but was also a wasteful expenditure. To address this, efforts were made to increase coordination so that all cables, pipelines etc. could be laid simultaneously. Steps have also been taken to address other issues like a time-taking approval process, the multiplicity of regulatory clearances etc. In the last few years, the Government has ensured unprecedented focus on infrastructure through a holistic outlook. This helps to address the past issues through institutionalizing holistic planning for stakeholders for major infrastructure projects. Instead of planning & designing separately in silos, the projects will be designed and executed with a common vision. (ANI)
Even though Hollywood actor Don Cheadle's James 'Rhodey' Rhodes aka the War Machine was not part of the original Avengers team, for 12 years and counting, he has been among the main recurring actors in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). According to Variety, an American media company, in a recent interview with GQ magazine, Cheadle revealed that Marvel gave him only two hours to decide if he wanted to join 'Iron Man 2' and sign a six-movie contract. The studio had passed over the role to him from Terrence Howard, who played the character in 2008's 'Iron Man', which in more ways than one had laid the foundation of the MCU as it is known today. "I was at my kid's laser tag birthday party... "They called me and said, 'This is what's happening and we're giving you the offer. If you don't say yes then we're going to the next person. This is going to happen very fast. Why don't you take an hour and decide if you want to do it.' It was a six-movie deal! In an hour I have to decide?" said Cheadle, reported Variety. When he asked Marvel about the additional five movies, they replied, "It's going to be these Avengers and this is what it is, so you have to say yes or no." The actor then inquired regarding the trajectory of his character, to which Marvel responded, "We don't know any of that but this is what it is so you've got an hour." After requesting the studio for 2 hours' time, Cheadle accepted the role, which threw him into the world of CGI and green-screen filmmaking. Now, after 12 years as an MCU supporting actor, Cheadle is gearing up to lead the upcoming 'Armor Wars' movie, as per Variety. (ANI)
Actress-turned-social activist Somy Ali who has often spoken about physical abuse by ex-boyfriend and actor Salman Khan has now broached the topic once again. The Pakistani-American actor took to Instagram to share a post, where she revealed that she "chose to have affairs" because of the "treatment" meted out to her by the 'Tere Naam' actor. https://www.instagram.com/p/CnChpQQL04t/ "I have no qualms in saying that given his (Salman's) treatment of me I chose to have affairs which essentially defined as a search for someone who would care for me and love me. Someone who would not insult me and would actually be nice to me. Unfortunately, I was unaware that these men were simply using me and I was building a future with each affair while I was simply being used," she wrote. "When Salman learned of these affairs he had the guts to after beating me saying that I am a man and only men can cheat not women. I was aghast at that statement and the sexism that reeked from it," Somy Ali added. In the post which had a vintage picture of the 'Yaar Gaddar' actor, featured a long caption alongside it which highlighted all that she had to endure during the 'eight years' she spent with him which she described were "the worst years of my entire existence." "In addition to tons of affairs and flings he would constantly belittle me by calling me ugly, stupid and dumb. Not a day went by that he wouldn't make me feel worthless and small," she wrote. "He would not acknowledge me as his girlfriend in public for years and when he finally did he would insult me in front of his friends and berate me nonstop," she added.In addition to the post, Somy also shared a video on Instagram where she alleged that the 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan' actor had banned her show 'Fight of Flight' on Discovery Plus. https://www.instagram.com/p/CnE0rD2I7tf/ "Mr. Khan has provoked me by banning my show on Discovery Plus, which was 'Fight of Flight' which enabled us to rescue victims from India. 82% victims we rescued were Indian women. 90% of our dons are Indian men and women," she said in the video. "Mr Salman Khan has hindered this process by approaching Discovery Plus and banning our show in India. This is why after 20 years it took me courage to speak up to save lives of Indian men, women, children and members of LGBTQ community. He took this away from us and that is why I spoke up," she added. The 46-year-old concluded the video by asking the 57-year-old actor to issue a 'public apology' for his alleged misdeeds. "What I want from Mr Salman Khan is to confess what he did to me and put me through verbal, sexual and physical abuse. And I want a public apology which a narcissistic individual would probably never do," she said. Somy was last seen on the silver screen in the 1997 film 'Chupp', after which she took to social activism for women's rights in South Asia. She established an NGO named 'No More Tears' in 2006. She was in a much-publicized relationship with the 'Maine Pyaar Kiya' actor in the 1990s. Salman, on the other hand, will be next seen in director Farhad Samji's upcoming family entertainer film 'Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan' alongside Pooja Hegde which is all set to hit the theatres on the occasion of Eid 2023. Apart from that, he also has an action thriller film 'Tiger 3' opposite Katrina Kaif which is all set to hit the theatres on the occasion of Diwali 2023. (ANI)
Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor extended warm birthday wishes to Marvel star Jeremy Renner, who turned a year older today. Taking to his Instagram stories, the 'Mr India' star shared an image with the 'Avengers: Endgame' actor. The duo are seen posing with kids in the picture. The duo had also posed for a solo picture. Sharing the pictures, he wrote, "Happy Birthday #jeremyrenner! Sending you all our best wishes for a full and swift recovery. We love you and can't wait to see you up and at it again!" Anil Kapoor had recently also posted pictures and wished for Jeremy's speedy recovery. "Praying for your speedy recovery Jeremy @jeremyrenner," the 'Slumdog Millionaire' actor wrote. According to Variety, a US-based news outlet, on January 1 while Renner was attempting to help remove a family member's car from being stuck in the snow, the actor's snow plow ended up running him over and critically injuring him. Renner suffered blunt chest damage and orthopaedic problems and underwent two procedures the next day. The snow plough used by the actor was a PistenBully or Sno-Cat, a massive piece of snow removal equipment weighing at least 14,330 pounds. In a January 2 statement to the press as quoted in a report by Variety, Renner's family said they "would like to express their gratitude to the incredible doctors and nurses looking after him, Truckee Meadows Fire and Rescue, Washoe County Sheriff, Reno City Mayor Hillary Schieve and the Carano and Murdock families." The family added they were "tremendously overwhelmed and appreciative of the outpouring of love and support from [Renner's] fans." Renner has received enormous support from his Avengers co-stars as a member of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, where he has played Hawkeye for over a decade. Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, the Russo Brothers, Chris Pratt, and others have all expressed their condolences to Renner on social media in the aftermath of his tragedy. As per a report by Deadline, a US-based news outlet, Renner, a two-time Oscar nominee, is the star of the returning Paramount+ series The Mayor of Kingstown and Marvel's Hawkeye series on Disney+ as well as the Avengers and Captain America films. Renner received a Best Actor Oscar nomination in 2010 for 'The Hurt Locker', and the following year, for The Town, he received a Supporting Actor nomination. The second season of 'Mayor of Kingstown' premieres on January 15 on Paramount+. Taylor Sheridan and Hugh Dillon are the creators of the show. Renner previously starred in Wind River - Sheridan's 2017 drama. (ANI)
The film's first song was releaed by four leading Sandalwood actors -- Rishab Shetty, Rakshith Shetty, Dhananjaya and Dhruva Sarja -- and predictably, it is trending on social media.

Produced by Varun Studios and Gulmohar Films, the movie has been in the news since the day it was launched for the unique campaigns the makers have rolled out.

The 'protest song' -- as the first number is billed -- is a peppy number that talks about the life of hostel students. Yograj Bhat has written the lyrics and Ajaneesh Loknath has scored music for this song.

The highlight of the song is that Rishab Shetty and the director, Pawan Kumar, will be seen in it.

Many theatre actors were cast for this film and therefore serves as a unique experiment. Puneeth Rajkumar, Sudeep, Ramya, Rakshith Shetty, and many other big stars have played cameo roles in 'Hostel Hudugaru Bekaagidaare'.

Impressed by the film's concept, Rakshith Shetty has joined hands with the team. The movie will be released some time in February. Arvind Kashyap is behind the cameras and Suresh worked at the editing table.

--IANS pvn/srb

( 218 Words)

2023-01-07-21:16:05 (IANS)
Prominent Chinese academics are facing a huge backlash online for their studies on how Marxism can help fight Covid-19, with critics accusing them of wasting time and money at a time when the country is battling a surge in infections, according to a media report. Analysts said these ideologically motivated projects and others dedicated to studying the Communist Party's achievements were unlikely to contribute anything meaningful to the public policy debate and were likely to increase public resentment, South China Morning Post reported. Ideological studies on topics such as the great anti-pandemic spirit' have triggered angry response from public facing a surge in infections and shortage of drugs, SCMP reported. One of the most-discussed projects, funded by the National Social Science Fund of China, focused on studying "the great spirit of fighting Covid-19". The project leader, Wang Guanzhong from the Marxism College at Capital Normal University, told a conference last month that this was in tune with the spirit of the Communist Party and a continuation of China's traditional culture in the new era. Other professors, mostly from colleges dedicated to studying Marxism, told the conference that Wang's project should also look at how the party led the fight against the pandemic, how different regions performed and compare the "great Chinese spirit" with that of foreign countries, SCMP reported. But when the college posted an article about the conference on the social media platform WeChat, it triggered a strong public outcry that prompted it to delete the article. Internet users, angry at the timing of the project, said it was a waste of funding. "While you were busy buying drugs, the experts are spending large sums studying how great the anti-pandemic spirit is," one comment read, SCMP reported. Since the abrupt U-turn last month that completely scrapped the zero-Covid policy, the public has faced a tsunami of cases, amid a shortage of drugs, hospital beds and lack of official guidance on how to fight Covid-19. The advice given by the authorities in the past few weeks had been confusing and contradictory. The lack of information about case numbers and low official death toll at a time when funeral parlours and crematoriums are overwhelmed have further fuelled public anger, SCMP reported. The backlash comes at a time when the number of institutes dedicated to ideological studies is growing rapidly. Alfred Wu, an associate professor with the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore, said such propaganda is not doing anything helpful in the fight against Covid. "People will not think [these projects] will actually produce anything meaningful because they are not a public policy project. They are not going to make any contribution to public policy," he said, SCMP reported. --IANS san/arm ( 476 Words) 2023-01-06-22:06:03 (IANS)
In a new study, US and Danish researchers report that patients hospitalised with Lyme disease had a 28 per cent higher rate of mental disorders and were twice as likely to have attempted suicide post-infection, compared to individuals without the diagnosis. The study, a collaboration of Columbia University and the Copenhagen Research Centre for Mental Health, is believed to be the first large, population-based study examining the relationship between Lyme disease and psychiatric outcomes. The research appears in the July 28 online edition of the American Journal of Psychiatry. "It is time to move beyond thinking of Lyme disease as a simple illness that only causes a rash," said Brian Fallon, MD, MPH, a psychiatrist with the New York State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University who is the lead author of the paper, adding, "In addition to the risk of severe cardiac, rheumatologic, and neurologic problems, Lyme disease can cause severe mental health problems as well." Dr. Fallon, one of the foremost researchers of the neuropsychiatric effects of Lyme disease, is director of the Lyme and Tick-borne Diseases Research Center at Columbia. The team of investigators on the study includes Michael Benros MD, PhD, principal investigator; Trine Madsen, PhD, co-first author; and Annette Erlangsen, PhD, all psychiatric epidemiologists at the Research Centre for Mental Health. To conduct their study, the researchers analyzed the medical record diagnoses of nearly 7 million people living in Denmark over a 22-year period, comparing the mental health data of individuals after a hospital-based diagnosis of Lyme disease to the rest of the Danish population who had never had a Lyme diagnosis recorded in the national medical register. Patients who had a history of mental disorder or suicidality prior to the Lyme disease diagnosis were excluded from the analysis. The analysis revealed that in addition to patients with Lyme disease being at greater risk of mental disorders and suicide attempts, they also had a 42 percent higher rate of affective disorders, such as depression and bipolar disorder, and a 75 percent higher rate of death by suicide than those without the diagnosis. Additionally, having more than one episode of Lyme disease was associated with a higher rate of mental disorders, affective disorders, and suicide attempts. Each year nearly half a million people in the United States are diagnosed and treated for Lyme disease, also known as Lyme borreliosis, caused by a bacterium carried by deer ticks and transmitted to humans through their bite. The majority of cases have been reported in the northeastern, mid-Atlantic, and north-central states, but the geographic range where ticks and tick-borne diseases are found continues to expand. Although most cases can be cured with a two- to four-week course of oral antibiotics, 10-20 percent of patients may suffer with symptoms of pain, fatigue, or difficulty thinking that last for months to years after treatment. Several studies have pointed to a connection between Lyme disease and cognitive disorders months to years after antibiotic therapy or in people with untreated infections. In severe cases, individuals with late-stage Lyme disease may experience impaired concentration, irritability, memory and sleep disorders, and painful nerve dysfunction. Dr. Michael Benros emphasizes that most people do not develop severe mental health issues after Lyme borreliosis. During the study period, only 7 percent of the nearly 13,000 individuals with a hospital diagnosis of Lyme disease followed up with hospital clinicians complaining of symptoms subsequently diagnosed as mental disorders. But findings of the study, the researchers said, are emblematic of a trend in Lyme disease cases that should not be overlooked. The Danish medical registry includes only psychiatric diagnosis made in a hospital setting -- not by clinicians in communities -- and it is likely that the number of individuals with new onset mental health problems following infection is much higher. "This nationwide study confirms the association between Lyme disease and psychiatric disorders," Dr. Benros said, adding, "Treating clinicians and patients should be aware of an increased risk of mental health problems, particularly during the first year after a severe Lyme disease infection, and if mental health issues arise, patients should seek treatment and guidance." (ANI)
According to a statement by the BSF, the troops noticed the movement of a civilian approaching from own side towards the border fence on January 5 late at night. Upon inquiring, he said that he was a Bangladeshi national.

The man was identified as Mahmud Alam Tulu, 62, hailing from Durgabordi, Madaripur, Bangladesh.

"He had come to India for further travelling to Pakistan through Attari - Wagha border. He was in possession of a Bangladesh passport with 6 months Visa to travel in India, but not having Visa to travel to Pakistan. He also revealed that he is married and his family resides in Pakistan," the statement.

"During questioning, it was revealed that he reached near border inadvertently. Nothing objectionable was recovered from him," it added.

The BSF handed over the apprehended Bangladesh national to the police for further action. (ANI)
BJP National General Secretary Tarun Chugh, who arrived in Jaipur on Friday to address the Janakrosh meeting, said that there will be no change in Rajasthan BJP and everyone will continue to do the same work in future as well. While talking to the media in the BJP office, Chugh described Satish Poonia's tenure as brilliant. At the same time, he termed the Rajasthan government a 'mafia government'. "Our party is cadre base where decisions are taken on the basis of internal democracy. In our party, any office-bearer is selected on the basis of election. At present, the party has not announced any kind of election anywhere. That's why the officer who is working here will continue to work in the same way," Chugh said. "Satish Poonia has done a wonderful job in Rajasthan. In future too, all the workers will continue to work unitedly under his leadership," he stated. While attacking Congress, Chugh said that the Congress came to power in Rajasthan in the name of stopping the mafia. "But in reality the mafia is running Ashok Gehlot's government. In the last four years, corruption, paper leaks and increasing crimes have troubled and harassed the people of the state. The government has failed on every front, he said. --IANS arc/uk/ ( 221 Words) 2023-01-06-20:40:06 (IANS)
Aaftab, who is accused of killing his live-in partner Shraddha Walkar and then chopping her body into several pieces and disposing them of in a forest area in Delhi's Mehrauli area, was produced before the Saket court virtually after his judicial custody ended on Friday.

However, the Metropolitan Magistrate, Aviral Shukla, extended his judicial custody for four more days and ordered to physically produce him in the court on January 10.

Aaftab's application moved through his advocate sought to release funds from his bank account citing that he didn't have enough warm clothes to counter the winter chill inside the prison.

The application further sought the release of his debit card/credit cards which are lying with the police, claiming that he needed funds to purchase the day-to-day items, as well as warm clothes.

On December 23, the court had extended Aaftab's judicial custody by 14 days. On December 22, he had withdrawn his bail plea, climing that he had applied for bail erroneously.

On December 17, he had claimed that he signed the 'vakalatnama', but did not know about filing a bail application.

--IANS ssh/arm

( 243 Words)

2023-01-06-20:46:03 (IANS)
The Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in Odisha on Friday urged the Central government to continue distribution of 5 kg rice per head under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) from current month. The BJD has raised this demand in the wake of the Centre launched distribution of free rice to all beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) for one year. Holding a press conference here, BJD MP Sasmit Patra said that 10 kg of rice per person per month was being provided to 3.25 crore people of Odisha (5 kg under NFSA and 5 kg under PMGKAY). However, the Centre has now stopped the PMGKAY. The Centre stopping 5kg free rice/person per month under PMGKAY will badly affect the poor and farmers. It will adversely affect individual households and families, he said. "After the Covid-19 pandemic and all savings exhausted, the poor needed the PMGKAY support for a much longer time. Its stopping will burden them and their families massively. Why is the Centre slashing the food security of the poor?" asked Patra. "Now, the farmers of Odisha face a grave challenge due to the Centre stopping the PMGKAY. No more additional procurement of rice, no more MSP to farmers," said the BJD leader. Further, he said, many eligible families of Odisha are deprived and should be included in the programme but the Centre has not considered them even after so many years. Patra emphasized that the BJD strongly condemns this anti-poor, anti-farmer and anti-family attitude of the BJP led Centre in depriving lakhs of families of Odisha and slashing their monthly rice allocation by half and demand that the PMGKAY should be continued in the interests of the individual families and their wellness. He demanded that PMGKAY should be immediately restarted from this month onwards as its stopping will adversely affect the food security of crores of poor people not only in Odisha but also across India, especially after Covid. The BJD will continue to strongly demand restarting of PMGKAY in Parliament as well as other forums till the Centre agrees to press the demand. Commenting on this, BJP spokesperson Golak Mohapatra said: "Finally the BJD has admitted that the Modi government is providing free rice to the poor people not the BJD government. Now, the state will not pay a single pie in distribution of rice to the poor." Notably, the BJD government had launched the Rs 2 per kg rice scheme under the Public Distribution System (PDS) ahead of the Assembly and general elections in 2009. The Naveen Patnaik government launched the one-rupee rice scheme in 2013. This scheme has been treated as a game changer scheme for the BJD government till now. Through this scheme, the BJD has reached to the heart of all poor people in Odisha. Now, both the parties have locked their horns over the scheme as it may have a strong impact in the upcoming elections. --IANS bbm/pgh ( 504 Words) 2023-01-06-23:24:02 (IANS)
Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), Narayan Rane, said on Friday that every citizen should think about how they can contribute to India's growth and help the country emerge as an example for the rest of the world. Rane was speaking at the 'Goa MSME Adhiveshan', which is a conference of the representatives of the MSME sector in Goa, intended to serve as a platform to network, ideate and share knowledge. Rane urged Goans to draw upon their strengths and work towards propelling the state's economy to greater heights. "Every citizen should think about how they can contribute to India's growth and help the country emerge as an example for the rest of the world," he said. Rane said that a permanent industry is an absolute necessity for a state to generate stable income, as he urged the Goa government to formulate concrete plans to ensure there is booming industrial activity in the coastal state. Noting that around 96 per cent of the industries in the state are in the micro category, Rane said that there is immense potential for growth in the sector. Rane also said that though Goa has high per capita income compared to other states, its citizens should be looking to match the levels attained by the developed nations. --IANS sbk/arm ( 230 Words) 2023-01-06-23:28:02 (IANS)
Officials said that the accused drug peddlers were caught from the Ambernath area on the basis of a tip-off received through sources.

"A total of 90 kg of Ganja was recovered from them. The estimated worth of seized ganja in the international market is around Rs 17 lakhs," they said.

A case has been registered under the NDPS Act against all three accused and a probe into the same is underway, they added. (ANI)
Airport authorities in an advisory to the passengers on Saturday said that several procedures have been undertaken at the airport to counter the menace of low visibility at the airport.

They said that all flight operations are presently normal.

However, the Airport has also requested the passengers to contact the concerned airline for the latest information about the flight, authorities said.

Several flights were delayed on Friday due to fog and low visibility conditions. (ANI)
They were arrested with the help of Delhi Police for running an unlicensed business of meat packaging and processing, informed police officials on saturday.

Meerut Police had announced a reward for their arrest.

Further details are awaited. (ANI)
Delhi Commission for Women chief Swati Maliwal issued a summon to the Municipal Coorporation of Delhi (MCD) to rehab an octogenarian woman who takes care of dogs after they razed her jhuggi, shop and makeshift shelter for the canines. The MCD in a reply to the notice issued by Swati Maliwal on the demolition of the shelter said, "they were directed to 'beautify areas in light of G20'". "Had issued notice to MCD on the demolition of the shelter of 80 yr old lady who took care of street dogs. In reply, MCD said they were directed to "beautify areas in light of G20" Still a lot of time in G20, why render her homeless in the cold wave? Issuing summons to them for her rehab!," Tweeted Swati Maliwal. Earlier on Jan 5, After the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) razed the shanty of an octogenarian woman, who takes care of around 300 stray dogs, the Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued a stay order till the completion of the hearing in the matter. Pratima Devi (80), a dog lover has been taking care of stray dogs in a dilapidated shanty in Delhi's Saket area for several years. Pratima Devi on Monday alleged that MCD workers razed her jhuggi, shop, and a makeshift shelter for the canines. "MCD workers demolished my jhuggi and shop. They took away my belongings and also beat my dogs. I have at least 250-300 dogs. I am sitting under the tree now with my dogs," Pratima Devi told ANI. She said that she would take care of the dogs as long as she lives. "Since morning the dogs have not been fed. I came to Delhi in 1984. Since then I have been taking care of dogs. I am 80 years old now. I do not have the physical strength to move around or look for work. I want to stay here and take care of these dogs for as long as I live," Pratima Devi added. Now after the demolition, she has been staying with dogs on the street. However, the High Court on Wednesday gave a stay order till the completion of the hearing regarding this matter, hence she is expected to get some relief. After the news of the demolition of her jhuggi, people are reaching out for help. Some people are bringing food for the dogs while some are bringing warm clothes for the octogenarian woman. After the action of MCD, Animal lover Sooraj also reached out to Pratima Devi for help. "In this severe cold where people are finding it difficult to leave the house, the woman is helping so many stray dogs by giving them shelter. People should help her. The action taken by MCD is wrong. No notice was given before the action. Taking care of so many dogs is not an easy task, but she is not only giving homes to so many dogs but also providing them with food and water. She is also taking full care of them, people should come forward to help her," Sooraj told ANI. A person working in the parking lot near PVR Saket said that he has been seeing the elderly woman helping the dogs for the last many years. "Many times people go away leaving their dogs. Amma gives shelter to these dogs and feeds them," he told ANI. She alleged that earlier in 2017 also MCD had razed her makeshift shelter for dogs. (ANI)
Defending the police lathi charge on students' protest, Janata Dal (U) MLA Gopal Mandal said the lathi-charge on students is justified as this is one of the ways of state machinery to curb the movement. He was speaking after police lathi-charged on the students over Bihar Staff Selection Commission (BSSC) question paper leak issue in Patna. Gopal said to ANI, "It's bound to happen. Students must have staged violent demonstrations, so they were lathi-charged. Lathi-Charge, throwing plastic bullets, and spraying water canons are the few ways in which the state curbs the protest. Lathi-charge keeps happening. If the students keep on doing such protests, the examinations should be cancelled." He further said, "Now if someone abuses me or pushes me, my people will risk their lives to protect me. Similarly, if students create such situations, lathi-charge toh hoga hi. (will happen)" Bihar Police on Wednesday resorted to lathi charge against Bihar Staff Selection Commission (BSSC) aspirants who were protesting against the state govt over the paper leak in Patna. The paper leak happened for a clerk-grade written examination conducted by BSSC. The students were demanding cancellation of exam after the paper was leaked. Earlier, the question paper of the preliminary examination of Bihar Public Service Commission got leaked and the examination was cancelled. (ANI)
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that scientists were looking into the cause of the land subsidence in the state's Joshimath and the first priority remains to ensure that people are taken to safer areas. Dhami conducted a survey of the areas in the town where houses and other establishments, roads and fields have displayed cracks due to land subsidence. The chief minister also met with displaced families who were relocated after cracks were seen in their houses. Earlier in the day he conducted an aerial survey of the affected areas. Speaking to ANI after surveying the Marwari area of Joshimath and Narasingh temple, Dhami said that the walls in Joshimath are developing cracks due to the water seepage and added that they are trying to safeguard and rescue everyone safely. "The walls have developed cracked due to the seepage of water. It is our first priority to rescue everyone safely and make necessary arrangements to move them to safer places," Dhami said adding an investigation has been launched to find out the cause of the land subsidence. "Geoscientists and experts at various institutions like Guwahati institute, IIT Roorkee are working to find the actual cause of the land subsidence. We are even in talks with ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation). We are also contemplating if people need to be migrated from here and rehabilitated. We are also finding out a location for this. As of now, this is the winter season. So, we are looking into the issues that need to be addressed immediately. Moreover, we are also focussing to safeguard the people here before the onset of monsoon," Dhami added. Addressing mediapersons here, he said that it is a task to evacuate everyone safely, but they are taking necessary steps to keep it safe for the future as well because of varied reasons including that the first Math was also established here. The town is a very important place for the entire country, the chief minister added. The chief minister had before arriving in the town conducted an aerial survey of Joshimath. Huge cracks have been seen in houses, roads and fields and many houses have suffered subsidence. Cracks have been found at several places on the Joshimath-Malari border road, which connects the India-China border, due to landslides in Joshimath. A large part of the Badrinath National Highway is also in the grip of landslides. Joshimath Municipal Chairman Shailendra Pawar said huge cracks appeared in the houses due to water leakage from inside the ground in the Marwadi ward. The central government on Friday set up a panel to conduct a study of the occurrence of land subsidence and its impact on Joshimath town. District Magistrate Himanshu Khurana said that all construction work has been halted in view of the situation in Joshimath until further orders. According to the Chamoli district administration statement on Friday, out of 561 establishments, 153 in Ravigram ward, 127 in the Gandhinagar ward, 28 in the Marwadi ward, 24 in the Lower Bazaar ward, 52 in the Singhdhar ward, 71 in the Manohar Bagh ward, 29 in the Upper Bazaar ward 27 in the Sunil ward and 50 in Parsari have reported cracks, due to which the operations of Hotel View and Malari Inn were restricted under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, till further orders. On Thursday, nine families were displaced, including four families in Joshimath Municipal Corporation, one from Gurudwara Joshimath, one from Tourist Hostel, Manohar Bagh and others. Locals of Joshimath had blocked the Badrinath Highway on Thursday morning to protest and get the government and administration to take the matter of land subsidence seriously. A total of 38 families have been displaced so far. Meanwhile, with the continuous land subsidence in the Joshimath, the state government has dispatched a team of experts to the area to assess the situation.The teams from National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have also been deployed in the area as a precautionary measure, Chamoli Chief Development Officer (CDO) Lalit Narayan Mishra said on Friday. (ANI)
The man accused of urinating on a co-passenger on an onboard flight of Air India from New York to Delhi switched off his mobile phone and went incommunicado after the incident got reported in the media. A police officer said, "After registering the FIR into the matter, we started tracking his location which was found in Bengaluru. However, his phone was switched off when we tried to contact him." The accused, who has been identified as Shankar Mishra, was arrested from Bengaluru, police said. Mishra allegedly urinated on a senior citizen woman in an inebriated condition in the business class of the Air India flight from New York to Delhi on November 26, 2023. The FIR was registered on January 4 on a complaint given by the woman to Air India. "Mishra in the IGIA case has been arrested from Bengaluru by a Delhi Police team. He has been brought to Delhi and further investigation into the case is in progress," Ravi Singh, DCP IGI Airport, Delhi Police. He was staying at his relative's in Bengaluru. His last location was found in Bangalore on January 3 after which he switched off his mobile phone. Shankar Mishra was using a taxi to travel to Bangalore. The travel history of Shankar Mishra was extracted from where he used to come from the office in Bangalore, and the route by which he used to reach his office in Bangalore was followed. Late at night Shankar Mishra's location was found in Mysore, by the time Delhi Police reached there, Shankar Mishra had alighted from the taxi, and the driver of the taxi was interrogated which yielded some leads. Shankar Mishra had stayed many times before at the place where he was arrested, so the Delhi Police reached there and then he was caught. (ANI)
The country's first woman fighter pilot, who leads a Sukhoi-30MKI squadron of the Indian Air Force (IAF), would be part of the Indian contingent that will feature in aerial wargames with Japan. SU-30MKI Squadron Leader Avni Chaturvedi will leave for Japan shortly to participate in the aerial wargames. While women fighter pilots have been part of aerial wargames in the country with foreign contingents, including the French air force, this would be the first instance of a woman air warrior leading an Indian fighter sqaudron on foreign soil. The exercise, titled 'Veer Guardian 2023', will be held from January 16 to January 26 at the Hyakuri Air Base and its surrounding airspace in Omitama, and the Iruma Air Base in Sayama, Japan. Speaking to ANI, Group Captain Arpit Kala, who heads an Indian Su-MKI30 fighter squadron in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, said the aircraft packs a unique blend of advanced avionics from across the world and high-calibre weapons. "What makes the Indian Su-30MKI different from the flankers (Su-30 combat aircraft), which are operated across the world, is that it represents an integration of various weapons, sensors and avionics from all over the world," Group Captain Kala said. "Its long-range vectors (missiles), including indigenous air-to-air and air-to-ground versions, give it a cutting edge over other fighter aircraft. It is one of the best fighters in the world," he added. The Air Force officer said while the aircraft packs a punch and rivals the best in the business, the aircrew training of the IAF is also considered one of the best in the world. He said the integration of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles and the Astra air-to-air missiles have made the India Su-30MKI more lethal. Officers Bhavna Kanth and Mukul Bawa, who lead separate Su-30MKI squadrons, also termed the aircraft as one of the best and most lethal platforms armed with indigenous weapon systems. Squadron Leader Bhavna Kanth said, "The Su-30MKi is a versatile multirole combat aircraft which can carry out both air-to-ground and air-to-air missions simultaneously. It can carry out manoeuvres at both high and low speeds." Squadron Leader Mukul Bawa said, "Owing to its size and advanced avionics, any modern weapon can be integrated easily into the SU-30MKI. It helps keep the fighter abreast with modern technology in the Air Force domain." Group Capt Arpit Kala, along with Squadron leaders Bhavna Kanth and Mukul Bawa on Saturday demonstrated the advanced avionics and combat capabilities of the Su-30MKI in Jodhpur. While women fighter pilots have been part of aerial wargames in the country with foreign contingents, including the French air force, this would be the first instance of a woman air warrior leading an Indian fighter sqaudron on foreign soil. Officials said the long-range air-launched BrahMos missiles, which can hit targets much beyond 500 kms, would enable the aircraft to take down air defence systems of enemy forces while remaining out of their reach. The defence ministry has also cleared the acquisition of the next-generation anti-radiation missiles for the Su-30MKIs, enabling them to strike enemy radars from a range of more than 100 kms. (ANI)
According to the police, the bomb was planted by the Naxals in the middle of the Bechapal-Etepal road with the aim of damaging large vehicles.

The team of DRG, Mirtur Police and security forces of Etepal camp went on a road patrolling and area domination on the Nelasnar-Mirtur-Gangalore road of the district on Saturday.

During the operation of road patrolling and demining, the 25-kg IED bomb planted by the Naxals in the middle of Bechapal-Etepal road near Munda pond was recovered.

The IED was connected to a command system whose switch was placed 100 metres away from the bomb.

Besides, the IED and the electric wire were kept wrapped in carbon so that it could not be detected by the metal detector. But with the alertness and vigilance of the security forces, the bomb was recovered. After that Mirtur Bomb Disposal Squads (BDS) immediately neutralised the bomb. (ANI)
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday lashed out at the Aam Aadmi Party-led Delhi government and said that there are only big ticket announcements by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal but nothing has been implemented so far on the ground. Addressing a press conference BJP Spokesperson Sambit Patra said, "The budget given by the Delhi Government is continuously being published in the newspapers, you will be surprised that none of their 'Big Ticket Announcements' are being implemented on the ground." Patra further said that Kejriwal had promised that his government will introduce a facility on mobile for the safety of the women but nothing has happened yet. "Arvind Kejriwal had also said in the budget and while giving an interview that when his party will come into power, then they will introduce a facility on mobile that will allow women at night in any dangerous situation to reach out to police with just press of a button. He had said that the police will immediately within five minutes through GPS reach for help but nothing has happened yet," said the BJP leader. He further alleged that no work on the ground is taking place on the big-ticket announcements made by the Kejriwal government. "If any budget is given by the government, then the mapping is done on that budget or its outcome analysis is done in an interval of one year, while the government analyses what percentage of work has finally been implemented. Arvind Kejriwal's government has been in Delhi for almost eight years, so this is the outcome analysis of Arvind Kejriwal's government, no work has been done on the ground today on the big ticket announcements made by Arvind Kejriwal," said Patra. The BJP leader said that the Delhi government had announced a "rozgar budget" but its own outcome budget has said that nothing has been done on it so far. "The Delhi Government had announced the 'Rozgar Budget'. For this, Rs 80,000 crores were allocated in the budget and it was said that we will change the picture of the whole of Delhi. There was a promise to provide employment to 20,000 people but their own 'Outcome Budget' is saying that to date no work has been done on it. There are only big words, no work." He said that the Chief Minister had also said that Delhi will host food and shopping festivals between January 28 and February 26 and had identified five markets for promotion but the outcome is zero. "He had said that Delhi Shopping Festival is going to happen between January 28 and February 26 and he had appealed to the people of India to book their hotel tickets as rooms will not be available at that time. He had said that 20 lakh people will get employment through this. He had said that he will similar food trucks in entire Delhi like Paris, London and Berlin and they will be operational till 3 am in morning, which will give employment to many people and the nightlife of Delhi will be like Paris. For he has allocated Rs 350 crore for the food and shopping festivals and he also announced Rs 100 crore for the promotion of five markets of Delhi and the economy will boom in these markets. These markets are Iconic Heritage Market, Kamla Nagar, Lajpat Nagar, Khari Baoli and Gandhi Nagar Market," said Patra. "Kejriwal said that the market will be renewed, everything will be changed, when the outcome budget has come, they are saying that there is no preparation in it. In the outcome budget, it is written that dates have not been finalised about the shopping festivals. There is no policy for the food truck. But he did an advertisement wearing a double XL shirt in every newspaper at the festival. Crores of rupees have been spent but the outcome on the ground is zero. Kejriwal's speech is Bol Bachchan and work is Kachchan," he said. On CCTV promise by the Delhi Chief Minister, Patra said that only per cent of the CCTV work in Delhi has been finished. "Only 60 per cent of the CCTV work in Delhi has been completed and the Delhi government itself is saying today that out of this 60 per cent, only half of the CCTVs are functional. This is the truth of Kejriwal is only saying and is doing nothing," he said. The BJP leader further said that the APA government had promised digital classrooms but nothing happened. "They have spent a lot on advertising regarding the school and said that digital classes will start, but till now nothing has happened on the ground. It was said to give subsidies for school uniforms but it is negligible in the outcome of the budget, the BJP spokesperson said. Parta said that Kejriwal also promised registration of construction labourers but less than 50 per cent work has been done and all this is on the outcome budget. "It was said that stubble will be converted into gold, what has been done so far. Not a single smog tower has been installed in this budget year. He just advertises. It is clear in the outcome budget that only advertisement has been given, the money has been used only for the advertisement and not for the works," he said. He said that nothing has happened on the promise to rejuvenate the Yamuna river. (ANI)
Vasai court in Maharashtra on Saturday adjourned the hearing on the bail plea of television actor Sheezan Khan, an accused in actor Tunisha Sharma's death case, till January 9. The next hearing on the matter will be held on January 9. Actor Sheezan Khan on Monday filed the bail application in the Vasai court after which the court heard the matter on Friday. Meanwhile, Waliv Police in Maharashtra on Wednesday said that TV actor Tunisha Sharma's death case accused Sheezan Khan's "secret girlfriend" also deleted her conversations with Sheezan. The police said that they seized the mobile phone of Sheezan's "secret girlfriend" after recording her statement to retrieve the deleted chats. Notably, Sheezan had also deleted his chats with the girl, a part of which had already been retrieved by the police. According to some chats which have been recovered, the accused used to talk to many other girls also, the police said. "Many important chats have been found on the mobile of the accused, during the investigation which has revealed that the accused started avoiding Tunisha after the breakup. Tunisha used to message him repeatedly, but the accused avoided her by not replying to her," the police said on December 31. Sheezan Khan is the reported former boyfriend and co-star of 21-year-old Tunisha, who was allegedly found hanging at a TV serial set on December 24, a fortnight after the two broke up their months-long relationship. He was arrested on charges of abetment to suicide on December 25. So far, the police have recorded the statements of 27 people in the matter. The Vasai court on December 31 sent Sheezan Khan to 14-day judicial custody after his police custody ended. Actor Tunisha's mother Vanita Sharma had levelled allegations against Sheezan stating that he used to beat Tunisha and was forcing her to adopt Islamic practices. However, addressing a press conference, Sheezan's sister and co-actor Falaq Naaz, accused Tunisha's mother of "neglecting" her and said that the deceased actor's depression was due to her childhood trauma. "Tunisha's mother accepted that she has been neglecting Tunisha and didn't take care of her. Tunisha's depression was due to her childhood trauma," said Falaq Naaz. Falaq Naaz also denied that Sheezan had any other girlfriend than Tunisha and called it a false narrative being spread. "Sheezan didn't have any other girlfriend. That girl was called to record her statement. There's no secret girlfriend," said Falaq Naaz. (ANI)
Delhi's Rohini Court on Saturday granted bail to Ankush, one of the accused in a hit and drag case in outer Delhi's Sultanpuri. Ankush is the seventh accused arrested in the case. Delhi Police have alleged that he is the person who conspired with the other accused after the incident he helped the other accused persons to flee by arranging an auto. Metropolitan magistrate Sanya Dalal granted bail to Ankush after hearing the submissions of the defence counsel and Delhi police. The court said that the allegations against the accused were bailable in nature. The court also noted that according to the Investigation Officer (IO), the accused had given a statement that accused Deepak was driving the offending vehicle. While according to the investigation so far it was revealed that the accused Amit was driving the vehicle. The court granted him bail on furnishing a personal bond of Rs 20,000 and one surety bond in the like amount. The court imposed the condition that the accused will join the investigation as and when required, he will attend the court proceedings and shall not tamper with the evidence. Advocate Shilpesh Chaudhary submitted that the accused is not a conspirator and did not participate in the conspiracy of the offence. It was also submitted that the sections invoked against the accused are bailable. He himself surrendered before the police. Delhi Police opposed the bail application and submitted that Ankush with Ashutosh helped the other accused in hiding after the offence. "He arranged an auto for the accused persons," police told the court. The investigation of the case is at the initial stage. He may hamper the investigation if enlarged on bail at this stage. His bail application may kindly be dismissed and he is remanded to judicial custody. The judge rejected the submission and said, "the section against the accused is bailable and some of the sections are not made out against the accused not made out. The court is granting bail to the accused." Delhi police have invoked the sections related to the destruction of evidence, harbouring offenders and giving false information to the police officer. On Friday the court remanded accused Ashutosh Bhardwaj in three days of police custody. Police sought remand to establish his presence in the car at the time of the incident. Police said that Ashutosh destroyed the evidence. Police also said that custodial interrogation required as one of the accused Ankush is still absconded. Investigation officer (IO) submitted before the court that Ashutosh destroyed the evidence. It is suspected that he plant Deepak Khanna in the matter as accused. IO also submitted that in the CCTV footage, 5 people are seen in the car at the time of the incident. The footage is not clear. His identity is to be established through his CDR. The court had asked, "why 5 days of police custody required?" The assistant commissioner of police, present during the hearing, submitted that Ashutosh is a person who allegedly planted Deepak and can do anything to shield himself. The IO also submitted that one of the accused Ankush is absconding. He had exchanged many times on the phone with other accused persons. He called them and arranged an Auto for them to abscond after the incident. The court on Thursday extended the police custody of 5 accused persons for further 4 days. Delhi police said that one accused Deepak has been planted in this case by the other accused. Accused Manoj Mittal, Deepak Khanna, Amit Khanna, Krishan and Mithun were remanded to a further four days of police custody on Thursday. A 20-year-old girl was killed in the early hours of the New Year after her scooter was hit by a car driven by five men and she was reportedly dragged for 13 kilometres under the vehicle in outer Delhi's Sultanpuri. (ANI)
The accused was nabbed on the complaint of the victim's father, who claimed that the man picked the victim from their home and raped her.

According to Deputy Comissioner of Police Meenakshi Katyayan, the police received a complaint from the minor's father stating that his daughter was taken from their home, kept hostage and raped by the accused, who was known to her.

"Since the victim is a minor, a case was registered under the POCSO Act. The victim is also undergoing medical tests," the DCP told ANI.

The police said they swung into action after receiving the complaint.

"Further investigation is underway," an officer said. (ANI)
After the incident, the actor lodged a complaint at the Goregaon police station in Mumbai, the police registered a case and started the investigation.

"Omega constellation watch worth Rs 4,50,000 was stolen from the house of Kranti Redkar. The maid is missing after the incident, so the doubt is on her," said police.

A few days ago, Kranti Redkar had hired a woman to work in the house through an agency.

The maid seeing the opportunity stole the jewellery and money and fled from the spot.

At present, the police are questioning the agency from where the maid was and is trying to trace her.

Further investigation is underway. (ANI)
In view of the increasing cold wave in North India, the District Magistrate of Patna, Chandrashekhar Singh on Saturday issued a notice to close both government and private schools up to Class 10 in the state till January 14. "In view of the cold wave conditions, schools in Patna will remain closed for students up to Class 10 till January 14," the DM said in the notice. For the last few days, a huge drop in temperature is being recorded in the entire Bihar including Patna. In view of this, orders have been issued to close the school. Meanwhile, the IMD said that cold wave/severe cold wave conditions are very likely in some parts of Punjab, Haryana-Chandigarh-Delhi, north Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. "Cold Day to severe cold day conditions reported at most places over Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh; at many places over Bihar; at a few places over North Rajasthan and North Madhya Pradesh. Cold Day conditions were also reported at a few places over Delhi," IMD said. IMD on Saturday also issued a red alert for the next 24 to 48 hours, warning of severe cold in parts of North India, including Delhi. Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 2 degrees Celsius on Saturday. In an exclusive interview with ANI, RK Jenanmani, a weather scientist at IMD said, "The Delhi University's Ridge area recorded a minimum of 1.5 degrees Celsius today, which is the lowest recorded this season." The official weather station for the Capital, at Safdarjung, recorded a minimum temperature of 2.2 degrees Celcius, while Lodhi road logged 2 degrees Celcius. At Aaya Nagar, the mercury dropped to 1.5 degrees Celcius from 1.8 degrees Celcius on Friday. Jenanmani said severe cold conditions are prevailing in Delhi-NCR and parts of the national capital are, in fact, colder than some popular tourist destinations in the sub-Himalayan region. "The western disturbance, which was expected to break this cold spell, hasn't been too effective. A vast swathe of the North Indian belt, including Delhi, North Madhya Pradesh, North Rajasthan, Punjab and Western Uttar Pradesh, are colder than Shimla, Manali and the western Himalayan region where the minimum temperature has increased," he said. He added that dense fog prevails in a vast area of North Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana and Delhi. "Churu in Rajasthan reached freezing point while the temperature of Nowgong in Madhya Pradesh's Chhattarpur district reached sub zero, at 0.5 degrees Celcius. Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh recorded 2.2 degrees Celcius and Hisar in Haryana recorded the lowest in the state, at 2 degrees Celsius," he said. He added, "The Indian Meteorological Department has issued red alerts for the next 24 to 48 hours, warning of severe cold in North India and dense fog for North Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana Chandigarh, Delhi and western Uttar Pradesh. An 'orange alert. will also be in place for January 8 to 9 night. Thereafter, the severe cold is likely to abate. We expect the Western Disturbance to take effect from January 10 and there will, hence, be some respite from the cold from January 9." "For the next 48 hours, people are advised take all the safety measures and avoid stepping out, unless it is very urgent," Janemani said. (ANI)
Karkardooma Court on Saturday acquitted nine persons, accused of setting ablaze a shop and house during the Delhi riots. The court granted relief to the accused persons as their identity could not be established as members of the riotous mob and the allegations were not proved beyond a reasonable doubt. The court also noted that there was an unexplained delay in recording the information regarding the involvement of accused persons in the alleged offences. Additional Sessions Judge Pulastya Pramachala of Karkardooma Court acquitted accused Mohd. Shahnawaz alias Shanu, Mohd. Shoaib alias Chhutwa, Shahrukh, Rashid alias Raja, Azad, Ashraf Ali, Parvej, Md. Faisal and Rashid alias Monu by giving them the benefit of doubt. The judge said, "I hold that sole testimony of head constable Vipin cannot be sufficient to assume the presence of accused persons in the mob, which set ablaze property of the complainant in Chaman Vihar. In such a situation, accused persons are given the benefit of the doubt." In view of my foregoing discussions, observations and findings, I find that charges levelled against all the accused persons, in this case, are not proved beyond doubt, the judge said. "Hence, the accused are acquitted of all the charges levelled against them in this case," they said in the judgement passed on January 7, 2023. The court observed that the prosecution witness head constable Vipin had a thorough knowledge of the names and particulars of the accused persons, but he did not take to formally get this information recorded, before April 7, 2020. The court also observed that In his cross-examination, Vipin conceded that there had been a briefing at the police station every day, which was attended by him as well as Investigation Officers (IOs). Still, the knowledge about the involvement of the accused persons was not formally recorded anywhere, till April 7, 2020. "However, he stated that he had orally informed his senior officers about information with him, after about a week or 15 days of riots. No explanation has been offered for such delay in passing on such crucial information to senior officers by this witness," the court further observed. Moreover, if actually such information was given to the senior officers, then what prevented the senior officers to get such information recorded in a formal manner? the court noted. The accused persons were chargesheeted by the police for having committed offences punishable under Section 147/148/149/188/427/436 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The present case was registered at police station Gokalpuri on 01.03.2020, pursuant to a written complaint of February 28, 2020, filed by one Neetu Gautam. She alleged that she was residing in Chaman Park, Delhi. On the ground floor, there was a shop and on the first floor, she was residing. She had gone to Meerut and her shop and house were burnt on February 25, 2020, in the riots. (ANI)
After several Opposition leaders and prominent celebrities from diverse fields were pictured matching steps with Rahul Gandhi during his ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra, it was his sister and the party's national general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's pet dog Luna, which walked with the Congress MP during the Haryana leg of the foot march in Karnal on Saturday. Luna was spotted marching ahead of Rahul during the yatra in Karnal. Taking to Twitter, Priyanka Gandhi said, "I see Luna has been kidnapped!" Along with Congress workers, Rahul was also joined by boxer Vijender Singh. The yatra on Saturday saw colourful processions that were a 'treat for the eyes' as it rolled into Karnal. People were seen waving the Tricolour and dancing to songs. Supporters carrying posters in support of the yatra could were also spotted marching to drumbeats. Speaking to ANI on Friday, Congress leader Selja Kumari said, "There is a lot of enthusiasm among the people of Haryana as they look up to Rahul Gandhi as their future leader. Taking inspiration from Rahul Gandhi, we will work hard in Haryana." Launching a scathing attack on the BJP, the Congress leader said, "The BJP is worried because what started as a 'yatra' (march) has now become a 'Jan Aandolan' (people's movement)." The Bharat Jodo Yatra re-entered Haryana on Thursday evening and will pass through four districts of the state between January 5-10. The yatra resumed from the Sanoli-Panipat road in Haryana on Friday. The yatra entered Haryana through Sanauli Khurd village in Panipat district from Uttar Pradesh on January 5 evening where the participants halted for the night. The yatra covered over 130 kms in the first phase in Haryana, between December 21 and 23, passing through Nuh, Gurugram and Faridabad districts. So far, the Yatra, which started from Kanyakumari on September 7, has covered parts of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. It will culminate in Jammu and Kashmir later this year. (ANI)
Police said they had started their deportation proceedings.

A team of Narcotics Cell Squad comprising Sub Inspector Narender Si Rajaram, ASI Surender, ASI Ramesh, Head Constable Kuldeep and Captain Arun reached Raju Park, New Delhi for deportation proceedings of overstaying foreign nationals.

At about 2:30 pm the team apprehended three African nationals whose visa was expired, police said.

"The team was trying to bring them to the Police station, but suddenly around 100 African nationals gathered there and obstructed the police team. In the meantime, two of the detained African Nationals managed to escape. One was successfully apprehended," police said.

He was identified as Philip (22), a resident of Lagos, Nigeria.

"Again at about 6.30 pm, a joint team of the Narcotics squad and Police Station from Neb Sarai reached Raju Park in search of the foreign Nationals overstaying in India and detained 4 African nationals including one lady," police said.

The detained foreign nationals, all residents of Nigeria have been identified as knee Chukwu (53) -whose passport was seized, Igwe Emmanuel Chimezie (33)-no documents produced by him, Aziegbe John (24)-efforts are being made to trace his document and Queen Godwin (26)-Visa expired, police added.

"But again around 150-200 African nationals gathered there. They were also trying to help the detained African Nationals to escape but after sustained efforts, the police team succeeded in bringing them to Police Station Neb Sarai," police said.

"The deportation proceedings of detained foreign Nationals have been started," police said. (ANI)
Uttar Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party president Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary on Saturday targeted the opposition parties and said that the opposition does not understand the Global Investors Summit, to be held in February this year. "Uttar Pradesh is moving towards new changes. Youth are going to get immense employment opportunities. The Yogi government is making every possible effort to bring cheer to the lives of the people of the State and the opposition is not able to digest this. The opposition does not want investment in Uttar Pradesh. Foreign investors are coming here and setting up large-scale enterprises. The opposition can not understand the work which no one could do in so many years, how CM Yogi was able to do it in just five years," the Bharatiya Janata Party leader said. "The opposition has to understand that now the politics of UP has changed. The public is with the one who talks about development and employment. The progress of the state is the priority of CM Yogi and the people of the state have understood this very well," he added. He said that people are excited about the Global Investors Summit globally. "Enthusiasm about the summit is being witnessed not only in India but outside the Country. Industrialists from different countries want to start their industries in Uttar Pradesh. The whole world is recognizing the improvement that has taken place in the state's infrastructure." Launching an attack on the former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, Bhupendra Chaudhary said, "SP government was in power in Uttar Pradesh four times, but it could not bring a single 'Paisa' investment in the state. Investors used to run away during his regime. A local merchant was suffering from corruption in the State. The goons and criminals associated with the government used to extort money from them. Today, there has been a change in the entire state under the leadership of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Today no goon, criminal can trouble any businessman. The goons and criminals have been delivered to their rightful place." (ANI)
The crucial Joshimath-Malari border road in Chamoli district which connects the China border has developed cracks at several places due to landslides in Joshimath. Strategically important Joshimath-Malari border road is subsiding near the Malari taxi stand. Earlier today, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami inspected the town and conducted physical inspections of the land subsidence-affected areas and met the affected families. "Our effort is to make everyone safe and evacuate people to safer areas. The preparations are made for necessary arrangements. Scientists from various institutes are working towards finding the cause of the landslides," Dhami told ANI. All construction activities in and around Joshimath in Uttarakhand Chamoli District have been halted in the wake of cracks that have appeared in buildings, District Magistrate Himanshu Khurana said on Saturday. Speaking to ANI, the District Magistrate said that all construction work has been halted in view of the situation in Joshimath. Locals of Joshimath blocked the Badrinath Highway on Thursday morning to protest and get the government and administration to take the matter of land subsidence seriously. Notably, Joshimath Municipal Chairman Shailendra Pawar said huge cracks appeared in the houses due to water leakage from inside the ground in the Marwadi ward. The teams from National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have also been deployed in the area as a precautionary measure, Chamoli Chief Development Officer (CDO) Lalit Narayan Mishra said on Friday. Chamoli District Magistrate Himanshu Khurana on Saturday said that there is no subsidence in the entire area of Joshimath but there is a part of the city where there are cracks which is not big. Speaking to ANI, Khurana said, "There is no subsidence in the entire area of Joshimath, there is a part of the city where there are cracks but it is not big. There is a special place where cracks have increased." He further said that the reasons are being ascertained by the scientists. The District Magistrate said that there is no earthquake in the entire Joshimath, that is why we are able to resettle the people in Joshimath itself. "The work of shifting the affected people to safer places is being done at a fast pace. At present people will be shifted by acquiring safe hotels inside Joshimath." He said that land is being searched for a big shelter home. "In Joshimath itself, the land of the Horticulture Department has also been searched for the construction of the shelter," he added. Meanwhile, the Uttarakhand government sanctioned funds from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund for providing houses at cheaper rates to the displaced families due to the landslide in Joshimath. As per the instructions of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, houses will be provided at the rate of Rs 4000 per month for six months. The affected families, whose houses are not fit for habitation due to damage to their houses or those families who have become homeless are being given shelter in rented houses at safe places, under the Joshimath municipality tehsil of Chamoli district. Earlier today, CM Dhami said that the scientists were looking into the cause of the land subsidence in the state's Joshimath and the first priority remains to ensure that people are taken to safer areas. CM Dhami also conducted a survey of the areas in the town where houses and other establishments, roads and fields have displayed cracks due to land subsidence. He also met with displaced families who were relocated after cracks were seen in their houses. Incidentally, huge cracks have been seen in houses, roads and fields and many houses have suffered subsidence. Cracks have been found at several places on the Joshimath-Malari border road, which connects the India-China border, due to landslides in Joshimath. A large part of the Badrinath National Highway is also in the grip of landslides. According to the Chamoli district administration statement on Friday, out of 561 establishments, 153 in the Ravigram ward, 127 in the Gandhinagar ward, 28 in the Marwadi ward, 24 in the Lower Bazaar ward, 52 in the Singhdhar ward, 71 in the Manohar Bagh ward, 29 in the Upper Bazaar ward 27 in the Sunil ward and 50 in Parsari have reported cracks, due to which the operations of Hotel View and Malari Inn were restricted under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, till further orders. The teams from National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have also been deployed in the area as a precautionary measure, Chamoli Chief Development Officer (CDO) Lalit Narayan Mishra said on Friday. (ANI)
In wake of the land subsidence in Joshimath, the District Magistrate of Chamoli, Himanshu Khurana, have deployed sector officials for all the wards to complete the survey works. The officers will be tasked to shift the affected families to alternative shelter buildings and to ensure other arrangements for the affected people, an official release said. "DM Chamoli, Himanshu Khurana has deployed sector officers for all the wards to complete the survey works in all the wards of Joshimath, to shift the affected families to alternative shelter buildings and to ensure all other arrangements for the affected people," it said. Incidentally, huge cracks have been seen in houses, roads and fields and many houses have suffered subsidence. Cracks have been found at several places on the Joshimath-Malari border road, which connects the India-China border, due to landslides in Joshimath. A large part of the Badrinath National Highway is also in the grip of landslides. According to the Chamoli district administration statement on Friday, out of 561 establishments, 153 in the Ravigram ward, 127 in the Gandhinagar ward, 28 in the Marwadi ward, 24 in the Lower Bazaar ward, 52 in the Singhdhar ward, 71 in the Manohar Bagh ward, 29 in the Upper Bazaar ward 27 in the Sunil ward and 50 in Parsari have reported cracks, due to which the operations of Hotel View and Malari Inn have been restricted under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, till further orders. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami also conducted a survey of the areas in the town where houses and other establishments, roads and fields have displayed cracks due to land subsidence. He also met with displaced families who were relocated after cracks were seen in their houses. He said that the scientists were looking into the cause of the land subsidence in the state's Joshimath and the first priority remains to ensure that people are taken to safer areas. The teams from National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have also been deployed in the area as a precautionary measure, Chamoli Chief Development Officer (CDO) Lalit Narayan Mishra said on Friday. (ANI)
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Saturday appealed to people to join the Sangh to unify the society and make India 'Vishwaguru' for a happy and secured nation. Addressing a volunteers' meet of the RSS here, Bhagwat said: "By strengthening the society, we can see good things happening in the nation. We need to achieve this goal. We need to take it ahead, not to strengthen the RSS, but the nation. If we work together, it will be written in history that the nation became 'Vishwaguru' only because the society reached greater heights." The event was attended by the BJP MLAs and party office-bearers. Bhagwat had arrived in Goa on January 2 to hold an all-India coordination meet. The Sangh chief also said that RSS wants to unify the nation and society. "We want to connect all in one force. I appeal to all of you to join the Sangh. There are no rules. You can leave whenever you wish. But come and experience the Sangh for six months, one year or two years... Know the Sangh well. Then if you feel that whatever I am saying today is correct, become a 'karykarta'. You have the freedom to make your own decision. But I'm sure that you will not leave the Sangh once you know the things well," he said. According to Bhagwat, although the RSS is well-known across India, there may be few people who are unaware of its functions, especially those who don't have any contact with social activities. "If we want to be happy, the nation will have to be happy. If we want to get secured, the nation will have to be secured. Hence, we need to strengthen the society to achieve the goal of becoming 'Vishwaguru'. Only then 'parivartan' will take place in the country," the RSS chief said. He also said that if we want to work for the nation, we must know about it first. "When people ask me what they will get by joining the RSS, I say they will get nothing. Even if they have (something), it will go (to the society). If they dare, then they can come. The selfish should stay away from the Sangh... It will be good for them, and also for us," Bhagwat said. "We want to unify the nation. The nation progresses only when the vision of the society is clear, and the understating is rich. If you see the journey of the nation from Independence till now, you will find that the progress line of the nation is parallel to the society," he added. "We should contribute to the nation and work for the betterment of society with our thoughts or by being a part of Sangh. We all together need to move ahead, irrespective of caste, traditions etc.," he concluded. --IANS sbk/arm ( 486 Words) 2023-01-07-20:38:02 (IANS)
Excitement is high among the people of Varanasi over the Ganga Vilas Cruise which is scheduled to be virtually flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Varanasi on January 13. The cruise will cover a distance of nearly 4,000 km in 50 days. It will pass through the rivers of India and Bangladesh to reach Dibrugarh in Assam. It will have halts near important cities like Patna, Kolkata, and Dhaka, officials said. "The Ganga Vilas cruise will have foreign nationals and it will send a message to the people of the world on India's tourism and this cruise will be very helpful in attracting tourists," said Sunil Upadhyay, a resident of Varanasi. "History is being created in the tourism sector. This is the longest water ride in the world. The previous governments had not given much importance to the water transport sector. The Ganga Vilas will be sending the message of unity and Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat to the rest of the world," said Arvind Mishra, another local. Terming it as a gift to Kashi by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a local Kaushal Kumar Singh said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has increased the pride of Varanasi with this Ganga Vilas Cruise. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi has changed the entire picture of Varanasi ever since he became a Member of Parliament from this constituency. Tourism has been developed in Varanasi as a big industry," said Kaushal Pandey, another resident. The cruise will have a capacity of 80 passengers with 18 suits. The cruise will set off from Varanasi and reach Patna and Kolkata. Following this, it will set off for Bangladesh, re-enter India, and end its journey in Dibrugarh of Assam. The Cruise through its journey of 50 days, will be stopping at more than 50 places including several world heritage sites, according to officials. It will also pass through several national parks and sanctuaries during the stretch of its journey. (ANI)
Thousands of people took to the streets in northwest Pakistan's Wana city on Friday against the recent wave of "terrorism" and demanded the immediate restoration of peace in the region. Political workers, social activists and traders attended the peace march organised in South Waziristan's Wana today, the Dawn newspaper reported. The Pakistani newspaper said demonstrators chanted slogans against the "fresh wave of terrorism" in the region, particularly in the tribal districts. Leaders of PPP, PTM and PML-N, who addressed the rally, said the government was responsible for establishing regional safety and security. The protest comes with deteriorating security situation in the country, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, with the growing presence of the outlawed TTP in Pakistan. Over the past few months, Pakistan's law and order situation has worsened, with terrorist groups like the outlawed TTP and the Islamic State group executing attacks with near impunity across the country. The year 2022 ended with the deadliest month for Pakistan's security personnel in over a decade, said an Islamabad-based think tank as it pointed to the emergence of TTP as the biggest threat to the country. In its annual report, the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) said Pakistan security forces lost at least 282 personnel during 2022 in attacks that included IED ambushes, suicide attacks, and raids on security posts, mostly in the Pakistan-Afghan border regions. "The year 2022 ended with the deadliest month (thus far) for Pakistan's security personnel over a decade, with the emergence of a new terror triad comprising TTP, Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and Daesh-Afghanistan as the biggest threat to the country," the CRSS report said. December 2022 alone saw 40 fatalities as it became the year's deadliest month. Security forces lost at least 282 personnel during 2022 (with 40 fatalities only in December being the deadliest month of the year) in attacks that included IED ambushes, suicide attacks, and raids on security posts, mostly in the Pakistan-Afghan border regions. (ANI)
Suriname President Chandrikapersad Santokhi on Saturday arrived at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi. Santokhi is on a 7-day visit to India from January 7 to 14. He will be the Special Guest of Honour at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) Convention 2023 in Madhya Pradesh's Indore. Chandrikapersad Santokhi will visit Jamnagar on Saturday. After his visit to Jamnagar, he will go to Indore, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a media advisory on Friday. During his visit, Santokhi will hold a meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on January 8. On January 9, he will attend the inaugural session of the 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention 2023 in Madhya Pradesh's Indore. He will make an address at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention 2023. Furthermore, he will hold a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Chandrikapersad Santokhi will also hold a meeting with President Droupadi Murmu on January 10. He will attend the valedictory session and the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman awards ceremony. He will attend the programme in Indore on January 11, as per the media advisory. On January 12, he will travel to Ahmedabad to attend various programmes. He will return to New Delhi on January 13 and participate in various events. He is scheduled to depart from India on January 14. Notably, Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) provides an important platform to engage and connect with overseas Indians and to enable the diaspora to interact with each other. The 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention is being organized in partnership with the Madhya Pradesh government from January 8-10 in Indore, Prime Minister's office said in a press release. The theme of this PBD Convention is "Diaspora: Reliable partners for India's progress in Amrit Kaal." Over 3,500 diaspora members from around 70 countries have registered for the PBD Convention, according to the press release. On January 8, the inauguration of the Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas will be held in partnership with the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. Australian Member of Parliament Zaneta Mascarenhas will be the Guest of Honour at the Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas. On January 9, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention. The convention will feature an address by the Chief Guest Guyana President Mohamed Irfaan Ali and the Special Guest of Honour, Suriname President Chandrikapersad Santokhi. A Commemorative Postal Stamp 'Surakshit Jaayen, Prashikshit Jaayen' will be released to highlight the importance of safe, legal, orderly and skilled migration, according to the press release. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the first-ever digital Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Exhibition on the theme "Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav - Contribution of Diaspora in Indian Freedom Struggle" to showcase the contribution of diaspora freedom fighters in India's Independence. Furthermore, a special town hall will be held in view of India's ongoing presidency of the G20 on January 9. On January 10, President Droupadi Murmu will confer Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards 2023 and preside over the valedictory session. (ANI)
The United States on Friday announced military assistance worth over USD 3.75 billion for Ukraine, European allies, and partners, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced in a statement. In the statement, Antony Blinken said, "This assistance includes a $2.85 billion drawdown from stocks of the Department of Defense to be provided immediately to Ukraine and $225 million in Foreign Military Financing to build the long-term capacity and support modernization of Ukraine's military." He further added, "It also includes $682 million in Foreign Military Financing for European partners and allies to help incentivize and backfill donations of military equipment to Ukraine." Notably, the US has been providing military and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine ever since Moscow began its offensive on February 24, 2022. Meanwhile, the US Department of Defence noted, "The Presidential Drawdown is the twenty-ninth such drawdown of equipment from DoD inventories for Ukraine that the Biden Administration has authorized since August 2021." The US has committed more than USD 24.9 billion in military assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of the Biden Administration. The security assistance announced for Ukraine includes 50 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles with 500 TOW anti-tank missiles and 250,000 rounds of 25mm ammunition. In addition, the military assistance announced by the US includes 100 M113 Armored Personnel Carriers, 55 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles (MRAPs), and 138 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWVs). Furthermore, the military assistance includes 18 155mm self-propelled Howitzers and 18 ammunition support vehicles, 70,000 155mm artillery rounds and 500 precision-guided 155mm artillery rounds, 1,200 155mm rounds of Remote Anti-Armor Mine (RAAM) Systems, 36 105mm towed Howitzers and 95,000 105mm artillery rounds, according to US Department of Defence press release. Apart from this, the defence aid includes 10,000 120mm mortar rounds, additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), RIM-7 missiles for air defence, 4,000 Zuni aircraft rockets, approximately 2,000 anti-armour rockets, sniper rifles, machine guns, and ammunition for grenade launchers and small arms, claymore anti-personnel munitions, night vision devices and optics, spare parts and other field equipment. On January 5, US President Joe Biden said that his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin is "trying to find some oxygen" with the ceasefire order in the ongoing conflict with Ukraine. He expressed scepticism about the ceasefire ordered by Putin in Ukraine for Orthodox Christmas services. Biden's statement comes after Vladimir Putin directed the Russian Defence Sergey Shoigu to order a ceasefire in Ukraine from January 6 to January 7. Putin said that the decision was taken after Patriarch Kirill called for a temporary ceasefire in Ukraine, according to the statement released by Kremlin on its website. "I'm reluctant to respond (to) anything Putin says. I found it interesting. He was ready to bomb hospitals and nurseries and churches on the 25th and New Year's," CNN quoted US President Joe Biden as saying. "I mean, I think he's trying to find some oxygen," he added. (ANI)
A six-year-old boy was taken into police custody on Friday after he shot a teacher at Rickneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia, CNN reported citing police chief Steve Drew. The police chief said that the female teacher who was in her 30s was shot in a classroom and stressed that "this was not an accidental shooting." "In reference to the investigation below, the suspect has been identified as a 6-year-old male student at Richneck Elementary School. The student is in custody." Newport News Police Department announced in an official statement. It further said, "The victim has been identified as a teacher. The teacher's injuries are believed to be life-threatening. The investigation remains ongoing." Police Chief Steve Drew said that the six-year-old has been taken into custody. Drew said that the police department is in contact with the commonwealth attorney and some other entities to get services for the boy, CNN reported. The police chief said that there was an altercation between the teacher and a student who was having a firearm. According to Steve Drew, a single round was fired. "The individual is a 6-year-old student. He is right now in police custody," CNN quoted Steve Drew as saying. "We have been in contact with our commonwealth attorney and some other entities to help us best get services to this young man," Drew added. On Friday, Steve Drew stated that the injuries of the teacher were considered "life-threatening." However, he said there was "some improvement in the last update that we got," according to CNN. The police chief said that there were no other students involved in the incident. He further said that an investigation is underway into the matter. "We will get the investigation done, there are questions we will want to ask and find out about. I want to know where that firearm came from, what was the situation," CNN quoted Steve Drew as saying. Newport News Public Schools Superintendent George Parker said that Richneck Elementary School will be closed Monday, as per the news report. Speaking at a press conference, Parker said, "I'm in shock, and I'm disheartened." Parker stressed that they need to educate children and need to keep them safe. (ANI)
A Mexico City federal judge halted the extradition of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's son Ovidio Guzman to the United States on Friday, a day after he was arrested in an operation in northern Mexico that resulted in the death of 29 people, according to CNN. The US is seeking Guzman's extradition for drug trafficking and has proposed to pay up to USD 5 million for information leading to the man's capture, as per the CNN report. The US has stressed that the man is a "senior member of the Sinaloa Cartel." On Friday, the judge suspended a measure that stopped Guzman from communicating with his relatives and his legal team. As per the legal resolution, Guzman's legal team has three days to decide whether they are willing to ratify the measures that they have registered in support of their client. Guzman is being held in the Altiplano maximum security federal prison, CNN reported citing officials. Incidentally, the arrest comes days before US President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visit Mexico City to attend the North American Leaders Summit. However, his arrest unleashed a spate of violence in Mexico with local officials telling citizens to shelter at home amid clashes with cartel members in various parts of Culiacan, CNN reported. Chaos erupted in Culiacan after the arrest of Guzman. The authorities asked people to take refuge due to clashes in several areas. He was arrested after a lengthy operation that involved 200 special forces, CNN reported citing Mexico's Defence Minister Luis Cresencio Sandoval. Local authorities advised people to shelter at home amid clashes with cartel members in various parts of the city. At least 19 suspected gang members and 10 military personnel died during violent clashes in Sinaloa after authorities arrested Guzman and 21 others. Luis Cresencio Sandoval said that security at Altiplano prison was increased after the arrest of Guzman, according to CNN.On Thursday, Mexico's Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said that there is an arrest warrant in the US dated September 19, 2019. However, Ebrard admitted that the possible extradition of Guzman will not be immediate due to the formalities of the law. He said that Guzman has ongoing legal proceedings in Mexico. Ovidio Guzman's father "El Chapo" Guzman was convicted in the US in 2019 of 10 counts, including engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise, drug trafficking, and firearms charges, according to CNN. He was sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years and directed to pay USD 12.6 billion in forfeiture. (ANI)
Tibetan Spiritual leader Dalai Lama's visit to Bodh Gaya visit is "significant" due to numerous reasons, Tibetan Rights Collective reported. The visit of the Dalai Lama should "serve as an occasion for the world to ensure that the Tibetan issue is not forgotten." More than 8,000 foreigners from 39 countries registered for the sermon including groups of Buddhist monks from Sri Lanka, Thailand and Myanmar. The participation shows the admiration that the Dalai Lama enjoys among Buddhists of the world and the impact that Buddhism and Buddhist philosophy has created, according to Tibetan Rights Collective. The creation of the Dalai Lama Centre for Tibetan and Indian Ancient Wisdom will focus on "the Indian traditions that took root in Tibet in the 7th Century and were later practised and propagated by the Dalai Lamas, is a manifestation of the important role that Dalai Lama has played in the protection of Indian wisdom and showcases "strong and running Indo-Tibetan ties." The centre is the product of the fourth life commitment to Dalai Lama and will be one of the most credible learning centres of its kind. The visit of the Dalai Lama to Bodh Gaya comes at a time when the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is trying to interfere in the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, sending Tibetan children to colonial-style boarding schools and shutting down Tibetan schools and monasteries, as per the news report. As per the Tibetan Rights Collective report, China has been exploiting the natural resources of Tibet and the threat of climate change looms even as international organizations, including United Nations, have been unable to hold CCP accountable for its crimes against humanity. On the first day of teaching on Nagarjuna's Commentary on Bodhicitta at the Kalachakra Teaching Ground in Bodhgaya, Dalai Lama shared his message of peace from the site Buddha Shakyamuni had attained enlightenment two millennia ago, Tibetan Rights Collective reported. The Dalai Lama said that the practice of bodhichitta is the essence of all the Buddha's teachings. The Dalai Lama began the second teaching by reciting Mani and Tara mantras to contain the spread of COVID-19. The representatives of the project 'Flame of Hope' presented a lantern to the Dalai Lama, the flame of which had been lit from the flame of peace in Hiroshima. The project presented to Dalai Lama with the slogan "One Earth--One Prayer--One Flame" wishes to change the world by "lighting the spark of hope for peace in children's hearts." During his visit to Bodhgaya, Dalai Lama reiterated his call for a nuclear-free world. The Dalai Lama highlighted the importance of cultivating Bodhichitta and an understanding of emptiness while one is at Bodh Gaya, where Buddha and other great masters have practised in the past, as per the news report. Dalai Lama spoke about the idea of 'Emptiness' as explained by Indian Buddhist philosopher Nagarjuna as he resumed his reading of Nagarjuna's 'Commentary on the Awakening Mind'; "just as sweetness is the nature of molasses and heat is the nature of fire, the nature of all phenomena is emptiness." (ANI)
Kevin McCarthy has emerged as the 55th Speaker of the US House of Representatives on Saturday after winning a historic battle that quelled a rebellion in the midnight hour on Saturday, The Hill reported. McCarthy, who now becomes second in line for the presidency, clinched victory following the longest speakership election in 160 years as the establishment Republicans took 15 rounds of voting over a span of four days to fend off a right-wing, anti-McCarthy rebellion. The 57-year-old McCarthy received 216 votes in the final vote, 212 votes went to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), and six present votes. He required 215 votes to win with the current vote totals. He will now succeed Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House of Representatives Notably, a candidate needs to win a majority of members who vote for a specific person of the House to become the Speaker, which implies that a lawmaker requires 218 votes if no member skips the vote or votes "present." Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), who cast the final vote on the 14th ballot, brought McCarthy within one vote of becoming Speaker before a dramatic scene on the House floor. After the vote, the members gathered around Gaetz for a heated conversation. Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.) physically drew back Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), who had at one point approached the group in a furious manner, according to The Hill. Prior to Gaetz approaching McCarthy and requesting one more vote, Republicans were set to call the meeting to order until Monday. Lawmakers voted five times on Thursday. However, Kevin McCarthy was unable to secure the majority of votes needed for being elected as the Speaker earlier. The US House has adjourned without electing a new Speaker after Kevin McCarthy failed to win a majority of votes across 11 ballots over three days in his push to become House speaker, CNN reported. The final tally for the 11th round of voting was 212 for Representative Hakeem Jeffries, 200 for Representative Kevin McCarthy, 12 for Representative Byron Donald, 7 for Rep. KeAs per the news report, McCarthy proposed more major concessions in his efforts to secure 218 votes. In his Speakership bid, Trump endorsed the GOP Leader and called the holdouts to lobby for McCarthy. Initially, McCarthy offered a five-member threshold, down from current conference rules that require half of the GOP to call for such a vote. He also agreed to allow for more members of the Freedom Caucus to serve on the House Rules Committee. (ANI)
The air exercise, which will take place from January 12 to 26, will witness the participation of India's Su-30 MKI, two C-17s, and one IL-78 aircraft. Meanwhile, the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) will be participating with four F-2 and four F-15 aircraft.

"An IAF contingent will depart tomorrow for Hyakuri Air Base, Japan for the maiden Exercise Veer Guardian 2023 to be held with Japan Air Self Defence Force from 12 to 26 Jan 2023 IAF will participate with four Su-30 MKI, two C-17 Globemasters and an IL-78 tanker," Indian Air Force tweeted.

This comes more than one month after the multilateral exercise Malabar between India, the United States, Japan and Australia was conducted from November 08 - 15 at Yokosuka, Japan.

Before that in September 2022, six Indian Ships, one submarine along with P8I, Mig-29K and Dornier aircraft participated in the bilateral exercise JIMEX 22 with Japan Maritime Defence Force (JMSDF) ships Izumo and Takanami near Visakhapatnam.

In the same month, a delegation led by the Director General of the Indian Coast Guard visited Tokyo, Japan for the 20th edition of the High-Level Meeting between the Indian Coast Guard and the Japanese Coast Guard.

According to the Defence Ministry, joint exercises are being conducted alternately in India and Japan for the establishment of a collaborative relationship to combat crimes at sea and the development of regional cooperation. (ANI)
India and Slovenia held the 9th round of Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) in Ljubljana and reviewed the progress made in the bilateral ties in the last year despite the restrictions imposed by the Covid-pandemic, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Saturday. In a statement today, MEA said both sides also exchanged views on regional and global issues including that on Afghanistan and Ukraine. "The 9th India-Slovenia Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) were held on 06 January 2023 in Ljubljana. The Indian delegation was led by Sanjay Verma, Secretary (West), Ministry of External Affairs and the Slovenian side was led by Samuel Zbogar, State Secretary for Political and Multilateral Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia," the MEA said in a statement. "India and Slovenia also exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest, including - Afghanistan, Ukraine, the Indo-Pacific, European Union, United Nations, climate action, India's G20 Presidency and International Year of Millet 2023," the statement added. The last foreign office consultations in physical format was held in July 2010. The MEA said India and Slovenia celebrated 30 years of establishment of diplomatic relations in 2022. The two countries share a strong bilateral relationship marked by regular exchanges at both political and official levels. Trade and economic activities between India and Slovenia are fast regaining pre-Covid levels. "The FOC provided an opportunity to review the progress made in the bilateral ties in the last one year despite the restrictions imposed by the Covid-pandemic. Both sides discussed the way forward in crucial sectors such as Agriculture, Health, S&T, Defense, Space, Migration and Mobility, Climate innovation and Renewable energy," the statement added. The re-launch of FTA negotiations and Connectivity partnership between India and the EU were acknowledged as key drivers for furthering economic relations at bilateral and India-EU levels. "During the visit, Secretary (West) called on Predrag Bakovic, Chairperson of Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs and Suzana Lep Simenko, Chairperson of Friendship Group of Slovenian Parliamentarians on India. He also met the other members of the Friendship Group, members of the Indian Community and eminent members of the Slovenian community from culture and education fields. On January 5, he also held a business meeting with the members of Slovenia's business community. The two sides looked forward to holding the next FOC in 2024 in India. (ANI)
The cleanest city of India, Indore is geared up to host the 17th edition of the Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas 2023 (PBD) Convention that is scheduled to be held from tomorrow here. Delegates from various countries including Australia and Mauritius arrived at the airport today to participate in the convention. Zeneta Mazcarenhas, Australian Member of Parliament (MP) who arrived at the airport today will be the guest of honour at the Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas on Sunday which will be held in partnership with the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. Mahendranuth Sharma Hurreeram, Minister of National Infrastructure and Community Development, Mauritius, Dr Renganaden Padayachy, Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development of Mauritius and Dr Kailesh Kumar Singh Jagutpal, Minister of Health and Wellness of Mauritius today too arrived here for attending the convention. Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan also arrived at the Indore airport. In partnership with the Madhya Pradesh Government, the 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention is being organized from January 8 to 10 with the theme of this PBD Convention being "Diaspora: Reliable partners for India's progress in Amrit Kaal". Over 3,500 diaspora members from nearly 70 different countries have registered for the PBD Convention. On January 9, the PBD Convention will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi that will feature addresses by the Chief Guest Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, the President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, and the Special Guest of Honour, Chandrikapersad Santokhi, Hon'ble President of the Republic of Suriname. On January 10, President Droupadi Murmu will present the Pravasi Bhartiya Samman awards to 27 recipients chosen for their contributions in fields such as education, science and business and services to the community in their country. The PBD convention is being organised in person after a gap of four years as the previous edition was held virtually because of the Covid-19 pandemic. (ANI)
Two men in their 40s, including a police officer, lost their lives when armed motorcyclists attacked them near the Paharkhel Thall area in Lakki Marwat, the Dawn reported.

"As soon as Younas Khan and Asmatullah riding a motorcycle reached Manjiwala link road from Paharkhel Thall village, two armed motorcyclists opened fire on them," a police officer was quoted as saying by the Pakistani newspaper.

In a separate incident, a police constable was killed and another was injured in an attack in the Bhittani sub-division of Lakki Marwat late on Thursday night.

The policemen came under attack within the limits of Shadikhel police station while they were on the way to the Wargarey police station to assist their colleagues, who were attacked by a group of terrorists.

The Dawn report said this was the third attack on the police in the Lakki Marwat district over the last one week.

Earlier this month, a terrorist was killed and a police constable was killed when terrorists attacked a police check-post in the Shahbazkhel area of the district.

The surge in militant attacks comes amid rising presence of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in the country.

In its annual report, the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) said the Pakistan security forces lost at least 282 personnel during 2022 in attacks, whicg included IED ambushes, suicide attacks, and raids on security posts, mostly in the Pakistan-Afghan border regions.

"The year 2022 ended with the deadliest month (thus far) for Pakistan's security personnel over a decade, with the emergence of a new terror triad comprising TTP, Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and Daesh-Afghanistan as the biggest threat to the country," the CRSS report said.

December 2022 alone saw 40 fatalities as it became the year's deadliest month. (ANI)
A man, identified as Sharbat Khan, and his son Noshaid Khan, were killed after assailants shot at them in North Waziristan's Datta Khel tehsil on Friday, the Dawn reported, adding that Sharbat's other son, Torab Khan, suffered injuries in the attack. According to officials, Sharbat was on his way home with his sons when the assailants opened fire on them. Sharbat and Noshaid were killed on the spot while Torab was injured. The attackers escaped the area after the attack. According to the Dawn report, the victims, from Dattakhel's Mama Ziayarat area, were shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital in Miramshah. The police registered a case and started an investigation. Recently, five soldiers were wounded in a suicide bombing attack on a security check post in the Ipi area in Mir Ali tehsil in North Waziristan, according to a report by The News International. According to the report, a vehicle loaded with explosives was used by the suicide bomber. The vehicle rammed into the wall of the security check post, the report said, adding that the area was cordoned off and a search operation was launched. The News International report said the wounded sepoys -- Sajid, Zakir Shah, Muhammad Usman, Muhammad Usman Ghani and Ahsan Naseer -- were rushed to a hospital. No terrorist group has, so far, taken responsibility for the attack. In the backdrop of the deteriorating law and order situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, several locals in South Waziristan recently staged massive protests in the tribal district and chanted slogans against a surge in terrorism in the tribal district, Geo News reported. The protests took place at Rustam Bazaar in Wana. The protesters included members of various political parties such as the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Awami National Party (ANP), National Democratic Movement (NDM), Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) and the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PKMAP). According to reports, the protesters carried banners and placards demanding that the government do the needful in maintaining law-and-order in the province, particularly in the merged tribal districts. (ANI)
Russia and China are expected to get closer in 2023, but it's unclear if this partnership will last. The relationship is getting unbalanced as China's economic and military capabilities are anticipated to increase in the years to come relative to Moscow's, Geo Politik reported. However, Moscow is deteriorating both absolutely and comparatively, favouring Beijing more and more while raising questions about potential future relationships. Russia is unquestionably the junior party in the partnership because its economy is just one-tenth the size of China's, the report said. This year's events have highlighted Russia's dependence as media reported quoting Western diplomatic sources that Xi had pushed Putin to postpone any escalation in Ukraine until after the 2022 Beijing Olympics. To support the assertion, the publication has cited circumstances made by the Western diplomat. In an apparent message to Beijing, Russia and Belarus launched joint training exercises called "Allied Resolve 2022," which finished on February 20--the day of the 2022 Beijing Olympics' closing ceremony. Additionally, Putin started the invasion on February 24, four days after the Olympics, which was arguably as soon as feasible but far enough away to allow for credible denial,Geo Politik reported. China may have hindered Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but this year saw unparalleled military progress between the two nations. In what seems to be a first for the two nations in the post- Cold War period, Chinese and Russian forces performed a combined bomber patrol and landed at each other's airfields in late November. During the Quad meeting in May, China and Russia jointly flew bomber patrols. Russian naval troops were joined by an ostensibly uninvited Chinese Dongdiao-class auxiliary general intelligence (AGI) vessel during the Vostok 2018 military drills.However, Chinese ships took part formally in the Vostok exercises in September of 2022, four years later. The People's Liberation Army dispatched three military branches to a single Russian practise for the first time during Vostok 2022, according to the Global Times. The Geo-Politik report further states that as long as Russia is involved in a military confrontation in Ukraine, the two sides will likely continue to reject any kind of official military partnership. However, the two sides are intensifying their military collaboration, making it more difficult for the Quad and US allies, particularly Japan, to plan. In this case, Moscow seems even more vulnerable to China's wishes as the exports from Russia to China represented 4.4 per cent of the Russian GDP in 2021, as the Russian GDP declines itself and trade with the West also declines, that percentage may likely surpass five per cent. Although China may not even bother in this case as Russia's economy is just one-tenth of China's. The dependence of Russia on China goes even further as Russia will depend on China for its technological needs after getting secluded by the west because of its ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. According to Geo Politik a blog informing about key developments including in Asia More than 30% of Russian IT professionals, according to some estimates; the previous CEO of Yandex, perhaps the most successful IT business in Russia, currently resides in Israel. Further, it will be depending on the Asian country for semiconductors, 5G, and other technologies since it is unwilling to buy technology from the West and cannot develop it by itself. And the longer the Russia-Ukraine conflict continues more the Russian economy declines. (ANI)
Punjab's Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) spokesperson said that they belonged to various banned religious organisations, including the proscribed militant group Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Dawn newspaper reported.

The statement added that said the terrorists had "planned to sabotage the province and wanted to target important installations and other religious places". The Dawn report said that weapons and explosives were recovered from the arrested suspects, including an improvised explosive device bomb.

The development comes a few days after the CTD arrested five suspected militants during intelligence-based operations across Punjab province.

The latest attack comes amid a surge in militancy across Pakistan after TTP called off its ceasefire agreement with the government on November 28 last year and ordered its militants to stage attacks across the country.

The year 2022 ended with the deadliest month for Pakistan's security personnel in over a decade, said an Islamabad-based think tank as it pointed to the emergence of TTP as the biggest threat to the country.

In its annual report, the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) said Pakistan security forces lost at least 282 personnel during 2022 in attacks that included IED ambushes, suicide attacks, and raids on security posts, mostly in the Pakistan-Afghan border regions.

"The year 2022 ended with the deadliest month (thus far) for Pakistan's security personnel over a decade, with the emergence of a new terror triad comprising TTP, Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and Daesh-Afghanistan as the biggest threat to the country," the CRSS report said. (ANI)
China denies Tibet's ancient individual existence, claiming it to be a part of the mainland, the Tibet Press has claimed, adding that the legitimacy of its claims is based on an illegal agreement in 1951. The Agreement on Measures for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet, also known as the 17 Point Agreement, was signed on May 23, 1951 by a person devoid of legitimate authority to represent Tibet, the Tibet Press has reported. According to the Tibet Press, China had pledged to keep Tibet's traditional and religious integrity and local ethnic groups' local practices unhindered. The questioned agreement was signed through coercive means and is devoid of any legal legitimacy, the report further reads. Non-compliance with the agreement, however, caused the Tibetan uprising of 1959 which was crushed and also forced the 14th Dalai Lama to flee to India with his followers, it states. "Although China undermined the pact through which it derives its legitimacy over Tibet but has also manifested to rid clear of any Tibetan aspirations of a liberated future. By introducing Communist policies, enforcing regressive sensitisation measures and by forcefully assimilating its ethnic population in Tibetan regions, the Chinese authorities have attempted to cleanse Tibetan culture from the sacred lands," the Tibet Press states. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has always attempted to declare a successor to the 14th Dalai Lama, as it is a crucial attempt on the part of China to integrate Tibet with itself, the report further states. Further, according to the Tibet Press, "The Tawang district in Arunachal Pradesh signifies great value for Tibet and Buddhism. Tawang has been native to the oldest and second biggest monastery in Asia where the Sixth Dalai Lama, Tsangyang Gyatso, was born in 1683. These cultural roots have led many Lamas to believe that the next Dalai Lama would very well emerge out of the Tawang." The alleged mistreatment of Tibetans and other minorities by China has gathered international attention. According to the Tibet Press report, the US, on various occasions, has stated that China has been implementing a genocidal policy against the Uyghurs and other minorities, including Turkic-speaking residents. The US imposed sanctions against two senior Chinese officials over allegations of their serious violations of human rights in the Tibet region. These allegations were of tortured killings of prisoners and forced sterilisation of masses. (ANI)
Tomomi Shimizu, a famous writer and illustrator in Japan, has produced a new manga booklet depicting the experiences of an ethnic Uzbek woman forced to teach Mandarin to Uyghur detainees in 're-education' camps in China's Xinjiang region, US-based non-profit news service, Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported. Shimizu has portrayed the experiences of female survivors of Xinjiang's detention camps. The vast network of detention camps are believed to have held up to 1.8 million Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities. Shimizu's latest work focuses on Qelbinur Sidiq, 53, also known as Kalbinur Sidik, who taught Mandarin Chinese at an elementary school in Xinjiang's capital Urumqi for nearly three decades. Sidiq was in 2017, forced by Chinese authorities to teach Mandarin in Xinjiang's "re-education" camp system. As a result of the government campaign to suppress the birth rates of Muslim women in Xinjiang, Sidiq also underwent forced abortion and sterilization, according to RFA. Shimizu released her latest work in December 2022 based on the testimony given by Sidiq at an independent people's tribunal in London in 2021. "I was shocked when I learned of the Uyghurs' situation and thought it was important to let many people know of their situation to rescue the people in the [internment] camps. I also thought that if I illustrated their harsh experiences with easy-to-understand manga, the world would understand it better," Shimizu said, as quoted by RFA. Sidif experienced torture and rape at the two detention camps in Xinjiang. She testified about the same in June 2021. Her statements contradicted Beijing's claims that the facilities were voluntary "vocational centres" where "students" were treated humanely. The tribunal in December 2021, announced its findings that China committed genocide against Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in Xinjiang. Some 55 Uyghur organizations, recently, called on world leaders to recognize December 9 as Uyghur Genocide Recognition Day, reported Radio Free Asia (RFA). Uyghur organizations from 20 countries asked global leaders to take action to end the Chinese government's human rights atrocities against the predominantly Muslim Uyghurs "By declaring this day as Uyghur Genocide Recognition Day, we want to draw the international community's attention to this ongoing genocide. By commemorating the day, we want to mobilize countries, peoples and international organizations to stop the genocide," the president of the World Uyghur Congress (WUC), Dolkun Isa said. (ANI)
As militancy continues to rise in Pakistan, Bannu and Dera Ismail Khan regions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province has witnessed more attacks compared to other divisions of the province in the last few months. The prime target of the attacks remained police and security forces in North and South Waziristan, Bannu, Lakki Marwat, Dera Ismail Khan districts of the DIK and Bannu division, The News International newspaper reported. In a matter of few months, attacks were reported in Peshawar, Khyber as well as a few districts of Malakand and Kohat divisions. According to the Pakistani newspaper, most attacks were carried out on police stations, posts and patrolling vehicles or the policemen fell victim to target killing. This comes as rising militancy in the country, led by outlawed TTP. On Friday, thousands of people took to the streets in Wana city against the recent wave of "terrorism" and demanded the immediate restoration of peace in the region. Political workers, social activists and traders attended the peace march organised in South Waziristan's Wana, the Dawn reported. The report said demonstrators chanted slogans against the "fresh wave of terrorism" in the region, particularly in the tribal districts. Leaders of PPP, PTM and PML-N, who addressed the rally, said the government was responsible for establishing regional safety and security. The protest comes with the deteriorating security situation in the country, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, with the growing presence of the outlawed TTP in Pakistan. Over the past few months, Pakistan's law and order situation has worsened, with terrorist groups like the outlawed TTP and the Islamic State group executing attacks with near impunity across the country. The year 2022 ended with the deadliest month for Pakistan's security personnel in over a decade, said an Islamabad-based think tank as it pointed to the emergence of TTP as the biggest threat to the country. In its annual report, the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) said Pakistan security forces lost at least 282 personnel during 2022 in attacks that included IED ambushes, suicide attacks, and raids on security posts, mostly in the Pakistan-Afghan border regions. (ANI)
China has said it will no longer impose criminal charges on those violating Covid-19 "prevention and control measures or provisions on frontier health and quarantine" starting January 8, the Chinese state media reported citing circular released by authorities on Saturday. "Relevant cases in the process of handling should be handled in a timely and prompt manner in accordance with provisions of the Criminal Law and the Criminal Procedure Law," the document read, according to Xinhua news agency. The circular adds that suspects and defendants in custody for such violations should be released in accordance with the laws, and properties involved in the cases that are sealed up, seized, or frozen should be freed. On January 8, China will downgrade its management of COVID-19 from Class A to Class B, and remove COVID-19 from its list of quarantinable infectious diseases, according to Xinhua. This comes as a major outbreak has ripped through China's urban centers in the wake of an abrupt relaxation of disease control last month, CNN reported. The World Health Organization (WHO) officials have become increasingly vocal in their calls for reliable information. The UN health agency has even accused China of "under-representing" the severity of its Covid outbreak and criticized its "narrow" definition of what constitutes a Covid death. WHO executive director for health emergencies Mike Ryan said the numbers released by China "under-represent the true impact of the disease" in terms of hospital and ICU admissions, as well as deaths, CNN reported. Mike acknowledged that many countries have seen lags in reporting hospital data, but pointed to China's "narrow" definition of a Covid death as part of the issue. Dismissing the criticism, the Chinese Foreign Ministry this week said that the country has always shared epidemic information "in a timely, open and transparent manner" and insisted its Covid situation was "under control." (ANI)
Concerns over Chinese spyware have prompted intelligence officials in the UK to strip back government and diplomatic vehicles, leading to the discovery of at least one SIM card capable of transmitting location data, according to British media outlet inews.co.uk. Citing a serving security source, investigative reporter Richard Holmes, in an exclusive report, said the device, which had been placed inside a sealed part imported from a Chinese supplier. The tracking sims were reportedly installed by the vehicle manufacturer, and were found during a sweep that uncovered 'disturbing things'. The report said Chinese officials have dismissed the allegations as 'groundless and sheer rumour'. "We are firmly opposed to political manipulation on normal economic and trade cooperation or any smear on Chinese enterprises," the Chinese official said. The discovery raises national security concerns and has spurred calls from British politicians for a swift review into the "systemic threat" posed by Chinese intelligence, the inews.co.uk reported. "It (the tracking SIMs) gives the ability to survey government over a period of months and years, constantly filing movements, constantly building up a rich picture of activity," a source told the British publication, adding, "You can do it slowly and methodically over a very, very long time. That's the vulnerability." As per the report, searches were conducted due to fears that Russian intelligence and Chinese services have been targeting UK ministers. Senior Conservative MP Sir Iain Duncan Smith, said: "I don't know how much more the UK needs to know about the threat China poses to us all. Surely it is time to change the integrated review and refer to China as a systemic threat", according to inews.co.uk. The potential threat is 'huge' because foreign intelligence services look to exploit 'backdoors' with Chinese technology, according to a former UK intelligence officer. "Can the Chinese track our politicians if they want to? Yes. Can the Russians track our politicians if they want to? Yes. Can they listen to what they're up to in the cars? If they're tracking them, and they want to do that, of course they can," he told the UK publication. This report comes amid growing security concerns over China in the Rishi Sunak-led UK. Earlier, in November, the United Kingdom removed China's nuclear firm CGN from the construction of its Sizewell C nuclear power station, British media reported. The announcement followed after UK PM Rishi Sunak announced that the 'golden era' of UK-China relations was 'over'. Sunak stressed that China posed a 'systemic challenge' to Britain's interests and values. (ANI)
Guyana President Mohamed Irfaan Ali is set to arrive in India on Sunday to attend the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention, the Ministry of External Affairs said in the media advisory. During his visit to India from January 8-14, he will travel to six cities - Delhi, Indore, Bengaluru, Kanpur, Agra and Mumbai. Mohamed Irfaan Ali is the Chief Guest at the 17th edition of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas scheduled to be held in Madhya Pradesh's Indore from January 8-10. He will arrive in New Delhi on January 8 and will emplane for Indore at 10:30 am, the Ministry of External Affairs said in the media advisory. During his visit to Indore, Mohamed Irfaan Ali will hold a meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on January 8. On 9 January, Mohamed Irfaan Ali will attend the inaugural session of the 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) Convention 2023. The PBD Convention will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi that will feature addresses by the Chief Guest Mohamed Irfaan Ali and the Special Guest of Honour, Suriname President Chandrikapersad Santokhi. Mohamed Irfaan Ali will also hold a meeting with PM Narendra Modi on January 9. More than 3,500 diaspora members from nearly 70 countries have registered for the PBD Convention, the Ministry of External Affairs said in the press release. On January 8, the Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas inauguration will be held in partnership with the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. A Commemorative Postal Stamp 'Surakshit Jaayen, Prashikshit Jaayen' will be released to highlight the importance of safe, legal, orderly and skilled migration, according to the press release. PM Narendra Modi will inaugurate the first-ever digital Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Exhibition on the theme "Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav - Contribution of Diaspora in Indian Freedom Struggle" to showcase the contribution of diaspora freedom fighters in India's Independence. Furthermore, a special town hall will be held in view of India's ongoing presidency of the G20 on January 9. On January 10, Mohamed Irfaan Ali will hold a meeting with President Droupadi Murmu, according to the media advisory. On the same day, he will attend the valedictory session and the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Samman awards ceremony. President Murmu will present the awards at the PBD Convention in Indore. On January 11, Mohamed Irfaan Ali will attend the programme in Indore. After attending the programme, he will emplane for Agra. He will participate in the programme in Agra and travel to Delhi on January 12. Guyana's President will attend the programme in Delhi and emplane for Kanpur on January 13. After attending a programme in Kanpur, he will travel to Bengaluru. He will attend the event in Bengaluru and emplane for Mumbai. He will depart from Mumbai on January 14. (ANI)
Suriname President Chandrikapersad Santokhi arrived at the airport in Indore to attend the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention. Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra, Water Resources Minister Tulsi Silawat and other officials received Santokhi at the airport. Chandrikapersad Santokhi is the special guest of honour at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) Convention. The 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention is scheduled to be held in Indore from January 8-10. The theme of this PBD Convention is "Diaspora: Reliable partners for India's progress in Amrit Kaal," the Ministry of External Affairs said in the press release. During his visit to Indore, Chandrikapersad Santokhi will hold a meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on January 8. Jaishankar and Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan also arrived at the Indore Airport on January 7 to attend the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention. On January 9, the PBD Convention will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi that will feature addresses by the Chief Guest Mohamed Irfaan Ali, Guyana's President and the Special Guest of Honour, Chandrikapersad Santokhi, Suriname President. Furthermore, Santokhi will hold a meeting with PM Narendra Modi. Chandrikapersad Santokhi will also hold a meeting with President Droupadi Murmu on January 10, as per the media advisory. He will attend the valedictory session and the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman awards ceremony. He will attend the programme in Indore on January 11, according to the media advisory released by the Ministry of External Affairs. On January 12, Chandrikapersad Santokhi will travel to Ahmedabad to attend various programmes. He will return to New Delhi on January 13 and participate in various events. He is scheduled to depart from India on January 14. More than 3,500 diaspora members from nearly 70 countries have registered for the PBD Convention, the Ministry of External Affairs said in the press release. On January 8, the inauguration of the Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas will be held in partnership with the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. Australian Member of Parliament Zaneta Mascarenhas will be the Guest of Honour at the Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas A Commemorative Postal Stamp 'Surakshit Jaayen, Prashikshit Jaayen' will be released to highlight the importance of safe, legal, orderly and skilled migration, according to the press release. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the first-ever digital Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Exhibition on the theme "Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav - Contribution of Diaspora in Indian Freedom Struggle" to showcase the contribution of diaspora freedom fighters in India's Independence Furthermore, a special town hall will be held in view of India's ongoing presidency of the G20 on January 9. On January 10, President Droupadi Murmu will confer Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards 2023 and preside over the valedictory session. Notably, the PBD convention is being organised in person after a gap of four years and the first after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The previous edition of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas was held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (ANI)
Police lights

Police arrested three adults from Tennessee on six felony charges after they were found at a motel with a girl reported missing from Arizona, authorities announced on Wednesday.

Kimberly M. Aldridge, 29, George R. Johnson, 34, and Leslie Johnson, 74, were booked into the Apache County Jail on sexual exploitation of a minor, aggravated lure of a minor for sexual exploitation, kidnapping, custodial interference, conspiracy, misconduct involving weapons and facilitation, according to police.

Springerville police on Dec. 31 received a report about a runaway girl whose mother suspected she was conversing with unknown adults on social media, the Police Department said.

An investigation led officers to a local hotel where, with the assistance of county sheriff's deputies and Eagar police, the girl and the three suspects were found, authorities said.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 3 charged in missing Arizona girl case
Five people, including three juveniles, were found dead inside a home in High Point, N.C., early Saturday morning, authorities said.

The incident was being investigated as a possible murder-suicide, Capt. Matt Truitt of the High Point Police Department said.

Shortly after 7 a.m., officers responded to a call on the 2700 block of Mossy Meadow Drive in reference to two people screaming for help, Truitt said in a news release.

Once the officers arrived, the two adults, one male and one female, said that they needed help, Truitt said. Investigators then forced entry into the home and found the five victims  three juveniles and two adults.

All of the victims were pronounced dead at the scene, Truitt said.

No further information was released to protect the investigation, he said, but police were not aware of any threats to the community.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Students and police gather outside of Richneck Elementary School after a shooting on Jan. 6, 2023, in Newport News, Virginia. Billy Schuerman / AP

A 6-year-old shot his teacher in class during an "altercation," leaving her with life-threatening injuries, police in Virginia said Friday.

The teacher at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News was transported to the hospital and has since made "some improvement," Police Chief Steve Drew told reporters at a news conference. The shooting, he added, was not accidental and the first-grade student was taken into custody.

Newport News's mayor, Phillip Jones, said he could "not be prouder" of the town's public servants, who responded quickly to the shooting.

"It's a dark day for Newport News," Jones said. "We're going to learn from this and we're going to come back stronger."

George Parker, the superintendent of Newport News's schools, told reporters that students got an unwelcome education in gun violence on Friday.

"We need community support to make sure guns are not available to youth," Parker said. "I'm sounding like a broken record today because I continue to reiterate that. We need to keep the guns out of the hands of our young people."

Parker said Richneck Elementary School has metal detector capability that is used randomly.

"I'm in awe and I'm in shock," Parker said about a 6-year-old shooting a teacher. "And I'm disheartened. And I really feel that we need to educate our children and we need to keep them safe."

Richneck Elementary School will not be in session Monday, Parker added.
Today we'll do a simple run through of a valuation method used to estimate the attractiveness of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) as an investment opportunity by taking the expected future cash flows and discounting them to today's value. We will take advantage of the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model for this purpose. Before you think you won't be able to understand it, just read on! It's actually much less complex than you'd imagine.

Companies can be valued in a lot of ways, so we would point out that a DCF is not perfect for every situation. Anyone interested in learning a bit more about intrinsic value should have a read of the Simply Wall St analysis model.

Check out our latest analysis for Abbott Laboratories

The Method

We're using the 2-stage growth model, which simply means we take in account two stages of company's growth. In the initial period the company may have a higher growth rate and the second stage is usually assumed to have a stable growth rate. To begin with, we have to get estimates of the next ten years of cash flows. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years.

A DCF is all about the idea that a dollar in the future is less valuable than a dollar today, so we discount the value of these future cash flows to their estimated value in today's dollars:

10-year free cash flow (FCF) forecast

2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 Levered FCF ($, Millions) US$8.79b US$9.01b US$10.3b US$11.0b US$13.7b US$15.1b US$16.2b US$17.2b US$18.0b US$18.7b Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x7 Analyst x6 Analyst x2 Analyst x2 Analyst x1 Est @ 10.04% Est @ 7.62% Est @ 5.93% Est @ 4.74% Est @ 3.91% Present Value ($, Millions) Discounted @ 7.5% US$8.2k US$7.8k US$8.3k US$8.3k US$9.6k US$9.8k US$9.8k US$9.7k US$9.4k US$9.1k

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)

Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = US$90b

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We now need to calculate the Terminal Value, which accounts for all the future cash flows after this ten year period. The Gordon Growth formula is used to calculate Terminal Value at a future annual growth rate equal to the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield of 2.0%. We discount the terminal cash flows to today's value at a cost of equity of 7.5%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2032  (1 + g)  (r  g) = US$19b (1 + 2.0%)  (7.5% 2.0%) = US$348b

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= US$348b ( 1 + 7.5%)10= US$169b

The total value, or equity value, is then the sum of the present value of the future cash flows, which in this case is US$259b. To get the intrinsic value per share, we divide this by the total number of shares outstanding. Relative to the current share price of US$112, the company appears a touch undervalued at a 24% discount to where the stock price trades currently. The assumptions in any calculation have a big impact on the valuation, so it is better to view this as a rough estimate, not precise down to the last cent.

dcf

Important Assumptions

The calculation above is very dependent on two assumptions. The first is the discount rate and the other is the cash flows. You don't have to agree with these inputs, I recommend redoing the calculations yourself and playing with them. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at Abbott Laboratories as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 7.5%, which is based on a levered beta of 0.913. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility, compared to the market as a whole. We get our beta from the industry average beta of globally comparable companies, with an imposed limit between 0.8 and 2.0, which is a reasonable range for a stable business.

SWOT Analysis for Abbott Laboratories

Strength

Earnings growth over the past year exceeded the industry.

Debt is not viewed as a risk.

Dividends are covered by earnings and cash flows.

Weakness

Earnings growth over the past year is below its 5-year average.

Dividend is low compared to the top 25% of dividend payers in the Medical Equipment market.

Opportunity

Annual earnings are forecast to grow for the next 4 years.

Good value based on P/E ratio and estimated fair value.

Threat

Annual earnings are forecast to grow slower than the American market.

Moving On:

Valuation is only one side of the coin in terms of building your investment thesis, and it shouldn't be the only metric you look at when researching a company. The DCF model is not a perfect stock valuation tool. Instead the best use for a DCF model is to test certain assumptions and theories to see if they would lead to the company being undervalued or overvalued. For example, changes in the company's cost of equity or the risk free rate can significantly impact the valuation. Can we work out why the company is trading at a discount to intrinsic value? For Abbott Laboratories, we've compiled three further items you should look at:

Risks: We feel that you should assess the 1 warning sign for Abbott Laboratories we've flagged before making an investment in the company. Future Earnings: How does ABT's growth rate compare to its peers and the wider market? Dig deeper into the analyst consensus number for the upcoming years by interacting with our free analyst growth expectation chart. Other Solid Businesses: Low debt, high returns on equity and good past performance are fundamental to a strong business. Why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals to see if there are other companies you may not have considered!

PS. The Simply Wall St app conducts a discounted cash flow valuation for every stock on the NYSE every day. If you want to find the calculation for other stocks just search here.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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A Coarsegold man who was already in the Fresno County jail for one alleged murder has been charged with two more killings, the Fresno County District Attorneys Office announced Friday.

Andrew Levi Hammond, 27, is accused of being responsible for the deaths of 41-year-old Fernando Gonzales on September 28, 2020; 47-year-old Steven Rice on October 21, 2022 and Brandon Munoz, 39, on November 2, 2022. All of the murdered men were from Fresno and died by gunshot.

Hammond faces life in prison without the possibility of parole, or the death penalty, if he is convicted of all the charges.

The District Attorneys Office is reviewing the possibility of seeking the death penalty.

Police said Gonzales was shot and killed during a disturbance that broke out at a family function at a home near the 4600 block of East Washington Ave.

Rice was killed while in a garage at a home near Indianapolis and Sherman avenues. Police said Rice was with two other men when the alleged shooter, Hammond, came up to him and shot him.

The last killing happened in a house on Anna Avenue near Gettysburg Avenue and Fresno Street. Police found Munoz suffering from a gunshot would. He died at the scene.

Police had initially responded to the home after getting a report that someone was injured inside.

Hammond is scheduled to be arraigned on Jan. 11 in Department 11.
It is a pleasure to report that the African Gold Limited (ASX:A1G) is up 36% in the last quarter. But that doesn't change the reality of under-performance over the last twelve months. The cold reality is that the stock has dropped 53% in one year, under-performing the market.

While the stock has risen 13% in the past week but long term shareholders are still in the red, let's see what the fundamentals can tell us.

View our latest analysis for African Gold

African Gold hasn't yet reported any revenue, so it's as much a business idea as an actual business. You have to wonder why venture capitalists aren't funding it. As a result, we think it's unlikely shareholders are paying much attention to current revenue, but rather speculating on growth in the years to come. For example, investors may be hoping that African Gold finds some valuable resources, before it runs out of money.

Companies that lack both meaningful revenue and profits are usually considered high risk. There is usually a significant chance that they will need more money for business development, putting them at the mercy of capital markets to raise equity. So the share price itself impacts the value of the shares (as it determines the cost of capital). While some such companies go on to make revenue, profits, and generate value, others get hyped up by hopeful naifs before eventually going bankrupt. It certainly is a dangerous place to invest, as African Gold investors might realise.

When it reported in June 2022 African Gold had minimal cash in excess of all liabilities consider its expenditure: just AU$386k to be specific. So if it has not already moved to replenish reserves, we think the near-term chances of a capital raising event are pretty high. With that in mind, you can understand why the share price dropped 53% in the last year. You can see in the image below, how African Gold's cash levels have changed over time (click to see the values).

Of course, the truth is that it is hard to value companies without much revenue or profit. What if insiders are ditching the stock hand over fist? It would bother me, that's for sure. You can click here to see if there are insiders selling.

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What About The Total Shareholder Return (TSR)?

We'd be remiss not to mention the difference between African Gold's total shareholder return (TSR) and its share price return. The TSR attempts to capture the value of dividends (as if they were reinvested) as well as any spin-offs or discounted capital raisings offered to shareholders. We note that African Gold's TSR, at -43% is higher than its share price return of -53%. When you consider it hasn't been paying a dividend, this data suggests shareholders have benefitted from a spin-off, or had the opportunity to acquire attractively priced shares in a discounted capital raising.

A Different Perspective

The last twelve months weren't great for African Gold shares, which performed worse than the market, costing holders 43%. The market shed around 1.8%, no doubt weighing on the stock price. The three-year loss of 8% per year isn't as bad as the last twelve months, suggesting that the company has not been able to convince the market it has solved its problems. We would be wary of buying into a company with unsolved problems, although some investors will buy into struggling stocks if they believe the price is sufficiently attractive. While it is well worth considering the different impacts that market conditions can have on the share price, there are other factors that are even more important. For instance, we've identified 6 warning signs for African Gold (5 shouldn't be ignored) that you should be aware of.

We will like African Gold better if we see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out this free list of growing companies with considerable, recent, insider buying.

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on AU exchanges.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Getty

Al Qaeda is planning to announce a fake cause of death for former leader Ayman al Zawahiri, who was already killed by a U.S. airstrike, according to senior sources in the jihadi movement.

Under the plan, al Qaeda would announce that Zawahiri died from ill-health, even though Joe Biden held a press conference to say that Osama bin Ladens successor had been taken out by a precision strike on an upmarket district of Kabul six months ago.

When the U.S. eliminated bin Laden in 2011 in a night raid on his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, al Qaeda acknowledged his death within four days and Zawahiri became the new General Emir of al Qaeda.

Joe Biden announced that he authorized the killing of Ayman al Zawahiri a day after he was hit by a drone strike. Pool

Sources close to al Qaeda told The Daily Beast that the Taliban has begged al Qaeda not to confirm or deny Zawahiris death. Hiding the martyrdom of Zawahiri is a result of secret understandings between the Taliban and al Qaeda, said a senior jihadist in the region.

The Taliban, which regained control of Afghanistan in August 2021, has been in total denial. After the strike, spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said they would carry out a full investigation into the July strike but there has still been no official word.

Did U.S. Chop Up al Qaeda Boss With Terrifying Top Secret Spinning Blades?

The attack was an embarrassment to the Taliban on many levels. The group had agreed to cut ties with al Qaeda during the Doha peace deal with the Trump Administration in 2019, so it was extremely awkward when it turned out the terror groups leader was living in one of the most luxurious neighborhoods in the capital city. From the perspective of other jihadis, the U.S. strike also clearly demonstrated that the Taliban was unable to offer protection.

A source close to jihadist elements said evidence has been uncovered that the CIA had even penetrated the property where Zawahiri was hiding, with alleged discoveries of spy cameras and other surveillance devices inside the houseeven in Zawahris bed. In September, the CIA revealed a very detailed model of the property in their museum in Virginia, which indicates the huge amount of information collected on the house.

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Whichever way you see it, the assassination left the Taliban even more isolated. Their first regime was overthrown by the U.S. in 2001 when Washington demanded they hand over Osama Bin Laden after 9/11 but they refused to do so.

Having lost one government due to al Qaeda, they are determined not to be destabilized by their fellow jihadis this time. Sources said the Haqqani Network, a semi-autonomous offshoot within the Taliban organization, has been lobbying al Qaeda to keep quiet.

Ayman al Zawahiri was a key al Qaeda operator during Osama bin Ladens leadership of the terror group. Visual News

Al Qaeda have been going along with the planreleasing supposedly new audio of Zawahri last montheven though attributing the emirs death to illness rather than the Americans would deny him the honor of martyrdom.

Zawahiri and Osama wished for martyrdom by infidels, both got their wish, but al Qaeda is hiding it to save the Taliban from disaster and consequences of having a top leadership presence in the Taliban capital, said a second senior jihadist source, who has met Zawahri.

A new leader has not yet been identified. Jihadist sources in the region told The Daily Beast that there are three members of al Qaeda in the running to become the new emir of the global organization; Saif al Adel, a veteran al Qaeda operative whos been wanted by the U.S. since 1998, Yasin al-Suri, reportedly a senior financier for the terror outfit based in Iran, and Zawahiris son-in-law Abdal Rahman al Maghrebi, a Moroccan national who lived in the house where Zawahiri was killed according to sources close to al Qaeda.

It is expected that the new emir will also be based in the Afghan-Pakistani-Iran region rather than the Arabian Peninsula since the Taliban now controls Afghanistan and the Tehreek Taliban Pakistan (TTP) are a growing presence in the tribal Pashtun areas of North-western Pakistan. Many senior Taliban and al Qaeda figures have hidden in the region for two decades despite the heavy American and allied presence.

Another former jihadist close to al Qaeda elements in the region says that the rush for Zawahiris successor has also been halted because of Taliban influence. The Taliban told al Qaeda, We once sacrificed our regime for al Qaeda. If al Qaeda confirms his death in the Kabul attack, it will embarrass the Taliban, so they are keeping the death and the successor hidden and plan to announce it as a natural death, he told The Daily Beast. Al Qaeda wanted to have a public funeral under the Islamic regime of Taliban, but the Taliban would not allow it.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Jan. 7Gov. Mike Dunleavy issued a memorandum Friday prohibiting the use of social media platform TikTok on state-owned devices. In doing so, Alaska follows in the footsteps of more than a dozen other states.

Several predominantly Republican-led states have banned the Chinese-owned social media platform on publicly owned devices, citing national security concerns.

Former President Donald Trump first attempted, unsuccessfully, to ban TikTok in 2020. Several states began banning the use of the app on state-owned devices last year after news broke that the Chinese-owned parent company of TikTok was accessing information on American users. Congress passed legislation last month to ban the use of the social media platform on devices owned by the federal government.

Friday's memorandum from Dunleavy to state department commissioners and executive staff states that TikTok "poses a clear risk to any network or user it touches."

"Use of TikTok on state-owned electronic devices or on private devices that are connected to state networks poses a risk that a foreign government may access confidential or private data from state agencies and employees," Dunleavy said in the memo, explaining his decision to ban the use of the app on state-owned devices or while using the state network.

[TikTok's addictive anti-aesthetic has already conquered culture]

Despite longstanding concern, TikTok has become an immensely popular social media platform, with 100 million users across the U.S.
An attorney for Infowars founder Alex Jones has been suspended from practicing law for six months after a judge determined he gave Sandy Hook families confidential medical records to people who werent authorized to have them.

Norman Pattis represented Jones in a defamation case in Connecticut brought by several families of the victims of the Sandy Hook shooting. The 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School left 26 people, including 20 children, dead.

Barbara Bellis, a superior court judge in Connecticut, ruled on Thursday that Pattis acted knowingly and intentionally in disregard of his obligations to respect a protective order from the court that designated the Sandy Hook families medical and mental health records as confidential.

The families medical records were reportedly passed to several other people connected to Joness various legal battles who were not authorized to access the documents.

The Connecticut plaintiffs sensitive information which should have been safeguarded and which was also protected by the court order was carelessly passed around from one unauthorized individual to another, without regard for the protective order, and with no effort to safeguard the Connecticut plaintiffs sensitive, confidential documents, Bellis said in her decision.

She added that, given Pattiss extensive experience practicing law in Connecticut for nearly 30 years, there is no acceptable excuse for his misconduct.

Jones, who spread false claims that the shooting was a hoax, was ordered to pay nearly $1.5 billion in damages to the Sandy Hook families in the Connecticut case. The Infowars founder was also ordered to pay another $50 million in damages to the parents of a Sandy Hook victim in a separate defamation case in Texas.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Three years ago almost to the day, Arik Matson cut short his dinner at a Waseca restaurant and sped in his police cruiser to a changed life.

A call had come in about a backyard prowler with a flashlight, and Arik, then 31 years old and wearing Waseca Police Department Badge 222, was going to check it out.

At home in nearby Freeborn, Arik's wife, Megan, about the same time was putting their two daughters to bed, Audrina, then 7 years old, and Maklynn, 5, and planning to turn in early herself.

None of them could have known that their lives were about to intersect with that of Tyler Robert Janovsky, 37, a "meth head'' as one cop would later describe him.

Janovsky was the guy in the backyard in the 900 block of Third Avenue S.E. in Waseca, and when Arik arrived along with two other officers, Janovsky climbed onto a garage roof and started shooting.

One round struck Arik in the head, shattering the right frontal lobe of his brain.

. . .

Arik was 9 years old when his uncle Paul Matson first took him duck hunting.

Maybe it was the smell of a dank marsh on an early morning. Or perhaps the sight of blue-winged teal cupping their wings over decoys.

Or simply the opportunity to be with his uncle.

Whatever it was, from that day forward, duck hunting became Arik's passion, so much so that years later, at Minnesota State Mankato, when he met Jeremy Henke in a class and the two became friends, Arik wanted to pass along what he had learned from his uncle.

"We were both studying law enforcement,'' Henke said. "When Arik graduated, he got hired as a deputy in Freeborn County, while I worked for a year as an officer in Lake Crystal. Then I got on as a deputy in Freeborn County as well.
A federal appeals court on Friday struck down a Trump-era rule that banned certain types of bump stocks, which can be added to semi-automatic weapons to increase their firing rate.

The 2018 rule from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) was instituted in the wake of the October 2017 shooting in Las Vegas. The gunman used weapons equipped with bump stocks to kill 58 people and injure at least 850 more. It remains the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.

The rule has survived several other challenges in court and was initially upheld by a three-judge panel at the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. However, the full court voted to rehear the case and overturned the panels decision.

At the center of the lawsuit is the specific language of a federal ban on machine guns, particularly its definition of a machine gun as a weapon that fires more than one shot automatically with a single function of the trigger.

Before the 2017 shooting, ATF maintained that there was a difference between mechanical and non-mechanical bump stocks, which meant mechanical bump stocks were categorized as machine guns while their non-mechanical counterparts were not.

In 2018, ATF changed its position to categorize non-mechanical bump stocks as machine guns as well, arguing that a single function of the trigger means a single pull of the trigger.

Bump stocks allow semi-automatic weapons to fire more than one shot with a single pull of the trigger by using the guns recoil energy to reset the trigger without additional physical manipulation of the trigger by the shooter, according to ATF.

However, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals argued in Fridays ruling that the statutes language only refers to the movement of the trigger itself and not the action of the shooter.

[There] is no mention of a shooter. The grammatical structure continuously points the reader back to the mechanics of the firearm, the court said. The statute does not care what human input is required to activate the triggerit cares only whether more than one shot is fired each time the trigger acts.

The federal appeals court also found that the non-mechanical bump stock is not self-acting and cant be considered automatic because it requires a particular technique from the shooter.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Apple has reportedly canceled the development of a new iPhone SE . According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the company recently told suppliers it would not release a fourth-generation SE model sometime in 2024. In a Medium post spotted by MacRumors , Kuo said the device would have been the debut of Apples first in-house 5G modem, adding that the company had planned to test and fine-tune the chip on the SE before rolling it out more broadly to the iPhone 16 and beyond. Instead, Kuo suggests Apple is now more likely to continue using Qualcomm modems through 2024.

Kuo doesnt say why Apple shelved the fourth-generation iPhone SE or if the performance of its own 5G chip had anything to do with the decision. For the better part of a decade, Apple has tried to reduce its dependence on Qualcomm. In 2019, the two ended their bitter patent feud and signed a multiyear wireless chip supply deal . Months later, however, Apple bought the majority of Intels mobile modem business. Then, at the end of 2020, the company disclosed it was working on its own cellular chipset . Theres been little news about the project since.
A man was taken to the hospital after being shot multiple times Friday night.

Atlanta police said at 8:44 p.m., officers responded to reports of a person who was shot on Magnolia Way.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

When officers arrived, authorities said officers found a 27-year-old man with multiple gunshot wounds.

The victim was taken to the hospital and is in critical condition.

TRENDING STORIES:

According to the preliminary investigation, the victim was shot after fighting with an unknown man. Officials said the fight escalated to shots being fired.

The victims identity has not been released.

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It is unclear if police have taken anyone into custody and if there are any leads in the investigation.

The investigation remains ongoing.

IN OTHER NEWS:
(Getty Images)

Australia reduced South Africa to 149 for six at the close of play on the fourth day of the rain-disrupted third test on Saturday after declaring on 475-4 in pursuit of a victory that would give them a 3-0 series sweep.

The poor weather that had washed out the best part of two days of the match finally relented at lunch and Australia immediately declared to allow the bowlers as much time as possible to dismiss the tourists twice.

Skipper Pat Cummins (3-29) and Josh Hazlewood (2-19) rose to the task with some ferocious pace bowling as the hosts broke South African resistance every time a partnership looked like developing.

Marco Jansen, who had made 10 not out, and Simon Harmer, unbeaten on six, will resume on Sunday as South Africa, still 126 runs short of avoiding the follow-on, look to bat out the final day to force a draw.

Hazlewood said Australia were confident of being able to take 14 wickets to claim the victory and said it would be a big day for spin bowlers Nathan Lyon and Ashton Agar.

The follow-on is 275, so hopefully we can keep them under that and then go again, he said. The wicket should offer a bit of up and down for the quicks and spin out of the rough.

Cumminss decision to declare had left the unfortunate Usman Khawaja stranded five runs short of his maiden test double century, on 195 not out.

Khawajas tally was 164 more runs than Dean Elgar had managed in four innings in the series so far and the South Africa captain continued his poor run of form by gloving a short Hazlewood delivery behind for 15.

South Africa survived the remainder of the early pace offensive but Sarel Erwee followed his opening partner back to the dressing room for 18 when he left a Lyon delivery that clipped the side of his off stump.

Heinrich Klaasen departed for two in the next over, also gloving behind, to give Cummins his first wicket but the tourists held on to reach the tea break at 71 for three.

Temba Bavuma edged a Hazlewood delivery behind to depart for 35 to break up his promising stand with Khaya Zondo, who had made 39 when he was trapped lbw by a Cummins yorker in a decision confirmed by DRS.

Story continues

Kyle Verreynne, South Africas best performer with the bat over a miserable series for the tourists, departed for 19 in a late pace barrage, Cummins inducing a stab at the ball which Steve Smith snaffled up in the slips.

Oohs and aahs echoed around the Sydney Cricket Ground in the evening gloom as Cummins and Hazlewood sought to make further inroads into the South African batting order but Jansen and Harmer held firm.

Weve got a day to bat, said Zondo. Weve done it before and we can do it again.

Its not been the greatest of tours but the guys are still in good spirits.

Australia have already locked up the series after comprehensive victories in Brisbane and Melbourne but need to win the final match to be certain of qualifying for this years World Test Championship final.

Their hopes of that win took a blow when bad light forced an early end to play on the second day of the match on Thursday, and Fridays third day was entirely washed out by the heavy rain sweeping in from the Pacific Ocean.

The start to day four on Saturday was delayed by light rain but the skies cleared to allow the resumption of play and the forecast for day five promises clear skies and sunshine.

Reuters
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Saturday he would travel to Papua New Guinea this week in a bid to boost bilateral ties and aid "friendship" in the Pacific region.

Speaking to media in the city of Geelong, in Victoria state, Albanese said he would address PNG's parliament in the country's capital Port Moresby on Thursday.

Albanese would be the first non-PNG leader to address the Pacific Island nation's parliament, he said.

"I want to thank Australia's great friend Prime Minister (James) Marape on giving not just me, but I believe Australia, that great honour," Albanese said, speaking alongside Defence Minister Richard Marles.

On the trip, Albanese said discussions would cover the countries' economic and security relationship, support for PNG's economic development and Australia "advancing our friendship in the region," especially on the issue of climate change.

Australia's centre-left Labor government is negotiating a defence pact with PNG, its closest neighbour to the north, and has recently boosted its diplomacy in the Pacific islands amid competition with China for influence in the region.

Australia has previously said it wants to strike an "ambitious" security treaty with PNG that will see navy, air force and army personnel from each nation working alongside each other more often.

Albanese in December deferred a visit to PNG until early this year after testing positive for COVID-19.

Also on Saturday, Albanese said the government remained on a "very positive" footing with the United States on the AUKUS security pact, which remained on its "optimal pathway."

AUKUS, an agreement between the U.S., United Kingdom and Australia, is a plan to provide Australia with the technology and capability to operate conventionally armed nuclear-powered submarines.

Albanese's comments come after reports this week of concerns from two senior U.S. politicians that the deal would damage America's industrial base.

"One of the reasons both the U.S. and UK are doing this is because it's in their strategic interest to have Australia with this capability," Marles told reporters.

(Reporting by Sam McKeith; Editing by Chris Reese)
Jan. 6A Boulder Barnes & Noble employee has been released from the hospital after police say the man was stabbed while confronting the suspect about stealing a package of gummy bears.

Boulder police were contacted at 3:06 p.m. Thursday to the bookstore, located at 2999 Pearl St., after employees called 911 to report the stabbing.

According to an affidavit, the 52-year-old male employee confronted the suspect, later identified as Scott Schwelling, 42, after another employee said he saw Schwelling steal a package of gummy bear candies.

The employee told police he confronted Schwelling outside the store, and that Schwelling became "aggressive" and got "in his face." The employee said he backed up and shoved Schwelling away and that Schwelling then came back and stabbed at him twice, hitting him once in the stomach and once on a belt.

The employee was taken to the hospital where doctors said he suffered one puncture wound half to three-quarters of an inch in length with an unknown depth. The employee received five staples to close the wound and was released later that day.

According to the affidavit, Schwelling was taken into custody at 2555 30th St. about a minute after the stabbing based on witness descriptions.

Schwelling reportedly told police he was in the Barnes & Noble but denied taking anything. He said the employee put his hands around Schwelling's neck and that he "hit" him with some wire cutters in self-defense.

Schwelling, who is identified in court documents as a Boulder resident, is facing one count of first-degree assault. He does have a criminal history in Colorado that includes prior convictions for possession of controlled substances, criminal mischief and DUI.

At the time of his arrest he also had an outstanding warrant for failing to appear in a 2022 Boulder County harassment case.

A booking photo was not yet available.

"I appreciate the quick response to this scary situation outside popular retail stores here in Boulder," Boulder District Attorney Michael Dougherty said. "Fortunately, the victim was treated and released from the hospital; it is obviously a concerning and serious case. The District Attorney's Office will work hard to reach the right result."

Anyone with any information about this case is asked to call Boulder police Detective Scott Byars at 303-441-1970 and reference case 23-00166.
President Biden on Friday honored the heroes of January 6 at an emotional White House ceremony in which he awarded presidential medals to 14 people, including police officers who fought the pro-Trump mob that attacked the U.S. Capitol two years ago and election workers who refused former President Donald Trumps pressure to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Three of the medals were awarded posthumously to the families of police officers who died in the days after the attack.

History will remember your names, remember your courage, and remember your bravery, Biden said, as the honorees sat behind him in the White House East Room.

Speaking on the second anniversary of the attack, Biden gave the honorees the Presidential Citizens Medal  the countrys second-highest honor. In the past, it has gone to a diverse group of distinguished Americans, including Edward Teller, the so-called father of the hydrogen bomb, Watergate prosecutor Archibald Cox and sports legends Muhammed Ali and Henry "Hank" Aaron.

Biden never once mentioned Trumps name or any of the ongoing criminal investigations into the former presidents conduct that day. Instead, he cast one of the countrys darkest moments as an occasion to celebrate how the actions of the largely anonymous police officers and election workers had helped to save American democracy.

President Biden presents a Presidential Citizens Medal to Metropolitan Police Department Officer Daniel Hodges in the East Room of the White House on Jan. 6, 2023. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

A violent mob of insurrectionists assaulted law enforcement, vandalized sacred halls, hunted down elected officials  all for the purpose of an attempt to overthrow the will of the people and usurp the peaceful transfer of power, Biden said. All of it was fueled by lies about the 2020 election.

But on this day, two years ago, our democracy held  because We the People did not flinch.

Among those honored at the event were two Fulton County, Ga., election workers, Ruby Freeman and her daughter Shaye Moss, who were falsely accused by Trump and his allies of counting fraudulent ballots on election night at Atlantas State Farm Arena. Freeman and Moss were subjected to what the House Jan. 6 committee described as racist attacks by Trumps lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, who compared them to drug dealers passing around USB ports with ballots as if theyre vials of heroin and cocaine  an extraordinary and baseless claim that prompted Freeman to flee her home on the advice of the FBI.

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President Biden presents a Presidential Citizens Medal to Georgia election worker Ruby Freeman, as her daughter, fellow election worker and awardee Shaye Moss, watches, in the East Room of the White House on Jan. 6, 2023. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

And as if to underscore the indignities they were forced to suffer, Trump  who had called Freeman a professional vote-scammer and hustler in his Jan. 2, 2021, phone call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger  doubled down on his claims she had done something improper in a social media posting just this week. What will the Great State of Georgia do with the Ruby Freeman MESS? he asked in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social.

Biden noted that Freeman and Moss, both of whom had testified last summer before the Jan. 6 committee, had volunteered as election workers because of their strong commitment to the decades-long battle by civil rights activists for voting rights in Georgia.

Both of them are just doing their jobs until they were targeted and threatened by the same predators and peddlers of lies that would fuel the insurrection, Biden said. They were literally forced from their homes facing despicable racist taunts.

But despite it all, Ruby Freeman and Wandrea Shaye Moss, found the courage to testify openly and honestly to the whole country and the world, about their experiences, Biden continued. Ruby, you don't deserve what happened to you. But you do deserve the nation's eternal thanks for showing the dignity and grace of we the people. I'm so proud of you both.

President Biden presents a Presidential Citizens Medal to Albert Smith, a Republican former Philadelphia election commissioner, in the East Room of the White House on Jan. 6, 2023. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

The White House event was a bipartisan affair. Among the honorees, in addition to Michigans Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, were two Republicans who refused pressure to alter the election results from Trump allies  Rusty Bowers, the former GOP speaker of the house in Arizona, and Albert Smith, a Republican former Philadelphia election commissioner who was just named as Pennsylvanias secretary of state by the new Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro.

But perhaps the most emotional moments came when Biden called out the police officers who were subjected to brutal attacks that day, as well as the widows of two police officers Howard Liebengood and Jeffrey Smith. The two officers committed suicide in the days after the attack.

Smith was part of the first line of officers who entered when the Capitol was breached, [was] assaulted many times  the last time with a metal pipe, Biden noted. The death of Smith and Liebengood prompted Congress to pass a new law, the Public Safety Officer Support Act, which, as Biden noted, will ensure that officers who die as a result of the trauma they face will get the benefits they deserve.
President Biden congratulated House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on his election to the position Saturday, saying the countrys leaders must work across the political aisle in the new divided government to prioritize Americans needs.

The American people expect their leaders to govern in a way that puts their needs above all else, and that is what we need to do now, Biden said in a statement.

As I said after the midterms, I am prepared to work with Republicans when I can and voters made clear that they expect Republicans to be prepared to work with me as well, he continued.

McCarthy was elected Speaker early Saturday morning after four days of voting on 15 ballots. He received 216 votes on the final ballot, while House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) received 212 votes and six House members voted present.

McCarthy had the backing of a vast majority of the Republican conference from the first ballot, but roughly 20 hard-line GOP members withheld their support for him during the election, denying him victory. He and his allies remained in negotiations throughout the four days with the members to offer concessions in terms of House rules and policy plans for the upcoming session.

McCarthy was ultimately able to secure the votes of three-quarters of the Republicans who previously opposed him by the final ballot, and the remaining six abstained, not standing in the way of him winning the election.

This was the first time that a Speaker vote went to multiple ballots in a century and the longest contest for the Speakership since before the Civil War.

Biden said his plan to build the economy from the bottom up and the middle out is working and leaders must continue that economic progress instead of setting it back.

The last jobs report of 2022 showed that the U.S. added 223,000 jobs in December, dropping the unemployment rate to 3.5 percent. That figure equals the rate in February 2020, before the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic took effect.

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Biden also said lawmakers must protect Medicare and Social Security and defend national security instead of cutting funding.

These are some of the choices before us, he said. As the last two years show, we can do profound things for the country when we do them together.

Biden noted his trip to Kentucky with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Wednesday to discuss his bipartisan infrastructure law as an example of what can be accomplished through collaboration.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus new government is little more than a week old but it's already giving the Biden administration headaches.

Just days into its mandate, a controversial member of Netanyahus right-wing Cabinet riled U.S. diplomats with a visit to a Jerusalem holy site that some believe may be harbinger of other contentious moves, including vast expansions of Jewish settlement construction on land claimed by the Palestinians.

And, Netanyahu's government adopted punitive measures against the Palestinians that run in direct opposition to several recent Biden moves to boost U.S.-Palestinian relations, including restoring assistance to the Palestinian Authority that had been cut during the Trump administration and allowing Palestinian officials to visit the United States.

The new government is an unwelcome complication for a Biden national security team seeking to shift attention away from the Middle East and toward rivals like China and Russia. It also comes as Republicans take control of the House of Representatives and are eager to cast Biden as unfriendly to Israel ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

Bracing for more turmoil, Biden is dispatching his national security adviser to Israel in mid-January in a bid to forestall potentially deepening rifts between his administration and its top Mideast partner. That visit by Jake Sullivan may be followed by other high-level trips to Israel, including one by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, according to administration officials.

Their message goes beyond warnings about inflaming tensions with Palestinians: It's also about not cozying up with Russia, particularly now that Moscow is relying on Israel's main enemy, Iran, in its war on Ukraine; and not upsetting the delicate Middle East security balance.

Since Netanyahu won hotly contested elections last year with huge support from the Israeli right, U.S. officials have sought to tamp down predictions of a collision course, saying they will judge his government on actions rather than personalities. Biden himself spoke of his years-long relationship with Netanyahu.

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I look forward to working with Prime Minister Netanyahu, who has been my friend for decades, to jointly address the many challenges and opportunities facing Israel and the Middle East region, including threats from Iran, Biden said when Netanyahu took office Dec. 29.

Yet while Biden and Netanyahu have known each other for years, they are not close. Biden and former Obama administration officials who now work for Biden still harbor resentment toward the prime minister who, during his previous iteration as Israels leader, sought to derail their signature foreign policy achievement: the Iran nuclear deal.

Still, the administration is signaling it will engage with Netanyahu while avoiding more extreme members of his government. That approach wouldn't be unprecedented in the region: The U.S. deals with Lebanon's government while shunning members from the Hezbollah movement, a designated foreign terrorist organization that is nonetheless a domestic political power. But, it would be remarkable for the U.S. to take a similar approach with such a close ally.

We will be dealing directly with Prime Minister Netanyahu, State Department spokesman Ned Price said this week when asked about possible contacts with Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's, whose visit to the site known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary prompted a major outcry.

The inclusion of Ben-Gvir, a West Bank settler leader, and other extreme right-wing figures in Netanyahus government who are hostile to the Palestinians and opposed to a two-state resolution has put Israel and the United States on opposite paths.

On Thursday, the deputy U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Robert Wood, at an emergency meeting of the Security Council called by Arab states to condemn Ben-Gvir's holy site visit, underscored Biden's firm support for the historic status quo, especially the Haram Al-Sharif/Temple Mount.

Wood noted that Netanyahu had pledged to preserve the status quo  We expect the government of Israel to follow through on that commitment, he said  and stressed that the administration placed a priority on preserving the possibility of a two-state solution.

But on Friday, Netanyahus Security Cabinet approved a series of punitive steps against the Palestinian leadership in retaliation for the Palestinians pushing the U.N.s highest judicial body to give an opinion on the Israeli occupation of the West Bank.

Those moves underscored the hardline approach to the Palestinians that Netanyahu's government has promised at a time of rising violence in the occupied territories.

The Security Cabinet decided to withhold millions of dollars from the Palestinian Authority and transfer those funds to a compensation program for the families of Israeli victims of Palestinian militant attacks. And, it will deny benefits, including travel permits, to Palestinian officials who "are leading the political and legal war against Israel.

Meanwhile, Biden's administration is moving in a diametrically opposed direction. Since taking office, the administration has reversed the Trump ban on aid and provided more than $800 million in economic, development, security, and other assistance to the Palestinians and the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.

In the fall, the State Department obtained a Justice Department opinion that allows Palestinian officials to visit the United States and spend money in the U.S. despite laws barring such travel and transactions and a Supreme Court ruling that Congress has an enforceable role in the foreign policy process.

The administration may reasonably assess that being prevented from hosting the PLO delegation in Washington would seriously impair the presidents diplomatic efforts, the Justice Department said in a little-noticed Oct. 28th opinion.

Then, exactly one week before Netanyahu took office in late December, the State Department imposed but immediately waived terrorism sanctions against the Palestinian leadership, saying engagement with the Palestinians is a critical U.S. national security interest.

On Dec. 22, Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman notified Congress that she had imposed travel bans on senior leaders of the Palestinian Authority and Palestine Liberation Organization because they are not in compliance with requirements to tamp down and publicly condemn terrorist attacks against Israelis.

But, in the same notification, the State Department said Sherman had waived the travel bans based on her determination that such a waiver is in the national security interests of the United States.

An enduring and comprehensive peace between Israel and the Palestinians remains a longstanding goal of U.S. foreign policy, the department said. A blanket denial of visas to PLO members and PA officials, to include those whose travel to the United States to advance U.S. goals and objectives, is not consistent with the U.S. governments expressed willingness to partner with the PLO and PA leadership.

Despite a more-than-$3 billion annual assistance package to Israel and diplomatic backing in international forums, U.S. sway with Netanyahu appears limited.

The Biden administration has not yet followed through on its pledge to re-open the U.S. consulate in Jerusalem, which had historically served as the main contact point with the Palestinians, and it has made no move to re-open the Palestinian embassy in Washington. Both facilities were shut down during the Trump administration.

Alon Liel, a former director-general of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, said further U.S. rapprochement with Palestinians may be the only way to influence Netanyahu. If they really want to inflict pressure (on Israel), Biden tomorrow should say in the coming months, we will consider reopening the Palestinian embassy in Washington. Then they will see the earth shaking here, Liel said.

But there is no sign of that, he said. As long as they say, Were worried about your democracy, those words are meaningless because there were so many words. Theres nothing behind the words.

___

Laurie Kellman contributed from Jerusalem.
Border guard snipers have stopped a Russian attack near Bakhmut and killed one of the occupiers commanders.

Source: State Border Service of Ukraine

Quote: "Border guards have stopped the advance of enemy infantry in one of the areas near Bakhmut.

The occupiers' rifle unit was going to attack our defenders stronghold, but snipers from the State Border Service did not allow them to do so. The soldiers killed the commander and the machine gunner with well-aimed shots.

The occupiers, having lost control of the unit, were afraid to advance and fled."

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
Several Boston City Councilors penned a letter to Boston Mayor Michelle Wu Friday, calling for metal detectors and police to be reinstated in schools.

In a statement on Councilor Erin Murphys Twitter page, the group, consisting of Murphy, Ed Flynn, Michael Flaherty and Frank Baker, called for the safety measures in order to curb a rising trend of harassment and violence in schools.

Too many disturbing incidents at @BostonSchools. I co-signed a letter to the Mayor & @svilleskipper calling for metal detectors & police to be reinstated into our schools for the safety of our students, our staff and all of our BPS families. #safety #actionnotjustwords #bospoli pic.twitter.com/aHiS48CKWW  Erin Murphy (@ErinforBoston) January 6, 2023

No student should ever be placed in a situation where they fear for their safety or are sexually threatened, said the councilors.

Although the school system has promised to communicate more openly when incidents happen, and make bold changes to ensure that our students and staff are safe at school, this school year has not been much different. During the 2021-2022 school year, there were 440 reported incidents of bullying and 744 sexual assaults reported. There have been many disturbing incidents at our schools and on our school buses this year. Stabbings, gun shots, bullying, physical attacks, loaded guns and sexual assaults have been happening across the city.

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A Boston school teacher was hospitalized on Wednesday afternoon after intervening in a fight between a group of girls, according to police.

Boston teacher hospitalized after intervening in fight between girls

Both the teacher and the student were transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. No arrests have been made.

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

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Leo Varadkar, @LeoVaradkar, Great to meet with Mark Zuckerberg earlier at , @facebook, HQ in Menlo Park, California. 100s of extra jobs confirmed for Ireland next year.

Leo Varadkar and Mark Zuckerberg had nothing but kind words to say about each other when the pair met at Facebooks Menlo Park headquarters in Silicon Valley to cement their mutually beneficial relationship.

Great to meet with Mark Zuckerberg, Varadkar, the then Irish Taoiseach, said of the 2017 meeting. 100s of extra jobs confirmed for Ireland next year.

Mr Zuckerberg, meanwhile, declared the meeting an an honour in a post on his platform Instagram.

But Dublins cosy relationship with Silicon Valley tech giants like Facebook-owner Meta is now under threat. Brussels is pushing Ireland to take a tougher stance on tech giants, lobbying behind the scenes for wide-ranging investigations into how these companies handle data.

Dublin, meanwhile, has accused the EUs privacy watchdog of overreach, with those close to the situation complaining privately that Brussels is seeking to make Ireland poorer simply to appease other member states.

Many other EU countries have long believed Ireland is a soft touch on tech, willing to let major companies off with a slap on the wrist so long as they bring jobs and tax revenues to the country.

That they duly have, with tech companies providing a $50bn (41.5bn) boost to Irelands economy.

Ireland, by providing a more welcoming environment to tech companies, has significantly benefited from tech investment, says Matthew Lesh, head of public policy at the Institute of Economic Affairs.

But the EUs anti-tech approach  from harsh data protection, competition, and speech regulation through to pressure for higher taxes  risks undermining Irelands economy.

Ireland emerged as Europe's go-to tech hub in the early 2000s by offering tax breaks and incentives to US tech giants. Its Industrial Development Agency lobbied Silicon Valley companies to set up shop in Dublin, attracting Google's first international office in 2002.

Google Inc European Headquarters...The Google Inc. European headquarters are seen in Barrow Street, Dublin - Paul McErlane/Bloomberg News

In the years that followed, tech giants including Facebook, now known as Meta, LinkedIn and Twitter all set up in Dublin's redeveloped docklands.

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More than 100,000 people are now employed by multinational technology companies in Ireland. Around 16pc of Irelands gross domestic product now rests on Big Techs revenues and taxes, meaning Silicon Valley is arguably more important to the country than Brussels.

There are fears the economic miracle of the Celtic Tiger could now be under threat.

One source close to Ireland's tech sector says divergence from the bloc was tolerated when Ireland was a poor country but once tech companies started to use Ireland, in Europe there was a perception of a beggar thy neighbour effect.

The rift spilled out into the open in the middle of the last decade after the European Commission sued Apple over its tax affairs in Ireland.

Irelands tax treatment of US multinationals has been particularly disliked. With a rate of 12.5pc, Dublin has one of Europe's lowest corporation tax burdens.

iPhone giant Apple secured a bespoke deal on taxes that triggered a backlash from the European Commission. Brussels ordered the company to pay $13bn extra to Dublin in 2016, saying the tax breaks were unfair state aid that distorted the market.

The decision was overruled by a court in Luxembourg. An appeal is expected to be heard this year as the worlds biggest company and the worlds would-be biggest regulator duke it out, with Ireland caught between the two.

The latest split has emerged after an investigation into how Facebooks parent company Meta handles data.

The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) plans to take its EU counterpart to court over claims the bloc tried to pressure it into launching a wide ranging investigation into Facebooks parent company Meta.

Privacy advocates have accused Irelands data regulator of going soft on tech companies.

Max Schrems, the Austrian campaigner who triggered the DPCs investigation, alleges the Irish regulator dragged out its decision for four years and held up to 10 meetings with Facebook in order to bypass EU data laws.

Schrems points to documents revealing backroom rows between the two regulators over how to treat Meta after investigators concluded Facebook had broken EU data protection laws.

ustrian Max Schrems waits for the verdict of the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg, 06 October 2015. Max Schrems filed a data privacy infringement lawsuits against Facebook, the online social networking service . EPA/JULIEN WARNAND - JULIEN WARNAND/EPA

Helen Dixon, the head of the DPC, proposed fining Meta between 28m and 36m. Her European peers, however, pushed hard for a greater penalty. The final outcome was nearly ten times the DPCs intended level, at 390m (345m).

The position developed by the DPC was not acceptable to many within the sub-group and it became clear there was no possibility of building a consensus around it, the DPC conceded this week.

Campaigners like Schrems claim Dublins pro-business stance is thwarting the EUs ambition of making Big Tech bow to its authority.

Dublin denies this and Irelands data watchdog this week issued a rare rebuke of the bloc, saying it had tried to pressure Dublin into an open-ended and speculative investigation of Meta. The regulator decried the effort as overreach and will appeal to the EU Court of Justice to quash the attempt.

Given that regulators themselves disagreed with each other on this issue up until the final stage of these processes in December, it is hard to understand how we can be criticised for the approach we have taken to date, said Meta, which is appealing the fine.

A source close to the company said divisions between Ireland and the EU created enormous uncertainty for tech companies.

The EU remains immensely popular in Ireland, despite more sceptical parties such as Sinn Fein gaining ground. But that has not prompted political leaders to rethink their attitude to Brussels when it comes to tech regulation.

The perception in Ireland is the EU had its back during Brexit, says a tech sector source. There is a sense that Ireland is willing to be a bit of a chancer  to stretch the [EU] rules.

Whether those rules will stretch far enough to let Ireland keep its business-friendly economic stance is a question that will ultimately be answered in Brussels  either by EU regulators or by EU judges.
2023-gayvn-awards-show-resorts-world-las-vegas_750x422_creditonimage.jpg

There's no better way to kick off the year than heading to Las Vegas for the GayVN Awards!

Comedian Alec Mapa and drag superstar Kylie Sonique Love co-hosted the gala, where winners were revealed in 33 GayVN Awards categories18 of which were voted on by the fans.

Cade Maddox was one of the big winners of the night, taking home two awards: Favorite Porn Star Creator and Favorite C*ck.

"I have to pinch myself every time I get up there. When you win an award and know the fans put you there, I try not to let the tears come every time but it's so exciting. It's tears of joy and it's a great feeling," Maddox tells Out.

While Roman Todd took home one of the top prizes of the night (Performer of the Year), he tried saving his money while celebrating in Sin City.

"[I'm] not losing on the slot machines! Last night, I had a bad night," Todd says. "I'll sell my awards on the street. Anybody want an award?!"

Hot off the announcement that he'll be joining Men.com, Austin Wolf also won two awards from the big night: Favorite Body and Favorite Creator Site Star.

"It hasn't always been a community that has come together. To see them do that, especially around me, is very uplifting. I'm always very thankful that everybody is as supportive as they are," Wolf says.

To see the full interviews with the winners and other top creators like Christian Wilde, Johnny Rapid, Joel Someone, and more, check out the video below.

RELATED | Pornhub's Yearly Review Shows Increase in Trans Porn Searches
Throughout 2021, law enforcement officials in California stopped, searched and used force against people officers perceived to be Black at higher rates than people thought to be white, according to an annual state study released Tuesday.

The sixth report from California's Racial and Identity Profiling Advisory Board analyzed data from 58 law enforcement agencies, including the 23 largest in the state, and found "racial and identity disparities persist year after year."

The agencies conducted more than 3.1 million stops in 2021, the majority of which were conducted by the California Highway Patrol, according to the report.

More than 42% of individuals involved in those stops were perceived to be Hispanic, more than 30% were believed to be white and 15% were perceived to be Black. Californias population is about 40% Hispanic or Latino, roughly 35% white but just 6.5% Black, the report notes, citing 2021 Census estimates meaning Black individuals were stopped 144.2% more frequently than expected given their proportion of the population.

"This years data demonstrates the same trends in disparities for all aspects of law enforcement stops, from the reason for stop to actions taken during stop to results of stop," the report states.

A California Highway Patrol officer stops a motorist who was suspected of speeding along Interstate 405 freeway on April 23, 2020, in Westminster, Calif. California law enforcement was more than twice as likely to use force against people they perceived as Black during vehicle and pedestrian stops in 2021, as compared to people believed to be white, according to a state report.

Report finds police were more likely to search, use force on Black and Hispanic people

Officers searched people who they believed to be Black more than 20% of the time while individuals perceived as white were searched less than 10% of the time , according to the report. Although officers stopped nearly 500,000 more individuals perceived to be white than those perceived to be Black, they searched 6,622 more Black individuals.

The vast majority of stops were conducted for traffic violations. But Black individuals had the highest proportion of stops due to "reasonable suspicion that the individual was engaged in criminal activity."

Officers reported taking no action  meaning, for example, no citation was given or arrest was made  most frequently during stops involving people they perceived to be Black, indicating those who were stopped were not engaged in criminal activity, the report found.

The study also found Black and Hispanic or Latino individuals were also more likely to have force used against them.

According to the report, across all racial and ethnic groups, the highest percentage of stops in which officers handcuffed, searched or detained individuals involved children and teenagers. For those between the ages of 15 and 17, Black teens were searched nearly six times the rate of white teens and Hispanic teens were searched nearly four times the rate their white counterparts.

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What the report recommends

Researchers focused on data regarding what officers perceived to be the race, ethnicity, gender and disability status of people they stopped, rather than how those people actually identified, because perception can create bias, according to the report.

The data mirrors nationwide trends. More than 20 million Americans are stopped by police each year, and Black drivers are 20% more likely to get pulled over than white drivers, according to a study from the Stanford Open Policing Project.

The report noted that interactions with police and heightened police surveillance can have negative mental health impacts on youth and communities of color. The report's recommendations included eliminating pretextual stops and subsequent searches and changing policies and practices related to law enforcement interactions with youth.

"The Board believes that public health officials and policymakers should treat racial and identity profiling and adverse policing as significant public health issues," the report said.

The California Highway Patrol "will be carefully reviewing the findings in the 2023 Annual RIPA report to better understand any identified 'stop data' trends, and ensure CHP policies and procedures are in line with best practices," the agency said in a statement.

Dig deeper

Contributing: The Associated Press

Contact Breaking News Reporter N'dea Yancey-Bragg at nyanceybra@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter @NdeaYanceyBragg

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: California study: Police more likely to stop, search Black people
DAYTON, Ohio (AP)  Trey Calvin scored 27 points, freshman Brandon Noel posted his third double-double and Wright State stormed back to beat Detroit Mercy 90-85 on Friday night.

Calvin made 9 of 20 shots and 9 of 10 free throws for the Raiders (9-7, 2-3 Horizon League). Noel finished with 18 points and a career-best 17 rebounds. Amari Davis scored 12.

Detroit Mercy's Antoine Davis is currently seventh on the Division I all-time scoring list with 3,130 points after scoring 27 against the Raiders. The senior sank just 9 of 25 shots and missed 8 of 10 from 3-point range. Davis needs 21 points to pass Creighton's Doug McDermott (2010-14) for sixth place. Next up is Alphonso Ford of Mississippi Valley State (1989-93) with 3,165.

Jayden Stone scored 24 points on 10-of-19 shooting for the Titans (6-10, 2-3). He added eight rebounds. T.J. Moss had 15 points and six rebounds. Damezi Anderson pitched in with 12 points and eight boards.

A layup by Davis gave Detroit Mercy a 71-56 lead with 9:42 remaining. Calvin scored eight points, including the final four in a 19-2 run, and the Raiders grabbed a 75-73 lead with 4:33 left. The lead changed hands three times until an Andrew Welage jumper put Wright State on top for good with 2:12 to go.

___

More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
Carlos Alvarado Quesada, the former president of Costa Rica, will kick off the 2023 Ringling College Town Hall lecture series on Jan. 17, replacing Maria Ressa, a Nobel Peace Prize winner who has had to cancel her appearance, the Ringling College Library Association announced.

Carlos Alvarado Quesada, president of Costa Rica from 2018-22, was praised during his term for his innovative approach to sustainable energy and ambitious climate policies.

Alvarado, the 48th president of Costa Rica, completed his term in May 2022 and was praised for his innovative approach to sustainable energy, ambitious climate policies, and a successful response to the COVID-19 pandemic. He joined the faculty of The Fletcher School at Tufts University in July and is a Senior Fellow in the Edward R. Murrow Center for a Digital World.

Under Alvarados leadership, Costa Rica has contributed to global efforts to combat climate change and defended human rights, democracy, and multilateralism. In February 2019, Alvarado launched Costa Ricas National Decarbonization Plan, the first of its kind since the Paris Agreement of 2015, establishing a road map to decarbonize the countrys economy by 2050.

Ressa, a free speech and press advocate, was forced to cancel her appearance because of personal legal matters, RCLA said.

Subscriptions as well as single tickets for the Town Hall presentations are available. The series includes mental health advocate Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all-time; Admiral James Stavridis, NATOs 16th Supreme Allied Commander; New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman; and Jose Andres, founder of the World Central Kitchen.

To learn more about the lecture series and to purchase tickets, visit rclassociation.org or call 941-309-5100.

Submitted by Lauren Kurnov

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Ringling College Town Hall lecture series adds Carlos Alvarado Quesada
Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam proposes increasing fleet size

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) has proposed the Ministry of Transport allow air carriers to increase the size of their fleets in order to meet domestic demand and utilise opportunities generated by the recovering international market.









Illustrative photo



In a document sent to the ministry, the CAAV said more aircraft are needed to satisfy the growing demand during the upcoming Lunar New Year (Tet), the year's biggest festival in Vietnam. But the number should not exceed that recorded in January 2020 (234 planes).



The figure would be higher in 2023 based on the market demand, airport infrastructure, operation and maintenance capacity of the airlines, as well as supervision capacity of the CAAV, according to the document.



The agency noted that the Vietnamese aviation sector, particularly the domestic market, has rebooted since March 2022 when Vietnam fully reopened its doors, and even returned to pre-pandemic 2019 levels in April of the same year.



The domestic market completely recovered, expanding by 30% in the 2022 summer as compared with 2019. Meanwhile, the international market started to come online in late 2022, recovering to about half of the pre-pandemic level.



The sector is expected to fully recover in the second half of 2023, requiring airlines to expand their fleets, the CAAV explained.



Statistics show that each plane carries an average of 250,000 passengers per year, and with the number of domestic passengers projected to reach 45.5 million this year, the domestic market alone needs 182 aircraft.





The Vietnamese airlines also need 230 aircraft for international routes in the first months of this year, which would rise to 250 in the closing months.



The domestic carriers, comprising Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet Air, Pacific Airlines, Bamboo Airways and Viettravel Airlines, are operating 225 aircraft, of which 35 are under either maintenance or preservation.



The aviation market recorded about 55 million passengers in 2022, rising 3.7-fold from the previous year and equivalent to 69.6% of that in the pre-pandemic 2019, the CAAV reported.



In particular, about 43.2 million passengers were transported domestically, increasing 3.5-fold from 2021 and 15.6% from 2019. At the same time, 11 million others were transported internationally, up 22-fold from 2021 and equivalent to 27% of that in 2019.





About 1.25 million tonnes of cargo were transported by air last year, representing 95% of that in 2021 and equivalent to the volume in 2019. It included 152,000 tonnes carried domestically and 1.1 million tonnes internationally.
(Reuters) - Chilean justice minister Marcela Rios has resigned her post, the country's President Gabriel Boric said on Saturday, amid accusations of wrongdoing over pardons given to people connected to violent 2019 protests.

Lawyer Luis Cordero Vega will take up the job in the coming days, leftist Boric added in a video statement, thanking Rios for her work during her 10 months in the role.

"When situations with these characteristics occur in politics, we must take responsibility," Boric said.

Boric backed pardons for those convicted in less violent crimes during the protests that shook the South American country.

The list of those pardoned included men between the ages of 21 and 38 involved in various crimes such as looting, robbery, handling Molotov cocktails, and others.

But political opponents decried the December pardons - which included a former guerrilla fighter imprisoned for other crimes - and accused Rios of poor communication and coordination. They were set to formalize those complaints in the legislature on Monday.

Boric urged congress to approve a new attorney general and pass a package of economic measures. The government has so far failed to garner enough support to name a top prosecutor.

(Reporting by Natalia Ramos; Writing by Julia Symmes Cobb; Editing by Sandra Maler)
HONG KONG (Reuters) - Ant Group's founder Jack Ma will no longer control the Chinese fintech giant after the firm's shareholders agreed to implement a series of adjustments that will see him give up most of his voting rights, the group said on Saturday.

The move marks another big development after a regulatory crackdown that scuppered Ant's $37 billion IPO in late 2020 and led to a forced restructuring of the financial technology behemoth.

COMMENT:

ANDREW COLLIER, MANAGING DIRECTOR, ORIENT CAPITAL RESEARCH, HONG KONG

"Jack Ma's departure from Ant, a company he founded, shows the determination of the Chinese leadership to reduce the influence of large private investors. This trend will continue the erosion of the most productive parts of the Chinese economy.

"Despite official comments, Ant posed little risk to the financial system and was effective in arranging loans for small businesses, one of the main drivers of economic growth."

DUNCAN CLARK, CHAIRMAN OF INVESTMENT ADVISORY FIRM BDA, BEIJING:

"Yes, it's obviously significant if he is no longer the controlling shareholder. This in theory should pave the way for an IPO assuming the other key issue - oversight/ownership of data - is also resolved.

"With the Chinese economy in a very febrile state, the government is looking to signal its commitment to growth, and the tech/private sectors are key to that as we know. At least Ant investors can (now) have some timetable for an exit after a long period of uncertainty."

WEIHENG CHEN, PARTNER AND HEAD OF GREATER CHINA PRACTICE AT LAW FIRM WILSON SONSINI, HONG KONG

"If these voting arrangement changes are deemed as a change-of-control event under the A share and/or Hong Kong listing rules, Ant Group's IPO process could be further delayed."

(Reporting by Kane Wu; Editing by Sumeet Chatterjee and Jacqueline Wong)
via Twitter

Herschel Walkers son is calling for the resignation of CPACs Matt Schlapp following allegations that Schlapp groped a campaign staffer for the Republican candidate.

Typical predator, Christian Walker said in a video Saturday. Preys on this poor little staffer whos just trying to work his way up in Republican politics, then gets assaulted by one of the top guys in the industry. Ridiculous. Family values? You need to cling to your wife and your children.

Christian Walker rants about CPACs Matt Schlapp allegedly groping one of Herschel Walkers campaign staffers and inviting him up to his hotel room.



Walker: When hes on campaign trips away from his wife and children hes trying to hookup with men. Typical predator. pic.twitter.com/D1YxDvSc96  PatriotTakes  (@patriottakes) January 7, 2023

The bombshell allegation, first reported by The Daily Beast, focused on Schlapp allegedly making sustained and unwanted and unsolicited sexual contact with the staffer while the staffer drove Schlapp back from a bar in October. The staffer alleged Schlapp groped and fondled his crotch without consent in the car.

An attorney for Schlapp called the claims an attack and said Schlapp denies any improper behavior. It is unclear if Herschel Walker was made aware of the allegations at the time.

But his son is adamant that action must be taken.

Honestly, its just disgusting that someone as powerful as Matt Schlapp is [preying] on campaign staffers, Walker said in a statement to The Daily Beast. I feel terrible for his wife and children.

Walker, once a conservative sycophant, took a slanted turn in stance after the many scandals his father faced in his failed Georgia senatorial run.

In his video, Walker called out Schlapp for his faux-family values, the same breaking point that previously led him to abandon his fathers campaign after reports he had fathered several unacknowledged children and been accused of abuse by former partners.

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Dont get your schlong schlapped by Matt Schlapp!! Walker said in his statement.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Nearly 200 Kansas clergy are suspected of committing criminal acts against children, according to a long-awaited probe into clergy sex abuse in the Catholic Church in Kansas released Friday.

Nearly 200 Kansas clergy are suspected of committing criminal acts against children, according to a long-awaited probe into clergy sex abuse in the Catholic Church in Kansas, released Friday, that reviewed five decades-worth of materials.

No charges have been filed, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation said, despite 30 cases being referred to local prosecutors, in large part because of the state's statute of limitations against the various crimes.

While the time limits to file charges in some relevant crimes, such as rape and aggravated indecent liberties with a child, were eliminated in 2013, the move wasn't retroactive, something some lawmakers wish to change.

Attorney General Derek Schmidt requested the probe in 2018, with the KBI soon creating a tip line and other means for victims of abuse to reach out to the agency. Schmidt released the report on his last full workday before leaving office on Monday. KBI Director Kirk Thompson is set to retire Tuesday.

The attorney general's office initiated the investigation at the request of Joseph Naumann, archbishop of the archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas. Church officials said Saturday morning that they continue to study the KBI report, which Schmidts office released Friday evening.

You cannot read this report without your heart breaking, Naumann said in a statement.

More:If you thought the abortion debate in Kansas ended with August amendment vote, think again

Report: Kansas dioceses worked to conceal clergy abuse

Investigators reviewed 41,265 pages of records and interviewed 137 victims. Over the course of the probe, 188 clergy were suspected of committing crimes, 125 criminal cases were opened and 30 charging affidavits were sent to local prosecutors, even though no charges were ultimately filed.

The report found each of the four Catholic dioceses in Kansas  Kansas City, Wichita, Salina and Dodge City  engaged in practices to conceal patterns of abuse. Alleged abuse wasn't reported to law enforcement, investigators said, and priests were often sent to a treatment facility run by the church.

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"Other bishops seemingly prioritized the desire to prevent public scandal within the Catholic Church over the laws of the State of Kansas and the innocent children they should have protected," the report said. "Protecting the church from scandal seemed to be a universally applied theme within the Catholic Church, and a priority."

At least 15 victims of clergy sex abuse died by suicide, the report found.

While the church has improved its practices regarding abuse, the agency called on the officials to do more to help survivors and "show it has a zero-tolerance policy for any sexual abuse within the church."

More:Kansas higher education sits at a crossroads as officials ask, 'What will lawmakers do?'

Despite efforts by the Catholic Church to address its past, the KBI called out the Capuchin Province for hindering the investigation when agents went to a Colorado ranch "where multiple offender priests reside."

"Our agents were met by staff who informed the priests why the KBI was there," the report said. "The priests declined to meet with the KBI agents. Therefore, there was no access to those priests for questioning."

The KBI noted that religious beliefs can be used to manipulate and exploit individuals, and the Catholic Church has grown more willing to cooperate with investigations instead over covering up allegations against offending priests.

"It seems the Catholic Church has started to recognize the great power religious beliefs can have over people, especially children," the report said. "Sexually motivated offenders often use their close relationship to a victim and any authority over them as tools to perpetuate their abuse. Predatory priests are no different."

More:Will Kansas Legislature act on medical marijuana, Medicaid expansion and election laws?

Kansas lawmakers likely to push on statute of limitations, abuse reporting requirement

The report is likely to re-ignite a push to apply the statute of limitations retroactively for victims of child sex abuse, as well as end the statute of limitations to file a civil lawsuit, allowing victims to sue the church. Sen. Cindy Holscher, D-Overland Park, introduced legislation to that effect last year, though the bill didn't receive a hearing.

Lawmakers have also considered efforts to make clergy mandated reporters of child abuse, a status currently required of teachers, coaches and others who regularly interact with children.

Sen. Tom Holland, D-Baldwin City, launched an ill-fated procedural maneuver last session to secure a floor vote on a constitutional amendment that would require clergy be mandated reporters.

More:The 2023 Kansas legislative session kicks off Jan. 9. Here's what you need to know.

Investigation continues into Society of Saint Pius X in St. Marys

The investigation continues into the Society of Saint Pius X, a break-off traditionalist sect of the Catholic Church in St. Marys. The KBI didn't elaborate on the SSPX investigation, other than acknowledging the task force has "reviewed documents" and "investigated allegations."

A phone message seeking comment from SSPX wasn't immediately returned.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Church abuse investigation finds 188 Kansas priests committed crimes
BERKELEY, Calif. (AP)  DeJuan Clayton hit six 3-pointers and scored 26 points as California rolled to a 92-70 victory over Stanford on Friday night.

Clayton, who missed Cal's first 13 games because of a hamstring injury, sank 9 of 14 shots for the Golden Bears (3-13, 2-3 Pac-12 Conference). He added seven assists. Sam Alajiki came off the bench to score 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting, including 5 of 6 from beyond the arc. Kuany Kuany hit 5 of 7 shots, 3 of 4 from distance, and scored 18.

Clayton buried all four of his first-half 3-pointers, scoring 14 points to lead the Golden Bears to a 45-37 lead at intermission.

Cal shot 64% in the first 20 minutes (18 of 28) and buried 8 of 10 from beyond the arc. Freshman ND Okafor and Alajiki both had eight points as the Cal bench outscored the Cardinal subs 21-11. Okafor hit all four of his shots and Alajiki was 3 for 3 with two 3-pointers. Stanford shot 53% from the floor in the first half but made only 3 of 12 from distance.

The Golden Bears were never threatened in the second half. Grant Newell hit a 3-pointer to put Cal up 53-43 two minutes into the second half and the Cardinal trailed by double digits the rest of the way.

Michael Jones led the Cardinal (5-10, 0-5) with 14 points, while Spencer Jones scored 13. Maxime Raynaud pitched in with 12 points and eight rebounds. Isa Silva scored 12.

Cal shot 59% overall and a blistering 73% from beyond the arc (16 of 22). Stanford shot 50% overall but only 30% from distance (7 of 23).

Cal has won two straight and 3 of 4 since a 0-12 start to the season.

UP NEXT

California: The Golden Bears travel to play Washington State on Wednesday and Washington on Saturday.

Stanford: The Cardinal travel to play Washington on Thursday and Washington State on Saturday.

___

More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
By Deisy Buitrago

CARACAS (Reuters) - Colombian President Gustavo Petro and his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro discussed binational investment and trade at a meeting in Caracas on Saturday, the Colombian government said.

The countries have renewed political ties since Petro took office in August 2022, reopening trade and promising to work together on issues including agriculture and management of borders.

Discussions at the meeting, the presidents' second, centered on similar topics as when they first met in October - management of a newly re-opened border, efforts to increase trade and the peace talks that Bogota is holding with rebel group the National Liberation Army (ELN), Petro's office said in a statement.

"We had a complete and very fruitful meeting. We have a clear joint work plan that will keep giving positive results for our countries," Maduro said on Twitter.

The two men have previously said they could strengthen cooperation over Monomeros, a Colombia-based fertilizer producer which is owned by Venezuelan state chemical company Pequiven. Colombia's finance minister has said his country may be open to buying Monomeros.

Venezuela is a guarantor country at Colombia's talks with the ELN and hosted the first round of negotiations between the two sides, which ended in December.

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.

Previous governments in Bogota have accused Maduro of harboring Colombian rebel groups and criminals, accusations he has denied.

(Reporting by Deisy Buitrago and Julia Symmes Cobb; Editing by Daniel Wallis)
Family and friends on Friday afternoon held a candlelight vigil for Kevon Follow, a 21-year-old man who was found shot to death on West 31st Street Monday morning in the Moncrief area.

>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<

Action News Jax had the opportunity to speak with his mother who says she is in pain right now and wouldnt wish this hurt on anybody

[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]

Only thing I want is for this violence to stop, says Penny Jones.

According to JSO, someone found Follow dead, laying in someones front yard while they were going to work.

Today, community members and family came out to pay their respects to the young man. His mother says she wants justice for her son.

That was my baby, my last baby here and my first child gone. So thats a hurting feeling. I just want him back and I cant have him back, says Jones.

Related Story: JSO says deadly shooting on West 31st Street; 21-year-old victim identified by family

Jones says when she got a call that her son was dead she couldnt believe it.

Im trying to figure out how Im going to live after this, but I know I have to put all my trust in God, says Jones.

Jones says Follow had siblings, friends, and also family members who loved him.

She adds although he wasnt perfect, he didnt deserve to die.

My son just turned 21, on October 4th. They didnt even give my baby a week to bring in the new year, says Jones.

Councilwoman JuCoby Pittman was also at the vigil. She says the violence in Jacksonville needs to stop.

We are sick and tired of being sick and tired of gun violence, just taking over our community. Together we are standing together as community members to say enough is enough, says Pittman.

[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]

JSO is asking that if anyone knows information about this shooting to give them a call at 904-630-0500 or to email at JSOCrimeTips@jaxsheriff.org.

STAY UPDATED: Download the Action News Jax app for live updates on breaking stories
Paul Magnus is director of programs for Career Development and Placement Strategies Inc., a Cleveland-based program with operations in Akron's Middlebury neighborhood

With a pandemic, economic pains and labor shortages transforming workplaces in recent years, job seekers are looking more closely at skill-driven professions such as carpentry and construction as alternatives to four-year degrees or perhaps as a second act or third act after decades on different job tracks.

And a recently launched training program with a network of community partners is working to emphasize those opportunities for area residents, even for those who have never picked up a hammer or installed drywall or window frames.

Career Development and Placement Strategies Inc., a Cleveland-based program with operations in Akron's Middlebury neighborhood, works to create a path to proficiency in the construction industry for people who might otherwise have thought such assistance was out of reach.

The CDPS carpentry and building trades training program operates out of a facility at 221 Beaver St. that The Well CDC uses to store building materials for its home rehabilitation projects. Students complete a 12-week course schedule that combines classroom and hands-on training sessions four days a week, six hours a day for over 280 hours of instruction.

The Akron-area program, launched in November 2021, focuses on leading curious, prospective craftspeople down the road to becoming confident carpenters or builders.

CDPS provides the foundation for students' future success

CPDS officials say the Carpentry and Building Trades training program instills students with the basic construction knowledge and skills that will allow them to become proficient and confident carpenters or builders.

"Everything the students learn in a more advanced class down the road, or in an apprenticeship, it's going to be based on the initial foundation of what the tools are and how do we use them," said Paul Magnus, director of programs for CDPS. "What we are trying to accomplish is the building and expansion of this construction knowledge foundation, as well as expand the pool of applicants for carpentry and the skill trades in general."

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Glimpse at a routine training day

A typical day starts with students engaging in classroom instruction prior to moving on to the hands-on training portion of the day. Students are tested on each unit and are expected to pass a final exam before graduating.

Though emphasis is placed on the actual construction knowledge and skills gained throughout the course of the program, Magnus also emphasized the importance of maintaining excellent attendance throughout the sessions, a "soft skill" that he said more and more employees are learning to value.

"Employers are looking for those soft skills in potential candidates for apprenticeships or jobs; anybody can say 'I'm a good worker' or 'I'm dedicated' but it is crucial in this business to show that you are actually reliable and being on time and keeping up with attendance is something we really emphasize with our students in this program," Magnus said.

Training includes basic jobsite safety, including working around hazardous materials such as lead and asbestos, laying out and constructing a wood floor, fabricating basic stairways, installation of windows and interior and exterior doorways, and installing drywall. Basic instruction in electrical safety and plumbing, as well as painting, are also offered throughout this program.

Following completion of coursework, participants are certified by the National Center for Construction Education and Research. CDPS partners with NCCER as well as the Associated Builders and Contractors of Northern Ohio to sponsor the building trades training program.

Graduating from the CDPS program

Graduating students have gone on to work with such organizations as the Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority and for projects including the construction of the Sherwin Williams headquarters in downtown Cleveland.

"There's a job development and placement process that we do for our graduates; we help them prepare for the interviews and even learn how to target companies and understand if this is a good, reputable construction company to get involved with," said Magnus.

Lafayette Foster, who completed the program in September, was able to land a position working on the construction of the Sherwin Williams headquarters in downtown Cleveland upon graduation.

"This was a very friendly environment and the instructor was really receptive to feedback and he really helped us learn more about things such as framing houses or how to properly follow safety measures and protocols and information like that that I've been able to take with me on my current job, a major multi-million dollar Sherwin Williams project," Foster said.

"It was a great experience for me and I try to refer all my friends and family to this program. The hands-on and classroom training was a great combination and this program has allowed me to overcome my past transgressions and really succeed in this industry in a way I could not have imagined," Foster said.

Organizations such as Cleveland Construction welcome the opportunity for graduates to become apprentices and grow within the company.

"It's been difficult for us to get skilled trade people who already have a solid background on adhering to safety regulations and proper handling of equipment on our job sites, and the wealth of knowledge that candidates have acquired through this particular program make them invaluable assets to our team," said Cleveland Construction Apprenticeship Program Manager Devan Kurilko. "We look forward to working with more individuals who have graduated from this training program in the future."

More about CDPS

The Carpentry/Building trades program emphasized three goals: to help under-resourced communities take steps towards self-sufficiency by reducing the skills gap, to develop partnerships that promote long-term sustainable communities through collaboration and to ensure students and participants as well as future generations are less dependent on public support in reaching life goals.

The CDPS, incorporated in 2009 as a 501 (c)(3) organization, focuses on workforce development, providing quality training to help individuals develop skills and industry-recognized certifications combined with training in career planning and job search strategies to expand employment opportunities, according to the CDPS catalog of training.

The Rising Above Program, another program offered by CDPS, helps fathers adjust to parenthood and increase their employability skills to better the lives of themselves and their families. Training on financial literacy, conflict resolution, goal setting and interviewing skills are offered in this program, which was originally established in 1996 for incarcerated fathers, but has since spread to all new fathers within the Northeast Ohio area.

To learn more about CDPS, and to register for future Carpentry and Building Trades Training Trades programs or the Rising Above program, please visit cdps4u.org.

Reporter Anthony Thompson can be reached at ajthompson@gannett.com, or on Twitter @athompsonABJ

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Skills program builds path to success for future construction workers
Onslow County Sheriff Chris Thomas presents awarded grant to the Onslow County Board of Commissioners at Wednesday's meeting.

Victims of crime in Onslow County will soon have more resources after a grant was awarded to the Onslow County Sheriff's Office.

According to Onslow County Sheriff Chris Thomas at Wednesday's Board of Commissioners meeting, the sheriff's office has continued to grow in the number of victims of crime they come across.

In 2021, Thomas said OCSO assisted EMS with 196 overdoses, investigated eight homicides, 698 assaults, 105 sexual assaults and 23 rapes. He added that due to the number of investigations and limited number of detectives, the sheriff's office needs a victim services specialist in order to keep up.

"The volume of cases that we're dealing with at the sheriff's office is making it extremely challenging for detectives to be able to do that and keep up with the current cases that they have," Thomas told The Daily News. "Plus, this victim specialist will also be able to help our victims get connected with the services that are available in the county to make sure they have the resources they need to recover or get counseling or whatever it may be."

Onslow County holiday crime roundup:Arrests made in death of child, fatal hit and run

Follow us on Instagram:Jacksonville Daily News

Thomas added that for victims navigating the court system, it can be very intimidating, and this specialist will help them not only navigate it but make them more comfortable.

Thomas said at the meeting that the North Carolina Victim's Rights Act has placed additional demands on the sheriff's office and continued to provide victims with services and updated information. This is why OCSO has been awarded a $166,274.48 grant from the North Carolina Governor's Crime Commission through September 2024 to hire, train and equip a victim services specialist.

The grant provides salaries, benefits, equipment, travel and childcare vouchers to assist victims of crime. It will also provide crime victims with on-scene and follow-up access to the specialist who can address concerns and provide resources, Thomas explained.

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"The program is designed to bridge the gap between victimization and an individual's contact with a victim services provider to ensure access within hours of trauma to address immediate safety concerns and other services," Thomas said in the meeting.

He added the specialist will provide in-person and telephone follow-up contact with victims and their non-offending family members to provide status updates, referrals, counseling, investigative services and resources that may not have been initially identified.

Thomas said a match waiver was also granted eliminating the need for the usual required match.

"Congratulations on getting that grant," Commissioner Vice Chairman Robin Knapp said in the meeting. "To me, it's a no-brainer. It's necessary and it's something that's much needed because I know the added responsibilities on law enforcement today keeps growing and growing."

Thomas said the victim services specialist will help all victims of crime ranging from domestic violence to overdoses.

"The opioid fentanyl issue is still raging," Thomas said. "It's still increasing. This position will also help us reach out to those folks who have overdosed and try to make sure they're aware of the resources. Of course, you can't make them take the resources, but you can reach back out and make sure they're aware of them after their episode has passed."

Thomas said there were 61 overdose deaths just last year that the sheriff's office responded to and that doesn't count those within the municipalities.

Because the Victim's Rights Act requires the office to notify victims when an offender is bonded, has court appearances, etc., this new role will take that weight off detectives trying to solve active cases.

"It's needed," said Commissioner Paul Buchanan in the meeting. "It's something that you've got to report on and we're seeing more and more activity in that area. Even if you didn't get a grant for it, this board would have to support it."

The grant will be good through September 2024, and Thomas told the board the sheriff's office will be looking for additional grants before that time. He added they have been successful in the past with getting extensions on grants, and they will be pursuing that at every opportunity.

If they're unable to do so, Thomas said they will try to address it with the county.

"It's great that the grant is there to get you through this part and the fact that this is something that needs to be addressed, is going to support you and your mission to carry out for citizens and victim services," said Commissioner Chairman Tim Foster. "I think it's a great idea, regardless of whether it continues on in the future with a grant. But it's something, like you said, you're going to be required to do and we're going to have to find the funds to make sure we meet the expectations."

Reporter Morgan Starling can be reached at mstarling@jdnews.com.

This article originally appeared on The Daily News: Crime up in Onslow County, sheriff's office awarded grant to hire victim services specialist
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has activated the state National Guard to provide support to local officials in response to the arrival of hundreds of migrants in the Florida Keys.

He signed an executive order on Friday to mobilize the Guard and direct Florida law enforcement agencies and other agencies to supply resources to local governments as they respond to the migrant landings.

As the negative impacts of [President] Bidens lawless immigration policies continue unabated, the burden of the Biden administrations failure falls on local law enforcement who lack the resources to deal with the crisis, DeSantis said in a release.

That is why I am activating the National Guard and directing state resources to help alleviate the strain on local resources. When Biden continues to ignore his legal responsibilities, we will step in to support our communities, he continued.

The move comes nearly a week after local officials reported that at least 500 migrants arrived in the Florida Keys over New Years weekend. Roughly 300 of that number landed on islands within Dry Tortugas National Park, prompting its temporary closure. DeSantiss office said in the release announcing the executive order that law enforcement has encountered more than 8,000 migrants off the Florida coast since August.

The release states that it has been particularly burdensome for the sheriffs office in Monroe County, which is located in the Florida Keys, to provide the necessary resources to manage the hundreds of newly arrived migrants and ensure public safety.

The state will deploy airplanes and helicopters from the Florida National Guard and reinforce marine patrols from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to support efforts to intercept the migrants and ensure their safety.

The release states that Florida has a long history of helping refugees, particularly Cubans and others fleeing communist regimes, find assistance in the United States but that it has always included support from the federal government.

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DeSantis has made national headlines and garnered criticism from Democrats for his handling of migrants coming into Florida, as he has sent a number of them on airplanes and buses to northern, Democratic-run sanctuary cities that limit their cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) and former Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) have taken similar steps.

The governors have said they are sending the migrants to places with more resources to support them, but opponents have called their actions political stunts, saying they have not given the cities any advance notice of the migrants arrival.

Biden announced new steps on Wednesday to address the situation at the U.S. southern border as a growing number of Venezuelan migrants make their way to the country through Mexico. He said migrants should not just show up at the border and should instead apply for entry from where they are.

Biden also said the U.S. will expand its parole program for those from Venezuela, Nicaragua and Haiti.

Data from U.S. Customs and Border Patrol showed that 2.76 million migrants were encountered by authorities while crossing the border illegally last fiscal year, which is a record.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Today we'll do a simple run through of a valuation method used to estimate the attractiveness of Brown-Forman Corporation (NYSE:BF.B) as an investment opportunity by estimating the company's future cash flows and discounting them to their present value. Our analysis will employ the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model. Don't get put off by the jargon, the math behind it is actually quite straightforward.

Remember though, that there are many ways to estimate a company's value, and a DCF is just one method. If you still have some burning questions about this type of valuation, take a look at the Simply Wall St analysis model.

See our latest analysis for Brown-Forman

Crunching The Numbers

We are going to use a two-stage DCF model, which, as the name states, takes into account two stages of growth. The first stage is generally a higher growth period which levels off heading towards the terminal value, captured in the second 'steady growth' period. To start off with, we need to estimate the next ten years of cash flows. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years.

A DCF is all about the idea that a dollar in the future is less valuable than a dollar today, so we discount the value of these future cash flows to their estimated value in today's dollars:

10-year free cash flow (FCF) forecast

2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 Levered FCF ($, Millions) US$762.7m US$808.8m US$960.5m US$1.20b US$1.28b US$1.34b US$1.39b US$1.43b US$1.47b US$1.51b Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x5 Analyst x5 Analyst x5 Analyst x1 Analyst x1 Est @ 4.49% Est @ 3.74% Est @ 3.21% Est @ 2.84% Est @ 2.58% Present Value ($, Millions) Discounted @ 6.8% US$714 US$709 US$789 US$925 US$920 US$900 US$875 US$845 US$814 US$782

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)

Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = US$8.3b

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After calculating the present value of future cash flows in the initial 10-year period, we need to calculate the Terminal Value, which accounts for all future cash flows beyond the first stage. For a number of reasons a very conservative growth rate is used that cannot exceed that of a country's GDP growth. In this case we have used the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield (2.0%) to estimate future growth. In the same way as with the 10-year 'growth' period, we discount future cash flows to today's value, using a cost of equity of 6.8%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2032  (1 + g)  (r  g) = US$1.5b (1 + 2.0%)  (6.8% 2.0%) = US$32b

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= US$32b ( 1 + 6.8%)10= US$17b

The total value, or equity value, is then the sum of the present value of the future cash flows, which in this case is US$25b. The last step is to then divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Relative to the current share price of US$64.4, the company appears slightly overvalued at the time of writing. Remember though, that this is just an approximate valuation, and like any complex formula - garbage in, garbage out.

dcf

The Assumptions

The calculation above is very dependent on two assumptions. The first is the discount rate and the other is the cash flows. Part of investing is coming up with your own evaluation of a company's future performance, so try the calculation yourself and check your own assumptions. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at Brown-Forman as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 6.8%, which is based on a levered beta of 0.800. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility, compared to the market as a whole. We get our beta from the industry average beta of globally comparable companies, with an imposed limit between 0.8 and 2.0, which is a reasonable range for a stable business.

SWOT Analysis for Brown-Forman

Strength

Earnings growth over the past year exceeded the industry.

Debt is well covered by earnings and cashflows.

Dividends are covered by earnings and cash flows.

Weakness

Dividend is low compared to the top 25% of dividend payers in the Beverage market.

Expensive based on P/E ratio and estimated fair value.

Opportunity

Annual earnings are forecast to grow for the next 3 years.

Threat

Annual earnings are forecast to grow slower than the American market.

Next Steps:

Valuation is only one side of the coin in terms of building your investment thesis, and it ideally won't be the sole piece of analysis you scrutinize for a company. The DCF model is not a perfect stock valuation tool. Rather it should be seen as a guide to "what assumptions need to be true for this stock to be under/overvalued?" For instance, if the terminal value growth rate is adjusted slightly, it can dramatically alter the overall result. Can we work out why the company is trading at a premium to intrinsic value? For Brown-Forman, we've put together three further factors you should further examine:

Risks: For example, we've discovered 1 warning sign for Brown-Forman that you should be aware of before investing here. Future Earnings: How does BF.B's growth rate compare to its peers and the wider market? Dig deeper into the analyst consensus number for the upcoming years by interacting with our free analyst growth expectation chart. Other High Quality Alternatives: Do you like a good all-rounder? Explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there you may be missing!

PS. The Simply Wall St app conducts a discounted cash flow valuation for every stock on the NYSE every day. If you want to find the calculation for other stocks just search here.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



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Officers on Thursday night arrested a Sacramento man accused of stabbing his brother several times during an argument in their vehicle as they drove around a casino parking lot in Elk Grove.

Mahendra Singh, 51, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and was booked at the Sacramento County Jail, the Elk Grove Police Department announced in a social media post. He remained in custody Friday afternoon and was being held without bail.

About 11:20 p.m., officers were called to the Sky River Casino parking lot for a report of a man screaming for help. Police said the officers found a man, later identified as Singh, with a cut on his face standing near a vehicle.

Casino security staff then told the officers that they had found another man at one of the casinos entrances suffering from multiple stab wounds, police said. The wounded man was later identified as Singhs 50-year-old brother.

Police did not release his name. Officers and casino security staff provided first aid to the wounded man until medics arrived.

Officers, along with detectives, learned the two men were brothers and had arrived at the casino parking lot together in a vehicle. The brothers never entered the casino.

Instead, the brothers remained in the vehicle that had been parked in the casino parking lot for about two hours. Then, Singhs brother started driving the vehicle through the parking lot and an argument ensued. The Police Department did not indicate what the argument was about.

During the argument, Singhs brother allegedly threatened Singh. Police said Singh then pulled out a knife and stabbed his brother several times.

The wounded brother got out of the vehicle and walked to a casino entrance, where security staff found him. The officers found Singh near the car and detained him for questioning.

Singhs brother was taken to a hospital, where he was being treated for his injuries and is expected to survive, according to the Police Department. Singh also was treated at a hospital before he was booked at the jail early Friday.
An emergency worker has been killed in an attack on a fire station in the city of Kherson on 6 January.

Source: Yartoslav Yanushevych, Head of Kherson Oblast Military Administration, on Telegram

Quote: "The Russian army showered Kherson with fire nine times, residential areas of the city came under the enemys attack. Projectiles struck low-rise private homes and apartment buildings as well as the grounds and premises of a fire and rescue unit.

Yesterday, one person - an emergency worker - died due to Russian attacks."

Details: The number of casualties had not been established yesterday (6 January).

Apart from the city of Kherson, Russian attackers fired on settlements in Kherson Oblast 39 times. The Russians fired on civilian settlements in the oblast using artillery, multiple-launch rocket systems, mortars and tanks. Seven people sustained injuries of varying degrees of severity.

Previously: Russian artillery was reported to have attacked fire stations in Kherson on 6 January for the second time in two days.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!






A Snakes on a Plane situation at Tampa International Airport was prevented when Transportation Security Administration officers discovered a boa constrictor inside the carry-on bag of an unidentified passenger.

TSA publicized the incident on Dec. 15 in a pun-laden Instagram post.

Theres a danger noodle in that bag, it read. Our officers at Tampa International Airport didnt find this hyssssssterical! Coiled up in a passengers carry-on was a 4 boa constrictor! We have no adder-ation for discovering any pet going through an x-ray machine.

Lisa Farbstein, a TSA spokesperson, confirmed the passenger was a woman. Farbstein told CNN that the transportation agency notified the airline she was ticketed to fly on, and  in perhaps the least surprising decision  the airline did not permit the snake on the plane.

Do you have asp-irations of taking a snake on a plane? Dont get upsetti spaghetti by not understanding your airlines rules, wrote the TSA in the post. For instance, airlines dont allow nope ropes in carry-on bags, and only a few allow them to slither around in checked bags if packaged correctly.

Ultimately, this type of mistake is far from uncommon.

One person at New Yorks John F. Kennedy International Airport was reportedly shocked to find a cat in his carry-on last year  and said one of their roommates mustve packed it. Meanwhile, staff at the Dane County Regional Airport in Madison, Wisconsin, found a dog in a backpack.

The TSA instructs passengers to remove pets from their carrying cases to be sent through screening machines. Boa constrictors, which kill their prey by wrapping around them to asphyxiate them, are typically only allowed in checked luggage.

The dad-joke barrage of an Instagram post pointed readers to AskTSA, a Twitter information portal that can be reached seven days per week between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Unfortunately, if recent animal discoveries by the TSA are any indication, some passengers still have a lot to learn.

Related...
EL PASO, Texas (AP)  Several hundred people marched through the streets of El Paso on Saturday afternoon, and when they arrived at a group of migrants huddling outside a church, they sang to them no estan solos  you are not alone.

Around 300 migrants have taken refuge on sidewalks outside Sacred Heart Church, some of them afraid to seek more formal shelters, advocates say, amid new restrictions meant to crack down on illegal border crossings.

This is the scene that will greet President Joe Biden on his first, politically thorny visit to the southern border Sunday.

The president announced last week that Cubans, Nicaraguans, Haitians will be expelled to Mexico if they enter the U.S. illegally  an expansion of a policy that began with Venezuelans last year. The new rules will also include offering humanitarian parole for up to 30,000 people a month from those four countries if they apply online and find a financial sponsor.

Biden is scheduled to arrive in El Paso Sunday afternoon before traveling on to Mexico City to meet with North American leaders on Monday and Tuesday.

Dylan Corbett, who runs the nonprofit Hope Border Institute, said the city is experiencing an increasing climate of fear.

He said immigration enforcement agencies have already started ratcheting up deportations to Mexico, and he senses a rising level of tension and confusion.

The presidents new policy expands on an existing effort to stop Venezuelans attempting to enter the U.S., which began in October.

Corbett said many Venezuelans have since been left in limbo, putting a strain on local resources. He said expanding those policies to other migrants will only worsen the circumstances for them on the ground.

Its a very difficult situation because they cant go forward and they cant go back, he said. People who arent processed cant leave El Paso because of U.S. law enforcement checkpoints; most have traveled thousands of miles from their homelands and refuse to give up and turn around.

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There will be people in need of protection who will be left behind, Corbett said.

The new restrictions represent a major change to immigration rules that will stand even if the U.S. Supreme Court ends a Trump-era public health law known as Title 42 that allows U.S. authorities to turn away asylum-seekers.

El Paso has swiftly become the busiest of the Border Patrols nine sectors along the U.S. border with Mexico, occupying the top slots in October and November. Large numbers of Venezuelans began showing up in September, drawn to the relative ease of crossing, robust shelter networks and bus service on both sides of the border, and a major airport to destinations across the United States.

Venezuelans ceased to be a major presence almost overnight after Mexico, under Title 42 authority, agreed on Oct. 12 to accept those who crossed the border illegally into the United States. Nicaraguans have since filled that void. Title 42 restrictions have been applied 2.5 million times to deny migrants a right to seek asylum under U.S. and international law on grounds of preventing the spread of COVID-19.

U.S. authorities stopped migrants 53,247 times in November in the El Paso sector, which stretches across 264 miles of desert in West Texas and New Mexico but sees much of its activity in the city of El Paso and suburban Sunland Park, New Mexico. The most recent monthly tally for the sector was more than triple the same period of 2021, with Nicaraguans the top nationality by far, followed by Mexicans, Ecuadoreans, Guatemalans and Cubans.

Many gathered under blankets outside Sacred Heart Church. The church opens its doors at night to families and women, so not all of the hundreds caught in this limbo must sleep outside in the dropping temperatures. Two buses were available for people to warm up and charge their phones. Volunteers come with food and other supplies.

Juan Tovar held a Bible in his hands, his 7-year-old daughter hoisted onto his shoulders. The 32-year-old was a bus driver in Venezuela before he fled with his wife and two daughters because of the political and financial chaos that has consumed their home country.

He has friends in San Antonio prepared to take them in, he said. Hes here to work and provide an education for his daughters, but hes stuck in El Paso without a permit.

Everything is in the hands of God, he said. We are all humans and we want to stay.

Another Venezuelan, 22-year-old Jeremy Mejia, overheard and said he had a message hed like to send to the president.

President Biden, I ask God to touch your heart so we can stay in this country, Mejia said. I ask you to please touch your heart and help us migrants have a better future in the U.S.

___

Leighton reported from El Paso and Spagat from Yuma, Arizona. AP writer Claire Galofaro contributed to this report from Louisville, Kentucky.
The Daily Beast

University of WashingtonThe Cascadia Subduction Zone (CSZ) is a massive fault line stretching from Vancouver Island to Northern Californiaand its the source of the vast majority of earthquakes and tsunamis in the region. In fact, scientists believe that the fault line will likely be the source of the next Big One, an anticipated megathrust earthquake so powerful itll wreak death and destruction the likes of which weve never seen before from a geological event.So, it goes without saying that
The 15-year-old boy was just supposed to visit St. Petersburg for the holidays.

Zykiqurio Lofton had moved to Georgia over the summer with his grandmother. They drove back to Tampa Bay in December to celebrate Christmas and his moms and aunts birthdays with family.

But on Dec. 29, Lofton was fatally shot at 9:10 p.m. near the 1500 block of Ninth Avenue South. He was taken to the hospital, where he died of his injuries.

The following day, St. Petersburg police arrested 17-year-old Deonte Bishop and charged him with first-degree felony murder in Loftons death.

Bishop had been arrested about a month earlier in connection with a fatal crash. Police said he drove into another car at the intersection of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street South and 30th Avenue and fled the scene. The other cars driver, 87-year-old Denry Gayle, was taken to Bayfront Health St. Petersburg and pronounced dead.

In the aftermath of the shooting, Loftons family is grappling with the death of Zykiqurio, who was just a few weeks short of his 16th birthday.

This baby has lost his life on a senseless act of violence, his mother, 32-year-old Jessica Lofton, said. It doesnt make any sense.

Vicki Glenn, Zykiqurio Loftons grandmother, remembered going grocery shopping with him.

Push me, Grandma, push me, he would tell her, hopping onto the end of her shopping cart.

He said wanted to be a counselor, working somewhere like the YMCA, and mentor teens, his family said. He loved kids  he was the oldest of five and had an aunt who just turned 9 years old this month.

He just loved being around people, Glenn said.

Lofton also was a dog lover and enjoyed caring for a blue-nosed pit bull the family had at one point. He attended John Hopkins Middle School in St. Petersburg before he moved away. He played football, both as a quarterback and a tight end, and enjoyed basketball, too.

He loved to get outside, Glenn said. And he was a quick learner.

His grandmother had been homeschooling him during his first semester of high school in Georgia, while the family adjusted to the move. But he was looking forward to attending an in-person school again and being in a classroom with other students, Glenn said.

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Loftons family said he was out with two of his brothers, visiting their friends, the night he was killed. He told his brothers to go home and said he would be on his way.

His brothers got home around 8:40 p.m., Jessica Lofton said. They said Zykiqurio was on his way. However, at 9:14 p.m., Jessica Lofton found out that her son had been shot.

She rushed to the scene, but when she got there, she said she wasnt allowed to see her son before he was taken to a medical facility. The hospital was on lockdown and didnt let family talk to him, either.

That moment was very critical for me, to see my son, Jessica Lofton said. But they never let me see him.

St. Petersburg Police Department spokesperson Ken Knight said that while he doesnt know the specifics of what happened at the scene that night, police try to prioritize saving the victims life and preserving the crime scene. Still, he said, he sympathizes with the familys frustration.

We completely understand that, he said.

On Dec. 30, at 12:30 a.m., police arrested Bishop on charges of carrying a concealed firearm and possession of marijuana with intent to sell. Later that day, they announced that he also was the suspect in Zykiqurio Loftons death.

Police spokesperson Yolanda Fernandez said Bishop had been released on Dec. 19 while awaiting trial for the hit-and-run case and was wearing an ankle monitor. Bishops father, Ricky Bishop, also faces a charge in the hit-and-run case  a misdemeanor charge of allowing an unlicensed person to drive his vehicle resulting in a crash involving death. Authorities said Deonte Bishop was driving his fathers car when the collision occurred.

Deonte Bishop is currently being held at the Pinellas County Jail. His father declined to speak about the criminal charges and referred a Tampa Bay Times reporter to his attorney. Ricky and Deonte Bishops attorney for the hit-and-run case could not be reached for comment Friday.

Fernandez said detectives believe Deonte Bishop targeted Zykiqurio Lofton because they were affiliated with rival neighborhood groups. Bishop was believed to have been part of a group out of the Childs Park neighborhood, while Lofton was affiliated with a group in Bethel Heights, Fernandez said.

Glenn said she was not aware of her grandson having an affiliation with any neighborhood groups.

Ive also asked my grandson that, and hes often told me no, she said.

Since Loftons death, his family has received an outpouring of support from the community. His friends parents have reached out to share about the impact he had on their lives, and family members said theyve even heard from people who knew him when he was in preschool.

Zykiqurio was a leader. He was very powerful, Jessica Lofton said. When Zykiqurio walked in a room, you could feel his presence because when he walked, he walked with his head held high.

The family has started a fundraiser to help raise money for funeral costs, which can be found on the GoFundMe website.
Fay Weldon at the Oxford Literary Festival in 2011 (Shutterstock)

If I am a prolific writer, Fay Weldon once said, and turn my hand, with what seems to some indecent haste, from novels to screenplays to stage and radio plays, it is because there is so much to be said, so few of us to say it, and time runs out.

Weldons pronouncements often got mixed reactions in a writing career that spanned 50 years. Some enjoyed her mix of frivolity and serious intent; others found her views capricious and inconsistent. However, she saw no real virtue in consistency. People are contradictory. She also pointed out at the end of one opinionated interview: These are not considered views; just todays views.

The author was born Franklin Birkinshaw in Barnt Green, Birmingham on 22 September 1931, her first name came about because her mother Margaret, a romantic novelist, was convinced she was going to have a son. (She already had a daughter, Jane, a year older.)

Weldon had been conceived in Napier, New Zealand where her father, Frank Birkinshaw, had emigrated to practice as a doctor. The family were separated during the great Napier earthquake of 1931, which saw Weldons father abandon his family for three months and her mother return to England.

Margaret and her daughters returned to New Zealand but the marriage did not last long. According to Weldon, her father was a philanderer but when Margaret was unfaithful once to bring him to his senses he divorced her.

Her mother struggled to keep them. She took menial jobs but also wrote romantic novels to pay the bills. (She had already written a serious novel, Via Panama). Writing was in the family. Weldons maternal grandfather was the detective novelist, Edgar Jepson; her uncle also became a crime author.

In 1945 Weldons mother received a small inheritance and brought the family back to England. They arrived in England on Weldons 15th birthday. She never saw her father again: he died of a stroke in 1947.

Weldon went to South Hampstead High School, then to St Andrews University, Scotland, on a scholarship to study psychology and economics. Her sister married an artist and became pregnant but left her husband after eight weeks. Moving to London after receiving her degree Weldon worked as a hospital orderly, a waiter, then on the Polish desk at the Foreign Office where Winston Churchill would assess her memos as VG.

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At night she and her best friend went with visiting business executives on double dates that sometimes turned into foursomes in laybys. She later said that such intimate congress with another human being is very reassuring. It makes you feel alive and worthy of their attention. The debasement is part of it.

The author circa 1985 (Getty)

She became pregnant with her son, Nicholas, when she was 22. The father, a busker and doorman, offered to marry her and make a living as a plumber in Luton. She refused but took his name by deed poll.

When her son was born Weldon, her mother, her newly pregnant sister and another pregnant woman moved to Saffron Walden to open a teahouse. They abandoned the project when Weldon couldnt deal with the sobbing ghosts she claimed inhabited the building.

In 1957, she married headmaster Ronald Bateman, 25 years her senior. She said in her autobiography Auto da Fay (2002) that he needed a wife for his CV but didnt want sex with her. He encouraged her to take lovers and, according to her, wanted to be her pimp.

He also encouraged her to work as a hostess in a Soho clip joint. Weldon said she actually enjoyed being a hostess: It was delinquent, you see. It was fun in the way parties are fun actually, socially it was easier because there were rules.

She wrote about this period in the third person to distance herself from it. Even so she also noted: Poor Ronald Bateman. [I] was a heartless, practical monster.

She regarded the marriage as a commercial exchange: You either supported your child or they took it away and put it in an orphanage. So the customary thing was to marry someone for a roof over your head and you would provide services of a domestic and sexual nature. It was not so surprising or terrible a thing to do.

She left Bateman after two years and got work as a journalist before moving into a successful career in advertising copywriting. She did not coin the slogan Go to work on an egg nor unzip a banana but was head of the department that did. She may have provided a slogan for vodka that was too direct: Vodka gets you drunk quicker.

Although successful at work, she referred to herself in her twenties as a lost girl moving through a string of unsatisfactory affairs. In 1960, age 29, she met artist and antique dealer, Ron Weldon. They married and had their first son, Daniel, in 1963. While she was pregnant she wrote her first TV play, A Catching Complaint, posting it on the way to the hospital to give birth. She wrote it in longhand because her husband didnt like the sound of typing.

The Weldons had two more sons. The couple also attended regular therapy sessions. She said: We went to see our analysts twice a week so really there was no need to speak to each other.

See me as Sisyphus, but having a good time (Times Newspapers/Shutterstock)

Her sister Jane had mental health problems through the Sixties and Weldon often looked after her children too. Jane died of cancer in 1969 at the age of 39. Weldon said: I felt total helplessness in the face of it.

She was much in demand over the next 20 years as a TV writer. She won an award for the pilot for Upstairs, Downstairs (1971), adapted Pride and Prejudice for the BBC (1980) and, in the same year, scripted Life for Christine, a true story about a 15-year-old sent to prison for life. She also adapted Olivia Mannings The Balkan Trilogy into an eight-part BBC series.

She published her first novel, The Fat Womans Joke, in 1967. Books that followed included Down Among the Women (1971), Female Friends (1975), and Praxis (1978), which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. In these early novels she was critical of rivalrous women who focused on their selfish needs rather than solidarity with other women.

Her style was direct but that was because you say what you want to say in the shortest time available so you can all go home.

In the Eighties, she explored how science and the physical changes it enabled could affect womens lives in novels such as Puffball (1980), The Life and Loves of a She-Devil (1983) and The Cloning of Joanna May (1989).

Her marriage to Ron Weldon ended in 1994. He died of a heart attack on the day the divorce was finalised. She later married poet Nick Fox, who became her manager.

Wicked Women (1995) won the PEN/Macmillan Silver Pen Award. In 2001, she was criticised for making a deal with the jeweller Bulgari to product place the company name in a novel.

As time went on her pronouncements about men and women caused either bemusement or anger among feminists to such a degree that she said: I do still call myself a feminist, but Im not sure if theyd still have me.

Possibly that was because she said women should not expect orgasms and should fake them if they didnt have them; that they shouldnt try to get men to pick up their socks or clean the loo; that rape isnt the worst thing that can happen to a woman if youre safe, alive and unmarked after the event.

Later she stated: I sometimes take extreme positions because I want to be argued with.

In 2000, she found religion and was confirmed in St Pauls Cathedral. She was made a CBE in 2001. She moved to Dorset with Nick Fox in 2002.

Auto Da Fay was published the same year. The writing was not in the least therapeutic, she said. All reliving does is scrape off scar tissue to reveal still bleeding wounds.

She wrote over 30 novels and five collections of short stories. Her last novel, Habits of the House (2012), was the first of a projected historical trilogy called Love and Inheritance. It was seen by some as cashing in on the popularity of Downton Abbey.

Survivors include her son Nick; two sons from her second marriage; a stepdaughter; 12 grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren

Weldon joked that she saw herself as someone who drops tiny crumbs of nourishment, in the form of comment and conversation, into the black enormous maw of the worlds discontent. I will never fill it up or shut it up; but it seems my duty, not to mention my pleasure, to attempt to do so, however ineptly. See me as Sisyphus, but having a good time.

Fay Weldon, author, born 22 September 1931, died 4 January 2023
Elon Musk's controversial online persona is making some Tesla owners consider other electric cars. Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Some Tesla owners are done with the electric-car brand over Elon Musk's antics.

Musk was always outspoken, but lately, he's become increasingly political and controversial.

We spoke to three Tesla owners who say Musk has made them rethink their relationship with the brand.

A self-described former Tesla fanboy, Bob Perkowitz was among the first few thousand people to reserve a Model S way back in 2009. He took delivery in 2012 and eventually upgraded to a 2017 edition of the same sedan.

He was planning to buy a 2022 model, too. Then things went off the rails.

Perkowitz is one of many Tesla owners rethinking their allegiance to the brand as Elon Musk becomes an increasingly erratic and polarizing figure online. Tesla's CEO has always been outspoken, but in recent months  and particularly after he bought Twitter  the persona on display to his 125 million Twitter followers has shifted from that of the occasionally irreverent, visionary entrepreneur to something decidedly more belligerent and political.

Tesla owners say Musk's antics are becoming too much

Perkowitz says he hasn't bought a new Tesla because of Musk's right-wing views, his tumultuous Twitter acquisition, and his radical emphasis on free speech, which Perkowitz believes will allow misinformation to run rampant on Twitter.

"Elon was a really good reason to buy the car," Perkowitz told Insider. "He had a great brand. He is not such a great brand anymore."

John Byrne, a software CEO, told Insider he traded in his Model X for an Audi RS E-Tron GT after Musk's outbursts. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir/File Photo

Alan Lasoff, of Calabasas, California, is currently leasing a Model Y SUV, but won't be getting another when his term expires. For him, the decision boils down to what he sees as the billionaire's hypocrisy and amplification of conspiracy theories.

"He told everybody he's buying Twitter because he wants it to be sort of apolitical, and on the eve of the election he says you should vote for Republicans," Lasoff told Insider. "He can have his opinion, but the thing I really despise in people is hypocrisy."

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John Byrne, a software CEO in Maryland, hadn't been a huge fan of his 2020 Model X SUV for some time. He said it was creaky, vibrated at times, and was of an overall build quality that didn't justify its $95,000 price tag.

But Musk's behavior since the Twitter saga  particularly his broadcasting of right-wing views and attack on Anthony Fauci  was the final straw. Byrne traded in his car for an electric Audi in late 2022.

"I don't want to be a brand ambassador for them anymore," Byrne told Insider.

Tesla did not return a request for comment.

Musk may be attracting conservatives to the brand

Some recent studies back up the anecdotes. The research firm Morning Consult found that Tesla's net favorability rating among Democrats dropped by 20% between October and November. Favorability among Republicans improved slightly.

Tesla's share price dropped 65% in 2022. Tesla

According to Matthew Quint, a brand expert at Columbia Business School, consumers are more likely to react poorly to a car company being controversial than another type of business. That's because a car is a long-term purchase that represents its owner to the outside world wherever they go  unlike, say, a can of Goya beans.

Moreover, Quint said, the five-figure outlay involved will make someone think harder about whom they're enriching and whether they agree with their views.

The turnaround among some fans comes at a trying time for the company.

After years of Teslas flying off of the shelves, the company is facing big questions about if consumer demand is waning. Amid those concerns, investor fears about Musk's preoccupation with Twitter, and slowing sales growth, Tesla's stock plummeted 65% in 2022.

Plus, Tesla is dealing with an aging product line while it faces unprecedented competition in the EV space, Sam Fiorani, vice president of global vehicle forecasting at AutoForecast Solutions, told Insider.

Still, it's unclear whether Musk's outbursts will deal a significant blow to Tesla's sales going forward. Things could balance out if Musk repels progressives while simultaneously selling lots of conservatives on his cars, Quint said. And if Musk wants to blunt the impact of his words, all he has to do is tone things down, Quint said.

Perkowitz agrees. He's been looking at the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Polestar 2 as electric alternatives, but he's holding out hope that he'll be able to buy a Model S in good conscience.

"I've been kind of stalling, waiting for Elon to come to his senses and say something that makes sense," Perkowitz said. "But if he doesn't do it soon, I'll be driving the Polestar."

Are you a Tesla owner or employee with a story to share? Do you love or hate your EV? Contact this reporter at tlevin@insider.com

Read the original article on Business Insider
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP)  Lauren Fields scored all nine of her points in the final two-and-a-half minutes as No. 15 Arizona erased a 12-point fourth-quarter deficit to knock off Oregon State 72-69 on Friday night.

The Wildcats bounced back from their first loss in their last six games, falling 73-57 to No. 2 Stanford on Monday.

Esmery Martinez got Arizona even at 53-53 with 8:04 left, but Oregon State responded with a 12-0 run that seemingly left the Beavers in charge with under four minutes to play. Raegan Beers turned a three-point play, Bendu Yeaney and Beers had baskets and Talia von Oelhoffen hit a 3-pointer off a cross-court pass in the spurt. Yeaney hit a pull-up jumper in the lane for a 65-53 advantage with 3:57 left.

Martinez stopped the run with two free throws and Helena Pueyo followed with a steal and layup to get the Wildcats within eight.

From there, Fields, a senior transfer from Oklahoma State, found a comfortable spot on the wing and used it to drop back-to-back 3s, then scored at the basket to tie the game with 1:48 to play. Pueyo hit from beyond the arc to give Arizona its first lead of the game, 68-65 with 1:29 remaining.

Oregon State got within one with 28 seconds left when von Oelhoffen drove the baseline for a reverse layup, but Arizona came up with two clutch defensive stops to preserve the win.

Cate Reese led Arizona (13-2, 3-1 Pac 12) with 16 points and three steals. Shaina Pellington, who hit a game-winning jumper at the buzzer last year in Corvallis, and Pueyo each added 12 points.

Beers posted a double-double to lead Oregon State (9-6, 1-3), finishing with 19 points and 10 rebounds. AJ Marotte added 17 points and von Oelhoffen scored 12.

__

AP womens college basketball:

https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
Finland is ready to provide Ukraine with Leopard 2 battle tanks if Europe gives it the green light, Antti Hakkianen, chairman of the defense committee in Finland, said, Finnish MTV Uutiset news reports.

"If Europe starts giving tanks to Ukraine even an inch more, Finland should be involved. Of course, with our small contribution, because our own defense capability is always a priority for us as a border country with Russia," Hakkianen said.

The United States and Germany announced on Jan. 5 that the U.S. would provide Ukraine with 50 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles worth $2.8 billion, while Germany approved a shipment of its Marder infantry fighting vehicles.

Earlier on Jan. 4, French President Emmanuel Macron announced the decision to supply Ukraine with light tanks and Bastion armored fighting vehicles.
A former Milwaukee County sheriff's deputy has been criminally charged, accused of stealing cash from a tenant while serving an eviction.

Last month, the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office filed a misdemeanor charge of misconduct while in public office against former deputy Christopher Boyd, who has been terminated from the department.

According to the criminal complaint:

In April, Boyd and another deputy were at a residence in the 3100 block of North 40th Street during an eviction. It is normal routine for the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office to be on hand during evictions to ensure they are handled in a peaceful manner.

On July 6, Boyd admitted to investigators with the district attorney's office that he estimated he took at least $200 out of a drawer in the residence, while the tenant's boyfriend inquired about a missing $400.

When money is found during an eviction, it is the responsibility of the moving company to document it and remove it. Sheriff's deputies should never handle money during an eviction.

A few minutes after taking the money out of the drawer and placing it in his ballistic vest, Boyd said he believed the tenant's boyfriend caught him, so he decided to reach his hand back into the drawer and act as if he just found the money. He then handed the money to the tenant's boyfriend. Boyd told investigators it was his intent to keep the money.

"The other hundred that you had in your pocket, by your phone, crinkled up, I saw that," said the tenant's boyfriend. A later review of bodycam footage shows Boyd holding eviction paperwork and a $100 bill.

But, Boyd told investigators he gave all the money back to the tenant's boyfriend except for $20 to $50 he gave to a worker with the moving company. The moving company on site that day was Eagle Moving and Storage Company.

In a statement, the sheriff's office said Boyd was terminated on Aug. 31.

If convicted, Boyd could be imprisoned up to nine months, or fined up to $10,000, or both.

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In October, a Milwaukee County sheriff's deputy was charged with two felonies, accused of threatening behavior of an ex-girlfriend.

On Friday, Denita Ball was sworn in as the 66th Milwaukee County Sheriff.

Contact Drake Bentley at (414) 391-5647 or DBentley1@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DrakeBentleyMJS.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee sheriff's deputy charged with misconduct, accused of theft
A Catholic priest who served in the Charleston Diocese has been charged with federal sex crimes.

Jaime Adolfo Gonzalez-Farias, known as Father Gonzalez, was arrested by the U.S. Marshal Service in Miami, Florida, on Nov. 29, according to records filed in South Carolina federal court. He is being remanded to South Carolina where he will face allegations that he sexually abused an 11-year-old.

In a recently unsealed indictment, Gonzalez-Farias is charged with aggravated sexual abuse of children, coercion of a minor and transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.

Beginning Oct. 17, 2020, Gonzalez-Farias sought to persuade, induce, entice and coerce the 11-year-old victim, named in the indictment as Minor Victim 1, to engage in sex with him, the indictment states.

Between Nov. 8 and Nov. 12, 2020, Gonzalez-Farias is accused of transporting the child to Florida and engaging in the intentional touching, not through the clothing, of (the victims) genitalia, according to the indictment.

A statement provided from the The Roman Catholic Diocese of Charleston said that they were made aware of an allegation of sexual misconduct with a minor involving visiting priest Father Jaime Gonzalez-Farias in December 2020, after he had left the country for his home in Chile.

In January 2021, we notified his parishioners about the abuse allegation. Subsequently, retired Bishop Robert E. Guglielmone determined that there were reasonable grounds to believe the allegation. Initially, the Laurens County Sheriffs Department investigated the allegation; however, the matter was referred to federal authorities. We have cooperated fully with both law enforcement agencies, according to the statement.

Gonzalez-Farias, 68, was ordained as priest in September 1990. On April 20, 2015 he was transferred to South Carolina; the Diocese of Charleston listed him as visiting priest of the Diocese of San Bernardo, Chile.

At that time, diocesan officials received a clear background check on him. (Gonzalez-Farias) then completed the Dioceses Safe Environment training. In accordance with diocesan policy, he was rescreened in July 2020; no criminal activity was noted on that report, according to the statement from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charleston.

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During his time in South Carolina, Gonzalez-Farias served in various parishes and ministries, according to the indictment.

An announcement of new assignments for priests made by the diocese published on the Dioceses website on July 30, 2020 stated that Gonzalez-Farias was to be administrator of St. Mark Church in Newberry, Holy Spirit Mission in Laurens, and St. Boniface Mission in Joanna; and chaplain to Tyger River Correctional Institution and to Presbyterian College.

In August 2021, Gonzalez-Farias was included on the dioceses list of Visiting Priests with a Credible Allegations of Child Sexual Misconduct or Abuse within the Diocese of Charleston. At the time, the diocese stated that his whereabouts were Unknown  believed to have returned to Chile.

The Diocese describes the list as the result of allegations received by the Diocese and a review of priest personnel files, as well as relevant diocesan clergy or other files (including any files classified as confidential).

The Diocese of Charleston first released the list in 2019 after committing to a review of sexual abuse and misconduct with children in the clergy. Gonzalez-Farias was not named on the list at the time.

Gonzalez-Farias bishop in Chile was alerted to allegations at the time, but the Diocese of Charleston stated that there were not aware of what action was taken after that.

Gonzalez-Farias is being returned to South Carolina, where he will be prosecuted by the United States Attorneys Office of South Carolina.

If convicted, he faces a minimum of ten years in federal prison for the charges of coercing a minor and transporting a minor for purposes of sex. The federal charge of aggravated sexual abuse of a minor carries a minimum of 30 years and up to life in prison.

Elliott B. Daniels is listed as the lead prosecutor. In Miami, Gonzalez-Farias was represented by Federal Public Defender Kate Mollison. Court records do not indicate whether a defense attorney has been assigned in South Carolina.
A British mother gave a furious reaction after a six-year-old student at her childs school in Newport News, Virgina, shot and critically injured a teacher on Friday.

A Richneck Elementary School teacher identified by local news reports as Abby Zwerner was intentionally shot by the young student after an alleged altercation in the classroom, police said.

Ms Zwerner, whose condition had improved to stable on Saturday, was praised by parents for warning her students to flee as she lay bleeding on the classroom floor.

Speaking outside the school on Friday, the unnamed parent told WTKR she was furious at the lack of gun regulations in the United States.

Speaking in an English accent, she told WTKR: Guns, OK, thats the biggest problem in this country,.

Why is it so bad. Why is there a seven-year-old with a bloody gun? she said, speaking before police revealed the alleged shooters age was six.

Come on, think about it. Lets do something. Weve got a new Governor now, lets do something, lets change it.

A British mother was furious after a 6-year-old student at her childs Virginia school shot a teacher on Friday (Twitter / WTKR)

She compared the shockingly high levels of gun violence in the US to the United Kingdom, which has one of the lowest rates of deaths from gun violence in the world.

Speaking of the United States she said: Youve got a beautiful country, youve got beautiful people. But whats the problem? Guns ... Thats what Im pissed off with.

She said that she only lived in the US because her husband served in the military.

Otherwise I would not have chosen to come to this country.

In 2022, the total number of gun deaths in the US was 44,257, or around 13.7 per 100,000 people, according to Gun Violence Archive.

Around half of those were suicides, the site stated.

Abby Zwerner, 25, was critically injured after being shot by a 6-year-old student at the Virginia elementary school she teaches at (Facebook / Abby Zwerner)

Figures from the UK parliament said Britain had seen 35 homicides by shooting in the year to 31 March, 2021.

The United Kingdom has some of the strictest gun ownership laws in the world.

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, a Republican elected in November 2021, said in a statement on Friday that he was praying for the continued safety of all students and the community.

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Gun control activists have urged Mr Youngkin to enact stronger gun laws in the state after two mass shootings in November.

Three University of Virginia students were allegedly shot and killed by a former teammate on 13 November.

Then a disgruntled employee at a Walmart in Chesapeake opened fire in a break room on 22 November, killing six co-workers before turning the gun on himself.

Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter was killed in the 2018 Parkland school shooting, tweeted at Mr Youngkin: It happened under your leadership. Instead of dishonesty, reach out and lets work together to solve this.

After the Uvalde school shooting in May, the US Congress passed the nations first gun control laws in decades.

The new law imposed tougher checks on young gun buyers and provided funding to encourage states to implement red flag laws to remove firearms from those considered a threat.
Garrettsville police say they received reports on Saturday about an unidentified male asking people for money to get his vehicle towed.

Police said an investigation determined several people gave the male money and that it is a scam.

Anyone approached by this person should report it to the police at 330-527-5631.

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Garrettsville police issue scam alert on Saturday
Republican George Santos became a fully-fledged member of the 118th Congress early Saturday morning, sworn in to represent a part of New York City and Long Island for, presumably, a two-year term.

So far, Santos has resisted calls to step down amid revelations over his background, which he appears to have largely fabricated. His fellow Republicans have also shown little appetite for pressuring him to resign.

The list of things he seems to have made up is staggering, including apparent falsehoods about his religious affiliation, educational background, ancestry  even his mothers death.

But whether he could face charges is still an open question.

Santos is facing investigations on the federal and local level: Authorities in Nassau County, New York, have pledged to prosecute any wrongdoing while federal prosecutors have said they are examining his finances.

Marjorie Taylor Greene chats with George Santos on Thursday.

Marjorie Taylor Greene chats with George Santos on Thursday.

Santos admitted to overstat[ing] and embellishing his resume after The New York Times said its reporters could not substantiate several basic details about him, such as that he worked for Goldman Sachs, graduated from Baruch College, or operated an animal rescue charity called Friends of Pets United. The Times report also cast doubt on the source of his income and wealth, finding scant evidence that his supposed family business really exists.

Questions also linger over how he financed his successful campaign. Santos beat out Democrat Robert Zimmerman by around eight points in November, becoming the first openly gay freshman Republican in the House.

I am not a criminal, he told The New York Post in late December.

This [controversy] will not deter me from having good legislative success. I will be effective. I will be good.

For their part, Santos new Republican colleagues do not appear to have given him the warmest of welcomes. After being mobbed by journalists as soon as he arrived on Capitol Hill Tuesday, Santos was later pictured sitting alone during House Republicans protracted battle to elect a leader. However, as the week wore on, he was spotted chatting amicably with another controversial House Republican  Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.).

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Republicans finally chose Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to be House speaker late Friday night, allowing the members of Congress to be sworn in and officially seated.

Santos voted for McCarthy in all 15 rounds.

Related...
German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht said on Jan. 7 that the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, also known as Ramstein, would be held on Jan. 20.

Ramstein summits are held to coordinate efforts to provide military aid to Ukraine. They were named after the Ramstain Air Base, where the first summit was held in April 2022.

This will be the eighth Ramstein summit since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24. The previous one was held online on Nov. 16, 2022.

The Jan. 20 summit will focus on strengthening Ukraines military capacities, including the delivery of armored personnel carriers and Patriot air defense systems, according to Germanys Defense Ministry.

Germany will provide Ukraine with 40 Marder infantry fighting vehicles, Nils Schmid, a foreign policy spokesman for the Social Democratic Party, said on Jan. 6.

Schmid said that the vehicles could be delivered in the first quarter of 2023.
Google has turned to Indias Supreme Court as a last hope to block an order that has the potential to reshape the Android ecosystem. Last October, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) fined Google $161.9 million and barred the search giant from requiring OEMs to preinstall Google apps and services on their phones. On Wednesday, an appeals tribunal rejected the companys request to block the ruling, which is scheduled to go into effect on January 19th. According to court documents seen by Reuters , Google filed a challenge against the tribunals decision with the countrys top court on Saturday. The company reportedly sees the effort as its last and best hope at preventing the CCIs order from impacting its business. Google did not immediately respond to Engadgets comment request.

While the $161.9 million fine is tiny for Google, the order is likely to force the company to change its deals with Android manufacturers dramatically. The CCI seeks to prevent Google from including anti-fragmentation clauses that bar Android forks. The order would also force the company to allow third-party app stores on Google Play, and allow users to uninstall first-party apps they dont want on their phones. India is a critical market for Google. The country is home to about 606.6 million smartphone users, and about 97 percent of the phones in India run Android. In other words, the company cant afford to exit the market.
Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, left, Matt Gaetz of Florida, center, and Lauren Boebert of Colorado listen during the 15th round of votes in the House chamber as the chamber entered the fifth day trying to elect a speaker and convene the 118th Congress in Washington, DC, on Saturday, January 7, 2023. AP Photo/Alex Brandon

Matt Gaetz was one of the last holdouts in backing challengers to Kevin McCarthy's speakership bid.

In the 14th and 15th ballots, Gaetz chose not to back a challenger and instead voted "present."

Gaetz told CNN that he "ran out of things" to ask for by the end of the public leadership fight.

During Kevin McCarthy's protracted battle to secure the speakership in the new Republican-controlled House of Representatives, Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida  known for his close alliance with former President Donald Trump  was one of the California Republican's most prominent intraparty detractors.

Gaetz came into the original January 3 vote seeking new leadership, which he expressed through a succession of speaker votes cast for Reps. Andy Biggs of Arizona, Byron Donalds of Florida, Kevin Hern of Oklahoma, and Jim Jordan of Ohio  along with a vote cast for Trump  from the first through the 13th speaker ballots.

For most of the past week, Gaetz continually lit into McCarthy, at one point calling him "the LeBron James of special interest fundraising" in Washington, while also questioning why he was putting the House through so many rounds of votes only to come up short in the tallies.

However, by the 14th ballot  when the vast majority of the conservative holdouts had finally moved behind McCarthy  Gaetz shifted his vote from Jordan and instead recorded himself as "present."

While the move represented a breakthrough for Gaetz, it generated anger from many members within the larger caucus as McCarthy remained one vote shy of winning the speaker's gavel. Rep. Mike Rogers of Alabama after the 14th round of voting then confronted Gaetz and appeared to lunge at the Floridian over the vote.

By voting "present" in the 15th and final roll call vote, Gaetz and other Republicans still critical of McCarthy  including Biggs, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Eli Crane of Arizona, Bob Good of Virginia, and Matt Rosendale of Montana  lowered the numerical threshold for victory and allowed the Californian to win the speakership 216-212 over House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York.

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When Gaetz was asked by CNN what prompted him to change his strategy of backing conservative challengers to McCarthy, the Florida lawmaker said he "ran out" of additional concessions to ask of leadership.

"I ran out of things I could even imagine to ask for," he told the news outlet.

CNN reported that Gaetz on Monday had asked McCarthy to chair a House Armed Services subcommittee, but the GOP leader had declined the request.

In the earliest stages of the voting process to select a new speaker, McCarthy struggled to consolidate the support of roughly 20 conservatives and earned fewer votes than Jeffries.

With the Republican Party's razor-thin 222-212 edge over the Democrats, McCarthy couldn't afford to lose more than a few members, a predicament that gave the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus enormous leverage with leadership as they sought to agree on terms that would guide the new majority.

The proposed GOP rules package would afford one member the ability to force a "motion to vacate" the speaker, while also making it tougher for the House to raise taxes or the debt limit. And the new rules would also empower conservatives in the lower chamber, giving them more representation on critical congressional committees.

Read the original article on Business Insider
On Saturday morning, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries officially made history as the first African American to lead a major party in Congress.

Hours after Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy came out victorious in a chaotic, yet historic election to be speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives in the 118th Congress, Democrats are saluting the new minority leader in the chamber: Rep. Hakeem Jeffries.

During the early hours of Saturday after McCarthy won the speakership, Jeffries officially became the first African American in history to lead a major party in Congress. The Brooklyn native delivered a stirring floor speech on behalf of House Democrats before handing the gavel to McCarthy symbolizing the peaceful transfer of power.

U.S. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) delivers remarks after House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was elected Speaker of the House in the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol Building on January 07, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

In his remarks, Jeffries listed his partys accomplishments when it controlled both chambers in the 117th Congress, highlighting a COVID-19 pandemic recovery bill and sweeping economic legislation designed to lower medical and energy costs, create millions of jobs and bring manufacturing jobs back to the United States.

It was one of the most consequential Congresses in American history, Jeffries noted while standing on the House Dais. President [Joe] Biden gets the job done, and the D in Democrat stands for deliver.

Jeffries gave his remarks around the 1 a.m. hour in Washington, D.C. The New York congressman acknowledged his historic rise to leadership in a country he described as a land of opportunity.

We believe that in America our diversity is a strength, it is not a weakness. An economic strength, a competitive strength, a cultural strength, our diversity is a strength  it is not a weakness, Jeffries said. The fact that Im able to stand up here today is another data point in that narrative.

Jeffries received thunderous applause from fellow Democrats during a poetic portion of his speech. Through the use of clever alliteration and every letter of the alphabet, the House minority leader appeared to highlight the contrast he saw between his party and Republicans.

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House Democrats will always put: American values over autocracy; benevolence over bigotry; the Constitution over the cult; democracy over demagogues; economic opportunity over extremism; freedom over fascism, Jeffries said as he made his way through the ABCs.

hakeem jeffries just went from A thru Z in his speech pic.twitter.com/7wLi2pcIAu  philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) January 7, 2023

One line was a clear reference to former President Donald Trump: Maturity over Mar-a-Lago, referring to Trumps private residence in Palm Beach, Florida.

During the four days and 15 rounds of voting it took for Republicans to decide on who would assume the speaker role, Jeffries was unanimously nominated by his party each time. While Democrats did not have the numbers to elect Jeffries, he is almost certain to make history as the first African American speaker of the House. That is if or when Democrats win back the House majority, certainly a goal in the 2024 election.

Jeffries has emerged as a new and fresh voice of opposition to Republicans after former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who shepherded House Democrats for nearly 30 years, stepped down from party leadership. Democrats tell theGrio that they are ready to resist the Republican agenda and will lay the groundwork for their opportunity to reclaim power in the House.

Were going to have to fight them every step of the way to keep the government open, to raise the debt ceiling, to fund a government that promotes the general welfare in addition to promoting and protecting the common defense, Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Ga., recently told theGrio.

However, Jeffries also left the door open for Democrats and Republicans to work together and find common ground whenever and wherever possible on behalf of the American people.

Jeffries and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, also from New York, will lead the Democratic Party in their respective chambers over the next two years as Biden continues to mull over whether he will seek reelection in 2024.

U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) (L), Chairman of House Democratic Caucus, speaks as President Joe Biden (R) listens during the 2022 House Democratic Caucus Issues Conference March 11, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Passing meaningful legislation from the partys agenda is unlikely now that Republicans control the House. Democrats will instead have to navigate being on the defense as Republicans plan to launch congressional investigations into the Biden-Harris administration. Biden will need the teamwork of Democratic leaders Jeffries and Schumer to make that happen.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told theGrio this week that Biden thinks Jeffries is incredibly impressive and is looking forward to working alongside him as the new House Democratic leader.

Its important to see that type of representation at that level. But aside from that, Hakeem Jeffries is a brilliant thinker, a great legislator, Jean-Pierre said. We congratulate him on his new role, and well continue to work closely with him.

TheGrio is FREE on your TV via Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku and Android TV. Also, please download theGrio mobile apps today!

The post Hakeem Jeffries commences historic role as House minority leader with stirring speech appeared first on TheGrio.
Prince Harry has reportedly addressed the scandal involving Uncle Andrew in his leaked book Spare.

Excerpts from Harrys personal and moving autobiography were published in the UK press after copies of the memoir were accidentally put on sale in Spanish book shops on 5 January  before the official release date on 10 January.

You can follow live updates about Harrys book here.

The ghostwritten book, published by Penguin Random House, reportedly includes details about a physical altercation between the Duke of Sussex and his brother, the Prince of Wales.

Other claims include the ill-judged revelation Harry had killed 25 people during military service in Afghanistan, that King Charles feared Harrys novel and resplendent wife Meghan Markle would overshadow him, and that his role as best man in Williams wedding was a bare-faced lie.

According to US Weekly, which said it had obtained a copy of the memoir, the duke also opened up about Prince Andrews sexual assault scandal, writing that he never imagined hed lose palace security after his uncle was permitted to retain it.

Harry and Meghan stepped down from their positions as senior members of the royal family and relocated to the United States in 2020.

In January 2022, Andrew was stripped off his royal title after he was accused of sexual assault by one of Epsteins trafficking victims, Virginia Guiffre.

He previously claimed he had no recollection of ever meeting Giuffre and vehemently denied Giuffres allegation.

In his book, Harry reportedly wrote that Meghan worried their family would be left unprotected after they moved to Montecito, California.

He reassured her, writing in his book: Never. Not in this climate of hate. Not after what happened to my mother [Princess Diana]. Also, not in the wake of my Uncle Andrew.

He was embroiled in a shameful scandal, accused of the sexual assault of a young woman and no one had so much suggested that he lose his security. Whatever grievances people had against us, sex crimes werent on the list, the excerpt read.

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The Independent has contacted representatives for Prince Harry, Prince Andrew, and Penguin Random House for comment.

The duke and duchess lost their taxpayer-funded police protection in February 2020, a month after they announced their decision to quit as senior working royals

In January 2022, Harry filed a claim for a judicial review of the Home Offices decision not to allow him to personally pay for police protection the Sussexes while they were in the UK.

The UK will always be Prince Harrys home and a country he wants his wife and children to be safe in, the legal representative for the duke said in a statement.

With the lack of police protection, comes too great a personal risk.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's first Netflix series debuted in December. Netflix

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's first Netflix series debuted in December.

However, it looks like their future projects won't be as personal as "Harry & Meghan."

"Our focus will be on creating content that informs but also gives hope," the couple said.

The second volume of "Harry & Meghan," the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's documentary series dropped in mid-December and provided a talking point for many families over the holiday season.

Across six episodes, the series explored the clandestine early days of their courtship and the challenges that led to them stepping back from their full-time roles as senior members of the royal family and moving out of the UK in 2020.

While royal fans will soon get some fresh insights into the life of the royal couple in the Duke's upcoming memoir "Spare," many have been left wondering if there will be more episodes of the docuseries. But "Harry & Meghan"  Netflix's biggest documentary debut to date  was described as a "limited series," indicating that it was a self-contained series and that Netflix has no plans to commission another season.

However, this is far from the end of the Sussexes' relationship with Netflix as the docuseries was just one small part of the multimillion, multiyear deal they made with the streaming giant in 2020.

According to The New York Times and Us Magazine, the couple agreed to produce a wide range of content  documentaries, docuseries, movies, scripted shows, and children's shows  under their production company, Archewell Productions.

"Harry & Meghan" was just one part of the multimillion, multi-year deal the couple made with Netflix. Netflix

"Our focus will be on creating content that informs but also gives hope," the couple said in a statement to the New York Times when the deal was first announced three years ago. "As new parents, making inspirational family programming is also important to us."

They added that Netflix's "unprecedented reach will help us share impactful content that unlocks action."

Here are the upcoming or newly released Netflix projects from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex

"Live to Lead," the couple's first follow-up project was released on December 31, 2022.

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Inspired by the legacy of Nelson Mandela, the seven-part series "highlights the fundamental values, daily disciplines and guiding principles that leaders employ to motivate others and create meaningful change," according to Netflix's official synopsis.

The Sussexes appear in the introduction of episodes of new docuseries, "Live To Lead." Netflix

Each episode is preceded by an introduction from either Harry or Meghan and features interviews with the likes of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Greta Thunberg, Jacinda Ardern, Gloria Steinem, and Albie Sachs, among others.

While the Sussexes have yet to share details about their first project for 2023, it could well possibly be "Heart of Invictus," a docuseries covering the behind-the-scenes story of the Invictus Games.

It was the first program the couple announced they were producing for Netflix and will follow athletes competing at the Prince Harry-founded sporting event in 2022.

Archewell Productions is working on a documentary covering the 2022 Invictus Games. Chris Jackson/Getty Images

A press release posted in April 2021 by the Invictus Games Foundation detailed how the multi-episode series will "join the competitors as they train, and along the way reveal powerful stories of resilience and hope."

"This series will give communities around the world a window into the moving and uplifting stories of these competitors on their path to the Netherlands next year," Harry himself said in a quote provided alongside the press release.

According to Town & Country, Harry will appear on camera and be credited as an executive producer on the series. It's not known how much  if at all  Meghan is involved in the project. Representatives for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Archewell Productions did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Read the original article on Insider
Jan. 7The Hawaii State Teachers Association confirmed that Green told the union he intends to propose the tax credit to the state Legislature, which opens Jan. 18.

After denying Hawaii's public school teachers the two extra paid workdays off that he offered to salaried state employees for the holidays, Gov. Josh Green now says he will propose a $500 annual tax credit in their place.

The Hawaii State Teachers Association confirmed that Green told the union he intends to propose the tax credit to the state Legislature, which opens Jan. 18.

A post on the HSTA website on Friday said Green told the union, "I appreciate everything our teachers do for our keiki and realize that the current federal $300 teacher tax deduction doesn't nearly cover what our teachers spend out of their own pockets for their classes. In my upcoming legislative package, I will propose creating a non-refundable state tax credit for teachers worth $500 to account for a portion of those out-of-pocket expenses."

The HSTA said on its website that its president, Osa Tui Jr., recently reached out to Green, who apologized for the confusion over the leave offer.

The union, which represents Hawaii's 12, 600 public school teachers, declined a Honolulu Star-Advertiser request for comment.

Green announced Dec. 9 that all full-time salaried state employees would be given 16 hours of administrative leave for Dec. 23 and 30 "in recognition of the loyal and faithful service of our public employees and in keeping with the holiday season." State schools Superintendent Keith Hayashi soon afterward sent similar information in a memo to DOE deputy superintendents, assistant superintendents, complex-area superintendents and principals.

But those days fell during the schools' winter break, and HSTA Bargaining Unit 05 classroom teachers and other school employees who were already scheduled to be on vacation learned Dec. 23 that they would be ineligible for the special administrative leave.

It was not immediately clear whether some school employees represented by the Hawaii Government Employees Association who also were found ineligible for the holiday leave will be offered anything in trade by Green.

Meanwhile, thousands of other state workers took four-day weekends surrounding Christmas and New Year's Day. Those who were eligible but couldn't be spared from work that day, or who already had paid time off, are permitted to take two alternate days off up to Feb. 28.
To get a sense of who is truly in control of Hup Seng Industries Berhad (KLSE:HUPSENG), it is important to understand the ownership structure of the business. We can see that private companies own the lion's share in the company with 51% ownership. Put another way, the group faces the maximum upside potential (or downside risk).

Individual investors, on the other hand, account for 35% of the company's stockholders.

In the chart below, we zoom in on the different ownership groups of Hup Seng Industries Berhad.

View our latest analysis for Hup Seng Industries Berhad

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Hup Seng Industries Berhad?

Institutional investors commonly compare their own returns to the returns of a commonly followed index. So they generally do consider buying larger companies that are included in the relevant benchmark index.

Since institutions own only a small portion of Hup Seng Industries Berhad, many may not have spent much time considering the stock. But it's clear that some have; and they liked it enough to buy in. If the business gets stronger from here, we could see a situation where more institutions are keen to buy. When multiple institutional investors want to buy shares, we often see a rising share price. The past revenue trajectory (shown below) can be an indication of future growth, but there are no guarantees.

Hup Seng Industries Berhad is not owned by hedge funds. Our data shows that HSB Group Sdn. Bhd. is the largest shareholder with 51% of shares outstanding. This implies that they have majority interest control of the future of the company. With 2.4% and 1.6% of the shares outstanding respectively, Employees Provident Fund of Malaysia and Chiew Kerk are the second and third largest shareholders. Chiew Kerk, who is the third-largest shareholder, also happens to hold the title of Member of the Board of Directors.

While studying institutional ownership for a company can add value to your research, it is also a good practice to research analyst recommendations to get a deeper understand of a stock's expected performance. While there is some analyst coverage, the company is probably not widely covered. So it could gain more attention, down the track.

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Insider Ownership Of Hup Seng Industries Berhad

The definition of company insiders can be subjective and does vary between jurisdictions. Our data reflects individual insiders, capturing board members at the very least. Company management run the business, but the CEO will answer to the board, even if he or she is a member of it.

I generally consider insider ownership to be a good thing. However, on some occasions it makes it more difficult for other shareholders to hold the board accountable for decisions.

Our information suggests that insiders maintain a significant holding in Hup Seng Industries Berhad. Insiders own RM61m worth of shares in the RM560m company. It is great to see insiders so invested in the business. It might be worth checking if those insiders have been buying recently.

General Public Ownership

The general public, who are usually individual investors, hold a 35% stake in Hup Seng Industries Berhad. While this size of ownership may not be enough to sway a policy decision in their favour, they can still make a collective impact on company policies.

Private Company Ownership

It seems that Private Companies own 51%, of the Hup Seng Industries Berhad stock. It might be worth looking deeper into this. If related parties, such as insiders, have an interest in one of these private companies, that should be disclosed in the annual report. Private companies may also have a strategic interest in the company.

Next Steps:

I find it very interesting to look at who exactly owns a company. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. Case in point: We've spotted 1 warning sign for Hup Seng Industries Berhad you should be aware of.

Ultimately the future is most important. You can access this free report on analyst forecasts for the company.

NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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A popular event will offer guests the opportunity to have behind-the-scenes access to learn more about animal care and conservation efforts.

SeaWorlds Inside Look program runs this weekend and next, and the Inside Look experiences are included with regular park admission.

Guests can get up close with animal specialists in talking about their roles in caring for sharks, manatees and more.

READ: 9 things to do this weekend in Central Florida

At SeaWorld Orlando, we are always looking for ways to inspire guests to be advocates for animal conservation, said Kyle Miller, Park President of SeaWorld Orlando. Inside Look is a way to showcase the hard work our animal care specialists do behind the scenes and educate future generations about how they can help protect endangered species and marine habitats for years to come.

SeaWorld advises that the event is usually very popular, and guests should arrive early.

See a detailed look at available experiences here.

READ: Surfs up: SeaWorld unveils new stand-up roller coaster Pipeline

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.
How far off is Mincon Group plc (LON:MCON) from its intrinsic value? Using the most recent financial data, we'll take a look at whether the stock is fairly priced by estimating the company's future cash flows and discounting them to their present value. The Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model is the tool we will apply to do this. There's really not all that much to it, even though it might appear quite complex.

Remember though, that there are many ways to estimate a company's value, and a DCF is just one method. For those who are keen learners of equity analysis, the Simply Wall St analysis model here may be something of interest to you.

See our latest analysis for Mincon Group

The Method

We're using the 2-stage growth model, which simply means we take in account two stages of company's growth. In the initial period the company may have a higher growth rate and the second stage is usually assumed to have a stable growth rate. To begin with, we have to get estimates of the next ten years of cash flows. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years.

Generally we assume that a dollar today is more valuable than a dollar in the future, and so the sum of these future cash flows is then discounted to today's value:

10-year free cash flow (FCF) estimate

2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 Levered FCF (, Millions) 9.80m 14.7m 18.5m 21.9m 24.9m 27.2m 29.1m 30.7m 31.9m 32.8m Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x1 Analyst x1 Est @ 26.00% Est @ 18.50% Est @ 13.25% Est @ 9.57% Est @ 7.00% Est @ 5.19% Est @ 3.93% Est @ 3.05% Present Value (, Millions) Discounted @ 8.6% 9.0 12.5 14.5 15.8 16.4 16.6 16.3 15.8 15.1 14.4

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)

Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = 146m

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After calculating the present value of future cash flows in the initial 10-year period, we need to calculate the Terminal Value, which accounts for all future cash flows beyond the first stage. For a number of reasons a very conservative growth rate is used that cannot exceed that of a country's GDP growth. In this case we have used the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield (1.0%) to estimate future growth. In the same way as with the 10-year 'growth' period, we discount future cash flows to today's value, using a cost of equity of 8.6%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2032  (1 + g)  (r  g) = 33m (1 + 1.0%)  (8.6% 1.0%) = 435m

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= 435m ( 1 + 8.6%)10= 190m

The total value, or equity value, is then the sum of the present value of the future cash flows, which in this case is 337m. To get the intrinsic value per share, we divide this by the total number of shares outstanding. Relative to the current share price of UK0.9, the company appears quite undervalued at a 37% discount to where the stock price trades currently. Valuations are imprecise instruments though, rather like a telescope - move a few degrees and end up in a different galaxy. Do keep this in mind.

dcf

Important Assumptions

We would point out that the most important inputs to a discounted cash flow are the discount rate and of course the actual cash flows. Part of investing is coming up with your own evaluation of a company's future performance, so try the calculation yourself and check your own assumptions. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at Mincon Group as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 8.6%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.090. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility, compared to the market as a whole. We get our beta from the industry average beta of globally comparable companies, with an imposed limit between 0.8 and 2.0, which is a reasonable range for a stable business.

SWOT Analysis for Mincon Group

Strength

Debt is not viewed as a risk.

Weakness

Earnings growth over the past year underperformed the Machinery industry.

Dividend is low compared to the top 25% of dividend payers in the Machinery market.

Opportunity

Annual revenue is forecast to grow faster than the British market.

Trading below our estimate of fair value by more than 20%.

Threat

Paying a dividend but company has no free cash flows.

Looking Ahead:

Whilst important, the DCF calculation shouldn't be the only metric you look at when researching a company. DCF models are not the be-all and end-all of investment valuation. Preferably you'd apply different cases and assumptions and see how they would impact the company's valuation. For instance, if the terminal value growth rate is adjusted slightly, it can dramatically alter the overall result. Can we work out why the company is trading at a discount to intrinsic value? For Mincon Group, we've compiled three additional elements you should explore:

Risks: Every company has them, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for Mincon Group you should know about. Future Earnings: How does MCON's growth rate compare to its peers and the wider market? Dig deeper into the analyst consensus number for the upcoming years by interacting with our free analyst growth expectation chart. Other Solid Businesses: Low debt, high returns on equity and good past performance are fundamental to a strong business. Why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals to see if there are other companies you may not have considered!

PS. Simply Wall St updates its DCF calculation for every British stock every day, so if you want to find the intrinsic value of any other stock just search here.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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The simplest way to benefit from a rising market is to buy an index fund. But if you buy individual stocks, you can do both better or worse than that. Investors in TransAlta Renewables Inc. (TSE:RNW) have tasted that bitter downside in the last year, as the share price dropped 36%. That falls noticeably short of the market decline of around 2.0%. However, the longer term returns haven't been so bad, with the stock down 26% in the last three years. Unfortunately the share price momentum is still quite negative, with prices down 18% in thirty days.

On a more encouraging note the company has added CA$96m to its market cap in just the last 7 days, so let's see if we can determine what's driven the one-year loss for shareholders.

See our latest analysis for TransAlta Renewables

To quote Buffett, 'Ships will sail around the world but the Flat Earth Society will flourish. There will continue to be wide discrepancies between price and value in the marketplace...' One flawed but reasonable way to assess how sentiment around a company has changed is to compare the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price.

Unfortunately TransAlta Renewables reported an EPS drop of 49% for the last year. This fall in the EPS is significantly worse than the 36% the share price fall. It may have been that the weak EPS was not as bad as some had feared.

You can see how EPS has changed over time in the image below (click on the chart to see the exact values).

It's probably worth noting that the CEO is paid less than the median at similar sized companies. It's always worth keeping an eye on CEO pay, but a more important question is whether the company will grow earnings throughout the years. Before buying or selling a stock, we always recommend a close examination of historic growth trends, available here..

What About Dividends?

It is important to consider the total shareholder return, as well as the share price return, for any given stock. The TSR incorporates the value of any spin-offs or discounted capital raisings, along with any dividends, based on the assumption that the dividends are reinvested. Arguably, the TSR gives a more comprehensive picture of the return generated by a stock. We note that for TransAlta Renewables the TSR over the last 1 year was -32%, which is better than the share price return mentioned above. The dividends paid by the company have thusly boosted the total shareholder return.

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A Different Perspective

While the broader market lost about 2.0% in the twelve months, TransAlta Renewables shareholders did even worse, losing 32% (even including dividends). However, it could simply be that the share price has been impacted by broader market jitters. It might be worth keeping an eye on the fundamentals, in case there's a good opportunity. On the bright side, long term shareholders have made money, with a gain of 4% per year over half a decade. It could be that the recent sell-off is an opportunity, so it may be worth checking the fundamental data for signs of a long term growth trend. While it is well worth considering the different impacts that market conditions can have on the share price, there are other factors that are even more important. To that end, you should learn about the 3 warning signs we've spotted with TransAlta Renewables (including 1 which doesn't sit too well with us) .

For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on CA exchanges.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)  Iran said it executed two men Saturday convicted of allegedly killing a paramilitary volunteer during a demonstration, the latest executions aimed at halting the nationwide protests now challenging the country's theocracy.

Irans judiciary identified those executed as Mohammad Mehdi Karami and Mohammad Hosseini, making it four men known to have been executed since the demonstrations began in September over the death of Mahsa Amini. All have faced internationally criticized, rapid, closed-door trials.

The judiciary's Mizan news agency said the men had been convicted of killing Ruhollah Ajamian, a member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard's volunteer Basij force, in the city of Karaj outside of Tehran on Nov. 3. The Basij have deployed in major cities, attacking and detaining protesters, who in many cases have fought back.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Twitter that Karami and Hosseini were more than just two names.

(They were) hanged by the regime in Iran because they didnt want to submit to its brutal and inhuman actions. Two further terrible fates that encourage us to increase the pressure on Tehran through the EU, she wrote.

Heavily edited footage aired on state television showed Karami speaking before a Revolutionary Court about the attack, which also showed a reenactment of the attack, according to prosecutors' claims. Iran's Revolutionary Courts handed down the two other death sentences already carried out.

The tribunals dont allow those on trial to pick their own lawyers or even see the evidence against them. Amnesty International has said the trials bore no resemblance to a meaningful judicial proceeding.

State TV also aired footage of Karami and Hosseini talking about the attack, though the broadcaster for years has aired what activists describe as coerced confessions.

The men were convicted of the killing, as well as corruption on Earth, a Quranic term and charge that has been levied against others in the decades since the 1979 Islamic Revolution and carries the death penalty.

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Activists say at least 16 people have been sentenced to death in closed-door hearings over charges linked to the protests. Death sentences in Iran are typically carried out by hanging.

At least 517 protesters have been killed and over 19,200 people have been arrested, according to Human Rights Activists in Iran, a group that has closely monitored the unrest. Iranian authorities have not provided an official count of those killed or detained.

The protests began in mid-September, when 22-year-old Amini died after being arrested by Irans morality police for allegedly violating the Islamic Republics strict dress code. Women have played a leading role in the protests, with many publicly stripping off the compulsory Islamic headscarf, known as the hijab.

The protests mark one of the biggest challenges to Iran's theocracy since the 1979 revolution. Security forces have used live ammunition, bird shot, tear gas and batons to disperse protesters, according to rights groups.

Also on Saturday, Irans supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appointed a new hard-line chief of police, the official IRNA news agency reported. Gen. Ahmad Reza Radan replaced outgoing Gen. Hossein Ashtari after Ashtaris eight-year term of service ended.

Radan, who served as acting commander of police from 2008-2014, is known for his harsh handling of protesters during post-election turmoil in 2009. He also imposed measures against women wearing loose Islamic veils and young men with long hair.

The U.S. and Europe imposed sanctions on Radan for human rights violations in 2009 and 2010.

He has been in charge of a police research center since 2014.
Jack Ma stepped away from public view in 2020 after criticizing Chinese authorities. Stephane Mahe/Reuters

Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba, appeared to resurface in Bangkok on Friday.

The picture of Ma was posted hours before Ant Group said Ma was giving up control of the company.

Ant Group abandoned a blockbuster float in 2020 soon after Ma criticized Chinese regulations.

Jack Ma, the elusive billionaire founder of Alibaba, appeared to resurface in Thailand hours before Ant Group said he would give up control of the company.

Jay Fai restaurant in Bangkok posted a picture of Ma on Instagram Friday, where he appears to have just visited the restaurant. "Incredibly humble, we are honored to welcome you and your family to Jay Fai's," the caption on the post reads.

The post was published hours before The Wall Street Journal first reported that Ma was preparing to give up control of the company he founded.

According to local media, and reported by Reuters, Ma was at the restaurant with Soopakij Chearavanont, the chair of the Charoen Pokphand Group.

Ma was also apparently pictured at a Muay Thai fight on Thursday posing in a fighting stance for a photograph with the Thai boxing champion Sombat "Buakaw" Banchamek.

In a statement published Saturday, a spokesperson for Ant Group, which owns the world's largest mobile-payment platform, Alipay, said the company was streamlining voting rights to prevent any one shareholder from having a controlling vote.

The move would "further enhance the stability of our corporate structure and sustainability of our long-term development," according to the statement.

Ma disappeared from public view in October 2020 after giving a speech criticizing China's financial-regulation system.

Ant Group abandoned plans to list the company on the stock market the following month when Beijing intervened. Once China's richest man, Ma's net worth has fallen by more than $25 billion since he disappeared from public view, per the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

While Ma doesn't hold an executive role or sit on Ant Group's board, he maintained influence through a separate entity he controlled. The changes announced on Saturday are the latest in a sweeping overhaul at the behest of Chinese authorities.

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Ma has maintained a very low profile since his run-in with authorities. The Financial Times suggested in November that he had been living in Tokyo for six months, staying out of the public view and mainly socializing in private members' clubs.

Some think the move could revive hopes of floating Ant, per Reuters, but Chinese regulations that require a pause on listings following a change in control may delay such a move by at least a year.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Jimmy Kimmel scorched Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) Friday night for giving up a kidney in his desperate battle to become speaker of the House.

McCarthy went down to defeat in a 14th House vote Friday night and was still a loser during the monologue on Jimmy Kimmel Live. He only later squeaked out a victory in a 15th vote.

Kevin McCarthy made some progress today by basically opening up a concession stand, handing out concession after concession as he gave away the store in a bid for his job, Kimmel mocked.

To gain votes, McCarthy had to come up with something to give these people, Kimmel smirked. I think hes going to be fine with one kidney; most donors go on to live very healthy, very productive lives.

McCarthy lost repeatedly, even though he had no real candidate opposing him, Kimmel noted. He went down to defeat all those times running against himself, Kimmel said.

Hes like the guy, your friend at the bachelor party, whos getting beaten so badly at the blackjack table you start to think about calling his wife, Kimmel quipped.

Kimmel also noted the two-year anniversary of the insurrection  and linked it to the mess America just witnessed in the House.

Two years ago today, Donald Jennifer Trump tried to grab the steering wheel of our democracy and drive it right into a big, beautiful wall, he said. And things in Congress have been running very smoothly ever since.

Check out the full monologue here:

Related...
DENVER (AP)  Nikola Jokic had 28 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists, Jamal Murray scored 18 points in his first back-to-back games since knee surgery, and the Denver Nuggets took advantage of Donovan Mitchell's absence to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 121-108 on Friday night.

Jokic hit 10 of 17 shots, including 3 of 4 from 3-point range in his NBA-leading 10th triple-double of the season.

He sees things before they happen, said Bruce Brown, who added 13 points.

Added Cleveland's Kevin Love: Jokic looks like he's on the way to potentially a third (straight) MVP.

Michael Porter Jr. scored 16 points for Denver, which shot 51.5% from the floor and hit 17 of 33 3-pointers in its 12th win in 15 games.

Caris LeVert scored 22 points and Darius Garland returned from a three-game absence to score 21 points for the Cavaliers, who had their three-game win streak snapped.

Mitchell sat out to rest four days after scoring 71 points in an overtime win over Chicago. Garland, who had a right thumb sprain, hit 8 of 20 shots while adding eight assists despite getting chopped on his thumb again.

But the Cavs were undone by Denver's hot shooting and their own 18-for-32 performance from the foul line in the opener of a five-game trip.

I don't think we gave them our best shot, Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. You don't miss that many free throws if you're locked in. ... I don't think we had the right approach to beat a team like that."

The Nuggets overcame a second delay for a crooked rim at Ball Arena this week. The stoppage occurred with 11:22 left when Cavs players noticed the same rim that caused a 35-minute delay Sunday against Boston on Sunday was off again.

Not again, Jokic said when asked what he was thinking.

A crew returned with the same two orange ladders from Sunday and leveled the rim in just shy of 10 minutes.

At least they fixed it fast this time," Brown said.

Murray missed all of last season with a torn left ACL, and Nuggets coach Michael Malone called Murray playing on consecutive days uncharted territory. Murray only played 21 minutes Thursday as the starters rested much of the second half in a home rout of the Los Angeles Clippers.

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I'm just so proud of him," Malone said. It's got to be close to 600 days since he's played a back-to-back. This is a big, big step."

Murray was key in a 13-4 run to start the third quarter that put Denver ahead to stay. After Jokic hit 3-pointers on the first two possessions, Murray had an acrobatic, one-handed rebound and put-back and his own 3.

MITCHELL SITS

Mitchell acknowledged I didn't have my legs after shooting 6 of 20 from the field Wednesday. He played 50 minutes and took 34 shots in his 71-point game two days earlier.

We've put a heavy toll on him. With Darius being out, he's had to have the ball in his hands. His usage has been crazy. His minutes have been crazy, Bickerstaff said on the reason to rest him. Our goals is always to do what's best for our guys and running him into the ground is not what's best for him.

TIP-INS

Cavaliers: Bickerstaff said F Dean Wade, out since Dec. 2 with a left shoulder sprain, is close to returning. ... G Ricky Rubio, recovering from a torn left ACL, has progressed to 5-on-5 play. ... The Cavs had a season-high 11 offensive rebounds in the first half.

Nuggets: They've won 10 straight home games and are 16-3 at Ball Arena.

UP NEXT

Cavaliers: At Phoenix on Sunday night.

Nuggets: Host the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night.

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
A U.S. District Court judge in Tacoma ordered one of the defendants charged with attacking four Pierce County substations on Christmas Day to be held in federal custody pending a grand jury indictment, despite a public defenders insistence that the man facing a terrorism charge was motivated by poverty and should be in drug treatment.

Federal pretrial services officials also recommended that Matthew Greenwood, 32, be admitted to an inpatient treatment program for methamphetamine and placed on electronic monitoring, according to testimony on Friday. He faces up to 20 years in prison on a charge of conspiracy to damage energy facilities and 10 years on a possessing unregistered firearms offense.

Chief Magistrate Judge Richard Creatura cited Greenwoods recent, escalating criminal activity and the danger the power outages posed as his reasoning for holding Greenwood. According to court testimony, the FBI determined he and his alleged co-conspirator scouted a fifth substation to cause a power disruption in the days after the initial outages.

This is a serious crime, Creatura said in court about the attacks that left an estimated 15,000 Puget Sound Energy and Tacoma Power customers without power, imperiled people who rely on electronic medical devices and caused millions of dollars in damage.

Because conspiracy to damage energy facilities is considered a crime of terrorism, federal law holds there is a presumption that defendants should be held in custody without bail.

Greenwood, wearing a light green jumpsuit, wiped his eyes and lowered his head onto the desk in front of him as Creatura delivered the ruling. He locked eyes with his girlfriend before he was led out of the courtroom.

I love you, he said through tears. Im sorry.

In a detailed, lengthy confession to the FBI, Greenwood said he planned to knock out power with co-defendant Jeremy Crahan, 40, to cover up burglaries of impacted businesses, assistant U.S. Attorney Todd Greenberg said.

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Outside court, Greenwoods girlfriend told The News Tribune they learned she was pregnant late last year and were scrambling to prepare for her delivery in the next few weeks. She recently entered substance abuse treatment and hoped Greenwood would be able to do the same until Fridays ruling, she said.

Greenwood has recently been unemployed and lacked stable housing, according to a pretrial services report discussed in court.

We were just desperate to get on our feet, said Greenwoods girlfriend, who asked to withhold her name to protect her privacy. He wasnt even thinking about anything else besides me and the baby.

Greenwood met Crahan through his girlfriend, she said. She likened Crahan to an older brother and called him a bad influence.

Greenwood told the FBI they got the idea to knock out power to cover up burglaries from TV news coverage of recent attacks on electrical infrastructure. Federal law enforcement has raised concerns about domestic extremists, such as white supremacist and antigovernment groups, targeting energy facilities, according to the Associated Press.

Investigators have not uncovered evidence the Pierce County attacks were politically motivated, and Greenberg said there is reason to believe the burglary backstory. The federal prosecutor said he expects upcoming searches of the defendants cell phones to be illuminating.

It was very dangerous, and it was reckless, Greenberg said.

Greenberg pointed to a felony car theft case in Kitsap County from April 2022 and July misdemeanor convictions in Issaquah Municipal Court as evidence Greenwood could re-offend while his federal case is pending. Greenwood remains on supervised release in the latter case, which involved a weapons possession charge.

This is not a track record to establish trust, Greenberg said.

Creatura will decide whether to continue holding Crahan in federal custody during a similar hearing on Tuesday.

The defendants attorneys and Greenberg filed a joint motion to extend the deadline for a grand jury indictment to March 16 due to the ongoing investigation, according to court documents.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California is pictured at the Capitol on January 7, 2023. AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana

Kevin McCarthy on Friday brushed off any concerns about fallout from the GOP leadership battle.

"Because it took this long, now we learned how to govern," the California Republican said.

McCarthy clinched the House speakership early Saturday morning after a 15th ballot.

Shortly before the final roll call vote where Kevin McCarthy clinched the House speakership, the California Republican said that because of the protracted leadership battle, the GOP had "learned how to govern."

While speaking with reporters at the Capitol on Friday evening, McCarthy dismissed any notion that the lengthy balloting process to secure his speakership was a prediction of GOP dysfunction in the 118th Congress.

"I think getting together and just finding the ability to  how we're going to work together is new for us," he said. "I think at the end of the day, we're going to be more effective, more efficient, and definitely government is going to be more accountable."

When McCarthy was asked about his outlook on leading the slim 222-member GOP majority, especially one with a deeply influential conservative bloc, the lawmaker said that the experience had been helpful to the party  despite a caucus size that will leave little room for error in the next two years.

"This is the great part," he replied. "Because it took this long, now we learned how to govern. So now we'll be able to get the job done."

McCarthy was slated to claim the speaker's gavel on Tuesday, Jan. 3.

However, the first few roll call votes shined a light on the lingering divisions within a party still reeling from their lackluster midterm results while also looking to 2024  when President Joe Biden is expected to seek reelection and former President Donald Trump may once again be the GOP presidential nominee.

McCarthy on early Saturday morning eventually won the speakership over House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York after 15 ballots and a 216-212 vote.

Read the original article on Business Insider
TORONTO (AP)  Julius Randle had 32 points and 11 rebounds, Mitchell Robinson had 10 points and 18 rebounds before fouling out and the New York Knicks won their fourth straight game, beating the Toronto Raptors 112-108 on Friday night.

We had the confidence to get this win on the road, Randle said. Its big for us.

Jalen Brunson scored 10 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter, Quentin Grimes had 16 and Immanuel Quickley 13 as the Knicks won north of the border for the first time in more than seven years, snapping an 11-game road losing streak against the Raptors.

New Yorks previous win in Toronto was a 111-109 victory on Nov. 10, 2015. After that game, the referees acknowledged missing Knicks star Carmelo Anthony step out of bounds on a pivotal play late in the fourth quarter.

Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau reached 100 victories with the team.

Im glad Im a part of all 100, Randle said. Thibs has come in here and created a great culture for all of us. Hes been amazing.

Randle got the Knicks rolling by scoring 19 points in the first quarter.

It got us off to a good start, he said. Those are important on the road.

New York is 12-8 on the road. Only Brooklyn (13-8) has won more often away from home this season.

Fred VanVleet scored 28 points and Gary Trent Jr. had 27 for the struggling Raptors. Toronto has lost seven of its past eight at home and 11 of 14 overall.

They outplayed us, VanVleet said. They deserved to win.

Torontos Pascal Siakam scored a career-high 52 points in a Dec. 21 win at New York. He shot 4 for 14 Friday and finished with 18 points and 13 rebounds.

I just dont think he felt he had a good rhythm, Raptors coach Nick Nurse said.

Toronto trailed by three points through three quarters but gave up an 8-0 run to begin the fourth before battling back. Siakams 3-pointer with 49 seconds left made it 107-104. Randle split a pair at the line before Trent connected from 3-point range, cutting it to 108-106, but Brunson answered with a three-point play, putting the Knicks up 111-106 with 22 seconds left.

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Trent scored on a driving basket but the Raptors couldnt get any closer.

Its about time we won one of those types of games where we make free throws at the end and execute down the stretch, Randle said.

Randle missed from 3 on his first shot of the game and then made six straight, five from long range, as New York led 30-26 after one.

He got going and it got us going, Thibodeau said of Randles hot start.

The Knicks led by as many as 17 in the second and were up 57-47 at halftime. New York took an 81-78 lead to the fourth.

TIP-INS

Knicks: Brunson had eight assists.  F RJ Barrett missed his fifth straight game because of a lacerated right finger, telling reporters Friday that the injury happened when one hand slammed into the other, causing a cut that required multiple stitches that have yet to be removed.

Raptors: Had 11 bench points in the first half. That was four more points than the bench scored in either of Torontos previous two games, both losses. The Raptors finished with 15 bench points.  Scottie Barnes shot 2 for 10 and finished with seven points.  Trent has scored 20 or more in a career-high six straight. ... O.G. Anunoby scored 13 points.

OUT OF TUNE

The anthem singer mistakenly performed O Canada ahead of The Star-Spangled Banner.

UP NEXT

Knicks: Host Milwaukee on Monday night.

Raptors: Host Portland on Sunday.

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations to employees during their pregnancies.

The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations to employees during their pregnancies.

When police officer Lyndi Trischler of Florence, Kentucky, was pregnant, she requested modified duties from her employer.

I needed to work in our office instead of working on the streets as a patrol officer, Trischler told HuffPost.

The police department denied her request. Trischlers only options were to continue to work patrol or take an unpaid leave that would also terminate her health insurance.

My pregnancy was very difficult, and I required extensive testing because my son had a fatal health condition, Trischler said. The baby died soon after birth.

In this fraught, stressful circumstance, the threat of losing my insurance was devastating, she recalled, and her mental health suffered.

Once it became physically impossible for me to continue working on patrol, Trischler said, I lost my income.

My daughter and I had to move in with family when we lost our home, she added.

The denial of her accommodation request meant I had to risk my health and the health of my son. No mother should have to make that choice.

What protections are provided by the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act?

The $1.7 billion government funding bill signed by President Joe Biden on Dec. 29 includes the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which provides protections for workers like Trischler who request accommodations during pregnancy.

Under the new law, which will go into effect at the end of June, employers will be required to provide reasonable accommodations to employees unless they would present an undue hardship for the employer.

In a case like Trischlers, for example, a transfer of duties to an office is a reasonable request when other employees are granted such duties. An employer would not be required to create a new position to accommodate a pregnant workers need.

Advocates stress the modest nature of the accommodations that pregnant workers tend to seek.

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Sharon Terman, a senior staff attorney for Legal Aid at Work, gave the following examples of accommodations: sitting on a stool while working, receiving a larger uniform, taking extra bathroom breaks, avoiding exposure to toxic chemicals, being able to carry a water bottle, avoiding climbing ladders and getting help with heavy lifting. These modifications are by their nature temporary and typically very easy for employers to provide.

Jessica Stender, policy director and deputy legal director for Equal Rights Advocates, one of the organizations that lobbied for the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, told HuffPost, We really have seen this troubling trend that when a pregnant person  usually a woman  goes to their employer with what is often a very minimal accommodation request, the employer often essentially immediately denies the request without even engaging in any kind of dialogue to determine whether it is reasonable and feasible.

Under the new law, pregnant workers will have a path to recourse in such situations.

Candice Branner, who worked as a transportation security officer at San Francisco International Airport, approached her supervisor with a doctors note when she was pregnant that requested modifications to her duties limiting her need to bend, lift or stand for long periods of time. Branner also requested the use of a cart to move around the airport.

I was sent home that day, Branner told HuffPost. I never returned back to work.

She explained, It wasnt really a dialogue, or Come in and lets talk about it or anything like that. It was like, one day I was at the airport and the next day I was gone.

The loss of paid work came as a shock during a vulnerable time, Branner said.

We were two young people working. For one person to go off work  you have these plans, because our child was planned, and something is messing up our plans. It was a very scary moment. An unsure moment. I went through a lot, just being at home, depressed, things like that.

California does have a law protecting pregnant workers from being denied reasonable accommodations and being forced into unpaid leave in this way, and Branner and 41 other women won a $450,000 settlement from their employer in March 2021.

Terman said that her organization has advised and represented many pregnant workers who have sought accommodations under Californias pregnancy accommodation law.

Thirty other states and the District of Columbia have similar laws, as do four cities. Now the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act will bring this protection to workers throughout the country.

Workers rights should never be determined by ZIP code, Stender said.

How is the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act different from laws already in place?

Prior federal legislation provided protection against pregnancy discrimination and some accommodations for disability but was insufficient to meet pregnant workers needs, advocates say.

The Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 prevented pregnant people from discrimination in hiring decisions, an important first step, Stender said. Yet its language regarding accommodations made it challenging for pregnant workers to seek accommodations.

Under the PDA, to be entitled to an accommodation, a pregnant worker has to show that other workers who are not pregnant but similar in their ability or inability to work receive accommodations at their workplace, Terman explained.

If a pregnant worker sought to be relieved of heavy-lifting duties, they would have to be able to point to another worker who was relieved of heavy-lifting duties due to an injury, for example. Yet many workers arent in a position to go looking for such a comparison, and the result was that employers frequently denied requests for pregnancy accommodations without consequence.

Two-thirds of pregnant workers were losing their Pregnancy Discrimination Act claims in federal court before passage of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, said Elizabeth Gedmark, vice president of A Better Balance, a nonprofit advocacy organization.

This was even after a Supreme Court case, Young v. UPS,appeared to set a precedent in favor of workers rights.

Having this affirmative right directly written into statute is a really important development to ensure that workers really get these accommodations, Stender said.

The 1990 Americans With Disabilities Act provides a model for giving workers reasonable accommodations, but it doesnt cover accommodations for a regular (non-disabling) pregnancy.

Health care providers often advise people with perfectly normal pregnancies to take reasonable measures to protect their health, such as sitting when possible, taking an extra break, or avoiding dangerous tasks or toxins at work, Terman explained.

When the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act goes into effect at the end of June, it will provide these kinds of protections for all pregnant people.

This has been a 10-year fight to get these basic protections in place, Stender told HuffPost.

The legislation had been introduced in every congressional session since 2011. It passed the House in May 2021 and was included as an amendment to the recent government spending bill.

The fact that its taken this long, Stender said, is really a sign of a lack of importance put on women in the workforce.

The law, Terman said, is especially important for low-paid workers and pregnant people of color who are more likely to work in low-paid industries and physically demanding jobs, and who frequently are forced to choose between a healthy pregnancy and maintaining their livelihood.

Trischler, the police officer, said, What happened to me was not an isolated incident. The passage of the law ensures that no one will have to go through the struggle that I did just to receive modest accommodations.

The $1.7 billion government spending bill also includes the PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act, which expands the pool of workers who are entitled to time during work hours to express breast milk. The act also extends the time period that employers must offer this accommodation from one year to two, in line with the American Academy of Pediatrics breastfeeding guidelines, which were revised in June 2022 to recommend that children nurse as long as mutually desired by mother and child for 2 years or beyond. The previous AAP guidelines advised nursing for one year or beyond.

How do I get workplace accommodations?

If you are pregnant or nursing and you need modifications to your job, such as a change in schedule to accommodate morning sickness or breaks to pump breast milk, you may be able to get help from your human resources department or your union representative.

Even though the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act doesnt go into effect until the end of June, many employers, knowing that they will soon need to comply with the new law, may be encouraged to grant pregnant or lactating workers accommodations now.

If you need help beyond what your workplace can offer, you can reach out to one of the organizations mentioned in this article: Legal Aid at Work , Equal Rights Advocates and A Better Balance. There are other organizations that may also be able to help: National Partnership for Women and Families, Legal Momentum and the National Womens Law Center.

Related...
The Biden administration announced a $2.85 billion drawdown assistance package, the largest ever drawdown of current Defense Department equipment to Ukraine. Included for the first time are armored Bradley infantry fighting vehicles.

FILE: 08 June 2022, Bavaria, Hohenfels: A U.S. Army M2/M3 Bradley infantry fighting vehicle drives along a road during a multinational exercise at Hohenfels Training Area. / Credit: Nicolas Armer/picture alliance via Getty Images

The full commitment of assistance announced on Friday is more than $3.75 billion, which consists of the $2.85 billion drawdown, and another nearly $1 billion in foreign military financing for Ukraine and other countries impacted by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

White House national security council spokesperson John Kirby said Friday the package is designed for what Ukraine needs going forward, particularly in the Donbass, where there has been vicious fighting in recent weeks that is expected to continue through the winter months.

"In that area of Ukraine, it's a lot of farmland, a lot of open ground, and it lends itself well to the kinds of capabilities that are in this particular package," Kirby said.

The Bradleys have been described as both defensive and offensive vehicles because they provide armored protection, firepower, and maneuverability to move troops to the frontlines.

Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder told reporters Thursday the Bradleys provide a capability that will help Ukraine in the coming months "change the equation on the battlefield."

Ukrainians have been asking for this capability for months. A Ukrainian official told CBS News that armored vehicles were part of the wishlist Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy conveyed to the Biden administration during his quick visit to Washington, D.C., in December.

When asked why the U.S. could provide the vehicles now and not earlier, Ryder said the U.S. can provide more complex systems now because the war has reached a point where the U.S. has the capacity to provide training, and Ukraine is more able to spare troops for training.

"Early in this campaign, when Russia was on the doorstep of Kyiv, [it was] a much different situation," Ryder said. "Things like long-term sustainment and logistics would be a much more complex undertaking."

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Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia Ms. Laura Cooper said Friday the Ukrainians have also demonstrated an increasing proficiency at maintaining and sustaining equipment, and the Bradley vehicle requires regular maintenance.

She said it will take "a couple of months" for the 50 Bradley vehicles to be fielded in Ukraine.

The Bradley weighs about 30 tons and can move at about 40 miles per hour. It has a main chain gun, a machine gun, and can launch tracked or wired (TOW) guided anti-tank missiles, which the U.S. has provided before and promised 500 more of in Friday's package.

The Bradley has a crew of three and can carry six more troops, making it an effective transport vehicle. The Bradleys are a significant upgrade from the armored personnel carriers the US has previously provided.

With Friday's announcement, the U.S. joins France and Germany who committed this week to sending infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine. Germany pledged dozens of Marder fighting vehicles, and France has promised to deliver several AMX-10 wheeled armored vehicles.

Ryder on Thursday credited the Ukraine Defense Contact Group for playing a role in producing these commitments. The Ukraine Defense Contact Group, led by the U.S., consists of nearly 50 nations that meet nearly every month to discuss Ukraine's immediate and longer-term needs.

The U.S. alone has committed more than $24.2 billion in assistance to Ukraine since Russia invaded in February 2022. Until Friday, the largest drawdown of current Pentagon inventory was in December, a $1 billion drawdown package that included a Patriot missile battery system.

On Thursday, Germany promised to send a Patriot missile battery to Ukraine, according to a joint statement after a call between President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Sholz.

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UK Justice Minister Dominic Raab and his Dutch counterpart Dilan Yesilgoz-Zegerius are to co-host the meeting. The International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan will also take part.

Read also: Hague Courts decision on MH17 case is first stage of big trial of Putin regime, says NSDC secretary

The goal of the meeting is to increase the global financial and practical support provided to the International Criminal Court (information gathering, sharing of evidence of crimes), and to coordinate efforts to have everything necessary to conduct investigations and bring suspected war crimes perpetrators to justice.

"Russian forces should know they cannot act with impunity and we will back Ukraine until justice is served," Raab said.

Almost a year on from the illegal invasion, the international community must give its strongest backing to the International Criminal Court, so war criminals can be held to account for the atrocities were witnessing.

Read also: US examining Ukrainian proposal for Russia tribunal

As of Dec. 10, 2022, since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, law enforcement officers recorded 47,000 suspected war crimes on the part of the occupying forces.

In late October, Prosecutor General of Ukraine Andriy Kostin said that 10 to 16 countries privately backed the creation of a special tribunal to bring Russia to justice for starting the war.

On Oct. 7, Ukraines parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, called on the international community to create a special tribunal for the crime of Russian aggression against Ukraine. Prior to that, top Ukrainian officials repeatedly called for the establishment of such a tribunal.

Read also: Justice for Ukraine  justice and security for the world

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said on Nov. 30 that the EC had proposed to create a specialized court to investigate Russias crime of aggression against Ukraine.



Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
A M2 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle assigned to 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment Iron Rangers, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division moves toward an objective during a multinational situational training exercise in Cincu, Romania, Sept. 23, 2021. US Army photo by Spc. Joshua Cowden, 22nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

Western-made armored vehicles are heading to Ukraine for the first time since Russia invaded.

The US, Germany, and France all announced this week that they intend to send systems to Kyiv.

The US plans to provide Bradley fighting vehicles  take a look at what these are.

Ukraine's military is going to finally get its hands on Western armor, something it has long wanted as its forces fight to repel Russia's invasion.

The White House announced Thursday that it intends to send Bradley fighting vehicles to Ukraine, joining other NATO countries that have also pledged to send armored vehicles.

Washington's decision to send Bradleys to Ukraine came as German leadership revealed plans to transfer Marder infantry fighting vehicles to Kyiv and after French President Emmanuel Macron told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy he would provide Ukraine with AMX-10 RC armored fighting vehicles.

These three systems are expected to boost Ukraine's mobile firepower and ground combat capabilities and help the country conduct offensive operations. Take a look at the M2A2 Bradley  50 of which will be headed Kyiv's way.

What is the Bradley? It's not a tank.

An M2 Bradley assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kansas, traverses muddy terrain after successfully completing crew qualifications at the Novo Selo Training Area, Bulgaria, on March 20, 2018. US military photo by Staff Sgt. Matthew Keeler

The Bradley infantry fighting vehicle is an armored vehicle that is capable of transporting troops on the battlefield and providing fire support, as well as reconnaissance missions.

These vehicles, which are quick and highly maneuverable, are operated by a three-person crew consisting of a driver, the commander, and a gunner and can carry up to half a dozen fully equipped soldiers.

The Bradley has at times been misidentified as a tank, even as military experts and government officials try to set the record straight.

When asked to describe how the weapon is different from a tank, Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters at a briefing on Thursday that it's "not a tank, but it's a tank killer."

"A Bradley is an armored vehicle that has a firepower capability that can deliver troops into combat," he further explained.

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Ryder's comments reflect those made by Mark Hertling, a retired US Army general who described the vehicle's capabilities on social media Wednesday and said these armored vehicles could be a "tank killer" and "troop carrier."

Proven in battle

US soldiers load up into their M2 Bradley Fighting vehicle after clearing their first objective during a fire team live-fire certification training as part of Exercise Combined Resolve II at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Hohenfels, Germany, June 20, 2014. Photo courtesy of US Department of Defense

The Bradley was designed and manufactured by BAE Systems and has been in service since the early 1980s. It was initially developed in response to a family of Soviet infantry fighting vehicles. The M2A2 was introduced in 1988.

Like a tank, the Bradley is tracked rather than wheeled, and it has an operational range of around 300 miles and can travel at just over 40 miles per hour, according to Military.com.

These vehicles saw action during the Gulf War of the early 1990s and in the following decade during the Iraq War.

A 1992 Government Accountability Office report on Bradley performance during the Gulf War said that "the Bradley proved to be lethal, as crews reported that its 25-mm automatic gun was effective against a variety of targets and that its Tube-Launched, Optically-Tracked, Wire-Guided (TOW) missile system was able to destroy tanks."

Hertling, the retired general who identified himself as a former Bradley commander, said on social media that the Bradley doesn't have a lot of complicated issues with its engine or turret and is low maintenance.

Guns, missiles, and armor

A US Army M2 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle assigned to the 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division fires its weapon at Trzebien, Poland, Feb. 22, 2022. US Army National Guard photo by Spc. Hassani Ribera

The Bradley is armed with a 25 mm M242 Bushmaster chain gun and a 7.62 mm M240C machine gun, according to Military.com. It can also carry multiple TOW anti-tank missiles  a more powerful armament that can hit targets a few miles away.

In announcing a new security package for Ukraine, the Pentagon said on Friday that the US will send 500 TOW missiles and 250,000 rounds of the 25 mm ammunition.

Jeffrey Edmonds, a Russia expert at the Center for Naval Analyses and former CIA military analyst, told Insider that the firepower provided by the Bradley is substantially more than that provided by individual or crew-served weapons.

"It depends on how you use them, but especially against lighter armored vehicles, a Bradley is deadly," Edmonds said.

As a defense against various munitions, such as certain armor-piercing rounds and rocket-propelled grenades, the Bradley is protected by explosive reactive aluminum armor and steel skirts, and it carries smoke grenade launchers able to create defensive screens.

Delivering firepower, mobility, and shock in Ukraine

US soldiers dismount from their M2 Bradley Fighting vehicle during a fire team live-fire certification training as part of Exercise Combined Resolve II at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Hohenfels, Germany, June 17, 2014. Courtesy photo US Department of Defense

In Ukraine, Edmonds told Insider that the Bradleys will bring a handful of capabilities  along the lines of firepower, mobility, and shock  to the table.

When covering lots of terrain, the Bradley's small size and quick speed can help Ukrainian forces take advantage of counteroffensive breakthroughs and exploit successes along Russian lines, Edmonds said.

"They're fast and quite mobile," he added. "And then there's shock effect, which can be significant, especially in a war where morale is precarious."

Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said Thursday the Bradleys will "provide a significant boost to Ukraine's already impressive armor capabilities, adding that "we're confident that it will aid them on the battlefield."

Read the original article on Business Insider
A look at the shareholders of Westwood Holdings Group, Inc. (NYSE:WHG) can tell us which group is most powerful. With 47% stake, institutions possess the maximum shares in the company. That is, the group stands to benefit the most if the stock rises (or lose the most if there is a downturn).

Institutional investors would probably welcome last week's 17% increase in share prices after a year of 27% losses as a sign that returns are likely to begin trending higher.

Let's delve deeper into each type of owner of Westwood Holdings Group, beginning with the chart below.

See our latest analysis for Westwood Holdings Group

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Westwood Holdings Group?

Institutional investors commonly compare their own returns to the returns of a commonly followed index. So they generally do consider buying larger companies that are included in the relevant benchmark index.

As you can see, institutional investors have a fair amount of stake in Westwood Holdings Group. This can indicate that the company has a certain degree of credibility in the investment community. However, it is best to be wary of relying on the supposed validation that comes with institutional investors. They too, get it wrong sometimes. If multiple institutions change their view on a stock at the same time, you could see the share price drop fast. It's therefore worth looking at Westwood Holdings Group's earnings history below. Of course, the future is what really matters.

It would appear that 16% of Westwood Holdings Group shares are controlled by hedge funds. That catches my attention because hedge funds sometimes try to influence management, or bring about changes that will create near term value for shareholders. Our data shows that JCP Investment Management, LLC is the largest shareholder with 10% of shares outstanding. With 7.2% and 6.8% of the shares outstanding respectively, Allspring Global Investments, LLC and DePrince, Race & Zollo, Inc. are the second and third largest shareholders. Furthermore, CEO Brian Casey is the owner of 4.9% of the company's shares.

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On further inspection, we found that more than half the company's shares are owned by the top 9 shareholders, suggesting that the interests of the larger shareholders are balanced out to an extent by the smaller ones.

While studying institutional ownership for a company can add value to your research, it is also a good practice to research analyst recommendations to get a deeper understand of a stock's expected performance. Our information suggests that there isn't any analyst coverage of the stock, so it is probably little known.

Insider Ownership Of Westwood Holdings Group

While the precise definition of an insider can be subjective, almost everyone considers board members to be insiders. Company management run the business, but the CEO will answer to the board, even if he or she is a member of it.

I generally consider insider ownership to be a good thing. However, on some occasions it makes it more difficult for other shareholders to hold the board accountable for decisions.

Our information suggests that insiders maintain a significant holding in Westwood Holdings Group, Inc.. Insiders have a US$17m stake in this US$104m business. It is great to see insiders so invested in the business. It might be worth checking if those insiders have been buying recently.

General Public Ownership

With a 20% ownership, the general public, mostly comprising of individual investors, have some degree of sway over Westwood Holdings Group. While this size of ownership may not be enough to sway a policy decision in their favour, they can still make a collective impact on company policies.

Next Steps:

It's always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand Westwood Holdings Group better, we need to consider many other factors. To that end, you should learn about the 4 warning signs we've spotted with Westwood Holdings Group (including 1 which doesn't sit too well with us) .

If you would prefer check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, backed by strong financial data.

NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is looking into a shooting that left one man dead inside a shed in Athens.

GBI agents say Athens-Clarke County officers spotted a stolen car in the driveway of a home off Smokey Road at 11:45 p.m. Friday night.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Three officers tried to find anyone at the house. Two of them found two men in a shed in the yard.

One of the men, 42-year-old Clinton Eli Burkhalter, had his hands behind his back and would not show the officers his hands.

After pulling his hands from behind his back, Burkhalter pointed a gun at his head. As the officers took cover, Burkhalter fired several shots into the roof of the shed. Burkhalter then pointed the gun at the officers.

TRENDING STORIES:

Officers then shot Burkhalter. He fell to the ground but still had the gun in his hands. Officers maintained cover until backup arrived.

Paramedics pronounced Burkhalter dead at the scene.

Both officers involved have been placed on administrative leave until the GBI completes its investigation, officials with Athens-Clarke County police confirmed.

Neither of the officers were injured. It is unclear if the second man in the shed was arrested.

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IN OTHER NEWS:
A Tampa man was sentenced Thursday in a U.S. District Court for his involvement in an elder fraud conspiracy that included a victim in Alton.

Jaykumar Patel, 33, was accused of moving criminal proceeds for an India-based fraud conspiracy targeting older people, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Southern District of Illinois.

Patel was sentenced to six years in prison and ordered to pay a $25,000 fine.

In 2021, a local resident sent $29,000 to an address in Florida as part of the scheme.

Someone claiming to be a law enforcement officer called a woman in Alton to warn her that her identity had been stolen and demanded the money to rectify the situation. The woman called the Alton Police Department after sending the money. Patel picked up the money a few days later and was arrested, the release stated.

An investigation by the FBI and police departments in Alton and St. Petersburg found Patel had picked up or planned to pick up more than $481,000 from victims across the country.
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag with Marcus Rashford (AFP via Getty Images)

Erik ten Hag has admitted it was a risk to drop Marcus Rashford against Wolves because he was late for a team meeting but insisted it was necessary to bring a winning culture to Manchester United.

Rashford, who subsequently revealed he overslept, was benched as a punishment but came on as a substitute to score Uniteds winner at Molineux last week.

Ten Hag said he was confident the forward had the right character to respond in the correct manner and argued that standards would have slipped on the pitch if he had not taken a hard-line approach.

The former Ajax manager has also proved tough enough to discipline players from youngster Alejandro Garnacho to Cristiano Ronaldo, who was omitted after he refused to come on as a substitute against Tottenham, and accepted it was a gamble to weaken his side by leaving out the in-form Rashford.

He said: Maybe it is a risk but if you want to develop something and to create a winning attitude and culture you have to go this way. If you allow them to be undisciplined, if they dont match the standards, the values, the rules we set together  and that is staff, the players and the dressing room - then it will come back and blow in your face. Because on the pitch it will not add discipline which is necessary to win games. In my opinion, you have to go this way.

If it is the right person and the right characters they will react like this. In relation to Marcus, I was quite convinced, knowing him for seven or eight months, that I could expect this reaction he showed.

United recorded a seventh straight victory by beating Everton 3-1 on Friday but Ten Hag is guarding against complacency as he warned them they would get hammered if their standards slip.

You have to be watchful for this, he added. We have to keep this focus and concentration. We have to work well during training. When we get to games we have to start with the right attitude. If we dont, the level in the Premier League is that high you get hammered.

Meanwhile, United are considering a loan move for Dutch striker Wout Weghorst as Ten Hag looks to strengthen his forward line after Cristiano Ronaldo's departure.

The Netherlands international is currently on loan at Besiktas from Burnley and so would need to end his deal with the Turkish club if he were to join United.
Representative-elect Marjorie Taylor Green boasted of the perfect phone call from former president Donald Trump shortly before Kevin McCarthy was elected speaker of the US House of Representatives early on Saturday.

The GOP member elected from Georgia shared a picture of herself holding out her smartphone to colleague Matt Rosendale, with DT flashing on the screen, likely referring to the former president.

He could be seen holding his hand out and waving it away, as Ms Greene attempts to hand the phone over to him.

It was the perfect phone call, she tweeted at 9.30pm local time.

Earlier on Friday, Mr McCarthy suffered one final humiliation when representative Matt Gaetz withheld his vote on the 14th ballot as midnight approached, prompting a scuffle in which fellow Republican Mike Rogers had to be physically pulled away.

Mr McCarthys victory on the 15th ballot brought an end to the deepest congressional dysfunction in over 160 years, one that sharply illustrated the difficulties that he will face in leading a narrow and deeply polarised majority.

It was the perfect phone call. pic.twitter.com/aRpf5pefoU  Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (@RepMTG) January 7, 2023

He won at last on a margin of 216-212, finally elected with the votes of fewer than half the House members. Six in his own party withheld their votes as they chose not to back Mr McCarthy as the leader, while also not voting for another contender.

"Im glad that its over," Mr McCarthy told reporters shortly after the vote.

He agreed to a demand by hardliners that any lawmaker be able to call for his removal at any time. That will sharply cut the power that he will hold when trying to pass legislation on critical issues including funding the government, addressing the nations looming debt ceiling and other crises that may arise.

Story continues

"We got the things that are transformational," said Republican representative Ralph Norman, who voted to back Mr McCarthy after opposing him for much of the week.

The Republicans weaker-than-expected performance in Novembers midterm elections left them with a narrow 222-212 majority, which has given outsized power to the right-wing hardliners who have opposed Mr McCarthys leadership.

Those concessions, including sharp spending cuts and other curbs on his leadership, could point to further turbulence in the months ahead, especially when Congress will need to sign off on a further increase of the United States $31.4 trillion borrowing authority.

Additional reporting by agencies
State regulators on Friday banned cargo ship pilots from using personal cellphones on Maryland waters. The Maryland Board of Pilots, which oversees cargo ship pilots, approved a rule change 10 months after, and in direct response to, the Ever Forward's weekslong grounding in the Chesapeake Bay. Instead of leading the team on the bridge of the Ever Forward, the pilot was on his phone for an hour, texting, sending emails and taking screenshots before running aground and getting stuck for 45 days, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
If you want to know who really controls Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA), then you'll have to look at the makeup of its share registry. With 87% stake, institutions possess the maximum shares in the company. In other words, the group stands to gain the most (or lose the most) from their investment into the company.

Last weeks 5.7% gain means that institutional investors were on the positive end of the spectrum even as the company has shown strong longer-term trends. One-year return to shareholders is currently 0.08% and last weeks gain was the icing on the cake.

Let's delve deeper into each type of owner of Mastercard, beginning with the chart below.

View our latest analysis for Mastercard

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Mastercard?

Institutional investors commonly compare their own returns to the returns of a commonly followed index. So they generally do consider buying larger companies that are included in the relevant benchmark index.

We can see that Mastercard does have institutional investors; and they hold a good portion of the company's stock. This implies the analysts working for those institutions have looked at the stock and they like it. But just like anyone else, they could be wrong. It is not uncommon to see a big share price drop if two large institutional investors try to sell out of a stock at the same time. So it is worth checking the past earnings trajectory of Mastercard, (below). Of course, keep in mind that there are other factors to consider, too.

Investors should note that institutions actually own more than half the company, so they can collectively wield significant power. We note that hedge funds don't have a meaningful investment in Mastercard. Our data shows that The MasterCard Foundation, Endowment Arm is the largest shareholder with 11% of shares outstanding. In comparison, the second and third largest shareholders hold about 8.0% and 6.7% of the stock.

Looking at the shareholder registry, we can see that 50% of the ownership is controlled by the top 20 shareholders, meaning that no single shareholder has a majority interest in the ownership.

Story continues

While studying institutional ownership for a company can add value to your research, it is also a good practice to research analyst recommendations to get a deeper understand of a stock's expected performance. Quite a few analysts cover the stock, so you could look into forecast growth quite easily.

Insider Ownership Of Mastercard

The definition of company insiders can be subjective and does vary between jurisdictions. Our data reflects individual insiders, capturing board members at the very least. Company management run the business, but the CEO will answer to the board, even if he or she is a member of it.

Insider ownership is positive when it signals leadership are thinking like the true owners of the company. However, high insider ownership can also give immense power to a small group within the company. This can be negative in some circumstances.

Our most recent data indicates that insiders own less than 1% of Mastercard Incorporated. As it is a large company, we'd only expect insiders to own a small percentage of it. But it's worth noting that they own US$362m worth of shares. In this sort of situation, it can be more interesting to see if those insiders have been buying or selling.

General Public Ownership

The general public, who are usually individual investors, hold a 12% stake in Mastercard. While this size of ownership may not be enough to sway a policy decision in their favour, they can still make a collective impact on company policies.

Next Steps:

It's always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand Mastercard better, we need to consider many other factors. For example, we've discovered 1 warning sign for Mastercard that you should be aware of before investing here.

If you are like me, you may want to think about whether this company will grow or shrink. Luckily, you can check this free report showing analyst forecasts for its future.

NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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Jan. 6Mayor Joyce Craig announced that the Cashin Senior Activity Center will host a temporary warming station for homeless people starting on Friday evening, following a tumultuous week regarding the city's homeless population.

The Cashin center, which is located on Main Street on the West Side, will open at 7 p.m. and close 6 a.m. on a daily basis.

The question now moves to whether city officials will enforce an ordinance that allows them to clear campers from city property if space is available in shelters.

The mayor's office did not reply to an email question, but a source said the city is considering removing tents each day from the sidewalks around the Families in Transition shelter. Several dozen tents line the sidewalks on Pine and Manchester streets.

The Cashin center will be staffed by Manchester police and fire officers, and the city will provide transportation between the Cashin center and 1269 Cafe. The city will also provide temporary storage of personal items.

In a seven-paragraph statement, the mayor's office said the warming center will not interfere with regular business or senior activities. The company Aramark will clean every morning with electrostatic sprayers and disinfectants.

Ventilation and filtration in the building were already improved with federal American Recue Plan dollars, the office said.

"The Cashin center is a valued space in the Manchester community that has a particular significance for me and my family," said Fire Chief and Director of Emergency Management Ryan Cashin. The center is named after his father, William Cashin, who served as an alderman from the West Side for decades.

"The decision to use this space as a temporary emergency warming station was made to address the urgent need to save lives this winter," Cashin said.

Already this winter, two homeless campers in Manchester have died in tents, one outside the Families in Transition homeless shelter on Christmas Eve. And Manchester made national headlines when the adult daughter of former Red Sox pitching great Dennis Eckersley was accused of giving birth in a wooded area of Manchester and leaving the newborn child alone in a tent on Christmas night.

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But elected Manchester officials came under pressure on Tuesday, when areas of Manchester street and downtown businesses implored the city to address issues of homelessness. They complained about trash and sanitation associated with the encampment.

The statement said the city is pursuing more suitable space for a round-the-clock emergency winter shelter. It noted that state-funded emergency shelters, including the FiT shelter in Manchester, are full.

City officials on Friday opened the Manchester Emergency Operations Center, which will serve as a "consolidation point" for police, fire, health, public works and other city departments to address homeless issues, the statement said.
Vote For Speaker Of The House Stretches Into Fourth Day

House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy is acknowledged by fellow Republicans during the fourth day of elections for Speaker of the House at the U.S. Capitol Building on January 06, 2023 in Washington, DC. Credit - Win McNameeGetty Images

They say the fifteenth times the charm. After four long and humiliating days of House Republicans failing to elect a Speaker, Rep. Kevin McCarthy finally got the votes he needed to seal the deal, ending a historic standoff that resulted in him becoming the 55th person to lead the lower chamber.

Shortly after midnight Saturday, on the fifteen round of voting, the California lawmaker clinched the Speakership when enough of his detractors reversed course after holding the House hostage to their McCarthy antagonism all week. But that was not without a spectacle that seemed more befitting a television drama than an official government proceeding.

Leading up to the fourteenth ballot slated for 10 p.m. on Thursday, McCarthy and his allies were ready to pop the champagne. Both parties leaders were telling their caucuses to be prepared to stay until the wee hours of the morning. They were preparing to complete the arduous process of electing a Speaker, swearing in members, and passing a heavily negotiated rules package that was central to McCarthys agreement with his defactors, many of whom agreed to vote present rather than for another Republican to allow the debacle to end.

But as the votes came in, with the voting clerk calling on members alphabetically, it became clear that such an outcome was not in the immediate offing. One of the McCarthy holdouts, Rep. Matt Rosendale of Montana, voted for Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona, leaving the election in the hands of perhaps the loudest McCarthy critic, Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, who missed his initial chance to vote, setting the scene for him to cast the decisive ballot at the end of the process. When it came to his turn, he voted present, leaving McCarthy a half-vote shy of a majority.

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An intense scene on the House floor followed as McCarthy and his allies huddled with a grim-faced Gaetz. At one point, a frustrated Rep. Mike Rodgers of Alabama had to be physically restrained by a colleague from lunging toward Gaetz. Shortly thereafter, the House nearly adjourned until Monday, which would have left the imbroglio unresolved through the weekend. But then, in another plot twist, a group of members agreed to go into a fifteenth round of voting after several of the McCarthy detractors said they would switch their votes. Their change of heart appeared to come after Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia put Gaetz, Biggs, and Rosendale on the phone with former President Donald Trump, who has been pushing for McCarthy. Minutes later, on the next round of voting, all of those legislators voted present, clearing the way for McCarthys victory.

That was easy, huh? I never thought Id get up here, McCarthy said after taking the gavel. He jokingly warned the Democratic House leader, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York: Two years ago, I got one hundred percent of the vote from my conference.

But while McCarthy may have won the battlealbeit under embarrassing circumstanceshe has arguably lost the larger war with the ultra-conservative rebels in his own party who want to fundamentally remake the way Congress operates.

To convert most of the 20 detractors who have stood in his way all week, McCarthy gave, in the words of a senior Democratic House aide, the kitchen sink. He agreed to appoint more members of the far-right House Freedom Caucus to the powerful House Rules Committee, which determines which bills make it to the chambers floor, and the Appropriations Committee. More symbolically, he also allowed a rules change that will enable just one member to be able to call for a vote to oust the Speaker.

In other words, to gain the power of the Speakers gavel, McCarthy effectively disempowered himself.

Gaetz admitted as much on Friday, shortly after the House voted to adjourn and come back at 10 p.m, acknowledging the likelihood that his arch nemesis would prevail. Its looking like its heading that way, Gaetz told CNN. But, he added, McCarthy would have to govern with a straightjacket.

McCarthy speaks to Rep. Matt Gaetz in the House Chamber on January 6, 2023. OLIVIER DOULIERYAFP via Getty Images

For his part, McCarthy tried to downplay the idea that the protracted conflict was a bad omen for a highly dysfunctional House in the coming years. This is the great part, McCarthy told reporters Friday night. Because it took this long, now we learned how to govern. So now well be able to get the job done.

Yet multiple House sources, Democrat and Republican alike, say that the concessions McCarthy has agreed to will make it exceedingly more difficult to pass legislation, particularly when it comes time to fund the government later this year. Were never going to pass a budget, a senior Democratic House aide tells TIME.

McCarthys concessions have also created national security concerns. Bloomberg reported Friday that he agreed to cut $75 billion in defense fundinga measure that would need to be approved by the Senatein response to the far-rights antipathy toward helping Ukraine defend itself against Russia.

Ronald Reagan taught us that weakness is provocative, former Rep. Liz Cheney, a Wyoming Republican, tweeted. China and Russia are watching. If [McCarthy] agreed to weaken our national defense for his own personal gain, that will be his legacy, and our nation will suffer.

Others have expressed alarm that the House would be unable to respond if the nation faced a serious crisis that would require Congressional action.

The House came back to session later in the evening to allow for two McCarthy allies who had left townReps. Ken Buck of Colorado and Wesley Hunt of Texasto come back to get him over the top. The Houses inability to pick a Speaker for so long stretched the saga past the mark set in 1923, when it took the chamber 13 rounds of voting over three days. On Tuesday, the first day of the new congressional term, the House failed to elect a Speaker on the first ballot for the first time in a century.

That McCarthy couldnt whip the votes throughout the week led to a whirlwind of speculation on Capitol Hill over a range of nuclear options to end the deadlock, such as some Republicans forming a coalition with Democrats to put up a moderate choice and grant the minority party chairs of half the committees. Some House members, including Gaetz, floated the idea of adopting a resolution to elect the Speaker based on a plurality vote, which, until McCarthy won over his defectors, would have led to Jeffries winning the top post.

The concessions McCarthy made to get over the finish line stand to radically reshape the House, including through a provision in the new rules package that would largely gut the Office of Congressional Ethics, an independent panel that was preparing to investigate lawmakers who participated in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. The maneuver will remove the only body that conducts meaningful ethics oversight of lawmakers.

For now, though, McCarthy is surely happy to move past the quagmire. But as all signs suggest, it may not be that long until he is on the ropes again, fending off attacks from members of his own party, many of whom will regard him as a Speaker in name only.
MIDDLEBORO  Middleboro Police are seeking a charge of assault and battery against a staff member of Mary K. Goode Elementary School over a reported incident involving a student.

According to Middleboro Police Chief Joseph Perkins, the department received reports of the incident at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 5.

A fifth-grade student was allegedly assaulted by a part-time cafeteria monitor at the Elementary School. The suspect is not a teacher.

Worst in state Taunton, Middleboro hot spots for deer crashes  as our reporter found out the hard way

Perkins said the student was evaluated by a school nurse and the parents were immediately notified.

The suspect has since been placed on leave by Middleboro Public Schools and has been summoned to appear at Wareham District Court as Middleboro Police are seeking a charge of assault and battery.

The suspect will not be identified by name unless the court approves the charge.

This article originally appeared on The Taunton Daily Gazette: Middleboro Police: Elementary school employee assaulted student
A group of mostly Venezuelan families who migrated to the U.S. seeking asylum were welcomed with a Three Kings celebration in New York City organized by a national Latino nonprofit.

New York is the ultimate city of immigrants, and we welcome people from all walks of life no matter their background, said Frankie Miranda, president and CEO of the Hispanic Federation in a a press release. "Many families are seeking refuge in New York after fleeing civil strife, natural disasters, violence, and so much more."

The families were treated with meals, gifts and entertainment at the celebration, which took place in East Harlem at the Julia de Burgos Performance & Arts Center, named after the acclaimed Puerto Rican poet.

"It feels great. And especially for peoples minds and attention toward us. Its been more than eight months that I did not have the Venezuelan taste and food, an asylum-seeker identified as Keymart said in an interview with WPIX-TV's Jay Dow.

Another asylum-seeker, Yoliannis, told WPIX that finally having crossed Panama's Darien gap and Mexico while six months pregnant made her feel free, but the celebration filled her with joy because I had a very rough journey to get here.

The event took place on Thursday, on the eve of Three Kings Day. A religious holiday on Jan. 6, also known as Epiphany, Three Kings celebrates the biblical story of three wise men who followed a star that took them to the baby Jesus.

In Latin America, celebrations include gift-giving, large family gatherings and longtime traditions such as Three Kings bread that contains hidden baby Jesus dolls.

Newly arrived asylum seekers celebrated their first Three Kings Day in the United States at a dinner Thursday hosted by Hispanic Federation (Hispanic Federation)

Diana Ayala, New York City Council's deputy speaker, stated that "as families continue to arrive in our city, it is important that they be met with a semblance of tradition, culture, and a sense of normalcy. Three Kings Day this year is an opportunity that allows families to connect and celebrate while keeping with the traditions of home."

The Hispanic Federation pointed out the welcome and the celebration in New York City in contrast to recent actions taken by other states such as Texas. New York City officials have blasted Texas Gov. Greg Abbott following the busing of thousands of migrant families to New York City, with Abbott responding that it's up to the federal government to deal with border issues.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
A significant change in the Department of Defense could help keep more service members in the military. DOD announced it is increasing parental leave to twelve weeks starting this week.

That goes for service members who give birth, the service members parents who support them, and those who adopt or get a long-term foster child.

Read: Explainer: What to know about XBB.1.5, the new COVID-19 variant

This is a huge increase. Previous regulations provided some recovery time and up to just six weeks of maternity leave and only two to three weeks for the parent who doesnt give birth.

Its an example of the Department of Defense really putting families first, said Shannon Razsadin, President and Executive Director of the Military Family Advisory Network.

Read: Florida intends to keep Disneys Reedy Creek, but under state control

She is also a military spouse.

When you think about welcoming a new member of your family, you often find yourselves leaning on, you know, grandparents, friends, and established networks that you have in place, Razsadin said. But military families may not have that, and so having both parents, or just a single parent, really being able to focus on the baby and welcoming that new family member is going to make a big difference.

Read: Military families struggling with food insecurity

Its important to note this isnt a blanket no questions asked leave policy. A memo from DOD leadership says commanders must balance the leave with the needs of their units and operational requirements.

According to advocates, this could also benefit national security because it could help the military attract and retain troops.

In some cases the services are seeing that theyre competing with the private sector for retention and for new talent and so to be able to package this as part of the benefit you have in joining the military, in addition to other wonderful things that go along with military service, it will make a big difference, Raszadin added.

In most cases, the twelve weeks leave have to be taken within one year of the birth or adoption.

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.
Both dogs reunited after the rescue. (SWNS)

A Labrador which got lost for 24 hours in the Peak District was eventually rescued after being found down a 15ft hole by another dog.

Gracie, eight, was being taken for a walk on marshland near Kinder Scout when her 41-year-old owner Guy Beggs lost sight of her in poor weather on Monday.

Guy, from Warrington, Cheshire, searched well into the night for his beloved pet but had no luck finding her.

Gracie was eventually found by Border Collie cross Lottie, brought out by her owner to help in the search.

Read more: Teenager got a new kidney when his mum swapped hers with a stranger

The pothole Gracie fell down in the Peak District (red circle). (SWNS)

The dogs after the rescue. (SWNS)

Dad-of-one Guy, who works in engineering, said: "When we found her, I got so emotional I broke down in tears, I was just so relieved.

Guy put out an appeal on social media - which sparked a full-scale rescue mission involving people from as far as Manchester, Bolton and Leeds.

Unbeknown to Guy, Gracie had plunged down a 4.5 metre deep pothole just yards away from the track they had been walking along.

Susan Jones, 50, of Derby, joined the hunt with her dog Lottie and her friend Lynn Baker, 59.

While the pair stopped for a drinks break, four-year-old Lottie began sniffing in shrubbery near the path before finding the hole where Gracie had fallen in.

Guy and another volunteer abseiled down using a makeshift rope made out of dog leads to bring her back to safety after more than 23 hours.

Read more: Great-gran taken to hospital on bin lid in van as she couldnt get ambulance

The dogs look like they've formed a bond. (SWNS)

Guy added: I posted an appeal on a Facebook hiking group and within an hour there was 10,000 shares.

"There's a local canine search group called K9 Search and Rescue and they came down with a thermal heating drone.

"The amount of support we got was amazing. We got to 9/10pm that evening and we had to head back.

We even had an ex-navy guy come, and we went out and covered 12 miles in and around the bog land. It was incredible the help we got."

Susan, who works as a teacher, said she was amazed' by her hero dog's heroics.

She said: She stuck her head in this bush and I called her and she wouldnt come back.

I pulled her back and there was a very deep hole. I lay on the ground and there was two little eyes looking up at me.
While Moody's Corporation (NYSE:MCO) shareholders have had a good week with the stock up 4.0%, they shouldn't let their guards down. Even though stock prices were relatively low, insiders elected to sell US$8.1m worth of stock in the last year, which could indicate some expected downturn.

While insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing, logic dictates you should pay some attention to whether insiders are buying or selling shares.

Check out our latest analysis for Moody's

Moody's Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

The Non-Executive Chairman, Raymond McDaniel, made the biggest insider sale in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for US$3.0m worth of shares at a price of US$302 each. So we know that an insider sold shares at around the present share price of US$290. We generally don't like to see insider selling, but the lower the sale price, the more it concerns us. In this case, the big sale took place at around the current price, so it's not too bad (but it's still not a positive).

Moody's insiders didn't buy any shares over the last year. You can see the insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!

If you are like me, then you will not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying.

Moody's Insiders Are Selling The Stock

The last quarter saw substantial insider selling of Moody's shares. Specifically, insiders ditched US$2.2m worth of shares in that time, and we didn't record any purchases whatsoever. Overall this makes us a bit cautious, but it's not the be all and end all.

Insider Ownership Of Moody's

Another way to test the alignment between the leaders of a company and other shareholders is to look at how many shares they own. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. Moody's insiders own 0.2% of the company, currently worth about US$110m based on the recent share price. Most shareholders would be happy to see this sort of insider ownership, since it suggests that management incentives are well aligned with other shareholders.

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What Might The Insider Transactions At Moody's Tell Us?

Insiders sold stock recently, but they haven't been buying. And there weren't any purchases to give us comfort, over the last year. The company boasts high insider ownership, but we're a little hesitant, given the history of share sales. In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing Moody's. For example, Moody's has 2 warning signs (and 1 which doesn't sit too well with us) we think you should know about.

If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt.

For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions, but not derivative transactions.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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Anita Razo has grieved nonstop since her son died last April in a shooting that followed an attempted robbery in Natomas.

She suffered another blow earlier this month when she discovered her storage unit burglarized and items stolen that belonged to her son, Giovanni Isidro Razo Pizano  better known as DJ Gio  a beloved figure in Sacramentos music scene.

She said the thieves stole designer shoes, designer clothes, and music equipment, including turntables she bought for her son when he was 11. Razo believes she lost up to $250,000 worth of valuables, including items she intended to donate to a nonprofit foundation that carries on her sons memory.

Its heart-wrenching, Razo said. First, my son is killed during an attempt to rob him of his jewelry and now these grave robbers steal the only things I had left of my son.

She discovered the theft around noon on Jan. 3, when she approached her unit at SmartStop Self Storage at 3970 Pell Circle and found the units door opened and items thrown out into the hallway.

She believes the act was an inside job targeted at her late son. No other units appeared to be damaged, she said.

It was targeted at Gios belongings. If it was random they would have robbed other units too but my unit was the only one. No other unit was opened or robbed, said Razo.

When SmartStop site manager Tyler Smith did his rounds, he too, confirmed no other units were robbed. Smith told The Bee that he could not provide further information.

A police report was filed with the Sacramento Police Department but officers would not release information on the incident because its an active investigation.

Arrest in DJ Gios slaying

DJ Gio died April 10 in a shooting that police said centered around a robbery attempt. Vernon Mulder III of Vallejo also died in the incident.

Police arrested Nigel Robinson of Vallejo in June and booked him into Sacramento County Jail on suspicion of the shooting. Razo has said Robinson and Mulder were trying to rob her son when the shooting took place.

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SmartStop is eleventh-largest self storage company in the U.S., with a portfolio of over 175 properties in 22 states and Canada, according to its website.

The company took over the location on 3970 Pell Circle from Public Storage last May, a week after Razo rented her unit through Public Storage.

According to the SmartStop website, each storage facility has state of the art security, including 24/7 video surveillance and a keypad-gated access.

Smith said this is the first incident at the location since SmartStop took over last spring. Smith said all the cameras at the facility are properly working, as is the security system.

This SmartStop Self Storage location has three main facility entrances for tenants, an east wing automatic sliding door, a loading door near the main office and a set of automatic sliding doors on the far west of the building.

Razo believes its possible the culprits got into the facility through the east wing doors that remain open because they were damaged, as if forced entry had occurred there in the past.

Smith said that those doors have been damaged for the last 7 months, just shortly after taking over the property. He expects the damages to be fixed by the end of the month.

Mothers plan to donate equipment

Razo continues to seek justice for her sons death and is hoping to find culprits who broke into her storage.

Its like killing him all over again, said Razo. Im just hoping somebody out there knows something. Its not fair, none of its fair. Its all we had left of him, now we dont.

Razo started the DJ Gio Nonprofit Foundation in November. She planned to use the DJ equipment to host nonprofit events and help raise money for his foundation. Her hope is that the items are returned so she can put them to use in Sacramentos DJ community.
Photo: BC government Flickr Honourable Janet Austin, Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia, and Premier John Horgan bestowed the province's highest honour, the Order of British Columbia on Dr. Bonnie Henry in 2022

If you know someone who has demonstrated outstanding achievement, excellence or distinction in a field that benefits other British Columbians now is the time to nominate them for the Order of British Columbia.

The Order of British Columbia is one way of acknowledging those British Columbians whose extraordinary contributions and achievements have benefited B.C. and beyond.

"A nomination for the Order of British Columbia celebrates the contributions of remarkable British Columbians, whose service and inspiring legacies make our province a better place," said Janet Austin, B.C.'s lieutenant governor and chancellor of the Order of British Columbia. "I encourage you to nominate the best and brightest of British Columbians for this extraordinary honour."

Nominations are now being accepted and must be received by the Honours and Awards Secretariat by Tuesday, April 11, 2023, to be considered for 2023.

"It's important to celebrate and recognize individuals who are making a profound difference in the lives of British Columbians," said Premier David Eby. "If you know someone who is deserving of the province's highest honour, nominate them today."

Now is also the time of year to nominate individuals for the Medal of Good Citizenship, which recognizes people for their exceptional service and contributions to their communities without expectation of remuneration or reward.

The medal reflects their generosity, acts of selflessness and contributions to community life. Nominations for the Medal of Good Citizenship are accepted year-round.

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A memorial is seen surrounding the Robb Elementary School sign following the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School on May 26, 2022 in Uvalde, Texas. Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Adriana Martinez Reyes, the mother of the Uvalde shooter, was arrested on Wednesday.

A man, which news outlets identified as her boyfriend, claimed she threatened him.

Reyes is facing charges, including assault and battery.

The mother of the Uvalde gunman was reportedly arrested in Oklahoma after being accused of threatening to kill her boyfriend.

Adriana Martinez Reyes was taken into custody Wednesday on charges of assault and battery and threatening an act of violence, KWTV-DT and Uvalde Leader-News reported, citing police.

Oklahoma City police responded to a home on Jan. 4 after receiving a report of Reyes threatening a man, the outlets reported. The victim told officers at the scene that he feared the 40-year-old would harm him in his sleep.

Reyes denied his claims. However, Leader-News reported that a witness backed up the man's statement, prompting her arrest. The outlet reported that the victim is working on getting a protection order against her.

Reyes was released from the Oklahoma County Jail at about 2:30 on Friday afternoon, per KWTV-DT.

According to reports, police were called to the couple's address just days before, on Jan. 1, for a domestic incident. During that interaction, she informed officers that her son was behind the May 2022 massacre at Robb Elementary, which left 19 children and two teachers dead, KBTX reported.

Last July, Reyes was confronted by the family of one of the victims killed in the Uvalde attack, according to the reports.

"You have no right to judge my son! No, you don't. No, you don't! No, you don't! No! May God forgive y'all," she was captured yelling in a video obtained by CNN. "I know my son was a coward. You don't think I know that? I know! You don't think I'm carrying all that with me? You don't think I don't know? I know! And I'm sorry!"

Read the original article on Insider
Dominic King, owner of My Thai Beach, surveys storm damage at his restaurant in Capitola, Calif., on Thursday. (Nic Coury / Associated Press)

When Ed Hart was preparing to leave New York to visit family in Santa Cruz County, he expected a "cool, California stay," with plenty of opportunities for photos.

"I didn't check the forecast because I was sleepy and I always assume it's sunny and sunny again," said Hart, a grocery store employee.

But when he drove toward the Capitola pier earlier this week, he didn't even get out of the car. Instead, he headed back to his hotel upon hearing warnings that strong waves would pummel the structure after a furious storm.

Whipped up by a large central Pacific system, giant, sustained swells lashed at the county coastline for hours Thursday, destroying sections of the pier  and ultimately splitting it in half  and leaving residents frantic and a community reeling.

Picnic tables and debris are strewn about Seacliff State Beach following damage from a heavy storm surge in Aptos, Calif., on Thursday. (Nic Coury / Associated Press)

"Sometimes you read that a big one is coming, but you don't always believe it," said Max Ryan, an artist and Hart's cousin. "Today you look at our creeks, the ocean, the smashed buildings, the wreck  there's so much to recover from. It's a shock. We've been hit with lots of rain in the past, yet nothing like this."

In Capitola, a small town gracing the northern shores of Monterey Bay with a population of about 10,000, cleanup efforts are continuing after this week's massive flooding and erosion. The damage already totals in the millions  including $10 million to $15 million for the Capitola Wharf, according to early county estimates  and many locals fear the toll will worsen with more rain in the forecast.

Officials in Santa Cruz County not only are watching waves batter coastal communities, they are keeping an eye on saturated soil in the mountains  which is becoming increasingly vulnerable to slides as rains continue.

Then there are the rain-swollen rivers. Typically, those rivers would rush their contents downstream into the ocean. But given the size of the storm surge, water is getting pushed back as it tries to escape  flooding lowland areas along creeks and rivers, said Melodye Serino, a deputy county administrative officer.

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She said residents are taking these lulls in the weather to assess and prepare. But thats hard to do when its unclear where the threat is going to come from: rain, storm surge, flooding or all three.

People walk through a storm-damaged section of Capitola, Calif., on Friday. (Haven Daley / Associated Press)

Capitola authorities have been on round-the-clock alert, with officials and volunteers trying to help clear debris dotting the once postcard-worthy beaches and rocky coves. This weekend, dozens of businesses remain red-tagged and off-limits to their owners and tourists alike. Plenty of restaurants and mom-and-pop shops have yet to reopen.

The 45 to 48 feet of swell that took aim at the town Thursday was aided by sustained winds of about 70 mph, according to the National Weather Service.

An evacuation order imposed Thursday was lifted the following day, but not before disrupting post-holiday shopping for Chris Wong and her kids.

Wong wanted to take advantage of new 2023 sales around the region and stock up on groceries after a few hours of work at her computer.

"The children like to play in the water outside," said the nonprofit consultant bunking in one of her Central California homes. "I told them, 'No. We have to stay put. Just play with your Christmas toys while Mom figures out how to repair the roof leak.' We're lucky we don't have complete destruction."

Yet some of her friends had to flee elsewhere. Countywide, almost 200 residents have been displaced by the storm, a tally likely to increase as inspectors make the rounds, red-tagging homes they view as hazardous.

Nearly 10,000 people in Santa Cruz greeted Friday without electricity because of toppled power lines, according to Poweroutage.us.

The recent punishing storm carved a destructive path across California. Waves badly damaged the pier in Seacliff, and the Oakland Zoo is closed until at least Jan. 17 because of a major sinkhole caused by a collapsed culvert.

A parking lot at Seacliff State Beach in Aptos, Calif., was damaged by the heavy storm surge. (Nic Coury / Associated Press)

Wong says she is glued to her phone for all the latest deluge updates. For locals, this week marks 41 years since the Love Creek tragedy, when 10 people died in a mudslide during a three-day storm that started Jan. 3, 1982.

After turning back from the pier, Hart decided to make his way down to San Diego.

"Man, I just didn't imagine this," Hart said of the storm with its high tides, raging surf and catastrophic waves.

"This part of California is a different reality for me now."

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The Dutch government will summon the Iranian ambassador to the Netherlands for the second time in a month to voice its deep concerns over the execution of demonstrators, Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra said on Saturday.

"Appalled by the horrible executions of demonstrators in Iran. I will summon the Iranian ambassador to underline our serious concerns and I call upon EU Member States to do the same," Hoekstra said in a tweet.

Iran on Saturday hanged two men for allegedly killing a member of the security forces during nationwide protests that followed the death of 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman Mahsa Amini on Sept. 16.

Hoekstra said these actions underlined the need for the European Union to impose stronger sanctions on Iran than are currently being considered.

The Netherlands also summoned the Iranian ambassador in The Hague last month to protest against the execution of demonstrators in the country.

(Reporting by Bart Meijer; Editing by Mark Potter)
Jan. 6LA GRANDE  Northeast Oregon Public Transit in Union County is preparing to take a big step, one that would save some of its riders in La Grande and Island City countless steps.

NEOPT is planning to significantly increase the scope of the transportation service it offers from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on weekdays and Saturdays.

The new system would expand the area buses would travel to in part by allowing bus drivers to deviate from the fixed route, for up to three fourths of a mile, to pick up or deliver passengers.

The proposed plan is receiving an encouraging response from the public.

"People are super excited about it," said Todd McIntosh, the information technology manager for Community Connection of Northeast Oregon, which NEOPT is a part of.

The system could be in place soon.

"We hope to have the new system in place by July at the latest," said Kane Lester, the Northeast Oregon Public Transit transportation program manager for Union, Wallowa, Baker and Grant counties.

Lester said the deviations would be made for riders who had scheduled a pickup or drop-off at least a day in advance. This means in some cases riders will no longer have to walk from their home to a bus pickup site.

"If people call a day in advance we will be at their doorstep the next day," said McIntosh, who is helping develop the proposed new system.

He said the deviations from the fixed route will have an enormous impact.

"They will let us cover the entire populated area of La Grande and Island City," McIntosh said.

Northeast Oregon Public Transit's current fixed route takes riders through La Grande while making stops at Safeway, Max Square, Market Place Fresh Foods, Eastern Oregon University, the Department of Human Services Building, the Union County Public Transit Hub next to the Union County Senior Center, the Riveria Activity Center and other locations. The fixed route also goes into the western edge of Island City where it stops at Walmart. Two buses, each serving a different zone, pick up and deliver passengers along this fixed route six days a week.

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The NEOPT expansion plan calls for the fixed route to be extended east into Island City for about half a mile, to D&B Supply at McAlister Road and Island Avenue, and then south for a quarter mile to Island City Elementary School.

The switch to the new system will not be made until a public hearing is conducted and the plan is approved by Connie Guentert, executive director of Community Connection of Northeast Oregon.

No fares are charged for NEOPT riders now and none will be charged if the new system is put in place. Rides on NEOPT buses have been free since July 1, 2019. The transit agency decided to offer free fare after learning it would be receiving additional funding through a new Oregon payroll tax, which takes 0.1% of workers' earnings.

Lester said the move to expand the fixed route and allow for deviations provided by NEOPT is being pursued in large part because of input received from the public.

"It is a move people want us to make," he said.

McIntosh is excited about the project's potential to touch many lives.

"A lot of people here have mobility issues and this will allow us to give more of them rides," he said.

The new system would be funded with money by the State Transportation Improvement Fund, which also funds the current system.

CAT Link

NEOPT's plan also calls for CAT Link, a program run by the agency that provides free rides anywhere in Union County to anyone five days a week, to continue operating at its current level. Lester said more emphasis would be placed on ride sharing, with riders being picked up in south Union County on set days and in north Union County on others.

"This will boost efficiency," Lester said.

CAT Link  short for Connecting All Towns  began operating July 1, 2019.

Dick Mason is a reporter with The Observer. Contact him at 541-624-6016 or dmason@lagrandeobserver.com.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot demanded Saturday that Colorado Gov. Jared Polis stop busing asylum seekers to their cities, saying they are "over capacity."

"We respectfully demand that you cease and desist sending migrants to New York City and Chicago," Adams and Lightfoot wrote in a letter to Polis. "Since December of 2022, Chicago and New York City have received hundreds of individuals from Colorado."

Since Aug. 31, Chicago has seen 3,854 asylum seekers arrive from Texas and other states including Colorado, according to the letter. New York City has seen 36,400 asylum seekers arrive as of Jan. 4, the letter states.



The two mayors wrote that they wanted to work with Polis in pressing the federal government for a national solution.

"You must stop busing migrants to Chicago and New York City," the mayors wrote. "In the case of family reunification, let us work together to ensure that people are reconnected with their loved ones, however sending migrants to our cities whose systems are over capacity, where they may struggle to find shelter and other services is wrong and further victimizes these most vulnerable individuals."

The letter comes days after Adams laced into the federal government and Polisover the number of asylum seekers arriving in the city.

Polis told POLITICO in an earlier interview that around 70 percent of migrants arriving in Denver have final destinations elsewhere in the country, including New York, and that his office was working with Denver officials to help them on their way.

The influx of asylum seekers crossing the southern border intensified toward the end of the year as a Trump-era policy known as Title 42 was expected to expire. The Supreme Court, however, blocked that expiration in a ruling last week.

"It is apparent that the influx of asylum seekers has provoked consternation amongst states. Although we share the concerns of accommodating the flood of asylum seekers, overburdening other cities is not the solution," the mayors said.
By Lizbeth Diaz

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -At least one person was killed and 57 were injured in a train collision on Mexico City's metro early on Saturday, local authorities said.

The person killed in the morning accident was a young woman, city security head Omar Garcia told local media Grupo Milenio.

Garcia shared an updated list of the injured later on Saturday, and the city's mayor, Claudia Sheinbaum, said on Twitter that she was at the site.

Four others who were trapped on one wagon on Line 3 were rescued and are in good health, Garcia said earlier.

A variety of accidents have taken place on the metro in recent years. The most serious was the May 2021 collapse of a rail overpass on Line 12 that killed 26 people and injured more than 60.

Maintenance shortcomings were identified as one of that accident's causes.

(Reporting by Lizbeth Diaz in Mexico City; Writing by Julia Symmes Cobb;Editing by Leslie Adler)
Photo: The Canadian Press The Pacific Institution is shown in this undated handout photo. A prison union spokesman says a pigeon carrying a miniature backpack filled with drugs was captured last week at the B.C. correctional facility. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO - Pacific Institution

A prison union spokesman says a pigeon carrying a miniature backpack filled with drugs was captured last week at a B.C. correctional institution.

John Randle, Pacific regional president of the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers, says the bird was apprehended at Pacific Institution in Abbotsford, 80 kilometres east of Vancouver.

He says the backpack contained crystal methamphetamine.

Randle says he was told by officers that the bird was spotted with its unusual cargo on Dec. 29 in a yard at the facility, and they set up a trap to catch it.

Davinder Aujla, an assistant warden at Pacific Institution, confirmed there was a "recent interception of contraband" at the facility and the matter is under investigation.

Randle says in recent years, prison officers have been on the lookout for drones carrying drugs and other contraband but it's the first time in his 13 years as a corrections officer he's heard of a live bird being used.

He says the case is an indication of how creative criminals are becoming smuggling drugs.
PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP)  Militants opened fire on a security van killing a policeman Saturday in northwestern Pakistan, a region bordering Afghanistan where violence has spiked in recent months, local police said.

A search was underway to find the attackers who fled the scene in Dogar Umerzai, a village in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, police spokesperson Fatiullah Khan said.

Nobody immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

However, such incidents have intensified after the banned outfit Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, ended a cease-fire with the government in Islamabad and ordered its fighters to carry out attacks across the country.

The Pakistani Taliban is a separate group but also a close ally of the Afghan Taliban, who seized power in neighboring Afghanistan in August 2021 as U.S. and NATO troops were in the final stages of their pullout from the country after 20 years of war.

Many TTP leaders and fighters have found sanctuary and even been living openly in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover, which has also emboldened the TTP.

Dogar Umerzai is in Bannu district, which has been targeted by militants in recent weeks.

Last month, 33 TTP fighters detained at Bannus Counter Terrorism Department seized the compound and took staff hostage. The Pakistani army's response killed 25 militants.

TTP chief Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud in a video message released Saturday urged Pakistan's religious clerics to stop calling his group a terrorist organization. He said the TTP still adhere to the cease-fire in line with talks brokered by the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan.

Pakistans national security committee has ruled out negotiations with militants, saying it will take tough action against them.

The Counter-Terrorism Department of Pakistans populous Punjab province on Saturday arrested five people alleged to have TTP links.

The operation foiled a terror attack in the cities of Lahore, Gujranwala and Sahiwal, according to the department. Explosives, weapons and equipment to make suicide vests were recovered.
Community Relations Officer Jose Dones was celebrated by the Philadelphia Police Department for 30 years of service in October 2020. @PPD26Dist/Twitter

A Philadelphia police officer filed a lawsuit against her colleague for repeatedly removing his pants in the office.

The lawsuit claims Officer Jose Dones routinely disrobed near his colleagues instead of in the bathroom or locker room.

Attorneys for Officer Kelly Neal claimed sexual harassment and a hostile work environment.

A Philadelphia police officer is being sued for sexual discrimination and creating a hostile work environment for allegedly taking off his pants repeatedly in front of other officers.

Officer Jose Dones and the city of Philadelphia are named as defendants in the lawsuit filed by attorneys for officer Kelly Neal. Both officers work for the 26th District of the Philadelphia Police Department. The suit was filed last June and was first reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer.

According to the complaint, Neal claimed that Dones, a police officer for over 30 years, "removed his pants, directly behind and beside" Neal on several occasions and "stood in the open office of the 26th District in his boxer shorts, instead of using the locker room or bathroom to do so."

The behavior occurred multiple times in front of Neal and other women officers, some of whom complained to their superiors, according to Neal's complaint. The lawsuit includes screenshots from multiple videos discreetly taken by Neal that show Dones "removing his pants" and "exposing himself in his underwear" directly behind Neal.

"At approximately 0:08 seconds into the video, Defendant Dones fingers the crack in his buttocks to remove his wedged underwear therefrom," the lawsuit says of one of the video exhibits. "At 0:18 seconds into the video, Defendant Dones thereupon pulls another pair of pants over his underwear, lifts his shirt above his waist to expose his back and stomach and adjusts and buttons his pants."

Later screenshots and annotations describe Dones casually answering a phone call while pulling on his pants over his underwear, as well as another incident wherein a different officer walked by and was "exposed to Defendant Dones' behavior while attempting to open the office refrigerator to place items inside," the lawsuit claimed.

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Neal's lawsuit also said complaints made to her superiors were ignored. Her attorneys demanded $150,000 in relief and a trial by jury on accusations of sexual harassment, hostile work environment, and retaliation, among other complaints.

"We're going to take it to a jury and see what they have to say about Mr. Fruit Of The Loom," J. Conor Corcoran, Neal's attorney, told the Inquirer, noting that both male and female officers had complained about Dones' conduct. Corcoran did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

In a comment to Insider, a spokesperson for the Philadelphia Police Department said they were unable to comment as the lawsuit is ongoing.

"Nevertheless, officers cannot remove their pants in public settings," the department said.

Dones' attorney, Angela Lee Velez, said in court documents that her client didn't act with "any malicious intent" and denied all charges, noting that the video evidence was taken without Dones' knowledge or consent. Velez did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment, nor did the Philadelphia Police Department.

Read the original article on Insider
Gov. Gavin Newsom joins a march as part of his second inauguration ceremonies in Sacramento on Friday. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

Gov. Gavin Newsom celebrated the start of his second term Friday, the second anniversary of the attack on the U.S. Capitol, choosing the moment to contrast Californias progressive and inclusive values with what he called the ugliness that overflowed on January 6.

Tapping into the symbolism of the day when insurrectionist supporters of President Trump stormed the Capitol in 2021, Newsom drew on his familys Golden State roots to define diametrical visions of America in his inaugural address delivered under cloudy skies near the steps of the California statehouse.

I hear the echoes of my own familys story in those that are still coming to California to pursue their dreams, drawn by the myth and magic of this place, Newsom said. Whether your family came here for work, or safety, California offered freedom to access it, not contingent on you looking a certain way, talking a certain way, thinking a certain way. And thats what makes this place so special.

Gov. Gavin Newsom, with wife Jennifer Lynn Siebel Newsom and children Brooklynn, holding the microphone, and Dutch, takes the oath of office, administered by state Supreme Court Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero in Sacramento. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

Newsom, joined by his family, waves from the stage after being sworn in for a second term as California governor. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

Guests wave California flags at Newsom's second inaugural ceremony. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

Newsom greets supporters. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

The governor's children, from left, Dutch, Brooklynn, Montana and Hunter, say the Pledge of Allegiance at their father's inaugural event. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
U.S. House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) calls out in the House Chamber during the 14th vote for Speaker of the House at the U.S. Capitol Building on January 06, 2023 in Washington, DC. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Lawmakers this week endured 15 rounds of voting for speaker of House.

Photos from day four of the seemingly everlasting vote showed commotion throughout the chamber.

Tension, boredom, and disappointment were captured in photos leading up to Rep. Kevin McCarthy's win.

Lawmakers in the US House of Representatives went through a historic 15 rounds of voting to elect Rep. Kevin McCarthy to the House speaker position. Here are photos from the final two rounds of speaker voting sessions.

Rep. Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican, sits in disappointment after his 14th loss during the House Speaker vote on Friday night.

Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., reacts after losing the 14th vote in the House chamber as the House meets for the fourth day to elect a speaker and convene the 118th Congress in Washington, Friday, Jan. 6, 2023. AP Photo/Alex Brandon

McCarthy needed a majority of votes to become Speaker of the House, but 20 far-right Republicans withheld their support before the 15th and final vote.

Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida stares off into the distance in the House chamber following McCarthy's 14th loss.

Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., looks into the gallery after Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., lost the 14th vote in the House chamber as the House meets for the fourth day to elect a speaker and convene the 118th Congress in Washington, Friday, Jan. 6, 2023. AP Photo/Alex Brandon

Gaetz said he would resign from his role as a representative if Dems in the House voted for McCarthy or a moderate Republican, Insider previously reported.

Rep. Mike Rogers appears to lunge at Gaetz during the 14th vote, quickly gaining attention from those in the chamber.

Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., left, pulls Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., back as they talk with Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., and other during the 14th round of voting for speaker as the House meets for the fourth day to try and elect a speaker and convene the 118th Congress in Washington, Friday, Jan. 6, 2023. Andrew Harnik/Associated Press

Rep. Richard Hudson was captured holding him back.

US Representative-elect Lance Gooden is spotted holding both of his children, Milla and Liam, inside the House during the 14th vote.

U.S. Rep.-elect Lance Gooden (R-TX) carries his children Milla and Liam into the House Chamber during the fourth day of elections for Speaker of the House at the U.S. Capitol Building on January 06, 2023 in Washington, DC. Win McNamee/Getty Images

Children often accompany their parents to the Speaker vote to watch the lawmakers be sworn into office.

US Representative-elect Katie Porter turns to reading "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck" by Mark Manson during the 14th speaker vote.

U.S. Rep.-elect Katie Porter (D-CA) reads a book in the House Chamber during the fourth day of elections for Speaker of the House at the U.S. Capitol Building on January 06, 2023 in Washington, DC. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Other congress members have taken to similar means to occupy themselves during the seemingly endless voting sessions.

Marjorie Taylor Greene holds a phone out to Representative-elect Matt Rosendale during the 14th voting session.

Rep.-elect Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) offers a phone to Rep.-elect Matt Rosendale (R-MT) in the House Chamber during the fourth day of voting for Speaker of the House at the U.S. Capitol Building on January 06, 2023 in Washington, DC. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

The initials on the phone appear as "DT," indicating a possible phone call to former President Donald Trump.

McCarthy received a standing ovation from GOP lawmakers after the 15th round of voting solidified him as House speaker.

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Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., smiles after winning the 15th vote in the House chamber as the House enters the fifth day trying to elect a speaker and convene the 118th Congress in Washington, early Saturday, Jan. 7, 2023. AP Photo/Alex Brandon

The 15th round of voting went into Saturday, January 7, after first starting on Tuesday.

Greene, Gaetz, and Rep. Lauren Boebert stare stoically during the 15th vote.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. R-Ga., left, Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., center, and Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., listen during the 15th round of votes in the House chamber as the House enters the fifth day trying to elect a speaker and convene the 118th Congress in Washington, early Saturday, Jan. 7, 2023. AP Photo/Alex Brandon

Boebert  who pushed Trump to encourage McCarthy to drop from the speaker race  and Gaetz opposed McCarthy's bid. Greene has supported it and accused Boebert and Gaetz, once her allies, of not negotiating on her behalf as conservative lawmakers made demands while McCarthy tried to secure votes for the speakership, Insider previously reported.

McCarthy grins and claps for his long-awaited victory early Saturday morning.

U.S. House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) celebrates after being elected Speaker of the House in the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol Building on January 07, 2023 in Washington, DC. Win McNamee/Getty Images

Read the original article on Business Insider
Police are searching for a man accused of robbing a U.S. Postal Worker in Huber Heights Saturday morning.

Around 10 a.m., Huber Heights police responded to reports of a mail carrier who had been robbed in the area of Mt. Whitney and Taylorsville Road.

The postal worker told police a man in dark clothing and a ski mask displayed a gun and stole their phone, mail bag, and mail scanner, according to a spokesperson for Huber Heights police.

>> Stop using the blue boxes; Another area police department issues warning of increased mail theft

Police found the scanner, bag and phone case in the 7500 block of Mt. Hood, but were unable to find the phone itself.

A K-9 officer was called to help search for the suspect but it was unsuccessful.

>> An ongoing issue; Mail theft leads area police department to urge against using blue drop-boxes

The postal worker was not injured, according to police.

The suspect remains at large.

A USPS postal inspector confirmed they were informed and responded to the alleged robbery.

USPS asked the public if anyone saw the incident or has information to provide to contact the U.S. Postal Inspection Service at 877-876-2455.

We will update this story as we learn more.








Prince Harry has reflected on being unable to show any emotion while greeting mourners after the death of his mother Diana.

The Duke of Sussex also revealed he only cried once after the former Princess of Wales was killed in a car crash in Paris, 25 years ago.

These comments are part of a new teaser clip for Harrys forthcoming interview with ITVs Tom Bradby to promote his new memoir Spare.

You can follow live updates about the leaked book here.

Speaking to Bradby, the duke described the guilt he felt while walking outside Kensington Palace after the ill-fated car crash in Paris, in 1997.

He said: I cried once, at the burial, and you know I go into detail about how strange it was and how actually there was some guilt that I felt, and I think William felt as well, by walking around the outside of Kensington Palace.

Harry also described feeling the mourners tears on his hands when he shook them.

He told Bradby: There were 50,000 bouquets of flowers to our mother and there we were shaking peoples hands, smiling.

Ive seen the videos, right, I looked back over it all. And the wet hands that we were shaking, we couldnt understand why their hands were wet, but it was all the tears that they were wiping away, Harry, 38, continued.

He added that he and William were unable to show any emotion as they met the mourners.

Everyone thought and felt like they knew our mum, and the two closest people to her, the two most loved people by her, were unable to show any emotion in that moment, Harry told the broadcaster.

In previously released clips of the ITV interview, Harry defended himself against the accusation that he was violating his familys privacy after railing against the intrusion into his own life.

He said: Thatll be the accusation from the people that dont understand or dont want to believe that my family have been briefing the press.

Harry also refused to commit to attending King Charless coronation if he is invited, telling Bradby: The ball is in their court.

Harry: The Interview will be broadcast on ITV1 and ITVX at 9pm on Sunday (8 January).

Additional reporting by Press Association
US mission to Vietnam builds primary school in Ben Tre

US Defense Attache in Hanoi Colonel TJ Bouchillon and Acting Deputy Principal Officer in Ho Chi Minh City Graham Harlow has transferred the newly built Trinh Viet Bang Primary School in Dinh Trung commune to the Ben Tre Provincial Peoples Committee.

The inauguration and handover ceremony of the school in Ben Tre Province on January 6

The project was jointly identified by the US Office of Defense Cooperation Vietnam and Ben Tre province in January 2019.











The new school includes eight fully furnished classrooms and two teachers rooms as well as a handicap accessible ramp. The project was constructed and supported by the Chuong Duong Company, the New Horizon Company, the US Army Corps of Engineers, and the Ben Tre Provincial Peoples Committee. US Indo-Pacific Command under the Overseas Humanitarian Disaster Assistance and Civic Action Program funded the construction project.



At the transfer ceremony, US Defense Attache Colonel TJ Bouchillon stated this project reflects our commitment to a strong, prosperous, resilient, and independent Vietnam, and a free and open Indo-Pacific region. It underscores the common belief that a successful future lies with preparing the next generation to successfully tackle challenges they will face  whether local, national, or global.



Speaking at the ceremony, Vice Chairwoman of Ben Tre Provincial Peoples Committee Nguyen Thi Be Muoi acknowledged the support of the US Mission in Vietnam and the US Indo-Pacific Command. This valuable assistance improves primary education facilities in Binh Dai districts Dinh Trung commune and helps send children to school which is a part of our local development strategy, she said.


Photo: Dave Pasin. Trucks stopped Thursday afternoon outside GCT Deltaport after a bomb threat was made to the container terminal. It was determined to be a hoax and operations resumed 11 hours later

A bomb hoax forced evacuation of the GCT Deltaport container terminal on Thursday.



Marko Dekovic, the vice-president of public affairs for GCT Global Container Terminals, said the security incident around 2 p.m. required evacuation and notification of authorities, including the Delta Police Department.



Transport Canada said that it closely monitored the situation for the duration of the event.



Out of an abundance of caution, a full terminal evacuation was ordered by [GCT], said spokesperson San Sau Liu. After the evacuation, the threat was deemed to be non-credible by the Delta Police Department.



Dekovic said after the all-clear was given, operations resumed for the 1 a.m. shift.



Making a bomb threat is a criminal offence and Transport Canada takes every threat seriously, Liu said. Any actual, attempted, threatened or suspected unlawful act, which would cause an interference, breach or malfunction of the maritime transportation system is immediately investigated further.



A contractor on-site at the time noticed traffic backed up quickly, but sympathized with the facilitys staff.



The sense of urgency was palpable, they were getting everybody out of there as fast as they could, said Dave Pasin. I was quite impressed with the way they did it. It was clear the welfare of their employees was paramount.



The semi-automated Deltaport terminal is 85 hectares on Tsawwassens Roberts Bank, with access to the CN and CP rail networks and highways. GCT is proposing a fourth berth on the east side of the Roberts Bank Causeway in order to handle two million more containers per year.
Prince Harry at Queen Elizabeth's funeral in September. Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

Prince Harry's upcoming memoir "Spare" is set to be published worldwide on Tuesday.

The memoir promises to be a "definitive account" of his life as a royal in the public eye.

But after seeing the Queen before she died, a new report claims Harry nearly canceled the book.

There was a time when Prince Harry's hotly anticipated memoir may have never made it to print, The Times of London reports.

Harry's upcoming memoir "Spare" is due to be published worldwide on Tuesday. According to a press release shared by Harpers Bazaar, the book promises a deep dive into Harry's life as a royal in the public eye and will be a "definitive account of the experiences, adventures, losses, and life lessons that have helped shape him."

Leaks of "Spare" began surfacing on Thursday after a Spanish-language version went on sale in Spain days ahead of its official release. However, The Times of London now reports that not only did the Duke of Sussex have mixed emotions about going through with the project, but that he actually considered canceling the memoir completely in the summer of 2022.

According to an unnamed US publishing source cited by the newspaper, Harry's doubts about "Spare" reached breaking point following one of his final visits with Queen Elizabeth II before her death. Harry was one of eight grandchildren of the late Queen, who died aged 96 on September 8, 2022.

Prince Harry and Queen Elizabeth in 1988. Getty Images

The Times reports that the publishing team behind "Spare" were told last summer that Harry had decided to cancel the book: "He's pulled it. He doesn't want to do it."

Sources at Penguin Random House told the newspaper they were speculating that Harry's desire to cancel the book came after he spent time in the UK for the Platinum Jubilee. They suspected he was being told by members of the royal family that there would be "no way back" for him if the book was published while the Queen was still alive.

Representatives for the Duke of Sussex and Buckingham Palace did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

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As the release date for "Spare" approaches, however, it appears that any doubts Harry may have had have been set aside.

The Spanish language version of "Spare" went on sale in Spain on Thursday. Getty Images

Some of the jaw-dropping revelations included in the memoir according to widely reported leaks of the Spanish language version are Harry's accusation that Prince William attacked him during a confrontation about Meghan Markle, as well as the Duke of Sussex's claim that he killed 25 people while serving in Afghanistan.

"It seemed to me essential not to be afraid of that number. So my number is 25. It's not a number that fills me with satisfaction, but nor does it embarrass me," he wrote in an excerpt of the memoir translated from Spanish to English that was published by The Telegraph.

Harry claimed that the army engrained in him the idea that the Taliban members he was fighting against were "chess pieces".

"I made it my purpose, from day one, to never go to bed with any doubt whether I had done the right thing  whether I had shot at Taliban and only Taliban, without civilians in the vicinity. I wanted to return to Great Britain with all my limbs, but more than that I wanted to get home with my conscience intact," Harry wrote.

Read the original article on Insider
(WAVY)

A six-year-old child is in police custody after allegedly shooting a Virginia elementary school teacher, authorities say.

Officials say that the female teacher was left with life-threatening injuries after being shot by a student during an altercation at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News on Friday.

Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew told reporters that the student had a handgun in the classroom and was taken into custody by his department.

Police said that they do not believe the shooting was an accident and the department is investigating how the youngster got hold of the weapon.

The altercation was between a 6-year-old, the student who did have the firearm, and the teacher and then the round was fired, said Chief Drew. This was not an accidental shooting.

The alarm was raised at around 2pm ET, and the teacher, who is in her 30s, is being treated at Riverside Regional Medical Center.

No other students were injured during the shocking incident.

Dr George Parker, the superintendent of Newport News Public Schools, told a press conference he was stunned at what had taken place at the school.

Im in shock, and Im in awe, and Im disheartened, Dr Parker said, adding we need to keep guns out of the hands of our young people.

I cannot control access to weapons. My teachers cannot control access to weapons, he told reporters.

Both of Virginias US Senators expressed their shock at the situation.

Deeply disturbed by this report and closely monitoring the situation. My thoughts go out to all families and first responders. tweeted Senator Mark Warner.

And Senator Tim Kaine issued a statement, saying, Im monitoring this situation closely and praying for the safety of the students, teachers, staff, and first responders at Richneck Elementary School.

More follows.
(Bloomberg) -- The Consumer Electronics Show is underway for another day, with more substantial crowds hitting the Las Vegas event after two years of Covid-19 disruptions.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Friday is the second official day of the convention, which runs through the weekend. For company executives, bankers and investors, its also been a chance to speed date  a rare opportunity to have meetings with everyone in one city.

Buzzy topics at the conference have included the recent spate of tech layoffs, the economy in China and woes for electric-vehicle maker Tesla Inc.

Read more: See Thursdays CES updates, including news from BMW and Mobileye

Qualcomm CEO Says New Chips Will Let Phones Connect Anywhere (6 p.m. New York)

Qualcomm Inc. Chief Executive Officer Cristiano Amon said his announcement Thursday of chips that will incorporate satellite technology into phones, teaming up with Iridium Communications Inc., is just the beginning for that advanced kind of connection. New smartphones featuring the technology will be able to connect anywhere and the capability will fit inside standard handset designs, he said. Later, Qualcomm and its customers will bring similar capabilities to many more devices, including personal computers and cars.

Asked about demand for his chips, Amon said the automotive market has been more resilient than other customers. Thats being helped by the need for more chips per car rather than an overall increase in the number of cars sold, he said in a interview with Bloomberg Television.

Smartphone shipments havent yet recovered to pre-pandemic levels, Amon said. While the phone market is now largely driven by upgrades, rather than new consumers buying their first device, 5G systems are still being deployed. The new faster wireless network, and an upcoming enhanced version, will tempt consumers to trade in their old handsets, he said.

Story continues

Mercedes-Benz Touts Plans to Build Fast EV Chargers (5:30 p.m. New York)

Markus Schaefer, Mercedes-Benz Group AG board member and chief technical officer, used the show as a chance to promote the automakers plans to build 10,000 electric vehicle fast chargers around the world and help tackle range anxiety, which he said is still absolutely a hurdle to widespread adoption.

We need a premium charging experience, and thats exactly what were targeting, Schaefer said in an interview with Bloomberg TV.

Schaefer said the burgeoning EV market is still very fragile, which explains why the company recently adjusted prices for its most expensive models in China. Tesla also recently boosted incentives and slashed prices to keep up with cooling demand in the largest EV market.

Delta Makes Wi-Fi Free as It Prepares for Travel Surge (4:30 p.m. New York)

Delta Air Lines Inc. sees a very, very strong year for travel in the US during 2023, Chief Executive Officer Ed Bastian said in a Bloomberg Television interview at CES.

The carrier announced Thursday that it would provide free onboard Wi-Fi for all customers, regardless of which class they fly, starting Feb. 1. The change, offered with connectivity partner Viasat Inc., beats Deltas peers to a long-desired benefit.

Delta has tested SpaceXs Starlink satellite-based internet service and decided its not ready for prime time, Bastian said when asked about further tech partnerships. As technology continues to expand and people continue to develop in this space, there will be new opportunities for us.

While no major US carrier uses Starlink, its agreed to provide in-flight internet service for Hawaiian Airlines as early as this year.

--With assistance from Sean O'Kane, Ian King and Caroline Hyde.

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(Bloomberg) -- It didnt take long for Chinedu to feel unwelcome in Sweden.

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When he arrived from Nigeria in 2018, joining several hundred thousand Africans in a country of 10 million, at first he thought hed found the tolerant, inclusive society that was regularly near the top of global rankings for quality of life and happiness. He enrolled in Malmo University and worked towards a Masters in international migration studies, made friends and got a job. But he said he and his family soon encountered racism, and hes now so fearful for their safety that he asked not to be identified by his real name.

When Chinedu and his wife are out shopping, people tend to look the other way to avoid making any eye contact, he said. At school, he said kids shout at his children to go home and yell that Blacks dont belong here. Following the gains of the far-right Sweden Democrats in Septembers general election, he said he feels ever more uneasy in his adopted country.

It happens nearly every day, Chinedu said. The impression I had is that you can come to Sweden and they wont mind whether you are Black, White or Brown, but Swedish people are not comfortable with immigrants the way they used to be.

Other people from Syria, Romania and Afghanistan said in interviews that theyve encountered bigoted behavior and taunts, and worse, and none were willing to tell their stories on the record, fearful of reprisals. They all live in Klippan, a town surrounded by farms about an hours drive from Malmo in southern Sweden thats become an SD bastion. One pastor from Nigeria said he got so fed up that he left and works in the Danish capital Copenhagen where its easier to blend in.

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Big cities arent necessarily a haven for newcomers who dont look Swedish. Across the country, one in four children with an immigrant background have been racially abused or attacked because of the color of their skin, where their parents are from or their religion, according to a recent report by the Swedish branch of the nonprofit Save the Children. Reported hate crime rose 20% nationally in the decade through 2018, the latest comparable data show. More than 3,000 cases were documented in 2020, though the real number is higher as many incidents arent reported.

At Snyggatorpsskolan, a school in Klippan, a third of 400 students have an immigrant background. Head teacher Marie Gardby says xenophobic rhetoric and misinformation flourishing on social media and the national debate is spilling into its corridors. Racial tensions between groups and individuals are a regular occurrence, resulting in mainly verbal attacks as well as physical altercations that go both ways.

Fostering interaction between students is one of our most important tasks, Gardby says. The school tries to do that in regular lessons, and through organized dialogues. The municipality also sends staff into schools to talk about these issues.

An undercurrent of racism has been at the margins of Swedish politics for decades. But now its become socially acceptable, said Bert-Inge Karlsson, a former politician in Klippan who left the center-right Christian Democrat party after it began opening up to the far right. Its no longer necessary to hide what your heart is full of, he said.

Jonas Luckmann, head of the local branch of the Sweden Democrats, says there are no studies to prove that xenophobia or any form of racism has increased since the partys gains in Klippan, arguing that instead there may well be a general view that integration has failed and needs to be addressed. He may face expulsion from the party, along with other colleagues, for having nominated two former neo-Nazis to posts on the municipal administration. SD has yet to make a formal decision and had no comment.

Sweden has long prided itself on being open to ideas, trade and people from around the world. Over the decades, it has provided a safe haven to Chileans escaping Pinochets dictatorship, Iranians after the Islamic Revolution and Kosovar Albanians from the war in the Balkans.

As civil conflict ripped through Syria, leading to an exodus that in 2015-16 became Europes biggest refugee crisis since World War II, Sweden opened its doors to more asylum seekers per capita than any other country in the region. Anxieties about identity combined with bigger worries about the strain on the generous cradle-to-grave welfare system that formed the heart of the nation since the 1930s. Successive governments failed to address these concerns. SD stoked them.

In Septembers parliamentary election, there was just one municipality in the entire country where SD lost support, and 50 among 290 where the party garnered more than 30%. As well as pulling in disaffected voters from the traditional parties on the left and right, SD saw its share among 18- to 21-year-olds jump 10 percentage points to 22%, making it the second most popular political force for young people. It got more than 40% of the ballots in some informal school elections for children too young to vote.

While SD, which has neo-Nazi roots, is not officially in the government, it is the biggest force in the right-wing coalition and, for the first time, has considerable influence over policies on everything from energy to health care. Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson accepted its hardline approach to immigration in exchange for parliamentary support. From Jan. 1 the nation holds the rotating presidency of the European Union.

The hard right already governs in Italy, Poland and Hungary, and effectively leads the opposition in France, making Sweden part of a wider continental trend brought on by growing demographic and fiscal pressures. So Kristersson faces a formidable balancing act during Swedens six months at the helm of the bloc with Europes unity under stress from the biggest armed conflict since 1945 and the prospect of more people fleeing Ukraine.

Swedish Minister of Gender Equality, Paulina Brandberg, said her government will follow a national plan in place since 2016 to educate people, prevent hate speech online and push the legal system to combat hate crimes. The government will also seek to improve statistics to make it easier to track various forms of discrimination, she said. UN agencies have repeatedly criticized the country for not collecting data based on race or ethnicity.

It is crystal clear that racism exists, and that we really need to do something about it and be on the offensive, she said. That is regardless of whether it is increasing or not.

SD has blamed newcomers for a surge in gun crime and a growing gap between the rich and poor  for all Swedens economic strengths, concerns on the street are mounting, with a crashing housing market and the country at risk of falling into one of the worst recessions among the 27-member European Union.

Jimmie Akesson, meanwhile, has sought to broaden SDs appeal since becoming the party leader in 2005, partly by trying to root out extremists but also by abandoning some long-held policies such as a demand for Sweden to leave the EU.

That formula helped Marine Le Pen in France and made Giorgia Meloni prime minister of Italy. And its a familiar dynamic in Sweden, too.

As a financial crisis left Swedish politics in flux in 1991, another far right party, the New Democracy, managed to whip up enough support to sweep into parliament with a 6.7% share of the vote, only to be ousted three years later when the economy improved. At the time, during its early days, SD attracted skinheads to raucous street protests and its youth wing became a kind of nursery school for young Swedish Nazis. Klippan was known at the time as being a hub for those views, and sympathizers from Germany and other nations moved in.

Unemployment in the town is higher than the Swedish average; the paper mill that was at the heart of the community for centuries is no longer the main employer, and locals now tend to mainly work on the hog, cattle and chicken farms, in smaller manufacturing plants or in construction as well as for the municipality.

For Linnea Ivinger who runs a clothing shop on the edge of the high street, SD appeals because of its focus on local issues as well as its tough stance on immigration. She said that there just arent enough job opportunities for the 3,000 foreigners who have made the town their home, representing roughly 18% of the population.

The arrival of so many people was a shock, said long-time store owner Lars Andersson. He said he was overwhelmed early on in the refugee crisis with the different languages, religions and cultures, and struggled to meet new demands for products from naan breads to spices. It was very hard, he said. I would describe it as organized chaos.

As for Chinedu, he is learning Swedish so that he can get a job to match his credentials. In his native country he was a civil servant; in Sweden hes a manual worker. He and his wife, who works in the hospitality industry, earn 15,000 - 20,000 kronor per month before tax ($1,433 - $1,910), compared with the local average of just over 25,000 kronor.

His main concern is for his children. For kids of nine, 10, 11 years to be using racial slurs, you knowits deep-seated, he said.

--With assistance from Ott Ummelas and Anton Wilen.

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Hip-hop artist Toomaj Salehi rapped with blistering conviction about the Islamic Revolutions failure, filming himself at protests and inspiring demonstrators to battle the countrys ruling clerical establishment.

Now the popular performer could be hanged in public after a court charged him with corruption on earth  a term that authorities use to point to a broad range of offenses that threaten social and political well-being and carries a possible death sentence.

Fear for his safety have also grown after Salehis official Twitter account posted Friday that despite being in danger of losing his eyesight, he was being repeatedly beaten.

The rapper was among the thousands who attended demonstrations for Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman who was detained in September by the countrys morality police after allegedly breaking the countrys strict dress codes. She died in a hospital three days later after falling into a coma.

The government has denied mistreating Amini, but the protests over her death only grew in the weeks that followed as more young people died and security forces brutally cracked down on demonstrators. Now, what started as an outburst of nationwide anger at the treatment of women and girls has morphed into a demand for deep and fundamental change.

Iranian mourners march towards Aichi cemetery in Saqez, to mark 40 days since Mahsa Amini's death, on Oct. 26, 2022. (ESN / AFP - Getty Images)

Using his voice and lyrics, Salehi came out in support of the anti-government protesters from the beginning.

Unity is the secret to our victory, we are all Irans family, he said in the caption to an Instagram post uploaded Sept. 22, six days after Aminis death. In the accompanying video, he stands on a darkened street and speaks directly to the camera while demonstrators around him chant.

At the heart of the protests, and Salehis lyrics, is the conviction that the government must go.

In a music video titled Fal  meaning fortunetelling in Persian  uploaded to YouTube in late October, he raps about the 44 years since the theocratic regime was installed after the Iranian Revolution deposed Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi in 1979.

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He takes on the diverse group, from austere-looking clerics known as mullahs to those dressed in suit and tie that they have embezzled, as well as lobbies of the government abroad.

How many young people did you kill to build towers for yourself? the rapper demands of a shadowy figure dressed in black.

Someone has lost their young children and someone has lost their youth. Someones crime was having hair that flows free in the wind, Salehi sings. Someones crime was having a brave heart and a sharp tongue.

Not a place for justice

On Oct. 30, the state news agency ISNA reported that intelligence officers had arrested Salehi again as he was trying to flee the country. NBC News could not confirm the exact events that led to his arrest or check official accusations because independent reporting is tightly restricted in Iran.

On Dec. 6, state media ran video of his alleged confession, overlaid by one of Salehis own protest songs.

Music can produce violence, he said. I have made mistakes, I do apologize. I apologize to you and the society for any violence that I have instigated.

More than 500,000 people have signed a petition for his release.

The public execution of Majidreza Rahnavard (Mizan News via AFP - Getty Images)

Hadi Ghaemi, the executive director of the New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran, said he felt no confidence that the countrys courts would find justice for those swept up for demonstrating  including high-profile detainees like Salehi.

These courtrooms are really not a place of justice since they dont involve any investigation, due process or the right of a defendant to defend himself and have independent counsel, the Iranian-born Ghaemi said.

Salehi is now waiting to see whether a death sentence passed in November will be upheld. After initially not being allowed legal representation of his own choosing, he was permitted to get access to personal lawyers, which was confirmed in a tweet by his counsel, Amir Raesian, on Dec. 29.

The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, or HRANA, estimates the number of arrests related to the protests to be more than 18,000 people. Irans judiciary spokesperson has announced the number to be more than 1,000, according to the official news agency IRNA.

Irans Mizan news agency, under the countrys judiciary, reported Saturday that two people, Mohammad Mehdi Karami and Seyed Mohammad Hosseini were executed early Saturday for allegedly killing a security official, making it four men known to have been executed since the demonstrations began.

While Salehi is one of many to have been detained, few have captured the attention of supporters abroad, as well as at home.

Reza Pahlavi, the son of the deposed shah, tweeted his support for Salehi on his birthday Dec. 3.

In this Monday, Sept. 19, 2022, photo taken by an individual not employed by the Associated Press and obtained by the AP outside Iran, a police motorcycle and a trash bin are burning during a protest over the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who had been detained by the nation's morality police, in downtown Tehran, Iran. Spontaneous mass gatherings to persistent scattered demonstrations have unfolded elsewhere in Iran, as nationwide protests over the death of a young woman in the custody of the morality police enter their fourth week. (AP file)

German lawmaker Ye-One Rhie said she had never heard of the rapper or his music before she became his political sponsor.

The artists charges that carry a death sentence were handed down for making music, for rapping about freedom, human rights and injustice, she told NBC News via email in December

Thats not a crime. Thats freedom of speech, she added.

For weeks, European politicians have taken on the political sponsorships of prisoners in Iran, acting as advocates by talking to the media and writing to the European Union and the U.N. to put pressure on the Iranian government.

He expressed the feelings that many of the people who are protesting on the streets of Iran have toward the regime of the Islamic Republic, said Rhie, who was elected to the Bundestag, Germanys federal parliament, in September 2021 and stays abreast of Salehis case by keeping in touch with people in Iran. By standing in solidarity with the revolution, and by going out on the streets himself, he made himself a target.

Omid Memarian, a well-known commentator and a critic of the Iranian government, also tweeted his support Monday.

This is Toomaj Salehi, he wrote, reposting a Salehi video supportive of the protesters. Listen to Toomaj. His voice is louder than ever!

Here is the battlefield, Salehi says in the video. It is time to attack the enemy without fear.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Raytheon Technologies' (NYSE:RTX) stock is up by a considerable 22% over the past three months. We, however wanted to have a closer look at its key financial indicators as the markets usually pay for long-term fundamentals, and in this case, they don't look very promising. Specifically, we decided to study Raytheon Technologies' ROE in this article.

Return on equity or ROE is an important factor to be considered by a shareholder because it tells them how effectively their capital is being reinvested. In simpler terms, it measures the profitability of a company in relation to shareholder's equity.

See our latest analysis for Raytheon Technologies

How Is ROE Calculated?

The formula for ROE is:

Return on Equity = Net Profit (from continuing operations)  Shareholders' Equity

So, based on the above formula, the ROE for Raytheon Technologies is:

6.5% = US$4.6b  US$72b (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2022).

The 'return' is the profit over the last twelve months. One way to conceptualize this is that for each $1 of shareholders' capital it has, the company made $0.06 in profit.

What Has ROE Got To Do With Earnings Growth?

So far, we've learned that ROE is a measure of a company's profitability. Based on how much of its profits the company chooses to reinvest or "retain", we are then able to evaluate a company's future ability to generate profits. Generally speaking, other things being equal, firms with a high return on equity and profit retention, have a higher growth rate than firms that dont share these attributes.

A Side By Side comparison of Raytheon Technologies' Earnings Growth And 6.5% ROE

On the face of it, Raytheon Technologies' ROE is not much to talk about. Next, when compared to the average industry ROE of 10%, the company's ROE leaves us feeling even less enthusiastic. For this reason, Raytheon Technologies' five year net income decline of 13% is not surprising given its lower ROE. We believe that there also might be other aspects that are negatively influencing the company's earnings prospects. For example, it is possible that the business has allocated capital poorly or that the company has a very high payout ratio.

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That being said, we compared Raytheon Technologies' performance with the industry and were concerned when we found that while the company has shrunk its earnings, the industry has grown its earnings at a rate of 5.5% in the same period.

Earnings growth is an important metric to consider when valuing a stock. What investors need to determine next is if the expected earnings growth, or the lack of it, is already built into the share price. By doing so, they will have an idea if the stock is headed into clear blue waters or if swampy waters await. Is RTX fairly valued? This infographic on the company's intrinsic value has everything you need to know.

Is Raytheon Technologies Using Its Retained Earnings Effectively?

With a high three-year median payout ratio of 71% (implying that 29% of the profits are retained), most of Raytheon Technologies' profits are being paid to shareholders, which explains the company's shrinking earnings. The business is only left with a small pool of capital to reinvest - A vicious cycle that doesn't benefit the company in the long-run.

Moreover, Raytheon Technologies has been paying dividends for at least ten years or more suggesting that management must have perceived that the shareholders prefer dividends over earnings growth. Existing analyst estimates suggest that the company's future payout ratio is expected to drop to 40% over the next three years. As a result, the expected drop in Raytheon Technologies' payout ratio explains the anticipated rise in the company's future ROE to 12%, over the same period.

Conclusion

On the whole, Raytheon Technologies' performance is quite a big let-down. As a result of its low ROE and lack of much reinvestment into the business, the company has seen a disappointing earnings growth rate. With that said, we studied the latest analyst forecasts and found that while the company has shrunk its earnings in the past, analysts expect its earnings to grow in the future. To know more about the latest analysts predictions for the company, check out this visualization of analyst forecasts for the company.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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Canada: Ice Snowed Over Car Lot. Storms in Canada's dark, triangular region have left most in the area without power for over a month. (Photo by Christopher J. Morris/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)

The historic Great Ice Storm of 1998 led to destruction and devastation across Canada and the northeastern United States that lasted far beyond the storm's duration. Nearly three dozen people were killed and millions were left without power -- some of them for months.

The strong El Nino pattern during the winter of 1997-98 helped the pieces for the historic ice storm come together through its influence on the jet stream. A moderate to strong El Nino can produce a more active subtropical Pacific jet, which brings more moisture to the Pacific Coast and the southern United States, according to the National Weather Service. It also tends to keep the polar and arctic jet streams across Canada with near or above-normal temperatures across the U.S.

The event began to unfold on Jan. 4, 1998, when an upper-level low system stalled while traveling over the Great Lakes. The stalling of the storm allowed warm and moist air from the Gulf of Mexico to pull toward the St. Lawrence Valley.

The warm and moist air traveling above the cooler dense air at the surface resulted in precipitation overspreading southeast Canada and the northeastern U.S. in the form of freezing rain. The below-freezing temperatures across the region helped the widespread freezing rain accumulate ice.

A worker for Central Maine Power returns to his truck to find a limb fell through the windshield while on a service call in North Yarmouth, Maine, Jan. 1998. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

From Jan. 5 to Jan. 10, steady and heavy precipitation spread across northern New York, New England and southeast Canada, the freezing rain coating a large swath of the area with ice. The sheer weight of the accumulation toppled thousands of trees and collapsed power lines onto cars, roads and homes.

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As power lines continued to snap, a chain reaction resulted in over 1,000 transmission towers collapsing, leaving more than 4 million people without power. Over 30,000 utility poles had also fallen, creating further power issues across Canada and the United States.

By Jan. 7, 1998, much of Quebec and Maine came to a standstill as the ice storm unleashed its full strength across the region. Maine Mayor Ruth Joseph declared a state of emergency that day and evacuations of nursing home patients began as the facilities lost power.

"I liken this to the kind of damage you see from a major hurricane, a once-in-a-10-years kind of hurricane," Central Maine Power spokesman Mark Ishkanian told the Kennebec Journal on Jan. 8, 1998.

About 80% of the entire population of Maine lost electricity as the storm barreled through the region and The U.S. National Guard was activated to assist in recovery. In Canada, about 14,000 Canadian Forces troops were activated, which became the largest operational deployment of Canadian military personnel since the Korean War.

A man fills a bucket of water in a brook to use for washing dishes and flushing toilets after being without electricity for several days, in Rome, Maine, Jan. 1998. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Fire and rescue officials in Maine helped evacuate families whose homes were damaged by fallen trees and power lines.

"Blue and orange flashes of light occasionally filled the night sky as more power lines snapped and crashed to the ground under the weight of ice and snow," Sun Journal staff writer Mark LaFlamme wrote on Jan. 9, 1998.

At the peak of the storm, nearly half of Quebec's population was without power, in addition to over a million customers in Ontario, according to CBC. Some didn't have power restored for several weeks. Roads were kept closed due to the collapsed power lines and trees from the ice, stranding many in their homes without heating. As a result, at least 600,000 people were relocated to hotels and shelters with emergency power backups.

"We have so many people without electricity or heat, and some people in outlying areas are isolated there because of the ice. It's a very dangerous situation," Director of Maine's Emergency Management Agency Bill Libby told the Portland Press Herald on Jan. 9, 1998.

George Burgess, a lineman from Cherokee, N.C., connects the service drop to a home, Monday, Jan. 19, 1998, in Sebago, Maine. Utility crews continue to restore electricity to more than 20,000 customers who have been without power since the ice storm twelve days ago. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Public Safety Canada's disaster database reported 35 Canadians were killed in the storm, with the causes of death including carbon monoxide positioning, trauma, fire or hypothermia. The number of fatalities from the storm made it one of the worst in Canadian history, matching the 1959 Escuminac Hurricane, which killed 35 in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.

By the end of the event, several inches of precipitation was reported across the affected areas, including 2.11 inches in Burlington, Vermont, on Jan. 8. Northern Vermont suffered the most accumulation, reporting more than 6 inches in spots. Overall, the heaviest precipitation occurred across northern New York and Vermont.

Over $3 billion of property damage was estimated in the affected areas, according to the National Weather Service. Power outages lasted days and even weeks for some due to the storm.

The lasting impacts of the storm went far beyond January as devastation expanded to farming and agriculture. Maple and apple trees were destroyed in the event, causing the industries across the region to be greatly affected even months after the storm finished. In addition to lost crops, about 300,000 farm animals also died because of the storm since farmers didn't have enough generators to keep their livestock warm.

Want next-level safety, ad-free? Unlock advanced, hyperlocal severe weather alerts when you subscribe to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app.AccuWeather Alerts are prompted by our expert meteorologists who monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks 24/7 to keep you and your family safer.
U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) offers a phone with the initials "DT" to Rep.-elect Matt Rosendale (R-MT) in the House Chamber during the fourth day of voting for Speaker of the House at the U.S. Capitol Building on January 06, 2023 in Washington, DC. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene passed a phone with Donald Trump on the line to a GOP rebel amid the House speaker crisis.

Kevin McCarthy was elected speaker of the House in the early hours of Saturday morning, ending days of chaos.

Reports said that Trump made several calls to McCarthy's GOP opposers to help secure his victory.

In a dramatic moment caught on camera, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene passed a phone with Donald Trump on the line to an anti-Kevin McCarthy rebel on the House floor amid the speaker crisis on Friday night.

Greene posted a photo on Twitter of herself trying to pass her phone to fellow GOP Rep. Matt Rosendale with the former president's initials "DT" appearing on the screen.

In the image, Rosendale, who had been voting against McCarthy, appears to brush off the Georgia congresswoman.

Greene later confirmed to reporters that she had been on the phone with her "favorite president" but declined to elaborate on what he said.

McCarthy was finally elected speaker of the House in the early hours of Saturday morning, ending days of chaos and uncertainty.

The speaker election process, which stretched over five days and 15 ballots, was disrupted by a group of hardline conservatives who repeatedly voted against McCarthy.

The former president, who supported McCarthy's speaker bid, reportedly made a series of well-timed calls to some of the GOP members who were opposing him.

The New York Times reported that Trump called Rep. Matt Gaetz, who was leading the anti-McCarthy faction, after his "present" vote on the 14th ballot cost McCarthy a victory.

The paper noted that Trump's call may have influenced Gaetz to agree to continue with another round of balloting, which McCarthy ultimately won.

CNN also reported that Trump called Rep. Andy Biggs, who then voted "present" on the 15th ballot rather than voting against McCarthy.

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The final Republican holdouts switching to a "present vote" lowered the threshold of votes required to win and allowed McCarthy to secure the post.

While speaking to reporters after the House adjourned, McCarthy thanked Trump for his role in securing his victory.

"I don't think anybody should doubt his influence. He was with me from the beginning," McCarthy said.

He added the former president was "all in" and that "he would call me and he would call others" while "helping get those final votes."

McCarthy had to make a series of concessions to the conservative bloc of opposers, including spending cuts and curbs on his leadership.

Trump posted a message in support of McCarthy on Truth Social shortly after the final ballot.

"The "Speaker" selection process, as crazy as it may seem, has made it all much bigger and more important than if done the more conventional way. Congratulations to Kevin McCarthy and our GREAT Republican Party!" Trump wrote.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Photo: The Canadian Press People keep warm in their winter coats as they vape outside Parliament Hills West Block as snow falls in Ottawa, on Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2021. Advocates on both sides of the vaping debate say the government must do more to enforce penalties for selling vapes to kids after a review concluded no changes to the legislation were warranted. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Advocates on both sides of the vaping debate say the government must do more to enforce penalties for selling vapes to kids after a review concluded no changes to the legislation were warranted.

The Tobacco and Vaping Products Act aims to walk the narrow line between giving people who smoke a safer alternative to combustible tobacco products and protecting youth and people who don't already smoke from taking up vaping.

The act, which came into force in 2018, legalized the sale of vapes  or e-cigarettes  with or without nicotine. They are now found in specialty vape shops, convenience stores, gas stations and online retailers across the country.

Health Canada recently decided amendments to the law were not necessary after looking at feedback from provinces and territories, NGOs, members of the vaping industry and the public.

Its reviewsaid the government can use regulations to tailor industry rules instead, such as a proposed regulation to put limits on the sales of flavoured products.

But enforcement tools for rule-breakers may be limited beyond issuing warnings, the review said. It recommended that Ottawa explore other options.

"Given the evidence of repeated infractions and the limitations of warning letters, the development of additional tools that could respond to repeated non-compliance with a progressive enforcement approach could be explored," Health Canada said in the report, which was tabled in Parliament in December.

Online sales to minors have proven particularly difficult to police because the regulations around age verification "may not be sufficiently responsive, the report said.

A 2021 Health Canada review of vaping and tobacco activities had come to a similar conclusion, after finding that specialty vaping stores were particularly prone to rule-breaking.

The act already includes fines and penalties for offences but they haven't been leveraged, said Cynthia Callard, the executive director of Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada.

"They gave themselves the powers when they passed the law in 2018," Callard said in an interview. "Now they're saying, 'Well, we have to look at something else,' without really detailing why they're reluctant to use the powers they have."

Health Canada's report shows the department inspected more than 3,000 specialty vape, gas and convenience stores in 2019, and seized more than 80,000 units of non-compliant vaping products.

During the pandemic, Health Canada made inspections virtual and focused on the promotion of vaping and nicotine products. It issued warning letters to 53 of the 304 retailers it inspected because of illegal social media posts.

In a statement Friday evening, a Health Canada spokesperson said that the department "has a compliance and enforcement program in place," citing the inspections. "All tobacco and vaping product retailers are responsible for knowing and complying with the requirements" under the law, the statement said.

"Health Canada enforces the legislative and regulatory requirements and, where necessary, will take compliance and enforcement action, including warning letters, stop sales, product seizures and criminal investigations."

Still, the review made no mention of laying criminal charges under the act, which come with hefty fines and even jail time for offenders.

Maria Papaioannoy, a spokesperson for Rights4Vapers, agreed that it would be helpful if Health Canada focused on enforcement, particularly when it comes to selling vapes to minors.

"We think that responsible vape shop owners do not sell to minors. We feel that responsible convenience store owners do not sell to minors," said Papaioannoy, whose group advocates for people who have used vaping to quit smoking cigarettes. "It is the black market."

There's not much research on the long-term health effects of inhaling e-cigarettes and the potential consequences of second-hand exposure, the government has said, but Health Canada does tout vaping as a safer alternative to smoking combustible tobacco products.

Papaioannoy said she was heartened to see the department admit in the review that it hasn't done a good job encouraging people who smoke to switch to vaping.

Data from the government's 2021 tobacco and nicotine survey found that about five per cent of Canadians over the age of 20 used vaping products, and the majority were people who smoke or used to smoke.

Among those people, about half said they were vaping in an effort to quit or reduce how much they smoked.

Youth vaping took off after the legalization of e-cigarettes but appeared to level off in 2021, with about 13 per cent of teenagers aged 15 to 19 vaping at least once in the past 30 days, according to the survey.

The December review is the first to evaluate theimpact of the federal vaping legislation, though it did not address changes the bill also made to the regulation of tobacco products. Health Canada is aiming to review other aspects of the law in two years.

The report was supposed to be tabled by last May according to timelines laid out in the legislation, Callard said.

Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada sought a Federal Court order in November to compel the government to deliver the review, but the government published it before the matter went ahead. Ottawa has not responded to the notice of motion.

Callard said she doesn't want to spend resources pushing the issue in court, but she is interpreting the lax approach to the timeline as a reflection of the government's enforcement of the rules in general.

"They themselves are not taking the law seriously," she said.
Skibitskyi said it would take Russia about two months to assemble the military formations, and their battlefield effectiveness would depend on how well-equipped and trained they are.

Read also: Russia recruiting mercenaries in Balkans

He added that much will also hinge on the continued supply of Western ammunition and weapons to Ukraine.

Read also: No need for mass mobilization in Ukraine yet, minister says

Ukraine's intelligence services expect a new wave of Russian mobilization to be announced on Jan. 15. He added that the invaders are focusing on getting as many combat-ready troops as they can, while planning a new major offensive in Ukraine.

Read also: Russia preparing mobilization in southern Ukraine, reports Center of National Resistance

On Jan. 4, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said that amid large losses of personnel, Russia was preparing the second wave of the so-called "partial mobilization" in the first quarter of 2023.

Earlier, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that the next wave of mobilization in Russia was planned for January-February 2023.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
DONETSK OBLAST, UKRAINE - JAN 5: Ukrainian soldiers fire a mortar on the Vuhledar frontline in Donetsk oblast, 5 January 2023. (Photo by Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) - Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Frontline support from Silicon Valley giants has helped halve the number of Russian cyber attacks on Ukraine, new figures show.

Millions of dollars-worth of cyber security help given by Microsoft and Amazon to Kyiv has dramatically reduced the number of cyberattacks by making it harder for Moscow to mount digital offensives.

Statistics published by Ukraines government show that while the country suffered more than 2,100 separate cyberattacks last year, the frequency per month halved in the months following the outbreak of war.

It came as some of the worlds biggest technology companies mobilised to support Kyiv, with Microsoft and Amazon donating around $400m of digital support between them. Big Techs help was crucial in helping fend off the worst of the ongoing Russian cyber-assault.

Cyber attacks surged as Russian tanks rolled across its eastern borders in February 2022. Kyiv suffered nearly 290 separate assaults in that month alone, as Moscow deployed its digital weaponry alongside traditional firepower.

However by August the number had dropped to around 140 attacks per month, according to figures from Ukraines Computer Emergency Response Team.

A Ukrainian government source said Russia has been targeting military but civil infrastructure in a bid to undermine the resolve of Ukrainians.

Western governments and private companies alike have contributed hundreds of millions of dollars worth of digital support, with Amazon and Microsoft alone accounting for around 400m of backing.

Microsoft president Brad Smith said that his companys support for Ukraines government amounted to $400m (333.5m) since the invasion, adding that support during 2023 would be extended free of charge.

The continued defence of Ukraine depends in part on a critical digital alliance of countries, companies and nonprofits, he said in November.

Amazon said in December it has committed around $75m (63m) in support to Ukraine, including providing some of its Snowball devices for copying vital computer files out of Ukrainian data centres, allowing people to move crucial information online.

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Jeff Bezoss company has also helped migrate Ukrainian government operations into its cloud, Amazon Web Services. Mikhailo Fedorov, Ukraines deputy prime minister, said in December that this support had made one of the biggest contributions to Ukraines victory.

Google has organised charitable donation efforts during 2022 totalling $45m (37.5m), it said, along with a further $5m raised by the advertising technology companys employees.

The company has also cracked down on Russian propaganda on Google Search as well as in YouTube videos.

Russia pioneered the tactic of deploying cyberattacks alongside real-world military aggression, first showcasing this approach in 2008 when it invaded the Georgian province of South Ossetia. Russian hackers successfully targeted digital infrastructure including computer servers belonging to news agencies and government departments in a bid to paralyse Georgia.

Before the invasion, Russia and Ukraine were both home to groups of organised cyber criminals with links to the Russian government.

Industry sources said that some online criminal gangs were co-opted into attacking Ukrainian targets selected by Russian intelligence agencies following Vladimir Putins invasion.

US cyber security company Mandiant, which is a Google subsidiary, published research last week detailing how Russian hackers from a criminal gang nicknamed Turla had tried to compromise the computer servers of Ukrainian businesses.

Booby-trapped USB sticks planted near the buildings of targeted Ukrainian companies were loaded with malware. Hackers hoped curious staff would plug them into computers and unintentionally unleash computer viruses saved on them.

John Hultquist, Mandiants vice president of threat intelligence, said: Obviously there's the relationship between state actors and criminals in Russia to consider, adding that Russian spy agency the FSB had teamed up with criminals it was supposed to hunt.

Aside from major tech companies, Western governments have also provided crucial behind-the-scenes cyber security support to Ukraine.

Whitehall has contributed around 6.5m in cyber support to Ukraine, including specialised antivirus software.

Lindy Cameron, chief executive of GCHQ agency the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), said when the government revealed the donations: The NCSC is proud to have played a part in supporting Ukraines cyber defenders. They have mounted an impressive defence against Russian aggression in cyberspace, just as they have done on the physical battlefield.

The NCSC is Britains cyber security agency, charged with using hackers skills to work in defence of Britain and British interests.

The US also proffered help. As well as defensive support, US Cyber Command has carried out offensive cyber operations against Russia.

General Paul Nakasone told Sky News last summer: We've conducted a series of operations across the full spectrum; offensive, defensive, [and] information operations.

Ukraine recently rejected a Russian ceasefire proposal timed to coincide with the Russian Orthodox Christmas, with president Volodymyr Zelensky saying the truce was an attempt to stop his country recapturing occupied territory.
Serhii Haidai, Head of Luhansk Oblast Military Administration, has reported that the occupiers have taken 300 children from Luhansk and Donetsk Oblasts to Moscow for "treatment".

Source: Haidai on Telegram



Quote from Haidai: "These are official data from the leadership of this city. It is hard to imagine how many children from our region have been deported to other settlements of the Russian Federation under the pretext of hospitalisation.

In the autumn, field crews of Russian doctors conducted medical examinations of boys and girls in almost every city in occupied Luhansk Oblast. In some places, even teachers in schools collected money from children for the opportunity to be examined.



300 of them were sent to Moscow hospitals. Allegedly, when "serious injuries" were spotted, children were given first aid by the same medical workers who had been working during the trip.

And then, with the help of special transport or air ambulances, the patients were transported to Moscow, where they continued to undergo treatment and recovery. Children and parents had no idea of their grave condition before the arrival of the occupiers."

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!






The Prosecutor Genearls office has reported that on 6 January, the Russian occupation forces fired artillery at Bakhmut, and as a result, there were thirteen wounded and two dead Ukrainian citizens.

Source: PGO

Details: It is specified that as a result of powerful mortar attacks on residential areas, a 66-year-old man and a 61-year-old woman were killed.

Another thirteen people received mine blast injuries and shrapnel wounds.

Private households, apartment buildings and other objects were damaged and destroyed.

Background:

On 6 January, the afternoon air-raid sirens sounded throughout Ukraine and lasted for two hours. There was a threat of attack from fighter jets.

In addition, for the second day in a row, Russian forces struck fire stations in Kherson. There are reports of dead and wounded.

At the same time, the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation stated that from 12:00 on Friday, they would introduce a temporary ceasefire in Ukraine, per Putins order.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
Jonathan Wade Sumter was sentenced to seven years in federal prison after he pleaded guilty last month to a years-long scheme to defraud Medicaid.

Sumter, 51, has also been ordered to repay the $1,055,373.66 that he stole from the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid program.

This sentence warns bad actors in the behavioral healthcare field that South Carolina has citizens in need of these services; any fraudulent conduct that abuses these programs or prevents our citizens from receiving needed services will not be tolerated, South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson said.

In 2015, Sumter, a resident of Greer, founded the company PHC Supportive Services to supposedly provide rehabilitative behavioral health services to disabled, low-income individuals in South Carolina through Medicaid.

In reality, PHC never had any actual clients or service providers, according to a statement released by the U.S. Attorneys Office for South Carolina.

Instead, Sumter repeatedly billed Medicaid by using the stolen National Provider Identifier numbers of nine health care professionals to create fraudulent invoices to Medicaid. Sumter then used the stolen identities of 196 Medicaid members with severe mental and emotional health disorders without their knowledge or consent, the statement read.

In October, 2020, Sumter was arrested and charged with eight counts of stealing identities, scheme to defraud and theft, according to court records. The ultimately pleaded guilty to one count of the indictment.

Caregivers and clients contacted by investigators stated that they had never received any services from Sumter or PHC, according to prosecutors. The service providers Sumter used on his invoices also told investigators that they had not provided medical services for PHC and did not work for the company.

Using stolen identifies of the most defenseless people to steal money from the hard-working people of South Carolina is unacceptable, said U.S. Attorney Adair Boroughs. We will continue to aggressively prosecute offenders who steal from programs designed to provide sorely needed care for our most vulnerable citizens.

The case was investigated by the United States Department of Health and Human Services and the South Carolina Attorney Generals Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney T. DeWayne Pearson.

Sumter was sentenced by by South Carolina District Court Judge Donald Coggins, Jr.
Seattle police arrested a man after he allegedly demanded money and threatened to shoot a staff member at an apartment building in Downtown Seattle on Friday.

According to police, officers were called to the apartment building in the 300 block of Fourth Avenue South around 8 a.m. When they arrived, they called out the suspect and arrested him without incident.

The staff member told police that he was threatened with the gun, and he believed the man was going to shoot him.

Officers seized a pellet gun resembling a Glock-style semi-automatic handgun.

The suspect was booked into the King County Jail for felony harassment and robbery.
(Bloomberg) -- The Seattle city school district filed a novel lawsuit blaming Big Tech for poisoning youth with social media addiction, saying the schools cant fulfill their educational mission while students are suffering from anxiety, depression and other psychological troubles.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Alphabet Inc., Meta Platforms Inc., Snap Inc. and ByteDance Ltd., the owner of TikTok, are responsible for hooking young people on their platforms and creating a mental health crisis, according to the complaint filed late Friday in Seattle federal court. The district includes more than 100 schools and serves about 50,000 children.

When The Scrolling Doesnt Stop: Social Media Lawsuits Pile Up

The suit appears to be the first of its kind in the US brought by a school district, following similar claims filed last year by scores of families, including more than a dozen blaming the tech companies for suicides.

The idea that social media companies shoulder responsibility for the potential damage their products cause to young people came to the fore late in 2021 when former Meta employee Frances Haugen revealed documents about its internal operations. Among Haugens allegations was a claim that the company was knowingly preying on vulnerable young people to boost profits. Congress held hearings and some state attorneys general launched investigations.

The companies front line of defense is Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, the 1996 federal statute giving internet platforms broad immunity from claims over harmful content posted by users. The law has so effectively shielded them from legal claims that voices on both the political left and right have called for its reform.

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We have invested heavily in creating safe experiences for children across our platforms and have introduced strong protections and dedicated features to prioritize their well being, Google spokesman Jose Castaneda said in an email. For example, through Family Link, we provide parents with the ability to set reminders, limit screen time and block specific types of content on supervised devices.

Snap said it cant comment on the specifics of active litigation, but said its priority is the well-being of its community.

We will continue working to make sure our platform is safe and to give Snapchatters dealing with mental health issues resources to help them deal with the challenges facing young people today, a spokesperson said.

Meta declined to comment. Representatives of TikTok didnt immediately respond to a request for comment. The companies have previously said theyre working to protect their youngest users, including by offering resources on mental health topics and improving safeguards to stop the spread of harmful content.

Bad Learning

In a further recent example of pushback against how tech developments are encroaching on childrens lives, the New York City public school system  the largest in the US  this week banned its students from accessing the ChatGPT artificial intelligence program to generate text.

NYC Schools Ban ChatGPT, Citing Fears About Safety and Accuracy

In Fridays suit, Seattle School District No. 1 is asking a judge to find that the companies have created a public nuisance and to order remedies including monetary damages and funding to prevent and treat excessive use of social media.

The district said it has seen a dramatic increase in suicides and emergency room mental health visits. It cited President Joe Bidens 2022 State of the Union address in which he implored all to hold social media platforms accountable for the national experiment theyre conducting on our children for profit.

Seattle School District No. 1 brings this action to do just that, according to the complaint. Youth in plaintiffs community are experiencing the same mental health crisis observed nationally.

The case is Seattle School District No. 1 v. Meta Platforms Inc., 23-cv-00032, US District Court, Western District of Washington (Seattle).

(Updates with Snap comment.)

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MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP)  Somalias government claimed Saturday that the al-Shabab extremist group has for the first time asked to open negotiations, amid a military offensive the government has described as total war.

There was no immediate statement by al-Shabab, an al-Qaida-affiliate that for well over a decade has carried out high-profile bombings in Somalias capital and controlled parts of the countrys central and southern regions, complicating efforts to rebuild the once-failed state after decades of conflict.

Al-Shabab requested to open negotiations with the Somali government, but there are two groups within al-Shabab, Deputy Defense Minister Abdifatah Kasim told journalists in Mogadishu. The first part is foreigners, and the second part is local Somalis. Those locals have a chance to open up negotiations, but those foreigners who invaded our country have no right for talks. The only option is to return to where they are from.

The deputy defense minister added that for the Somalis, we are ready to receive them, for they are willing to surrender to the Somali government. They must follow the governments instructions, reintegrate with their society, or face the Somali National Army in the front lines.

This is the first time Somalia's federal government has said that the extremist group has requested talks. In September, during a U.S. visit, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said they are not willing to negotiate, while stressing that we are ready to talk to them" and have sent messages about it.

Al-Shabab numbers several thousand fighters, including an unknown number of foreigners, both from regional countries like neighboring Kenya and beyond. The extremists have carried out several high-profile attacks over the years in Kenya, including in the capital, Nairobi, and at a military base used by the U.S.

Al-Shabab has long sought to impose strict Islamic law in Somalia and seeks the withdrawal of foreign troops operating in the Horn of Africa country. The United States has a military presence in Somalia to combat the extremists, along with Turkey and a multinational African Union force.

Somalias president after being elected last year launched a military offensive against al-Shabab with the support of some local militias that have regained control of some communities from the extremists. The president in a New Years address vowed to eliminate al-Shabab this year.

The extremists, under pressure as the government seeks to squeeze its sources of financing, have lashed out. An October bombing at a busy intersection in Mogadishu killed at least 120 people, and a pair of bombings Wednesday in a region at the heart of the government offensive killed at least 35 people.
Jan. 6OAKLAND  Points were at a premium in Oakland on Thursday, so much so that Southern and Frankfort combined for just one field goal in the fourth quarter.

In a fitting end to an ugly game, the winning team didn't have a bucket in the final period.

Southern held Frankfort below 20% shooting and made 7 of 9 free throws in the decider to hold on for the 32-25 victory. The triumph marked the Rams' third in four games.

"It wasn't one of the better offensive games we've had, it was a low-scoring game, but we did what we needed to win," Southern head coach Ashley Fadley said.

Frankfort (4-7) has made a habit of holding offenses down over the past three weeks, as the Falcons haven't given up more than 37 points in their last five games. One of those contests includes a 34-29 upset of Allegany at home.

Playing with a shot clock for the first time this season, Frankfort proved its 1-2-2 zone travels. Southern (3-6), meanwhile, proved it's far better than the team that began the year 0-5.

Despite a 9-minute, 21-second scoring drought that spanned parts of the first and second quarters, Frankfort was within 28-25 with 1:42 remaining after Arin Lease split a pair of free throws. Lease finished with nine points and made 7 of 8 from the line.

Southern missed the front end of consecutive one-and-one opportunities at the line; however, Frankfort couldn't make it pay. Maggie Nickel and Carly Wilt drilled a pair of foul shots each in the final minute to ice the game.

"It's totally disappointing," Frankfort head coach Steve Willison said. "It's tough to see us play such good defense and we just can't get the ball in the hole. I can't believe how many lay-ups we missed. In a game like this, you miss two or three lay-ups it's over, and that was the difference."

Southern opened the game on a 10-3 run, capped by a 3-pointer by Nickel and an Ashlyn Leader midrange jumper. Trailing 10-7 after the first period, Frankfort countered the Rams' start with an 11-2 flurry to lead up 14-12 with 5:29 left in the half.

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However, the Frankfort run of good play was stunted by its more than nine-minute scoring drought. Southern led 19-14 at the half, and Frankfort didn't score its first points of the second half until a Lynsey Zimmerman steal and score the other way with 4:08 remaining in the third.

Zimmerman was a spark plug for Frankfort on both ends. For stretches of the second half, the speedy guard's transition scoring was the Falcons' only way of putting points on the board.

"Right now she's the best guard we have," Willison said of Zimmerman, who had nine points. "She runs the offense, and when she's not in, we're shaky. ... She's not our best scorer, but she's definitely improved to where she's our best guard."

Both teams managed just six points in the third period, which Southern exited leading 25-20.

From that point forward, Southern wasn't able to hit from the field, but its defense never let up, holding Frankfort to just one field goal in the final eight minutes and converting just enough free throws to secure the win.

"We spend so much time working on our defense, the pressure, being in the right spots on help side," Fadley said. "I know we play a tough man defense. I usually assume that when we play a team that hasn't seen us that year, the team hasn't seen a defense like ours.

"I always tell the girls, 'Go out with as much intensity as you can on defense, and hopefully that creates offense for us.'"

Nickel topped Southern with 10 points, and Emelee Parks and Wilt added nine apiece. The trio had a 3-pointer each.

Frankfort will have a week off to prepare for a home matchup with No. 2 Petersburg (6-3) on Friday at 7:30 p.m. Southern will look to continue its winning ways at Bridgeport, West Virginia, on Monday at 7:15 p.m.

"It seems like all season we have three good quarters. One where we can't seem to hit anything, turn the ball over," Fadley said of Southern's keys going forward. "Stringing four quarters together will be huge, and also keeping leads."

Alex Rychwalski is a sports reporter at the Cumberland Times-News. Follow him on Twitter @arychwal.
Photo: . Former Vision Vancouver school board trustee Ken Clement is charged with obtaining for consideration the sexual services of a person under the age of 18 years. File photo Dan Toulgoet

A former Vancouver School trustee was confused about the age of a teen prostitute he was communicating with for sex, he told a Vancouver Provincial Court judge Friday.

Kenneth Joseph Clement is charged with obtaining for consideration the sexual services of a person under the age of 18 years.

You were meeting this individual to engage in sex for money? Crown prosecutor Curtis Johnson asked Clement, citing an agreed price of $180 an hour.

Yes, said Clement.

Clement, who was first elected to the school board in 2008, was announced as a Vision candidate on June 20, 2018. He dropped out of the race a week later after his arrest.

At the time, Vision spokesperson Michael Haack said Clement was not running in the upcoming election race due to health reasons.

Clement, however, was one of multiple men charged in an underage sex sting. The Vancouver Police Department (VPD) said at the time of the arrests the sting was aimed at people allegedly targeting underage girls between the ages of 15 and 17.

"After prospective sex trade consumers made contact via text message, they were advised that the subject of the online advertisement was a girl between 15 and 17 years of age," police said in a statement.







It wasn't until Clement's case was in court that it was revealed the officer in his case was posing as a male.

The VPD said in January 2019 that 47 men were arrested in 2018 following a two-month operation that targeted people willing to purchase sexual services from youth.

Our detectives led an operation designed to prevent the exploitation of youth. It resulted in the arrest of a significant number of men, from all walks of life, Laurence Rankin, VPD deputy chief constable, said at the time.

VPD detectives posted decoy advertisements on web escort listings and social media platforms for sexual services. In Clement's case, he had initially contacted a youth called Kevin, who in a sex ad on the website leolist.cc, said he was 19 years old.

Kevin turned out to be a police officer, part of an operation led by the VPD's Counter Exploitation Unit with assistance from the RCMPs Counter Exploitation team.

Under questioning from Crown Prosecutor Curtis Johnson, Clement confirmed he began text communication with Kevin on June 23, 2018, at 12:24 a.m. Early in their exchange, Clement received a text saying Kevin was almost 17, something that left him confused.

Johnson asked Clement why he had not sought to clarify the age issue.

Clement maintained he had operated on the belief Kevin was 19 as per the online ad despite the change of age in the texts.

I didnt ask, Clement said. I didnt remedy that.

The Crown prosecutor then pointed to a text to Kevin that said, Dad is excited.

Dad is you, right? Johnson asked.

Yes, Clement told the judge, later adding, My hypothetical excitement was based on the fact I was dealing with a 19-year-old.

Clement went to Vancouvers Atrium Inn to meet Kevin. But when he got there, police were waiting and arrested him  one of nine separate arrest days when the men showed up at a hotel as part of an arranged sexual encounter.

In court, Clement identified pictures of items seized by police, including $300 in cash, a genital desensitizer and a sex-enhancing drug. He had also brought some vodka with him.

The judge in the case has begun hearing final arguments from the Crown prosecutor and defence lawyer Sarah Rauch to sum up the evidence.

It's not clear when St. Pierre will deliver a decision.
Southwest Airlines canceled tens of thousands of flights over the holidays. Jonathan Weiss/Shutterstock

A Southwest passenger spent $600 and 4 days trying to get home after the airline's holiday meltdown.

Olivia Laskowski couldn't get another Southwest flight for more than two weeks, per New York Times.

Instead, she decided to buy a JetBlue flight to get back to New York with her cat.

A Southwest passenger and her cat were stranded for four days over the holidays following Southwest's meltdown, a report says.

The New York Times reported that Olivia Laskowski was due to fly from Nashville to New York on December 27 when she received a text message from Southwest the night before saying her flight was canceled.

Laskowski, who was travelling with her pet Siamese cat Pretzel, found that the earliest she could book a new flight with the airline was January 11. She was forced instead to spend $478 to fly with JetBlue, which included a $125 charge for Pretzel.

The JetBlue flight got her back to Brooklyn on December 30, per The Times  four days later than planned.

Laskowski was one of the passengers who received 25,000 frequent flyer points, valued at more than $300, the newspaper reported. She was also told she would get a refund, but was unsure about further compensation from the airline.

"Sometimes you get extra expenses in life and you just kind of brush them off and they are what they are," Laskowski told The Times.

"But it's the type of money that I'd really like to get back because as a young person that lives in probably the most expensive city in the country, $600 does make a big difference to me."

Southwest expects to take a hit of about $825 million in lost revenue, passenger reimbursements, and other costs from the chaos.

Southwest didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Mikhaila Friel, left, at The Goring hotel where Kate Middleton, right, spent the night before her wedding. Mikhaila Friel/Insider, Samir Hussein/WireImage/Getty Images

I visited The Goring, a five-star hotel where Kate Middleton stayed before her wedding.

My friend and I were impressed by the friendly staff and beautiful decor in the hotel bar.

However, we were asked to move to the back of the bar because my friend was wearing shorts.

The Goring is a luxury hotel in London that Kate Middleton stayed in the night before her royal wedding.

Kate Middleton photographed before her royal wedding on April 29, 2011, left, and The Goring hotel, right. Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images, Mikhaila Friel/Insider

The Goring is a five-star luxury hotel in Belgravia, London, that has a long-standing connection to royalty. It has a royal warrant issued by the late Queen Elizabeth II and has been visited "by every reigning monarch and prime minister" since it first opened in 1910, a spokesperson previously told Insider via email.

The spokesperson added that the hotel was visited by Queen Elizabeth, and that Kate stayed in the hotel's penthouse suite the night before her royal wedding on April 29, 2011.

I visited the hotel during Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June.

The entrance of The Goring hotel had signage reading "Thank You Your Majesty" for the Queen's Jubilee in June. Mikhaila Friel/Insider

I decided to visit the hotel in June, as I was in London for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations to mark Her Majesty's 70th anniversary on the British throne.

Immediately, I was struck by the exterior decor in honor of the Queen. There were several Union Jack flags and a sign in front of the entrance that read: "Thank You, Your Majesty."

Although I didn't have a room, I knew from researching the hotel's website that the bar accepted walk-ins.

Guests enjoy drinks at The Goring hotel's bar area. Mikhaila Friel/Insider

I had also called The Goring in advance of my visit and was told that they were only accepting walk-ins, rather than reservations, at the hotel bar during the Jubilee weekend.

The staff member on the phone warned me that it might be difficult to get a table as London was going to be particularly busy during this time. So I was surprised that upon my arrival on the afternoon of Friday, June 3, I didn't have to wait for a table and was escorted to a table directly across from the bar by a staff member.

I was impressed by the bar's stunning decor and the excellent customer service.

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The bar area at The Goring hotel. Mikhaila Friel/Insider

The interior was beautifully designed, with sparkly chandeliers and cozy armchairs.

The staff were also lovely, and I was approached by a staff member and asked for my order rather than having to go to the bar myself  even though it was only a couple of feet away from my table. I was particularly impressed by this since table service isn't very common at bars in London.

As I waited for a friend to arrive, I ordered a royal-themed cocktail called The Coronation Cup.

The Coronation Cup cocktail at The Goring. Mikhaila Friel/Insider

The drinks menu paid tribute to royalty and historical figures in the UK, with options including the Jubilee Fizz, the George VI, Victory Tea, and The Coronation Cup.

I ordered The Coronation Cup, which cost 19, or around $23. It contained gin, Dubonnet, pomegranate, rosebuds, plums, and electric bitters, according to the menu. Former royal chef Darren McGrady previously told Insider that gin and Dubonnet was the Queen's favorite drink.

I enjoyed the cocktail, though it had a very strong plum flavor that seemed to overpower all the other ingredients.

Later, I had to use the bathroom near the hotel lobby  it was immaculate.

Mikhaila Friel in the bathroom at The Goring hotel. Mikhaila Friel/Insider

When I asked a member of bar staff to direct me to the bathroom, I was surprised that they didn't just give verbal directions  they escorted me to the door. I didn't know whether this was an indicator of their great service, or whether they were secretly worried I was going to wander off and find the suite Kate Middleton once stayed in.

Like the rest of the hotel, the bathroom was beautifully decorated.

The ladies bathroom in The Goring. Mikhaila Friel/Insider

The bathroom was decorated elegantly, with butterfly-print wallpaper and several lamps, and towels were provided to wash your hands instead of paper.

I wasn't aware that there was a dress code before arriving at the hotel, and I soon learned that it was strictly smart casual.

Mikhaila Friel at The Goring Hotel in London. Mikhaila Friel/Insider

I wrongly didn't consider the possibility of there being a dress code before I arrived, most likely because I was visiting in the middle of the day. I had assumed that a dress code would be more likely to be implemented in the evening or at the hotel's restaurant, rather than at the bar.

I wore a strapless romper and sandals, and I wasn't given a second look when I walked through the door. However, my friend Pat said he almost wasn't allowed in because he was wearing shorts when he arrived.

Pat and I were asked to move to the back of the room because he was wearing shorts.

Mikhaila's friend, Pat, in The Goring bar. Mikhaila Friel/Insider

When Pat arrived at the hotel, I was already inside. He later told me that he was stopped at the hotel entrance by a staff member, who wouldn't let him inside and asked if he knew any of the guests. He told them that he was meeting me, and shortly after I was approached by a staff member who asked if I could confirm that I knew him.

When they finally let Pat inside, they asked us to move to a table at the back of the room because he was wearing shorts, which they said didn't align with the dress code. Although the experience was slightly embarrassing, I was just thankful that we weren't asked to leave.

After the visit, I asked a spokesperson to clarify what the dress code was and they said "smart casual," which is also noted on the website though there's no mention of shorts not being allowed. They did not immediately respond to Insider's request for further comment on the dress code.

Pat ordered a Victory Tea, a cocktail inspired by Winston Churchill.

The Victory Tea at The Goring. Mikhaila Friel/Insider

Pat ordered a Victory Tea, which cost 20, or around $24. The cocktail was warm, and it arrived in a teapot filled with steam alongside a teacup. The ingredients included gin, croft pink port infused with raspberries, italicus and jasmine cordial, green strawberry bitters, and a grapefruit tonic, according to the menu.

The cocktail was inspired by Winston Churchill, who visited The Goring weekly for afternoon tea with his mother-in-law, who resided at the hotel, the menu added.

We had an amazing time, and learned an important lesson about dress codes along the way.

Mikhaila and Pat at The Goring. Mikhaila Friel/Insider

Our experience at The Goring was fantastic, from the flavorful cocktails and pretty decor to the delightful service. Not to mention, we felt that bit closer to royalty having spent time in a hotel favored by the new Princess of Wales.

Pat and I didn't hold a grudge about the dress code situation. After all, it's something we should have checked before we arrived. It taught us an important lesson, should we ever enter a royal establishment in the future.

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Bruce's Beach. Illustrated | AP Images, Getty Images

It's been almost 100 years since the city of Manhattan Beach, an ocean-side community outside of Los Angeles, seized Bruce's Beach from the Black couple who owned it. Historical documents proved the act was perpetuated by racism, and last year the city returned the property to the couple's descendants. Recently, the family decided to sell the property back to Los Angeles County. Here's everything you need to know about Bruce's Beach:

What is the history of Bruce's Beach?

In 1912 and 1920, Willa Bruce bought land along the shore in the city of Manhattan Beach. Shortly after purchasing the lots, Willa and her husband Charles Bruce built a successful resort called Bruce's Lodge to accommodate Black families looking to enjoy seaside fun despite the looming shadows of Jim Crow laws and persistent racist harassment. More Black families began buying property nearby and the beach, which came to be colloquially known as Bruce's Beach, continued to thrive.

Unfortunately, local white landowners began to feel threatened by the community, suggesting that the growing Black population would affect the property value of Manhattan Beach. According to an April 2021 report prepared by a task force for the city, historical documents show that the "white neighbors resented the resort's growing popularity and prosperity of its African American owners." Within a week of building the resort, white landowners of "adjoining property" began harassing the Black guests that frequented the beach. Despite the racist harassment, the Bruce family remained undeterred.

"Wherever we have tried to buy land for a beach resort we have been refused," Willa told the Los Angeles Times in 1912 per the task force report, "but I own this land and I am going to keep it."

Ultimately, the local government stepped in to facilitate the end of the thriving seaside community. According to the bill that led to the property's eventual return, in 1924, the Manhattan Beach board of trustees voted to condemn Bruce's Beach and took control of it through eminent domain. The city officials offered the couple $14,500 and claimed they needed the land for a public park. The Bruces tried to challenge the city legally but ultimately lost the battle. In 1927, the family moved out of Bruce's Beach, and the city demolished the buildings two years later. The bill also notes that the city council voted to block any new resorts from opening to prevent the Bruces from relocating their business.

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The city never followed up on plans to build the park they claimed to need, and the land remained undeveloped for over three decades before eventually being transferred to Los Angeles County. The lots now host a lifeguard training center.

How did the Bruces' descendants regain custody of the property?

Almost a century later, the descendants of Willa and Charles Bruce were still fighting for restitution for an act that haunted their family's legacy. "It's been a scar on the family, financially and emotionally," said Duane Yellow Feather Shepard, a relative and advocate for the Bruces, told The New York Times in 2021."What we want is restoration of our land to us," he said, "and restitution for the loss of revenues."

The family caught the attention of L.A. County officials after years of demanding justice for Bruce's Beach. Since the city could not provide monetary restitution with public funds, officials began considering how to restore the property to the original owner's descendants. However, because seizing the property resulted from government bureaucracy, turning the land over to the family was not simple. State law required that the county use Bruce's Beach for public recreation, and prevented it from transferring or selling the property.

What followed was a year-long process that included the creation of the aforementioned task force and the bill that would eliminate the restriction for Bruce's Beach. In September 2021, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed the bill, allowing the beach to be transferred back to the descendants. "I want to apologize to the Bruce family for the injustice that was done to them," Newsom said at the time, as reported by NBC Los Angeles. "We haven't always had a proud past."

A year later, the county returned the deed to the property to the couple's closest living heirs, their great-grandsons Derrick and Marcus Bruce. The process for returning the beach included a provision for L.A. County to lease the land from the family for $413,000 a year and an option to sell the property to the county for as much as $20 million.

After all that, why are the Bruces choosing to sell the beach back to the city?

On Jan. 3, Janice Hahn, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors chair, announced that the Bruces' great-grandsons decided to sell the property to the county for almost $20 million.

"I fought to return Bruce's Beach because I wanted to right this wrong. This fight has always been about what is best for the family, and they feel what is best for them is selling this property and finally rebuilding the generational wealth they were denied for nearly a century," Hahn said on Twitter. "This is what reparations look like and it is a model that I hope governments across the country will follow."

Liz Odendahl, a spokeswoman for Hahn's office, said the family notified the city of the sale on Dec. 30, and officials will likely finish the escrow process in 30 days, The New York Times reports.

Shepard said in a telephone interview with the Times that the Bruces are "very satisfied" with the sale price and wanted to sell the property because it is zoned for public use only. "They had no choice but to sell it and take whatever they could get out of it, and use it to invest in some other way to develop their family wealth that they've lost," said Shepard, a clan chief of the Pocasset Wampanoag Tribe of the Pokanoket Nation.

Not everyone was so thrilled. Kavon Ward, who founded a group called Justice for Bruce's Beach in June 2020 to support the family's fights for restitution, said in a statement that she did not believe the Bruce family's decision to sell the land would bring the family peace.

Ward, who is also a founder of Where Is My Land, a non-profit that seeks to help Black families reclaim stolen land, said, "While I am disappointed the Bruces have chosen to sell the land, I understand their decision as the city of Manhattan Beach is anti-Black."

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A Virginia first-grade school teacher who was critically injured when she was allegedly shot by a six-year-old student has been hailed as a hero for warning other children to flee.

Abby Zwerner was identified as the teacher who suffered life-threatening injuries after being shot at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News on Friday by local news station WTKR.

Ms Zwerner, who is in her 30s, was taken to Riverside Regional Medical Center in a critical condition.

A Newport News police spokesperson told The Independent in a statement that the victims condition had improved and she was listed as stable on Saturday afternoon.

Sebastian Gonzalez-Hernandez told Fox3 his six-year-old son was in the class at the time of the shooting, and praised Ms Zwerners selfless actions.

She screamed at her kids to run away after being shot, Mr Gonzalez-Hernandez told Fox3, appearing to show more concern for the students safety than her own.

He said his son heard the gun go off and turned to see Ms Zwerner collapse on the ground before running from the classroom.

Abby Zwerner was critically injured after being shot by a 6-year-old student at the Virginia elementary school she teaches at (Facebook / Abby Zwerner)

Were all thinking about her and hoping she gets better soon, he told Fox3.

Another unnamed parent told WTKR she was furious that a young child had been able to bring a gun to school.

The parent, speaking in an English accent and who said she was living in the US because her husband was serving in the military, said: Guns, OK, thats the biggest problem in this country. Why is there a seven-year-old with a bloody gun?

Referring to Governor Glenn Youngkin she added: Lets do something. Weve got a new governor now, lets do something, lets change it.

Parent reacts to student allegedly shooting teacher at Newport News school https://t.co/ekScuGHtj8 pic.twitter.com/fV9b0nTacr  WTKR News 3 (@WTKR3) January 6, 2023

Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew met with the victim and her family on Saturday morning, a spokesperson told The Independent.

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He asked that you continue to keep her in your thoughts and prayers. Because of the ongoing nature of the investigation, we will not be releasing any further information at this time.

At a press conference on Friday night, Mr Drew said the shooting occurred after an altercation between the student and the teacher.

This was not an accidental shooting, he said.

Police outside Richneck Elementary School, in Newport News, Virginia, after a teacher was shot there on Friday (The Virginian-Pilot)

Mr Drew said detectives were investigating how the child got hold of the weapon. The six-year-old remains in police custody.

Newport News Public Schools superintendent George Parker said on Friday he was shocked and disheartened at the shooting.

We need to keep guns out of the hands of our young people, he told a press conference.

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin said in a statement his administration was providing support to the school district.

I am continuing to monitor the situation and am praying for the continued safety of all students and the community, he said.
Tesco workers did not receive a Christmas bonus. (Getty)

Tesco workers did not receive a Christmas bonus in December but were handed Quality Street chocolates instead, according to a report.

A staff member working for UKs biggest supermarket revealed they did not get a cash bonus for the second year running, blaming penny-pinching, according to the Guardian.

They claimed their boss handed them a tub of Quality Street instead, costing around 5.

The staff member said: "Theyre certainly penny-pinching and trying to drive costs down."

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A Tesco worker was given Quality Street chocolates. (Getty)

Tesco has defended itself, adding it had never given out regular Christmas bonuses and had also offered staff increased discounts of 20% during the festive period.

Tesco previously gave out a 10% Christmas bonus and shopping vouchers to staff in 2020.

But the supermarket said in its annual report that an agreement had been made with unions in 2019 that regular bonuses would be replaced by higher basic pay.

Tesco staff currently receive a minimum of 10.30 per hour after the supermarket increased its base level pay by 8% last year as the cost of living crisis impacted the UK.

The firm also gave staff bonuses during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic when they risked their lives by coming to work.

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It comes as Tesco is set to reveal positive sales data for over the quarter to the end of November in its latest update on Thursday.

Equity analyst firm Jefferies said it expects the update to show UK like-for-like growth of 4% over the third quarter and an increase of about 5.5% for the six weeks to 8 January, covering Christmas and New Year.

A Tesco spokesperson said: We have never given a regular cash bonus at Christmas and it is wrong to suggest that we have replaced one with chocolates.

To help colleagues with their Christmas shopping this year, we doubled our colleague discount to 20% in the run-up to Christmas  one of many benefits available to our colleagues, on top of the near 8% increase in base pay we invested over last year.
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP)  Thousands of Israelis took to the streets Saturday evening to protest plans by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus new government that opponents say threaten democracy and freedoms.

The protesters gathered in the central city of Tel Aviv days after the most right-wing and religiously conservative government in the countrys 74-year history was sworn in.

The settler government is against me, read one placard. Another banner read, Housing, Livelihood, Hope. Some protesters carried rainbow flags.

The protest was led by left-wing and Arab members of the Israeli parliament, the Knesset. They contend that proposed plans by the new Cabinet will hinder judicial system and widen societal gaps.

The left-wing protesters slammed Justice Minister Yariv Levin, who on Wednesday unveiled the governments long-promised overhaul of the judicial system that aims to weaken the countrys Supreme Court.

Critics accused the government of declaring war on the legal system, saying the plan will upend Israels system of checks and balances and undermine its democratic institutions by giving absolute power to the new governing coalition.

We are really afraid that our country is going to lose the democracy and we are going to a dictatorship just for reasons of one person which wants to get rid of his law trial," said Danny Simon, 77, a protester from Yavne, south of Tel Aviv. He was referring to Netanyahu, who was indicted on corruption charges in 2021, allegations that he has denied.

Protesters also called for peace and co-existence between Jews and Arab residents of the country.

We can see right now many laws being advocated for against LGBTQ, against Palestinians, against larger minorities in Israel, said Rula Daood of Standing Together, a grassroots movement of Arabs and Jews. We are here to say loud and clear that all of us, Arabs and Jews and different various communities inside of Israel, demand peace, equality and justice.
Photo: The Canadian Press A passenger waits in an empty terminal at the airport while flights are suspended due to drug cartel-related violence in Culiacan, Sinaloa state, Mexico on January 6, 2023.

UPDATE: 1:15 p.m.

Some Canadian tourists in Mexico's Sinaloa state finally began their delayed journey home on Saturday after a wave of violence erupted in the region, shuttering airports and prompting an advisory to shelter in place.

Two airports in the northwestern area of Mexico have reopened, with international flights scheduled on Saturday from Mazatlan to cities in Western Canada including Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg and Vancouver.

Travellers checking out of beachfront hotels in the area described a chaotic scene of packed elevators and busy lobbies as guests awaited airport shuttles and flights home.

Some Canadian tourists in the area were barricaded in their hotels for several days after the arrest of a major alleged drug cartel leader led to violence in the region.

The Canadian government issued a shelter-in-place advisory on Thursday, saying the widespread violence included burning cars, exchanges of fire and threats to essential infrastructure, including airports.

The Canadian government continues to recommend avoiding non-essential travel across the Sinaloa state, except within the city of Mazatlan.

While Canadian air carriers WestJet , Swoop and Sunwing all had flights scheduled to depart Mazatlan on Saturday, flights on U.S. airlines including American Airlines and United appeared to remain cancelled.

Swoop said the Mazatlan airport has reopened without disruption.

"An elevated police/military presence remains in the region to further ensure the safety and security of the public," the airline said in an emailed statement on Saturday.

"Service to other Swoop destinations across Mexico remains unaffected by this situation, though crew and travellers may see additional law enforcement present in various other areas out of caution."

Swoop added that it continues to advise everyone in the region to follow all instructions provided by local authorities.

WestJet said its operations to Mazatlan resumed Saturday, while service to the rest of its destinations across Mexico remain unaffected

"We will continue to monitor the situation closely and will make operational changes in the name of safety as necessary," the airline said in an email.

WestJet noted that flexible change and cancellation policies remain in effect for customers with reservations affected by the latest travel advisory.

Air Canada said none of its destinations in Mexico were affected by the unrest but the airline is "watching the situation closely."

Sunwing did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

ORIGINAL: 10:30 a.m.

Some Canadian tourists in Mexico's Sinaloa state are packing their bags to return home after a wave of violence erupted in the region, shuttering airports and prompting an advisory to shelter in place.

Two airports in the northwestern area of Mexico have reopened with flights scheduled for today from Mazatlan to cities in Western Canada including Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg and Vancouver.

Travellers checking out of beachfront hotels in the area describe a chaotic scene of packed elevators and busy lobbies as guests await airport shuttles and flights home.

Some Canadian tourists in the area were barricaded in their hotels for several days after the arrest of a major alleged drug cartel leader led to violence in the region.

The Canadian government issued a shelter-in-place advisory, saying the widespread violence included burning cars, exchanges of fire and threats to essential infrastructure, including airports.

While WestJet and Swoop both appeared to have flights scheduled to depart Mazatlan on Saturday, flights on U.S. airlines including American Airlines and United appeared to remain cancelled.
Following further delays this week, some former Twitter employees finally received their official severance agreements on Saturday after months of anticipation, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter. However, the compensation is much less than what many expected, and the emails are landing in spam folders.

After Elon Musk assumed control of the social media giant in late October, about three-fourths of the companys staff of 7,500 were let go in a series of cuts. Musk tweeted that those affected would receive "3 months of severance compensation." Previous Twitter leadership pledged to offer at least two months worth of severance pay as well as prorated performance bonuses, extended visa support, money for health care continuation, and the cash value of equity that would vest within three months, according to The Los Angeles Times.

However, as we previously reported, the agreements sent out today provide laid-off employees in the U.S. one month of base pay as severance. Those let go in November have been kept on the payroll and have been paid their regular salaries for the previous 60 days due to requirements of the federal WARN Act, which mandates companies give a 60-day notice before mass layoffs. Although those workers had been barred from the company's internal systems since November, they were formally let go on January 4 in accordance with the law.

What's more, employees will not be receiving their prorated performance bonuses, according to Twitter's severance material viewed by Fortune. Some employees received COBRA, which is money for health care continuation, a source said.

"I mean I expected him to f**k us (he did)," an impacted employee wrote to Fortune. "This is about 1/3 of what he contractually owes us based on his purchase agreement."

Although employees were given two months' pay during a "non-working" period to comply with the federal WARN Act, a lawyer for two class-action lawsuits against Twitter claimed that such money should not be included in the actual severance paid to employees, The Los Angeles Times reported.

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Not all impacted employees received their agreements, multiple sources told Fortune. The agreements are being sent out by a third-party service provider called CPT Group, in lieu of in-house HR services. It's not yet clear why only some have received their agreements, but many have been finding the agreements in their spam folder, sources say.

Sources have pointed out some hiccups in the process, too. Those who received their agreements today were provided a unique login and directed to visit a domain, but that domain was set up roughly 5 hours before the severance agreements went out and doesn't have Twitter's name in it, causing many to believe it was a phishing attempt.

After logging in and viewing their severance agreement, former employees have the option to sign or opt out of the agreement, according to a source familiar with the matter.

The website has an accompanying FAQ page stating that impacted employees can anticipate payment within 45 days of their signed agreement. A downloadable "Additional FAQs" document confirms that employees will not be receiving performance bonus payments, which were set to be paid out in March, and that there will be "no negotiation of the agreement or the severance amount listed."

As many as 5,500 laid-off Twitter employees were set to receive the official severance agreements, Fortune previously reported.

Fortune reached out to Twitter outside normal business hours but did not receive an immediate reply.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

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Former president Donald Trump turned to his social media platform Truth Social this week to attack a familiar target: former Georgia election worker Ruby Freeman.

Trump's posts stoked an old baseless claim that Freeman was part of an election-rigging scheme that cost him the election - false claims that two years ago led to a torrent of harassment and death threats against Freeman and her daughter, Shaye Moss, who was also an election worker.

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"What will the Great State of Georgia do with the Ruby Freeman MESS?" Trump said in a post on Tuesday. "Why not just tell the TRUTH, get rid of the turmoil and guilt, and take our Country back from the evils and treachery of the Radical Left monsters who want to see America die?"

Freeman's lawyer, Von DuBose, said in a statement that the claims that Freeman was involved in falsifying ballots "have been proven false over and over again" but that her life has been upended and she still feels threatened.

"Nobody, not even a former president, has a right to intentionally spread damaging, defamatory lies about fellow citizens," DuBose said.

It's not the first time in recent months that Trump has used Truth Social to spread false accusations about the 2020 election. Since the 2022 midterms, when some Trump-backed candidates lost their races, the former president has taken to his platform regularly to assert that the last presidential contest was plagued by widespread voter fraud or that the election was stolen.

But his comments about Freeman, who told the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, at the U.S. Capitol that she was forced from her home of 20 years because of the harassment she experienced after the 2020 vote, illustrate the predicament facing Meta as the social media giant weighs whether to restore Trump's access to his social media megaphone.

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Meta suspended Trump indefinitely on Jan. 7, 2021, following his praise and encouragement of rioters who stormed the Capitol. The company's Oversight Board, an independent group of human rights experts, academics and lawyers that issued binding rulings on some of Meta's content moderation decisions, later upheld the suspension but criticized the company for not establishing criteria for suspending a user indefinitely.

The company then shortened the suspension to two years and said, when that period was over, it would assess whether the public safety risk had subsided enough to restore his account. Those two years end Saturday.

For now, Trump's account remains suspended. Meta spokesperson Andy Stone said in a statement that the company "will announce a decision in the coming weeks in line with the process we laid out."

Where Meta comes down on that decision could have widespread ramifications, experts say. While the country isn't experiencing the same threat of a violent political insurrection that characterized the weeks leading up to Jan. 6, Trump's rhetoric about election fraud - and the movement of people that were inspired by his remarks - continues to percolate online. That should be enough, some argue, to keep him off the platform.

Others say that without the threat of imminent violence, Meta could be make the case that Trump's account should be restored. They note that with Trump already declaring his 2024 candidacy for president, continuing his suspension would constitute an unprecedented restriction of the digital speech of a major American presidential candidate.

"These platforms are in a difficult position of deciding whether they're going to make their audience available only to one candidate but not another," said Nate Persily, a professor at Stanford Law School who specializes in election issues and free speech.

Meta's decision could influence other social media companies that also suspended Trump's account indefinitely, such as YouTube. And it may set precedent for how digital platforms treat other world leaders.

"There are plenty of places around the world where there's constant violence that is being incited by leaders," Persily said. "The question has always been: Is this a unique decision for Trump, or is this actually an interpretation of community standards that apply worldwide?"

Meta's decision is also likely to reverberate elsewhere, including in Congress and statehouses where Republicans are pushing for greater restrictions on what social media companies can decide to allow on their sites.

Democratic lawmakers including Rep. Adam B. Schiff (Calif.) and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (R.I.) urged Meta last month to extend Trump's suspension.

"Trump has continued to post harmful election content on Truth Social that would likely violate Facebook's policies, and we have every reason to believe he would bring similar conspiratorial rhetoric back to Facebook, if given the chance," the lawmakers wrote in a letter to Meta.

The final report of the House committee investigating Jan. 6 encouraged congressional committees to examine social media companies whose policies have "have had the effect of radicalizing their consumers, including by provoking people to attack their own country." But there's no consensus in Congress for such an examination, and a more detailed assessment of what role social media played in the Jan. 6 violence was left out of the committee's final report.

Trump's online posts that led to his suspension are not in dispute. As a mob forcibly entered the Capitol, Trump addressed the rioters in two separate posts: The first was a video posted on both on Facebook and Instagram in which he repeatedly said the election was "stolen" but told the protesters to go home. Facebook removed the post for violating its rules against praising people or groups that had been placed on its list of dangerous individuals and organizations.

Later that evening, as police secured the Capitol, Trump posted a written statement on Facebook claiming that "a sacred landslide election victory" had been "viciously stripped away from great patriots who have been badly unfairly treated for so long." He later told them to go home but to remember the day forever. Meta removed that post, too, for violating its rules and blocked him from posting for 24 hours. The next day, the company suspended Trump indefinitely.

Five months later, the Oversight Board said it was inappropriate for the company to impose an indefinite suspension with no criteria for when or whether the account could be restored.

In its ruling, the Oversight Board noted that heads of state and other top government officials can have greater power to cause harm than other people and that Meta should suspend their accounts for a period sufficient to protect against imminent harm. The Oversight Board was created and funded by Meta but issues binding rulings on its decisions to leave up or take down content, and makes general recommendations on the company's policies that are not binding.

The following month, Nick Clegg, Meta's president of global affairs, said in a statement that the company would give Trump a two-year suspension that would only be lifted if "the risk to public safety has receded."

Clegg, who has taken on an increasingly visible role in overseeing the company's public policy decisions, said then that after the two-year period, the company would turn to experts to assess whether the risk to public safety has receded. He added that the company would take into consideration "external factors, including instances of violence, restrictions on peaceful assembly and other markers of civil unrest."

Clegg also said that when Trump's suspension is "eventually" lifted, the former president would face "a strict set of rapidly escalating sanctions," including up to permanent removal of his pages and accounts if he continues to violate the platform's rules.

Since then, there has been little consensus among tech companies or academics about the best way to treat world leaders like Trump who break the rules. For instance, a minority on the Oversight Board recommended that users who seek to have their accounts restored should have to "recognize their wrongdoing and commit to observing the rules in the future."

Some argue that Meta could make the case to bring Trump's account back because the dangerous political conditions that led up to the Jan. 6 insurrection have dissipated. There were few reports of violence at rallies Trump held in the lead-up to the 2022 midterms as part of his aggressive push to boost the candidates he'd endorsed, and many of the election deniers who lost conceded their elections without resorting to violence. Even in Arizona, where Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake refused to concede, demonstrations in her favor were described as poorly attended.

But some advocates and analysts caution against drawing too many conclusions from the lack of violence during the midterms, because presidential races have a way of focusing the public's attention on political movements that congressional races do not. With new owner Musk's decision in November to restore Trump's Twitter account, as well as those of hundreds of others banned for violating the rules, a decision by Meta to allow the former president to post once again would restore his power to influence extremists in dangerous ways, they say.

"Is [Trump's rhetoric] safer, or is it that it wasn't being broadcast to hundreds of millions of people on Facebook that kept it safer?" said Accountable Tech's executive director, Nicole Gill, whose anti-Big Tech advocacy group has run digital and television advertisements urging the company not to reinstate Trump. "The absence of violence after the midterms is not at all reason to let him back on."

Trump's posts on Truth Social, the Twitter clone created after he left office, offer a window into the kind of content he might share on Facebook if he were allowed to post again. Last month, Trump said he "devoured" Democrats in 2016 "and again, with much bigger numbers, in 2020, but that Election was RIGGED. MUST DO IT AGAIN!" In November, Trump amplified a meme that said: "MOST COULD SEE THAT TRUMP CLEARLY WON, BUT WHAT EVEN MORE DIDN'T SEE, WAS HOW MUCH CORRUPTION WE THE PEOPLE ARE UP AGAINST."

Experts say it's not realistic to expect Trump to drop a theme he has maintained consistently since losing the 2020 election. "The idea that he is going to go back on Facebook and never mention that he thinks the results of the 2020 election were fraudulent is probably really unlikely," said Joshua Tucker, a politics professor at New York University who studies social media issues.

"I'm sure he's going to say things that are going to lead to howls of protest from lots of other people who say, 'Well, you let him back on if he didn't do X and he just did X, so got to kick him off now.' So again it's kind of a lose-lose situation," Tucker said.

But he added that the bigger unknown might be whether Trump chooses to use Facebook at all even if he is reinstated. Trump so far has not used his restored Twitter account, perhaps mindful that his ownership agreement with Truth Social calls for him to post to it first. Whether he changes his approach to social media during a heated campaign for the presidency remains an open question. Trump could benefit financially if Truth Social takes off in popularity, but he will be able to reach far more people and better tailor his advertising campaigns if he uses Facebook.

"That's the super interesting question," Tucker said. "If they let him back on, what does he actually do about it?"

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(Reuters) -A U.S. appeals court on Friday struck down a rule the Trump administration had adopted following a 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting that banned "bump stocks," devices that allow people to rapidly fire multiple rounds from semi-automatic guns.

In a 13-3 decision, the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said that despite "tremendous" public pressure to impose a ban, it was up to the U.S. Congress rather than the president to take action.

While the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms (ATF) and Explosives had interpreted a law banning machineguns as extending to bump stocks, U.S. Circuit Judge Jennifer Walker Elrod said the law did not unambiguously prohibit them.

Elrod, writing for the majority, said the law also did not give "fair warning that possession of a non-mechanical bump stock is a crime."

One of the dissenting judges, Stephen Higginson, wrote that the majority employed reasoning "to legalize an instrument of mass murder."

Three other federal appeals courts have rejected challenges to the ban. While the Supreme Court in October declined to hear appeals from two of the earlier decisions, Friday's ruling raises the prospect the court could eventually decide the issue.

"The resulting circuit split should bring this decision to the U.S. Supreme Court's attention promptly and supply a suitable vehicle for deciding this issue once and for all," said Mark Chenoweth, the president of the New Civil Liberties Alliance, a conservative group that litigated the case.

ATF, the arm of the Justice Department that adopted the rule, declined to comment.

A bump stock lets a gun's stock, which rests against the shoulder, slide backward and forward, letting users take advantage of the gun's recoil to fire rapidly.

Though gun restrictions are often championed by Democrats, former President Donald Trump's Republican administration imposed the ban on bump stocks through an ATF rule after a gunman used them in killing 58 people at an October 2017 country music concert in Las Vegas.

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Democratic President Joe Biden's administration also supports the ban, which took effect in 2019.

In December 2021, a three-judge 5th Circuit panel had upheld the ban, ruling against Texas gun owner Michael Cargill, who opposed it.

Friday's decision reversed that ruling. Most of the judges in the majority were appointed by Republican presidents, while the dissenting judges were appointed by Democratic presidents.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York and Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Jacqueline Wong and William Mallard)
(Reuters) - A U.S. Trustee filed an objection on Saturday to plans by bankrupt crypto exchange FTX to sell its digital currency futures and clearinghouse LedgerX, as well as units in Japan and Europe, according to a court filing.

FTX filed for bankruptcy protection in November and said last month it planned to sell its LedgerX, Embed, FTX Japan and FTX Europe businesses. On Tuesday, FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried pleaded not guilty to criminal charges that he cheated investors and caused billions of dollars in losses, in what prosecutors have called an "epic" fraud.

The filing by U.S. Trustee Andrew Vara called for an independent investigation before the sale of the units, arguing that the companies may have information related to FTX's bankruptcy.

"The sale of potentially valuable causes of action against the Debtors' directors, officers and employees, or any other person or entity, should not be permitted until there has been a full and independent investigation into all persons and entities that may have been involved in any malfeasance, negligence or other actionable conduct," the filing said.

FTX said in a court filing last month that the companies it planned to sell are relatively independent from the broader FTX group, and that each has its own segregated customer accounts and separate management teams.

(Reporting by Anirudh Saligrama in Bengaluru; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraines Human Rights Ombudsman, said that he is planning to meet with Tatiana Moskalkova, his Russian counterpart, in Turkey in a few days.

Source: Dmytro Lubinets on air during the national 24/7 newscast

Quote from Lubinets: "This meeting will take place in a few days on the territory of Turkey."

Details: Lubinets said that the main issue that will be discussed at the meeting is the release of Ukrainian prisoners of war.

In addition, the Ukrainian side wants to discuss the release of civilians "detained on the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine" by Russian forces whom Russia is holding hostage and refusing to release.

Quote from Lubinets: "These are ambitious goals. I dont know how the Russian side will respond, what they will bring to the table. But we are receiving hopeful preliminary indications that they are prepared to discuss this issue.

We have considered countless options, which I cant publicly disclose. We cant call this an exchange of civilians. Because this is the term used for military prisoners of war under the Geneva Conventions. International humanitarian law stipulates that the Russian Federation has to release civilians."

Previously: On 2 January, Lubinets said that he was planning to meet Moskalkova in order to discuss the release of Ukrainian prisoners of war, including civilian prisoners.

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Over the past day, the Ukrainian military repelled attacks by Russian invasion forces in the vicinities of the settlements of Stelmakhivka, Makiyivka, Dibrova, and Bilohorivka in Luhansk Oblast, and around Ozaryanivka, Soledar, Krasna Hora, Pidhorodne, Bakhmut, Klishchiyivka, Sil, Pervomaiske, Maryinka, and Pobyeda in Donetsk Oblast.

Read also: Humanitarian crisis unfolding in occupied Donetsk Oblast, reports National Resistance Center

 In the Volyn and Polissia areas in north and west Ukraine, the situation has not changed significantly  there are no signs of the formation of enemy offensive groups there.

Read also: Ukraines Defense Ministry comments on UK intelligence data on Bakhmut

 In the Siversk and Sloboda areas, in north and eastern Ukraine, Russian troops shelled the areas of the settlements of Strilecha, Bochkove, Komisarove, Krasne, Zelene, Ambarne, Buhruvatka, Hatyshche, and Odradne in Kharkiv Oblast.

 In the Kupyansk and Lyman sections of the front in northeastern Ukraine, the enemy opened fire on more than 20 settlements. They included Dvorichna, Kupyansk, Kyslivka, Kotlyarivka and Krokhmalne in Kharkiv Oblast, as well as Stelmakhivka, Makiyivka, Ploshchanka and Dibrova in Luhansk Oblast.

Read also: Bakhmut as a city no longer exists, but military situation not catastrophic  Budanov

 In the Bakhmut section of the front, more than 20 settlements were damaged by fire from Russian invasion forces. They included Yakovlivka, Spirne, Berestove, Bilohorivka, Soledar, Bakhmut and New York in Donetsk Oblast.

 Avdiyivka, Vesele, Nevelske, Krasnohorivka, Kamianka, Heorhiivka, Maryinka and Novomykhailivka of Donetsk Oblast came under the enemy fire in the Avdiyivka section of the front line in Donetsk Oblast.

 In the area of Novopavlivsk, Russian troops shelled Vremivka, Velyka Novosilka, Vuhledar and Paraskoviivka in Donetsk Oblast.

Read also: One dead and several wounded after Russian attack in Zaporizhzhya Oblast  OVA

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 In the Zaporizhzhya section of front in the south of Ukraine, areas around 23 settlements were affected by enemy fire. The settlements affected included Zelene Pole and Novopil in Donetsk Oblast; Hulyaipole, Zaliznychne, Charivne, Shcherbaky and Stepove in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, and Nikopol in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.

Read also: Russians attack another fire department in Kherson, one killed, many wounded

 In the Kherson area of front in the south of Ukraine, the enemy continued shelling populated areas along the right bank of the Dnipro River. In particular, the civil infrastructure of the towns of Chornobayivka, Antonivka, Beryslav, Zolotaya Balka and Kherson was hit, and there were civilian casualties.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
He said that fierce and bloody battles are ongoing near the city. Russian troops opened fire 76 times from the north, there were 10 clashes between attacking enemy troops and Ukrainian defenders.

Read also: Ukrainian photographers share story of girl from Soledar whose parents refuse to evacuate

Our armed forces and command are doing everything to cause maximum damage to the enemy in terms of personnel and equipment, Cherevatyy said.

And theyre doing all they can to level the tactical situation and act in accordance with the requirements of the operational situation. There will be details, perhaps, a little later.

Pavlo Kyrylenko, head of Donetsk Oblast Military Administration (OVA), also mentioned on national television that fighting continues around the city.

Read also: Ukrainian defenders repulse Russian attacks near 15 settlements in Donbas, says General Staff

The command is taking the maximum measures to regain those positions where the enemy was partially successful, Kyrylenko said, urging the public to follow the messages of the General Staff.

Deputy head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security Yuriy Mysyahin confirmed on Telegram that Soledar was still under the control of Ukraine.

Journalist Yuriy Butusov published a photo from Soledar in Telegram on the morning of Jan. 7 and stated that the 46th separate amphibious assault brigade was still resolutely defending the city.

The page of the 46th brigade in Telegram states that the report of the capture of Soledar by the Russians is a lie, although the occupiers are making some progress.

Soledar is located approximately 20 kilometers northeast of Bakhmut, where the fiercest fighting is happening. The Armed Forces kill up to 100 invaders in this part of the front every day, the Ukrainian military says.

Read also: Ukrainian army reportedly attacks Wagner mercenary base in occupied Donbas

For the most part, the offensive actions on Bakhmut are carried out by Wagner Group mercenaries. The desire to capture the city may be due to the desire of the founder of this illegal group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, to take over local mines, Reuters reported, with reference to a source in the White House.

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Russian dictator Vladimir Putin instructed Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to introduce a ceasefire along the front lines in Ukraine from 12.00 on Jan. 6 until 24.00 on Jan. 7. This is according to Moscow time  in Ukraine the times are an hour earlier.

Read also: US State Department once again points to cynicism of Putin's Christmas ceasefire

Reacting to this, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the aggressor state was using Eastern Orthodox Christmas as a cover and wanted to bring its equipment and soldiers closer to Ukrainian positions.

A few minutes after the alleged start of the "ceasefire," it was reported that Russia's had shelled the city of Kherson, killing a firefighter. The invaders also hit, in particular, Kramatorsk and Kurakhovo in Donetsk Oblast, and a settlement in Luhansk Oblast.



Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP)  A top U.N. envoy met with the Taliban-led Afghan governments higher education minister Saturday to discuss the ban on women attending universities. Markus Potzel is the first international official to meet with him since the ban was introduced last month.

Taliban authorities on Dec. 20 ordered public and private universities to close for women immediately until further notice. It triggered widespread international condemnation, including from Muslim-majority countries such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey.

Higher Education Minister Nida Mohammad Nadim has defended the ban, saying it is necessary to prevent the mixing of genders in universities and because he believes some subjects violate Islamic principles.

That ban was followed days later by a ban on Afghan women working for national and international non-governmental groups, another decision that caused global condemnation and the suspension of work by major aid agencies.

The U.N. mission in Afghanistan said that Potzel called for the urgent lifting of these bans in his meeting with Nadim, saying the country is entering a new period of crisis. Taliban bans on female education & work for aid agencies will harm all Afghans, the mission said.

Nadim told Potzel the ministry was working for the development and improvement of Afghans, with the protection of Islamic and national values, according to information shared by ministry spokesman Ziaullah Hashmi.

He said opponents were criticizing the implementation of Islamic affairs, using education as an argument to achieve their evil goals.

We need to make sure there is no place for them to criticize and, at the same time, fulfill the wishes of Afghans who have made sacrifices for Islamic rule and the implementation of Sharia rules in the country, Nadim told Potzel at the meeting.

He also said Afghanistan's rulers will not accept anyones demands in the form of pressure against Islamic principles.

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Potzel thanked Nadim for his time, saying the higher education of any country has a direct impact on the economic situation of that country, according to the ministry spokesman.

The envoy promised to cooperate in the development of Afghanistans higher education and shared his plan for female education with Nadim.

Potzel has also met with Economy Minister Qari Din Mohammed Hanif, who issued the NGO ban; Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Salam Hanafi; Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani and former President Hamid Karzai in recent days to discuss the crackdowns on women and girls.

The discussions come ahead of a closed-door meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Jan. 13 about Afghanistan.

Nadim, a former provincial governor, police chief and military commander, was appointed minister in October by the supreme Taliban leader and previously pledged to stamp out secular schooling. He opposes female education, saying it is against Islamic and Afghan values.
BERLIN (AP)  The head of the United Nations human rights office called Saturday for a prompt, transparent investigation into the deaths of at least 28 people whose bodies were found in northwest Burkina Faso last month.

Volker Turk, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, said it was encouraging that authorities had announced an investigation into the incident in Nouna town, a predominately ethnic Fulani and Muslim community.

"I call on them to ensure it is prompt, thorough, impartial and transparent and to hold all those responsible to account regardless of position or rank, he said in a statement.

The victims and their loved ones are owed no less, he added.

Local human rights groups allege that volunteer militias supporting Burkina Faso's army killed dozens of Fulani civilians, including children. Fulani people have been increasingly targeted by the military and local defense militias because they are suspected of supporting the West African country's Islamic extremist rebels who have been inflicting violence on the country for years.

The U.N. human rights office said Turk had previously raised concerns with the government about possible abuses linked to recruitment, arming and deployment of auxiliaries in Burkina Faso.

There is an urgent need to strengthen their vetting procedures, predeployment training on international human rights and humanitarian law, their effective supervision by the security and defence forces and to ensure inclusion and transparency during their recruitment, the Geneva-based office said.
Members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, from left, Rep. Dan Bishop, D-N.C., Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, and Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., meet with reporters in Statuary Hall to talk about their opposition to voting for Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., to be speaker of the House at the Capitol in Washington Jan. 6, 2023. (J. Scott Applewhite / AP)

As the House moved past a dozen ballots in failed attempts to elect California Republican Kevin McCarthy to be House speaker, a catchy refrain from the musical Hamilton grew louder in my mind:

You dont have the votes, you dont have the votes

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Ah, how embarrassing it must have been for McCarthy, who used to whip votes for then-Speaker John Boehner during President Barack Obamas presidency, to fail repeatedly in mustering up enough votes for his own speakership.

The larger question: Whats happened to Republican unity?

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Looking back, it doesnt take much of an autopsy to see the fractured state of todays Republican Party as the latest twist in a 30-year GOP power struggle, an era that began with then-Georgia Rep. Newt Gingrichs displacement of then-House Minority Leader Bob Michel in the 1990s.

It was a different political era. Although Michel was never part of the majority party during his 38 years in the House, he was notable for striking bipartisan bargains and friendships. In a model of bipartisan civility, he famously shared rides on weekends with fellow Illinoisan Rep. Dan Rostenkowski, a leading Democrat.

That spirit of comity faded after President Bill Clintons Democrats lost the Senate and House for the first time in 40 years. Gingrichs Contract With America agenda helped Republicans nationalize the race and initially strengthened Gingrich, who shared with Clinton an affection for big-thinking policy issues.

But by the mid-1990s, Republicans failure to achieve common ground forced government shutdowns that Clinton used to his advantage. Casting Republicans as opponents of such popular programs as Medicare, Medicaid and public-school education, Clinton struck a middle-of-the-road agenda that helped him survive his impeachment in 1998.

Clintons job approval actually rose partly in a backlash against his impeachment. Republicans lost House seats in that years elections and Gingrich resigned from the speakership, taking up a new role as an internet-era elder statesman and media pundit.

In that role, it was illuminating to watch him tear into the small group of House Republicans who refused to support McCarthys speaker bid. On Fox & Friends Wednesday, Gingrich said the holdouts are blackmailing McCarthy, the party and the American public by stopping the conference from being able to move forward with its agenda.

I dont know what their endgame is, he said.

I agree. As with the mob that assaulted the Capitol on Jan. 6, two years ago, the current House dysfunction appears to have deep roots, a combination of the Stop the Steal aftermath of Donald Trumps presidency on top of the Obama-era tea party and the 8-year-old Freedom Caucus in the GOPs far-right congressional wing.

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And while they figure out whatever their endgame might be, theyve got a great vehicle in todays media age for building their own profiles and campaign coffers, independent of the traditional party leadership that used to maintain more control on party unity and messaging.

The same happens on the left, of course. Obama broke new ground in his use of Twitter and other internet campaigning but Donald Trump, among many other conservatives, showed he could play that game, too, for better or worse.

The result has been an informal but quite potent rise of new stars of performative politics like Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Lauren Boebert of Colorado and Matt Gaetz of Florida as de facto leaders in opposition to McCarthy, even though you could hardly squeeze a playing card between their ideological differences.

Political scientists Matt Grossman and David Hopkins argue in their 2016 book Asymmetric Politics that the differences between todays major parties are not about personalities but about structure. While the Democratic Party is fundamentally a group coalition, they write, the Republican Party can be most accurately characterized as the vehicle of an ideological movement.

The same can be said about Democrats, though in recent years we have seen progressive Democrats largely embraced by the party establishment, while Republican populism is more freewheeling and unpredictable in its challenges to the system.

Either way, McCarthy and his fellow traditionalists have a big challenge on their hands as they try to restore some civility and order within their own party. Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi had to do that, too. But, compared with todays Republicans, she made it look easy.

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US-NEWS-VA-SCHOOL-SHOOTING-VP - Credit: Billy Schuerman/The Virginian-Pilot/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

The mayor of Newport News, Virginia where, a day earlier, a six-year-old elementary student brought a gun to school and intentionally shot his teacher, called the incident a red flag for the country during a press conference Saturday.

Mayor Phillip Jones told reporters that the teacher  a woman in her 30s  remains hospitalized following the shooting, but is trending in a positive direction.

More from Rolling Stone

The incident took place Friday at Richneck Elementary School, with the first grade student (whose name is being withheld by law enforcement due to the age of the child) firing one shot at his teacher, who suffered life-threatening injuries.

This was not an accidental shooting, Police Chief Steve Drew said. A classmate of the six-year-old boy told the Daily Press that the teacher was shot in the stomach and that the shooter did it on purpose.

The six-year-old boy was detained and taken into police custody following the shooting; because of his young age, he cannot be charged as an adult over the incident, nor can he be placed into the custody of the Department of Juvenile Justice if hes found guilty of any charges, the Associated Press reports.

Authorities and Jones didnt elaborate on the specifics of the shooting  or how the six-year-old obtained the gun  citing the pending investigation. However, Jones said that, I do think that after this event, there is going to be a nationwide discussion on how these sorts of things can be prevented.

Parent reacts to student allegedly shooting teacher at Newport News school https://t.co/ekScuGHtj8 pic.twitter.com/fV9b0nTacr  WTKR News 3 (@WTKR3) January 6, 2023

George Parker III, the Newport News schools superintendent, added in a statement, Today our students got a lesson in gun violence and what guns can do to disrupt, not only an educational environment, but also a family, a community.

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The New York Times reported that, according to a database that tracks all incidents of gun violence, only four cases dating back to 1970 involved children aged six and younger: Two of the cases involving six-year-olds were accidental shootings, while the third  which occurred in Feb. 2000  drew nationwide headlines after a six-year-old boy shot a female classmate to death. The youngest incident on record happened in 2013, when a five-year-old kindergartener fired a gun in a cafeteria; no one was injured in that incident.

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Click here to read the full article.
Jan. 6A new Walgreens will be built at 297 Main St., on what is a vacant lot just south of the Walgreens across from Central Maine Medial Center. City planners have approved the $1.1 million project, but The Buzz has learned there are some changes to the original plan, which called for additional retail space. That has been downsized to a stand-alone Walgreens store.

Blackwater Resources of Birmingham, Alabama, is listed as the owner, with Hill Foley Rossi & Associates out of Duluth, Georgia, as the architecture and engineering firm.

While the project will be slightly delayed, Hill Foley Rossi & Associates expects work to begin in the second quarter of the year.
Chris Evans and Alba Baptistas 2022 was filled with playful moments.

The actor and Sexiest Man Alive shared a video compilation on his Instagram story of him and his rumored girlfriend startling each other over the last year.

Evans, 41, wrote on the Jan. 6 video A look back at 2022 and added three red heart emojis. The first clip shows someone off camera sneaking up to the Captain America star as hes doing laundry.

Alba Baptista scaring Chris Evans in his video. (Instagram Story/Chris Evans)

The video then continues with Evans next sneaking up on the 25-year-old Portuguese actor and her getting scared. She even drops her phone in one clip. It goes back and forth between the two jumping out and attempting to spook the other.

Towards the end of the clip, Baptista catches on to Evans game and yells I knew it.

Evans' beloved pup, Dodger, also makes appearances in the video  though he doesn't seem to get as spooked as his owner.

The actor is seen scaring Alba Baptista in his Instagram story. (Instagram/Chris Evans)

The two also have a sweet moment when Baptista runs out and startles Evans, who falls to the ground while she playfully laughs at him.

Fans couldn't help but capture the video and share it on their profiles for others to enjoy once it expires.

The two are rumored to be romantically involved. (Instagram/Chris Evans)

This appears to be the first time that Evans has publicly shared videos with the actor. The two have been rumored to have been dating for over a year, though neither has publicly confirmed their relationship.

In July, Evans made headlines when during an interview he said hes searching for a life partner. While promoting The Gray Man, journalist Mariel Turner asked the actor if at the moment he was laser-focused on anything like his character Lloyd Hansens need to track down his enemy.

Evans replied that he had a good answer, before elaborating one his want to find the perfect person to spend the rest of his life with.

The answer would be that maybe (Im) laser-focused on finding a partner, he told Turner. You know, someone that you want to live  look, I love what I do, its great, I pour all of myself into it. But, even this industry is full of pockets of doubt, hesitation, and recalibration.

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In terms of really trying to find something that you really pour all of yourself into, maybe its about trying to find someone that youre looking to spend your life with, he continued.

Baptista is best known for her role on Netflixs Warrior Nun and appeared in the 2022 film Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com
WESTFIELD - A 57-year-old teacher at Roosevelt Intermediate School was charged with drug-related crimes and endangering the welfare of children following a November incident in his classroom in which he suffered an alleged overdose of Fentanyl.

At about 9:06 a.m. Nov. 29, 2022 the Westfield Police Department received a report from Roosevelts School Resource Officer, Fortunato Riga, of an unconscious teacher in a second-floor classroom, according to Police Chief Christopher Battiloro. Riga had been alerted to the situation by a school administrator.

When Riga went to the classroom, he found Frank Thompson, an art teacher, unconscious and unresponsive on the floor, the chief said. Thompson had been discovered by students and he was being treated by a school nurse.

Riga, who believed the teacher was suffering from an overdose, administered Narcan, which he carries, and Thompson began showing signs of improvement, according to the chief

More:Former Plainfield teacher facing sexual misconduct charges won't get job back

An investigation found Fentanyl and drug paraphernalia in a classroom closet, the chief said.

Thompson was charged Jan. 5 with possession of a controlled dangerous substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and endangering the welfare of children.

Thompson is scheduled to appear in Superior Court on Feb. 1.

More:State denies Metuchen teacher sick leave request for possible complications from catching COVID

All Westfield Police officers, including school resource officers, carry Narcan to revive overdose victims. They administered it to suspected drug overdose victims 13 times in 2022, the chief said.

"The Westfield Police Department continues to prioritize its ongoing partnership with the Westfield Public School System to ensure it has the safety and security resources it needs on a daily basis," said Battiloro. "In this case, the swift actions of Officer Riga, who is on-site at Roosevelt Intermediate each school day, proved instrumental in maintaining the safety of the students and administering potentially life-saving measures to Mr. Thompson."

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"While the Westfield Public School District cannot comment on personnel matters which are confidential, we will maintain a continued focus on student and staff safety and on preserving the integrity of the classroom learning environment," says Superintendent Dr. Raymond Gonzalez. "We are grateful for our strong partnership with the Westfield Police Department."

Email: mdeak@mycentraljersey.com

Mike Deak is a reporter for mycentraljersey.com. To get unlimited access to his articles on Somerset and Hunterdon counties, please subscribe or activate your digital account.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Westfield art teacher charged after drug overdose in classroom
How can anyone feel less than optimistic about a year that starts with a veritable explosion of polka dots?

Ten years after its initial collaboration with Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, Louis Vuitton has again teamed up with Kusama for the first big collection of the year, and its a doozy. Hundreds of pieces of LV merch (sneakers, slides, bags, bikinis, bucket hats, coats, skirts and pants for both men and women) speckled with multicolor dots, metallic dots and pretty much every other dot permutation imaginable, like joyful confetti raining down on a sea of logos.

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Unveiled on Sunday in Asia, and Friday in the rest of the world, the line raises the bar for what is fast turning into a hackneyed fashion trope. (Running out of ideas? Do a collaboration!) As well as serves as an overture of good cheer for a year that is otherwise cloaked in uncertainty.

Yes, we can be nervous about household spending and geopolitics and maybe even a COVID resurgence, but take a moment to window-shop past Kusamas spotty reimagining of the LV world and youll find it impossible not to smile. Even better, this is simply drop one of two. The next batch of goodies featuring more of her signature work is coming at the end of March  a reminder that there are plenty of interesting, distracting and possibly even thrilling fashion developments that will shape our self-expression, and wardrobes, in 2023.

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What else can you look forward to?

The Gucci vibe shift (and other debuts)

Style-setters of the world were shocked when Alessandro Michele, the designer who transformed Gucci from a gold-plated, python-skinned avatar of hard-core aspiration into a big-tent hodgepodge of emotion, product and identity, announced in November that he was stepping down. His departure leaves an enormous void at a luxury megabrand, not to mention pop culture in general, and it raises the question of what happens next: more of the same or a dramatic about-face? Whoever lands at the top will be responsible in part for resetting the mood of the industry.

Speaking of highly influential new jobs: More than a year after the death of Virgil Abloh, Louis Vuitton has yet to name a new menswear designer, but word is that an appointment will happen soon. Though whether an LV or a Gucci announcement will take place before the upcoming seasons big debut  Daniel Lee at Burberry  remains to be seen. Lee is the celebrated designer who left Bottega Veneta under a cloud in late 2021. Whether he can effect the same turnaround for Britains biggest luxury house, and his own reputation, will be the test of London Fashion Week in February.

Phoebe Philo most likely finally returns

When Phoebe Philo, aka, the Greta Garbo of fashion, revealed in July 2021 that she would return to fashion with her own brand under her own name, there was a clutching of breasts and shrieking with joy by an adult female population that had been trying to figure out what to wear ever since Philo left her position as creative director at Celine about five years ago.

After all, it was at Celine that Philo had become the patron saint of smart, grown-up women everywhere, with her embrace of quietly complicated luxury minimalism. Now she was coming back, and on her own terms! Joy! Rapture!

More information was promised last January, but that month, and the entire year, came and went with no news from the Philo camp. The smart money says that the Phoebe Philo brand will finally make its debut in 2023. Expectations are higher than one of Lady Gagas platform stilettos.

Big- and small-screen style-setters

It is impossible to ignore the fact that movies and streamers have become not only mega-watching events but mega-fashion events, and that costume designers are often as influential as any fashion designer. To that end, two premieres are almost guaranteed to filter into closets everywhere.

First up is Daisy Jones & the Six, the Amazon Prime Video series based on Taylor Jenkins Reids book scheduled for release March 3, smack in the middle of Paris Fashion Week.

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The show stars Riley Keough as the Stevie Nicks-like main character, as well as assorted rock n roll, flower power 1970s designs courtesy of Denise Wingate, the costume designer, which are pretty much guaranteed to shape festival fashion for the rest of the year.

Then in July comes the movie event that has been seeping into collections since the first screenshots leaked last year: Greta Gerwigs Barbie, with costume design by Jacqueline Durran. Expect a summer of neon pink and yellow, with the related postmodern revisionism of the classic fashion palette.

More royal dressing drama

On May 6, King Charles III will be officially crowned, as will Queen Consort Camilla, and while the event will purportedly be less grand than the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II back in 1953, it will nonetheless provide a moment to reset the royal agenda after the Prince Harry and Meghan revelations (which will continue this month with the publication of Harrys memoir). Get ready for at least a dollop of pomp and circumstance, as well as some serious bling and historic image-making by the immediate royal family, including William, the Prince of Wales; his wife, Catherine, and their three always coordinated children. Given that Prince Harry and Meghan will reportedly also be invited, the style stakes will be even greater.

That the fairy-tale ceremony comes only a few days after the Met Gala, this year held in honor of Karl Lagerfeld and offering a take on fashion royalty of a different kind, will make it a dressing week to remember.

And some courtroom intrigue

Fashion tends to have a horror of airing its squabbles in court, but two potentially significant cases will take place early this year in the Southern District of New York for all to hear.

On Tuesday, opening arguments in the Adidas v. Thom Browne trademark infringement and unfair competition suit took place, as Adidas goes after the Zegna-owned fashion brand (whose founder is also the new head of the Council of Fashion Designers of America) over whether its use of four and five stripes on its sportswear is too close to the Adidas three-stripe logo. Given the increasing synergies between the worlds of high fashion and sports, the case, which will continue through the next week or two, could have some major wardrobe repercussions.

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Then at the end of the month (assuming the parties dont reach a settlement first) comes Hermes v. Rothschild, Mason Rothschild being the artist who created the MetaBirkin NFT series  that group of digital representations of fuzzy, colorful Birkin-alikes that was also a comment on consumer culture  with all its potential implications for what happens when questions of fashion, creativity, artistic expression and the metaverse collide. Your avatar, or the potential wardrobe for your avatar, not to mention the relationship between fashion and that nebulous collecting arena otherwise known as nonfungible tokens, may never be the same.
A woman accused of killing a Mount Dora couple appeared before a Lake County judge for the first time Saturday.

Vickie Williams was arrested earlier this week in Georgia after being accused of driving a car belonging to Darryl and Sharon Getman.

The couple was found dead in their home a week ago on New Years Day.

Days after the murder, police said people saw Williams driving the Getmans green car.

A Lake County judge announced Williams is now charged in the murder of the retired couple.

Vickie Williams, accused of killing a Mount Dora couple, appeared before a Lake County judge for the first time Saturday.

Read: Stunned, devastated and heart-broken: Children of couple killed in Mount Dora release statement

Mount Dora Police Chief Mike Gibson said this investigation spanned three states. He told Channel 9 he stands by his earlier statements that this incident was a random attack.

I believe it was someone that was simply passing through, Gibson said.

The police chief said he feels good about where the investigation stands. Williams is now officially facing murder charges in connection with the case, and those warrants have been served, Gibson said.

Read: Person of interest in Mount Dora couples deaths faces Georgia judge on stolen vehicle charge

Witnesses said before police found the couple, they saw Williams knocking on doors, trying to get inside peoples homes.

In that case, security did encounter her and did escort her back to the back of the complex or back of the compound, Gibson said.

Police said Williams later got back inside the community where the Getmans lived through gaps in the fencing.

Read: UPDATE: Police identify person of interest in senseless slaying of elderly Mount Dora Couple

Right now, police are not releasing the manner of this couples death, but Williams next court appearance is on Jan. 30.

In the past, law enforcement arrested Williams in connection to other cases.

There were arrests for several cases in the 90s and early 2000s for various charges, including robbery and criminal trespassing. Recently, Williams pled guilty to theft for a 2016 arrest in South Carolina.

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.
There are just two Hooters locations in the UK. Budrul Chukrut/Getty Images

A Hooters owner says a woman verbally abused staff at the restaurant, the Liverpool Echo reported.

The owner said the woman coughed in her face and jumped on a bar stool before being arrested.

The Liverpool site opened two months ago and claims to be the world's biggest Hooters.

The owner of a Hooters in England said a woman who came into the outlet verbally abused staff, and coughed in her face, before she was arrested by police, the Liverpool Echo reported.

A woman came into the Liverpool restaurant, which claims to be the world's biggest Hooters, and acted aggressively towards workers on Thursday, according to the report. The 39-year-old was asked to leave, but jumped on a bar stool instead.



Rachel Moss, who is also managing director of the Hooters in Liverpool, called local police who arrested the woman for assault and public disorder. She was later released on bail.



The woman, who was not a customer, was also "aggressive" towards police and "verbally abusive" to her workers, Moss told the Echo.

"The woman burst in and was being abusive towards the staff. We won't tolerate that kind of behavior," she told the newspaper. "She coughed in my face and claimed she was full of infection. We've got it all on CCTV and will be sending it to the police."

The Hooters restaurant became only the second in the UK after opening late last year. Before it opened, 1,600 women applied to work there, the Echo reported.

Liverpool city council has asked the restaurant to remove two neon orange signs outside the restaurant that did not have planning permission, according to the outlet.



Last month Hooters rejected rumors that it was shutting its outlets and revamping them after a viral tweet said a study found millennials "aren't that into boobs." The company told Insider there was "no validity" to the claims.

Hooters Liverpool did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider.

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French Montana has released his first statement following reports that 10 people had been injured in a shooting during his music video shoot.

The incident took place outside a Miami restaurant called The Licking where the rapper was filming a music video on Thursday night (5 January), according to police.

In a statement on Friday (6 January), Montana tweeted: Last night, I was in Miami celebrating the release of my CB6 mixtape [with] friends at a local restaurant. We unfortunately were at the wrong place, at the wrong time when an incident took place that left people hurt.

Our thoughts and prayers are [with] the victims and families at this time.

US news sites reported that it remains unclear whether someone shot into the crowd or whether there was an exchange of gunfire.

Witnesses said the Unforgettable rapper was shooting a video at the time of the incident and local MC Ced Mogul shared a clip from the video showing Montana dressed in a red shirt while sitting in the back of a car with New Orleans rapper Rob49.

Mogul claimed Rob49 was among the victims, but police are yet to confirm this.

Miami Gardens police spokesperson Diana Gourgue told reporters that the condition of those hurt was unknown, but there were not any fatalities, per CBS News.

Last night, I was in Miami celebrating the release of my CB6 mixtape w/ friends at a local restaurant. We unfortunately were at the wrong place, at the wrong time when an incident took place that left people hurt. Our thoughts & prayers are w/ the victims & families at this time  French Montana (@FrencHMonTanA) January 6, 2023

The Licking said in a statement: Our hearts are heavy and go out to the victims of this senseless act. We were not aware of a video being filmed and found out last min French Montana was shooting a scene in the back parking lot. We have no idea what actually took place. The Licking restaurant has nothing to do with the incident and has given police the necessary footage requested.

Montana released the latest edition in his mixtape series, Coke Boys 6: Money Heist Edition, on Friday. It features A$AP Rocky, Kodak Black and Jeremih, among other artists.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has congratulated the 57-year-old leader of the Republican Party in the US House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy, on his election to the post of House Speaker.

Source: European Pravda

"Congratulations to Kevin McCarthy on his election as the Speaker of the US House of Representatives. US support in all areas has been vital for Ukraines success on the battlefield. Were counting on your continued support and further US assistance to bring our common victory closer," Zelenskyy wrote on Twitter.

Congratulations to @GOPLeader on his election as the Speaker of  House of Representatives. U.S. support in all fields has been vital for s success on the battlefield. Were counting on your continued support and further U.S. assistance to bring our common victory closer.  (@ZelenskyyUa) January 7, 2023

Kevin McCarthy had previously stated that he favoured continued support for Ukraine in its full-scale war with Russia but has disagreed with issuing what he called a "blank cheque". Republicans also previously advocated establishing mechanisms for more vigilant supervision of the aid provided to Kyiv  this does not mean aid reduction; however, this could slow it down procedurally.

The Republican majority in the lower house of Congress early on Saturday reached an agreement on the appointment of McCarthy as Speaker, approving his candidacy on the fifteenth vote that lasted four days.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives is the third highest position in the US government and plays an important role in shaping the House agenda, particularly in approving financial aid, which is also important for Ukraine.

Before the Speaker was appointed, the House could not swear in legislators and begin reviewing and passing laws. The last time the Speaker of the US House of Representatives was not elected on the first attempt was in 1923, and the record length of this process reached two months back in 1855.

Story continues

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President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced the latest sanctions against those who justify Russia's war against Ukraine.

Source: President Zelenskyys nightly video address

Quote: "We have an intermediate result in the work regarding many citizens of Russia and persons associated with it who justify the war, help to wage it, or glorify the terrorist state. Today, the first such sanctions list is ready, and further decisions on sanctions against such persons will follow.

Everyone whose voice sounds in unison with the roar of Russian artillery will be isolated from the civilised world."

Details: The President also noted that on 7 January the world was once again able to witness how false "any words at any level that come from Moscow are".

"They were saying something about an alleged ceasefire But the reality is that Russian projectiles have hit Bakhmut and other Ukrainian positions again.

It has been confirmed once again: only the expulsion of the Russian occupiers from Ukrainian land and the elimination of any opportunities for Russia to put pressure on Ukraine and the whole of Europe will mean the restoration of the ceasefire, security and peace," Zelenskyy said.

Previously: On Saturday 7 January, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy implemented the National Security and Defence Councils decision to impose sanctions against 119 Russian public figures, the vast majority of whom are Russian citizens, with three being Ukrainian citizens.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
A new headliner to the downtown Lynchburg experience will soon be in the works as city officials plan improvements to Riverfront Park that include a large new amphitheater near the bank of the James River.

A public open house preview is scheduled for 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesday at Tresca on 8th, 724 Commerce St. in downtown Lynchburg.

While the amphitheater is the big-ticket item in the improvements, Anna Bentson, the citys assistant director of economic development and tourism, said the entire slate of improvements will complete the vision set forth in the citys master plans for downtown.

The $4.3 million project was approved as a part of the citys fiscal year 2023 Capital Improvement Plan, Bentson said. The project will receive a majority of its funding through federal American Rescue Plan Act money, plus a private $125,000 donation by the Kiwanis Club of Lynchburg to build a playground in the park.

In addition to the amphitheater and playground, the enhanced park will have new permanent restrooms, permanent fencing, lighting and a concrete sidewalk along Jefferson Street, replacing the current gravel sidewalk.

Clay Simmons, the project manager and deputy director of public works, said construction on the park enhancements will likely begin in May or June and will take about 12 to 14 months to finish.

While the area currently serves as park and recreational space for the city  a place where smaller concerts and events have been held  Bentson said the improvements will bring the necessary infrastructure to host large-scale events, large-scale concerts, and even national touring acts in the coming years.

Currently, the city uses a portable stage to host events in the park, which Simmons said is showing its age and getting to the point it needs to be replaced.

Replacing the temporary stage will be a large permanent stage and amphitheater in the southeast portion of the park, which will feature staging wings on each side that could add width.

That box is 40 by 40 by 32 [feet] high, so its going to be a large structure. And its going to really give us a lot of capabilities on the site that we dont have at this time, and what you couldnt get with a portable or temporary structure, Simmons said.

The project engineer said the stage will likely have a structure attached to its ceiling, allowing them to suspend electronics, such as lights and speakers above the stage, as opposed to attaching them on lattices on the stage, creating a cleaner look.

In the rear of the stage, Bentson said there will be restrooms for performers, a dressing area and a load-in area that will allow for touring buses or trucks to prepare the stage for shows.

In addition to replacing the temporary stage, permanent fencing and restrooms will go up in the park, allowing the temporary barricades and restrooms to become a thing of the past in Riverfront Park.

It really got to be kind of an eyesore, Simmons said about the temporary barricades the city placed in the park.

Bentson said the new fence will allow the city to close the park for special events and alcohol licensing requirements but also will allow the park to look open and welcoming, without the metal barriers the city has had to haul in.

The parks new permanent restrooms will sit across from the current splashpad, which will remain in the park amid the improvements. A sidewalk will extend from the edge of the splashpad to the building where the restrooms will be, which will sit in front of the existing chain-link fence on the side of the park that runs along the railroad tracks.

In that area will be a shade structure, where Simmons said officials hope to stylize the pergolas to look similar to the ones on downtowns Bluffwalk.

Having programmed many events in this space, Bentson said having the permanent infrastructure will save touring acts money, making the site more enticing to promoters, while still maintaining the space to host events the city has held in the past like the Beer & Wine Festival, or Movies in the Park.

If ... weve got permanent restrooms, and weve got a stage, and weve got permanent lighting structures, things like that people will come to use. Right now, if you have a special event permit you have to bring in everything, Bentson said. Were hoping to help make this a user-friendly space for our existing community and also work with an operator to bring in additional programming.

She said during the construction process, the city will issue a request for proposals for an operator of the park, assisting the city in programming the park with existing and new partners.

Bentson said during the past year, 10 events in Riverfront Park generated more than $880,000 in total business sales. She added this included spending in restaurants, retail, transportation, lodging and other things associated with event attendance.

Bentson said her office ran an economic impact analysis for a three-day music festival with a national touring act and that estimated over $965,000 in total business sales.

Because the capacity of the park will not change, Simmons believes the citys downtown infrastructure still is prepared to host major events in the park.

Were really not changing that capacity. What we are doing is enhancing our ability to hold it with the least amount of work at each event, Simmons said.

Despite proposing the enhancements in a 100-year floodplain, Simmons said the city has done a lot of careful work on its plans, and that anything built below that flood line will be flood proof, or flood resistant.

The entire restroom will be constructed in a flood-proof way. But all of the electronics and everything that would [be] flood-damageable will be elevated above that flood stage on the structure.

Simmons added they are looking at one more flood study but the initial flood work that has gone on has been pretty extensive. And we still got a little bit more to do.
WASHINGTON  It's been a big week for U.S.-Mexico relations, and that was even before President Joe Biden becomes the first U.S. leader to visit Mexico in nearly a decade.

In the lead-up to that trip, Biden announced a major border policy shift, with Mexico's blessing, that will result in the United States sending 30,000 migrants from four other countries per month back across the border. In Mexico, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's security forces nabbed one of the sons of imprisoned former Sinaloa cartel boss Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, touching off violence that left 30 dead and dozens injured. The son, Ovidio Guzman, is a reputed drug trafficker wanted by the United States.

The two presidents, along with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, will gather in Mexico City on Monday and Tuesday for a North American leaders summit. Even with progress on the migration issue, there is much to discuss: climate change, manufacturing, trade, the economy and the potential global clout of a more collaborative North America.

Biden arrives at the Palacio Nacional in Mexico City on Monday afternoon and the presidents will meet before Trudeau joins them for dinner. Biden and Trudeau will hold talks Tuesday and then the three will gather for discussions. It will be the first time since 2014 that Mexico has hosted a U.S. president.

Biden hopes to use the summit "to keep driving North America's economic competitiveness and help promote inclusive growth and prosperity," said National Security Council spokesman John Kirby.

For the U.S., the major talking points are migration, drug trafficking and building on Biden's push on electric vehicles and manufacturing.

Lopez Obrador is focused on economic integration for North America, supporting the poor in the Americas and regional relationships that put all governments on equal footing.

The U.S. and Mexico are expected to continue discussions about ending a dispute over U.S. corn after Mexico announced it would ban imports of genetically modified corn. In addition, Mexico is seeking money to boost solar energy projects.

As for Canada, the goal is simply "to carve some attention and space in this summit," said Louise Blais, a longtime Canadian diplomat.

Mexico sees the event as a chance to advance its economic interests.

It stands to benefit as U.S. companies reconsider their relationships with China after supply chain disruptions, coronavirus outbreaks and changes in federal policy. Both Mexico's proximity to the U.S. and existing trade agreements would be incentives for American factories to relocate south of the border. The U.S. imported more than $380 billion worth of goods from Mexico through the first 10 months of 2022  the third-largest source of imports after China and the European Union, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Canada is the fourth-largest U.S. partner by imports, with the State Department calling it "the world's most comprehensive trading relationship." The U.S. and Canada are each other's largest market for exports, and Canada is the largest foreign supplier of energy products to the U.S.

The U.S., Mexico and Canada are already in a long-standing trade agreement that was updated in 2020. When U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai met last month with Mexico's secretary of the economy, Raquel Buenrostro, they discussed further economic integration as well as energy, fisheries and the trade agreement's ban on importing goods made by forced labor  a subject that is among the tensions with China.

Analysts at Bank of America estimated in October that Mexico could increase its trade by as much as 30% if more supply chains returned to North America. Their report notes there had already been a bump in Mexican manufacturing as U.S. policymakers and businesses increasingly focus on bringing more trade to allied countries that are near American consumers.

"Every country is arriving with different priorities, but there is common ground," said Enrique Perret, managing director of the U.S.-Mexico Foundation, a think tank focused on cooperation between the two nations. "It's competitiveness, it's economy, it's education, it's labor mobility."

But it's not all rosy.

The leaders of Canada and Mexico have voiced concerns over Biden's "Buy America" plan. And while Biden's push toward electric vehicles is a boon to both nations because of the tax credits for North American batteries, there's concern the U.S. allies will be left behind.

Meantime, the U.S. and Canada accuse Lopez Obrador of trying to favor Mexico's state-owned utility over power plants built by foreign and private investors, something that is forbidden under the three countries' free trade pact.

The leaders did meet in Washington last November, but until then, there hadn't been a summit in five years and many of the current disputes have festered despite constant discussion. They include fentanyl trafficking, corn production, automobile rules of origin and Mexican energy laws.

The chemistry between Biden and Lopez Obrador is tricky, too. Their relationship is highly transactional and absent any of the warmth and camaraderie Biden has with other world leaders. Lopez Obrador has made no secret of his admiration of Biden's predecessor, Donald Trump.

Biden has raised concerns over security and drug trafficking in Mexico and the deaths of journalists there. The U.S. took issue with Lopez Obrador for boycotting the Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles last year over Biden's decision not to invite the leaders of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua.

Biden plans to stop in El Paso, Texas, on Sunday for his first visit as president to the U.S.-Mexico border, just days after announcing that the U.S. will immediately begin turning away Cubans, Haitians and Nicaraguans who illegally cross into the U.S. from Mexico. The new policy is an effort to manage the spiraling numbers of migrants arriving at the border.
, Jan 06 ( Japan Today ) - The suspect in the deaths of three family members last month at a residence in Hanno, Saitama Prefecture, has denied killing them, police said Wednesday.

DNA from blood found on clothing confiscated from the home of the suspect, Jun Saito, 40, matches that of all three victims, police also said, adding they suspect it was worn by Saito at the time of the crime.

The suspect had been refusing to talk since his arrest on Dec 25 for the murder the same day of his neighbor William Bishop, a 69-year-old U.S. national.

"I did not do it. I have no recollection," he was quoted as saying recently. Bishop's wife Izumi Morita, 68, and their daughter Sophianna Megumi Morita, 32, were also found dead with blunt trauma injuries outside their Hanno residence.

Saito was sent to prosecutors on Dec 27 for allegedly killing Bishop by hitting him with a blunt object on Christmas morning. He is also under investigation for the deaths of Morita and Sophianna. ...continue reading
As the number of social media users has grown in recent years, platforms like Facebook, Instagram and TikTok have seen an explosion of "mommy content" portraying the experiences of mothers.

But an increase in that kind of content has led to harmful idealized depictions of motherhood, according to Ciera Kirkpatrick, an associate advertising and public relations professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

"It's always been an issue, but now anyone can post these portrayals and they're more accessible," she said.

She recently reflected on her experiences as a mother in her dissertation, studying how social media depictions of motherhood impact other mothers' perceptions and attitudes.

Becoming a new mom at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic was less than ideal for Kirkpatrick.

Being cautious about leaving her home led to spending more time scrolling through social media.

She said she already felt societal pressure when it came to the expectations of motherhood  what to do or not do with your kid  and felt those expectations mounting as she encountered "mommy influencers" on her feed.

The idealized portrayals were nothing new, Kirkpatrick says.

"In the 70s and 80s, you'd see profiles of celebrity moms in magazines that painted a picture of a perfect mother who loved motherhood," Kirkpatrick says. "You saw nothing but positive experiences."

The same thing is happening now, just in a new medium, Kirkpatrick says.

In her study, Kirkpatrick exposed 464 new mothers to Instagram posts from "mommy influencers" and everyday moms. Of the 20 posts, half presented an idealized portrayal of motherhood, while the other half were more authentic portrayals.

Through her research, she found that exposure to the idealized portrayals of motherhood on social media increased anxiety and envy among the mothers.

Much like her previous research on the effects of social media on body image and self esteem, Kirkpatrick says this idealized portrayal of motherhood is not just an influencer or celebrity problem.

Unlike previous research on the topic, Kirkpatrick's study found that it was the idealized content itself that was causing envy and anxiety, not the source of the posts.

Another key finding that she hopes will help other mothers is that much of the glamorized mommy content is staged.

"Oftentimes, some of these mommy influencers will rent an Airbnb for the weekend to film content and portray the image of a put-together mom and a clean home," Kirkpatrick says.

She hopes her research will help mothers know that much of the content they're seeing is false depictions and that their experience is normal.

Lisa Armitage Pulley, a mom of two from Kansas, says the depictions of motherhood on social media at times makes her feel as if she isn't doing enough.

"Social media can be great, it's great for mom groups, but there's an ugly side of it where you're comparing and you can only take so much of it," Armitage Pulley says.

What can help, Armitage Pulley says, is leaning on other mom friends and being real with each other about motherhood in person and online.

Kirkpatrick's biggest goal with her research is for health care professionals to use it to educate new mothers.

She hopes her findings can be part of educational videos hospitals often have parents watch before being sent home.

Kirkpatrick believes her research can have lasting effects because a mother's mental health carries over and impacts the children.

"If we're not taking care of ourselves, then it's hard for us to take care of the other people in our lives," she said.

Top Journal Star photos for December
Weather Alert

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR ALL OF EASTERN NEBRASKA AND SOUTHWEST IOWA... ...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TO 8 PM CDT THURSDAY FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR ALL OF EASTERN NEBRASKA AND SOUTHWEST IOWA.. The National Weather Service in Omaha/Valley has issued a Red Flag Warning for wind and low relative humidity, which is in effect from noon to 8 PM CDT Thursday. The Fire Weather Watch is no longer in effect. * Affected Area...In Iowa, Monona, Harrison, Shelby, Pottawattamie, Mills, Montgomery, Fremont and Page. In Nebraska, Knox, Cedar, Thurston, Antelope, Pierce, Wayne, Boone, Madison, Stanton, Cuming, Burt, Platte, Colfax, Dodge, Washington, Butler, Saunders, Douglas, Sarpy, Seward, Lancaster, Cass, Otoe, Saline, Jefferson, Gage, Johnson, Nemaha, Pawnee and Richardson. * Winds...South 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 45 mph. * Relative Humidity...As low as 21 percent. * Impacts...Any fires that develop will likely spread rapidly. Outdoor burning is not recommended. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now, or will shortly. A combination of strong winds, low relative humidity and warm temperatures can contribute to extreme fire behavior. &&
A Chicago police evidence technician processes a crime scene at a gas station at 601 S. Independence Boulevard in Chicago where a teen reportedly was shot and killed on Friday, Jan. 6, 2023. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune) (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)

A 16-year-old boy fatally wounded Friday afternoon at a West Side gas station was among five teens, ranging from 14 to 16 years of age, shot Friday afternoon to Saturday morning, Chicago police said.

Ahmad M. Jones and another 16-year-old boy exited a ride-sharing vehicle when someone inside a black SUV shot them at a gas station in the 600 block of South Independence Boulevard about 4 p.m., according to a police report.

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Ahmad suffered wounds to the upper body and head, and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 4:41 p.m., the report said. A Saturday autopsy found he died of multiple gunshot wounds and his death was ruled a homicide, according to the Cook County medical examiners office.

The other boy was shot in chest and legs, and was taken to Stroger Hospital where he was listed in critical condition.

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Most recently, a 15-year-old boy was shot Saturday morning around 4 a.m. in the 400 block of South Western Avenue.

Police said a 15-year-old boy was a passenger in a vehicle when a black Kia pulled up and someone inside fired multiple times. The boy was shot in the left shoulder and was taken to Stroger Hospital where he was listed in good condition, police said.

Shortly after 9:30 p.m. Friday., a 14-year-old boy was wounded exiting a building in the 900 block of South Independence Boulevard. Police found him in the common area of the building with two gunshot wounds to the left wrist. The boy was uncooperative with police, and when police found an adult to speak with they were very uncooperative and closed the door to an apartment, police said.

Around 6:20 p.m. Friday, a 15-year-old boy was shot in the 400 block of East 71st Street in the Grand Crossing neighborhood.

Police said the boy was traveling in a vehicle when he was shot in the chest. He was taken to Comer Childrens Hospital where he was listed in fair condition, police said.

No one was in custody for any of the attacks, and detectives were investigating.

Editors note: This story has been updated to reflect the boys shot on Independence Boulevard were both 16, per Chicago police.
Since the reopening of borders in April 2022, tourism in Madagascar has been slowly regaining momentum after two years of isolation from the rest of the world during the Covid-19 pandemic, though lack of services and soaring airfare prices have meant that the potential for tourism development has largely been left untapped.

Despite an undeniable attraction for Madagascar as a destination, renowned for its one-of-a kind biodiversity, heavenly beaches, and favorable weather, the island only welcomed 106.000 tourists between January and November 2022, three times less than pre pandemic. Reasons for this slow revival can be explained by a lack of services and the soaring prices of plane tickets according to the Confederation of tourism of Madagascar.

Players in the sector hope that the slow resumption will encourage the State to make significant improvements in domestic transport. The lack of domestic flights and increasingly dilapidated roads make access to certain sites very difficult. This is particularly the case for Morondava and its majestic Baobab Alley, in the west of the country.

After the country was awarded the title of Indian Oceans Leading Green Destination 2022 by the World Travel Awards in its 29th edition, Madagascars Ministry of Tourism expects an arrival of 300,000 visitors in 2023. Still, the Covid-19 pandemic has hugely affected tourism in Madagascar. The countrys tourism sector is threatened, with 44,000 direct jobs and 300,000 indirect jobs potentially jeopardized. To revive tourism, associations, travel agencies, parks and other stakeholders are focusing on local tourism, putting ecotourism and community tourism at the heart of their initiatives. Though community based tourism has been in vogue for quite some time on the island, it is now a crucial step towards the sectors revival.
After losing the support of Madrid in their anti-Moroccan alliance, the Algerian rulers are now refocusing on Mauritania after having subjugated Tunisias Kais Saeid with petro-dollars sweeteners.

According to Maghreb-Intelligence online magazine, the Algerian regime will intensify in 2023 its lobbying campaign in Mauritania to tighten its grip on this Maghreb country and turn it economically dependent on Algiers for political gains.

To achieve this goal, the Algerian government plans to use its oil revenues to fund several projects in Mauritania in transport, energy, trade, finance, food industry

It is worth mentioning that Algerian firm Cevital has received all financial and logistic support from Algerian junta to set up an agro-industrial complex in Nouadhibou free zone.

Furthermore, two Algerian state-owned banks will open branches in Nouakchott to strengthen financial relations between the two countries, following the example of Moroccan banks.

To ensure success to the Nouakchott-operation, the Algerian Generals offer cash and concessional loans to Mauritanian leaders in a bid to lure them and buy their support.

The ultimate goal of the Algerian regime is to isolate Morocco and undermine its historical ties with Mauritania. But the million-dollar question is that will Nouakchott give in to Algiers pressure and join the tripartite alliance against Morocco?

Some experts say Paris is pushing from behind the scenes Algiers to harden its stand against Rabat which is busy working to diversify its strategic partnerships beyond its European traditional allies in the new world order taking shape.

Thanks to the Royal farsighted strategy, Morocco is not putting all its eggs in one basket as evidenced by the thriving economic, military, technological and cultural cooperation ties set with many countries such as the United States, Israel, China, the United Kingdom, Russia and across the African continent.

The Algerian regime should learn from the experience of Qatar and the UAE and other Gulf countries which invested their gas & oil earnings in health, education, infrastructures, social services, industry, tourism, sportsThey have not squandered billions of their taxpayers money on lost causes and separatism fueling tensions and regional conflicts.

Last year, over 13,000 Algerians fled their country to Europe seeking better future. The pro-democracy Hirak movement that toppled the late Abdelaziz Bouteflika is set to return with rising unemployment to 15%, deteriorating social & human rights situation and deepening political crisis.

Instead of providing milk, sugar, oil, medicines and food to Algerians, the corrupt, feckless and oppressive regime is pushing the country to the cliff-edge!
The United States on Friday commended the appreciated role of Morocco, under the leadership of King Mohammed VI, Chairman of the Al-Quds Committee, in supporting the Palestinian people and advancing the two-state solution and peace in the Middle East.

Morocco has a unique relationship with the Palestinians, of course HM King Mohammed VI is the chairman of the Al-Quds Committee of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and we appreciate Moroccos role in providing aid and assistance to the Palestinian people and supporting the two-state solution, said the U.S. Department of States Spokesperson, Ned Price.

Commenting the resumption of relations between Morocco and Israel, Price said that the Kingdom is a leader, stressing that ties between the Kingdom and Israel created real benefits for the people of both countries as well as new opportunities for peace and prosperity.

We will continue to engage with Israel and other countries in the region and even beyond to attempt to broaden this circle of opportunity of normalization, and we will look for other opportunities to enhance cooperation between these countries and between Israel and its neighbors, he pointed out at a news briefing in Washington.

On the Negev forum, the spokesperson of the Department of State recalled that the forums members have established working groups focused on six key areas: Regional security, clean energy, food and water security, health, tourism and education and coexistence.

These working groups seek to advance coordinative initiatives between the founding members of the forum to encourage what this is all about: regional integration, cooperation and development for the benefit of the people of the region, including of course initiatives that could strengthen the Palestinian economy and improve the quality of life for the Palestinian people, Price pointed out.

The Negev forum process is about building bridges and creating opportunities, he said, while underlining the importance of working to achieve a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

In a previous news briefing, Ned Price asked a question on settlements in the West Bank, saying that these settlements are illegal.

The Homesh outpost in the West Bank is illegal. It is illegal even under Israeli law. Our call to refrain from unilateral steps certainly includes any decision to create a new settlement, to legalize outposts, or allowing building of any kind deep in the West Bank adjacent to Palestinian communities or on private Palestinian land, Ned Price said.

He stated further that Washington stands firmly for the preservation of the historic status quo with respect to the holy sites in Jerusalem. Any unilateral actions that depart from that historic status quo is unacceptable.
The 49 Ivorian soldiers arrested in Mali, in July, described as mercenaries, then charged in mid-August with attempt to undermine the external security of the State and imprisoned, have been pardoned by President Col. Assimi Goita. Three of them, women, were released in mid-September.

The pardon comes one week after 46 of the soldiers were sentenced to 20 years in prison. The three other defendants, all women, who had been released in mid-September, were tried in absentia and sentenced to the death penalty.

Col. Assimi Goita granted the pardon and demonstrates once again his commitment to peace, dialogue, pan-Africanism and the preservation of fraternal and secular relations with regional countries, in particular those between Mali and Cote dIvoire, said a statement from Col. Abdoulaye Maiga, the government spokesman.

This pardon thus reinforces the dynamic created following the signing in Bamako, on December 22, 2022, of the Memorandum of Understanding relating to the promotion of peace and the strengthening of relations of friendship, fraternity and neighborliness between the Republic of Mali and the Republic of Cote dIvoire, the statement said.

The 49 soldiers were detained in July when they went to work for Sahelian Aviation Services, a private company contracted to work in Mali by the United Nations.

A Jan. 1 deadline set by West African leaders for Mali to release the soldiers was missed. The decision to pardon the soldiers symbolizes Goitas concern for good governance and respect for independent justice, the government statement said.

The current President of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) had assured Wednesday that there would be no immediate sanctions against Mali despite the expiry of the ultimatum set for January 1 to the Malian junta for the release, to let the Togolese mediation work for the release of the 46 Ivorian soldiers.

The release of the Ivorian soldiers is meant to both send a good faith signal to Cote dIvoire and show that the junta is in full control, while distracting the public from the security crisis engulfing the nation, analysts said.

Additionally it is a loud message to other foreign governments and (aid groups) to stay behind the figurative red line the junta is drawing, Laith Alkhouri, CEO of Intelonyx Intelligence Advisory, was quoted by AP as saying.

Do not interfere in the issues of the state, despite the fact that large parts of Mali are now the playground of international terrorist groups and warring factions that are spilling over to Burkina Faso and other Sahelian nations, he said.

Goita seized power in two coups, first in 2020 and then the following year, when he took control after firing the president and prime minister of the transitional government.

Mali has been embroiled in jihadi violence linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group for a decade.
HOLDREGE  The Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation Districts board of directors elected new officers and seated a new board member Thursday at the first monthly meeting of 2023.

David Rowe of Johnson Lake was elected to his third two-year term as board president, CNPPID said in a press release. Rowe has represented Dawson County on Centrals board since 2005 and was re-elected this past election year.

Other directors elected as officers were Kyle Shepherd of North Platte, vice president; William Knoerzer of Elwood, secretary; and Scott Olson of Minden, treasurer.

The newest board member elected in November was Brent Soneson of Holdrege, representing Phelps County.

Also at Thursdays meeting:

Staff reported that CNPPID finalized a deal for up to $19.1 million from the state to divert water into the E65 Canal, Phelps Canal, Elwood Reservoir and several waterfowl production areas to provide groundwater recharge over the next 15 years.

In addition, CNPPID also signed a contract with the Platte River Recovery Implementation Program to provide groundwater aquifer recharge services. The $9.15 million contract for Phelps Canal and Elwood Reservoir will last up to 20 years. The Platte Program also provided CNPPID $2 million to assist with a project to install a seepage control system below the dam at Elwood Reservoir to help support those recharge activities.

The board of directors approved a construction services contract with RJH Consultants for the Elwood Dam Seepage Mitigation Project and approved the engineering design contract with JEO Consulting Group for the new E-65 Siphon Project.

The board approved the inclusion of 1,320 acres in the 2023 Water Leasing Program. In exchange for payment of $100 per acre, irrigation customers who submit acres for the program agree to not irrigate the acres. Instead, the Platte River Recovery Program leases the water which is added to the Environmental Account in Lake McConaughy and is available to benefit wildlife habitat along the Platte River.

Legal counsel Charles Brewster told the board that a motion to dismiss has been filed in pending litigation against CNPPID in Phelps County District Court.

The directors approved a work order of $130,000 for CNPPIDs portion of work done on the Middle Phillips Boat Ramp project in conjunction with Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. NGPC will reimburse Central for most of the cost related to the project. Completion of the project is expected next summer.

Hydraulic Project Operations Manager Cory Steinke gave an update on replacement of the bridge at East Midway Lake south of Cozad. The bid for the bridge construction was $2.7 million. Central will provide 20% of the cost with Dawson County and the federal government responsible for the remaining balance and construction.

Civil Engineer Tyler Thulin reported that Lake McConaughys elevation was at 3,225 feet on Thursday (44.7% of capacity), which is up over one foot since the boards committee meeting on Dec. 19. Inflows are around 925 cubic feet per second and releases are about 150 cfs. Snowpack in the North Platte basin is currently at 126% of median average and 113% of median average in the South Platte basin.

General Manager Devin Brundage gave the board an overview and discussed potential concepts for a new water services headquarters located on the west edge of Holdrege.

Two new employees were recently hired to work at the district. Tom Minnis as an irrigation service specialist in Holdrege, and Chuck Wilson in a general maintenance position in Gothenburg.

Centrals Eagle Viewing facilities will be open to the public once again this year. The facility at Johnson No. 2 Hydroplant and the Kingsley Dam facility will both open Saturday and be open every weekend through the end of February. Hours are 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the J-2 site, and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Kingsley.
The first session of the 108th Nebraska Legislature has now begun. All the new and returning senators have been sworn in. The speaker and all the committee chairs have been elected, and now the process of staffing the committees is almost done. Bill introduction has started.

I have introduced my priority bill, which is LB 77. This is my constitutional carry bill that would allow concealed carry of weapons by law-abiding citizens. Its wrong to force citizens to pay money to the government in order to exercise a constitutional right. Twenty-five states have already passed laws like this. Nebraska needs to be number 26.

One of my priority issues this session is the plan to replace the 4-H Camp lost in the Halsey forest fire this past summer. We recently attended a meeting between the University of Nebraska, the 4-H Foundation and the U.S. Forest Service. The course of action we ultimately pursue must include these three organizations because they share overlapping jurisdiction of the camp. Sen. Mike Jacobson also attended the meeting because the Halsey forest is now largely in his legislative district. He is very supportive of restoring the camp to something better than it was before. He has taken a leadership role in drafting the appropriations bill we will ultimately need to fund this project.

I am happy to report that in addition to Sen. Jacobson, everyone else at the meeting was also enthusiastically supportive of replacing the destroyed 4-H camp. Everyone was in agreement that the camp should be rebuilt bigger and better than ever. The discussion included a number of innovative ideas brought up by the group, like a public-private partnership to help ease the burden on the taxpayer.

I am very encouraged by this progress, and actually a little surprised. Any time you can get this many federal, state and private organizations all on the same page, you have accomplished something. I think the people have a good reason to be hopeful and look forward to the future ribbon-cutting of the new 4-H camp.

This year the Legislature has the funds to accomplish projects like these. Im very concerned there will not be revenue for problems like this next year. We need to get this done this session. The last time state tax revenue took a downturn in 2017, we began the session in the red and had to cut over $1 billion in spending because our constitution requires the Legislature to pass a balanced budget, something the U.S. Congress should give a try.

In other news, our new governor was sworn in Thursday. I was happy to hear Gov. Jim Pillens speech on the floor of the Legislature where he called for transformational tax reform. He wants to overhaul how we pay for K-12 education in Nebraska and find a way to lower property taxes. I strongly encourage him to take a serious look at LB 79, Sen. Steve Erdmans EPIC consumption tax bill. It is the transformational tax reform we should pass.

Contact District 43 Sen. Tom Brewer: tbrewer@leg.ne.gov, 402-471-2628.
Just a game of telephone gone wrong, or someone from Mescal's camp wanting to make the news look better than it is?



definitely the latter

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As a Dune stan I like Timmy, but him as a Gladiator? 



He'd get snapped like a twig

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I don't see Paul mescal as a gladiator either, especially with those #FFFFFF thighs. presumably gladiators were people who spent time laboring and toiling under the roman sun and would not have skin so pale that it's transparent

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Maybe hes gonna get a fake tan

Hes Irish and they seem to get them before love island and this is a similarly competitive situation with lesser stakes tho

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He's playing Lucius, Lucilla's son, so he's probably wouldn't be laboring in the sun a lot. And anyway the Romans brought a lot of slaves down from Western Europe so they would be pale.

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maybe if the gladiator had the voice 

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No for real lol

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Yeah like who is he fighting? Children??

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Definitely not gladiator material, but I can buy Chalamet as venal, inbred Roman nobility. Mescal works in that capacity as well, on looks alone, though he seems less waifish.

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Swardstrom said Chalamet hasn't auditioned for anything in seven years.



look, I enjoy Timmy in most of the things I've seen him in but I do not believe this



idk if he is at the point of his career where he doesn't have to audition for parts



or maybe he is because I just remembered the red carpet in Paris for bones and all being canceled because all of the girlies showed up to catch a glimpse of their fave. I guess he's a huge box office draw if his mere presence is enough to cause safety concerns

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he's not a box office draw because that very same movie flopped lol

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Men get so many passes for starring in flops. Thank you for bringing facts to this post.

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apparently it's pretty common for directors to not audition their actors so this could be true tbh.

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I believe it, hes on the short list and has the pick of his roles

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He's not really tested as a big box office draw. Everyone's looking at Wonka for that.

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If you have any name recognition you can be offer only. Ive heard very minor celebs talk about being offer only. You may lose out on the chance at major roles but I can see feeling like that a worthwhile trade to not have to audition.

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Yeah I dont believe he wouldnt have auditioned for dune

7 years ago hed barely been in anything

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It's absolutely plausible. Seven years ago he would have auditioned for Call Me By Your Name and he received an Oscar nom for that at an extremely young age. That alone put him in a completely different sphere than all his peers. And I'm saying this as someone who hasn't enjoyed him in a number of projects. ETA: And apparently he didn't even audition for CMBYN. Same principle goes though because of the Oscar nom.



Edited at 2023-01-08 05:20 am (UTC)

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This is embarrassing for Timmy. I would immediately call my agent to remind them they aren't my publicist.

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Also, while this is certainly a blip and no one in the industry will notice this, having bad representation can cause negative effects on your career, and agents make their money by taking a percentage of the deals they secure for their talent; why would he risk his bag for a tweet?



Annnnd the narrative of an actor hungry for parts and chasing roles they want is a much better narrative than one that only takes roles offered. I love hearing actors talk about roles they really wanted but didn't get.

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i don't think being offer only is necessarily a bad narrative unless you're an idiot and are over-estimating how much sway you have (which isn't the case for timothee at the moment). being offer only basically just means 1) you know you're guaranteed to bring in an audience or 2) you've proved yourself with enough years/accolades that you should be trusted to take on any role



not saying it isn't pretentious but i don't think the industry views it that way. the tweet does make his agent look overly sensitive though.

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It was completely unnecessary and I love when they pull this shit.

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i'd assume most of those actors mentioned, with the exception of richard madden and paul mescal, are offer only.



tbh they probably chose paul because he's great but also because he's cheaper. i really can't imagine timothee in a gladiator movie if he's supposed to be a warrior lol he prob turned it down cause he's not interested in bulking up.

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Austin tho?

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yeah, maybe not him. idk how much weight people are giving the elvis role.

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Borys Kit, who broke this, is very reliable

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he did correct himself tho by saying "actors who were chasing the role, or being chased for it" so idt all of them mentioned were auditioning

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Im neutral on him as an actor, but Im pretty sure that anyone picked for gladiator movie would have to look like a light breeze wouldnt break them in half

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"he hasn't auditioned for anything in more than 7 years"



actors (or their agents) who think auditioning is beneath them are annoying and pretentious. it's more admirable to get cast because you worked for it by auditioning and convincing them than getting the job because you had a good role once or have a good agent.

didn't call me by your name only come out 5 years ago?

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he didn't audition for cmbyn. which is insane bc he was a nobody. Luca is weird.

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Yeah Luca and him have a weird codependent artistic relationship theyre in all of each others shit

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this comment reminded me that I think david lynch similarly didn't audition naomi watts for mulholland drive but instead saw her headshot and they then had a long dinner/conversation instead so maybe it's more common among ~*auteurs*~ than we think (not knocking either luca or lynch, both of whose work I love)

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The producer for CMBY is TCs agents husband (the agent who tweeted). So he vouched him to his husband then Luca.

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It came out in 2017 so it was probably cast in 2016.

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My fave is Amy Sherman-Palladino saying Edward Herrmann's agent told her he wouldn't read for the role they would just have a meeting and he showed up and was like "Okay, so should I read for the part?"

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I didn't get the impression that the point is auditioning is beneath him, simply that he hasn't had to because for the past 7 years he's been the first choice for directors and is approached by them.



I think his agent is just flexing, which ultimately he shouldn't have.

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I would bet money his name was brought into it because they knew that would garner attention, which it did. Brian shouldn't have responded, but who cares.

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I love casting trivia but I hate how people misinterpret it



Like when Daisy Ridley was cast in Star Wars it was reported that she beat out Jennifer Lawrence and shailene woodley for the role and its like please they were both at the top Id their careers at that point, shailene may have auditioned, but theres no way j law did



Most likely their names were brought up in a meeting along with every other young actress in Hollywood lol



That doesnt mean j law wanted the role and Daisy beat her for it



/rant over

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the jlaw talks also seem incredibly unrealistic. she was in two big franchises at that point and i cannot imagine her wanting to be in another one at the same time.

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Yeah also obviously daisy would be a fraction of the price of jlaw so that would def come into it as well

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This casting narrative annoys me so much and SWs is a great example; Daisy didnt beat JLaw they just decided to follow in the Lucas tradition and cast no-names as the leads.



She and John Boyega did beat thousands of other people though, and didnt John audition like 4 times? So its not like its less of an achievement than beating someone already proven at the box office.



In the same vein Hugo Weaving, Christoph Waltz and Michael Fassbender were originally tossed around for the villain but the character changed during the writing process. And yeah Adam Driver didnt audition but not because he was a big name or above it but because the EP had met him on the set of another film and been impressed by him, and they had his work in Girls to prove he could play angry, entitled male.



Sorry you know all this but I just hate the whole mythologising of the casting process, mainly because it deflects from the nepotism, cronyism and networking which plays a big part in it.

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The statistics that someone like Timmy could ever fight a tiger in a ring are low. Ms Lawton would agree.



Edited at 2023-01-07 08:41 pm (UTC)

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tbh I hate the whole actors who don't audition for roles thing. I don't care how good of an actor you are sometimes roles aren't meant for you or you just don't have chemistry with your costars.

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I dont mind if they cast the lead (whether its man or woman) just based off of their resume/star power, but they better do screen tests for the love interests! Dont blindly cast two actors, when like you said sometimes they just dont have chemistry

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Yeah I think the number of all star casts or casts with huge A list stars that have done terribly is evidence that just chucking big names in doesnt work, they need to suit the role and have proper chemistry

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passengers was a prime example of this lmfao

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Lmaooo, this is petty and I kinda don't believe it. Ridley Scott is still a big name and a lot of actors are eager to work with him.



Don't act like Timmy is above the rest. He said yes to a Wonka prequel ffs, not to mention that terrible asteroid film.





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It seems like once people get really popular they start getting miscast (i.e. J Law, Keanu in the 90s, etc), I wonder how much of that is because they stop having to audition

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Oops replied to the wrong comment!

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what a weirdly public response lol, he couldve just said it anonymously to a trade lol but now its out there. Im sure he still has to audition for big directors like Ridley or Spielberg or even Scorsese



Edited at 2023-01-07 08:04 pm (UTC)

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where's james cameron when you need him, I hate this shit.

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"Leo, read these lines or you're not getting hired"



Leo: surprisedpikachu.jpeg

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Upstream companies are starting to adapt to an environment where oil prices will be higher for longer, one where OPEC+ production discipline and US shareholder returns are just as important a factor in drilling as the physical flow of oil. Whilst 2022 witnessed several huge discoveries, most notably the frontier-opening Venus find in offshore Namibia, the aggregate tally of new reserves is still a fraction of upstream activity back in 2014 and 2015. Crudely put, we are still in a period of low upstream commitments, even if its getting marginally better than it was in peak coronavirus times. Buoyed by the likes of Venus, exploration activities are poised to bring us new surprises in 2023 and these top 5 exploration prospects are the most likely to shake up the market.

Zhenis (Kazakhstan)

One of the most promising wildcats to be drilled this year has been in the making for quite some time and was first delayed by the ramifications of the coronavirus and then by the shaky status of Russias Lukoil, a 50% partner in the joint venture. Kazakhstans offshore area consists of several prolific fields, chief among them is the supergiant Kashagan field, however Zhenis is quite a different breed. It is the southernmost Kazakh offshore block, straddling the maritime border with Turkmenistan, therefore carries a lot of risk to it but considering the prolific resources of both Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, exploration drilling might also launch a new frontier basin that was heretofore overlooked. The spudding of the first wildcat is already ongoing in water depths of 75-100 m some 80 km away from the Kazakh coast, and first results should be known in several months time.

Aurora (Namibia)

The first ever deep-water wildcat drilled in Namibias offshore waters produced the largest oil discovery of 2022, with Venus establishing itself as a major find comparable to ExxonMobils 2015 Liza discovery. Followed through with Shells Graff discovery in an exploration well drilled simultaneously to Venus, the next step will see other producers joining the hype and spudding their wells in other license blocks. A French firm specializing in African upstream operations Maurel & Prom might be opening up another frontier in Namibia, spudding the Aurora wildcat this year  further out in the sea (190 km from Walvis Bay) and in relatively shallower waters (1250 m). Despite the differences, geologically Aurora should be similar to Venus, considering it is located in the license block just above TotalEnergies 2913B block, so in case the exploration well does hit commercial volumes of oil, it is going to be big. Related: U.S. Oil, Gas Rig Activity Dips In First Count Of New Year

Walker (Suriname)

Deluged by recurrent news of Guyanas Stabroek block providing another huge discovery, the oil untapped oil bounty of the Guyana-Suriname basin is surprising no one. However, Suriname has been less consistent in delivering new finds, especially after APAs Rasper well stroke water in Block 53, pouring cold water on expectations that the Maka Central-Kwaskwasi-Sapakara triad can be seen extending towards the east. This year will see the drilling of a much-anticipated exploration well, one that has been in the makings for year, namely the appraisal of the Walker prospect. Walker is located in the Shell-operated Block 42 (the project used to be headed by Kosmos Energy before the US firm sold its portfolio to the oil major) and is believed to potentially contain up to 250 million barrels of oil equivalent. There is one big if  it is much to the north, i.e. further out into the sea, than all big discoveries in the basin so far so should its spudding confirm the presence of commercial quantities, Suriname will be opening up a new frontier and future exploration might move away from the maritime border with Guyana, deeper into the offshore zone.

Ephesus (Canada)

The Cape Freels exploration well has been the talk of the town for quite some time, Eastern Canadas oilmen have been mulling over its frontier-opening possibilities at least since 2019. The Cape Freels prospect, located some 400km from the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador, was initially assumed to hold 4-5 billion barrels of oil and gas, potentially double in size to the similarly offshore Hibernia field (discovered in 1979 by ExxonMobil), the geographically closest producing unit. Delayed by coronavirus and subsequent capital investment curbs, Cape Freels has by now transformed into Ephesus and BP is now fully set to drill the wildcat over the summer months. The oil is most definitely there, the most more pertinent question would be whether exploiting the ultra-deepwater unit to a total depth of almost 5 km would be commercially viable. If it turns out to be another Hibernia, Eastern Canadas oil prospects will receive a much-needed boost.

Argerich (Argentina)

Argentina has made some tremendous headway in tapping into the vast shale oil deposits of Vaca Muerta. However, apart from the Dead Cow there has been no intriguing frontiers opening in the Latin American country, up until now that is. Norways Equinor will soon start drilling the Argerich exploration well 300 km off the coast of Mar del Plata, the first-ever deepwater offshore well in Argentina. In water depths of over 1500 m, the wildcat will be spudded to a total depth of more than 4000 m, having finally overcome all the regulatory roadblocks posed by repeated queries coming from environmentalists. The drilling trio of Equinor, YPF and Shell hope to find a replica of geological conditions found in Namibias Venus discovery and recent images of oil seeps in the area of the CAN-100 license block seem to confirm that there is a working hydrocarbon system there.

By Gerald Jansen for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Tesla's sales of China-made vehicles fell to a five month low in December, despite China's passenger vehicle market rebounding, according to new data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) on Thursday.

Tesla delivered 55,796 vehicles for the month, down 44% from November and 21% from the year prior, Reuters reported, citing "reduced output" and price cuts amidst rising inventories, coupled with slowing demand, as reason for the fall in numbers.

The report notes that the figure is the fewest monthly deliveries in China since July, when the company's key Shanghai factory purposely suspended operations in order to upgrade its production lines. For the year, however, Tesla delivered about 50% more vehicles produced in Shanghai than in 2021.

As we have noted, Tesla suspended production at Shanghai from December 24 to January 2 as part of an effort to reduce production and allow demand to catch back up with supply. The company is also expected to suspend production for Chinese New Year later this month.

The figures come despite the fact that passenger vehicle sales in China rebounded for the month, with the CPCA posting total sales of 2.45 million units for the month, up 15% year over year and 47% month over month.

Recall, days ago we noted that Tesla broke quarterly delivery records in Q4 2022, but fell short of Wall Street's estimates. Tesla announced it had delivered a record 405,278 vehicles for the quarter. The number marked a record for the company, but came in below most Wall Street estimates, even some that were revised lower. Consensus estimates for deliveries stood at 420,760 into the report, according to Bloomberg.

"In 2022, vehicle deliveries grew 40% YoY to 1.31 million," the company's press release said. This fell short of the 50% growth figure the company had once projected for the year.

Tesla commented: "We continued to transition towards a more even regional mix of vehicle builds which again led to a further increase in cars in transit at the end of the quarter. Thank you to all of our customers, employees, suppliers, shareholders and supporters who helped us achieve a great 2022 in light of significant COVID and supply chain related challenges throughout the year."

The breakdown of vehicles included 388,131 Model 3 and Model Y deliveries, which fell short of the 405,597 estimated:

And 17,147 Model S/X deliveries, which fell short of the 18,578 estimate:

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By Zerohedge.com

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Europes imports of diesel and gasoil from the United States is on track to reach a two-year high this month, data from Vortexa shows.

In December, Europes U.S. loadings for diesel and gasoil reached 660,000t, according to Vortexa data cited by Argus. It was the highest amount headed to Europe in any month since September 2020and a strikingly high 70% increase over cargos loaded in November. The rush for Europe to stock up on diesel and gasoil comes just a couple of months ahead of the European Unions full ban on crude oil products set to begin on February 5.

For the United States, which is already battling falling diesel supplies that are 14% below their five-year average, the increasing European imports have collided with refinery outages over the Christmas holidays due to cold weather, further depressing U.S. distillate and gasoline inventories. Phillips 66 predicted earlier this week that the gasoline and diesel markets will be tight this summer, with refiners running at or near full capacity for months.

Europe has also looked to the UAE for additional diesel imports.

Russia is gearing up to increase its diesel shipments this month before the EUs ban kicks in, with fuel shipments from Russian ports set to reach 2.68 million tonnes in Januaryan 8% increase over last month and the highest rate since January 2020, Bloomberg reported last month. Those export figures only include pipeline and rail shipments.

In the first ten days of December, about half of Europes diesel imports came from Russian shipping facilities, highlighting the still-strong reliance that Europe has on Russian diesel as recently as a month ago. Europe was also importing a healthy amount of diesel from the Middle East and Asia.

By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com

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Robert "Bobby" Crimo III, 21, who is charged with seven counts of first-degree murder, appears at his bond hearing via video on July 6, 2022. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

Robert Bobby Crimo III, the alleged Highland Park Fourth of July parade shooter, prank-called a New York Post reporter on New Years Eve from jail, the outlet reported Saturday.

Crimo III used the inmate telephone system to contact the reporter, who previously tried to reach Crimo, around 7 p.m. on Dec. 31, Christopher Covelli, Lake County deputy chief, said in a statement. After the reporter accepted the call, the two exchanged quick hellos before Crimo made a joke and hung up.

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Is your refrigerator running? Crimo, 22, said.

Uh, yeah, the reporter said, according to Covelli. Why?

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Well, you better go catch it! he said.

Covelli said both then were heard laughing before Crimo ended the call.

All calls from inmates are recorded and subject to monitoring, Covelli said. The Crimo prank call has been sent to the states attorneys office for review.

Covelli said neither the reporter nor the New York Post contacted the Lake County sheriffs office about the call.

Afternoon Briefing Daily Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox each afternoon. By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our Subscriber Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy >

We have the ability to prevent inmates from calling specific telephone numbers, but numbers can only be blocked when we receive an order from the court or a request from someone specifically, Covelli said. A court order is required to completely revoke phone privileges from an inmate.

Crimo fired dozens of shots from a rooftop perch into a crowd gathered for the Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, according to prosecutors in the case. Seven people were killed and 48 wounded.

He has been charged with seven counts of first-degree murder. His next court hearing is scheduled for Jan. 31.

The Post had attempted to schedule an interview with Crimo through the jails communication app in December, the outlet said. The meeting was never arranged, and Crimo ended up calling the number on the reporters profile weeks later. When the reporter answered the call on New Years Eve, Crimo was identified by a prerecorded voice message.

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Liz Turnipseed, 41, was one of the many people injured in the shooting. She was shot in the pelvis while attending the parade with her husband and 3-year-old daughter, the Post reported. She told the Post she now walks with a cane and has panic attacks in crowded public spaces.

In response to the phone call, Turnipseed said Crimo clearly doesnt have any respect for life and people in any way shape or form.

Whether thats him making an unbelievable lame prank call to a reporter or committing a mass shooting, I think it just speaks to the terrible person that is, Turnipseed said to the Post.
The Bellevue Chamber of Commerce & Community is suspending its programs and referring members to join the Sarpy County Chamber of Commerce.

Michelle Andahl, the Bellevue chambers president and CEO, announced this week that the chamber board of directors voted Dec. 29 to suspend programs at her recommendation. In a letter to chamber members and posted publicly online, Andahl said that the chamber lost its federal tax exempt status with the IRS in 2011 because it did not file the proper annual tax forms.

While the chamber is listed as a nonprofit in good standing by the Nebraska Secretary of States Office, Andahl said the organization hasnt yet been reinstated by the IRS and that her personal ethics would not allow me to continue accepting any member funding in 2023 without this being resolved.

Our Board is in full agreement and with that, we will be suspending chamber programming starting today, Andahl wrote in the letter, which is dated Jan. 2. I will continue to be a trusted resource for our Board as they work through this issue. With a heavy heart, this means I will soon be ending my time as President and CEO, but I will continue to find new ways to use my business and government experience to serve our community.

Andahl said that the Sarpy County Chamber of Commerce will now provide all Chamber of Commerce services to businesses and nonprofit organizations in the Bellevue area. She praised the Sarpy chamber for doing tremendous things and its expansion in Bellevue. While Andahl stressed the two chambers arent merging, she noted that many Bellevue chamber members are also part of the Papillion-based Sarpy chamber. Andahl said in the letter that both groups will focus on helping Bellevue Chamber members explore membership opportunities with the Sarpy Chamber.

We view this as an incredible opportunity for all Bellevue businesses and nonprofit organizations to continue to have exponentially expanded chamber experiences, Andahl said. With a single membership investment in the Sarpy Chamber, youll be able to take advantage of the countywide organizations extended reach as well as their tremendous networking and business-building opportunities.

Barry Haire, the Bellevue chambers vice president of membership, will join the Sarpy chamber staff. The Sarpy chamber will continue Bellevue chamber programming such as its networking groups and programs associated with Offutt Air Force Base.

Andahl said she knew there would be extensive work to do when she took the reins of the organization from Kevin Hensel, who left the chamber in June 2021 to work for Habitat for Humanity of Omaha.

The chamber requested retroactive reinstatement from the IRS in the 2017-18 fiscal year, and its filed tax forms annually since 2018, Andahl said in the letter. Last year, the chamber hired legal counsel to work on its application for reinstatement.

There is no known timeline as to when, or if, the Chamber will be reinstated, Andahl said.

Andahl said she had hoped the reinstatement would take place before 2023. She noted that organizations can legally continue with business as usual while seeking a retroactive reinstatement and that theres no impact on those who have had paid memberships or done partnerships with the chamber  the issue is whether the chamber owes corporate taxes on revenue it has generated over the more than 11 years it has been without nonprofit status.

I love this organization and community tremendously and the work we have been able to do together, Andahl said. It has been the privilege of a lifetime to work for all of you.

The Bellevue chamber has served the Bellevue-Offutt community since 1961. Its members include the Bellevue Leader.
A bicyclist died Friday night after he was struck by a truck near Saddle Creek Road and California Street.

At 6:45 p.m., Omaha police were sent to investigate a crash involving a straight truck and a bicycle at the U.S. Postal Service office at 608 N. Saddle Creek Road. They learned that a 2020 Peterbilt semitrailer truck was pulling out of the post office when the truck hit a bicyclist.

Members of the public and the truck driver performed CPR on the bicyclist until Omaha Fire Department medics arrived. The medics took the cyclist, 46-year-old Gregory T. Whitedress of Omaha, to the Nebraska Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

Police identified the driver of the truck as Arnett A. Barnes, 57, of Omaha.

The crash remains under investigation. Anyone who saw what happened is asked to call the Omaha Police Department's traffic unit at 402-444-5626.

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A former Omaha police officer has been sentenced to probation in a plea deal after a deposition revealed his ex-girlfriend had embellished what he said to her when he damaged items in her apartment.

Terry J. Hughes, 52, pleaded no contest to two misdemeanor charges of attempted criminal mischief over $5,000.

Douglas County District Judge Horacio Wheelock sentenced Hughes to one year of probation on each charge, with the sentences to run at the same time.

Hughes initially faced three felonies  two counts of terroristic threats and one count of use of a firearm to commit a felony.

Prosecutors had said that Hughes used a key to enter his ex-girlfriends apartment uninvited, then threatened to shoot and kill her and a man there.

But the woman was deposed under oath in preparation for trial and said that wasnt what occurred, Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine said.

Hughes went to the womans apartment near 35th and Jackson Streets in the early morning hours of July 2, 2021, officials said, using a key he was given when the two were dating. He was on the police force at the time but was off duty.

The woman, who was then 41 years old, was inside her apartment with a 58-year-old man.

The woman had told officers that Hughes grabbed his service weapon and told the man, Ill (expletive) kill you and told her, I should shoot your ass.

The woman said Hughes then ransacked the apartment. He overturned a freezer chest, which spilled food, and tipped over a clothes dresser, breaking a mirror that was on top, a prosecutor said.

In her deposition, Kleine said, the woman said Hughes had destroyed items, but said nothing about a gun or threats.

She pulls back on what she said happened. It really changed the dynamic there, from the terroristic threats point of view, Kleine said. The evidence as it came out through the deposition wasnt quite what it started out as.

Kleine said one of his deputies conferred with the woman to ensure she wasnt changing her story for other reasons. The woman told the prosecutor that she was satisfied with the misdemeanor plea bargain.

Hughes pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges that said he damaged the property of the ex-girlfriend and the other man.

Hughes attorney, Joe Naatz, could not be reached Friday.

Hughes had been placed on administrative leave immediately after he was arrested, and Police Chief Todd Schmaderer ordered an internal investigation.

He was taken off leave and reassigned to the departments support services section to serve an administrative position that did not have contact with the public, the Police Department said. Hughes also was forbidden from working off duty and representing himself as a police officer.

This was his status pending the outcome of the criminal case, said Lt. Neal Bonacci, an Omaha police spokesman. Senior staff did not feel it was appropriate to have him at home on administrative leave while collecting a paycheck, which is why he was placed in an administrative position with restrictions.

Hughes recently was placed on paid administrative leave for a second time after a disturbance at his residence involving an argument where other police officers had to respond, Bonacci said. Internal affairs officers opened an investigation into a potential policy violation, but Hughes retired Dec. 7 before they could interview him, Bonacci said.

Hughes worked at the Police Department for roughly 20 years, meaning he would be eligible for pension benefits.
An Omaha business owner will spend a year and a day in federal prison and pay more than $460,000 in restitution for failing to pay payroll taxes.

Bryan Erdman, president and owner of BSJ CO, which did business as Its A Wonderful World Childcare, was sentenced in federal court to 12 months and one day in prison, according to a press release from the IRS Criminal Investigations St. Louis Field Office.

From 2015 to 2017, BSJ CO withheld tax payments from its employees paychecks but failed to account for and pay approximately $295,000 of the employee share of payroll taxes. Erdman also failed to pay approximately $167,000 of the employer share of payroll taxes for tax years 2015 through 2017, the release said.

During the same time period, Erdman also used some of the money within BSJ COs bank account to pay for personal expenses, according to the release.

The case was investigated by the IRS.

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An Omaha man who placed a fake bomb outside the Douglas County Courthouse in 2020 has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison on drug charges.

Thomas Trouba, 28, was sentenced Thursday for possession with intent to distribute marijuana, THC and MDMA, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of Nebraska.

Trouba had been arrested Sept. 18, 2020, on suspicion of making terroristic threats and placing a fake bomb outside the Douglas County Courthouse.

Later that day, an investigator saw Trouba remove large containers from his home, place them into his pickup truck and drive off. Officers then approached Trouba after he stopped in a parking lot and searched his truck. In the search, officers found several hundred thousand dollars in cash, marijuana and other substances containing THC, the office said.

After obtaining a search warrant, investigators searched Troubas home and found an additional $16,000, MDMA, Adderall, hash oil and marijuana.

As part of the federal sentencing, Trouba also will forfeit his home, pickup truck and more than $400,000, officials said.

The case was investigated by the Douglas County Sheriffs Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
An Omaha man was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison following his conviction for distributing child pornography on multiple social media and chatting apps.

Gregory Lukassen, 50, was sentenced in federal court on Thursday and ordered to pay $12,000 in restitution. Lukassen was indicted in 2020 on one count of receipt and distribution of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography involving a prepubescent minor.

He pleaded not guilty to all charges and was found guilty during a two-day jury trial in 2021.

The investigation into Lukassen began in February 2015, when the Bellevue Police Department received a tip regarding a person in Bellevue uploading an image containing child pornography. The image uploaded by Lukassen in this case depicted a child younger than a year old.

In September 2017, Lukassen uploaded four images depicting child pornography in a user-to-user chat using the social media app Monospace, according to a press release from Homeland Security Investigations. The apps legal team reported the uploads to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

After receiving another tip in 2019, the Bellevue Police Department located Lukassen in Bellevue and interviewed him in early 2020. During this interview, he admitted to receiving child pornography from other users while chatting online on different websites, but denied that he had any interest in the images, the release stated.

A forensic examination of Lukassens devices was conducted, revealing more than 65 thumbnail images of child pornography. At least 38 unique images were found on Lukassens devices, including ones that matched the images reported in the tips. Some of the images depicted toddler-age children being sexually abused.

Upon his release from prison, Lukassen will serve five years of supervised release and will be required to register as a sex offender.
Contaminated spices were determined to be the second-leading cause of lead poisoning in Douglas County children in 2021.

The reason? Medical testing of families fleeing war-torn Afghanistan found a number of children with high lead levels.

The Douglas County Health Department traced the source of the lead to food, specifically lead-contaminated spices, said Naudia McCracken, supervisor of the lead poisoning prevention program at the Health Department.

McCracken said the test results brought into sharper focus an issue shed already been concerned about: A lack of regulatory standards for herbs and spices and the resulting potential for anyone to ingest too much lead from their meals.

In the case of these families, they were using spices purchased in their home countries, McCracken said. Refugee and immigrant children also are are greater risk of lead poisoning because of spices brought into the country or purchased at ethnic groceries. Because their cultures rely heavily on spices, immigrants from south Asia, especially India, Myanmar and Afghanistan, are most likely to be exposed, McCracken said.

But the broader community also could be exposed because testing has found lead and other contaminants in spices sold at grocery stores around the world, including under major brand names in the U.S.

The Douglas County Health Department says the spices most likely to contain lead include cumin, curry powder, masala, paprika, turmeric and chili powder. Herbs most likely to contain lead include oregano and bay leaves. Lead has also been found in some tea leaves and dark chocolate.

Public health advocates have been calling on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to set limits on heavy metals in food (heavy metals, including lead, are metals that are relatively dense and toxic at low doses). However, no limits have been set.

Consumer Reports in 2021 tested 126 herbs and spices, including major brands, and said it found that almost one-third contained heavy metals at levels high enough to raise health concerns. The organization is collecting signatures on a petition calling on the FDA to undertake tighter regulation.

A spokeswoman for the FDA said the agency does monitor the food supply and will remove foods, including spices, that are determined to be hazardous. The agency doesnt need to have a regulatory standard to do so, the FDA says.

By law, according to the FDA, food manufacturers and processors have to significantly minimize or prevent exposure to chemical hazards  including lead.

Additionally, the FDA says it has been in talks with the American Spice Trade Association to learn more about contaminants in spices and options for working collaboratively to help reduce levels.

The American Spice Trade Association told The World-Herald it supports FDA limits on heavy metals in spices. The association noted that the European Commission has set limits and that the World Health Organization is studying the issue.

McCracken and others say explicit limits set by the FDA are needed. Otherwise, the person who is consuming is the one who has to change what they are doing instead of addressing the root cause, she said.

In 2021, at least 19% of children (17 kids) who tested high for lead in Douglas County likely got it from spices, McCracken said. The percentage could be higher because not all parents allow health investigators into their homes to look for causes. Refugee/Asian immigrant children made up 25% of lead poisoning cases in Douglas County in 2021, she said.

The primary cause of lead poisoning among children  nationally and in Douglas County  remains lead paint, either chips or dust. In 2021, 69% of Douglas County children testing high likely ingested the lead from paint chips or dust.

The potential presence of lead in spices caught the attention of a University of Nebraska at Omaha chemistry class, and students there performed what appears to be the only systematic testing of spices sold in Omaha.

Nikae Perkinson, chemistry instructor, said her students found lead in every sample purchased in Omaha. The levels varied, but the highest levels were found in thyme and basil.

Our exploratory studies found detectable level of lead (Pb) in every spice we tested, regardless of whether they were from a grocery store or a specialty store. Some of the spices we tested were organic, she said.

Students tested 13 different spices, including turmeric, basil, ginger, thyme, curry powder and two supplements  a turmeric supplement and a ginger root supplement, she said. All contained some level of lead.

Perkinson offered these caveats: These were students, not professionals, and the tests were not done in a certified laboratory. To account for that, each sample was tested by three sets of students.

One of the students, Brandon Wallroff, said the results underscore the need to be informed.

Everybody without exception was surprised, Wallroff said. At the very least, people should note there are products in their community that have lead in them.

McCracken advises concerned families to purchase quality spices from major grocery outlets. If shopping at an ethnic grocery, be certain to purchase only spices that have labels and that the labels include language in English.

Lead gets into the spices typically during manufacturing, but it can also come from the environment during cultivation or from cookware during food preparation. In some cases, lead is intentionally added to spices. In the case of turmeric, researchers say some manufacturers will add lead chromate to the spice to give it a brighter yellow or increase the weight and thus profitability.

Anyone can be poisoned by lead, but children under the age of 7 suffer the worst, lifelong effects because their neurological systems are still developing. Federal health officials consider lead poisoning the most preventable environmental disease of young children. In children, lead-poisoning can impair intellectual development and contribute to behavioral problems.

Among adults, the health effects include high blood pressure, distractedness, hearing loss, and gastrointestinal distress.

The issue has been personal for McCracken.

An immigrant herself, McCracken grew up eating heavily spiced foods. She hails from Guyana, a South American country where the largest ethnic group is of Indian descent. Where she once ate curry-type meals a couple of times a week, she now does so about once a month, she said.

She cut back on traditional spices before her children were born and now they havent developed a familiarity and affection for the foods she grew up with.

They really dont like it, its a struggle to get them to try it, she said. Its hard to change your culture and what you eat. It actually made me feel really sad.

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The Bellevue Chamber of Commerce has announced that it will suspend operations due to a tax issue dating back to 2011.

Citing the loss of federal tax-exempt status, Chamber President and CEO Michelle Andahl announced that she would step down and the organizations programming would be suspended indefinitely. Chamber members were encouraged to join the Sarpy County Chamber of Commerce in the interim.

In a letter sent to chamber members and posted online, Andahl said the chambers board of directors voted to suspend programs at her recommendation Dec. 29. She said the chamber did not file the proper tax forms with the IRS in 2011, which led to the revocation of federal tax-exempt status  a fact that apparently was not disclosed to Andahl when she took over the position in August 2021.

According to Andahl, the issue first came to her attention while she was filing taxes last year. She noticed that the organization was classified as a nonprofit in good standing with the state, but no longer was considered federally tax exempt.

The chamber initially had attempted to address the issue in the 2017-2018 fiscal year by requesting retroactive reinstatement and filing amended tax forms, but the IRS has not yet reinstated the chambers tax-exempt status, Andahl wrote. Without tax-exempt status, the chamber would have to pay corporate taxes on generated revenue.

Andahl began the retroactive reinstatement application process again in 2022 and hired legal counsel for the chamber to assist. She said in the letter that the chamber had every hope that reinstatement would be granted before 2023 so that the organization could continue to operate. Those hopes were not realized.

There is no known timeline as to when, or if, the chamber will be reinstated, she said in the letter. While an organization can legally continue to do business as usual during the retroactive reinstatement application process, I recently shared with our board of directors that my personal ethics would not allow me to continue accepting any member funding in 2023 without this being resolved.

The Sarpy chamber will provide similar services for businesses and nonprofits impacted by the decision, and it will continue some of the Bellevue chambers existing programming events. Andahl wrote that Barry Haire, the former vice president of membership at the Bellevue chamber, will move his employment to the Sarpy chamber to help connect Bellevue businesses and organizations to comparable resources.

Photos: Omaha World-Herald best photos of 2022
It seems rather fitting that the seeds of Lynn Nottages Pulitzer Prize-winning drama about the American working class, Sweat, were sown in England  the place that gave rise to the Industrial Revolution, the place Marx and Engels railed as Exhibit A in the exploitation of the proletariat, and the place Nottage visited as a young college student.

Nottage was 19 when she lived in the United Kingdom as an exchange student and witnessed a seminal event in UK labor history: the miners strike of 1984-85. The strike was an attempt to stop the widespread closures of British mines and the loss of thousands of jobs. It was the most violent labor action of the 20th century in England, and its effect stuck with Nottage.

While the scale is considerably smaller in Reading, Pennsylvania, two decades later, the stakes are just as high for the striking workers of Olstead Steel in the explosive new production of Sweat playing through Jan. 15 at Community Players Theatre. Its nothing less than their financial livelihood, their ability to pay their bills and put food on their tables.

At the beginning of the story we meet a half-dozen of the Olstead workers who hang out at a dive bar run by Stan (Rich Tinaglia), whose seemingly happy-go-lucky demeanor masks his own resentment toward Olstead. He was injured on the job and let go after 28 years. There are three middle-aged friends: goodtime gal Tracey (Brook Moonan), ambitious Cynthia (Yasmine Hamilton) and drinks-too-much Jessie (Alisha Prunty), along with Traceys son Jason (Nick Benson) and Cynthias son Chris (Hassan Halcomb), who are buddies. Later we meet Cynthias ex Brucie (Sean Henderson), a sweet talker whose rich baritone voice exudes confidence but belies the demons of drug addiction beneath.

And then theres one of the most interesting characters of all  Oscar (Noe Cornejo Herrera)  who appears as an unassuming busboy. Hes in the background  watching, listening  understanding that opportunity, when presented, can force a person to make difficult choices, but he also knows you have to take it when you can get it. When Tracey confronts Oscar about taking a scab job at Olstead, the scene sparks and crackles, and the audience is unsure who to root for  with both characters lobbing heartbreaking truths.

As youd expect, there are no easy answers in this story. Cynthia moves up into management and is resented by her friends; meanwhile, Olstead wants to exact massive pay cuts from its employees, and when the strike drags on, the company moves its machinery to Mexico. Its all Nottages grand interconnected meditation on capitalism, unions and the oh-so human emotion of shame. Near the end of play, Evan (TreVeon Campbell), the parole officer for Jason and Chris, tells the men: Most folks think its guilt that destroys us in the end, but I know from experience that its shame that eats us away.

Director Len Childers honors the rhythm of Nottages writing by keeping the pacing brisk and tight, which really pays off in the second act when the actors hit their impressive stride. A special mention must go to the set design and construction by Kerry Anne Dixon. I consider it the highest compliment to say that it looks like someone just lifted a working mans tavern and plopped it down on the Players stage. There is also a nice, limited use of the bars television set.

Personally, I would have dimmed down the stage lighting a bit. Dive bars are supposed to be dark and seedy so you cant see the bartender watering down the booze. Costumer Ashleigh Rae-Lynn Feger took on a sizeable challenge with this show. While the cast is small, the costume changes are many. Lastly, with all due respect to Nottage, one thing I found distracting was the news headlines/history fast-facts radio announcements used between the scenes. They seem clunky and unnecessary, and they give the play a dated feel that it doesnt need. The transitions would be smoother with some period music that fits the mood of each scene.

Community Players is to be commended for selecting Sweat for this season. While the play will certainly not be everyones cup of tea, theater is about exploring the human condition  a Rodgers and Hammerstein musical is one way to do that, but so is a Lynn Nottage play. Cheers.

Sweat has strong language and violence.

IF YOU GOJohn D. Poling is a freelance writer who reviews plays for The Pantagraph.
Hanna Marykot, from left, with her daughters, Iryna, 18, and Sofiia, 20, pray before an Orthodox Christmas Eve service at St. Andrew Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral Friday, Jan. 6, 2023, in Bloomingdale. The three women fled Ukraine on Feb. 24 and made their way by summer to the Chicago area, where Hanna Marykot's husband, the Rev. Yaroslav Marykot, is a priest. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)

According to Ukrainian tradition, the first star that appears in the sky on Christmas Eve signifies the birth of Christ.

Believers peer through their windows throughout the evening hoping to get a glimpse of this celestial sign of the Nativity, which follows a day of fasting and prayer and worship. Only then can the elaborate holiday dinner, caroling and other festivities begin.

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After fleeing their home in war-torn Ukraine, the Marykot family planned to carry out these ancient customs this weekend during their first Christmas together in the Chicago area.

Gathering with fellow parishioners at St. Andrew Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral in west suburban Bloomingdale on Friday, they prayed for peace and autonomy for their homeland as the Russian invasion stretches into its 12th month.

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In accordance with the Julian calendar, St. Andrew celebrates Christmas on Jan. 7  about two weeks after the Dec. 25 date observed by much of Western Christianity.

For centuries, Ukrainian Orthodox Christians have commemorated Christmas on this date, along with millions of Russians, Ethiopians, Serbians and Christians of other ethnicities. However, the custom might be in flux in Ukraine due to the war: The Orthodox Church of Ukraine this holiday season gave individual churches a choice to observe the holiday on Dec. 25 or Jan. 7. Some Ukrainians chose to celebrate the earlier holiday, to mark a break with Russia, while some have held to the traditional calendar; others chose to celebrate Christmas on both dates.

The Rev. Yaroslav Marykot, left, holds an Orthodox Christmas Eve service with fellow priests at St. Andrew Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral in Bloomingdale on Friday, Jan. 6, 2023. His wife and two of his daughters fled Ukraine on Feb. 24 and made their way to Chicagoland by the summer of 2022. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)

At St. Andrew, several regal Christmas trees decorated the cathedral, each adorned with dozens of handmade embroidered Ukrainian ornaments. Near the entrance, a creche of baby Jesus in a manger and the surrounding Nativity scene rested a few feet from a sign bearing a fundraising thermometer, tracking parish donations for Ukraine.

Church officials estimated that some 250 newly arrived Ukrainians have begun worshipping at St. Andrew since the Russian invasion began nearly a year ago.

The Marykots  a priest, his wife and two adult daughters  said through an interpreter that they were grateful to spend Christmas together amid peace and safety in the United States.

After Christmas Eve church services on Friday evening, they planned to return to their Schaumburg home for the customary Sviata Vecheria or Holy Supper, a traditional 12-course vegetarian meal that commences after the first star glows in the evening. Dishes include kutia, a sweet wheat berry pudding, and Ukrainian stuffed dumplings called vareniki, which are similar to pierogis.

After dinner, families sing Ukrainian Christmas carols, such as Boh Predvicnyj, which translates to God Eternal: God eternal is born tonight/ He came down from above/ To save us with His love/ And He rejoiced.

On Christmas Day, they intended to worship at St. Andrew in the morning followed by a potluck lunch there and more caroling.

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We thank God with a prayer out of our mouths for everything that we have had in the past and for everything that is coming in the new year, said the Rev. Yaroslav Marykot, who serves as a pastor at St. Andrew. And we ask God that next Christmas be a Christmas where we are already at peace.

I had no choice

His daughter, 18-year-old Iryna, recalled waking to the sounds of explosions on Feb. 24, when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of her homeland by land, air and sea.

Blasts rocked an airport less than a mile from her university in Ivano-Frankisk, in western Ukraine. In the early hours of the morning, she and her roommates began frantically packing their suitcases with as many possessions as they could carry; they lived on the fifth floor and were afraid to use the elevator in case the power went out, potentially trapping them inside.

Iryna headed to her hometown of Snyatyn near the Romanian border, where her mother, Hanna, and 20-year-old sister, Sofiia, were also packing their bags to flee.

The mother and daughters escaped by car that day, heading for Romania, roughly 60 miles away. But the traffic was so congested with other evacuees that the trip took two days.

The traffic was immense, Hanna said. It was at a dead standstill even to go that short distance.

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Hanna Marykot, from left, with her daughters, Sofiia, 20, and Iryna, 18, make the sign of the cross during an Orthodox Christmas Eve service at St. Andrew Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral in Bloomingdale on Jan. 6, 2023. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)

Yaroslav was already in the United States; he had been in the western suburbs for about five years on a religious worker visa, and had been trying without success to bring his family here to join him.

From thousands of miles away, the father was in constant contact with his wife and daughters on FaceTime, trying to guide them out of their country with as much information as he could glean from news sources.

The mother drove, terrified as explosions and blasts racked the terrain around her.

I had no choice, Hanna said. My children are my greatest love and asset. I had no choice.

Low-flying helicopters whirred overhead, but it was impossible to discern whether they were manned by Ukrainian or Russian forces.

When the women crossed the border, volunteers greeted them with food, lodging recommendations and prepaid phone cards so they could contact loved ones back home. Even after they were out of Ukraine and safe, Sofiia suffered from nightmares, she recalled. Iryna said she couldnt sleep for several days.

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Even when we stopped driving, after those first days of getting across the border, we still couldnt fall asleep after that. We didnt know where we were going. We didnt know what was happening next. The uncertainty made it impossible to sleep.

The mother and daughters then traveled by car to Italy, where they lived for about three months. In May, they made a potentially perilous journey back to their home in Ukraine. They had left under duress the first day of the attack, but needed to retrieve various documents and medical records in order to file forms to come to the United States through Uniting for Ukraine, a Biden administration program that allows Ukrainians fleeing the war to enter the U.S. for two years with a private sponsor.

They were scared to go back.

But we knew that with Gods help we would be OK, Hanna said, adding that they had better knowledge of Russian strategy and common military targets by that point, and had planned a safe route out of Ukraine.

They remained in Ukraine for a nerve-wracking six weeks laced with intermittent air raid sirens and bursts of explosions. After they were approved for admission to the U.S., they traveled to Poland. On July 15, they flew directly from Krakow to Chicago, and finally reunited with Yaroslav.

The Marykots said their reunion has been a bright spot amid the tragedy and trauma of war.

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Even though I was here with my spiritual family for five years, I was not here with my whole family, and there was a period of loneliness where I missed my family, Yaroslav said. Thats the beauty that the United States has given us, my family, a way to reunite. And there is a happy moment that, even due to war, we were able to unite the family in the United States.

The Rev. Yaroslav Marykot, second from left, with his wife, Hanna, right, and their daughters, Sofiia, 20, center, and Iryna, 18, are greeted by the Rev. Victor Poliarny, left, after an Orthodox Christmas Eve service at St. Andrew Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral in Bloomingdale on Jan. 6, 2023. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)

The Marykots have a third daughter, 25-year-old Viktoria, who is living in Poland. She is expected to come to the United States later this month, to live with her parents and sisters in Schaumburg.

And that will complete the family, Yaroslav said.

A resurgence

While the stress and anxiety of war has dissipated over the last few months, Iryna said she still sometimes relives the terror of her escape.

Even though were here and were safe, you cannot help but return every time to the visions and the sounds and everything ... you return immediately back to those moments, she said. It doesnt go away. So whenever you think about it or talk about it, you relive it again and again and again in your head.

They live in perpetual fear for relatives and friends back in Ukraine.

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While Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday ordered a unilateral 36-hour cease-fire during the Christmas holiday, Kyiv rejected the truce and Western officials expressed mistrust of Putins intentions.

We also as a family, we never stop thinking about whats going on there, Yaroslav said. So we have this stress of worrying about whats happening in Ukraine. Even though we are here, it doesnt stop or cut itself off. Its constantly on our minds and how we can help and what we can do to help in Ukraine as well.

For the mother and daughters, the war instantaneously disrupted their lives. Hanna worked as a lawyer in Ukraine. Sofiia and Iryna attended universities there.

Each one of us had a plan and purpose in Ukraine, Hanna said. And everything in one moment was completely changed and taken away.

Now theyre taking English language classes. Hanna has found work helping a Ukrainian lawyer. The daughters enrolled in classes at Harper College. They try to simultaneously keep up online with their courses in Ukraine, but thats proved difficult: The classes are in the middle of the night due to the time difference, and the instruction is often suspended when air raid sirens blare and the class needs to take shelter underground.

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Were now living for the future; were not sad in that respect, Yaroslav said. Were moving forward as a family.

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After the Russian invasion, St. Andrew immediately rallied to raise money to help Ukraine, donating hundreds of thousands of dollars in funds and goods, including medical equipment, thermal socks and bulletproof vests. Recently, the church donated a hundred diesel heaters to help warm Ukrainian troops in foxholes; the heaters are expected to arrive in Kyiv in the coming days, said John Jaresko, president of the parish board.

Since the February Russian invasion, Jaresko said, the parish has also seen a resurgence in attendance among third- and fourth-generation Ukrainians looking for ways help their ancestral homeland or rediscover their heritage.

The war has brought back many people who were already assimilated into American life but realized theyre of Ukrainian descent, he said. They searched out their Ukrainian roots, their Ukrainian church, their Ukrainian family in order to make donations and in order to support Ukraine. Its kind of amazing. Weve had an influx of people who are third generation, fourth generation  who dont speak Ukrainian but say, I know my baba (grandmother) was Ukrainian, and are now asking: What can I do? How can I help?

The war has also spurred greater international recognition of the sovereignty of Ukraine, he added.

Right now the world, due to this war, understands that there is a country called Ukraine, he said. There is a language that is Ukrainian. There is a people that are Ukrainian. And they are not Russian. So that has been something that for hundreds of years people have tried to accomplish and fought for and died for. And all of a sudden here it is, even though it is through great tragedy.

eleventis@chicagotribune.com
BLOOMINGTON  McLean County has returned to a medium COVID-19 community level.

The McLean County Health Department reported 159 new cases of COVID from Dec. 30 through Thursday, bringing the total probable and confirmed cases to 62,951 since the pandemic began.

No deaths were reported in the past week, leaving that total at 415 COVID-related deaths since the pandemic began.

Statewide, there were 16,281 new cases and 20 deaths in the past week, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health on Friday.

McLean County is one of 45 counties in the state at a medium level, with another 28 counties, including Tazewell and Logan, at a high level. Champaign, DeWitt, Ford, Macon and Woodford are also at a medium level. The community level is determined by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention metrics. Last week, McLean County had dipped down to the low level.

At medium level, the CDC recommends that high-risk people and those living with them consider wearing a mask in indoor public spaces. The federal, state and local health agencies continue to recommend people get vaccinated and stay up to date on booster shots.

Vaccines from MCHD can be scheduled by calling 309-888-5435 for adults and 309-888-5455 for children.

To find other locations offering COVID-19 vaccines and boosters, visit vaccines.gov.

MCHD will offer free COVID-19 testing from 9 a.m. to noon every Tuesday and Wednesday at the health department building at 200 W. Front St., Bloomington. Participants should not consume food or drink for one hour before the test.
Liberian police say they have seized a huge cache of arms and ammunition at the country's main port and at a private residence outside the capital, Monrovia.



The weapons found at the port of Monrovia were in boxes stacked inside a shipping container, police Inspector General Patrick Sudue told journalists on Thursday.



[In] the first few boxes that were searched we discovered some heavy, heavy weapons, he said.



"Were talking about military weapons in those boxes.



The cache includes Omega 15 assault rifles, Rock River LAR guns, and double-barrel automatic machine guns which were displayed to journalists.



He said some of the ammunition found did not have arms to match - and suggested that the guns were either still hidden or could be on the way.



A preliminary investigation has named a Liberian national living in the US as the consignor.



A search in the suspects home in the outskirts of Monrovia uncovered a consignment of arms hidden in the ceiling, the police boss said.



He said the Liberian government was considering asking the US to extradite suspect.



The motive of the shipment remains unclear in a country that is still reeling from the impact of civil wars that killed an estimated 250,000 people and ended in 2003.



Liberias next general elections are due in 10 October.

Source: BBC









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An eighty-year-old man has been burnt to death at Tano-Dumase in the Sekyere South District of the Ashanti Region.



The man was said to be in his room when it gutted fire on Thursday January 5, 2022, consuming the man to death.



Ofori Kwaku, Assembly Member for Tano  Dumase Electoral Area explained that personnel of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) in the Ashanti Region were called to the scene and after dousing the fire, the charred body of the man was found.



The body has since been conveyed by the police and deposited at Tano-Dumase Hospital morgue for autopsy and preservation.

Source: dailyguidenetwork.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Former Secretary to the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), Charles Bissue has fired the Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng for resorting to intimidation in his handling of the corruption allegations leveled against him by Anas Aremeyaw Anas and Tiger Eye P.I.



According to him, the Special Prosecutor is bent on using the case to redeem the lost reputation of Anas Aremeyaw Anas.



In an interview on Asempa FM, Mr. Bissue urged the Special Prosecutor to refrain from any intimidating tactics and better recuse himself from the foregoing investigation given the conflicting interest he has in the matter.



He disclosed that Mr. Agyebeng upon failing to honour his petitions for updates in respect of investigations in the said matter threatened to have him arrested and extradited by Interpol.



Does he want to use me to resuscitate Anas? So far as I am alive, I will defend my reputation, Mr. Bissue intimated.



He continued that he has a full regard for the Office of the Special Prosecutor, and all other institutions in the country but would not hesitate to call out any officeholder who abuses his powers and office to settle some personal interest.



I respect the Office of the Special Prosecutor and all other institutions in the country but for someone to attempt to use his office to settle personal interest is wrong.



These remarks come after the Office of the Special Prosecutor published its semi-annual report on cases it had worked on over the year 2022. Underwritten by the Special Prosecutor, it indicated that investigations have been concluded in the corruption allegation as contained in the Galamsey Fraud Part 1 documentary as published by Anas Aremeyaw Anas and Tiger Eye P.I in 2019, and ready to prosecute Mr. Bissue.



Interestingly, this pronouncement by the OSP comes shortly after Mr. Bissue filed a writ to restrain the OSP from pursuing the matter. Anas Aremeyaw Anas and Tiger Eye P.I are the 2nd and 3rd Defendants in this suit filed by Charles Bissue.



Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah of Sarkodie Baffour Awuah and Partners is the legal representative of Mr. Bissue.



The case is expected to be moved at the Accra High Court on Thursday 12th January 2023.

Source: dailyguidenetwork.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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John Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen who recently resigned from his position as the Minister for Trade says he will soon address the nation.



Alan Cash as he is popularly called tendered in his resignation letter on Thursday, January 5, 2023, and it was subsequently accepted by President Akufo-Addo.



Mr Kyerematen, in a Facebook post thanked "H.E the President for the opportunity to serve and for graciously accepting my resignation as Cabinet Minister responsible for Trade and Industry, effective 16th January, 2023".



I sincerely appreciate the support from my family, colleagues, my party the NPP, the international community, and the general public during my tenure as a Minister...



I will be addressing the Ghanaian people in the next few days he added.



Alan Cash is one of the possible presidential candidates of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).





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.

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Ghanas Vice President, Alhaji Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, on Friday, January 6th 2022, visited the Tamale Central Mosque for Quranic recitation and prayers, receiving a heros welcome over the successful refurbishment of the mosque.



The Vice President had undertaken, at personal cost, to complete the refurbishment of the historic mosque due to its state after over 50 years of existence.



Bawumia handed over the completed project to the leadership of the mosque including the Regional Chief Imam, Shaykh Abdul Salam.



The Vice President took to social media to outline his visit to Tamale on Friday.



This morning, I was at Tamale Central Mosque to participate in a Quranic recitation and prayers, led by the venerable Shaykh Babadua. The prayers were to give thanks for the successful completion of refurbishment works on the Tamale Central Mosque, which I undertook.



Later in the afternoon, I joined the Muslim Community for Jummah prayers, led by the Regional Chief Imam Shaykh Abdul Salam. I thank the Almighty Allah for giving me the strength to undertake the refurbishment of the mosque, as well as to all those who initiated and contributed to the process, especially, the leadership of the mosque. May Allah bless us all. Dr Bawumia said.



During the ceremony, the leadership of the mosque expressed gratitude to the Veep over his selfless act whilst the gathered masses hailed him as a hero.



In May 2020, the Regional Chief Imam and Alhaji Opha appealed to the Vice President to help pay for the cost of prior work done on the ground floor of the mosque by a Kumasi contractor.



The Vice President after a jummah (Friday) prayer in November 2020 at the Mosque paid the cost and announced his decision to complete the remainder of the works on the over 50 years old Mosque.



The Veep funded the refurbishment of the second and third floors, the minarets, the penthouse, lighting, painting, and other works.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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Friday viral reports claim American rapper, Kanye West is in Ghana.



Part of the reason for his visit to Ghana was to make a surprise appearance at the Black Star Line Festival on Friday night.



According to DJ Ebenezer Donkoh, Ye is slated to fly to Africa and make a special appearance at Accras festival organized by two of his friends and fellow Chicago natives Vic Mensa and Chance The Rapper.



Im gathering info that Kanye West will be the surprise act at the Black Star Line Festival in Ghana this weekend, the New York DJ wrote on Twitter on Thursday January 5. Kanye West has made headlines around the world in 2022.



However, he was quiet during the holiday season.



Reports about him coming to Ghana went viral on Friday.

Source: dailyguidenetwork.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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U.S. Senator Ron Wyden has called for the Biden administration to carry out an investigation after a Reuters report showed how Russian authorities are using facial recognition to curb dissent with the aid of U.S. technology. Wyden, who chairs the Senate Finance Committee, said that "American technology shouldnt be a linchpin in Russias authoritarian surveillance machine." "The administration should thoroughly investigate allegations that U.S. chips are being used in Russias facial recognition and surveillance regime and do what it takes to cut off the flow of sensitive technology to Putin and his cronies, Wyden told Reuters.
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

More people moved into Scandinavia in Viking times than at any other time period analysed in the study. Credit: Shutterstock

We often think of the Vikings as ultimate explorers, taking their culture with them to far-off lands. But we may not typically think of Viking age Scandinavia as a hub for migration from all over Europe.

In a study published in Cell, we show this is exactly what happened. The Viking period (late 8th century to mid 11th century) was the catalyst for an exceptional inflow of people into Scandinavia. These movements were greater than for any other period we analysed.

What's also striking is that later Scandinavians don't show the same high levels of non-local ancestry present in their Viking-era counterparts. We don't completely understand why the migrants' genetic impact was reduced in later Scandinavians, but there are some possibilities.

We analysed genomes (the full complement of DNA contained in human cells) from around 17,000 Scandinavian individuals, including nearly 300 from ancient burials. We combined existing datasets with new samples. These were analysed together in a dataset spanning 2,000 years.

We used these genomes to explore when people arrived in the region from outside and where they came from. New DNA samples were collected from several iconic Swedish archaeological sites.

These included Sandby borg, which is a "ring fortress" where a massacre occurred just before 500 AD, and the Vendel cemetery, which features several burials contained in large boats and dating to between the 6th and 8th centuries AD. We also used samples from Viking chamber burials and remains from Kronan, a warship that capsized with more than 800 men in 1676.

Two previous studies noted extensive migration into Scandinavia during the Viking age. But in our latest study, we have clarified some of the details about this flow of genes into the region.

We found that movements of people from western Europe impacted all of Scandinavia, while migration from the east was more localised, with peaks in the Lake Malaren Valley and Gotland. Finally, gene flow from southern Europe largely affected the south of Scandinavia.

Since the study was based on a 2,000-year chronology, it was not only possible to see there was an increase in migration during the Viking era, but also that it starts to fall with the onset of the medieval period.

The non-local ancestry that arrives in the region at this time falls away in later periods. Much of the genetic influence from eastern Europe disappears and the western and southern influence becomes significantly diluted. The best way to explain this is that people who arrived in Scandinavia during Viking times did not have as many children as the people who were already living there.

There are different possible reasons for this. The migrants could have belonged to groups that did not intend to settle down in Scandinavia, instead aiming to return to where they came from. Tradespeople and diplomats are examples in this category. Additionally, the migrants could also have belonged to groups that were not allowed to have families or children, such as slaves and priests.

We also looked at influences that began at earlier periods in time. For example, the DNA of modern Scandinavians changes gradually as you travel from north to south. This genetic "cline", or gradient, is due to migrations into the region of people carrying shared genetic similarities known as the Uralic component.

Modern examples of where the Uralic genetic component can be found are among Sami people, people in modern Finland, some Native Americans and some central Asian groups.

In our dataset, we found occasional instances of people with Uralic ancestrymainly in northern Scandinaviaduring the Viking period and medieval times. But the Uralic influence seems to increase after this time, since individuals from our 17th century sample have similar levels of this ancestry to people living today.

There were many other fascinating stories from our study. For example, at the Viking age burial site of Sala, by the river Sagan, we find a woman that seems to be fully British or Irish in her genomic composition. This woman was buried in a prestigious Viking period boat burial. We don't know exactly what position she held in society, but she would not have been a slave or a priest.

Among the individuals found on the wreck of the Kronan, there were two people who came from what is now Finland and another who has a genetic affinity with people from the Baltic states, such as Lithuania and Latvia (though this identification is not conclusive). At the time of the Kronan incident in 1676, these areas were part of the Swedish Empire, though they are independent today.

The work sheds more light on the historical events that shaped the populations of Scandinavia over time. The Viking age was marked by Scandinavians' curiosity of the world outside their home region. But, from our results, it also appears that the world outside this region was curious enough about the Vikings to travel to Scandinavia.

More information: Ricardo Rodriguez-Varela et al, The genetic history of Scandinavia from the Roman Iron Age to the present, Cell (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2022.11.024 Journal information: Cell

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Springfield  The lame-duck Illinois legislature is sending Gov. J.B. Pritzker a measure that would give pay raises to lawmakers starting with those sworn in for a new term Wednesday, while also boosting the salaries of the governor and other statewide officials and the heads of agencies appointed by the governor.

The pay raises would boost the annual salary of rank-and-file lawmakers to $85,000 from $72,906, a nearly 17% increase.

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The Senate approved the plan Sunday night on a 30-21 vote after it passed the House late Friday on a 63-35 vote. The measure, which received no Republican votes in either chamber and faced opposition from some Democrats, now goes to Pritzker, who must sign it before being sworn in for a second term Monday.

The Illinois Capitol building in Springfield is seen on Dec. 6, 2022. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)

The governors salary, which Pritzker, a billionaire entrepreneur and Hyatt Hotels heir, does not collect, would be raised to $205,700 from $190,700, an 8% increase. The lieutenant governor, attorney general, comptroller, treasurer and secretary of state  offices that all will remain filled by Democrats after Mondays inauguration  also would get pay increases.

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Secretary of State-elect Alexi Giannoulias, the lone newly elected official in that group, would be paid $183,300  a 9% increase from the $168,300 salary paid to outgoing Secretary of State Jesse White, whos held the office since 1999.

The proposal  part of a larger budget bill that includes additional funding for a variety of state programs and puts an $850 million deposit into the states rainy-day fund  also would boost pay for agency heads appointed by the governor, something the Pritzker administration sought.

The head of the beleaguered Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, for example, would see a nearly 8% raise to an annual salary of $200,000.

Pritzker said at an unrelated event in Springfield on Saturday that he sought raises for agency heads to help attract great people to positions in his administration by making pay competitive with other states and private-sector employers.

While I know people are willing to take a discounted salary off of what they might get in the private sector to come do public service, you really have to be somewhat competitive, Pritzker said. People are putting their kids through college or theyre paying their home mortgage or their rent and you cant ask people to take 50% of what they were taking in the private sector.

As for the legislative raises, Pritzker said the legislature is a coequal branch of government.

The legislature should make decisions for themselves about whats appropriate for salary within the legislative branch, Pritzker said.

He noted that lawmakers have not had a base pay increase since before the Great Recession, though after a decade of rejecting cost-of-living increases, lawmakers began receiving them again in 2019.

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The measure also would create two new paid leadership positions, which come with additional stipends on top of the base salary, for legislative caucuses that have supermajorities, which Democrats hold in both chambers.

State Sen. Elgie Sims, a Chicago Democrat who sponsored the measure in the Senate, said Pritzkers case for higher salaries for agency heads holds true for lawmakers as well.

We have a citizen legislature, and what we are trying to make sure we accomplish is we have individuals who are the best and the brightest who are serving here, Sims said.

Republican Sen. Chapin Rose of Mahomet said the raises, which come on top of a cost-of-living increase that kicked in July 1, are out of step with what constituents are experiencing.

Rose said that if he asked for a show of hands of who in his district received a similar raise in the past six months, there wouldnt be a single hand.

Thats all Ive got to say about this, he said.

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During the House debate, Republican state Rep. Mark Batinick of Plainfield, who did not run for reelection for the new term, decried the raises as Christmas in January for legislators.

House Majority Leader Greg Harris, a Chicago Democrat who also is retiring at the end of the current term, defended the broader bill as part of the Democrats ongoing efforts to stabilize the states finances.

Harris said the measure is part of a fiscally responsible budget  that we hope will help every citizen of the state of Illinois.

The plan includes another Pritzker request: $400 million for a large business attraction fund, which the administration has said would be used to provide the state the flexibility to tailor development packages to each unique situation.

The Pritzker administration said in November that it expects the state to bring in an additional $3.7 billion in revenue above what was initially projected for the budget year ending June 30.

dpetrella@chicagotribune.com
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

The use of chemical fertilisers helped fuel the four-fold expansion of the human population over the last century.

Better management of nitrogen-rich fertilizers through alternating crops, optimizing use and other measures can yield huge environmental and health benefits, but must boost food production at the same time, researchers warned Wednesday.

Reducing nitrogen pollution from global croplands is a "grand challenge," the group of international researchers said in a study in Nature outlining a dozen urgently-needed reforms.

The intensive use of chemical fertilizers helped fuel the four-fold expansion of the human population over the last century, and will be crucial for feeding 10 billion people by 2050.

But the bumper crops of what was once called the Green Revolution have come at a terrible cost.

Today, more than half the nitrogen in fertilizers seeps into the air and water, leading to deadly pollution, soil acidification, climate change, ozone depletion and biodiversity loss.

"Given the multiple health, climate and environmental impacts of reactive nitrogen, it has to be reduced in all the mediums such as air and water," lead author Baojing Gu, a professor at Zhejiang University, told AFP.

The benefits of doing so far outstrip the costs, he added.

Nitrogen cycle

The world is naturally awash in nitrogen, which is critical for the survival of all life on Earth, especially plants.

Nearly 80 percent of Earth's atmosphere is nitrogen, albeit in a gaseous form (N 2 ) of little direct use to most organisms.

It is made available to plants when microbes that live within plants or soils turn it into ammonia through biological nitrogen fixation.

This process funnels some 200 million metric tons of nitrogen into the soil and oceans every year.

Various forms of the element are eventually transformed and find their way back into the atmosphere with the help of bacteria, especially in wetlands, and after leaching into the oceans or being burned.

But this natural "nitrogen cycle" has been massively imbalanced by the use of some 120 million tons of chemical fertilizer each year, according to the study.

Less than half of that input is actually absorbed by plants, with the rest seeping into the environment and causing a constellation of problems.

Researchers led by Gu analyzed over 1,500 field observations from croplands around the world and identified 11 key measures to decrease nitrogen losses while still enhancing crop yields.

One such method is crop rotation where a variety of crops are planted on the same plot of land, optimizing the flow of nutrients in the soil.

Benefits outweigh costs

The benefits of slashing agricultural nitrogen pollution are some 25 times higher than the implementation costs of about $34 billion, they found.

For China and India - whose extensive and intensive use of fertilizer make them the world's top nitrogen polluters - that cost would be about $5 and $3 billion, respectively.

Nearly half-a-trillion dollars in avoided costs are spread across reduced premature deaths from air pollution, less damage to ecosystem services and increased crop yields.

But the proposed measure could have a negative impact on the fight against climate change.

"Basically, the impact of nitrogen management on climate change is neutral, or slightly damages the climate due to the reduction of carbon sequestration in ecosystems," Gu told AFP.

Even with outsized benefits, advanced nitrogen management has up-front costs that would be beyond the reach of many smallholder farmers without the backing of strong government policies.

A nitrogen-credit-system, for example, could subsidize farmers who adopt advanced nitrogen management techniques, drawing from the economic benefits of reduced nitrogen pollution and increased food supply.

To initiate this virtuous circle, a financial budget could be secured by taxing food consumers or enterprises that use farming for commercial food production, or by taxing polluting activities and products.

More information: Baojing Gu et al, Cost-effective mitigation of nitrogen pollution from global croplands, Nature (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05481-8 Journal information: Nature

 2023 AFP
The woman who was named a person of interest on Wednesday night in the New Year's Eve killing of a former Queensbury couple inside their central Florida home is now facing murder charges, according to interim Chief of Police Michael Gibson.

Vickie Lynn Williams, 51, went before a Lake County, Florida judge on Saturday to be arraigned on two first-degree murder charges in the deaths of 83-year-old Darryl Getman and 80-year-old Sharon Getman inside their residence in the Mount Dora retirement community.

Williams had been arrested previously on a charge of vehicle theft in the case after police said the Getmans' vehicle was seen leaving the retirement community at 2 a.m. on the morning of the double murder. Police found Williams driving the car in Savannah, GA, where she was arrested and taken back to Florida.

The judge denied bail for Williams.

Her current public defender told WOFL-TV Fox 35 that Williams will likely be assigned different counsel due to the severity of the charges and possibility of the death penalty.

Williams is due back in court for arraignment on Jan. 30.

Gibson said the case has been handed over to the State Attorney's Office and the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

The Post-Star previously reported that Williams had been seen on the premises of the retirement community during the day on Dec. 30 and had been escorted off the property on three separate occasions by security, police have said. The last time security was called on Williams was after she asked a resident to use their shower. Williams fled the scene after the tenant alerted security, police said.

The Getmans had lived in Mount Dora for over 20 years. Previously, they had lived on Twicwood Lane in Queensbury for about 15 years.
As of Friday, Glens Falls Hospital reported no COVID patients in the ICU and 18 patients total with the virus, with eight of them being Warren County residents.

On Saturday, Warren County reported 76 new cases over the past five days, including 27 new cases on Thursday and 21 on Friday.

The last CDC community COVID level update on Thursday indicated both Warren and Washington counties had low levels.

The seven-day rolling positivity rate was at 4.4%.

The next Warren County Health Services COVID vaccine clinic offering the Moderna bivalent is on Tuesday from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. inside the health services office at Warren County Municipal Center.

Washington County

According to statewide data on Saturday, out of the 180 test results recorded on Friday, only 13 new cases were identified on Friday.

The seven-day rolling positivity rate was at 5.2%.

At-home test kits are available for pickup at the Washington County Municipal Center (Building B entrance) and the Washington County Public Health Department in Fort Edward Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Statewide

On Friday, Gov. Kathy Hochul reported 6,238 new COVID cases in New York out of the 64,879 test results recorded across the state.

The governors news release also said that the state Department of Health announced that the XBB.1.5. variant is now the most dominant strain in New York, accounting for more than 50% of COVID-19 infections statewide. Emerging at a time when both COVID-19 and flu cases remain high, early data indicates that XBB.1.5. is more transmissible than other circulating variants, though there is not yet clear evidence of significant changes to virulence or severity of disease.

The states seven-day rolling positivity rate was at 8.6%.
EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP  For Eulojeo Mayren and Sara Guzman-Mayren, the news was devastating.

On Thursday, Jamaul Timberlake, 31, pleaded guilty to beating their son, 19-year-old Irving Mayren-Guzman.

The parents say the plea to the aggravated assault charge carried less punishment than they felt was deserved for the death of their son. That it came nearly a year after hed been found in the marshes outside a strip club in Pleasantville was particularly frustrating.

Its a lack of respect what theyre doing to me and my family, Eulojeo Mayren said Friday at a small news conference at their home. Why wait all this time, and up until now we havent had an exact track on what really happened to my son?

The Atlantic County Prosecutors Office said Timberlakes guilty plea is conditioned on the two other co-defendants, brothers Garnell and John Hands, also pleading guilty. He could face four years in prison when he is sentenced Feb. 22.

In his statements to the judge, Timberlake said the three overpowered Irving Mayren-Guzman while they beat him outside Centerfolds Cabaret last January, causing him significant injuries. Afterward, the three men went back into the club, leaving Mayren-Guzman outside. Mayren-Guzman then ran away from the club.

Atlantic City man pleads guilty in Pleasantville strip club assault One of three men accused of beating an Egg Harbor Township man outside a Pleasantville strip

Mayren-Guzman, whod first gone to the club Jan. 23, 2022, was reported missing, and community members aided authorities in their search for him. His body was found two days later in the marsh several feet away from the strip club.

An autopsy report that took months to finalize attributed his death to hypothermia, drowning and alcohol intoxication .

The final autopsy indicated the victim suffered minor fresh abrasions to his face, arms and legs near the time of his death, but did not show evidence of a traumatic brain injury.

So the three accused men were not charged with murder.

Still, the family wonders how his injuries could not have led to his death.

They themselves have seen the video. They saw how they hit my son, said Sara Guzman-Mayren. I dont know what is happening or what has changed. The only thing were disagreeing on: Why are they giving him a little bit of time? Why four years?

2 accused in Mayren-Guzman assault case apply for pretrial intervention program MAYS LANDING  Two of the three men charged with assaulting Irving Mayren-Guzman in January 

At a detention hearing, Superior Court Judge Nancy Ridgway said the autopsy indicated the three men had pummeled Mayren-Guzman. The injuries sustained to his arms, legs and face were not shown to be serious by the autopsy report, but the sheer number of them revealed an intent to cause serious bodily injury on the part of the three defendants, Ridgway said at the time.

The men were charged with aggravated assault and conspiracy to commit aggravated assault last June.

Ridgway also asserted the defendants were a threat to witnesses because they appeared to know workers at Centerfolds. The surveillance video showed the attack along with the aftermath. The men were shown going back into the club, where they reenacted the assault to the Centerfolds employees.

Irvin Moreno-Rodriguez, chair of El Pueblo Unido of Atlantic City, which has supported the Mayren-Guzman family since the incident, said the plea deal excluded the family from the process.

We are extremely upset with Prosecutor William Reynolds and his entire office, with the disrespect the family has received in the last week. The family has essentially been slapped in the face regarding the backdoor plea deals that Prosecutor Reynolds and his office have undertaken without any input from the family, said Moreno-Rodriguez.

These backdoor plea negotiations are completely against the spirit of New Jerseys Crime Victim Bill of Rights, he said. The family was supposed to have the ability to write a statement regarding certain plea negotiations that were happening regarding their case. They were not afforded that opportunity, and now we are dealing with the ramifications of Prosecutor Reynolds failure to keep the family updated with these negotiations.

Pleasantville strip club assault defendants to remain in jail MAYS LANDING  A judge on Wednesday ordered the continued detainment of three men accused of

In response, the Prosecutors Office said: While we cannot comment at this time as to the reasoning behind the plea offer since the case is still open, we can relay that the victims mother was notified of the plea deal via phone conference and noted her objection.

The Prosecutors Offices reply, sent Friday, goes on to state: Her lawyers were also on the call and they were told as well. This was done last week.

Hundreds of people, including those in the local Latino community, rallied with the Mayren-Guzman family throughout the past year, holding protests outside Centerfolds, Pleasantville City Hall and later at the courthouse in Mays Landing, chanting Justicia para Irving.

Centerfolds Cabaret on Delilah Road closed Feb. 23 after the city rescinded the clubs mercantile license. The family also filed a civil lawsuit against the club, Timberlake and the Hands brothers.

Prior to Timberlakes plea deal, all three had pleaded not guilty.

Timberlake, who has criminal record as a juvenile that includes sexual assault, conspiracy to commit sexual assault, registration as a sex offender at the age of 12 and six years in the Jamesburg Detention Center, had faced a maximum 20-year sentence if convicted at trial of both charges.

But the plea deal is contingent on both John and Garnell Hands entering guilty pleas Jan. 25 and 26, said the Prosecutors Office.

Jan. 25 will mark the one-year anniversary of Mayren-Guzmans body being found. The family plans on going to the hearing that day to advocate for Justicia para Irving.

The death of my son hurts, and itll keep hurting, but I simply ask the prosecutor to make the best decision, said Eulojeo Mayren.
Eight municipalities in Cape May, Ocean and Burlington counties are recommended for gypsy moth treatment by the state Department of Agriculture in May and June.

The department is looking to treat 5,100 acres of residential and county-owned property for the species, also known as LDD, after it conducted egg mass surveys from August to December of last year.

Participation in the program is voluntary, the department said Friday in a news release.

Agriculture Secretary Douglas Fisher said committing to the treatment program can help tame the insects population for several years.

This program has been very effective over the last several years and helps preserve the valuable trees and plants that are a food source for this destructive pest, Fisher said.

Stockton professor uses science to create album Stockton University biology professor Matthew F. Bonnan grew up fascinated by two things: di

A meeting will be held at the Dennis Township Municipal Building at 10 a.m. Jan. 19 to detail the departments treatment plan.

Wooded areas in the counties are eligible for treatment because they were found to have an average of more than 500 egg masses per acre and be at least 40 acres in size. A single egg mass holds up to 500 eggs, the department said.

Any LDD defoliation can kill a healthy tree by making it more vulnerable to other forms of damage. Oak trees are the typical host for the insect.

The department recommended 8,961 acres in both Cape May and Burlington counties for treatment last year.

No areas in the state were considered for treatment in 2019 and 2020.
UPPER TOWNSHIP  The Township Committee named Jay Newman mayor for 2023 in a 3-2 vote at the Friday evening reorganization meeting of the all-Republican governing body.

Newman, who also serves as chief of the Marmora Volunteer Fire Company, replaced Curtis Corson, who had a single year in the position and made clear he would have rather continued as mayor.

Corson voted no on the motion, as did new Committee member Victor W. Nappen II, elected in November along with incumbent Mark E. Pancoast. Both men were sworn in at the Friday meeting.

Nappen said he was not voting against Newman but rather thought Corson had done a good job, and that he should not support a major change in his first meeting.

Im too early on in this process to make a big change like that, Nappen said.

There was no discussion before the vote, and the outcome seemed to be expected, with Newman sitting in the center of the dais, where the mayor sits at township meetings.

Temporary superintendent named for Upper Township schools UPPER TOWNSHIP  The Upper Township Board of Education on Monday approved Christopher Kobik 

There was no reason stated for the change.

Newman said only that the majority of the committee had decided to go in a different direction and thanked Corson for his service. He said Corson had done a phenomenal job as mayor.

Corson said he planned to run for reelection to committee this year and hoped to one day be mayor again. The two men shook hands after the vote, and Corson congratulated Newman.

Its been an honor to serve as mayor for the past year. I would have liked to have continued as mayor, but obviously my colleagues decided they wanted to go in a different direction, Corson said. I will continue to serve all of Upper Township to the best of my ability.

While in many communities, voters choose the mayor, in Upper Township and with other forms of local government, the mayor is chosen by the governing body each year from among its members.

The mayor before Corson, Richard Palombo, was reappointed to the job for 22 years.

Morgan out, DeMarzo in as Upper Township administrator UPPER TOWNSHIP  Scott Morgan is out as township administrator, replaced by former Wildwood 

At the same meeting, members named Committee member Kimberly Hayes deputy mayor, with the same 3-2 split in the vote, with Newman, Hayes and Pancoast voting yes and Corson and Nappen voting no.

The reorganization meeting was crowded with community members, family of the committee members, township emergency responders and elected officials from surrounding towns.

Committee members said U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew would have liked to be there as well, but he was tied up in Washington. The same night, the voting continued to name U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy as speaker of the House. It took 15 votes over the course of several days before he reached the needed majority.

Pancoast, who serves as a police officer in Ocean City, was sworn in by Ocean City Mayor Jay Gillian. Dean Marcolongo, the former Cape May County surrogate who was recently appointed to Superior Court, administered the oath of office to Nappen.

Both men were surrounded by family for the ceremony. Pancoast took his oath on a Bible he said was given to his mother when she was born in in 1944. She gave Pancoast the Bible last year.

My mom passed away three weeks ago, he said. His father held the Bible for the swearing-in.

Corson named Upper Township mayor UPPER TOWNSHIP  In a unanimous vote Friday, the Township Committee named Curtis Corson the 

Newman also thanked his family, including his wife, Fran Newman, and son, Mark, who were at the meeting, and his other son, John, who is serving with the Air Force.

He also thanked the townships public safety team.

They make us look good, Newman said. They are very, very busy. Most people dont realize how busy they are.

Newman served 12 years on the committee before both he and Corson lost reelection bids in 2013. Voters returned Newman to the committee in 2021 as part of a ticket with Hayes and Newman.
#NEW DELHI A day after chaos and clashes led to the adjournment of the MCD House on the first day of its proceedings, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillors on Saturday protested outside Lt. Governor (L-G) V.K. Saxenas office over illegal appointment of the presiding officer. The protest is being led by senior AAP leader Atishi. The party has accused the L-G of an assault on the Constitution, while it is also against his decision to nominate 10 BJP members as aldermen. The House was adjourned as violent clashes broke out between AAP and BJP councillors on Friday.

IANS
Contraband was concealed in document folder

The customs authorities at Mumbais Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport have seized cocaine and heroin amounting to more than Rs 32 crore in two separate cases, an official said on Friday.

The customs official said the 4.47-kg heroin worth Rs 31.29 crore in the covers of a document folder, while 1.596 kg of cocaine valued at Rs 15.96 crore was hidden in the buttons of clothes.

We launched a drive against drugs smuggling and busted this racket, said the official.

The accused were placed under arrest, the official said. Further probe is underway. IANS
The Union Home Ministry has declared Arbaz Ahmad Mir, who has been working for Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) from across the border in Pakistan, as a terrorist under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), in a notification released on Friday, said that Mir was involved in promoting terrorist activities in Jammu and Kashmir.



The Ministry stated that the government had declared Mir as a terrorist, exercising the powers conferred by

by clause (a) of sub-section 1) of section 35 of the UAPA, 1967.



Mir belongs to Kulgam district of J&K and currently resides in Pakistan.



The MHA said that Mir had been involved in targeted killings and was the mastermind of the murder of Rajni Wala, a female teacher in Kulgam.



Mir was involved in coordinating terror acts in the valley and helping terrorists by illegally supplying arms and ammunition, including explosives from across the border, said the MHA.



The notification cited the aforementioned reasons for declaring Mir a terrorist.



On Thursday, the MHA had declared LeT Commander Mohammad Amin Khubaib as a terrorist.
98kg synthetic drugs sent from Germany seized in Noi Bai airport

Police and customs officers of Hanoi have seized 98kg of synthetic drugs sent from Germany, police authorities announced on Friday.













Two drug traffickers are arrested for their involvement in the case. VNA/VNS Photos

Colonel Pham Quynh, deputy head of the Drug Crime Investigation Department under Hanoi City Police, said three people have been arrested.



Upon examining suspicious parcels sent from Germany to Vietnam via Noi Bai International Airport, the police and customs found and seized 98 kg of synthetic drugs, he said.



The drugs confiscated were 45 kg ecstasy (MDMA) and 53 kg ketamine hidden in parcels.













Quynh said the drug traffickers took advantage of the express delivery to illegal transport drugs from abroad to Vietnam which were hidden in goods such as coffee-making machines, air purifiers and candy bags to escape the inspection of the authorities.



According to a report of Hanois Drug Crime Investigation Department, from November 15, 2022 to January 5, 2023, the police busted 472 cases and arrested 734 people for their drug related crimes, consficating more than 110.1 kg of drugs.



Vietnamese law stipulates that those convicted of smuggling over 600 grams of heroin or more than 2.5 kg of methamphetamine are punishable by death. Making or trading 100 grams of heroin or 300 grams of other illegal drugs also carries the death penalty.
Mary Dieudonne-Hill, who lost her daughter to gun violence, speaks during a rally held by gun safety advocates in the rotunda of the state Capitol on Jan. 5, 2023, in Springfield. A ban on semi-automatic weapons, a top campaign promise of Gov. J.B. Pritzker, won Illinois House approval early Friday, Jan. 6. (Thomas Turney / AP)

SPRINGFIELD  Illinois House Democrats were in a celebratory mood after passing measures that would ban the sale and possession of certain high-powered firearms and expand abortion protections, but those feelings quickly gave way to uncertainty as the state Senate left Springfield on Friday without taking up either proposal.

Senators are scheduled to return to the Capitol late Sunday, less than 24 hours before Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker will be sworn in for a second term. A ban on so-called assault weapons after the mass shooting at Highland Parks Fourth of July parade and the expansion of abortion rights in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down Roe v. Wade were key pillars of Pritzkers reelection campaign.

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Approval of the House measures in the Democratic-controlled Senate would hand Pritzker a pair of legislative victories on the eve of his inauguration. But the Senate was working on its own versions of both proposals, which, if passed, would need to go back to the House for approval before heading to the governors desk.

Pritzker, who made a rare appearance on the House floor for the debate on the gun bill, expressed optimism as he left the chamber following the vote early Friday morning that the House and Senate would reach a consensus on that issue.

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I know were going to get a bill done, he told reporters.

A spokesman for Senate President Don Harmon said both the gun measure and new protections for abortion providers and patients are critically important issues.

The Senate Democratic caucus is committed to enacting the most effective legislation possible, John Patterson, a spokesman for the Oak Park Democrat, said in a statement. Senators are giving these proposals an extensive review and careful evaluation.

A new General Assembly will be sworn in Wednesday, at which point any proposal that hasnt passed both chambers would have to start again at the beginning of the legislative process.

The gun legislation, which bans certain semi-automatic weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines, passed 64-43 after close to two hours of debate that stretched from Thursday evening into the early hours of Friday.

Outgoing House Republican leader Jim Durkin of Western Springs was the lone GOP lawmaker to vote in favor of the legislation, while four Democrats  Anthony DeLuca of Chicago Heights, Larry Walsh of Elwood, Lance Yednock of Ottawa and Michael Halpin of Rock Island  voted against the bill.

Democratic state Sen. Ram Villivalam said before the House vote that the Senate was committed to passing bans on high-powered firearms and high-capacity magazines, but would look beyond the bill that passed before taking action.

We are just making sure that we have, in addition to looking at the House version of the legislation, we have all of the input from stakeholders to ensure that were passing a common sense gun-safety measure that is rooted in data, thats rooted in taking one big proactive step to solve this challenge of mass shooting after mass shooting, said Villivalam, of Chicago.

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Were working to ensure that we make the experience for responsible gun owners and (firearm owners identification card) owners unchanged and address the gun violence epidemic that we have in this country, he said.

The measure was prompted by the Fourth of July mass shooting in Highland Park that left seven people dead and dozens more injured. State Rep. Bob Morgan, a Deerfield Democrat who marched in the parade with his family, led negotiations in the House.

This is not a unique situation. And I left that day thinking I will do whatever I can, whatever is in my power to make sure none of us, none of you, none of your communities go through what we went through, and yet I failed, Morgan said on the House floor moments before the vote.

Because within three days of the Fourth of July shooting there were more gun deaths throughout the state of Illinois than that day on the Fourth of July in Highland Park. So I failed. And I literally have been carrying that on my shoulders to this moment as we stand here right now.

State Rep. Bob Morgan and Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering hug after testifying about the July Fourth mass shooting during an Illinois House committee hearing at the Bilandic Building about new gun legislation Dec. 12, 2022. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)

In his opening remarks prior to floor debate, House Speaker Emanuel Chris Welch, who filed an updated version of the bill on Thursday, sought to erase concerns that, if passed, the measure would lead to guns being taken away from law-abiding citizens. The proposal gives people who already own the high-powered weapons that would be banned about a year to register them with law enforcement.

Its important to highlight that. We are not taking any guns away from lawful gun owners, said Welch, a Hillside Democrat.

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In siding with the Democrats, Durkin said he was sensitive to the rights of gun owners, including their right of self-defense. But he said he was sickened by the shootings everywhere in the state with these types of weapons.

Paraphrasing the late conservative U.S. Rep. Henry Hyde of Wood Dale, who supported the federal assault weapon ban in the 1990s, Durkin said, The Founding Fathers did not contemplate these weapons of mass destruction that teenagers and grievance killers would use a bazooka.

State Rep. Jim Durkin at a committee hearing on the proposed gun legislation on Dec. 12, 2022, at the Bilandic Building. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)

Other Republicans questioned the constitutionality of the bill and said they felt it would make criminals of law-abiding citizens.

Rep. Tony McCombie, a Savanna Republican who will be taking over as House Republican leader next week, said the measure would not stop gun violence in Illinois.

This bill does not address the real issues and the solutions to those issues, McCombie said. Its going to make it harder for law enforcement to do their job.

GOP Rep. Dan Caulkins of Decatur asked Morgan how his ownership of guns could pose a threat to other people.

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Morgan said gun owners were lawful until theyre not.

The fact that these weapons are not just causing harm on the intended victims, theyre increasingly being used to cause harm to innocent bystanders, Morgan said. That is the harm. Were talking about literally people dying of gun deaths. So I dont really know how to explain that if you dont understand.

Youre going after my Second Amendment rights, Caulkins said, lamenting he wouldnt be allowed to carry a 15-round magazine for his gun, an accessory that is very common for semi-automatic handguns.

Republican Rep. Andrew Chesney of Freeport criticized Durkins support of the bill without naming him, and blamed Durkins leadership contributing to the GOPs loss of five House seats in the Nov. 8 election.

If youre not frustrated about what youve heard out of our leaderships mouth tonight, you should be. And if you want to know why our numbers dwindle ... you just saw why, he said to his fellow Republicans.

We go from 45 to 40 because we join and we stand for nothing. But were right, Chesney said. And so us as Republicans, we better get on the same page right now because if we see the nonsense that we just saw, the Republican Party will not exist in the state of Illinois.

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Republicans were unified in opposition to the abortion rights measure from Rep. Kelly Cassidy, a Chicago Democrat, which was approved on a 67-41 vote. Democratic Rep. Sue Scherer of Decatur voted with the GOP against the bill.

The proposal would allow advanced practice registered nurses and physicians assistants to perform abortion procedures that dont require general anesthesia. Providers and advocates have said that would help meet surging demand from out-of-state patients.

The measure also seeks to prevent health care providers from losing their Illinois licenses solely because theyve had their license revoked in another state for performing a procedure thats legal in Illinois.

Cassidy said the plan will protect patients and providers from undue interference from hostile states that have adopted new restrictions after the June Supreme Court ruling and shore up the right to privacy the high court left diminished at the federal level.

The measure also offers protections for providers of gender-affirming health care services, which also are seeing new restrictions in other states.

Rep. Avery Bourne, a Republican from downstate Morrisonville, argued that the legislation is an expansion that goes beyond what most Illinoisans think is appropriate.

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Separately, a measure that would allow Chicago Public Schoolss principals to unionize now awaits Pritzkers signature after it passed in the Senate later Friday morning with a 45-7 vote. The bill, which would not allow principals to go on strike, was passed by the House in March.

jgorner@chicagotribune.com

dpetrella@chicagotribune.com
Train running late by 5 hrs and more for few months; rly officials attribute it to late arrival of rakes from Howrah

India is keenly awaiting its first bullet train to start running in the next five years. Yet, the long hours that Pune-Howrah Azad Hind Express has been forcing passengers boarding the train from Pune to wait in recent months are good enough to send them back to olden times when such delays were the norm. With an average delay of five hours, the train has been delayed by a prolonged 12 hours to 24 hours on some days. The inordinate delays have not only caused huge inconvenience to passengers but also added to the chaos at the railway station with travellers being stranded at the premises for hours together.

It is pertinent to mention that the train is scheduled to depart from Pune station at 6.35 pm. The station, which already witnesses a huge rush during the evening hours, is bursting at the seams with a large number of passengers awaiting the train due to rescheduling. All this has created a big headache for the railway protection force officials, who are finding it difficult to manage the crowd. To make matters worse, the ongoing foot overbridge work at the Pune station has left limited space for people to walk between two platforms.

The delay in the train departure, railway officials claimed, was caused due to the nonavailability of rakes that arrived late from Howrah owing to ongoing maintenance work at several divisions on the route. However, the situation has been continuing for the past few months. Talking to Mirror, Alok Tiwari, who travelled from Pune to Raipur on December 22, shared his harrowing experience. The train had already been rescheduled by almost six hours. However, when we reached the station, it did not leave on the rescheduled time and it was again delayed by almost another hour, he said.

The train literally departed on the next day at 1:10 am instead of 6.35 pm  a delay of more than six hours and a half. Worse, Tiwari claimed that no announcement was being made about the further delay at the station leading to chaos. Fortunately, I received a text message in advance regarding the rescheduled timing. So, I left home as per the changed schedule. However, there was no announcement at the railway station about the delay or platform number, he recounted. Shailesh Verma, who had come to attend a meeting in Pune on January 4, had a terrible experience.

I came here to attend a meeting. I was supposed to leave by train at 6:35 pm. I do not know anyone in Pune and I had no option but to spend almost 10 hours around the railway station as the train was delayed. This was the worst travelling experience I had ever had with the railways, he said. Speaking to Mirror, Manoj Jhanwar, public relations officer (PRO), Pune railway division, said, The maintenance work is under progress at several divisions on the Howrah-Pune route. As a result, the rakes arrive late from Howrah.

Later, the rakes are sent for maintenance before departure to ensure the safety of passengers. The process requires at least six hours after the arrival at the station. However, we make sure that the passengers are informed well in advance through bulk messages about the rescheduled time to avoid inconvenience, he added.
With citizens earning fat salaries, patients now want to opt for specialised medical professionals at corporate hospitals; however, experts underlined vital role played by physicians consulted by families during pandemic

Gone are the days when family doctors frequented regular patients for immediate medical attention, irrespective of their professional specialisation, and later referred them to a specialist. Now, corporate hospitals have replaced these family medical professionals, all thanks to the increased purchasing power of patients. Small clinics have become a thing of the past with family doctors nearing extinction. Urban patients earning a fat salary and enjoying a luxurious lifestyle demand medical specialists and are not inclined to go to local clinics for treatment.

This has triggered the drive in the medical fraternity for specialised and super specialised doctors. Mirror spoke to Dr Avinash Bhondwe, the former state president of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) and a family doctor by choice, who said that he observed this change in the past four decades of his practice. Earlier in Pune, around 200 students passed the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) exam and the number of seats for post-graduate courses were also quite less.

Gradually, they were increased resulting in several MBBS doctors opting for specialised courses later, he said. Bhondwe said that in the 1970s and 1980s, joint families was a norm. They later disintegrated into nuclear families. The trend in joint families was to consult their family doctor during emergencies. However, in nuclear families, the husband, wife, and child consult different doctors who are specialised in their branches, he said.

The boom in the automobile and information and technology (IT) sectors in Pune strengthened the spending power of citizens enabling them to opt for expensive and specialised treatments, Bhondwe added. Now, there are a few family doctors left. The few who still practise have not completed MBBS but other courses in medicine. They are just limited to elderly patients and those suffering from cold and flu. Even doctors from the suburbs or rural parts of the state want to opt for specialised courses, he added.

Dr Sanjay Patil, former vice-president, IMA, said that several insurance companies are controlling the healthcare sector and trying to replicate the practices of the western countries. Despite the governments push to raise the number of post-graduate seats, the future of family physicians looks bleak as students pursuing MBBS continue to opt for specialisation. The expectations of the patients, too, have increased, further fuelling this trend.

This leads to unnecessary overcrowding at the clinics of specialised doctors who are then unable to give the required time and attention to patients who are actually in dire need for treatment, he said. The Association of Physicians of India (API), Pune chapter, has a different point of view and claims that the trust and faith in family doctors have been re-established during the COVID-19 pandemic. Communities now have enormous faith in the easily accessible and affordable services of family physicians.

Dr Aniket Joshi, spokesperson, API, Pune chapter, said the importance of family physicians in providing healthcare at the grassroots level has been made clear. In the recent pandemic, families realised the importance of the role of family physicians in times of major healthcare crises and pandemics, he added.
Last date for applying for transfer was December 31; institutes fail to provide statements owing to upcoming convocation

Hundreds of students of threeyear and five-year Bachelor of Law (LLB) courses, who intend to change their college after completing the first year, are unable to do so owing to a delay in mark statements being provided to them.

A law student is allowed to change his college after completing two semesters of the first year of the LLB course in the college where he had taken admission through the Centralised Admission Process (CAP).

For this purpose, a student is required to file an application with the college where he is seeking admission, and enclose the mark statement of the second semester of first-year LLB. The college, in turn, refers the application to the State Common Entrance Test cell. The change of colleges comes into effect after the Directorate of Higher Education (DHE) approves the application.

Admissions for the first year of the LLB course for the academic year (AY) 2021-22 started in July 2021. The process was completed after three rounds in October 2021. Examinations of the second semester were held in August 2022, the results of which were declared online in November 2022.

However, hard copies of the mark statement have not been provided to students. This delay in providing these has been owing to the upcoming convocation ceremony and senate elections.

The last date to fill the application for this purpose was December 31. However, interested students could not submit their applications since the mark statements were not ready. Though the deadline ended a week ago, any announcement relating to the postponement of the last date has not been made yet, leaving the students perplexed.

Alok Kanojia

Alok Kanojia, a student wanting a transfer to another college, said that he could not register for the transfer process as he did not get the mark sheet for the first year. He said, I applied to my law college offline. However, they could not proceed owing to Christmas vacations. At the end of the year, colleges were closed. So, on behalf of all law students, we have requested higher education Director Shailendra Devlankar to give an extension for the transfer process. As per the rules, anyone can seek a transfer for admission in the second year, but the admission will be cancelled by the previous college administration concerned after the approval process of the DHE. However, the shocking thing is that the process has not started till today.

Krushna Sathe

Krushna Sathe, another student, said, The process for college transfer should start at the earliest as vacancies for the second year are limited. So, the DHE administration should initiate the process and grant an extension. Otherwise, thousands of students would be deprived of this facility.

Amar Ekaad

Amar Ekaad, Founder and President of Care of People Safety (COPS), said, This is a serious issue; there are thousands of law students all over the state who are seeking transfer. Unfortunately, Devlankar has issued a circular for initiating the transfer process, but not a single procedure has been started by the college administration of the DHE. We are demanding an extension of the final date till January 9.

Kranti Deshmukh, Principal, Shankarrao Chavan Law College, said, There is a procedure for admission transfer. As per the State CET Cell website, there is a circular regarding this. The eligible candidates should mention the aspiring institutes or colleges name along with the vacancy and other details. The DHE and State CET will send a scrutiny list to all the colleges. The previous college administration will cancel his or her admission, and give them a transfer to the concerned college.

Shailendra Devlankar, Director, DHE

Talking to Mirror, Devlankar said, We have started the process of college transfer recently. It will take time. The collection of data is underway. We will give an extension in the future as per the situation. We assure you that no single student will be deprived of this facility.

Pratap Lubal, Deputy Secretary of higher and technical education, said, This matter is under the higher education directors jurisdiction. However, if there is any problem, we will issue guidelines to the DHE. 
The two candidates who squared off for Scott County Attorney in Novembers election will team up to prosecute the man accused of kidnapping and murdering Breasia Terrell.

Republican Kelly Cunningham won the 2022 Scott County Attorneys race, defeating Democratic candidate Caleb Copley to replace Mike Walton as he retired after a 15-year tenure as the countys top prosecutor.

Cunningham confirmed Tuesday she will lead the prosecution of Henry Earl Dinkins, the man who is charged in the disappearance and killing of 10-year-old Breasia in July of 2020. Copley, who was working on the case before the election, asked Cunningham to remain on as an assistant prosecutor.

The teaming of former political foes comes after Cunningham also announced Assistant County Attorney Amy Devine has taken an extended leave of absence from the office to, in Cunninghams words, rest and travel the country.

Devine was Waltons lead prosecutor on the Dinkins case.

His murder trial is scheduled to begin Aug. 8 in Linn County District Court in Cedar Rapids. He is being held in the Marshall County Jail in Marshalltown.

I think I can come up to speed on the trial fairly easily in that time, Cunningham said. It is eight months and that should be enough time.

Judge Henry Latham made the decision to delay the trial in early October 2022, granting a request filed by Dinkins attorneys, Chad and Jennifer Frese, in order to  ... allow them adequate time to prepare. Walton filed a resistance to the motion.

In arguing against the continuance, Walton pointed to the fact six previous continuances were granted in the case. Two of those requests were made by Dinkins defense teams and were not opposed by Walton.

While the delay will give her time to get up to speed, Cunningham said, the continuance also made sense for the trials integrity and from a defense standpoint.

As a prosecutor, you want the defense to do the best job it can do, she said. What almost always happens is a defendant will file for post-conviction relief on the grounds of incompetent defense.

It is then the prosecutors job to defend those defense attorneys. You want to know they did the best job possible. And I can say, specifically in this case, the defense needed more time with discovery.

Cunningham, who specialized in prosecuting drug crimes while serving as Muscatine County Assistant Attorney over the course of the last two years, has previous experience in murder cases.

A Bettendorf resident, Cunningham previously worked for the Scott County Attorneys office from 1993 to 2016.

The greatest challenge, she said, will be navigating the emotions and fear that come with a murder prosecution.

Im someone who has the emotional strength and experience to guide the family, the witnesses, and the community through the process of trying this case, she said. I have experience preparing witnesses and helping them have the confidence needed to testify. I think that is something family members and the community will see.

Dinkins is charged with first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping in Breasias death. Each charge is a Class A felony that carries a mandatory prison sentence of life without parole.

The girl last was seen either late July 9 or early July 10 of 2020. She spent the night with her brother  Dinkins son whom he had with Breasias mother  at Dinkins home during the time period she disappeared. Her remains were discovered March 22, 2021, near DeWitt, and her identity was confirmed on March 31.

The charges against Dinkins were announced May 5, 2021, in a news conference.
A new railroad museum is chugging along in a former railway-equipment shop in Silvis.

Located in the railroad yard off Route 92 is a 400,000 square foot, brown-bricked building that once was the largest locomotive repair shop of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad before it shut down in March 1980 and later was taken over by National Railway Equipment.

A year ago, the Railroading Heritage of Midwest America, or RHMA, a nonprofit organization, bought the former shop to use it for the preservation of rail cars and engines, leasing a portion of it for equipment-shop uses.

Driving down the long gravel road to the building, one might presume the building is abandoned, collecting dust as the days go by. But on the inside, through the bright red doors, is a building that already houses historic locomotives and passenger rail cars, waiting to be restored and reintroduced to the public.

It houses two steam locomotives, a diesel locomotive, and a few passenger rail cars  ready to be restored to their former glory. The equipment was donated to RHMA in November by Union Pacific.

Eventually, the nonprofit will transform the sprawling old building into a museum. For now, it remains closed to the public as the restoration of the locomotives begins.

President and Chief Operating Officer of RHMA, Steve Sandberg, said the goal is to create an in-demand tourist attraction.

The vision is eventually, someday, having a public museum where people can come, kids can come and work and ride and see some real old-fashioned trains, Sandberg said.

The RHMA groups hopes to host an open house in the spring, inviting a limited number of people to see the trains, including two steam locomotives  the UP Challenger steam locomotive No. 3985 that American Locomotive Co. built in 1943 and the Santa Fe type 2-10-2 steam locomotive No. 5511 built by Baldwin in 1923.

During a recent visit, volunteers were wearing safety glasses and gloves and were bundled in sweatshirts, jeans, and steel-toed boots, ignoring the cold draft through the old building as they scraped grease amid flying sparks.

The Challenger is in the early restoration process, which is expected to take up to three years.

This was one of the most powerful locomotives that were in operation, Sandberg said while pointing to the two engines, boiler and a set of 4-6-6-4 wheels. Once the locomotive gets going, it can get up to 75 miles per hour.

The locomotives were stored in a warehouse in Wyoming and have not been seen by the public since 1961.

Located toward the back of the building is a bright-yellow, Union Pacific diesel locomotive. Sandberg said it is one of the worlds largest diesel locomotives, manufactured in 1961. Near the bright red door sits two business cars, Selma which is named after a farm, Sandberg said, and Stanford, named after Leland Stanford.

Dave Herrell, president, and CEO of Visit Quad Cities said the sheer magnitude of the space and footprints the place has would be a unique destination asset, paying homage to all things rail.

Its this beautiful old building and, yes, its kind of battle-tested but, if you can repurpose it, reimagine it, and create a space that can be used for tourism and overnight demand to help further that story, I think thats very unique, Herrell said.

Known for rivers, roads, and rails, the potential museum focuses on something that has played an integral part in the Quad-City area and helps target specific industries, such as advanced manufacturing, transportation, and logistics.

Its a regional asset and I think it could do things to attract a lot of awareness and notoriety for the Quad- Cities, Herrell said. It really does provide lift to tourism, economic development, and quality of place.

The RHMA recently received $25,000 from the Candelaria Fund, quickly turning it into $75,000, thanks to matching-grant opportunities. The donation will be used for restoration.

Silvis Mayor Matt Carter said the city has been working with RHMA and has been a mediator of sorts for lawmakers, educating them on what the museum is and what it could become. Carter said it would be an anchor for the area, tying the coasts from west to east back to the middle of the nation.

Its been great to see this come in, and I think there is a lot of underlying support for this to happen, the mayor said.

To help traffic flow downtown and to keep people from crossing onto train tracks, the city is looking at the possibility of adding a walking bridge over the railyard to make it easier and safer to access the museum.

While the place has a long way to go before it is opened to the public, Sandberg said, the museum would be more than just looking and admiring the historic locomotives. The vision is to provide a new experience to the public while investing in the Quad-Cities economy.

Photos: Railroading Heritage of Midwest America
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Black Hills Community Theatres new artistic director is enthusiastic about the organizations mission to put the "community" in community theater.

Merlyn Q. Sell, who previously served as BHCTs education director, recently moved into the position of artistic director. Sell has been with BHCT since 2017 in a variety of roles, including directing several BHCT productions.

In its search for a new artistic director, BHCT advertised the job nationwide, Sell said, but ultimately chose local talent.

I think were really starting to focus on the community part of our name, she said. Part of that has been about giving opportunities to people within our community and keeping artists engaged here so they dont feel like they have to go elsewhere. Its part of our mission to service our community.

Sell compares community theater to a team sport, and BHCT is increasingly focused on making room for anyone who wants to participate.

(The artistic director) is definitely a service position and having been here for awhile, I understand how important it is for our organization to serve our community, she said. Everyone is part of our community, so our doors are open to everyone.

BHCT has created an equality, diversity and inclusion committee thats focused on making community theater as welcoming as possible.

What were looking at is how to be the most welcoming hosts and how we can adjust the theater process into something that is more accessible to everyone, Sell said. Our artists have families and day jobs and other obligations, and we want to make it easy for them to juggle all of those while being engaged in theater.

BHCT has programs for all ages. In addition to its main stage season, BHCTs Cherry Street Players is a youth acting company. Well Done Players is a troupe of mature actresses who perform and take theater to community events and nursing homes.

BHCT also has a reading and discussion series that focuses on plays that may be more difficult in content than shows produced for BHCTs main stage season, Sell said, while BHCTs Broken Lemons is a playwriting group.

Over the past year, weve seen a lot of growth. Were seeing so many new people show up and audition for the shows, she said. Theater is always so fulfilling. Its so engaging and youre storytelling and youre working on something you really love and youre creating something.

Community theater provides a range of opportunities, and Sell said BHCT is seeking more people to get involved on stage and behind the scenes.

Theater encompasses more than just acting. We are always looking for people interested in designing sets, working on designing costumes and (sewing them).  Theres props for anyone crafty. Theres stage management. Even if you dont feel like youre an actor, reach out and we will find the right place for you, Sell said.

Beyond its ability to let people use their talents and entertain, Sell appreciates theaters potential to build friendships, teamwork and compassion.

People can make lifelong friends in theater and its an (opportunity) to really understand what community is and can be, where everybody is working on a shared goal. Its only with everybody pulling their weight you make that happen, Sell said.

Community theater has been shown to build empathy, and getting this opportunity to step into somebody elses experiences in life or see a story thats unfamiliar is really eye-opening in terms of new perspectives and looking at things through a different lens, she said.

Sell, who grew up in Lead, first became involved in theater in high school.

I started off as the person who couldnt get cast and worked my way up, Sell said.

Sell earned a bachelor of arts degree in general theater from Sonoma State University, and a Master of Letters degree and a Master of Fine Arts in Shakespeare and performance from Mary Baldwin University. While in undergraduate school, Sell began directing shows for a community theater company in California, and twice formed theater companies before deciding to return to her home state and the Black Hills.

I definitely started out wanting to act. A professor gave me an opportunity to direct and I found I really enjoy that, Sell said. I like the storytelling aspect of it and the big picture quality of it. Directing is definitely more my niche.

She directed her first show for BHCT in 2018. Her accomplishments now include five main stage shows, three Cherry Street Players productions and several staged readings. From her first directing gig, she assisted BHCTs education department and one thing after another since then, Sell said.

In January 2022, she took on the job of BHCTs education director. Now as artistic director, shes learning new skills such as programming theater lighting, and she said shes looking forward to the troubleshooting aspects of her new job.

I never know whats going to come up on any given day, Sell said. We have a great team and the ball is rolling on so much for this season. Im beyond grateful for this opportunity. Ive loved working in this community. Im really excited for what the possibilities are for us as an organization.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot demanded Colorado stop busing migrants to Chicago Saturday in a letter sent to the states governor, Jared Polis.

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Colorado has bused hundreds of migrants to Chicago since December, the letter said. The city does not have capacity to adequately support more migrants, Lightfoot wrote in the letter she co-penned with New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

You must stop busing migrants to Chicago and New York, the letter said. These actions do not live up to the values of a proclaimed welcoming state and should stop immediately.

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The demand comes after Texas already bused 3,854 migrants to Chicago since spring 2022, Lightfoot said. The city has since publicly welcomed the arriving people while struggling to meet their essential needs and criticizing the practice of busing migrants as inhumane.

[ Chicago will provide safe haven for migrants bused by Texas Gov. Abbott. They deserve our respect. Theyre not cargo, Mayor Lightfoot says. ]

Around 36,400 asylum-seekers have gone through New York Citys emergency intake system in the last year, the letter said.

Meanwhile in Chicago on Saturday, two additional buses with 97 migrant passengers from Denver arrived, Office of Emergency Management & Communications spokeswoman Mary May told the Tribune.

Before Colorados first bus of migrants arrived, Chicago officials told Colorado officials that the city had no room to accommodate more arrivals, Lightfoot and Adams wrote.

The buses have arrived, without any regard to either citys ability to appropriately shelter them, they wrote. Although we share the concerns of accommodating the flood of asylum-seekers, overburdening other cities is not the solution.

Polis, a wealthy businessman elected Colorado governor in 2018, defended the busing in a statement shared Saturday night. Colorado has offered culturally component and humane support, said the Democratic governor, who was a member of the libertarian conservative Liberty Caucus while a congressman.

People fleeing violence and oppression in search of a better life for themselves and their families deserve our respect not political games, Polis said. We refuse to keep people against their will if they desire to travel elsewhere.

Polis spoke with Lightfoot and Adams Saturday and told them no more buses with migrants are currently scheduled to come to Chicago, the statement said. Colorados busing is being scaled back and had been intended to relieve a backlog of arriving migrants who were unable to travel elsewhere as bad weather canceled transit options, it continued.

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Lightfoot and Adams said many migrants from Colorado are arriving without any ties to family or community networks in the city. Their letter noted the cities hope to work with Colorado to reunite migrants with loved ones when family is involved.

Colorado capital Denver has a national reputation for the services it provides unhoused people, Lightfoot and Adams said.

It is unusual that you would deprive new arrivals from accessing those resources. In fact, many new arrivals from Colorado had been in your care for weeks, receiving services, and establishing connections only to be uprooted with a promise the receiving cities cannot keep, they wrote.

Because people who do arrive in Chicago from Colorado will struggle to find shelter and other services, the busing is wrong and further victimizes these most vulnerable individuals, the letter said.

Lightfoot asked state legislators from Chicago last week for $54 million to help fund emergency services for migrants and asylum-seekers, saying the funding necessary to take care of the arriving people will soon run out. On Thursday, the mayor scrapped plans to use a Woodlawn elementary school as a shelter for migrants after protests.

jsheridan@chicagotribune.com

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Twitter @jakesheridan_
A construction project months in the making will finally begin on the downtown Rapid City parking garage Jan. 10, but city officials say the structure will remain open through the initial phases.

Stephen Kilber, project engineer with Albertson Engineering, previously told the Journal the project is an extensive, top-down refurbishment of the entire garage. The estimated $3.9 million effort includes concrete repair and sealant, crack and joint sealants, joint reinforcement, and renovation and enclosure of the stairwell. A project of this size, Kilber said, can't be done all at once, so the contractor, SECO Construction, will work through around 10 phases.

The estimated completion date for the project is mid-October, and while the facility will be open now, a weeks-long closure will have to happen at some point.

Next week, drivers will face some impediments in the garage.

"For the initial phase that begins next week, the public should expect detours within the parking structure that will start on Tuesday and continue through Friday, said City Operations Management Engineer Rod Johnson. This initial work will have a minor impact on parking availability.

The parking facility adjacent to Main Street Square has 407 parking spaces, including public and leased parking. Community Development Director Vicki Fisher previously told the Journal that permit holders will still be required to pay for their passes, but prices will be adjusted during the closure.
In the wake of school board races mired in controversy over books some call "pornographic," a freshman lawmaker is pushing a bill to expand the definition of child pornography and reverse obscenity exemptions meant to allow the teaching of sexual health topics.

The sponsor of House Bill 87, Casper Republican Rep.-elect Jeanette Ward, a hard-line social conservative, has been heavily involved in debates about what materials should and shouldn't be available in school libraries.

The bill, which stems from concerns about explicit materials in school libraries, would amend the definition of "child pornography" to include any form of depiction of "explicit sexual conduct" where the visual depiction or the process of producing it involves, shows or has been modified to show a child engaging in an explicit sexual act. It specifies cartoons and drawings as included in the definition.

It would also repeal a section of Wyoming Statute 6-4-302, which provides exemptions to people who "produce, reproduce, possess or disseminate obscene material" for the purpose of "bona fide school, college, university, museum or public library activities or in the course of employment of such an organization." Rep. Rachel Rodriguez-Williams, R-Cody, mentioned her intention to promote such a bill at an October event hosted by former interim state superintendent of public instruction Brian Schroeder.

Ward said in an email to the Star-Tribune that she asked the Legislative Service Office to draft the bill of her own initiative and has not talked one-on-one with Rodriguez-Williams about the legislation.

"I drafted the bill of my own initiative based on concerns expressed to me by my constituents and my own experiences with the Natrona County School Board," she said.

The bill has garnered 13 cosponsors, nine of which are incoming freshmen lawmakers. The new lawmakers are Republican Reps.-elect Bill Allemand, Abby Angelos, Ben Hornok, Tony Locke, Ken Pendergraft, Sarah Penn, Allen Slagle and Tomi Strock, and Republican Sen.-elect Bob Ide. Some of the veteran lawmakers who cosponsored the bill -- Republican Sens. Lynn Hutchings and Cheri Steinmetz -- also attended former state superintendent Schroeder's October conference, which centered on concerns about the "sexualization" of minors in schools.

The bill, if it makes it through the Legislature as it's drafted now, would take effect July 1.

Ward has been a forceful voice on the topic of explicit materials in school libraries, having appeared time and time again at Natrona County school board meetings to speak against keeping two books that some had deemed "pornographic" out of the Kelly Walsh High School library.

After a lengthy review process that involved the input of an outside committee, the school board ultimately voted in November to keep the two books in question -- "Gender Queer," a graphic novel about the author's exploration of gender identity and sexuality, and "Trans Bodies, Trans Selves," a resource guide for transgender and gender expansive individuals -- in the Kelly Walsh High School library.

Advocates for banning the books called them "pornographic." Those who wanted to keep the books pointed out that both concern LGBTQ individuals, and said they are important representations and resources for students who are LGBTQ. They voiced suspicion that the debate wasn't really about the books, but rather about opposition to LGBTQ identities.

Over the course of debate on these books, some people who wanted to oust them from Kelly Walsh High School emphasized repeatedly that they were not asking for a "ban" of the books, since they would still be available on the marketplace and in public libraries.

Broad scope

The bill, however, would repeal obscenity exemptions not only for school employees, but also for employees of public libraries and other educational institutions.

The Star-Tribune inquired with Ward as to whether repealing those exemptions would mean that public libraries, the resource that some have previously mentioned as an alternative to school libraries, could no longer provide materials that fall under obscenity definitions. Could the bill then be understood as a "ban" on these materials in public libraries?

"Not requiring tax payers to pay for obscenity is reasonable and just," she responded over email. "These books will continue to be available in the marketplace, but not paid for by taxpayer dollars. Reasonable people everywhere recognize these books as obscene and reasonable people do not want their money used to subsidize obscenity."

She clarified in a follow-up email that the bill would indeed prohibit not just schools, but colleges, universities, museums and public libraries from keeping or providing materials that fall under the definition of obscenity.

Before the November general election, Ward endorsed three school board candidates, all of them members of the local Moms for Liberty group who ran partly on a platform of ousting explicit materials from school libraries. Two of the candidates that Ward endorsed -- Mary Schmidt and Jenifer Hopkins -- won seats on the Natrona County school board.

COVID legislation

While new to politics, Ward has nevertheless quickly taken action following her election to Wyoming's House of Representatives in November. She initiated a letter last month condemning the University of Wyoming for its decision to revoke the tabling rights of a Laramie church elder after he had targeted a transgender student by name on a sign posted to his table. Members of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus and other lawmakers added their names to the letter before it was sent to the school.

Ward is also sponsoring a COVID-19 bill that blocks people from denying unvaccinated or unmasked individuals any public "services, goods, facilities, advantages or privileges..." It would also prohibit anyone from publishing, displaying or mailing "any communication, notice or advertisement" saying that a person has to wear a mask, get any kind of vaccine or undergo medical testing "as a condition for receiving or accessing services, good, facilities, advantages and privileges that are public in nature or that invite the patronage of the public."

Anyone who violates those rules would be subject to a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $5,000 or imprisonment of up to one year, or both.

Ward said in her email that, while there are several other bills that she is cosponsoring, there are no other bills at the moment for which she is the prime sponsor.
Members of Montanas American Indian Caucus condemned a draft joint resolution that urges Congress to investigate alternatives to the American Indian reservation system.

The draft was requested by Sen. Keith Regier, R-Kalispell. Regier did not respond to a request for comment.

Specifically, the resolution asks the Legislature to find that the Indian reservation system has clearly failed to positively enhance the lives and well-being of most of the Indians or the other citizens of the State of Montana.

It would also have the Legislature tell Congress the reservation system has produced the negative effects of drug abuse, alcoholism, domestic violence, welfare dependence, poverty and substandard educational achievements, resulting in lack of opportunity for their future well-being and happiness.

Sen. Shane Morigeau, D-Missoula, said he was not surprised when he read the draft.

When I first saw it, I thought it was a (public relations) stunt, he said. You know, attack the Indians to muster excitement from your base. And if thats the case, its really sad.  Unfortunately, in this political game, people just want attention. Its disappointing, but we expected this.

It asserts that tribes that do not own property have the highest poverty and lowest life expectancy rates of any ethnic group in America.

The draft resolution claims that the reservation system is based entirely on race, which is diametrically opposed to both the United States Constitution and Constitution of the State of Montana. Federal Indian law has long interpreted the status of tribal members as a political classification, not a racial one.

The resolution also claims that reservations confer 'Sovereign nation status to individual tribes  a policy that is, again, diametrically opposed to the Constitution of the United States. It also asserts that past judicial decisions regarding reservations in Montana have produced confusion, acrimony and animosity among the general population.

The continuation of the reservation system is not in the best interests of either the Indians inside our borders or for our common Montana citizens, it reads. We believe the investigation of alternative ways of approaching the reservation system can and will produce a new system that will enhance the lives, the happiness and the opportunities for our Indian citizens while at the same time promoting peace, harmony and stability for all.

Though the resolution speaks to the best interests of Native people in Montana, it was drafted by a non-Native lawmaker. The federal government recognizes tribes as distinct governments through written treaties ratified by Congress.

American Indian Caucus reacts

Rep. Jonathan Windy Boy, D-Box Elder, said Native people have been under attack for centuries.

The atrocities our people have endured over the years have been horrific at best, Windy Boy said on Wednesday, citing federal Indian policy, voter suppression efforts and forced sterilization of Native women.

Will this ever end? he asked, adding that the draft resolution is proof we are still under attack."

Morigeau said the resolution mirrors a familiar pattern of lawmakers attacking Indigenous people in Montana. He said draft bills have proposed to threaten water rights. And last month, legislative aide Drew Zinecker publicly questioned whether Native Americans living on reservations in Montana should be able to participate in state elections.

A lot of people just dont like us, Morigeau said. Were a thorn in their side. They want us to go away, and were not going away. Were citizens of this state and of this country.

Morigeau said he plans to introduce a bill that would expand Indian Education for All to apply not just to Montana public school students, but to lawmakers as well. For example, he noted that the Confederated Salish and Kootenai tribal homeland once spanned 20 million acres. When the tribes were forced to sign treaties and move to the Flathead Reservation, Morigeau said it shrunk to 1.3 million acres.

This is why its so important to have basic civics in Montana, he said. If people actually understood history in Montana, theyd see that the reason they have these lands and have wealth today is from taking Indian land. They used treaties to gain wealth, and yet we still get people who feel they still dont have enough. They always want more. Its greed and entitlement.

Native voter turnout was low in the 2022 midterm election, and members of Montanas American Indian Caucus warned that a Republican supermajority in the Legislature could threaten tribal sovereignty.
An almost completely full courtroom on the second floor of the Pennington County courthouse was thick with silent grief Friday afternoon for the arraignment of a local man accused of running over a 14-year-old girl on a Rapid City street in October before fleeing the scene, washing his truck and painting his rims, according to charges.

Jordan Hare, 27, pleaded not guilty after Judge Matt Brown informed him of his rights and the state read the charge of felony hit-and-run resulting in a death or injury. The charge is a class six felony with a maximum penalty of two years in prison and up to a $4,000 fine. He is also charged with failing to yield to a pedestrian, which carries a maximum sentence of 30 days in jail and up to a $500 fine.

According to witnesses at the scene, Nevaeh Brave Heart was alive after being hit, but she died in the intersection of North Lacrosse and East Van Buren streets by the time law enforcement arrived.

Hare was arrested four days after Brave Heart's death. Law enforcement spent hundreds of man-hours looking for the driver of the truck they suspected hit Brave Heart. Her family and the community mourned her at a vigil in October following Hare's arrest.

Hare walked into the courtroom Friday surrounded by about half a dozen family members and his private attorney. The young man avoided eye contact with the over 20 people in the courtroom wearing T-shirts and sweatshirts in Brave Heart's memory. Four officers watched over the courtroom.

As the prosecutor read the charge as "hit-and-run resulting in an injury" Brave Heart's supporters expressed frustration that her death was not mentioned. However, South Dakota law does not make a distinction between hit-and-runs resulting in an injury versus a death. The charge is the same, as is the potential sentence.

Brave Heart's family, however, is angry about the charges and angry at Hare and his family. The silence broke as Brave Heart's supporters left the courtroom following the arraignment. Several yelled "Murderer!" before Hare was escorted out of the courtroom through a back channel by transport officers.

"I hope they all feel what we feel today," Brave Heart's aunt, Leann Iron Hawk, told the Journal about Hare's family on Friday outside the courthouse.

Hare has been out on bail since Oct. 19, the day after his arrest. He posted bail the same afternoon Magistrate Judge Todd Hyronimus set it at $10,000 cash at his initial appearance, an amount Brave Heart's family says was too low.

"She's no longer here, but why does he get to walk free?" Iron Hawk said.

Another one of Brave Heart's aunt's, Sarah Brave Heart, said the decisions came down to race.

"If we had money and a lawyer, I guarantee that would probably be a different outcome. I wish things weren't this way," she said. "Not one of them people in there have remorse for a 14-year-old girl that's not here. None of them."

A victims' advocate told Brave Heart's mother and grandmother outside the courthouse that there's a possibility the state could increase the charges against Hare.

However, Interim Pennington County State's Attorney Lara Roetzel said the charges will remain as-is.

"I can say that this is the crime whose legal elements are met by these tragic facts," Roetzel said.

Hare is scheduled to appear in court for a status hearing at 3 p.m. on Feb. 17 in courtroom C3 before Judge Matt Brown. Brown usually holds hearings in C3, but he moved the Friday hearing to a larger courtroom in anticipation of the public's interest in the case.
After a historic 15th round of voting, GOP leader Kevin McCarthy of California secured the House Speaker gavel in a dramatic late-night showdown Friday. To do so, he made numerous concessions over a long week to win over a bloc of far-right Republicans.

South Dakota's lone congressman said earlier on Friday that he was looking forward to getting the Speaker of the House vote done so they can move on to the "real work."

Dusty Johnson is serving his third term as South Dakota's House representative, with the 118th Congress the first in his tenure that the Republican party has control.

But on Jan. 6  day four  after 14 failed rounds of voting, the House rejected a vote to adjourn until Monday and began a 15th round of voting. In that vote, McCarthy at last succeeded in becoming Speaker.

It's the longest contest for speaker in 164 years.

"There's a role for Congress in helping to move this country in the right direction," Johnson told the Journal on Friday. "And until we have a speaker, we can't get members sworn in, we can't get committees formed, and we can't do the very real work on those important issues that has to get done."

The chamber has been a battleground of votes and negotiations, with Rep. Johnson saying the mood had gotten "more optimistic" as the week went on and McCarthy added votes.

"I have been in these negotiations," he said. "I've seen the progress. We're making lots of members understand the progress that we're making, and I think today was a big day. We won over a lot of holdouts. There's, I think, a level of optimism  a sense that we can get this done  that's higher than it's been in a few days."

McCarthy had the support of a majority of Republicans in the chamber, but had tried  and failed  repeatedly to secure the 218 votes necessary. On Friday, during the unlucky 13th round of voting  just before the House voted to adjourn until 10 p.m. ET  McCarthy had secured just 214 votes.

New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffries has been unanimously backed by all 212 House Democrats in each round of voting, save for the 12th, where one member was absent.

The House resumed voting Friday night following an afternoon of intense negotiations. Johnson said his position as the leader of the Reagan-conservative-styled Main Street Caucus put him in the room during many of these talks.

"It's been rewarding to be able to speak for some pragmatic conservatives who want to make sure we get to yes," he said.

Johnson didn't predict if he thought a decision would be reached Friday night, saying the situation was still fluid, but that he expected, given the progress of the day, a decision would be made "sooner rather than later."
A Missoula man is being held on a $250,000 bond after allegedly wrapping a belt around an 85-year-old man's neck and robbing his home.

Austin Allen Janssen, 28, of Missoula, was charged with assault with a weapon, robbery, aggravated burglary and theft, all felonies, in Ravalli County Justice Court on Friday, Dec. 30. He also faces misdemeanor charges of unlawful restraint and criminal destruction of or tampering with a communication device.

According to court documents, a Ravalli County sheriff's deputy responded to a robbery report at a Hamilton residence on Oct. 28 at 9:15 a.m. Upon arrival the deputy spoke with an 85-year-old man who said the robbery had just occurred.

The man said he was awoken by a knock at his door that morning. When he got up to answer he saw a woman at his garage side door. The man said he did not know the woman and had not seen her before but thought that she might be troubled. He said he invited the woman into the house for a cup of coffee and the two talked for a while in the kitchen. The man reported that the woman said her name was Mary, but did not give a reason for why she was there, although she did reference knowing the man's "girlfriend" and said she had tried to contact her.

The man said that while he and the woman identified as Mary were talking, an unknown male, later identified as Janssen, entered the residence through a garage door with a purpose. He said Janssen went behind him, placing a belt around his neck. The man told the officer he put his hands between his neck and the belt so he couldnt be choked. Janssen then repeatedly asked the man, wheres your money and better get me the money. Janssen reportedly pulled on the belt, causing the man to fall backward in the chair. The victim said that while he was on the ground he saw a hunting knife had also fallen to the ground.

The man reported that while he struggled with Janssen, the woman was timid and just standing in the other room. He said that Janssen then picked him up and led him into another room by the belt, while he was looking for money. The man led Janssen and the woman to a jacket that was hanging on a chair. Janssen reportedly took a wallet, which contained approximately $1,000. Janssen then entered the bedroom and found around $3,000 in a nightstand along with a checkbook for the victims business.

The man said he pleaded with Janssen not to take all his money, at which point Janssen reportedly threw a $100 bill at the victim. The man said he was then placed on his bed, his hands bound with the belt while Janssen and the woman went through his house. He said he waited around 30-60 minutes before leaving his bedroom. He said he could not find his phone and was not able to use the landline at his residence, so he went to his office to call 911.

The deputy noted that he observed minimal redness on the mans neck and no visible bruising or marks on his wrists. The officer did find that the phone line to the residence had been cut.

Upon further investigation the man clarified to law enforcement that the girlfriend he had referred to previously had provided sporadic sexual favors for him. He later reported that he paid the woman for sex. The man said he thought the woman identified as Mary was there to replace the girlfriend, but that she did not engage in any sexual contact with him.

The woman identified as Mary was later discovered to be on probation supervised out of Missoula. A Ravalli County Sheriff's Office detective accompanied by a probation officer made contact with the woman, who allegedly admitted she had gotten high and drove Janssen to Hamilton.

The woman told law enforcement that the purpose of the trip to Hamilton was solely to buy drugs, but later admitted upon further questioning that she wanted to get back money that Janssen had allegedly stole from her. The woman reported to law enforcement that Janssen told her the 85-year-old man would pay her for sex, and that he had a reputation for paying for sex. She reportedly told law enforcement that she was supposed to go in alone, saying that she thought she was going to talk the 85-year-old man into voluntarily giving her money. She eventually admitted to speaking with him about a sex-for-money arrangement but denied having any sexual relations with the man.

She said she had been talking with the man for about 15 minutes when Janssen came in and took off his belt, placed it around the mans neck and put him on the floor. She reported that she was scared and did not know what Janssen was planning to do. She further reported that after the robbery the two went out to her car. The woman said she yelled at Janssen to get out of her car but that he wouldnt. She reportedly drove the car to Lolo and parked at the McDonald's. She said that once in Lolo Janssen nodded off, dropping some fentanyl pills. Upon waking Janssen began to freak out in the womans car. He reportedly exited the car and wandered off after she told him where the pills were.

The woman corroborated details of the robbery, reporting that she saw Janssen rip the phone out of the wall of the residence and steal a cell phone from the kitchen table. She also shared text messages between her and Janssen referencing the robbery with law enforcement.
January is National Radon Action Month and the Montana Department of Environmental Quality is offering free radon test kits for Montanans to test radon levels in their homes.

Radon is a colorless, odorless and tasteless gas that can build up in homes over time. Long-term exposure to radon can lead to a risk of lung cancer. Testing is the only way to know whether there is a radon problem in a home and the winter months are the best time to test because radon levels are typically at their highest. This is because there is typically less ventilation from doors and windows during winter.

Its very easy for radon problems to go unnoticed because the harmful health effects are based on long-term exposure, explained Dan Lloyd, DEQs energy bureau chief. We encourage Montanans to test for radon especially since the geology of the state can lead to elevated levels.

Radon is caused by the breakdown, or decay, of uranium in soil, rock and water. Radon gas can enter homes through miniscule cracks in the floor or small spaces around utility pipes and can accumulate unless properly mitigated. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that homes throughout Montana have the potential for elevated levels due to the geology and soil in the region.

Radon is the number one cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers and roughly 21,000 people die every year from radon caused lung cancer in the United States according to the EPA. DEQ recommends testing every two to five years, or after making structural changes to your home or occupying a previously unused lower level.

Radon is measured in picocuries (pCi) per liter of air. If you find radon levels above the action level of 4 picocuries per liter (pCi/L), mitigation is recommended. The EPA estimates the radon level in the outside air is about 0.4 pCi/L, making it difficult to lower radon levels to zero. In Montana, 48 percent of the homes tested for radon have levels above the action level according to DEQ data.

When elevated radon levels are found in a home, they can be reduced. The typical cost for a radon mitigation system in an existing home is around $1,400, and around $400 during construction of a new home. A recent study by DEQ found that about half of newly constructed Montana homes were built with radon resistant features.

To learn more about radon in Montana or to order a free test kit, visit: https://deq.mt.gov/energy/Programs/radon

If mitigation is needed, DEQ offers a list of mitigation professionals who are certified by the National Radon Proficiency Program or the National Radon Safety board. A list of the professionals and their locations can be found by clicking the "Radon Mitigation Providers" button on the DEQ's website.
Human remains found in late December off Yacht Basin Drive in Colonial Heights have been identified as those of a Chesterfield County teen missing since November. Police say foul play was involved in the death.

Colonial Heights police announced Friday that on Tuesday, Colonial Heights police detectives, with assistance from Virginia State Police, positively identified the victim as Marcus James Johnson, 19.

Johnson was last seen by a family member on Nov. 16 leaving his home on Esquire Road in Chesterfield.

Johnsons family reported him missing to Chesterfield police on Nov. 27.

Detectives have determined that this case is an active homicide investigation and although the victim was located on Yacht Basin Drive, [they] believe the crime occurred at another location, Colonial Heights police Maj. Robert Ruxer said in a statement.

Police did not say whether Johnsons cause of death has been determined.

On Dec. 21, officers responded about 1 p.m. to the 1300 block of Yacht Basin Drive for a report that possible human remains were located in the wood line west of the Appomattox River. Investigators found the body of a deceased male.

The victim was unable to be identified at the scene, and the remains were transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Richmond for examination.

Colonial Heights police are urging anyone with information about the crime or who had contact with Johnson before he vanished to contact Senior Detective C. Velasquez at (804) 520-9329 or at velasquezc@colonial heightsva.gov.

Johnson was last seen wearing blue jeans, a white puffer jacket, a red cap and Tune Squad sneakers.

Information can also be submitted anonymously by contacting Chesterfield/Colonial Heights Crime Solvers at (804) 748-0660.
A Virginia State Police trooper has been charged with three misdemeanor offenses in the alleged assault of at least one female student at the Blessed Sacrament Huguenot School in Powhatan County.

The officers wife led the private school until her sudden resignation on Dec. 13.

The Powhatan Sheriffs Office announced Friday evening that investigators arrested Douglas Michael Ledbetter, 44, on two counts of assault and battery and one count of encouraging acts rendering children delinquent or abused.

Chief Deputy Jeffrey Searfoss said in a news release that the charges were placed as a result of an ongoing investigation into incidents involving Ledbetter that occurred on May 7 at a location in the 3000 block of Old Buckingham Road and on Dec. 3 at Blessed Sacrament Huguenot School at 2501 Academy Road in Powhatan.

The Sheriffs Office announced on Dec. 9 that a special prosecutor was assigned to investigate a matter at the private K-12 school after authorities received a report on Dec. 3 that an adult male had assaulted a juvenile female student earlier that day.

Due to a conflict of interest, the Powhatan Commonwealths Attorneys Office requested a special prosecutor be assigned to investigate the matter. Subsequently, the Henrico County Commonwealths Attorneys Office was assigned by the court.

Following Ledbetters arrest, state police suspended the officer without pay pending the outcome of the case, said department spokeswoman Corinne Geller. He had been placed on administrative leave on Dec. 6 after the allegations surfaced.

Ledbetter was hired in June 2004 and has been assigned to the Virginia State Police Safety Division since March 2019, Geller said.

Ledbetters wife, Paula, resigned her position as head of school four days after the Sheriffs Office announced a special prosecutor was investigating the alleged abuse of a student.

Paula Ledbetter took over the top administrative post at the school on July 1, 2015, after transitioning from her former role as director of admissions.

Douglas Ledbetter was released on bond by a county magistrate pending his Jan. 31 appearance in Powhatan Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court.

Although charges have been placed, the Powhatan Sheriffs Office said anyone with information related to the alleged offenses should contact it at (804) 598-5656.
Longtime Chicago Ald. Roberto Maldonado, 26th, will join the parade of City Council members opting out of another term.

The Chicago Board of Elections confirmed Maldonado withdrew his candidacy for reelection Friday afternoon.

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Maldonado did not immediately return the Tribunes request for comment, but released a statement announcing his retirement at the end of his term in May after more than 13 years on the City Council representing the area around Humboldt Park.

I have not made this decision lightly, Maldonado wrote. I have loved serving you as your Alderperson and some years earlier as your Cook County Commissioner of the 8th District. However, I also understand when the time is right to make such an important decision. ... Now is the time to leave public life after 28 years, pleased of our accomplishments and legacy and full of excitement to be able to dedicate even more time to my 3 children.

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Mayor Lori Lightfoot released a statement thanking the alderman for his years of passionate leadership in service of this great city.

Alderman Maldonados empathetic approach to public service has only deepened throughout his 13 years as 26th Ward Alderman  as evidenced by his fierce advocacy for more affordable housing and push for anti-gentrification legislation to protect his constituents from displacement, Lightfoot wrote.

Maldonado was first tapped to represent the 26th Ward in the summer of 2009 by then-Mayor Richard M. Daley. Maldonado had become politically involved with Harold Washingtons mayoral run in 1983, and worked on Luis Gutierrezs campaigns for alderman and Congress. Before becoming alderman, Maldonado served three terms on the Cook County Board, representing the 8th District.

With less than two months before the Feb. 28 election, Maldonados withdrawal leaves five remaining candidates in the race for the 26th Ward seat on the City Council. Ward Democratic Committeeperson Angee Gonzalez Rodriguez and Julian Perez are assured spots on the ballot. Three other candidates  Jessica Jessie Fuentes, Kirk Ortiz and Anthony Rivera  are facing petition challenges.

In recent years, Maldonado has focused his attention on addressing gentrification near the popular trail known as The 606, successfully pushing measures that would eventually result in an ordinance that curbed de-conversions near the trail in January 2021.

But he has also profited off of house-flipping in the area, according to a Block Club Chicago investigation.

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, he defended Lightfoots vaccine mandate for city employees and helped defeat an attempt by a group of fellow aldermen to revoke it in 2021.

Maldonado served for two years as chair of City Councils Latino Caucus, between 2019 and 2021. He is the latest of several aldermen who have resigned, announced retirements or otherwise opted to leave the City Council in recent months.

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Among those exiting from the Council are 14th Ward Ald. Ed Burke, facing widespread corruption charges; Ald. Ariel Reboyras, 30th; Ald. Howard Brookins, 21st; and Ald. Susan Sadlowski Garza, 10th. Others include Wrigleyville Ald. Tom Tunney, 44th; Uptown Ald. James Cappleman, 46th; Andersonville Ald. Harry Osterman, 48th; South Shore and Hyde Park Ald. Leslie Hairston, 5th; and indicted West Pullman Ald. Carrie Austin, 34th. Lincoln Park Ald. Michele Smith, 43rd, has already stepped down.

Two others  Sophia King, 4th, and Roderick Sawyer, 6th  are running for mayor against Lightfoot and are unable to seek reelection as City Council members.

Ald. George Cardenas, 12th, has already exited the council to serve on the Cook County Board of Review. Lightfoot named Cardenas former chief of staff, Anabel Abarca, as his replacement last month.

Others  such as former Ald. Michael Scott, 24th, who left the council for a job in the private sector, and former Ald. Patrick Daley Thompson, convicted of tax evasion and lying to banking regulators  have stepped down and had their positions filled by mayoral appointment. Lightfoot replaced Daley Thompson with United Airlines director Nicole Lee, and replaced Scott with his sister, Monique Scott, a Chicago Park District supervisor.
Gov. Glenn Youngkins administration released another iteration of draft K-12 history standards on Friday, following a decision by the state Board of Education in November to reject a previous draft that had sparked backlash due to several oversights and a reframing of race relations that critics called a whitewashing of history.

The new draft combines elements of the November draft, which Youngkin admitted contained omissions and mistakes, with elements from an August iteration of the draft that was written largely under then-Gov. Ralph Northams administration.

Overall, weve expanded history and stayed true to the governors commitment to teach all of history both the good and the bad, and teach it in a concise and honest way, state Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow said Friday.

The January document uses the November Youngkin document as a baseline, and incorporates elements of the Northam document, which was written over the course of nearly two years with input from hundreds of people and institutions.

The November Youngkin document sought input from nine entities including William Bennett, a secretary of education under President Ronald Reagan.

These draft standards are stronger because they reflect the contributions of subject-matter experts, thoughtful citizens, and a broad set of organizations across two administrations, said Secretary of Education Aimee Guidera in a statement.

The state Board of Education will meet Feb. 1 to consider the new draft from the state education department, along with public comment, including an alternative draft written by an outside group of three history and social sciences organizations.

Virginians swarmed a November state Board of Education meeting for a public comment period that lasted about four hours, and virtually every speaker opposed the Youngkin standards. Several members of the Sikh community urged the board to accept the original Northam standards, which included a more robust teaching of Sikhism. Native Americans also showed up in large numbers to oppose a line erroneously referring to Native Americans as Americas first immigrants.

Balow said Friday that her staff reached out to several groups that took issue with the November standards, including the Sikh community, the Jewish community, the Hampton Roads Black Caucus and the Virginia Tribal Education Council.

Sheila Byrd Carmichael, a consultant who was hired by the VDOE to help create the November draft, called that document a hastily prepared draft, according to emails obtained by the Richmond Times-Dispatch. She also said her professional reputation was blown up.

Carmichaels contract was not extended, and she did not work on the January document, according to a VDOE spokesman.

The state education department had anticipated releasing the latest draft before Christmas, but delayed finalizing the document to allow more time.

The group of three history and social sciences organizations released their own 63-page document in December as a response to the boards request that incorporates both administrations proposals. The state Board of Education received the alternative document as part of public comment, and it will be considered by the board.

Although the Youngkin administration has had a heavy hand in the typically quiet process, the history standards are under the purview of the Board of Education  not the Virginia Department of Education or the Youngkin administration.

The board had been set to vote on the August document that was written largely under Northams administration, but Balow urged the board to delay a vote to give more time for Youngkins newly appointed members to review the standards.

A VDOE official claimed the department did not anticipate any major changes or deletions of content, but the draft released in November was a complete rewrite.

Last month, Virginias Commission on Civic Education sent a letter to the state Board of Education, urging members to adopt the alternative document written by the Virginia Social Studies Leaders Consortium, the Virginia Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development and the American Historical Association.

One of the commissions duties is to make recommendations to the state Board of Education regarding revisions to civics and government education.

As a Commission, we would like to officially voice our disapproval of what has transpired over the last six months, the letter reads. The Superintendent (Balow) has ignored the (Standards of Learning) revision process outlined in Virginia statute and discarded the work of thousands of Virginians to try and impose a partisan curriculum on the states school systems at the last second and in secret.
A Richmond man was sentenced to three days in prison for straw purchasing a semiautomatic pistol that was later used by others in two Richmond shootings. Authorities eventually recovered the weapon from a cocaine trafficker.

Although federal sentencing guidelines called for a prison term of 6 to 12 months, U.S. District Judge David J. Novak granted a defense motion for a downward variance in punishment in sentencing Tieric Q. Brooks, 23, to three days behind bars on his earlier guilty plea to making false statements in the acquisition of a firearm. He will be required to undergo three years of supervision after his release.

The judge noted he was willing to take a chance on Brooks based on his age, his lack of a criminal record and his substantial work history. Novak specifically recognized Brooks stellar work record and his current employment with StratAir, a cargo shipping company at Richmond International Airport, a position hes held for 12 months.

He has no record, and he basically has always had a job since he was 16, said Brooks attorney, Jeff Everhart. He did a favor for a friend of his brother [in acquiring the gun]. And from the time of his arrest, he was extremely apologetic and accepted responsibility.

The basis that the judge relied on really was his background and the fact that hes a worker, Everhart added. He didnt want to make him lose his job and have to start all over when he got out. The judge was impressed with his lack of a bad background. So often with the folks who do these things, they are not working and they have some histories in their background, and Mr. Brooks had none of that. Hes a good kid that made a mistake.

According to evidence, Brooks entered Colonial Shooting Academy in Richmond on Feb. 2 with three other men and purchased a Glock .40-caliber semiautomatic pistol. After the sale, he walked out into the parking lot and handed the gun to one of the men who had accompanied him into the store.

Straw purchasing is a criminal act in which a firearm is bought by one person on behalf of another who is legally unable to make the purchase themselves.

Three days after the sale, on Feb. 5, Richmond police responded to a shooting at the Homewood Suites by Hilton at 700 E. Main St., according to federal court filings. Richmond police said they found a man who had been shot in a hotel room. He was taken to a hospital and survived.

A cartridge casing recovered from the scene was matched to the pistol Brooks had purchased, federal prosecutors said.

Fifteen days after the hotel shooting, on Feb. 20, a young man was shot and wounded in the 800 block of Porter Street in Richmond while trying to buy marijuana. A cartridge casing recovered at the scene was again matched to the gun Brooks bought.

Then on March 2, law enforcement officers recovered the pistol from a cocaine trafficker.

[The] defendants offense put a pistol in the hands of someone who was willing to fire the weapon in a downtown hotel, to wound a young man, and a drug trafficker, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Olivia Norman in a court filing. Brooks offense was a serious one, that circumvented laws meant to protect the public.

Norman urged the court to sentence Brooks within the 6- to 12-month sentencing guidelines, which are discretionary.

Brooks, who pleaded guilty in July, is one of 250 firearm offenders prosecuted in 2022 by the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of Virginia as part of an ongoing federal effort to remove illicit weapons from the streets. About 77 of the 250 people charged in the Eastern District, or 31%, were defendants in cases that originated in Richmond, authorities said.

The 250 people prosecuted last year were charged with federal firearm offenses that included possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and straw purchasing a firearm.

Top 5 weekend events: Free admission to Virginia Museum of History & Culture, Capture of Richmond First Friday Benedict Arnolds Raid and the Capture of Richmond Merciful Zero Sharon Rae North at the Tin Pan Legend of the Poinsettia
Rep. Bob Goods week in the limelight as a prominent holdout against new House Speaker Kevin McCarthy wont endear him to the House leadership, but its unlikely to hinder his reelection efforts in 2024, according to Virginia political analysts.

It doesnt help him, but its not critical to his reelection, Larry Sabato, of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, said of the 5th District Republican.

This new district, which Good won in November by 15 percentage points, is more rural, deeply Republican and very conservative.

The 5th District stretches from Albemarle County and Charlottesville east, where it picks up a 13,400-vote slice of Hanover County and all of Louisa, Goochland and Powhatan counties. It extends south to Danville, and Pittsylvania, Halifax and Mecklenburg counties on the North Carolina line.

On Friday afternoon, Good wrote a guest essay for The New York Times titled: Im one of the last holdouts against Kevin McCarthy  and I wont back down.

By early Saturday, Good joined the other five remaining GOP holdouts in voting present instead of backing other Republicans. Present votes dont count in the tally. The holdouts switch enabled McCarthy to top 50% with 216 of the 428 votes cast.

At the end, everyone has to recognize that something has to work, said Bob Holsworth, another veteran Virginia political analyst. He said the late shift reminded me of a jury thats been deliberating for days and then comes to Friday afternoon.

Good has railed against McCarthy for weeks, asserting that the California lawmaker is not trustworthy and that he has not stood up to Democrats.

Good says he and fellow conservatives have been pushing for rules changes that would give House members more time to read bills, more chances to offer amendments, and the power to limit the scope of legislation so that lawmakers are not forced to vote for measures they consider extraneous. McCarthy also reportedly agreed to make it easier for any House member to call for a vote to oust the speaker.

In a Dec. 28 opinion piece for the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Good also hinted at a more personal aspect of his opposition to McCarthy. He criticized McCarthy for opposing conservatives in GOP nomination contests rather than using those resources to help Republicans in general elections.

The upcoming speaker vote is about more than defeating McCarthy and electing a better leader in January, Good wrote. This is about striking a blow against the uni-party swamp cartel, and defeating a Republican system that is hostile to conservatives, resents its base voters, and resists empowering individual members in order to retain power in the hands of an elite few.

Politico wrote in December about the festering relationship between Good and McCarthy. Good reportedly resented that McCarthy backed Rep. Denver Riggleman  the Republican incumbent  against Goods 2020 challenge from the right in which Good prevailed in a drive-through convention. McCarthy reportedly retorted that he had spent $2 million to boost Good in that fall campaign.

Some conservatives were not pleased that the final six holdouts voted present early Saturday.

At ballot 14 we won, tweeted John Fredericks, a radio host who led Donald Trumps Virginia campaigns in 2016 and 2020. Then we had the great cave.

Holsworth said Saturday that if Good ever had interest in directing governmental resources toward his district, thats damaged, but I dont think he ever had that interest.

He added that while Good is relatively safe in his district, any hope to be an influential player is completely undermined.

Sabato said Good does not depend on corporate PAC funding and likely can get enough small donations from individuals to sustain his campaign operations.

But he added that politicians have long memories and House GOP leaders know that Good was probably the most adamant of McCarthys Republican opponents.

That likely angered GOP leaders, Sabato said, because its made the Republicans look bad just as they were trying to get started.
Jamaican man reacts violently inside Cancun International after being denied entry into Mexico

Cancun, Q.R.  A Jamaican man who had arrived at the Cancun International Airport became outraged inside the INM area after being denied entry access into Mexico. The incident happened on December 23 inside Terminal 2.

In an official statement from the Instituto Nacional de Migracion (INM) dated January 6, the federal agency said that he arrived on December 23, but failed to provide the legal requirements to enter the country for which he was denied entry.

After being denied entry into Mexico, he became violent, broke a window and threatened authorities and other airport users with it (a piece of glass). He was returned on December 24.

In their official statement, they said the National Institute of Migration (INM) of the Ministry of the Interior reports that on December 23, a person of Jamaican nationality was not admitted to enter the country for not accrediting the requirements established in the law, before which he assumed a violent attitude towards public servants and users of Terminal II of the Cancun International Airport, Quintana Roo.

Said person arrived on December 23 and was taken to the INMs second review area at the air facilities to explain the reasons that prevented his entry into national territory, but he responded with an inappropriate attitude and repeatedly hit the glass of the room until it broke.

The man was videoed using a large piece of glass as a weapon from the window pane he broke inside the INM area

He took one of the broken glass pieces and used it to threaten the INM personnel as well as the passengers located in that room and, later, in the migratory filter area.

He tried to escape from the international airport facilities, but the federal immigration agents on duty, with the support of elements of the National Guard, managed to remove the glass from his hands without injuring the immigration personnel or the users of the air headquarters.

In strict adherence to the law and human rights, he was returned to Panama with the assistance of two federal immigration agents on December 24, 2022.
Third arrest made in murder of Chetumal city taxi driver

Chetumal, Q.R.  A third person has been detained in the murder of a city female taxi driver. On January 6, the State Attorney Generals Office of Quintana Roo announced the arrest of Jorge V.

He was taken into police custody January 5 after a Chetumal judge issued a warrant for his arrest. He is believed involved in the December 28 murder of Landy N, a Chetumal city taxi driver.

On January 5, the FGE reported on the arrests of two others wanted for their alleged involvement in the same murder. The agency announced the January 4 arrests of Sairi  S and Luis V in the city of Cancun.

According to the FGE, the Chetumal property where the murder took place belongs to relatives of Jorge V and Luis V. Since his arrest, Jorge V remains in the Chetumal Social Reintegration Center.
U.S. did not participate in recapture of El Chapos son

Mexico City, Mexico  President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador says that while there is cooperation between Mexico and the U.S., they did not participate in the recapturing of El Chapos son earlier in the week.

On Friday, Lopez Obrador clarified that no U.S. agency participated in the recapture of Ovidio Guzman Lopez. We respect them, but we act autonomously, independently, he said during his press conference Friday morning.

He also clarified that his arrest in no way coincides with the upcoming visit of U.S. President Joe Biden, who is scheduled to land in Mexico City next week.

This was the second time El Chapos son, Ovidio Guzman Lopez, has been taken into custody during the AMLO term. In 2019, Ovidio Guzman was arrested in Culiacan, Sinalo, but later released due to anticipated violent backlash by the Sinaloa cartel.

On Friday, AMLO detailed the military plan that lead to the successful arrest of Ovidio Guzman. Photo: AMLO

After his January 5 arrest, Ovidio Guzman was transferred to the Altiplano maximum security prison where he is waiting possible extradition to the U.S. where he has been wanted since 2019.

The Secretary of National Defense, Luis Cresencio Sandoval, reported that during this second arrest, 10 soldiers were killed and another 35 injured. During the January 5 clash between authorities and gang members, 21 belonging to the Sinaloa Cartel were arrested. He said that no civilian lives were lost.
CHRISTIANSBURG  A Montgomery County judge on Friday dismissed a collection of unlawful exclusion suits filed against the owner of Massies Mobile Home Park following a water cutoff incident in November.

The county, through its Public Service Authority, shut the water off to the park for several hours on Nov. 15 after the propertys still relatively new owner failed to pay an outstanding utilities bill. The water returned later that day after the bill of approximately $14,000 was paid.

The incident prompted the Christiansburg-based Southwest Virginia Legal Aid to file suits on behalf of numerous tenants arguing that owner Massie MHP LLC had willfully interrupted an essential service. Attorneys with the organization, addressing the return of the service on Nov. 15, further said state law doesnt require a specific time period to elapse for an act to be considered a willful interruption of an essential service.

General District Court Judge Gordon Saunders, however, said Friday that it didnt take long for Massie to handle the billing issue and ensure the service returned. He said there has not been a recurring issue with the utility service since that outstanding bill was paid.

Theres no evidence theyre [Massie] trying to clear the tenants out, said Saunders, who added that the state statute cited by Legal Aid in the case is not intended for simple negligence.

Kristi Murray, an attorney with Legal Aid, said they intend to appeal the decision in Montgomery County Circuit Court, a move theyd need to make in the next 10 days.

Evonne Huff, a Massies resident and one of the plaintiffs, said she wants to see the decision appealed.

I was very disappointed, I didnt agree with the decision, she said. Im upset about the way things went.

The water cutoff and resulting unlawful exclusion case were another wrinkle in a saga that began following the purchase of the property several months ago by Massie MHP, which is a subsidiary of Homes of America LLC and is tied to controversial hedge fund Alden Global Capital.

Homes of America, via other subsidiaries, has bought a number of mobile home parks across the country in recent years. Several of the buyouts were followed by concerns among residents over sharp rent hikes imposed by the company following the takeovers.

The concerns recently reached the nearby Princeton, West Virginia, area where a group involving Smith Management LLC and Homes of America bought several mobile parks.

Massie MHP and Homes of American share an Englewood, New Jersey, address with Smith Management, according to previous searches of out-of-state business records.

Alden, the hedge fund that has received much attention and scrutiny in recent years over its buyouts and subsequent gutting of newspapers, is described as a division of Smith Management in a 2008 form filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Thirteen Massies tenants initially elected to be plaintiffs in the unlawful exclusion suits, but one of them decided to drop out of the case before the start of Fridays hearing, Murray said. Another two were unable to make the hearing Friday due to illnesses, she said.

Following the purchase of the park in August, the owners paid the first utility bill but did not pay the next two on time, Murray said in a previous interview. She delved into that detail in more depth in court when she questioned Sarah Reed, a Montgomery County finance department employee whose job involves the preparation of utility bills.

The bills were sent to both a post office box address in Englewood, New Jersey, and an email for Massie MHP, Reed said.

Charles Campbell, director of the countys Public Service Authority, said he called and left a message with the company on Nov. 3 regarding the delinquent bills. He said he did so knowing that the issue ultimately affected well over 100 families.

Murray and Massie MHPs Roanoke based-attorney Bryan Grimes Creasy each confirmed through the PSA staff that the company did later correspond with the municipal utilities provider on Nov. 10 to inform them of the correct billing address.

The bills had been sent to the wrong post office box address, something that was eventually remedied in November, Creasy said.

Murray, however, said the company should have still been aware of the bills due to the fact Massie MHP was also notified via email. Then, the outstanding bills remain unpaid for several days following that Nov. 10 correspondence, she said.

They knew the bills were due, they didnt pay it, Murray said.

The available plaintiffs each came forward Friday to confirm a number of points related to the utilities billing. Before the change of ownership, they would receive a card from the park informing them how much they owed for utilities, they said.

The tenants in court said they havent received those separate notifications since the change of ownership, with some even saying they continued to include guessed amounts in their rent checks.

Murray asked tenants about some of the issues they dealt with the day the water was cut off. Among those who spoke on their experiences was Alesia Moorefield.

Moorefield, who is pregnant, said that led to problems with the toilets function.

Pregnant people tend to use the bathroom a lot, and not being able to use the toilet was a pretty big inconvenience, she said.

Creasy, however, reiterated the problem with the bills not being sent to the correct post office box address. He said the company resolved the issue as soon as it learned about it and that there have been no problems with utilities since.

There are a series of errors that are going on here, Creasy said, referring to issuance of the bills themselves.

Prior to the water cutoff issue at Massies, park residents were grappling with the issuance of numerous notices to quit that claimed rent debts many tenants questioned. The notices led to widespread concerns of evictions and exacerbated already existing notions many residents had about other issues at the park.

Legal Aid attorneys said during the fall that they spotted discrepancies with the notices they saw. They said the forms cited 2018 laws that are no longer in effect and that the code sections referenced in the notices that went out in September had been repealed and replaced due to an overhaul of landlord-tenant law in 2019.

Also, several amounts claimed in the notices were not the correct ones owed by the tenants served, Legal Aid previously said. While there were some tenants who were behind, the organization said it noticed amounts specifically owed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and not the tenants themselves.
Roanoke County will go into this new year of instruction with a new school board chairman.

Brent Hudson, whose term on the school board started in 2021, was unanimously elected as the boards new chairman on Thursday. He represents the Catawba District and had been serving as vice-chairman since 2022.

As chairman, Hudson will take on a greater role in representing the school board publicly, as well as in negotiating for school funding with outside entities, particularly the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors.

The relationship between the county school board and board of supervisors has been contentious in recent months, with ongoing financial battles over the hiring of school resource officers and a career and technical school with a current price tag of $100 million sparking heated debate in joint meetings.

Between upcoming capital improvement costs that include replacements for two elementary schools, W.E. Cundiff and Glen Cove, resource officer funding, and the costs for the new career and technical school, Tim Greenway, who now serves as the boards vice chair, noted that the board may be looking at tough financial decisions in coming years.

Hudson  who worked as a resource officer for Glenvar schools before serving on the school board  said he was confident in the boards ability, under his guidance, to accomplish both the needed capital improvements and more.

My goals for this coming year are to finalize the plans for our new CTE center, work with the board of supervisors to speed up the remodeling or replacement of two aging elementary schools, work to increase staff pay to be more competitive with neighboring districts, ensure an ample number of SROs in our schools, and address the learning loss from the impact of COVID, he said.

Hudson replaces Hollins representive David Linden as board chairman. Linden will continue serving as a board member.
From left, Paul Vallas, Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Ald. Sophia King, Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson, activist Ja'Mal Green, U.S. Rep. Jesus "Chuy" Garcia and state Rep. Kam Buckner all raise their hands in agreement to follow rules set for speaking during a mayoral candidates' forum at Access Living Saturday. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)

Marking the start of a new phase in Chicagos 2023 election, Mayor Lori Lightfoot defended her administrations policies on people with disabilities and mental health issues at a Saturday forum.

The forum hosted by advocacy group Access Living was the first attended this cycle by Lightfoot and U.S. Rep. Jesus Chuy Garcia. Also in attendance were Ald. Sophia King, state Rep. Kambium Kam Buckner, Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson, former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas and activist JaMal Green.

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Mayoral candidates Ja'Mal Green and Ald. Sophia King, 4th, greet each other at the start of a Saturday forum hosted by Access Living. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)

For much of the forum, the candidates focused on the issues instead of attacking one another or dropped anecdotes about their personal ties to people with disabilities. Lightfoot, for instance, noted that her father was deaf. Garcia highlighted his wifes multiple sclerosis and grandchildren in special education.

Three candidates  Johnson, Green, and Buckner  expressed support for a municipal sidewalk snowplow program, while Lightfoot touted her administrations efforts to improve Chicago Transit Authority accessibility.

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Mayor Lori Lightfoot speaks as Paul Vallas listens during a mayoral candidates' forum at Access Living Saturday. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)

The mayor noted the city recently obtained a $185 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to rehab several of its CTA and Metra stations for disabled riders as well as mandating that stations that part of the ongoing Red-Purple Line modernization and a pending extension of the Red Line to 130th Street be accessible.

All of the modernization that were doing across our system has a disability mandate, Lightfoot said.

Regarding affordable housing, Garcia vowed to use federal and local funds  including tax-increment financing revenue  to create grants and subsidized loans for homeowners to stay in neighborhoods that are rapidly gentrifying. He said the money would be used to making the homes more accessible, energy efficient and internet-connected.

At the same time, I would streamline the process that nonprofit and other low-income housing developers want to undertake to build houses on Chicagos South Side, on the West Side and other places, Garcia said.

Vallas, who has also led public school systems in New Orleans and Philadelphia, said he had the experience to eliminate teacher vacancies in CPS, particularly for special education. He proposed subsidizing student teachers to come into the classroom, expanding alternate certifications and allowing graduate students to earn credits by becoming certified teachers.

Ive run four of the largest school districts in four different states, and all had major vacancy issues, Vallas said. All those issues were eliminated.

King had her own incentive plan to recruit and retain teachers. She said she would give them interest-free loans for new homes and floated selling vacant lots for some of the sites.

Teachers are leaving now faster than we can keep them there, King said. Theyre the one profession where we throw everything at their feet that were unable to resolve and ask them to do that. They need that incentive.

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Green pushed for policies to transition people returning to the city after being incarcerated, as well as for a pilot to give 10,000 Chicagoans living in poverty $1,000 a month. He also suggested creating a single-family mortgage bond fund to back 10,000 home loans each year.

On the topic of reentry services, however, Johnson sought to separate himself from other candidates as one who truly understands the depth of our addiction around jails and incarceration.

The folks on this stage are not gonna be as clear as I am, Johnson said. We spend too much on jails and incarceration. And we over-utilize policing as a strategy and its failed.

Johnson and Buckner both threw their support behind an advocacy coalitions plan to raise the real estate transfer tax on homes over $1 million to fund services for the homeless, which Lightfoot campaigned on but has since opposed.

Buckner also backed the Peace Book ordinance that calls for more gun violence solutions without law enforcement and promised to establish four city-run mental health clinics that are open 24 hours a day, one each on the North, South and West sides and downtown.

We hear a lot about where care should come from, and who provides care, Buckner said. Making Chicagoans choose between having private mental health care and public mental health care, its like saying we cant have both libraries and bookstores. That makes no sense.

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But even though the forum largely stayed focused on issues, the candidates at times took shots at one another, though most of the criticism was pointed at Lightfoot as incumbent mayor.

King used her opening statement to criticize this administration for not being collaborative enough. And Johnson referenced a 2018 class-action lawsuit against CPS alleging disabled students with non-English speaking parents were discriminated against. That complaint was filed before Lightfoots election, but the district has continued to be plagued with complaints from advocacy groups for special education students.

Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson is among the candidates for mayor who appeared at a forum hosted by a group that advocates for people with disabilities. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)

As a public school teacher, I can certainly tell you firsthand what it looks like to have schools that are disinvested in and, as mayor of Chicago, youll finally actually have a mayor when you elect me who actually believes in public education, Johnson said. And you certainly wont have to sue my administration to get special education to cooperate with state guidelines.

Lightfoot also faced criticism for her broken promise to reopen the mental health clinics closed by her predecessor, Rahm Emanuel, which she rebutted by arguing for her alternative route of partnering with existing clinics not run by the city. All of Lightfoots challengers present at the forum vowed to reopen the shuttered clinics, except Garcia, who did not express a position.

State Rep. Kam Buckner laughs in response to a statement from U.S. Rep. "Chuy" Garcia, left, during the Disability Mayoral Candidates' Forum at Access Living. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)

When I entered office, there was a lot of conversation about reopening the mental health clinics, Lightfoot said. And I thought about that too, and argued for it. But then what I heard from the experts and what I heard from patients is that they didnt want clinician care that our clinics offer. What they wanted was to be able to go to culturally relevant services in their neighborhood and thats precisely what weve done.
Antoine Thompsons days with his toddler daughter are numbered.

After sentencing the Roanoke man to seven years in prison on drug charges Friday, a federal judge denied Thompsons request to remain free on bond until July.

As the primary caretaker of Aziyah, who will turn 2 in April, Thompson had asked that his sentence be delayed until the girls mother is released from prison on an unrelated drug charge.

In a case that raised questions about the welfare of young children with both parents in prison, assistant public defender Christine Lee told U.S. District Judge Michael Urbanski: Were asking for seven months to preserve the well-being of a child.

Although Urbanski allowed Thompson to self-report to prison later when notified by authorities  which generally takes several weeks  he said it was time for the 40-year-old to start serving his sentence.

I am certainly sympathetic, and I understand counsel for the defenses argument that there are many victims in these cases, he said. These cases are so sad because they are fraught with unintended consequences and unintended victims.

But this case has gone on for too long, the judge said, noting that Thompson has been free on bond since June 2021.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Charlene Day said it would be unprecedented to extend freedom to a man with a serious criminal record that includes a murder conviction when he was 19, for which Thompson served about 14 years.

I feel bad for this little girl, Day said. But its not the governments problem. Its the defendants problem, and he should have thought about that before returning to drug dealing after his release from prison.

Lee countered: Its absolutely the governments problem if another child goes into foster careTheyre literally creating another victim.

In some cases when both parents of a child are facing prison terms, judges impose staggered sentences  allowing one caretaker to remain with a child while the other serves time, and then report to prison when the first is released.

But that usually happens when defendants have no prior criminal record, Day said.

Children of incarcerated parents are exposed to nearly five times as many adverse experiences  such as abuse, neglect, mental illness and substance abuse  compared to those whose parents are not locked up, according to a study supported by the Foundation for Child Development.

Research conducted by Kristin Turney, a professor at the University of California at Irvine, found the danger is greatest among kids younger than six.

About 5 million children in the United States, approximately 7% of all minors, have experienced the incarceration of a parent who was in their home at some point, according to a study from the Bureau of Justice Statistics.

As for Thompson, he acknowledged that he did the crime and prison is inevitable. All he was asking for, he told Urbanski, was the opportunity to continue caring for Aziyah until her mother is available to take over.

I feel like the situation right here basically humbled me, he testified, explaining how he has grown to see the importance of providing a good home to his children  something his own childhood lacked.

It opened my eyes.

Although the cousin of Thompsons late mother is available to temporarily care for another child, in addition to the ones she already has, Lee said that would be a burden for the woman.

Nonetheless, Urbanski said, there is no indication that Aziyah would need to be placed in foster care.

Mr. Thompson needs to serve this sentence, the judge said. And the sooner he starts serving it the sooner he will finish it and get on with his life.
A teacher was injured in a shooting Friday afternoon at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, according to police and school officials.

No students were injured but an adult was taken to the hospital. Police believe they have the person responsible in custody but declined to provide any details about that person Friday afternoon. However, at least one child who said she witnessed the shooting described the shooter as a classmate.

A Newport News school district spokesperson confirmed the adult shot is a teacher. The extent of the teachers injuries were unknown.

We believe that once we walked in and had the information we had coming in (the school), we had the individual in custody, Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew said at a news conference outside the school. We did not have a situation where someone was going around the school shooting. We had a situation in one particular location where a gunshot was fired.

Drew declined to provide the age of the suspected shooter and would not say if that person was a student.

Several parents interviewed outside the school said officers on scene told them a 7-year old male student shot a teacher.

A 6-year-old student, whose mother didnt want her daughters name used, said she witnessed the shooting. The girl told a Daily Press reporter that one of her classmates shot their female teacher on purpose. The teacher fell to her knees.

Richneck Elementary is a fully-accredited public school located off of Richneck Road in north Newport News. There were 553 students enrolled at the school in the fall for the 2022-23 school year, according to the Virginia Department of Education.

Hundreds of parents were waiting Friday afternoon outside a reunification center, located at 128 Deal Drive, anxious to be reunited with their children. Cars were parked alongside the road for several blocks in all directions.

Officers on the scene separated parents in lines based on their childs grades. Some parents grumbled about confusing directions and difficulty hearing announcements at the scene.

Among the parents waiting outside the reunification center was Joselin Glover, whose fourth-grade son, Carlos, was inside. Glover said she received a text notification from the school reporting one person was shot and one person was in custody.

My heart stopped, she said. I was freaking out, very nervous. Just wondering if that one person was my son.

She said shed gotten numerous phone calls and texts to make sure she and her son were okay. She said she felt the school handled the situation very well.

Newport News Mayor Phillip Jones and the other members of city council went to the scene to provide support. He said students were being kept in the cafeteria until they could be escorted out to their parents. He said that police are ensuring that everyone is accounted for.

These students are our number one priority for safety, Jones said. Were going to ensure that everyone is safe, and that everyone is accounted for. And that were going to make sure that that the scene is safe. Its been its been a long day for a lot of for a lot of people. But at the end of the day, the childrens safety is our top priority.

Police are requesting that parents and guardians have identification ready when they arrive to pick up their children.

This story is developing and more information will be published as the Daily Press and The Virginian-Pilot obtain it.
 Some highlights from Ohio's sweeping new criminal justice reform bill | Main | Noticing the shape of the federal death penalty circa 2023 

January 6, 2023

Reviewing prosecutions and sentencings two years after January 6 Capitol riots

A number of major papers today provide some major reviews of the prosecution and sentencing of January 6 rioters on the two-year anniversary of the storming of the Capitol. Here are headlines and links, as well as an except from the story most focused on sentencing outcomes:

From the New York Times, "Two Years Later, Prosecutions of Jan. 6 Rioters Continue to Grow: The Justice Departments investigation of the Capitol attack, already the largest it has ever conducted, has resulted in 900 arrests, with the potential for scores or hundreds more to come."

From USA Today, "More than 950 people have been charged in Jan. 6 Capitol riot, but investigation 'far from over'"

From the Washington Post, "Review of Jan. 6 cases finds judges give harsh lectures, lighter sentences: Judges have gone below prosecutors recommendations three-quarters of time, and below federal sentencing guidelines a little less than 40 percent":

Of more than 460 people charged with felonies, only 69 have been convicted and sentenced so far, mostly for assaulting police or obstructing Congress; all but four have received jail or prison time. The average prison sentence for a felony conviction so far is 33 months, according to a Washington Post database.... About half of the arrests so far have been for misdemeanors, and for those given actual jail time, the average sentence has been 48 days. But most of the misdemeanants have not received any jail time: most have received probation, home detention or halfway house time, or a fine. These defendants are typically rioters who entered the Capitol and didnt engage with the police, but left a trail of social media posts and photos before, during and after Jan. 6. If we include those who didnt receive jail time among the misdemeanor sentences, the average jail time drops to 22 days. The number of defendants being held in jail before trial, or awaiting sentencing, is about 50, according to a list provided by the Justice Department.... For the 25 defendants sentenced so far for assaulting law enforcement, the average sentence has been more than 48 months  in line with the nationwide average for that offense in recent years, according to data from the U.S. Sentencing Commission. Former New York City police officer Thomas Webster received a 10-year term for fighting with an officer and helping breach the outer perimeter. There are still nearly 180 defendants whose assault cases are pending. The most serious charge for those not accused of assaulting the police has been obstruction of an official proceeding. Only 28 people have been sentenced for obstruction or conspiracy to obstruct the certification of the electoral vote, receiving an average sentence of about 42 months.... The judges appointed by Democratic presidents have imposed jail or prison sentences in 61 percent of their cases, and probation in 18 percent of the cases, while judges appointed by Republican presidents have given jail or prison sentences in 48 percent of their cases, and probation in 34 percent of cases. In the remaining cases, judges have sentenced defendants to home detention or a halfway house, or imposed a fine. Judge Tanya Chutkan, an Obama appointee, has handled 22 sentencings and imposed incarceration in every one, but another Obama appointee, Judge Rudolph Contreras, has handled 16 sentencings and jailed only one defendant. Judges Dabney Friedrich and Trevor N. McFadden, both Trump appointees, have given probation sentences to about half of their Jan. 6 defendants. McFadden is also the only judge to have acquitted a defendant at trial and the only judge to have imposed only a fine on a defendant.

January 6, 2023 at 06:34 PM | Permalink

Comments

If only the government spent as much time looking at the violent rioters in Portland etc. And what happened to the anti-Trump DC rioters in 2017?

Posted by: federalist | Jan 9, 2023 10:17:25 AM

So laughably predictable.

Posted by: Fat Bastard | Jan 17, 2023 10:56:20 PM

Post a comment
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Moving for many is a stressful life experience. The new year is a popular time for those looking to make a life transition to take the plunge. When it comes time for you or your family to make your move, here are some key tips to keep in mind.

Ask family and friends for recommendations. Moving is a very personal experience. It may be best to use a company with which someone you trust has had a positive experience.

Secure at least three quotes. The lowest quote may not be the best choice. Be sure to also consider a company's quality of work.

Bigger isnt always better. Large companies have multiple crews, and your experience may depend on the movers assigned to your move that day. With a smaller company, you may likely deal directly with the owner or at least get a more personal touch.

Looking to save? Pack or unpack yourself. These add-on services may not be needed.

Have pricey art or valuables? Look for a company that specializes in crating, wrapping and moving higher-end items. Not every moving company has this level of expertise.

Try not to move at the beginning or the end of the month. Many moving companies have different pricing structures depending on the time of the year and/or time of the month.

Read reviews. Online reviews from real customers may impact your decision.

Oversee your move personally. It is always best for you to be on site on the day of your move.

Separate and pack essentials. There may be a delay in receiving all of your belongings. Be sure to keep the essentials packed in a suitcase you can carry with you.

Purge and reorganize. One of the biggest mistakes you can make is to take your clutter with you!

(Cathy Hobbs, based in New York City, is an Emmy Award-winning television host and a nationally known interior design and home staging expert with offices in New York City, Boston and Washington, D.C. Contact her at info@cathyhobbs.com or visit her website at cathyhobbs.com.)

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Is an ancient compound the new wonder drug?

Metformin, a common medication to control diabetes, has become the controversial darling of techs health-conscious digerati who are enticed by preliminary research suggesting it might help promote longevity, reduce dementia and prevent a whole host of other conditions  including, most recently, long COVID.

With origins that date back to Medieval Europe, metformin has been used for decades as a powerful tool to lower blood sugar in people with diabetes. In those patients, it also offers cardiovascular benefits and weight loss.

Now, it is increasingly popular for use in conditions that have nothing to do with diabetes. Intrigued by early studies and promotion on TikTok, Instagram and health-focused blogs, Americans are seeking off-label prescriptions for metformin, using a drug for a different condition or at a different dosage than what is FDA-approved

But experts urge caution, saying the data isnt sufficient to start recommending daily doses.

According to UC San Francisco infectious disease expert Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, Id be very wary about using metformin off-label at this point, citing lack of extensive research. The evidence has to be really strong, he said, if you take a drug for a particular indication in which theres not a lot of good data.

Certainly, a lot of young healthy people are looking into taking it with hopes of kind of optimizing their health and biohacking to improve their longevity down the line, said Stanford University endocrinologist Dr. Marilyn Tan. While its unlikely to do harm, Tan said, theres also no proven benefit from any randomized controlled trial in terms of anti-aging effects.  Its not FDA-approved for any of these other indications.

Metformin, or dimethylbiguanide, traces its history back to a traditional herbal medicine in Europe called Galega officinalis, or goats rue. While it can cause side effects in people with kidney problems, it improves blood-sugar control by improving insulin sensitivity, reducing the amount of sugar released by the liver into the blood and increasing glucose absorption.

It is now the fourth most widely prescribed medication in the nation. About 20 million Americans were prescribed the drug in 2020.

What is tantalizing are preliminary findings  based on animal studies and imperfect clinical trials that have not been reproduced  that hint that the drug may help slow aging and increase life expectancy. While the underlying mechanism remains unclear, it may create cellular changes that improve the bodys responsiveness to insulin and boost blood vessel health.

Its reputation has grown with a recent barrage of social media attention, including a viral posting by Silicon Valley-based internet entrepreneur and biohacker Serge Fague, who described taking two grams of the medication every day.

Have you heard about metformin? asked one Twitter influencer. The New York City-based longevity company NOVOS, which has enlisted Harvards Dr. George Church and other highly esteemed scientists to its advisory board, posted on Instagram: Metformin: The secret to anti-aging?

Publicity was further boosted last week, when a University of Minnesota team reported that about 6% of metformin patients infected with the SARS CoV-2 virus went on to experience long COVID, compared to 11% of those who were not on the drug. The study is not yet peer-reviewed.

But there is a better drug  the FDA-authorized virus-killing Paxlovid  to reduce the risk of long COVID, said Chin-Hong. Metformin doesnt make sense, from an infectious disease perspective, to work against long COVID, he said. Its not a card-carrying antiviral.

Off-label prescribing is legal and common. An estimated 20% of all prescriptions in the U.S. are for off-label use, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Beta-blockers, for instance, are approved to reduce risk of high blood pressure and heart problems but are used off-label to treat anxiety.

But off-label prescriptions may put people at risk of receiving ineffective or even harmful treatment if there is a lack of scientific evidence, said Chin-Hong.

In tech circles, people use a lot of things off-label  for example, for weight loss, said Chin-Hong. Its promoted by celebrities on TikTok. But its always a dangerous enterprise to use something off-label.

Doctors have long prescribed metformin off-label for these conditions:

 Menstrual irregularities in women with polycystic ovary syndrome. In the 1990s, metformin was shown to lower testosterone levels in women with this common hormonal disorder, suggesting that it might help. But at present, there is no clear evidence to support broad metformin use in those patients, according to a 2017 University of Chicago analysis.

 Gestational diabetes mellitus. Metformin is an effective and safe alternative to insulin for women who develop glucose intolerance during pregnancy. It also controls maternal weight gain and reduces the risk of gestational hypertension, according to a 2016 database review by physicians at Peking University First Hospital.

 Prevention or delayed diabetes. Two decades of evidence support the use of metformin to prevent or delay Type 2 diabetes among higher-risk patients or people with elevated blood sugar, a condition called prediabetes, concluded a 2018 evaluation of 40 studies by a team at the Los Angeles-based Veterans Administration.

 Weight gain from antipsychotic medicines. Certain patients, especially those who are young and healthy, are less likely to gain weight if they take metformin soon after taking medication for schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders, according to a 2017 review of published studies by a team at UCLA Medical Center. But it doesnt help after weight gain already has occurred.

Other studies looked at the potential of metformin to:

 Reduce the risk of dementia or stroke. A 2016 analysis by Australian scientists found that cognitive impairment was significantly less common in diabetics who got metformin. In a 2013 study in Taiwan, the drug also offered diabetic patients some protection against stroke. But its use by people without diabetes for the prevention of dementia or stroke was not supported by either of those studies.

 Slow aging. A 2021 analysis of results from several large studies by a team in Canada and Qatar indicates that metformin may induce anti-aging changes in diabetics. It improved the health of diabetic patients in the study while they were alive, although the effect was modest. However it remains controversial as to whether metformin is protective in people who are metabolically normal, the team found.

Theres a lot of interest in it, and additional studies are warranted to see if there are more benefits, said Tan. But no studies have conclusively shown a clinically significant benefit for any of those conditions.

Its a great diabetes drug, she said.

____

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Carol Meredith describes her attempts to get help for her adult son Michael as he appeared to be having a mental health crisis. She sought help from police and Michaels doctor asking for recommendations to a mental health facility. The answer she got was to apply for a court order. This is video 2 of 3 describing what happened on the days leading to Michael Merediths death in Sergeant Bluff in January of 2022.

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OMAHA  A Macy, Nebraska, man has been sentenced to more than six years in federal prison for sexually assaulting a girl.

Talis Dale, 23, pleaded guilty in September to one count of sexual abuse of a minor. He was sentenced Thursday in U.S. District Court in Omaha to 78 months in prison. He will serve six years on supervised release after completing his prison sentence.

Dale entered the girl's bedroom in her Macy home during the early morning hours of May 3, 2021, and began touching her, stopping after becoming concerned that she was loudly demanding that he leave her room.

The girl, listed as age 12-16, fell asleep, and told investigators that she woke up later in the night to find Dale on top of her. The girl said her underwear had been removed and that Dale began to have sexual intercourse with her. When the girl asked what he was doing, Dale stopped. The girl pushed Dale off of her, told him to leave, and he did, court documents said.
SERGEANT BLUFF  Before the day her son Michael died, Carol Meredith had never heard the term suicide by cop, much less knew what it meant.

Unfortunately, she would learn first-hand its meaning.

Hours after Michael Meredith told her hed do something to make an officer shoot him if she tried to have him taken against his will for a mental health assessment, he rushed a Woodbury County Sheriffs deputy with a tire iron, forcing the deputy to grab his service weapon and fire two shots, one of them fatal.

In review, it appears to be a suicide by cop situation: a subject draws police to the scene, then acts in a way to force officers to use deadly force. In many cases, the person will pull out a gun, or an object that looks like one, leading police to fire their weapons.

In Merediths case, he prowled about a mobile home park, prompting a resident to call 911 and report a possible burglary. Once two sheriffs deputies and a Sergeant Bluff police officer responded, Meredith ran at them, forcing the fatal response.

When they happen rapidly, theres really nothing you can do. You dont sign up as a police officer to shoot someone who wants to commit suicide, said David Klingler, a criminology and criminal justice professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis and a former police officer.

Because its not always possible to determine if a police shooting was a suicide, theres no definitive data on how common suicide by cop incidents are.

According to the Police Executive Research Forum, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit think-tank, there were approximately 900-1,000 fatal officer-involved shootings each year from 2015-18. An estimated 10% or more were suicide by cop incidents, meaning there could be roughly 100 or more a year. A research study in Los Angeles found that for each suicide by cop incident that ended in the subjects death, approximately 60 others were attempted, but police de-escalated the situations without using lethal force.

Chuck Wexler, the Police Executive Research Forums executive director, said his group reviews videos of officer-involved shootings to better understand suicide by cop incidents. A current trend involves the subject, nearly always male, advancing toward officers until they shoot him.

It doesnt always happen that way, but the point is, there are enough similarities to look for, Wexler said.

Mental illness markersOne thing many have in common is the subject had a history of mental illness or was having a mental health crisis at the time of the shooting. Drugs and alcohol also may be involved. Those common factors, Wexler said, highlight the need for crisis intervention training so officers can more effectively communicate with the subject theyre encountering to defuse the situation before it leads to gunfire.

Without training, you wouldnt know what to look for, Wexler said. The key is to teach police warning signs of someone who might be in crisis.

If a 911 dispatcher learns the subject is suicidal or in crisis, relaying that information to responding officers is the first step toward a peaceful resolution. Officers then can alter their approach, staying a safe distance from the subject, keeping their weapons holstered and speaking calmly rather than shouting. That training can help officers better read a situation when arriving, Klingler said.

As Merediths case illustrates, its not always that simple.

He had a history of anxiety and alcoholism. His family said he told them he hadnt slept in the five days prior to his death and he was hallucinating, talking about fictional characters breaking into his home and, about an hour before he was shot, green caterpillars crawling on his ceiling.

But the officers who encountered Meredith that night didnt know any of this. Even if they had, Meredith rushed and attacked Deputy Eric Fay immediately after being contacted, leaving Fay with little choice but to use his weapon. The entire interaction lasted less than 10 seconds. Fay and his fellow officers had no chance to gauge Merediths mental health status or de-escalate the situation.

They would not have had time to process it. Oftentimes, yes, there is time for communication. The attack started as they saw him, Woodbury County Sheriff Chad Sheehan said.

It was a case in which the deputies training was useless because they had no time to implement it.

At least they had the training, Klingler said, pointing out that every state has a different mental health training curriculum for law enforcement officers and there are no national standards when it comes to that type of instruction.

How thorough that training is, I dont know, he said. Im unaware of any national board that requires academies to look if youre going to be an officer, youre going to need training in crisis management and mental health.

Iowa offers trainingIn Iowa, officers seeking certification at the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy in Johnston, a state agency that certifies all officers in the state and trains a large number of them, must complete 16.5 weeks of training, a lot of it pertaining to mental health.

Its not just a one-and-done class. Its embedded in every course that we speak to, said Judy Bradshaw, the academys director.

When she took over in 2014, Bradshaw said, there were no crisis intervention or mental health classes. Now its an emphasis, she said, including a four-hour class on mental health emergencies and other crisis intervention, classroom and scenario training.

There is certainly more awareness, she said.

Its hard not to be aware, when a large number of calls involve subjects with some type of mental health issue, Sioux City Police Chief Rex Mueller said.

Certainly, we are aware of the fact a lot of people we are dealing with are in crisis, Mueller said. It can be a huge challenge because you can be dealing with someone who doesnt think as a rational person does. No matter the training, some people can be very hard to deal with.

Mueller said Sioux City police officers are taught how to communicate not only with people who are mentally ill, but also autistic and developmentally challenged. That training is ongoing, he said, and exceeds state requirements.

Looking for complianceSheehan said his deputies approach every call aiming to resolve it peacefully through de-escalation techniques theyve practiced, acting and speaking to project a calm demeanor in an effort to help an agitated individual feel more relaxed.

Going in, the goal is to generate voluntary compliance, Sheehan said. We try to train all of our staff that you cant rationalize with everybody, but you can reason with everyone.

And force is to be used only in response to a threat.

First and foremost, the thing to remind the public is we dont dictate the use of force. We respond, Sheehan said.

In Merediths case, deputies had to respond before they could utilize their training. But if all departments placed an increased emphasis on training for such encounters, Wexler said, some of those situations may have better endings.

Its not easy, Wexler said. Sometimes things happen quickly. Not every situation will you be able to slow it down.

Proper training could increase the chances officers can do so.

This is about education, Wexler said.
Chicago Mayor candidate Paul Vallas, greeting a Chicago police officer during the Columbus Day Parade on Oct. 10, has been endorsed by the local Fraternal Order of Police lodge. (Michael Blackshire / Chicago Tribune)

Chicagos Fraternal Order of Police has endorsed Paul Vallas in his campaign for mayor, union president John Catanzara announced.

Although Chicago police and their supporters mark an important demographic in local elections, the endorsement from the union is a double-edged sword for Vallas, the former Chicago Public Schools CEO. The FOP has long been criticized for defending police misconduct, and Catanzara in particular has been a lightning rod for controversy.

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Catanzara retired from the Chicago Police Department while facing potential termination after a career as one of the departments most disciplined officers. He has also made numerous offensive statements, including defending Jan. 6 protesters in the aftermath of the Capitol insurrection and comparing Mayor Lori Lightfoots vaccine mandate to the Holocaust. Catanzara is also a vocal supporter of former President Donald Trump and regularly appeared at City Council meetings in a Trump jersey.

Underscoring the unions status as a controversial entity, Catanzara said only two candidates sought the groups endorsement: Vallas and businessman Willie Wilson.

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A spokesperson for Lightfoot, whos sparred with Catanzara throughout her term, criticized the endorsement, saying Vallas should condemn the FOP boss history of hate-filled rhetoric rather than standing alongside him and (carrying) the shared MAGA values into City Hall.

As a candidate, Vallas has faced criticism for his volunteer work with the FOP while it negotiated its union contract with the Lightfoot administration. But in a recently launched campaign ad, Vallas highlighted his work with the FOP in recent years to help broker the deal, an attempt to position himself as a moderating force.

In recent years, Vallas has made crime a top subject of his public profile. Vallas frequently delivers a fire hose of social media posts about violence in Chicago, arguing its important to support the police and loosen restrictions on their work.

In previous interviews, Vallas wants more of what he calls proactive policing, which includes ramping up low-level arrests. Despite a shortage of police officers, its important to chip away at the environment of constant disorder, and that starts with less-serious offenses that can possibly create a pipeline toward violence, Vallas has said.

Vallas has also said he wants to revoke the citys foot pursuit policy that was released in June, more than a year after back-to-back fatal police shootings of two people who were being chased by officers, including 13-year-old Adam Toledo. Among the policys provisions is a rule that officers can only engage in a foot pursuit if there is a valid law enforcement need to detain the person that outweighs the dangers of the pursuit.

In panning the policy to the Tribune, Vallas said it looks like a checklist, he said. All youre doing is creating more obstacles for a police officer to move and tack decisively.  Why would you even get out of a police car if you see a criminal running down the street? Why would you even want to chase them, if you dont have that checklist?

Though Vallas is an outspoken critic of how police are operating under Lightfoot, he has also talked about the importance of violence prevention programs, including keeping schools open through summer and Saturdays and helping people who are unemployed or previously spent time in prison find work.

Crime has been a top subject in the 2023 mayoral campaign. Violent crime spiked to its highest level in decades during 2020, a year marked by COVID-19 and civil unrest following the Minneapolis police murder of George Floyd.

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In 2022, the city had 689 homicides through Dec. 28, according to city data and figures from the Police Department.

But despite the 14% reduction, the total was still higher than it had been in 2019, the last year before COVID-19 took hold, when the city saw 496 killings through Dec. 28. Lightfoot has argued her plan is working while critics say violent crime remains far too high.

Vallas and Wilson are among eight people trying to unseat Lightfoot in the Feb. 28 election.
SIOUX CITY  Not long ago, local law enforcement officers responding to a call in which a subject was in mental health crisis were left to their own best judgment as to how to address the situation.

Despite training they may have had, officers were limited in their ability to diagnose a persons condition or determine the best way to help. Their only options: take the person to jail or a hospital or leave them in the hands of family members or friends.

We are looking for different ways of handling calls besides taking them to jail, Sioux City Police Lt. Kevin Heineman said.

Law enforcement agencies across Iowa received valuable backup in 2019, when the Legislature mandated each mental health services region develop a crisis intervention team that can be mobilized to provide on-site, face-to-face mental health services. In response, the Rolling Hills Region, which includes 10 Northwest Iowa counties, created two Mobile Crisis Assessment Teams. One in Sioux City focuses on Woodbury County, and a second based in Sac City serves the other nine counties.

A valuable resource

Since its inception, MCAT has become a valuable resource for police officers encountering individuals experiencing mental health issues. Called to the scene, MCAT members can determine the best solution.

From my perspective, they need a doctor to diagnose them. MCAT can figure out whats wrong with them better than an officer, said Heineman, whos been involved with MCAT for three years. We will make every effort to call them for just about everything we can.

Three full-time and three on-call mental health professionals in Woodbury County are available 24 hours a day to assist law enforcement officers, schools, hospitals or other agencies encountering someone experiencing a mental health crisis.

That includes being called by police to help with a person threatening to harm himself or herself. Police wont call them to a dangerous situation, but once its stabilized, an MCAT professional may be asked to speak with that person, said Nicky Eaton, crisis services director at Siouxland Mental Health, which contracts with Rolling Hills to provide the MCAT service.

We try to break the cycle of the person being involved with the police and the hospital, Eaton said.

For police, MCAT provides professionals to work with someone in crisis. They can talk with the person and determine what kind of services he or she needs and provide follow-up support. They can accompany the person to a hospital and explain the persons situation to a doctor more accurately than an officer.

Diffusing, diverting

An MCAT members knowledge can defuse a situation, enabling police to leave and return to patrol duties. The individual in crisis may agree to go to the hospital with the MCAT member, saving police the time of transporting them to the hospital and staying with them. MCAT also may help set the person up with services or treatment, reducing the chances an officer may be called to the same location repeatedly or arresting the person if he or she commits a crime.

Our successful outcome is that were either diverting them from the hospital or diverting them from jail, Eaton said.

Hours before his Jan. 12 death, Michael Meredith was hallucinating and told his mother hed commit suicide by police rather than let her take him to a hospital. A Sergeant Bluff police officer who was called to check on Meredith mentioned MCAT to Michaels mother, Carol Meredith, but mistakenly said it was a program at Rosecrance Jackson Centers in Sioux City. Unfamiliar with MCAT, Carol Meredith believed the officer and, because Michael had an unfavorable opinion of Rosecrance based upon his previous treatment experience there, she didnt pursue it.

That evening, Michael Meredith rushed at three law enforcement officers, striking one with a tire iron, before a sheriffs deputy fatally shot him.

Carol Meredith now says had she known more about MCAT, she would have welcomed the teams assistance.

Would it have been beneficial and led him to willingly get help? Its impossible to say, but statistics provided by Eaton show MCATs involvement can get people needed help rather than see them housed in jail or a hospital. Or worse.

By the numbers

From the second quarter of 2021 through the third quarter of 2022, MCAT was called 120 times, 51 of those calls by law enforcement. Other callers were schools, medical and mental health care providers and private citizens. MCAT members made contact with 92 individuals  48 males and 44 females. Of those people, 60% were diverted to counseling or referrals, the Siouxland Mental Health Crisis Center or outpatient services. Just 27% were transported to the emergency room. The remainder of the calls resulted in the individuals refusing MCAT services.

Eaton said patients have said had MCAT not shown up at the scene, they would have carried out plans to commit suicide. There are undoubtedly other situations in which MCAT could help police find successful resolutions.

I think were underutilized. I think we could be used in a lot more situations, Eaton said. I think it depends on the officer. There are some that are great at calling us and others that could have called us to a situation.

Only in existence for three years, MCAT is still new enough that not every officer in the county is familiar with the service, Eaton said. She expects that to change over time.

As officers start utilizing us and seeing successes, theyre telling their peers, she said.

More officers undoubtedly will come to realize the benefits of calling in a professional, said Heineman, who also expects to see officers make greater use of the service.

Mental health issues arent going to go away, he said.
SERGEANT BLUFF  Roughly an hour before Michael Meredith was fatally shot by a sheriffs deputy, he told his mother he saw green caterpillars crawling on the ceiling in his home.

Going on five days without sleep, Michaels longtime anxiety was reaching levels his mother, Carol Meredith, had never seen.

The hallucinations began early in the morning that day, Jan. 12, when Michael called police to report a home intrusion by people he was seeing only in his mind. Hours later, he was shielding his eyes, believing he could kill people by looking at them.

Yet through it all, he retained an air of calm that frustrated Carols attempts to convince him to get help.

Earlier that day, after hours of strange behavior, he told his mother hed die before letting her take him to a hospital for a mental health assessment.

He told me if I tried to commit him, he would commit suicide by police, Carol said, repeating the phrase shed never heard before that conversation. I said, What do you mean? He said, Ill do something so the police will shoot me.

At 5:50 p.m., after officers responded to a report of a possible burglary in a Sergeant Bluff mobile home park, he was lying on the ground, dying from a gunshot fired by a Woodbury County Sheriffs deputy forced to take protective action after Michael rushed him and struck him with a tire iron.

It was a tragic conclusion to a day in which Michaels family, unable to convince him to seek medical treatment on his own, made futile efforts to have police officers, his doctor and the court system force him to get help.

Michael Meredith's grave Michael Meredith's grave sits at the top of a hill in St. John's Cemetery near Jackson, Nebraska. Meredith died Jan. 12 after being shot in an

Trying to get him help

The steps I took that day...I failed at every step, Carol said. You think youre following the rules to stop a tragedy. Everything we were told we should do didnt work.

Why those steps didnt turn out the way theyre supposed to remains a puzzle for which the family has no solution.

They place no blame on the deputy who shot Michael, ending his life at age 35.

And they hope the circumstances surrounding his death might raise awareness about mental health and lead to changes so other families dont have to deal with the loss they feel every day.



Michael Meredith was always anxious, and had been for years. Carol forced him to get his drivers license at age 18, though he hated to drive. He still did, disliking encounters with traffic on the streets.

It seemed like over the years, he got more anxious as time went by, Carol said.

He preferred the solitude of playing online video games at home after work. He didnt do social media  no Twitter, Facebook or other similar platforms.

But he enjoyed technology. As kids, he and older brother Chris would order parts and build their own computers.

It was no surprise he eventually chose a computer-related career. After moving back to Sioux City from Minnesota in 2008, he did odd jobs and worked for Chris, a local contractor/developer. Michael enjoyed the construction field, and he paired that interest with his technology savvy to obtain an associate degree in computer drafting from Northeast Community College in South Sioux City. It led to a job at Gleeson Constructors, where he taught himself how to do 3D drafting and bring life to building plans.

He could do a rendering and then walk them through it before it was built, Chris said.

Michael Meredith's family tells his story From left: Nikki Young, Michael Meredith, Chris Meredith and Shelby Meredith, right, are shown at Chris Meredith's wedding. Michael Meredith d

Anxiety builds

Though he had a good job and a long-term relationship with Lauren Lanning, his fiancee hed been seeing for around 10 years, his anxieties did not ease. At the time of his death, he was taking a prescription medication for anxiety as well as two antidepressants, all drugs found in his system in a postmortem toxicology report.

In spite of his medication, his anxiety seemed to be intensifying, Lanning said. It was becoming increasingly harder for him to interact with strangers, even family and people he was familiar with. Though he could be outwardly entertaining and funny while having a conversation, Michaels anxiety simmered unseen during those social interactions.

It was something that affected him acutely, Lanning said. It was hard for him to go out and socialize.

Instead of going out, Michael spent most of his free time at Lannings Sioux City home or in the Sergeant Bluff house he rented from his brother, playing online video games with a small group of friends on a gaming setup that included the latest components. To avoid interactions, Lanning said she and Michael usually ordered takeout and streamed movies at home instead of going to a restaurant or movie theater. Over time, she said, he became more withdrawn, even becoming reluctant to go to family gatherings.

Michael would nonetheless show up to family cookouts. An outspoken liberal and a Bernie Sanders supporter, hed get into political arguments with his brother-in-law, showing a breadth of knowledge gained from extensive reading that kept him up to date on current events and politics.

You could say anything, and he could talk to you about it, Chris said. He could explain every concept you asked him.

And he was generous, spoiling his nieces and nephews with extravagant gifts, including top-of-the-line virtual reality headsets so they could play online video games with him.

He never spent money on himself, his brother said.

That wasnt quite true, given his love of video game systems and components ... and alcohol.

-

Carol first became aware of her sons drinking problem about five months before his death. Michael would have a few drinks at family gatherings, but his mother had no idea of his drinking habits while in the privacy of his own home.

She remembers that night in August 2021 well. It was a Saturday, and Chris had received a call from a concerned friend who had been playing video games online with Michael. The friend said Michaels speech was slurred all night, and when he no longer responded to their banter during a game, the friend believed Michael had passed out.

Chris alerted their mother, and Carol went to Michaels house, but he wasnt there. Instead, he was at Laurens home, intoxicated.

I had never known him to be like that, Carol said.

Lanning had, however.

Michael had been drinking for years, she said, starting with a few beers after work and progressing into hard liquor for the past four or five years as he felt increasing pressures from his job and being around people.

Alcohol was his release, Lanning said. It was a way to numb all the constant emotions he felt.

Michael Meredith's family tells his story Michael Meredith's mother, Carol, and uncle David Gill discuss Michael's alcoholism and mental health condition in the days leading up to his 

A wedge develops

Michaels alcohol intake increased over time, and Lanning moved out of his home four or five years ago because of it. Lanning said she asked him several times to go into treatment, but he refused because dealing with doctors and treatment providers could be daunting for him. Instead, he kept it a secret, telling Lanning not to inform his family about his drinking.

Getting help was hard for him, she said. I definitely wanted him to, but it became a sore subject. He didnt want anyone to know. It was something I didnt feel comfortable telling his family about against his wishes.

Carol finally found out that August night, an encounter Lanning said she doesnt remember.

Carol took Michael home with her. He stayed a couple days, during which time he drank all the liquor in her home.

Realizing her son had a problem, Carol confronted him one night, telling him he needed help.

He wasnt very agreeable, she said.

Carol went to bed and later heard a crash. Michael appeared to have had a seizure and had fallen down. She called her brother Pat Gill, who lives nearby, and they took Michael to the emergency room, where doctors told him he needed to get alcohol abuse treatment.

They asked him if he was going to hurt himself, Carol said. He said no.

Reaching out for help

In the ER, Michael told his mother that for weeks hed been binge drinking, starting after work on Fridays and going until Sunday morning, when hed begin sobering up for work on Monday. He agreed to get help and was accepted into an inpatient program at Rosecrance Jackson Centers in Sioux City. After 20 days in treatment, he signed himself out.

He said he was done drinking, Carol said. He just said he could do it himself and didnt need them to help him.

He stayed sober for a few weeks, but it didnt last. Instead, a cycle of what Carol believed was a brief period of sobriety followed by a weekend drinking binge developed. Each time, Michael would call Carol, who would bring him to her home to sober up.

I think he just felt more safe with me because Im a nurse, Carol said.

But Michael wasnt being completely honest with his mother about his drinking habits, Lanning said. There were no cycles of sobriety and bingeing. He continued to drink nearly every night until the final days before his death. Though Lanning worked nights and slept during daytime hours and wasnt able to see him as often, she observed how Michaels drinking began to affect his personality and his mental well-being.

He definitely was going through a period where it was harder for him to go out and interact with people, she said. Even going to the liquor store was difficult.

On Friday evening, Jan. 7, Carol received a familiar call from Michael. He told her hed been drinking. She picked him up and brought him home. It was the last time he drank, to Carols knowledge.

After that Saturday, he seemed all right, she said. He was completely acting normal. He just told me he couldnt sleep.

Changes take place

By Monday, Michaels anxiety had intensified. He hadnt been able to sleep all weekend. After arriving at work, he began sweating and feeling anxious and was sent home. He called his mother later, telling her hed made an appointment with his doctor to talk about his anxiety. He also said hed received a referral to see a counselor and had scheduled an appointment for Jan. 18, a meeting he wouldnt live long enough to make.

By Tuesday, hed gone five days without drinking or sleeping and still wasnt feeling better. Nothing seemed wrong, Carol said, when she talked to him that day.

Everything was normal, except he couldnt sleep, and he told me he was messed up, Carol said. He said, I think I keep hearing voices. I kind of blew it off. He was acting normal.

Within hours, Michael was no longer behaving normally.



Her ringing phone woke Carol up at about 3:30 the morning of Wednesday, Jan. 12. She didnt recognize the number, but answered anyway.

It was Michael, calling from a Sergeant Bluff police officers phone while sitting in the back of a squad car.

Everything is so messed up over here, and they just tore up my house, Michael told her.

Confused by those comments, Carol got dressed and drove to Michaels house.

About half an hour earlier, at 2:55 a.m., Officer Travis Hutzell was dispatched to Michaels home at 201 Fifth St. after Michael had called to report an intruder.

In a recording of the 911 call, Michael can be heard telling the dispatcher, Some crazy ex-boyfriend came over here and he put like a false beating over her so now I got ... before the call disconnected. The dispatcher called back. Michael did not answer.

michael calling 911.mp3 Your browser does not support the audio element.

Footage from Hutzells body camera showed him walking up to Michaels house. Michael talked to Hutzell through an open window near the front door, telling him he had been with a woman whose ex-boyfriend barged in and got into a heated argument with her before the two left. Michael was adamant theyd file a false police report against him.

A 96 issue

Unaware the whole situation Michael had relayed to him was a hallucination, Hutzell returned to his vehicle to scan Michaels drivers license and run a background check. As Hutzell stepped out of his vehicle to return to the house, Michael exited and told Hutzell the man and woman had returned and were blowing marijuana smoke out the windows. When Hutzell asked to go inside, Michael realized hed locked himself out of his house.

As they walked around the house, looking for signs of a break-in, Hutzell began to suspect a possible mental health situation. Sitting in his vehicle with Michael and waiting for Carol to arrive, Hutzell radioed to dispatch, Probably mark this down as a 96 issue, a reference to an Iowa police 10-96 code pertaining to mental health.

Michael insisted the couple was going to ransack his house, steal items and fill it with cheese. Theyd already put his couches on the lawn, he told the officer, whose body camera clearly showed no furniture in the yard.

After Carol arrived, Hutzell told her, I dont know if hes having a mental issue.

Before leaving with his mother, Michael asked Hutzell what hed do about the people inside his house. Theyll steal everything, he said.

Offering assurance

Hutzell assured Michael hed take a look around to make sure nothing happened at his house before Carol took Michael home. On the way to her house, Carol said, Michael repeated the story about the couple trashing his house.

The whole way, he was telling me this fantastic story that didnt make sense. Ive never heard him talk like that in my life, she said.

Once at Carols home, she and Michael sat down in the living room. He continued to talk, still not making any sense.

Carol continued to talk with Michael until dozing off around 5 a.m.

When she woke up a couple hours later, he was gone.

Coming tomorrow: Carol Meredith made several efforts to seek mental health treatment for her son in the hours leading up to his death. None of them were successful.
KHARKIV, Ukraine  Sitting on comfy armchairs in a low-lit room smelling of lavender and pine trees, the men take deep breaths as they close their eyes and listen to meditation music.

But this is not a spa. Uniformed Ukrainian soldiers are taking a break at this rehabilitation center in the Kharkiv region to restore their bodies and minds before going back to the front line.

The relentless 10-month war has prompted a local commander to transform a Soviet-era sanatorium into a recovery center for servicemen to treat both mental and physical ailments.

"This rehabilitation is helping soldiers, at least for a week, to put themselves together," said Oleksander Vasylkovskyi, a lieutenant colonel in the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Vasylkovskyi remembers how soldiers suffered silently after returning home from fighting Russia in Ukraine's Donbas region in 2014. Suicide rates among veterans increased in the following years, with many untreated cases of post-traumatic stress disorder. He hopes a center like this can raise awareness of the need for mental health care and help prevent suicides in the future.

Here, soldiers are offered a variety of treatments: aquatic therapy in a hot pool to heal muscle aches; red light therapy to improve heart and blood circulation, a salt room for better breathing; and for those having nightmares, electrosleep therapy  a Soviet-era low-frequency electrotherapy that is said to relax the nervous system and induce sleep.

Psychologists also are available, not just for the soldiers but for their families dealing with the traumas of war.

The servicemen also undergo medical checks, Vasylkovskyi explained. "It's the most important thing because a person develops several illnesses from the stress of fighting."

In addition to the psychological scars of war, soldiers also come here to treat meningitis, contusions, amputations, lung and nerve inflammations, sleeping disorders, skin diseases and cardiovascular illnesses, among others.

"If someone has trauma and cannot walk, my department will put them back on their feet," said a physical therapist working at the center.

More than 2,000 soldiers have been treated here since the center opened in June. It receives support from international partners in Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Poland, the U.S. and Spain. The cost of one day of rehabilitation for one soldier is about 20 euros, according to Vasylkovskyi. But more funding is still needed, he said, "because (the war) is not over."

Viktor, whose last name cannot be published for security reasons, worked as a miner before joining the army. He took part in the military operation that pushed Russian occupying forces out of the Kharkiv region.

For months, he slept in muddy, cold trenches. "We worked in conditions that were bad for our health. It's bad, it's damp, it's wet," he explained as he sat in a room where the walls and floors are covered in thick salt to clear his damaged lungs. "We have back pain, leg pain, we carry heavy equipment," he added.

Four days into the rehabilitation center, he was feeling reenergized. "I'm already determined to go further, continue my work, destroy the enemy, and bring us each day closer to victory," Viktor said.

But perhaps the most appealing aspect of this rehabilitation center isn't the therapy but the ability to bring one's family along for a couple of days.

Maksym, who, like Viktor, cannot reveal his last name for security reasons, hadn't seen his wife and son in five months. One of the hardest parts of this war, he said, is when "you can't connect and speak to your loved ones." He was relieved they could join him for a few days at the rehabilitation center and relax together.

Without official vacations, this is the only way many soldiers can get proper rest.

"I can see that men are returning to the unit after a week, rested and gaining more strength. And the thoughts that they had before go away," Maksym said. Some of those haunting thoughts are the memories of friends who died on the battlefield.

Asked how many comrades he had lost, Maksym lowered his eyes and answered bluntly: "Too many."
Its been a big week for U.S.-Mexico relations, and that was even before President Joe Biden becomes the first U.S. leader to visit Mexico in nearly a decade. Biden announced a major border policy shift, with Mexicos blessing. And in Mexico, security forces nabbed one of the sons of a former drug cartel boss who was wanted by the United States. The two presidents, along with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, will gather in Mexico City for a two-day summit that begins Monday.
SEATTLE  After a dozen expeditions and decades of searching, it was a couple of pieces of waterlogged wood and a fearful octopus that helped two inventive mariners find the wreckage of the SS Pacific.

The legendary steamship sank in 1875 somewhere between British Columbia and San Francisco. The 220-foot vessel was carrying gold worth $5 million today, 230 tons of coal and more than 325 passengers when it was struck by a schooner that mistook it for a lighthouse. Only two survived.

Nearly 150 years later, a few miles south of Cape Flattery, as Jeff Hummel and Matthew McCauley used submergible drones to zero in on what they believed was the Pacific, they spotted an octopus with a tentacle wrapped around an object seemingly made of copper, maybe from the ship.

"We just sat there and stared at her in disbelief," Hummel said. "And we're like, well, this must be our shipwreck because every good shipwreck has an octopus."

His granddaughter named it Lilly, but the cephalopod was gone by the next dive.

In November, Rockfish Inc. was granted exclusive federal rights to salvage what remains of the Pacific. Hummel is president of Rockfish and director of the Northwest Shipwreck Alliance.

His background is in marine navigation systems and product design; McCauley's is in business, diving, history and communications. They launched NSA when both were students at Mercer High School. In 1984, they were sued by the U.S. Navy and won, giving them the rights to a World War II plane they found in Lake Washington.

The pair have been salvaging planes and ships together for decades, but the Pacific is unique.

Clues leading to the wreckage had escaped treasure hunters for more than a century.

The ship was bound for San Francisco during the gold rush when it entered a treacherous storm. Navigational tools in the 19th century were not advanced.

The morning of Nov. 4, 1875, the Pacific collided with the sailing vessel Orpheus, following a communication that led the schooner to turn when it shouldn't have. The captain of the Orpheus was held responsible for what happened to the Pacific, but was not punished.

The Pacific's captain, Jefferson Davis Howell, was commander of a rebel gunboat during the Civil War. His brother-in-law was former Confederate President Jefferson Davis.

The day before its demise, the ship had picked up passengers in Seattle, Olympia and other small towns on Puget Sound. S.P. Moody, owner of what was then the largest lumber mill in the west, notably came onboard in Victoria, British Columbia.

The kaleidoscopic cargo included wealthy travelers, miners, immigrants, a lumber tycoon and a circus troupe with performing horses.

In many ways the steamboat was as much a slice of gold rush America as much as it was a slice of the Pacific Northwest.

The wreckage is about 23 miles offshore and scattered across a slope about 1,000 to 3,000 feet deep. The work to clear the surrounding debris field could begin as early as 2023, while salvaging the main site will likely start the following year.

Parts of the salvage area are in international waters, so to claim federal protection of the site, the shipwreck alliance needed to bring a piece of the wreckage to court. What they brought was a piece of brick that was likely part of the ship's steam boiler, and planking from its hull.

"Based on what we've seen so far, we believe that there are artifacts on the ship that will blow people's minds," said Hummel, who also captains the RV Seablazer.

Rockfish is a company built solely for salvaging the Pacific, and Hummel's efforts to recover the wrecked steamship have been supported for years by 45 benefactors contributing $2.1 million.

Aboard the Seablazer in December in Seattle's Salmon Bay, mounted on rolling carts next to Hummel were the two submergible drones  nicknamed Falkor and Draco  used to case underwater sites. He designed and built the drones, along with other robotics used in a dozen expeditions to arduously narrow in on the Pacific.

"It's better to leave it where it is than to do it wrong," Hummel said.

The salvagers will first recover the surrounding site, as stretches of seabed have been raked in different directions by trawling nets. Then their efforts will focus on the ship itself.

It's unlikely any human remains will be found after so much time has elapsed.

Still, sonar and video footage of the site indicates a shipwreck in "remarkable condition."

Everything recovered will be subject to claim by family members, as the legal process demands. After that, Hummel and McCauley said the plan is to build a museum somewhere near Puget Sound. Profits will be shared among the volunteer crew, but finding and safely retrieving objects that have been submerged for more than a century will be a challenge.
RICHMOND, Va.  A Virginia teacher who was critically injured when she was was shot by a 6-year-old student in Newport News is showing signs of improvement as authorities struggle to understand how a child so young could be involved in a school shooting, the city's mayor said Saturday.

Newport News Mayor Phillip Jones said the condition of the teacher, a woman in her 30s, is "trending in a positive direction" as she remained hospitalized Saturday. Police Chief Steve Drew met with the teacher and her family Saturday morning. "She has improved and is currently listed in stable condition," police said in a news release.

The boy shot and wounded the teacher with a handgun in a first-grade classroom on Friday at Richneck Elementary School, according to authorities. Drew said the shooting was not accidental and was part of an altercation. No students were injured.

Police on Saturday declined to describe what led to the altercation or any other details about what happened in the classroom, citing the ongoing investigation.

Jones also declined to reveal details of the shooting, or say how the boy got access to the gun or who owns the weapon.

"This is a red flag for the country," Jones said. "I do think that after this event, there is going to be a nationwide discussion on how these sorts of things can be prevented."

Virginia law does not allow 6-year-olds to be tried as adults. In addition, a 6-year-old is too young to be committed to the custody of the Department of Juvenile Justice if found guilty.

A juvenile judge would have authority, though, to revoke a parent's custody and place a child under the purview of the Department of Social Services.

Jones would not say where the boy is being held.

"We are ensuring he has all the services that he currently needs right now," Jones said.

Experts who study gun violence said the shooting represents an extremely rare occurrence of a young child bringing a gun into school and wounding a teacher.

"It's very rare and it's not something the legal system is really designed or positioned to deal with," said researcher David Riedman, founder of a database that tracks U.S. school shootings dating back to 1970.

He said Saturday that he's only aware of three other shootings caused by 6-year-old students in the time period he's studied. Those include the fatal shooting of a fellow student in 2000 in Michigan and shootings that injured other students in 2011 in Texas and 2021 in Mississippi.

Riedman said he only knows of one other instance of a student younger than that causing gunfire at a school, in which a 5-year-old student brought a gun to a Tennessee school in 2013 and accidentally discharged it. No one was injured.

Daniel W. Webster, a professor at Johns Hopkins University who studies gun violence, agreed that a 6-year-old shooting a teacher at school is extremely unusual. But he said his research shows that instances of young children accessing loaded guns and shooting themselves or others unintentionally in homes or other settings are rising.

"A 6 year old gaining access to a loaded gun and shooting him/herself or someone else, sadly, is not so rare," he said in an email.

In the Newport News case, Drew said Friday that the shooting didn't appear to be an accident and that it was isolated to the single victim. He said the student and teacher had known each other in a classroom setting.

Investigators were trying to figure out where the boy obtained the handgun. The police chief declined to discuss what contact investigators have had with the boy's parents.
DES MOINES  Iowa Democrats said they would push back against what they called the radical ideas of the Republican majority when the Iowa Legislature convenes for the 2023 session on Monday.

Iowa Senate Minority Leader Zach Wahls, of Coralville, and House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst, of Windsor Heights, laid out concerns they had about Republicans goals in the upcoming session in a press conference on Friday. They held the press conference after the Iowa Capitol Press Association's legislative preview forum was canceled because Republican legislative leaders and Gov. Kim Reynolds declined to attend.

Wahls criticized the decision by Reynolds, House Speaker Pat Grassley, and Republican Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver to not attend the forum.

It is the violation of these lowercase-D democratic norms that show Iowa Republicans are in lockstep with the national Republicans in Washington, he said.

A spokesperson for Whitver said in an email the Senate leader spent time with media in interviews before the session.

"Stories previewing the upcoming session with his comments appear in multiple outlets on a daily basis," Caleb Hunter, Whitver's spokesperson said. "Democrats hyperbole is demonstrably unfounded and wildly irresponsible."

Democrats remain in the minority in the upcoming session, having lost seats in both the House and Senate in the 2022 election, with Republicans gaining a two-thirds supermajority in the Senate.

Wahls decried the renewed push from Republican leaders for a law that would give some parents the option to use a portion of their students per-pupil state education funding to subsidize a private school education  in the form of scholarships commonly called vouchers.

He said the plan would defund our public schools and send public money to unaccountable private institutions.

Last years proposal made 10,000 taxpayer-funded scholarships available to families making up to 400% of the federal poverty line or children on an Individualized Education Program. This year, Konfrst said Reynolds may propose a plan without an income cap.

If there are no income limits on these school vouchers, which take public money and put it in private schools, that means that a millionaire family from Des Moines can send their kid to private school on the taxpayer dime, while schools in rural Iowa are crumbling because money has been taken away, she said.

Reynolds has not unveiled her proposal for a private school tuition assistance program, but she campaigned heavily on the issue in 2022 and said it would be a top issue in the new session. Reynolds and Republicans say the measure would give parents more choices in education and provide opportunities for students who dont succeed in public school.

"Over the last six years, Senate Republicans, along with the House and Governor Reynolds, have increased K-12 funding by half a billion dollars," Hunter said.

Democratic leaders also raised alarms about Republican attempts to restrict abortion, although Republicans have said they do not plan to pass laws restricting abortion until a state Supreme Court case plays out.

Reynolds has asked the Iowa Supreme Court to reinstate a law that would effectively ban most abortions once cardiac activity is detected, usually around the sixth week of pregnancy. That law allowed exceptions for rape, incest and medical emergencies.

Republicans have not made clear their end goal now that states have far more freedom to restrict abortion, up to a complete ban, but Wahls and Konfrst argued they are aiming for a total ban.

I think were going to see legislation sooner than later that does ban abortion in the state of Iowa, and then were going to have to have a real conversation on the floor of the House about who theyre answering to and who they work for, Konfrst said.

Both Wahls and Konfrst said they hope to find areas of bipartisanship with the majority, and they would like to be involved in early conversations and drafting bills. Wahls said he hopes Republicans and Democrats can find bipartisan solutions when it comes to workforce training and recruitment, protections for residents in mobile homes and expanding housing, and changing cannabis laws.

The problem is this majority has chosen to work exclusively within the Republican caucus and to shut Democrats out completely, he said.
On this weeks edition of the On Iowa Politics podcast: the circus that has been the election of the next U.S. House Speaker, and look ahead to the 2023 session of the Iowa Legislature.

On Iowa Politics is a weekly news and analysis podcast that aims to re-create the kinds of conversations that happen when you get political reporters from across Iowa together after the day's deadlines have been met.

This weeks show is hosted by The Gazettes Des Moines Bureau Chief Erin Murphy and features Gazette Deputy Bureau Chief Tom Barton, Lee Des Moines Bureau Chief Caleb McCullough, Jared McNett of the Sioux City Journal, and Gazette Columnist Todd Dorman.

The show was produced by Stephen M. Colbert, and the music heard on the podcast is courtesy of Imperfekt and Copperhead.
FOREST CITY, Iowa  Darwin Lehmann is no stranger to school consolidation. The superintendent of both the Central Springs and Forest City school districts in northern Iowa, he was there when the Woden-Crystal Lake district was dissolved and absorbed into the Forest City district.

Now, hes worried that a measure, championed by Gov. Kim Reynolds and sure to be a top issue in the legislative session starting Monday, may lead to more defunding and consolidation. In the upcoming legislative session, Republican leaders will take another swing at passing a measure that would give some parents the option to use taxpayer dollars that would otherwise go to public schools to subsidize a private school education.

Lehman said the legislation would take money from schools that are already struggling with lower-than-requested state funding.

Reynolds plan last year would have taken around $5,360 out of a public school for each student who took advantage of the program, for use at a private or charter school. That plan would have made 10,000 scholarships available to families making up to 400% of the poverty line or parents with children in Individualized Education Plans, and only for students who were in public school the previous year or were starting kindergarten.

The plan included a provision that distributed some of a students per-pupil funding to rural schools to mitigate some of the negative effects.

Proponents of the policy, which they call school choice, say the proposal would give parents more choice in their childrens education and provide options for children who dont succeed in a public school. Opponents use the term vouchers and say the plan would cut down already struggling schools and give public dollars to schools that do not have the same requirements and obligations as public schools.

House Speaker Pat Grassley, R-New Hartford, said in an interview hes optimistic that the House will have the votes to pass a school choice measure, which stalled in the chamber last year. This year will see the chartering of a new Education Reform Committee, which Grassley will chair and will look at a school choice proposal.

I do have a level of optimism that the support will be there within the caucus, but I dont know what that looks like exactly today, he said.

Grassley didnt outline any specifics as far as the scope of what House Republicans will consider, but he said the Education Reform Committee will focus on a holistic approach to education. The proposal may be broader than what has been suggested in the past, he said.

I see it more being around something that looks more like reform, he said. ...Looking at public and private, and how can we do better in education as a whole in Iowa? Thats more of the concept of what I think will be in that committee.

Rural school concerns

For the rural schools that Lehmann oversees, losing just a few pupils funding could mean the difference between hiring a teacher in schools that are already losing enrollment and receiving less state funding than they say they need. In the long run, he said that poses the risk of more consolidation.

Forest City serves several surrounding communities and has a little over 1,000 enrolled students in the current school year.

How are you going to maintain your budget and your programs? With less money, youre going to look at larger class sizes potentially, loss of programs, whole grade sharing, maybe, and there's some reorganizations, consolidations down the road, he said. And that would take time, but thats where that goes.

Lehmann noted private schools already have some state backing in the form of tax credits: Iowans can donate to School Tuition Organizations  which help subsidize private school tuition for low- and middle-income families  and receive 75% of the donation as a tax credit.

Jason Blaser, a math teacher at Forest City and the president of the citys education association, said private schools shouldnt be getting public subsidization because they dont have the same requirements and obligations as public schools.

If a kid who potentially could receive a voucher is on an IEP, or needs some other sort of accommodations, a public school accepts that student with open arms, he said. A private school can say, Sorry, we dont have qualified staff or we choose not to allow you to come into our school building.

The Forest City School District, like many rural schools, is also an economic engine and workforce development driver for the city, said Beth Bilyeu, the director of economic development for the city. After motorhome manufacturer Winnebago and 3M, the school is the citys largest employer.

Bilyeu said a loss of funds could weaken some of the schools selling points, like career development centers and college class offerings. She said companies often use the school as a recruiting tool to bring people to the city.

I think, just, take a step back and look at the bigger picture, she said. Weve all been the instigator or the recipient of unintended consequences, and there isnt much cushion.

Iowa parent wants tuition assistance

Imelda Vargas of Sioux Center hopes that a tuition assistance program can help her three daughters continue attending a private Christian school.

While last years proposals only applied to students currently in a public school, advocates are hoping lawmakers expand to more students, including those already enrolled in nonpublic schools.

Vargas oldest daughter attended a public preschool, but afterward she enrolled her in Sioux Center Christian School for Pre-K, and all her children now attend the school. Tuition for three students to attend the school in the 2020-21 school year was $13,288.

Vargas receives tuition assistance from the school and from the Northwest Iowa Christian School Tuition Organization. Still, after a recent divorce and change in her financial situation, Vargas said this year will be the last year her children can attend the school without state-funded assistance.

If eligible for tuition assistance, Vargas said she wont be worried about if it is enough money or a lot of donations  Its always a worry how much you qualify, how much you have to pay, so it will take away a lot of worry about that.

House Republicans trying again

House Republicans failed to get enough support to pass a voucher-style bill in the House last year, when at least a dozen Republicans, many from rural areas, refused to support the measure. Many were concerned about the effect the policy would have had on schools in their area.

Passing a similar measure this year was a major plank in Reynolds 2022 campaign. She took the rare measure of endorsing primary challengers to several Republicans who opposed the bill in the November election, ultimately leading to the loss of some incumbents.

As the Governor has stated numerous times, she will never give up on providing children with the best learning environment they deserve, Reynolds spokesperson Alex Murphy said in a statement in November. Parental choice in education is not a zero-sum game and her focus continues to be on raising the quality of education in every Iowa school and for every single child.

Responding to concerns about damages to rural schools, the House will look to pair school choice measures with allowing for more flexibility in how public schools can use their state-provided dollars, Grassley said.

How can we try to give them some flexibility, because what we hear a lot back home is  We're not as worried about school choice if we can just have some flexibility in what we do, he said.

In the Senate, there was less dissent among Republicans in 2022. Annette Sweeney of Alden was the only Republican who voted against the tuition assistance proposal.

Jack Whitver, the Senate majority leader from Grimes, said he wants to work with the House to have one bill early on in the session to focus on, rather than competing proposals. He said the Senate would take the lead from Reynolds, who will likely announce her proposal during her condition of the state address on Tuesday.

We dont really want to take anything off the table, he said. We just want to have a very open conversation and see where it goes from there.

Democrats to oppose measures

Whatever proposal Republicans put forward, Democrats in both chambers have vowed to oppose it.

Jennifer Konfrst, the Democratic House Leader from Windsor Heights, will be the ranking member on the Education Reform Committee and said she will work to shine a spotlight on the Republicans plan.

I kind of like the fact that its in its own committee because it gives us an opportunity to shine a light on this voucher scheme instead of trying to run it through another committee with all the other things that are going on, she said.

Konfrst said, even with turnover in the House, she doesnt think House Republicans have the votes locked in to pass the measure. She said shell still be working with Republican legislators to convince them to vote against the measures.

Senate Democratic Leader Zach Wahls of Coralville echoed those sentiments, and he said Senate Democrats would oppose the Republicans' proposals.

Were going to stand up for parents and kids and teachers against the Republicans radical attack on public education, Wahls said. ...We know that they're already developing plans to try and force it through. We think it's a threat to rural schools in particular, we think it'll force more school consolidation, bigger class sizes, fewer learning opportunities for kids.

Close Students pass to their next class at Forest City Middle School in Forest City, Iowa, on Thursday, January 5, 2023. The fifth through eighth grade school has an enrollment of 350 students. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette) Daniel Sarasio Meyer explains an algebra problem to two of his students in an Algebra II class at Forest City High School in Forest City, Iowa, on Thursday, January 5, 2023. The high school has ninth to twelfth grade students and has an enrollment of about 324 students. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette) Ryan Friederich helps a student navigate a task in a virtual computer repair shop in his eighth grade computer science class at Forest City Middle School in Forest City, Iowa, on Thursday, January 5, 2023. Students are put in the role of a computer repair tech and are given a customer's computer to diagnose and fix, including ordering the necessary parts or build a system from scratch according to customer specifications. The fifth through eighth grade school has an enrollment of 350 students. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette) Students in Ryan Friederich's eighth grade computer science class work on tasks in a virtual computer repair shop at Forest City Middle School in Forest City, Iowa, on Thursday, January 5, 2023. Students are put in the role of a computer repair tech and are given a customer's computer to diagnose and fix, including ordering the necessary parts or build a system from scratch according to customer specifications. The fifth through eighth grade school has an enrollment of 350 students. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette) Fifth grade match teacher and president of the Forest City Education Association Jason Blaser speaks at Forest City Middle School in Forest City, Iowa, on Thursday, January 5, 2023. The fifth through eighth grade school has an enrollment of 350 students. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette) Ryan Friederich helps a student navigate a task in a virtual computer repair shop in his eighth grade computer science class at Forest City Middle School in Forest City, Iowa, on Thursday. Students are put in the role of a computer repair tech and are given a customer's computer to diagnose and fix, including ordering the necessary parts or build a system from scratch according to customer specifications. The fifth through eighth grade school has an enrollment of 350 students. Daniel Sarasio Meyer explains an algebra problem to two of his students in an Algebra II class at Forest City High School in Forest City, Iowa, on Thursday, January 5, 2023. The high school has ninth to twelfth grade students and has an enrollment of about 324 students. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette) Daniel Sarasio Meyer explains an algebra problem to two of his students in an Algebra II class at Forest City High School in Forest City, Iowa, on Thursday. The high school has ninth to twelfth grade students and has an enrollment of about 324 students. Photos: A day at Forest City School District Students pass to their next class at Forest City Middle School in Forest City, Iowa, on Thursday, January 5, 2023. The fifth through eighth grade school has an enrollment of 350 students. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette) Daniel Sarasio Meyer explains an algebra problem to two of his students in an Algebra II class at Forest City High School in Forest City, Iowa, on Thursday, January 5, 2023. The high school has ninth to twelfth grade students and has an enrollment of about 324 students. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette) Ryan Friederich helps a student navigate a task in a virtual computer repair shop in his eighth grade computer science class at Forest City Middle School in Forest City, Iowa, on Thursday, January 5, 2023. Students are put in the role of a computer repair tech and are given a customer's computer to diagnose and fix, including ordering the necessary parts or build a system from scratch according to customer specifications. The fifth through eighth grade school has an enrollment of 350 students. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette) Students in Ryan Friederich's eighth grade computer science class work on tasks in a virtual computer repair shop at Forest City Middle School in Forest City, Iowa, on Thursday, January 5, 2023. Students are put in the role of a computer repair tech and are given a customer's computer to diagnose and fix, including ordering the necessary parts or build a system from scratch according to customer specifications. The fifth through eighth grade school has an enrollment of 350 students. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette) Fifth grade match teacher and president of the Forest City Education Association Jason Blaser speaks at Forest City Middle School in Forest City, Iowa, on Thursday, January 5, 2023. The fifth through eighth grade school has an enrollment of 350 students. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette) Ryan Friederich helps a student navigate a task in a virtual computer repair shop in his eighth grade computer science class at Forest City Middle School in Forest City, Iowa, on Thursday. Students are put in the role of a computer repair tech and are given a customer's computer to diagnose and fix, including ordering the necessary parts or build a system from scratch according to customer specifications. The fifth through eighth grade school has an enrollment of 350 students. Daniel Sarasio Meyer explains an algebra problem to two of his students in an Algebra II class at Forest City High School in Forest City, Iowa, on Thursday, January 5, 2023. The high school has ninth to twelfth grade students and has an enrollment of about 324 students. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette) Daniel Sarasio Meyer explains an algebra problem to two of his students in an Algebra II class at Forest City High School in Forest City, Iowa, on Thursday. The high school has ninth to twelfth grade students and has an enrollment of about 324 students.
Unique Coffee Cafe in Carpentersville was forced to close it doors this past week after struggling to make a go of it for about a year, owner Jonathan Washington said. (Jonathan Washington / HANDOUT)

Unique Coffee Cafe in Carpentersville, named the best new business of 2022 by the Northern Kane County Chamber of Commerce, announced its closure this week.

We want to thank you guys for your business and support! Our Carpentersville location will be permanently closed, a message posted on the shops Facebook post said. The cafe was located at 2168 N. Randall Road.

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Owner Jonathan Washington, who opened the family-owned cafe nine months ago at 2168 N. Randall Road, said they decided to shut their doors quietly.

On paper, everything seemed like this should be the perfect spot, Washington said. The storefront, located off Randall Road, is in the parking lot of the busy Woodmans grocery store and near other stores, he said.

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We wanted to do something special for the area, he said. We live here. We shop here. We put our heart into it and a lot of finances. We tried to do the best we could. We didnt get the support back.

Jonathan Washington, who opened Unique Coffee Cafe Cafe last year at 2168 N. Randall Road in Carpentersville, said they were never able to find a strong enough customer base to make a profit. (Mike Danahey / The Courier-News)

Unique Coffee Cafe had a small core customer base but it wasnt enough, Washington said, noting that the business has gotten more attention since its closure than it did when it was open.

You dont miss something until its gone, he said.

While the first year of any business can be rough, the cafe was struggling early on, Washington said. Weve been pretty much underwater since day one, he said. We were hoping it would get better. ... We gave everything we had, we pushed through as far as we could go.

Unique Cafe was new experience, he said, requiring him to figure out how to start a business from scratch and deal with electricians, plumbers, health department officials, village officials and architects. He also had to learn how to figure out the payroll, what type of equipment to buy and how to market a business, he said.

His goal, however, was to provide the best coffee and dining experience for his customers, Washington said.

The closure came just two months after the chamber named his business the best of the year at a banquet in November.

Washington was very disappointed to come to the decision, chamber President Melissa Hernandez said. I know it was a big challenge, especially with competition like Dunkin and Starbucks.

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In fact, a second Starbucks is expected to open later this year in the same area as Unique Coffee Cafe was located.

Hernandez said she doesnt think theyve seen the last of Washington. Hes got a lot of ideas and he has an entrepreneurial spirit, she said. I think well see things from him in the future.

Washington acknowledged he is looking toward that future.

We are definitely not done. We might not do the exact thing, but we will be back with something, he said.

You have to stay on the grind. Theres nothing in life thats easy. You have to stay focused, stay positive, and have faith, Washington said.

Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
Omaha cocktail lounge Annas Place pays homage to the madam whose brothels shaped Omaha during the citys rough and storied infancy.

In the late 1800s, downtown Omaha was booming with people, corruption, gambling, prostitution and lawlessness. At the center of it all was the brothel run by madam Anna Wilson, fondly known as The Queen of the Underworld.

Police and government turned a blind eye to Omahas seedy area, known as the Burnt District, until Nebraskas adoption of the Red Light Abatement law in 1911, coincidentally the year of Wilsons passing.

The spirit  and spirits  of the Burnt District have been making their way back into the public eye, with Wilson and Washburn opening in 2013 and Annas Place opening last May.

Annas Place is inside the Hotel Indigo at 18th and Dodge streets. IHG Hotels approached Jill Cockson to create a small bar connected to the lobby.

I think small is the future, said Cockson, who has developed many bars in Lincoln and Kansas City, Missouri, with low-capacity business models that favor hospitality.

Primary owner Devon Mundt operates Annas Place, while Cockson tends to her other bars in Kansas City. The two met at the U.S. Bartenders Guild 10 years ago.

(IHG Hotels) wanted to do an original and unique neighborhood concept. Thats their thing, Cockson said. I knew there was a great story with the Burnt District and Anna Wilson. So that was our launching pad for the concept. Then I called Devon, and Devons been on board ever since.

The doorway to the lounge is marked with a color-coded light. Green indicates its open for more patrons; red means its reached capacity.

I want every person who walks through the door to have a spectacular hospitality experience. And if were not prepared to give that, we shouldnt be letting people in the door, said Cockson.

Once inside, theres no mistaking the bars theme.

Red light beams down, draping the room in crimson, while a call me neon sign hangs next to an early 1900s crank telephone.

Dozens of sultry sketches by local artist Watie White line the walls. According to Mundt, the graphite drawings are of seven local burlesque dancers depicted crudely to resemble napkin drawings.

Without bombarding everybody who walks through the door with the history of the place, there are just enough Easter eggs around to stir peoples curiosity, said Cockson.

The Easter eggs continue on the cocktail menu.

The entire list of old-fashioneds is a bunch of different madams from all across the country, said Mundt, including Texas Fannie Porter and Colorados Mattie Silks.

Other drinks are dubbed Devils Staircase, Underworld Exorcism and Nine Feet Under, a reference to the nine feet of concrete Anna is buried beneath at her request, so the respectable women wouldnt try to move her body from Prospect Hill Cemetery.

One notable drink is the Necromancer, an absinthe concoction that is rough around the edges and sweet at the center. Its a more complex version of Bees Knees. It has an herbal, citrusy taste with hints of pine, honey, black licorice, mint and rosemary.

The rosemary taste comes from the rosemary hard candy Mundt makes in-house, and it saturates the drink gradually. The black licorice notes are from absinthe, a popular and misunderstood drink in Annas time until it was outlawed in 1912.

Absinthe, a mix of wormwood, anise and fennel, has been legal in the U.S. only since 2007. The hysteria surrounding the green elixir was due to the belief that it was a hallucinogen.

Wormwood contains the compound thujone, which can cause hallucinations and convulsions. Still, the amount necessary for it to produce these effects is so high that alcohol poisoning would surely take you out first.

In addition to the drink names, Annas Place also features liquors from women-owned companies, indicating them with pink dots on the bottles.

I believe it starts a conversation of women doing things in a male-dominated industry, said Mundt. A womans the reason that I own my bar. A womans the reason that I know everything about whiskey. Hell, a womans the reason I started drinking.

Another popular drink, Burnt District, is a smoky spin on the Boulevardier with a bittersweet whiskey made for sipping.

This is a drink you order at the last call, warned Mundt as he prepared one. The cocktail is small but mighty.

Islay Scotch and a smoked saline solution give it a bite, while Campari and sweet vermouth balance and sweeten the drink.

Its namesake, the Burnt District, was east of Creighton University near the modern-day Capitol District and was dotted with opium dens, saloons and brothels run out of shacks known as cribs.

The current location of the Omaha World-Herald building was once the site of a saloon with a stage in the basement dubbed The Park. An Omaha Daily News drawing of the Park Theater (1898-1904) labeled it a reeking den of iniquity.

In the pioneer years, Omaha had its fair share of nefarious figures, but there was a dichotomy to Anna Wilson. Despite Annas morally abhorrent reputation, she was a philanthropist and gave back to the city however she could.

She might have worked in an industry that not everybodys in love with, but at the same time, she was taking care of the broken, the elderly, the children, Mundt said.

The first emergency hospital in Omaha was given to the city by Anna Wilson days before her death in 1911. It had been one of the fanciest houses in town. Her last act was writing a check for $500 toward remodeling it for hospital use.

Much of Annas history has disappeared. The hospital was shut down in the 1940s, and the site is now a merge lane to Interstate 480. Anna and women like her were omitted from history, which makes honoring them even more important.

Her legacy is important because its 2023 and were still talking about women having autonomy over their bodies, said Cockson. In a more conservative area like Nebraska, I think prompting these conversations is important.

Annas Place has an inviting and intimate feel that allows patrons to let their guard down. Adding to the lounges open-minded overtone, the back corner of the lounge features an anonymous confessional.

Anna Wilson preached that values are up to your personal definition, said Mundt. Its not how society tells you to define it.

The Lincoln Journal Star's top photos from 2022
Nebraskas nitrate problem is leading academics, entrepreneurs and farmers to ask: Can we science our way out of this?

Its a daunting task. A humongous amount of nitrate has already seeped into the vadose zone  the stretch of earth between the surface soil and the groundwater  where it will continue to leach into the water for years to come, said Arindam Malakar, a professor with the Nebraska Water Center and the University of Nebraska-Lincolns School of Natural Resources.

Malakar is researching that zone, where nitrate no longer helps crops, but has yet to reach the groundwater that supplies much of the state.

Hes secured a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and is now in early-stage work observing how nitrate and nitrogen behave and react in that in-between zone.

Understanding that may unlock the possibility of future technology that can reduce nitrate, he said.

New ag technology is already allowing cutting-edge farmers to lower the amount of nitrogen they put into the soil and the groundwater.

New additives placed into nitrogen make it less likely to leach into the water supply, said Don Batie, a Lexington-area farmer who serves on the Nebraska Natural Resources Commission.

Real-time sensors also allow farmers who use that technology to know exactly how much fertilizer they should put on various parts of their cornfields  eliminating guesswork that often leads to fertilizer overuse. The real-time sensor technology is expensive, but the price is likely to come down over time, Batie said.

This year, Batie used a product that pulled nitrogen out of the air and onto his corn. That means he had to use less commercial fertilizer on those test corn fields.

In the future, the advancements may allow cornfields to grow using large amounts of nitrogen in the air  much like soybeans do  and further curtail the need for fertilizer, Batie said.

Newly developed corn hybrids will also require less nitrogen fertilizer, he said.

Agriculture has to continue to improve our efficiency, Batie said. Many of us feel we have come a long way. But Im not saying we should celebrate. We have to continue to get better.

Meanwhile, private sector researchers are exploring better ways to treat high-nitrate water. At Vestal W2O, a Lincoln-based company, a team of scientists is turning to biology  specifically, algae smaller than the eye can see.

When grown in nitrate-laced water, the algae use nitrate to grow, removing it from the water, said Paul Black, a former biochemistry professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and chief scientific officer at the company. The technique was able to reduce nitrate levels from 250 parts per million down to just 5 parts per million, Black said.

The nitrate taken up by the algae gets converted into protein and biomolecules. The algae can then be filtered out, dried and turned into products such as fertilizer pellets  pellets that can be reused by farmers. The pellets are less likely to taint groundwater.

The nitrate is there, but its going to be rapidly absorbed by the growing plants, Black said.

The science is sound, he said. But Vestal is running into challenges. An algae-based water treatment system requires specific conditions: The water requires constant stirring and movement. The treatment system needs certain carbon dioxide levels and certain wavelengths of light  researchers found red works best.

Vestals project is running out of grant money and hasnt been able to secure more. Black says theres not enough of a sense of urgency.

We have a health crisis in the Midwest. That in itself should wake up a lot of people saying, My gosh, this is an urgent situation that has to be taken care of, Black said. Its going to cost money. How do you define the cost of clean water?

The Flatwater Free Press is Nebraskas first independent, nonprofit newsroom focused on investigations and feature stories that matter.
I thought it was the dream: to date a man who owned his own home. Tims parents, who wanted to help their children put down roots in their hometown of Los Angeles, had helped him buy a three-story house nearby when he married his first wife. And initially, it was exactly the stability I thought I was looking for. I was in my 20s, and Id been switching cities every few years. If I stayed with Tim, I could put down roots, too.

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As the relationship progressed, I began to feel less comfortable in his home. I felt ungrateful; it was a beautiful house, just not one I would have chosen for myself. It sat on top of a huge hill, and I didnt drive. For reasons he never fully explained, he couldnt get curtains in his bedroom without spending $10,000. I never slept past 6 a.m. in the year that we dated, and my quads were eternally sore. When we began discussing moving in together, I said I might have to sleep in his basement because of the sunlight. He thought it would be weird to have a girlfriend who lived in the basement (fair), so I floated the idea of going elsewhere, either within or outside L.A.

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Its just, Im so entrenched. Ive been here for 10 years, he said. All my stuff is here.

Of course, thats generally true when someone has a home. It is the place that stuff goes. But I acknowledged his pointhe was far more rooted than I was in the studio Id subleased several months earlier. Still, I realized Tim was never leaving this shade-less house. I wasnt ready to commit to making a permanent home out of the place hed already planted himself, and for this reason (among others), I couldnt commit to Tim.

After Tim, I found myself in a relationship with a man who was even more attached to his hometown. He was from Richmond, Virginia, and most of his extended family lived nearby. My relationship with Jeff got more serious than my relationship with Tim, but Richmond was a tougher sell.

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For one thing, I wasnt living therewe met while I was crashing at my parents house in New York City while it was under renovation in preparation for a sale. He seemed to think we could date long-distance indefinitely, but I was older than he was, and our ideas of indefinitely were not aligned. I knew if I wanted the relationship to work, wed have to find a way to live in the same city sooner rather than later, which meant I would have to find a way to live in his city. I wasnt strictly opposed; I found NYC loud and overpriced, and my work is remote. I liked that he had street parking. I liked that he had a backyard. I liked that we could maybe get a chicken coop, in theory. (Chicken coops are one of those things that are better in theory.) Mostly, I just liked him, and I was willing to overlook a great deal of impracticality.

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In my 20s, I was neither rooted nor nomadic. I lived in 11 apartments in three cities in eight yearsNYC, L.A., and San Francisco. I find my choice of cities wholly unoriginal, and yet, I still think of myself as someone who would live anywhere. What I feel attached to is the idea of non-attachmentthe idea that, under the right circumstances, Id move. I hit the age of 30 with barely any furniture to my name; I was open to setting off at a moments notice. Of course Id jump into a long-distance relationship, as Jeff assumed I might, or move into someone elses forever house, like Tim and I discussed. Where else did I have to be?

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And theres something appealing about a person who has picked where they want to be. Theres a reason why so many Hallmark movies and romance novels feature small-town heroes who help big-city heroines settle down in a real town. Our roots are an indication of our values. With both Tim and Jeff, theirs pointed toward qualities I was looking for in a partnerstability, closeness to family, predictability. In my 20s, I dated too many men who seemed unwilling to ever settle downthrill-seekers always on the hunt for the next big adventure. It was time to date someone who wanted to stay in the same place.

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Unfortunately, I eventually grew unhappy in my relationship with Jeff. It wasnt Richmond itself that turned me off. It was his assertion that because he was the one with the stability, I could either move into his life or leave. He had pursued me from afar with the expectation that I would come to him. I firmly believe that if youre absolutely not open to moving, you should not seek out a long-distance relationship, but I didnt know how committed he was to Richmond when we began dating. I didnt need him to move to NYC; I needed him to consider moving to NYC. Or anywhere. If there had been room for a conversation, I might have felt differently. But we werent building a future togetherhed already done that.

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We are in a unique time when it comes to putting down roots. There are those who feel like they cant; because of the economy, many millennials and Gen Zers wonder if they will ever own homes. Buying a home isnt the only way to establish yourself in a place, but, as I learned when I dated a man who owned his own, homeownership is certainly an easy way to argue your commitment is deeper than someone elses. We also live in the age of the digital nomad: Theres been a 112 percent increase in the number of digital nomads in the U.S. since 2019. There are many who dont see just one place in their futures at all.

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At the same time, no matter how many #vanlife Instagram accounts there are, choosing to stay in one place isnt going away. Most people still live near where they grew up, and millennials are actually more theoretically committed to staying in one place than prior generations, with 87 percent of millennials planning to eventually settle down. White and Asian Americans are more likely than Black or Hispanic Americans to move farther from home, but overall, our mobility rates are decreasing because of the increased cost of living. What does all this add up to? American society is going through a rapid change, and the question of whether a youngish adult plans to stay in one place long term is becoming more relevant. I predict that situations like the ones I found myself in are likely to become increasingly common.

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I spoke with a number of people who either uprooted themselves to be with a partner or whose partner uprooted themselves for them. Some described the challenges of such an arrangement. She showed me the shelf she had cleared out for me. One. Shelf, says Marc, 46, describing a move to NYC to be with his partner. With a mix of tension and laughter we made some compromises, including using my favorite mattress, which we both ended up disliking and replacing in the end! But otherslike mefound more serious issues when they sought to bridge the divide. Stephen, 49, describes moving to Sweden to be with his former partner. In Britain, I was the head of our family, but I wasnt close either physically or emotionally to my parents, brother, and other relatives. But she was close to her family. So we moved to Sweden, and suddenly I went from being No. 1 to being at the bottom, says Stephen. When we separated, I became even more isolatedit was only then that I realized that all of my friends in Sweden were really hers. Stephen describes the same fear I felt when I considered a move to Richmondthat I wouldnt build my own life, or even a shared life. That I would instead become an add-on to someone elses.

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On the flip side, those who have planted themselves in one place have also struggled with dating someone who was theoretically willing to come to them. He hated my hometown. He complained about the price of housing, traffic, food, says Jonelle, 43, whose partner moved from Mississippi to Virginia to be with her. It really put a wedge between us. I took it personally. It felt like he was talking about me. Our choice of a permanent community feels like part of us, and someone rejecting that community can be a personal affront.

After Jeff, I decided one thingI was getting my own place in NYC. Its far easier to fall into someone elses life when youre not attached to your own, and I wouldnt let that happen again. I began to ask what it even meant to put down roots. The answer isnt as objective as where you own a home or where your parents live. My parents werent in NYC any longer, but my sisters and friends were. I knew NYC better than I knew anywhere else, and comfort is its own root. Its the only place on earth I can navigate without a smartphone. And Ive lived here long enough that I can picture a future for myself. Arguably, the ability to imagine a long term is the strongest root of all, since that is the necessary condition for commitments of all types.

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At the same time, I worried I might again meet someone in another city. Had I simply reversed my role in the relationship? Was I now the one refusing to move? Was I limiting myself for no reason? But I already knew the answer.

The problem with my past relationships wasnt that they couldnt leave. Many people cannot leave their locations for economic, career, or familial reasons, but this wasnt the case for either of them. It was that they wouldnt leave. Their commitment to a place represented not only positive values, but also a certain degree of inflexibility and stubbornness. It wasnt merely that they had stronger ties to their cities than I did; it was that they prioritized those ties over mine.

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Its a conflict that manifests more broadly than simply what we call roots, which are just one of any number of things we can use to prioritize our own needs above someone elses. Ive dated men who thought their careers or friends were more important than mineand Ive been accused of doing the same. If my partners had shown me flexibility in other ways, I might have been willing to adopt their long-term vision of life in their hometowns.

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At the same time, I could have taken more steps to make their homes my own. I could have learned how to drive so I wasnt exhausted climbing a hill to Tims house. I could have slowed things down with Jeff, to see if long-distance worked for longer than I expected. But I didnt, and they didnt. As with most breakups, there was no single cause. They werent the right ones for me. In part, I felt like they werent making space for me, but in part, I chose not to put down roots in their lives.

A friend told me recently that she was looking for a partner willing to live in NYC forever: Not someone who knows without a doubt he wants to stayjust someone open to it. I echo her sentimentnot because I want someone open to staying in NYC, but because I want someone open to anything. And in that way, the unrootedness of my 20s reflects my values, too.

Im open to moving locations in the same way Im open to switching careers, or meeting new people, or trying a new restaurant, or learning a new skill. I couldnt be with someone whose plans were so definite that they didnt leave space for me, or room to change. I could build a life with someone in many different places, but I want to make sure Im doing just thatbuilding a life thats shared.
After losing 14 consecutive votes over the course of four mortifying days, California Rep. Kevin McCarthy was elected speaker of the House early Saturday.

Twenty of McCarthys fellow Republicansmembers of the hardline Freedom Caucushad held out for a range of concessions from the incoming speaker. They included requests for some interesting aberrations from the norm, and also plenty of nonsense.

Before the votes even began on Tuesday, which was supposed to be the first day of Congress, McCarthy had already agreed to a package of rules changes that addressed some pet concerns of the ultraconservative bloc, including a provision that would let any group of five members force a vote on ousting the speaker at any time.

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By the end of the ordeal, he had caved much further: In a late-Wednesday meeting that ran into Thursday morning, McCarthy agreed to give the Freedom Caucus multiple seats on the powerful Rules Committee (which influences how legislation makes it to the floor), hold a vote on term limits for members, and allow any single member to trigger a vote to overthrow the speaker. Also, a McCarthy-aligned super PAC agreed to, essentially, a noncompete with the more hardline super PAC Club for Growth when it comes to spending in safe Republican districts for future elections. That earned McCarthy the clubs endorsement for speaker. Even after all of that, the rebel group refused to budge.

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It was a messy week. To get the 218 votes he needed for a simple majority, McCarthy could spare only four votes from his partyso while 200 or more Republicans voted for McCarthy in each round, the holdouts retained the power to make extreme demands. And as more and more holdouts folded, the remaining holdouts got more extreme. At one point, Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz started nominating Donald John Trump. (No rule requires the speaker to be a member of Congress, butcome on!)

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The process took one final twist on Friday night. On the 14th ballot, when McCarthy thought he would win, he fell one vote shortand confronted Gaetz from the center aisle of the House. After patching things up, McCarthy won on the next vote.

Establishment Republicans are not pleased that the anti-McCarthy faction was rewarded for its noncooperation after putting the GOP through a humiliating spectacle. Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina called it a hostage situation and accused the Freedom Caucus members of being un-American, motivated by their egos and fundraising targets. Rep. Dan Crenshaw said these fucking people were being clowns. Rep. Don Bacon scoffed at the groups demand for plum committee assignments: Were not going to do affirmative action for the smallest caucus we have.

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More concerned with extracting concessions than mounting a convincing opposition campaign, the Freedom Caucus members never rallied around a single alternative to McCarthy. They cast votes for a slew of Republican members of Congress: Andy Biggs, Byron Donalds, Jim Jordan (whose support for McCarthy never wavered), and eventually, putting the lie to their Never Kevin moniker, Kevin Hern. Rep. Victoria Spartz started out voting for McCarthy, then began voting present in the fourth round.

In the end, the requisite number fell in line and received pats on the head for their obedience, and McCarthy got his precious office. Now we get to watch these people try to govern.
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230106/venezuelan-embassy-in-us-ceases-operations-after-guaidos-interim-government-dissolved-1106092998.html

Venezuelan Embassy in US Ceases Operations After Guaido's Interim Government Dissolved

Venezuelan Embassy in US Ceases Operations After Guaido's Interim Government Dissolved

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The Venezuelan embassy in the United States, which had been under control of Juan Guaido since 2019, said it has ended its operations... 06.01.2023, Sputnik International

2023-01-06T22:24+0000

2023-01-06T22:24+0000

2023-01-06T22:19+0000

americas

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embassy

juan guaido

interim government

nicolas maduro

us

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"We inform the Venezuelan community in the United States, and the public in general, that the Venezuelan Embassy in the United States and all its officials formally ceased functions on Thursday, January 5, 2023," the statement read on Friday. Guaido associates seized control of the embassy in 2019 after the opposition-controlled National Assembly rejected the 2018 presidential election results and established an "interim government" led by Guaido. The United States then recognized Guaido as interim president. The statement expressed a deep regret about the decision's possible impact on Venezuelan citizens in the United States. On Monday, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said the government is prepared to advance the process of normalizing political and diplomatic relations with the United States. Venezuela broke off diplomatic relations with the United States in 2019 after the latter recognized Guaido as the country's interim president instead of the reelected Maduro. The United States imposed comprehensive sanctions on Caracas, especially targeting the country's oil and financial industries as well as freezing its reserves. At the height of tensions between Washington and Caracas in 2019, dozens of protesters occupied the Venezuelan embassy for weeks in an attempt to prevent the Guaido camp from taking possession of the building. The occupation was carried out with the support of the democratically-elected government of Venezuela. At the time, the US sought to place Carlos Vecchio, the ambassador appointed by Guaido, as the building's new envoy.With pro-Guaido supporters blocking supplies of food and water from getting into the building at the time, the dire situation even saw civil rights activists Jesse Jackson descend on the scene to assist the anti-war activists holed up inside the embassy.Contacts between the Venezuela and the US resumed to some extent in March 2022, when President Joe Biden sent a delegation to Caracas to negotiate with the Maduro government on the issue of oil supplies amid the energy crisis amplified by Western sanctions against Russia. Talks about a possible thaw in US-Venezuela relations started following reports that the Venezuelan opposition was ready to oust Guaido, and the United States indicated it would not interfere in the process. On Friday, the Venezuelan opposition supported, in a second hearing, the elimination of the self-proclaimed "interim government" that Guaido had led since 2019.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20190515/Jesse-Jackson-Resupplies-Blockaded-Venezuelan-Embassy-1075042447.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230107/anti-government-protest-takes-place-in-tel-aviv-1106112327.html

Anti-Government Protest Takes Place in Tel Aviv

Anti-Government Protest Takes Place in Tel Aviv

The protest comes after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last month managed to form what some have described as "the most right-wing coalition government in... 07.01.2023, Sputnik International

2023-01-07T17:23+0000

2023-01-07T17:23+0000

2023-01-15T17:27+0000

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Sputnik brings you a live broadcast from Tel Aviv, Israel, where people are gathering for an anti-government protest on Saturday, January 7.According to the organizers of the protest, "Israel is undergoing a regime change that includes the abolishment of the fundamentals of a liberal democracy."Earlier this week, Israel's new Justice Minister Yariv Levin unveiled a package of reforms which, among other things, includes permission for parliament to override the Supreme Court's decisions.Late last year, Netanyahu was elected as the country's prime minister for third time after his right-wing bloc secured 64 seats in the 120-seat parliament, Knesset.*Follow Sputnik's live feed to find out more.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230107/canada-closely-following-events-in-venezuela-as-interim-government-dissolved-after-vote-1106104266.html

Canada Closely Following Events in Venezuela as Interim Government Dissolved After Vote

Canada Closely Following Events in Venezuela as Interim Government Dissolved After Vote

WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  Canada is closely following the events in Venezuela as the National Assembly voted to dissolve the interim government, Global Affairs... 07.01.2023, Sputnik International

2023-01-07T09:31+0000

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2023-01-07T09:45+0000

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Canada is closely following the events in Venezuela, including the recent vote by its National Assembly to dissolve the interim government, the ministry said in a statement. Global Affairs said Canada respects the National Assembly decision to dissolve Juan Guaido interim government, in line with its recognition of it being the last remaining democratically elected institution in Venezuela. Ottawa remains committed to a peaceful return to democracy, the statement said, adding that it will only be achieved after free and fair elections are held in the country. Canada supports the ongoing negotiations process between the Venezuelan government and the Western recognized National Assembly, in Mexico City, the statement continued. The Canadian government also said it would maintain its work to release what it deems as unjustly detained political prisoner, and said it remains committed to freedom of expression and denouncing right abuses. Guaido established an "interim government" after the opposition-controlled National Assembly rejected 2018 election results. The US, Canada and their allies quickly recognized Guaido as interim president.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230105/venezuelan-opposition-puts-final-nail-in-guaido-ouster-with-new-figuera-appointment-1106069914.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230107/czech-foreign-minister-believes-in-netanyahus-success-as-new-israeli-prime-minister-1106115289.html

Czech Foreign Minister Believes in Netanyahus Success as New Israeli Prime Minister

Czech Foreign Minister Believes in Netanyahus Success as New Israeli Prime Minister

PRAGUE (Sputnik) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu can stabilize political situation in the country and form sustainable government, Czech Foreign... 07.01.2023, Sputnik International

2023-01-07T16:27+0000

2023-01-07T16:27+0000

2023-01-07T16:27+0000

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benjamin netanyahu

czech republic

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I believe that experienced politician and longstanding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after a series of early elections took place in the country will manage to calm domestic political situation in Israel, form a stable government and establish rapport with his coalition partners, he said answering questions of reporters. Lipavsky refused to comment on the recent visit to the Temple Mount by Israeli Defense Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, which provoked discontent among the Palestinians and caused criticism from Arab states. New Israeli government has been in power for only a couple of days now. Thus, it is too early to make any comments, he said answering a relevant question. In late December, Benjamin Netanyahu formed a new government in coalition with conservative and nationalist parties. Earlier that month, Czech President Milos Zeman expressed his intention to visit Israel with Prime Minister Petr Fiala until the end of his term. Zeman has repeatedly advocated moving the Czech embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, however, in late December, Lipavsky stated that the country had no such plans and acted in accordance with the UN resolution and position of the EU, which oppose moving the embassy.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20221229/bibis-back-netanyahu-sworn-in-as-israels-pm-1105888132.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230107/drone-shot-down-over-russias-sevastopol---governor-1106095935.html

Drone Shot Down Over Russias Sevastopol - Governor

Drone Shot Down Over Russias Sevastopol - Governor

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has been shot down by air defense systems over the Russian city of Sevastopol in Crimea, Governor Mikhail Razvozhayev said.

2023-01-07T04:48+0000

2023-01-07T04:48+0000

2023-01-07T04:48+0000

russia's special operation in ukraine

drone

sevastopol

black sea fleet

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"Air defense shot down a UAV over the Northern Pier," Razvozhayev said on Telegram in the early hours of Saturday. On Wednesday, Razvozhayev said that two drones had been shot down over the Black Sea near the Belbek airfield, located next to Sevastopol. In October, Ukraine carried out a massive drone attack on vessels of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20220820/uav-attacks-russian-black-sea-headquarters-in-sevastopol-governor-says-1099790129.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230107/explosions-occur-in-ukraine-controlled-zaporozhye-1106119555.html

Explosions Occur in Ukraine-Controlled Zaporozhye

Explosions Occur in Ukraine-Controlled Zaporozhye

MOSCOW, January 8 (Sputnik) - Sounds of explosions were heard in the Ukraine-controlled city of Zaporozhye late on Saturday night, Vladimir Rogov, a member of... 07.01.2023, Sputnik International

2023-01-07T22:01+0000

2023-01-07T22:01+0000

2023-01-08T00:43+0000

russia's special operation in ukraine

zaporozhye region

air strike

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Rogov stated that local residents have reported at least four blasts and that air raid sirens went off after the initial explosions.In a later update, Rogov said that there had been a "second wave" of strikes targeting military and infrastructure sites in Zaporozhye. Precision strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure have been carried out by Russia since October 10 (two days after the terrorist attack on the Crimean Bridge). Ukrainian media reported that explosions were also heard in the city of Merefa in Ukraine's Kharkov Region, as well as the city of Kramatorsk in the Donetsk Region.Kiev-appointed regional authorities in Donetsk said that an industrial facility was damaged in Kramatorsk as a result of an explosion late on Saturday night.Air raid sirens sounded in the Ukrainian regions of Poltava, Kharkov and Dnipropetrovsk, as well as the Ukraine-controlled parts of Zaporozhye Region, late on Saturday night, according to air raid data from Ukraine's Ministry of Digital Transformation.Zelensky said in December that, at this time, it is impossible to restore the country's energy infrastructure to 100%, which is why scheduled power shutdowns remain in effect in most cities and districts of Ukraine.

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Migrants not to blame for fentanyl crisis in this country

The opinion piece about fentanyl poisoning our children written by Virginia Krieger and Lora Ries is true for the most part. It is definitely a public health crisis.

However, I have a problem with one paragraph. The authors insinuate that the drugs are coming across our open southern border with migrants. These drugs have been coming here for years. They come in trucks, automobiles, planes and boats. There was just a story recently of a flight attendant caught in San Diego with three pounds of fentanyl strapped to her body.

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It is not the poor families of asylum seekers or other migrants trying to cross the border who are the cause of this epidemic.

Susan Swedler, Naperville

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Southwests problems need more than doubling down

Southwest Airlines CEO Bob Jordan apologized many times for the meltdown of the airlines December schedule, which caused the cancellation of about 16,000 flights and affected perhaps one million travelers.

Southwest offering to cover expenses for the inconvenience is expected. In his Dec. 27 video message, however, his words to double down were disappointing.

Naperville Sun Twice-weekly News updates from the Naperville area delivered every Monday and Wednesday By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our Subscriber Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy >

Mr. Jordan said, The tools we use to recover from disruption serve us well 99% of the time, but clearly we need to double down on our already existing plans to upgrade systems for these extreme circumstances so that we never again face whats happening right now.

Double down on their previous inadequate corrective actions will most likely result in another set of inadequate corrective actions. In the last few years, Southwest passengers have experienced minor meltdowns because of the airlines outdated 1990s scheduling program.

Additionally, for years pilots and staff have repeatedly communicated to leadership that the outdated scheduling program needed to be upgraded. If I were on the CEOs staff, I would advise him to stop saying we are doubling down and say, I have established a blue ribbon committee of independent experts to report to me to determine the root causes of this meltdown and determine why previous corrective actions were ineffective. Additionally, I will post that blue ribbon committee report on the company website.

Without these actions, I am not confident Southwest will be able to restore public confidence and regain the loyalty of the Southwest travelers, of which I am one.

Joseph P. Drago, Naperville

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230107/grab-your-shovels-map-pointing-towards-nazi-treasure-in-the-netherlands-has-been-revealed-1106093805.html

Grab Your Shovels: Map Pointing Towards Nazi Treasure in the Netherlands Has Been Revealed

Grab Your Shovels: Map Pointing Towards Nazi Treasure in the Netherlands Has Been Revealed

The Dutch city of Arnhem was bombed by allied forces in the lead up to Operation Market Garden, which was intended to secure bridges that cross the Rhine and... 07.01.2023, Sputnik International

2023-01-07T00:17+0000

2023-01-07T00:17+0000

2023-01-07T00:12+0000

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treasure map

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The National Archives of the Netherlands declassified a World War II-era file that contained a hand-drawn Nazi treasure map earlier this month, causing groups of amateur treasure hunters to descend on a small Dutch town in search of the long-lost valuables.The map includes a cliche red X marking the spot where the treasure was supposedly buried. Officials declassified the findings after it had been in storage for more than 75 years, the maximum amount of time something can remain classified under Dutch law.The archive believes the treasure came from an August 1944 allied bombing, which damaged the then-Rotterdamsche Bank in Arnhem, which is about 25 miles away from Ommeren where the cache is supposedly buried.The contents from the banks safes spilled out into the street during the bombing and German soldiers were said to have filled their pockets with watches, jewelry, and precious stones.According to the declassified documents, the treasure was then stored in ammunition boxes and hidden on a train. It was then buried somewhere in Ommeren in the weeks before allied forces liberated the area.The documents state German soldiers Sergeant Major Kastel, Sergeant Brauer, and Private Biebert were seen with the haul. Another German soldier identified as Helmut said he kept watch as the other three buried the treasure.After the war, Dutch authorities followed rumors of the treasure and after being convinced it may exist, got into contact with Helmut, who had possession of the map. Two of the three other soldiers died in the war and officials were unable to locate the remaining soldier.Armed with the map and with Helmuts assistance, authorities searched the area multiple times but never found the alleged treasure.At the time, authorities came up with three possibilities for what happened to the treasure: Helmut made the whole thing up for some reason, a Dutch farmer in the area discovered the stash and dug it up, or someone from the Dutch institute investigated the rumors and took advantage of their position and dug it up before an official search began.The institute says it is not sure whether the treasure exists but says they looked into it and found the story to be reliable.However, Historian Joost Rosendaal from Radboud University told El Pais that while he thinks the story is worth investigating, he had doubts about the sequence of events. He notes that while there were bombardments in the area at the time, there are no records of banks in Arnhem being hit, adding that the bombing and looting of banks in the area were well-documented. He also states that the Witzig battalion the soldiers belonged to were fighting on the eastern front of Latvia and Lithuania at the time.Despite the storys inconsistencies and the previous searches that have come up empty, a yellowed map with a big red X indicating where treasure could be found has proven too tempting for treasure hunters to ignore.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230107/iaea-consultations-with-agencys-director-general-on-zaporozhye-nuclear-power-plant-remain-ongoing-1106094620.html

IAEA: Consultations With Agency's Director General on Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant Remain Ongoing

IAEA: Consultations With Agency's Director General on Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant Remain Ongoing

VIENNA (Sputnik) - Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Mariano Grossi continues to discuss the situation at the Zaporozhye... 07.01.2023, Sputnik International

2023-01-07T01:10+0000

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2023-01-07T01:05+0000

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nuclear power plant

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At the end of December, a backup power line to the ZNPP was disconnected due to damage caused by shelling. According to the IAEA, the ZNPP continues to receive off-site electricity needed to cool the reactors and maintain other important nuclear safety functions via a single external 750 kV power line. Work to restore the backup power line at the ZNPP, which started on December 30, has still not been completed, the release said. "The situation demonstrates once again the need for all military action with the potential to have an impact on the nuclear safety and security of Ukraines nuclear power plants (NPPs) to stop immediately," Director General Grossi said, as cited by the IAEA. Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev said in December that the Russian state nuclear corporation had taken a number of measures to improve the safety of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant. Likhachev said that Russian and Ukrainian specialists were working together to ensure the safety of the site. Russia and the IAEA held consultations in Moscow on the issue of the ZNPP safety zone on December 22, according to Rosatom. On December 17, Vladimir Rogov, a member of the main council of the Zaporozhye regional administration, said that a protective dome was being mounted over the nuclear waste storage at the Zaporozhye NPP to shield it from shell fragments and improvised explosive devices carried by drones. Located on the left bank of the Dnepr River, the ZNPP is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe in terms of the number of units and output. It went under the control of Russian forces in early March and has since been attacked repeatedly, raising international concerns over a possible nuclear accident. The IAEA said on Friday that it continues to prepare to deploy its expert teams on a continual basis to the four other Ukrainian nuclear power plants: the Khmelnitsky, Rivne and South Ukraine NPPs, as well as the Chernobyl site.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20221213/kremlin-spokesman-says-russia-never-deployed-heavy-weapons-at-zaporozhye-npp-1105420695.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230107/man-behind-the-gavel-who-is-the-new-house-speaker-kevin-mccarthy-1106098948.html

Man Behind the Gavel: Who is the New House Speaker, Kevin McCarthy?

Man Behind the Gavel: Who is the New House Speaker, Kevin McCarthy?

Who is the New House Speaker, Kevin McCarthy?

2023-01-07T08:19+0000

2023-01-07T08:19+0000

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us

us house

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kevin mccarthy

hakeem jeffries

nancy pelosi

sputnik explains

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California Republican Congressman Kevin McCarthy was elected by the US House of Representatives to the post of speaker on January 6 after a tumultuous five-day and 15-ballot-long ordeal.The 57-year-old lawmaker had remained confident throughout the tense debates with GOP holdouts and concession-trading that finally landed him the gavel. Incidentally, it was Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) who handed Speaker-elect Kevin McCarthy the gavel, calling to mind a joke made by the Californian back in August, 2021.Then-House Minority Leader McCarthy had said that it will be hard not to hit House Speaker Nancy Pelosi with the speakers gavel if Republicans claimed control of the chamber in the 2022 midterms, and he became speaker.Hakeem Jeffries on Friday described McCarthy as a son of Bakersfield, a former small business owner, a proud product of a firefighters household, the gentleman from the great state of California and the next speaker of the 118th Congress.Let's take a closer look at America's 55th Speaker.Where Was Kevin McCarthy Born?Kevin Owen McCarthy was born on January 26, 1965, in Bakersfield, California, the youngest of three children. His mother was a housewife, while his father worked as an assistant fire chief. The McCarthy family hailed back to four generations who resided in Americas leading oil and agriculture-producing Kern county.What is Kevin McCarthy's Education?After graduating from high school, McCarthy did a stint at community college, while also finding time to earn pocket money by revamping cars bought at auctions in Los Angeles and then selling them. It was a lottery ticket that propelled him onto the business path. Winning $5,000 in 1984, when he was 20, the young man invested in the stock market, according to the story recounted by the politician himself. The profits were used by McCarthy to acquire Kevin Os Deli, which, in turn, he sold to go back to college in 1987.In 1989, Kevin Owen McCarthy earned an undergraduate business degree, following that with a masters degree in business administration from California State University, Bakersfield, in 1994. It was at that time that McCarthy struck up his association with Republican Congressman Bill Thomas  first as an intern, and then as member of his staff.Political Career After being elected as a member of the Kern County Community College District Board of Trustees in 2000, McCarthys career swiftly took off. He served on the California State Assembly from 2002 to 2006, with focus on issues linked with education and public safety. McCarthy chaired the Young Republican National Federation from 1999 until 2006, and was elected to the US House of Representatives in 2006. From 2009 to 2011, McCarthy was elected to the post of Republican Chief Deputy Whip. He became the majority whip from 2011 until August 2014, after the GOP seized control of the House in 2011.In January 2019, Kevin McCarthy became the first California Republican elected to hold the post of minority leader in the wake of speaker Paul Ryan's retirement. At the time, the Republicans had lost the majority in the 2018 midterm elections. Currently, Kevin McCarthy is in his ninth House term. He served as US representative for California's 22nd congressional district from 2007 to 2013, the 23rd district from 2013 to 2023 and the 20th district since 2023.Who is Kevin McCarthy Married to?It was at high school that Kevin McCarthy met Judy Wages. He went on to marry his school sweetheart in 1992. McCarthy's spouse has been a trustee of Fords Theatre in Washington DC, while also engaging in fund-raising efforts for the Republican Party.The couple have a son, Connor, 27, and a daughter, Meghan, 25, who is a songwriter, executive creative director, screenwriter, film, and television producer.What is Kevin McCarthy's Net Worth?With a net worth of $95 million, Kevin McCarthy is believed to rank among the wealthiest politicians in the country, according to website CAKnowledge.com. Other sources suggest he is worth around $81,000. McCarthy ostensibly owns California real estate worth $21 million. With an annual salary of $193,400 as a congressional representative and Republican House leader, McCarthy, now elected speaker of the House, will reportedly see his earnings surge to $223,500.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20220923/mccarthy-lays-out-gops-commitment-to-america-platform-six-weeks-before-midterm-election-1101151119.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230107/mexico-judge-halts-extradition-of-drug-kingpin-el-chapo-son-to-the-us-1106109553.html

Mexico Judge Halts Extradition of Drug Kingpin El Chapo Son to the US

Mexico Judge Halts Extradition of Drug Kingpin El Chapo Son to the US

A Mexico judge has halted the extradition of notorious drug kingpin El Chapos son, Ovidio Guzman Lopez, to the US.

2023-01-07T11:56+0000

2023-01-07T11:56+0000

2023-01-07T11:56+0000

americas

el chapo

mexico

extradition

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drug trafficking

sinaloa cartel

andres manuel lopez obrador

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Extradition of arrested alleged Mexican drug cartel leader Ovidio Guzman to the US, where he is wanted for drug trafficking, was halted by a Mexico City federal judge on January 6.Guzman was officially remanded to pretrial detention at Friday's hearing in maximum-security Altiplano prison, where he was taken the day before. Incidentally, the detention facility is the same one from which Ovidio's father, the notorious Joaquin El Chapo Guzman escaped in 2015 using a 1.5-km tunnel. On Friday the judge granted the US 60 days to file documentation on charges that the son of the notorious Joaquin El Chapo Guzman will face if extradited.Earlier, Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said there were no immediate plans to extradite Ovidio Guzman to the United States. According to Mexicos Foreign Affairs Minister Marcelo Ebrard, US authorities had not yet communicated with the Mexican government in connection with the arrest of Guzman, butadded that we have to comply with the formalities that the law imposes on us. In addition, [the detainee] has a process here in Mexico.Ebrard also weighed in on rampant speculation that the arrest had been somehow timed to the impending arrival of US President Joe Biden to Mexico on Sunday for a meeting with President Lopez Obrador and to attend Tuesdays North American Leaders Summit.It has nothing to do with it... There is no relationship between the police operation and the summit, Ebrard stated.The minister did confirm, however, that there had been a US extradition request for Ovidio Guzman since September 2019.Arrest Steeped in ViolenceOvidio Guzman Lopez, aka El Raton, was taken into custody on January 5 in a sweeping operation in Culiacan, Mexico, marred by violence that left 29 people dead. Nineteen suspected gang members and 10 military personnel were killed amid shootouts between security forces and the Sinaloa Cartel. Vehicles were set on fire and roads blocked in the capital of Sinaloa.Guzman was flown by helicopter from where he was seized to Mexico City, before being taken to the federal prison, Defense Minister Luis Cresencio Sandoval said on Friday.According to the US State Department, which previously offered a $5 million reward for information leading to the arrest of the high-ranking drug lord of the Sinaloa Cartel, the son of "El Chapo", along with his brother, Joaquin Guzman-Lopez, inherited a great deal of the narcotics proceeds following the death of another brother, Edgar Guzman-Lopez." US authorities have also affirmed that Ovidio Guzman was behind several murders. According to the US arrest warrant, cited by media reports, the charges state that Ovidio Guzman, 32, trafficked a ton of marijuana, at least five kilograms of cocaine and at least 500 grams of methamphetamine."In October 2019, Mexican security forces captured Ovidio Guzman, but released him hours later, after the military men clashed with the Sinaloa cartels overwhelming defence. The riots and shootings that erupted, and later came to be known as the Culiacanazo, prompted Lopez Obrado to order Ovidios release purportedly to put an end to the violence.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230106/like-father-like-son-who-is-el-raton-son-of-mexican-drug-lord-el-chapo-1106073235.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230107/new-us-house-speaker-mccarthy-committed-to-stop-wasteful-washington-spending-1106101952.html

New US House Speaker McCarthy Committed to Stop 'Wasteful' Washington Spending

New US House Speaker McCarthy Committed to Stop 'Wasteful' Washington Spending

New US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said he was committed to stop "wasteful" Washington spending and the rising national debt.

2023-01-07T08:25+0000

2023-01-07T08:25+0000

2023-01-07T08:25+0000

americas

us house of representatives

kevin mccarthy

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McCarthy received 216 votes to win the House speakership after 15 rounds of votes this week to rally a majority of Republicans shortly after midnight on Saturday. The politician also said that the House would "address America's long-term challenges, the debt, the rise of the Chinese Communist Party" and that the US Congress "must speak with one voice on both of these issues." McCarthy added that the House was also planning to create a bipartisan select committee on China "to investigate how to bring back the hundreds of thousands of jobs that went to China." The House met on Tuesday in its first session of the 118th Congress, during which the majority party typically elects a speaker. However, opposition by a number of Republicans over the course of over a dozen ballots blocked McCarthy's leadership bid for nearly four days. The situation marked the first time in a century that the House failed to elect a speaker on the first ballot, and the first time since 1859 the chamber took more than 10 ballots to come to a conclusion. House lawmakers were unable to be sworn into office prior to the election of a speaker, preventing them from moving forth with other business, such as the formation of committees and staff.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230107/man-behind-the-gavel-who-is-the-new-house-speaker-kevin-mccarthy-1106098948.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230107/nigerian-army-wont-accept-lack-of-interest-or-low-morale-as-excuse-to-quit-army-chief-says-1106100336.html

Nigerian Army Won't Accept 'Lack of Interest' or 'Low Morale' as Excuse to Quit, Army Chief Says

Nigerian Army Won't Accept 'Lack of Interest' or 'Low Morale' as Excuse to Quit, Army Chief Says

The Nigerian Army will no longer accept lack of interest or low morale as a valid excuse to resign from military service, local media has reported.

2023-01-07T09:37+0000

2023-01-07T09:37+0000

2023-01-07T09:37+0000

africa

west africa

nigeria

military service

army

retirement

terrorism

military

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The Nigerian Army will no longer accept lack of interest or low morale as a valid excuse to resign from military service, local media has reported.In the past, reasons given by soldiers wishing to retire from army life have included loss of interest, low morale, corruption in the service and intimidation by superiors. Some soldiers have pointed out that corruption is so rampant in the army it is hampering the anti-terrorism campaign in north-eastern Nigeria. Corruption was also cited as the underlying reason for lack of interest in military service.Previously, the media reported that more than 500 soldiers in the north-east of Nigeria wrote to the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya, wanting to leave the army. Their petition comes at times when the military faces security challenges, fighting terrorists and bandits across the country.The army responded to the request saying that personnel coming and going as they please "does not augur well" for the military, adding that most soldiers wishing to quit the force offer excuses which are not cogent enough or professional.According to the statement, as military service in the country is voluntary, there is an opportunity for "any personnel to leave at different times". However, taking into account the resources and efforts which are invested in training staff, their decision to leave is "inimical to the system". Therefore, the reasons for quitting the service must be cogent, legitimate and valid.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20221204/gunmen-attack-mosque-kill-dozen-people-in-northwestern-nigeria-officials-say--1105034980.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230107/peruvian-prosecutor-generals-office-investigating-fatalities-during-december-protests-1106103100.html

Peruvian Prosecutor-General's Office Investigating Fatalities During December Protests

Peruvian Prosecutor-General's Office Investigating Fatalities During December Protests

MEXICO CITY (Sputnik) - The Peruvian Prosecutor-General's Office has launched a preliminary investigation into at least 28 deaths, which occurred during... 07.01.2023, Sputnik International

2023-01-07T09:10+0000

2023-01-07T09:10+0000

2023-01-07T09:10+0000

americas

latin america

peru

protests

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"The national prosecutor's office has launched a preliminary investigation on complaints filed against the republic's president, Dina Boluarte, Alberto Otarola, who served as the defense minister, and Cesar Cervantes, former interior minister, and others. The complaints are aimed at conducting the probe into the deaths that occurred during the demonstrations in December 2022," the prosecutor-general's office tweeted. On December 7, Peru's parliament impeached former President Pedro Castillo. Then-Prime Minister Boluarte took an oath as the country's new president within two hours of the impeachment vote. Castillo, who had tried to dissolve the parliament before the vote, was arrested after the impeachment procedure and the Peruvian prosecutor's office launched a criminal case against him on charges of a coup attempt and crimes against the state. These events have sparked a wave of protests across the country. Demonstrators denounce the post-impeachment government and call for an immediate presidential election and the dissolution of the country's parliament. At least 28 people died in the protests, according to the Peruvian Ombudsman's Office.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20221227/death-toll-from-peru-unrest-rises-to-28-authorities-1105813555.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230107/president-erdogan-says-greece-should-abandon-anti-turkish-plans-in-aegean-sea-1106118432.html

President Erdogan Says Greece Should Abandon 'Anti-Turkish' Plans in Aegean Sea

President Erdogan Says Greece Should Abandon 'Anti-Turkish' Plans in Aegean Sea

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday that Turkey has no problem with Greece if it abandons plans to extend the country's... 07.01.2023, Sputnik International

2023-01-07T18:53+0000

2023-01-07T18:53+0000

2023-01-07T18:53+0000

world

aegean sea

turkiye

greece

maritime border

recep tayyip erdogan

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According to media reports, Greece plans to extend its maritime boundaries from 6 to 12 miles to the south and west of Crete. Turkey said it would not allow Greece's waters to expand by even one mile into the Aegean Sea. Commenting on Erdogan's statements, diplomatic sources told a Greek news agency that Greece contributes to security in the region, pursuing a policy based on international law. "Greece promotes security and stability in the wider region, pursuing a foreign policy based on the rules of International Law and the Law of the Sea, with full respect for the principles of the Charter of the United Nations Organization. Greece has never tried, nor is it trying to impose a fait accompli," the sources said. In mid-October, Ankara successfully test-fired Turkish-made short-range ballistic missile Tayfun (Typhoon). The missile was launched from an airport near the town of Rize and fell near the port city of Sinop after traveling 561 kilometers. Ankara has previously stated that it would consider the expansion of Greek waters as a reason for war. Ankara believes that if Greece extends its territorial waters it would practically cut off Turkish waters and deprive Turkey of access to international waters, and the country would be trapped in its territorial waters.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230102/greece-trying-to-present-its-issues-with-turkey-as-ankaras-problems-with-nato--1105988388.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230107/putin-attends-overnight-orthodox-christmas-service-at-one-of-kremlins-cathedrals-1106103571.html

Putin Attends Overnight Orthodox Christmas Service at One of Kremlins Cathedrals

Putin Attends Overnight Orthodox Christmas Service at One of Kremlins Cathedrals

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived at the Cathedral of the Annunciation in the Moscow Kremlin to attend the overnight Orthodox... 07.01.2023, Sputnik International

2023-01-07T00:17+0000

2023-01-07T00:17+0000

2023-01-07T10:22+0000

russia

vladimir putin

orthodox christmas

orthodox church

russian orthodox church

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Last year, Putin delivered his Orthodox Christmas greetings from the Saint Nicholas Church on Lipno Island, near the western Russian city of Veliky Novgorod. In the two years before that, the Russian president attended Christmas mass at the Cathedral of the Lords Transfiguration of all the Guards in St. Petersburg. In his turn, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill delivering a Christmas address, has called on Orthodox Christians to be compassionate and kind and thanking all those who have been offering support to the people affected by the conflict in Ukraine.Orthodox Christians in Russia celebrate Christmas Day on January 7. The Patriarch held the Orthodox Midnight Mass at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow.Ahead of the liturgy, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill called on people to exercise compassion, to help and support those in need.Patriarch Kirill said attempts to destroy the canonical Orthodox church in Ukraine were "pathetic."Earlier, Patriarch Kirill proposed a 36-hour ceasefire starting Friday noon (9:00 GMT) to mark Orthodox Christmas. Russian President Vladimir Putin backed the proposal and ordered a 36-hour Christmas truce between January 6-7 along the entire line of contact.Olexiy Danilov, the secretary of Ukraine's national security and defense council, rejected the truce offer on Thursday. Washington and Berlin also rejected the offer. US President Joe Biden suggested that Putin was "trying to find some oxygen," while German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock argued that a truce would bring "neither freedom nor security."Meanwhile, the UN secretary generals spokesman has said that Antonio Guterres would welcome a pause in fighting between Ukrainians and Russians during the holy period.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20220107/putin-wishes-orthodox-christians-a-merry-christmas-1092085100.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230106/kiev-continuing-shelling-of-donbass-while-russian-troops-observe-christmas-ceasefire-russian-mod-1106082226.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230107/putin-congratulates-orthodox-christians-all-russians-celebrating-christmas-1106108796.html

Putin Congratulates Orthodox Christians, All Russians Celebrating Christmas

Putin Congratulates Orthodox Christians, All Russians Celebrating Christmas

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian President Vladimir Putin has congratulated Orthodox Christians and all Russian citizens celebrating Christmas, the Kremlin said on... 07.01.2023, Sputnik International

2023-01-07T10:25+0000

2023-01-07T10:25+0000

2023-01-07T10:25+0000

russia

vladimir putin

orthodox

orthodox church

russian orthodox church

orthodox christmas

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Orthodox Russians, Serbs, Georgians, Poles and Ukrainians, as well as parishioners of the Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem, Eastern Catholic Churches and monks of Mount Athos celebrate Christmas on January 7. The president noted that this holiday inspires noble deeds and aspirations, and serves to reinforce in society such values as mercy, empathy, kindness and justice. Putin also underlined the role of the Russian Orthodox Church and other Christian denominations in unifying society, preserving our historical memory, educating the youth and strengthening the institution of family, adding that they prioritize maintaining interethnic and interfaith peace in Russia, providing care for those in need and supporting soldiers participating in the special military operation in Ukraine. On Christmas Eve, the Russian president attended the overnight service at the Kremlins Annunciation Cathedral.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230107/putin-attends-overnight-orthodox-christmas-service-at-one-of-kremlins-cathedrals-1106103571.html

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Economic and trade cooperation between China and the Philippines has yielded fruitful results in recent years, the Ministry of Commerce said on Friday.

By the end of 2021, China had been the Philippines' largest trading partner for six consecutive years, and emerged as the Philippines' second-largest export destination, said Shu Jueting, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce.

During the first 11 months of 2022, the bilateral trade volume hit 80.41 billion U.S. dollars, up 8.3 percent year on year, Shu said.

The ministry is willing to work with relevant government departments in the Philippines to expand imports of high-quality products from the Philippines and encourage more Chinese enterprises to invest and do businesses in the Philippines, she said.

It will expand new areas of cooperation on the green economy and the digital economy, bringing bilateral trade and investment to a new level, she said.
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230107/report-western-military-aid-to-kiev-reflects-lack-of-desire-for-peace-1106095487.html

Western Military Aid to Kiev Reflects Lack of Desire for Peace, US Media Says

Western Military Aid to Kiev Reflects Lack of Desire for Peace, US Media Says

The latest Western military aid to Ukraine suggests that Washington, Paris and Berlin are supportive of Kievs offensive strategy and are not open to peace talks, a US news outlet reported, citing analysts.

2023-01-07T03:45+0000

2023-01-07T03:45+0000

2023-01-07T09:02+0000

russia's special operation in ukraine

us

ukraine crisis

military aid

us military aid

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On Thursday, US President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz released a joint statement announcing commitments of infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine. On Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron promised his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, to supply Kiev with an unspecified number of AMX-10 RC armored combat vehicles. The trilateral decision "clarifies Western support for Ukraine for a potential offensive in the months to come," Ulrich Speck, a German foreign policy analyst, said as quoted by the New York Times on Friday. "And it signals Moscow that were not on the trajectory to peace negotiations soon."The Biden administration officially announced its largest to-date package of military assistance to Ukraine worth $3.75 billion on Friday. It includes Bradley fighting vehicles, surface-to-air missiles, howitzer artillery guns, mine-resistant ambush protected (MRAPS) light vehicles, among other weaponry. However, the newspaper said the new Western military equipment might become a logistics burden for Ukrainian troops, since the vehicles all have different parts and use different ammunition types. The new US aid package includes $225 million for Ukrainian military modernization and $682 million for US allies and partners on NATOs eastern flank in Europe. UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Friday that the United Nations would like to see an end to the conflict in Ukraine, amid the new US weapons package. The Russian Embassy in Germany said on Friday that the decision to send Ukraine more heavy weapons shows that Western countries are not interested in finding a peaceful solution to the Ukraine conflict.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230106/us-to-provide-over-3bln-in-new-military-assistance-to-ukraine-1106089946.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230107/russian-troops-to-further-observe-ceasefire-despite-shelling-by-kiev-defense-ministry-says-1106114572.html

Russian Troops to Further Observe Ceasefire Despite Shelling by Kiev, Defense Ministry Says

Russian Troops to Further Observe Ceasefire Despite Shelling by Kiev, Defense Ministry Says

The Russian armed forces will continue to comply with the Christmas ceasefire regime despite continued shelling by Ukraine, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Saturday.

2023-01-07T16:05+0000

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"Despite the artillery shelling by the Ukrainian armed forces at Russian positions and residential areas, the implementation of the declared ceasefire regime will be continued by the Russian group of troops (forces) until 24:00 today [21:00 GMT]," the ministry said. On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed the defense ministry to introduce a 36-hour ceasefire along the line of contact between the warring sides in Ukraine from January 6-7 to allow Orthodox Christians in the areas of hostilities to attend church on Orthodox Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Olexiy Danilov, the secretary of Ukraine's national security and defense council, rejected the truce offer. Washington and Berlin also rejected the offer. US President Joe Biden suggested that Russian President Vladimir Putin was "trying to find some oxygen," while German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock argued that a truce would bring "neither freedom nor security."On Friday, the Russian Defense Ministry said that Ukrainian troops continued shelling in the Donbass despite the ceasefire observed by Moscow.On February 24, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine after the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Lugansk appealed for help in defending themselves against Ukrainian provocations. In response to Russias operation, Western countries have rolled out a comprehensive sanctions campaign against Moscow,.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230106/it-is-immoral-to-fund-this-gop-rep-blasts-ukraines-zelensky-for-rejecting-christmas-truce-1106080468.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230107/south-koreas-air-pollution-by-dust-particles-soars-to-this-winters-worst-1106114045.html

South Korea's Air Pollution by Dust Particles Soars to This Winter's Worst

South Korea's Air Pollution by Dust Particles Soars to This Winter's Worst

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - South Korea's air pollution with dust microparticles reached this winter's worst levels on Saturday, according to data released by the Air... 07.01.2023, Sputnik International

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The content of particles less than 2.5 microns was 86 micrograms per cubic meter in the morning, while the amount of particles in diameter of 10 microns (PM10) reached 143 micrograms per cubic meter nationwide, Air Korea said. These indicators significantly exceed the average annual level of air pollution in South Korea, which is 18 and 36 micrograms for microparticles, or 2.5 and 10 microns, respectively. According to recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO), the average annual concentration of 2.5 micron particles should not exceed 10 micrograms per cubic meter and 20 micrograms for PM10 particles. The situation is aggravated by the so-called yellow dust from East Asia's Gobi Desert, brought to the Korean Peninsula by winter wind. The authorities recommend that local residents not leave their homes unnecessarily and wear masks on the street.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20190312/study-shows-air-pollutions-lead-deaths-globally-1073178388.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230107/the-democrats-lie-about-january-6th-and-donald-trump-receives-votes-for-speaker-of-the-house-1106094182.html

The Democrats Lie About January 6th and Donald Trump Receives Votes for Speaker of the House

The Democrats Lie About January 6th and Donald Trump Receives Votes for Speaker of the House

On todays episode of The Backstory, host Lee Stranahan discussed current events including Kevin McCarthy losing a record thirteen rounds of voting for Speaker... 07.01.2023, Sputnik International

2023-01-07T04:11+0000

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2023-02-03T08:38+0000

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The Democrats Lie About January 6th and Donald Trump Receives Votes for Speaker of the House On todays episode of The Backstory, host Lee Stranahan discussed current events including Kevin McCarthy losing a record thirteen rounds of voting for Speaker of the House, and NFL player Damar Hamlin waking and alert, after suffering a heart attack.

Mark Frost - Economist, Professor, Consultant, and Libertarian | Underrated Drummers, Indonesia, and the Nature of CapitalismTyler Nixon - Attorney, Media Relations Specialist | The Media Hate Democracy, Kevin McCarthy Has No Political Ideology, and Politicians Only Worry about Winning ElectionsIn the first hour, Lee spoke with Mark Frost about economics in Indonesia, cultural appropriation, and the United States election interference in Indonesia. Mark spoke about the Western influence in Indonesia and Barack Obama's younger life in Indonesia. Mark explained the positives on cultural appropriation and Americans who have learned to hate capitalism.In the second hour, Lee spoke with Tyler Nixon about conservatism, Donald Trump nominated for Speaker of the House, and the January 6th anniversary. Tyler commented on Republican Congressman Dan Crensahw and Crenshaw labeling anti McCarthy voters "terrorists". Tyler talked about the establishment US politicians support for conflict in Ukraine and how Ukraine has been used for corrupt purposes.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.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230107/two-trains-collide-in-mexico-city-subway---mayor-1106116626.html

Collision of Metro Trains in Mexico City Results in 1 Person Dead, 16 Injured

Collision of Metro Trains in Mexico City Results in 1 Person Dead, 16 Injured

MEXICO CITY (Sputnik) - Two trains collided on Saturday in the Mexican capital of Mexico City, with the emergency services working at the site, Mayor Claudia... 07.01.2023, Sputnik International

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"Two trains collided on the 3rd line, emergency services have arrived at the site. The heads of the Interior Ministry, Ministry of Civil Defense, the risk management authority and the subway are heading for the site," the mayor wrote on social networks. "Sixteen people were taken to hospitals... So far, one death has regrettably been reported," Claudia Sheinbaum said on Twitter.There have been four major accidents in the Mexico City metro in the past three years. One of the incidents was a collision of trains at Tacubaya station on March 10, 2020, which left one person dead and 41 injured.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230107/virginia-police-six-year-old-student-allegedly-shot-teacher-in-newport-news-1106094773.html

Virginia Police: Six-Year-Old Student Allegedly Shot Teacher in Newport News

Virginia Police: Six-Year-Old Student Allegedly Shot Teacher in Newport News

According to the schools website, there are 558 students enrolled at Richneck Elementary school, including 100 first-grade students. 07.01.2023, Sputnik International

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A six-year-old boy has been taken into custody after he allegedly shot a Richneck Elementary School teacher in Newport News on Friday.Police Chief Steve Drew told reporters during a news conference Friday evening that the victim was a female in her 30s and suffered potentially life threatening injuries. Police say her condition improved slightly later Friday, but did not provide a full update.The chief said a handgun was used in the incident, but it is not known how the child came into possession of the firearm. He also said the incident was not a protracted shooting, but was isolated to the classroom.Dr. George Parker, the superintendent of Newport News Public Schools, has stated the shooting occurred in a first-grade classroom but did not provide any details about the student.Richneck Elementary has canceled classes for Monday. The status of classes after that date is not clear.The police chief, who described the child as a young man, said the incident was not an accidental shooting. However, he did not explain how he came to that determination.After the incident, students were moved to the schools gymnasium where they were reunited with their families. Counselors were reportedly at the school, ready to talk with students who were affected by the incident. Parker said they would also be made available to school teachers and staff as well as parents of students.Reporters asked Drew if the parents of the child were informed he had been involved and taken into custody, but he was unable to answer saying other officers were handling the matter and hed get a brief on that situation after the conference. While answering that same question he stated: I want to know where that firearm came from.Both Jones and Drew praised law enforcements response to the incident. Jones promised he, the school board, and the city council will take steps to make sure a similar event never happens again.Parker said the community needs to work together to keep guns out of the hands of the youth.Parker noted the school does not require all students to walk through metal detectors but does have the capabilities to use metal detectors, adding they randomly screen students.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230106/us-gun-death-toll-over-new-year-holiday-hits-651-including-396-suicides-report-1106089456.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230107/which-countries-dont-recognize-kosovo-and-what-are-their-reasons-1106115420.html

Which Countries Dont Recognize Kosovo, and What are Their Reasons?

Which Countries Dont Recognize Kosovo, and What are Their Reasons?

The crisis in Kosovo nearly escalated into a shooting war in 2022 amid a dispute which began as a squabble over license plates. Which countries dont recognize Kosovos independence, and why? Some of the answers may surprise you.

2023-01-07T17:19+0000

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About 100 United Nations member states recognize Kosovos independence, among them the United States, many of its major European, Asian, and Middle Eastern allies, a sprinkling of countries in Africa and a handful of states in Latin America. The breakaway declared independence in 2008, nine years after the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, and under the "protection" of a massive US military base in the province known as Camp Bondsteel.Which countries dont recognize Kosovos independence, and why? Some of the answers may surprise you.Which NATO Members Dont Recognize Kosovo?Yes, its true! Even within the US-led security bloc, whose members ordinarily take orders from Washington as if they are some kind of holy screed, recognition of Kosovo is not absolute. Greece, Slovakia, Romania and Spain didnt recognize Kosovo in 2008 and havent budged in their position ever since.The reasons for these countries non-recognition are pretty simple. Greece considers Pristinas unilateral declaration of independence as a bad precedent in relation to Cyprus and the self-proclaimed "Turkish Republic of North Cyprus" (which the United Nations considers occupied by Turkey, and which is not recognized by any UN member except Ankara). Traditional friendly ties between Athens and Belgrade, and common historical, cultural and religious bonds, also likely influence Greeces position.Slovakia, Romania, and Spain are in a similar boat. Bratislava fears recognition of Kosovo would strengthen the negotiating position of ethnic Hungarians in southern Slovakia, some of whom are clamoring for independence, while Bucharest fears the same from ethnic Hungarians in Northern Transylvania, who similarly seek freedom, and a possible return to Hungary. As for Spain, the country is riddled with separatist movements, with people in Catalonia, Valencia, the Basque region, and Galicia all threatening to turn the map of the Iberian nation into Swiss cheese if they get independence. The last thing Madrid needs is an international pretext.Which Major Powers Dont Recognize Kosovo?While major political, economic and/or military powers such as the US, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, South Korea, Japan and Australia recognize Kosovos independence, other important countries do not. These include Russia, as well as Argentina, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Nigeria and South Africa. Together, these nine nations make up about fifty percent of the worlds population, about a third of the planets surface area, and half of humanitys total economic output.The reasons for non-"golden billion" countries non-recognition of Kosovo are diverse, ranging from concerns by Nigeria and China that Pristinas proclamations could give their own separatist-minded forces some bad ideas, to the traditional historical amity between Moscow and Belgrade, to concerns about the implications of Kosovos independence for international security order established after World War II.In 2008, Russia warned that Kosovos unilateral proclamation of independence would not only be a violation of Serbias sovereignty and territorial integrity, but the UN Charter, the Security Council resolution on the Kosovo peacekeeping force, the Helsinki Final Act, Kosovos constitutional framework and high-level contact group accords.Those who are considering supporting separatism should understand the dangerous consequences their actions threaten for the world order, international stability and the UN Security Councils decisions that took decades to build, the Russian Foreign Ministry warned in a statement at the time.President Putin characterized the Kosovo situation as a terrible precedent, which will effectively blow apart the whole system of international relationsThey have not thought through the consequences of what they are doing. Ultimately, this is a double-edged sword which will whack them in the head someday, he said in early 2008. That day didnt take long in coming, with the Georgian attack on Russian peacekeepers in South Ossetia in August 2008 culminating in South Ossetia and Abkhazias secession from Georgia, with Moscow recognizing them as independent states.Who Else Rejects Kosovos Independence?Dozens of other nations, most of them members of the Non-Aligned Movement a 120-member forum committed to refusing to align militarily or politically any major global power bloc, also reject Kosovos self-proclaimed status. These include (but are not limited to) Mongolia, North Korea, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Iraq, Syria, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Sudan, Ethiopia, Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay, Peru, Ecuador, Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua and Mexico.As with bigger powers, these smaller nations have varying reasons for non-recognition, ranging from concerns by some that it could complicate their own territorial disputes (as in the case of Morocco and Western Sahara, for example), to opposition to unilateral international legal decisions (Vietnam), to principled antagonism to the Yankee imperialists (Venezuela, Syria, Cuba, Nicaragua and North Korea).Which Countries Kosovo Recognition Status is Fuzzy?In a world with 193 UN member states and about a dozen countries with limited recognition, things can get a bit complicated and legal lines blurred when tracking who does and doesnt accept Kosovo as a country separate from Serbia. For example, Liberia recognized Kosovo in 2008, but ten years later, in June 2018, announced that it would annul its recognition. However, a few days later, the countrys foreign ministry formally refut[ed] reports in some international and social media of its revocation of diplomatic relations with the Republic of Kosovo. Guinea-Bissau, which recognized Kosovo in 2011, informed Pristina in 2017 that it had reversed its position. However, a few months later, the West African nation apparently changed its mind, with Pristina proudly announcing from time to time ever since that yep, Guinea-Bissau still recognizes them.While Oman recognized Kosovo in 2011, Pristina announced shortly after that Muscat never recognized us. Pristinas envoy in Saudi Arabia confirmed that Kosovo did not get recognition from Oman. More than a decade later, Omans foreign ministry put the question to bed, confirming that Muscat does indeed recognize and have diplomatic relations with the Balkan breakaway.Then there are the who knows countries. For example, after the tiny Polynesian country of Tonga was reported to have recognized Kosovo in early 2014, local media soon announced that no official statement had been made on the matter. Does Tonga recognize Kosovo? We may never know. Sao Tome and Principes position on Kosovo also vexed the heck out of everybody for a while. While Prime Patrice Trovoada recognized the country in 2012, President Manuel Pinto da Costa publicly announced that he wasnt consulted about it and refused to approve. The issue seemed to have been finally resolved in early 2022, when Serbian Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic met with current Prime minister Jorge Lopes Bom Jesus, confirming that Sao Tome most certainly does not recognize Kosovo. Kosovos authorities dont seem to care though, with a website tied to the Pristina government continuing to thank Sao Tome for its recognition.Perhaps the most Benny Hillesque out of all countries which have switched their recognition/non-recognition position repeatedly is the story surrounding Mali. In 2012, Kosovos then-deputy prime minister, Behgjet Pacolli, presented media with a letter of recognition, supposedly signed by then-acting President of Mali Dioncounda Traore. In response, Malian media issued a correction, saying that no such recognition was given. Pacolli dismissed the correction, claiming the Malian military, which had recently staged a coup, had made it up. Pristina promised to clarify the situation, but never did. A year later, Malian officials assured Serbia that the landlocked West African nation does not recognize Kosovo's independence and never will, and that Bamako considers respect for other countries sovereignty and territorial integrity a key principle of its approach to foreign policy.Which Countries Have Retracted Their Recognition of Kosovo?According to calculations by Serbian authorities, nine countries which once recognized Kosovo have recently withdrawn their recognition. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Wednesday that these include the Caribbean island nations of Antigua & Barbuda and St. Lucia, Burkina Faso, Eswatini (a landlocked kingdom sandwiched between South Africa and Mozambique), Gabon, Guinea, the Maldives, Libya, and Somalia.According to Vucics count, as many as 106 countries are now on Serbias side in the battle over Kosovos status, with 94 unequivocally recognizing the breakaway, and the position of three others unclear.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230101/kosovo-wants-to-increase-nato-presence-in-order-to-strengthen-security-1105976102.html

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On Jan. 3, 2023, the sport of harness racing lost one of its most dedicated, loyal and longest owners, Ron Ruggles. He was 82 and was living in Pompano Beach, Florida.

Ronald Ruggles was known by many as the M.T. Pockets Stable. Starting out in the sport while in his early '20s, Ruggles sustained in the business for more than 60 years.

Born in New Jersey, Ruggles was a diehard racing fan who regularly visited Roosevelt Raceway, Yonkers Raceway and the Meadowlands.

Always owning Standardbreds named mostly (something) Pockets, it wasnt until he met and partnered with owner and author/writer Victoria Howard that, as he said, he went all in.

Over the years, Ruggles has owned and bred many good stakes horses such as Georgies Pockets, Guinevere Hall, Fleurie and Taurasi.

Taurasi was Ruggles' pride and joy. This past year, the stakes-winning homebred three-year-old gelding by Racing Hill won eight of 12 starts with earnings of $183,150 with a record of 1:48.3.

His trainers as of the time of his death were Tony Alagna, Peter Wrenn and Dan Altmeyer/Mike Wilder.

Ruggles was known as one of the kindest, most generous and nicest men in the sport.

At his untimely death, Ruggles and Howard owned 20 horses. The sport will deeply miss Ruggles but Howard hopes to continue his legacy.

Howard and Ruggles' trainers and friends are planning a race in his honour during the Grand Circuit week at The Red Mile in the fall. A memorial visitation for Ruggles will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 10 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Kraeer Funeral Home, 200 West Copans Road, Pompano Beach, Florida, 33064.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the following organizations in his name: Tunnels To Towers Foundation and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at forestlawnnorth.com for the Ruggles family.

Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the family and friends of Ronald Ruggles.
Investigators learned that the subject of two arrest warrants, Richard Garcia, 34, was in a residence in the 400 block of Missouri Avenue in Alliance, according to a press release. The two warrants regarded failing to appear in court on charges of possession of methamphetamine, possession of a deadly weapon by a prohibited person, carrying a concealed weapon, and being a habitual criminal, as well as failing to appear in court for sentencing.
Chinese consumer electronics brands launched a diverse range of innovation products at the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), held this week in Las Vegas.

The world's premier tech show draws more than 3,200 exhibitors from over 170 countries and regions. Hundreds of Chinese companies participated in the show, including well-known brands like TCL, Lenovo, and Hisense as well as startups.

TCL, one of the dominant players in the global TV industry, announced new innovative TV, sound bar models and home appliances at the show, including its ultra slim 8K mini LED TV and 49-Inch R800 5000+ Zones MLED Display.

Its smart wearable products such as Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) glasses also attracted lots of visitors.

Tamir Berliner, a show attendee from Tel Aviv of Israel, tried on TCL's VR glasses to play games. "It is one of the best VR glasses I tried on for its high-resolution and very immersive experience," he told Xinhua.

"TCL smart screens rank the second in the highly competitive U.S. sales market. TCL hopes to take the opportunity of CES to show our smart technology innovation products to the whole world," Mark Zhang, general manager of North America Business Group, TCL Industries, told Xinhua.

Lenovo unveiled the latest lineup of devices and solutions focused on innovation and improving the user experience. Among them are Lenovo's cutting-edge laptop -- Yoga Book 9i, the LA AI chip -- the world's first dedicated AI chip on a gaming laptop, and Lenovo's biggest and most powerful tablet -- Lenovo Tab Extreme.

From new form factors, design-led products, and innovative uses of AI, the new portfolio gives consumers a more personalized technology experience.

Hisense launched its new ULED and Laser TV product lineups at CES 2023, featuring more mini LED options and laser cinema options. It also debuted new appliances and presented at its booth how smart kitchen solutions make life easier and more convenient.

"CES is a great platform for us to show our leading products, learn the latest trend of the industry and have exchanges with counterparts," Fisher Yu, executive vice president of Hisense Group, told Xinhua.

He said Hisense will continue to strengthen investment in research and development, and better analyze user behavior and consumer behavior in different overseas markets, to develop more innovative products accordingly.

Clean energy and energy storage solutions have been a focus at CES 2023. Chinese companies take limelight at the show, and their clean energy solutions attracted attention and recognition from visitors.

Jackery, a pioneer in the portable power industry which is based in Shenzhen in Guangdong province, unveiled innovative portable solar generators at CES 2023.

Its Solar Generator 3000 Pro, producing a maximum of 8500Wh per day, can provide backup power for five days of outdoor adventures or home emergencies.

Jackery also bagged four CES 2023 Innovation Awards for its innovative portable renewable energy solutions.

"The pandemic has changed people's lifestyles. A lot of people prefer outdoor activities. Portable solar power generators could offer power for RVs, electric appliances such as microwaves, refrigerators, and BBQ ovens while they are outdoors," Jack Sun, founder and chairman of Jackery, told Xinhua.

Chinese consumer electronics companies have taken technology innovation to facilitate the diversified development of brands, leading to an overall increase in market share for the Chinese consumer electronics industry.

CES 2023 kicked off in Las Vegas on Thursday and runs through Sunday.
I took my mom to the Presbyterian church I attend a few years ago. She had attended a Baptist church since she was born and had never been to any other church. Presbyterians always have a bulletin they follow that goes along with that days service. It lists upcoming birthdays and anniversaries and who needs to be added to our prayer list. She was reading over it intently and doing just fine until I said, Now Mommy, when they start passing the snake around and it gets to you just hold up your palm and say, Pass, remember you are a visitor. She jerked her head around, Whaaat?

This Sunday on January the 8th is a big day in the religious history of Iredell County. At 9:30 a.m., at 745 Snow Creek Road, off state road 1904, about 10 miles north of Statesville, the Snow Creek Methodist Church will hold its first regular service since 2021. Snow Creek was a part of the United Methodist Conference until it separated on Sept. 30, 2021, and became independent. The last regular service held at Snow Creek was on Aug. 15, 2021.

Steve Hill gave a presentation on his new book, In the Shadow of the Clock: The History of the Square, Statesville, North Carolina, 1790-1990. After the program someone mentioned that the Snow Creek Methodist Church in the northern part of the county was no longer having services. Everyone was shocked. We all knew of the historical significance of Snow Creek and its cemetery.

The cemetery is really where Snow Creek starts. Sometime around August of 1780 a Revolutionary War veteran named Arnold McArmond was bitten and killed by a rattlesnake in north Iredell about five miles west of the present site of the Snow Creek Methodist Church. His friends planned to bury him at the Bethany Presbyterian cemetery, but recent rains had swelled the creeks and rivers including the South Yadkin River that they needed to cross to get to Bethany.

McArmond was buried instead on some land owned by a local Methodist named Shadrack Claywell. What started as one lonely grave in the backcountry grew over the years as other early Iredell settlers were buried there along with McArmond. It would remain a cemetery without a church for the next 21 years.

Around 1795, a religious fever began spreading across the eastern part of the United States. By 1800, it had moved from the mountains of Tennessee and Kentucky into western North Carolina. What made the Revival movement different was a new style of the preaching. Ministers began holding camp meetings outdoors attended by huge crowds. The ministers focused not on teaching the Bible, but in challenging non-Christians and converting these lost sinners to the Lord thus saving their souls.

It still goes on today. I attended my first cousin Tommys funeral in Marion, Virginia, a little over two weeks ago. Two Baptist ministers got up and basically turned the funeral into a revival (one of them even lay down on the floor). They yelled and charged around and hyperventilated over everyone (my cousin Timmy said he had never seen anything like it). It was all about converting to the Lord before you walked out the door (I think I did hear Tommys name mentioned a couple of times).

I am sure if I asked the ministers if they were preaching a funeral or a revival they would have pointed out that many of the people attending the funeral were never going to attend a church let alone a revival. For them this was their one opportunity to save the souls of those in attendance and bring them to the Lord. I am fine with that and I am in favor of bringing people to the Lord and converting non-Christians, but I am also glad I was on the second row so I didnt get spit on.

The Presbyterians had a foothold in Iredell County that went back to the 1750s with the Fourth Creek Presbyterian Church and its cemetery, but the Revival movement established Methodist churches here for the first time. The first was Mt. Bethel, which can trace its beginnings to 1797 when Methodist Bishop Francis Asbury visited a new church at Basil Prathers on Little Dutchmans Creek. Snow Creek was the second Methodist Church started in 1801 by a young circuit riding preacher named Philip Bruce.

The first Snow Creek church was built on land donated by William Sharpe in 1806 who gave a deed for land next to the Snow Creek Burying Ground for what was then called Kings Methodist Episcopal Meeting House. Richard Hugh King was a Methodist minister during this time who preached along the Yadkin River area. Kings Methodist soon became the Snow Creek Methodist Church we know today.

The service to be held on Sunday is in the church that was built between 1884-85. Todays Snow Creek is an independent Methodist Church. Leading the service Sunday will be Dana Roseman, whom I understand is a non-spitter. This would be an excellent opportunity to visit and worship the Lord in one of the oldest churches in Iredell County.

The cemetery is a historical treasure and sits behind the church surrounded by a rock wall. The marker for Arnold McArmond in the cemetery has a snake engraving. The marker for Mary Feimster (1810) shows a mourning woman in classical garb leaning on a tomb with urn and is signed by J. Hall. Her husbands, Capt. William Feimster (1842), pictures an old man seated in an armchair.

William Sharpe, who created the Fourth Creek Congregation Map in 1773 that now hangs in the Local History Room at the library, is buried at Snow Creek. There are 24 Revolutionary soldiers buried in Snow Creek though many are in unmarked graves. There are 33 or more Civil War graves and a few from the War of 1812. Snow Creek Methodist Church and the Burying Ground were placed on the National Registry of Historic Places in 1980.
Several of the photos that captured awards in the annual Scenic Virginia contest featured the beauty of Southwest Virginia. Photographs displayed the wonder of Tazewells Thompson Valley in the autumn, Whitetop Mountain, and the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area. This is Scenic Virginias 15th year of showcasing our Commonwealths scenic beauty with our annual photo contest, said executive director Leighton Powell.

We know that these incredible scenic resources nourish mind, body, and spirit; and we could not be more excited to share these gorgeous images with our fellow Virginians. Judges for the 2022 Contest were Eugenia Anderson-Ellis, a Scenic Virginia Advisory Board member and former president; Ben Greenberg, a professional photographer and author of Natural Virginia; Tom Saunders, a professional photographer formerly with the Virginia Department of Transportation; and Judy Watkins, Special Projects Manager at Virginia Tourism Corporation. Photo contest judges selected a winner in each of the eight categories as well as an overall Best in Show photo. On Facebook, Scenic Virginia supporters cast nearly 2,800 votes to choose the Fan Favorite Winner from among 24 Honorable Mention photos.

Notecard sets of the winning photos are available for purchase. A set of 10 cards (one of each winning photo) is $20 plus $5 for shipping and handling. (Shipping is pro-rated for multiple sets.) To place an order, contact Scenic Virginia at 804-643-VIEW (8439) or email @scenicvirginia.org. Scenic Virginia is the only statewide conservation group dedicated solely to preserving, protecting, and enhancing the scenic beauty of the commonwealth, with a particular focus on the preservation of significant views and vistas. To learn more about the organization, visit www.scenicvirginia.org and follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
WOODLAND  Days after a Woodland man died in an ill-fated kayaking trip on the Columbia River on New Years Day, the people who knew him best remembered him as a man cherished by loved ones and who held a deep passion for the great outdoors.

He grew up by the Columbia River; Michael knew the river like the back of his hand, said his wife Charlotte Larson, 42, of Woodland.

Michael Larson, a father of two and a carpenter by trade, was either working or fishing, said Charlotte Larson. She first encountered him at a friends house, but it wasnt quite love at first sight.

Lets just say he was very persistent, she said.

Poor weather conditions and rough currents impaired rescue efforts to retrieve the 62-year-old Michael Larson, who was discovered Jan. 1, at roughly 7:09 p.m., with no life vest as he held onto a piling approximately 700 feet from Austin Point in Woodland.

Chief John Nohr of Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue said Larson was suffering from extreme hypothermia when rescuers reached him and later had a cardiac issue at the hospital.

Beth Larson, 35, of Forest Grove, Oregon, described herself as a daddys girl who remembers her father as having a big heart who shared what he loved with those he loved. She takes some solace that her father died doing something he loved as he was always on the water, fishing day and night, she said.

One of the last times they communicated was on the day of his death when he sent a text wishing her a happy new year, said Beth Larson.

The currents were really bad, she added, and her father was wearing waders  a type of waterproof garment that typically covers the feet and chest.

Petty Officer Michael Clark, a spokesperson for the U.S. Coast Guard in Seattle, said the pants can act as an anchor when filled with water.

Samantha Miller, a friend of the Larsons, recalls Michael Larsons generosity, saying he would give the shirt right off his back. She said he could fish for sturgeons bigger than himself.

Miller created a GoFundMe page to raise funds for funeral arrangements, which stood at $1,175 as of Friday afternoon, intending to reach $2,000.

Chief Nohr told The Daily News that its typical for Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue to respond to approximately 10-12 river rescues per year, depending on the weather and how much people are recreating on the waterways.

The Columbia River is actually one of the most dangerous; people grossly underestimate the current and flow. It looks calm on the surface but can be flowing at a very high rate, said Nohr. He said the [best] way to avoid death in the waterways is to wear a life-jacket or other flotations.

Clark also advised people on the water to always wear proper floating equipment, as well as be aware of weather conditions, have a way of communication and never be afraid to ask for help.
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

A man looks onto the show floor from a Wehead spatial video communication device at the Wehead booth during the CES tech show Friday, Jan. 6, 2023, in Las Vegas. The device, controlled via a smartphone, laptop, or tablet, allows the user to remotely look around through the device's camera and observe the environment an interact with people in the room. Credit: AP Photo/John Locher

Tech companies showed off their latest products this week at CES, formerly known as the Consumer Electronics Show, with new developments in video as well as lifestyle enhancements with beverage and makeup gadgets.

Crowds of investors, media and tech workers have streamed into cavernous Las Vegas venues to see the latest tech from big companies and startups. The show runs through Sunday.

Here are some highlights:

VIDEO CALLS WITH A TWIST

Tired of the same old Zoom calls? Zero Distance thinks it may have the answer.

The company's Wehead device helps people at a meeting feel like a remote attendee is in the room with them.

The device looks something like a machine you might find at the eye doctor, but with screens on the front. The person participating from afar looks like they're there in 3D and when they look around or nod, the machine also moves.

Wehead works with standard computer or smartphone webcams.

"If there are a few people around the table and just one screen, not everybody can see the screen, and the person in the laptop, he or she is not able to see everybody," Wehead creator Ilia Sedoshkin said. "That's the obvious application."

"But for people who spend like 40 hours a week in their home office, they don't see other people a lot. So feeling the real person in the room, using some space on your table, can give you less loneliness," Sedoshkin said.

The Wehead costs $1,555, with a pro version available for $4,555.

A GrowUp nut milk machine is seen at the CES tech show on Friday, Jan. 6, 2023, in Las Vegas. GrowUp allows people to brew their own nut milk at home with water and any nut, from cashews and walnuts to almonds and pistachios. Credit: AP Photo/Rio Yamat

A BOBA ROBOT

From milk tea to passion fruit, ADAM the robot can make any boba tea drink you like.

ADAM also can function as a bartender or barista, but it made boba tea for delighted CES attendees this week who used digital touch screens to select their drinks.

"ADAM is intended to be basically a way to attract guests and a way to make drinks fully automated and very efficient," Timothy Tanksley of Richtech Robotics said.

The two-armed robot has two grip handles that can be customized to make specific drinks. While taking a break from mixing beverages, ADAM can dance to keep people entertained.

ADAM, which can be rented for events or hired full-time, is among a range of robots on display at CES this week doing a variety of tasks from disinfecting surfaces to making deliveries.

An ADAM beverage robot makes boba tea at the Richtech Robotics booth during the CES tech show Friday, Jan. 6, 2023, in Las Vegas. Credit: AP Photo/John Locher

NUT MILK ON DEMAND

During the pandemic shutdowns in 2020, California resident Luiz Rapacci had a hard time finding his favorite almond milk at grocery stores. He looked up online recipes to make his own, but they were were messy and time-consuming.

Almost three years later, Rapacci has arrived at CES to unveil his nut milk brewing machine, the GrowUp brewer.

With GrowUp, customers can make nut milk at home in minutes with water and their chosen variety, from cashews and walnuts to almonds and pistachios, Rapacci said.

The machine costs $599 and is available now for pre-order.

PERFECT EYEBROWS

L'Oreal's Brow Magic is bringing augmented reality to your eyebrows.

The company's app scans your face and uses AR to make personalized recommendations for choices of shape, thickness and effect before you apply a primer. Then the Brow Magic device provides 2,400 tiny nozzles to brush over and paint your eyebrows.

A booth worker demonstrates L'Oreal's smart brow applicator that uses augmented reality to help print eyebrows on the face during CES Unveiled, before the CES tech show, Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023, in Las Vegas. Credit: AP Photo/Rick Bowmer

L'Oreal developed Brow Magic in partnership with Prinker, which makes a device that quickly applies temporary tattoos.

The makeup in Brow Magic, which is expected to launch later this year, can last up to two days and be taken off with regular makeup remover.

 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

A representative of French startup Neoplants displays a bioengineered Pothos plant at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada, on January 6, 2023.

At the CES tech megashow in Las Vegas, it is unusual to see an entrepreneur hold up a plant and present it as the latest breakthrough in consumer technology.

But for NeoPlants co-founder Patrick Torbey, the gathering held annually just after the new year should not be thought of as "only about machine technology and electronics."

"It's also about natural technology that we can leverage using these really cool engineering techniques," Torbey told AFP.

NeoPlants, a Paris-based startup, was showing off a bioengineered plant capable of purifying indoor air of toxic pollutants "by doing the work of 30 regular houseplants," according to its website.

Technology geared towards helping the environment has steadily increased in number at CES since the Sin City expo began fifty years ago.

But observers often doubt the seriousness of the consumer tech industry's commitment to protect the environment, with all the real excitement focused on smart TVs and robots instead of the more complicated and less profitable project of saving the planet.

"Until it really, really matters for consumers, it's just going to kind of be this trend that's over here on the side," said Ben Arnold, research firm NPD's consumer electronics analyst.

"As somebody who studies the market, I'm just not seeing yet where (environmental-minded tech) makes a difference in terms of units and dollars," he added.

Attendees walk through the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Ran Roth, the head of tech company Sensibo, agreed that successful devices were the ones that made financial sense and believed his products did just that.

Roth's devices use artificial intelligence and sensors to better manage air conditioning, an important concern in the often blistering heat of Israel, where his company is based.

Sensibo's sensors measure humidity and temperature, and use software that learns a user's habits, thereby saving energy and money.

Roth said new technology should have a "path to profitability" if it is going to thrive, a recurrent shortcoming of so called green tech that so often fails to be bankable.

"What is good about smart thermostats is that they are readily available and they offer the highest return on investment," said Roth, who called air conditioning a "human right."

'What matters'

But as the climate emergency worsens, industry observers said major tech companies were under more pressure to commit to sustainability goals.

"We have seen the public naming and shaming of organizations who indulged in greenwashing over the past year," said Abhijit Sunil of Forrester Research.

Paris-based startup ACWA Robotics won plaudits at CES for a robot dedicated to the detection and prevention of water leaks in underground pipes.

"So a lot of organizations are kind of careful in what they mention as their sustainability initiatives and they are now as transparent as possible," he said.

Sunil said that the real advances on the environment were to be seen in the industrial sector, agreeing that the consumer gadget business may be a step behind when it came to doubling down on going green.

Product design, manufacturing and packaging with an eye on a company's waste and carbon footprint were the low hanging fruits when it came to environment technology, he said.

One such company, ACWA Robotics, won plaudits at CES for a robot dedicated to the detection and prevention of water leaks in underground pipes.

In France, where the startup is located, 20 percent of drinking water is estimated to be lost due to leaky pipes.

Fighting for the environment "is the challenge of a century," ACWA Robotics engineer Elise Lengrand told AFP.

"I mean sure it's really cool to make big TVs and stuff, but this is really what matters," she said.

 2023 AFP
The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has pointed out that "good conduct is critical to the survival of a governing party." It called for efforts to steadfastly implement the central Party leadership's eight-point decision on improving conduct and see that leading officials, or the "key few," set an example for those below them.

It also pledged to continue to tackle pointless formalities, bureaucratism, hedonism, and extravagance.

To ensure these requirements are observed, China's top disciplinary and supervisory agency, as well as relevant authorities at all levels, are working ceaselessly with various measures to improve Party conduct and enforce Party discipline.

Moral defense

On Dec. 27 last year, the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) and the National Supervisory Commission (NSC) released their monthly report on enforcing the Party's eight-point decision and combating undesirable work practices.

In the previous month, 13,615 officials were punished in various forms for violating the eight-point decision. Among them, 9,179 received Party disciplinary or administrative penalties.

This report is the 111th of its kind, following the CPC's eight-point rules on frugality to combat undesirable work practices in late 2012.

Ahead of the 2023 New Year and Spring Festival holidays, the top disciplinary and supervisory agency published ten typical cases of relevant violations to warn officials to stay alert.

Relevant authorities also conduct inspections, investigations, and special campaigns against such offenses.

The agency pledges to take strict steps to improve Party conduct and enforce Party discipline, address the problems of hedonism and extravagance whenever they appear, attach greater attention to dealing with pointless formalities and bureaucratism, and make such efforts a long-term practice.

Let the public feel

The CCDI and the NSC stressed implementing the Party Central Committee's major decisions and policies, solving pressing problems of concern to the people, and addressing misconduct and corruption at people's doorsteps.

In 2022, the disciplinary and supervisory authority in the city of Zhumadian, Henan Province, carried out a special campaign supervising the use of funds for elderly subsidies, ensuring the proper payment of such subsidies to the city's 210,000 senior citizens over 80 years old.

In the villages of the county of Juxian, Shandong Province, villagers can conveniently check the revenue and spending of their villages via their mobile phones thanks to an innovative measure by the county's anti-graft agency to enhance transparency and supervision.

An official from the CCDI and NSC said the agency plans to focus more on employment and business start-ups, education, medical service, pension, environment, workplace safety, and food and drug safety to tackle problems that harm the interests of the people. It will also target the officials who act as the "protective umbrellas" for organized violations.

Give discipline teeth

To ensure the proper implementation of the Party's discipline and rules, relevant authorities are giving such rules teeth to make them practically enforceable.

It also requires identifying violations in the first place and warning the officials before it gets too late.

According to the CCDI and NSC, over the first three quarters of last year, disciplinary and supervisory agencies nationwide have investigated and punished over 1.28 million officials for their violations in different forms. About 67.7 percent were criticized, and 25.2 percent received light punishment as their violations were identified and corrected early.

According to the CPC's 20th National Congress, the Party will make comprehensive efforts to tighten Party discipline. "We will urge leading officials, especially high-ranking ones, to be strict with themselves, earnestly fulfill their responsibilities, and conduct rigorous management within their jurisdictions. Regarding violations of Party discipline, every identified infraction must be strictly investigated and handled."

The CCDI and NSC will also make efforts to develop a political atmosphere of integrity within the Party, said the agency.
Bryans Allen Academy will join approximately 2,500 schools worldwide to offer students the opportunity to participate in the Advanced Placement Capstone Diploma program beginning in the fall of 2023, according to a press release from Allen Academy.

This innovative program consists of two courses [AP Seminar and AP Research] that are focused on preparing students for collegiate and career success.

In December 2022, Allen Academy applied for the program through College Board and was approved based on a number of factors  from how many AP courses were already being offered, school enrollment and Title I status to the number of class sections and their participating grade levels, according to Jennifer Wood, Allen Academys director of middle school and upper school.

Beginning in the fall of 2023, juniors at Allen Academy will be able to enroll in the AP Seminar course, which allows them to dive into and evaluate real-world topics of their choosing, the press release said.

In the fall of 2024, Allen Academy will launch the AP Research course for those then-seniors. This course allows students to choose a personal topic and challenges them to design and execute a collegiate-level research project around it.

To earn the AP Capstone Diploma, a student must score a 3 or higher in both courses, as well as a 3 or higher on four additional AP courses of their choosing, the press release said. An AP Seminar and AP Research certificate will be awarded to students who receive a score of 3 or higher in the programs courses but not on four additional AP exams.

Both AP Capstone courses are project based, and students are required to deliver written arguments, collaborate in teams, and deliver professional multimedia presentations as part of their AP exams, the press release said. In partnership with the higher education community, College Board developed AP Capstone so students can practice and master skills that serve them well in college and career.

Even before students enroll in these courses, Wood said Allen Academy has taken steps to prepare them for this specific style of learning.

They will learn research techniques in their other classes  science, through labs, history and English through research development, learning how to cite sources, learning whats reliable and unreliable, learning about bias in articles  they learn all of that through their freshmen and sophomore courses, Wood said.

Wood said she is excited for Allen Academy to enhance these lessons through the implementation of this well-developed, advanced placement program.

Were going to have kids coming out of Allen that are even more engaged in real-world learning and how to develop their own thoughts and ideas through research and presentation, Wood said.
Andres Anderson of Caldwell was sentenced Wednesday to 30 years in prison for aggravated sexual assault of a child and 20 years for indecency with a child after pleading guilty, according to the Brazos County District Attorney's Office.

Anderson, 55, was arrested in Laredo, Texas, March 23, 2021, after a young girl disclosed that he had sexually abused her. Anderson confessed to a family friend that he had abused the victim and later admitted in a recorded phone call with another family friend that he knew what he had did was wrong.

Aggravated sexual assault of a child is a first degree felony punishable by five to 99 years or life in prison. Indecency with a child by contact is punishable by 2-20 years in prison.

Anderson will be required to serve half of his sentence before becoming eligible for parole.
The search for Grand Island Public Schools interim superintendent continues to move forward, the district having three interviews within the next week, the district said in an update Friday afternoon.

The district said the candidates are Matthew Fisher, former Northwest Public Schools Superintendent (2012-2019), Virginia Moon, who recently served as interim superintendent at Centennial Public Schools and Michael Teahon, who led Gothenburg Public Schools from 2001-2019.

Interviews have been confirmed with each candidate and will be conducted Tuesday, Jan. 10, round-robin style.

Candidates will spend time with the GIPS Board of Education, executive cabinet members and building-level administrators. Each will also tour the district.

Following executive session at Thursday nights GIPS Board of Education meeting, the board unanimously agreed to extend invitations to interview to three applicants, then referred to only as applicants C, E and F.

The special session was the first meeting for the board members elected in November: Eric Garcia-Mendez (Ward C), Hank McFarland (Ward B), Katie Mauldin (Ward C), Josh Sikes (Ward A) and Amanda Wilson (Ward A).

McFarland, the newly elected school board president, indicated the outgoing board members did little to influence the interim superintendent search before the boards five new members took over.

They did, however, help with the transition, McFarland said.

(Previous board president) Lisa Albers was very open with us in providing information, he said. So they really helped with the transition.

Grand Island Public Schools Executive Cabinet, who will be part of the interview process, are Robin Dexter, associate superintendent; Toni Palmer, chief of leadership and learning; Johnathon Doll, chief of assessment, research and accountability; Ken Schroeder, chief financial officer; Cory Gearhart, chief information officer; Brian Kort, interim HR director and Jennifer Worthington, chief of strategic partnerships and stakeholder engagement.
LINCOLN  The Nebraska Legislature spent the majority of the 90 minutes that made up the third day of the session debating the proposed lineup of legislative committee memberships, and failed to reach a consensus by the end.

Multiple Democrats spoke out against the current proposal, which would give Republicans the majority on most committees and Democrats the majority on just one. The debate will continue when lawmakers reconvene on Monday, after Speaker of the Legislature John Arch made the motion to adjourn at 11:30 a.m. with seven state senators still waiting to speak.

The whole body votes on the committee memberships.

The officially nonpartisan Legislature is currently made up of 32 Republicans and 17 Democrats. A group of lawmakers making up the Legislature's Committee on Committees submitted a preliminary report laying out the lineup of committee memberships, which drew immediate criticism from Democrats.

Committees are an essential part of the Legislature. Virtually every bill that gets approved each session must first get through a designated committee. Many bills that get introduced never get debated on the chamber floor because they don't make it out of their committees.

State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha, a Democrat, argued that the partisan biases under the proposed lineup will reduce the Legislature's efficiency. Debates that would normally happen in committee executive sessions will now happen in the chamber, she said.

Some Democrats alleged they were kicked off committees where they had incumbency or were not granted a seat on their preferred committee despite having seniority, in favor of giving Republicans more power. Sen. Danielle Conrad of Lincoln, a Democrat, said the Committee on Committees favored a "radical political agenda" over fairness.

"This is hyper partisan politics at its absolute worst," Cavanaugh said.

Hints of discord among lawmakers came up during the election of committee chairs on the first day of the session, which saw few contested elections. In one of the few contested races, incumbent chair Sen. Lynne Walz of Fremont was ousted by Sen. Dave Murman of Glenvil for the Education Committee chairmanship. Though the votes were cast by secret ballot, Murman, a Republican farmer, received 32 votes, and Walz, a Democrat and former educator, received 17 votes, indicating the votes likely were split down party lines.

While the Committee on Committees was debating the makeup of committees, Sen. Megan Hunt of Omaha, a member of the committee, claimed lawmakers were not following the traditional precedent to favor incumbency, seniority and lawmaker's preferences in determining the lineup.

"It was all about partisan selfishness and favors for friends," Hunt, a Democrat, said in a Tweet Wednesday.

Sen. Mike Moser of Columbus, one of the few Republicans to speak in Friday's debate, argued that committee lineups aren't always based on the three factors Hunt listed, and that members of both parties often make deals to favor their agendas.

Conrad claimed on Friday that the committee failed to follow proper protocol, including sometimes meeting without all members present, and alleged that some members engaged in "bullying" and "threats."

Republican Sen. Joni Albrecht of Thurston, chair of the Committee on Committees, previously claimed that some of the lawmakers who were upset about their committee designation did not submit their preference sheets on time. Cavanaugh cross-examined Albrecht on this claim Friday, leading Albrecht to admit that while some lawmakers submitted their preferences the day before the deadline, all sheets were submitted on time.

Sen. Justin Wayne of Omaha, made a motion to recommit the proposal back to the committee in an effort to get new Sen. John Frederickson of Omaha, a Democrat, a seat on the Judiciary Committee, of which Wayne is the chair. As a mental health provider, Wayne said Frederickson's perspective is essential to have on the Judiciary Committee, which will soon be debating proposals on a new prison and criminal justice reform.

Wayne quickly withdrew his motion, however, claiming he didn't have the support necessary to trade Frederickson into the committee. Immediately after that, Cavanaugh made a new motion to recommit the proposal. She said she would be willing to trade her seat on the Health and Human Services Committee for Frederickson's seat on the Natural Resources Committee. That motion has yet to be voted on.

It's unclear how long the debate will last. Moser argued against Cavanaugh's motion, urging lawmakers to approve the lineup of committee memberships and move onto other business. He said if the proposal is recommitted, he expects that will lead to new membership disputes coming up.

"We can talk about this however long they want, but I don't think it's going to change anything," Moser said.
Backers of replacing virtually all state and local taxes with a new consumption tax announced a two-pronged effort to get the issue before voters Thursday.

Paul Von Behren of Fremont launched a pair of initiative petition drives while state Sen. Steve Erdman of Bayard introduced a trio of legislative measures. The petitions match two of Erdman's measures, which propose constitutional amendments.

If passed by voters, Legislative Resolution 6CA would prohibit any governmental entities in the state from imposing any taxes other than a retail consumption tax or an excise tax, starting in 2026. That would eliminate property, sales and income taxes, along with some minor taxes.

A second resolution (LR7CA) would require the state to impose a consumption or excise tax on all new goods and services with the exception of groceries, starting in 2026. Under the measure, state lawmakers could authorize local governments to impose their own consumption or excise taxes.

A bill (LB79) spells out the details of how the plan would work, including what would be subject to the new consumption taxes and how the resulting tax revenue would be distributed to support state and local government entities. The measure would set the consumption tax at 7.5% on goods and services.

Erdman said the new plan differs from those he introduced previously in some key ways. It would exempt groceries from the consumption tax to spare low-income Nebraskans from tax increases, while dropping the idea of achieving the same goal by sending out monthly checks to all Nebraskans.

But the goal remains to get rid of property taxes. Erdman said the plan would attract new people and businesses looking to escape other taxes, while state government, schools and other local governments would get the same amount of money they do now.

"This is not a cost-cutting proposal," he said. "It is a different tax system."

Past versions of the consumption tax have fallen short in the Legislature. Last year's proposal got only 19 votes to advance to the second round of consideration.

If passed by the Legislature and approved by voters, LR11CA would eliminate virtually all state and local taxes in Nebraska and instead apply a consumption tax on all services and new goods. The measure would allow local governments to impose their own consumption taxes in addition to the state tax.

LB133 would set the consumption tax rate at 10.64%, though Erdman said further analysis showed that a 9.8% rate would be sufficient to match the $9.7 billion collected through the taxes that would be eliminated.

Photos: Opening day of the 2023 Legislature
2022 My Story of Chinese Hanzi international competition releases list of finalists

People's Daily Online) 18:13, January 06, 2023

The final round of the 2022 My Story of Chinese Hanzi international competition will kick off in Hohhot, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on Jan. 10, 2023.

The international competition is hosted by the Chinese Peoples Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) and organized by People's Daily Online, the Hohhot Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), and the Hohhot Municipal Government.

The theme of the competition is "Yi," an ancient Chinese philosophical concept that represents kindheartedness and justice in Confucianism, and morality and righteousness in Mohism. In the new era, "Yi" has been given new meaning.

The competition consists of preliminary rounds, semi-finals, and finals. The first two rounds of the competition were held online. The top 10 selected winners will move onto the final round.

During the final round of the competition, each finalist will deliver a seven-minute speech on the theme of Yi in Chinese. The judges will score each of the speeches and select the ultimate champion as well as recipients for various awards according to the core message behind their stories, expressiveness, Chinese language speaking abilities, and how their stories can promote exchanges between different civilizations.

List of finalists (Finalists are listed in alphabetical order of their countries)

1. Hussaini Mohammad Mahdi (Afghanistan), Shanxi University

2. Seyi Essobo Pascal Axyan (Cameroon), Southwest Minzu University

3. Janik Westerboer (Germany), Anhui International Studies University

4. Kalra Anmol Suresh (India), Shaoxing University

5. Gaifiev Eduard (Russia), Hunan Normal University

6. Lucas Gutierrez Rodriguez (Spain), Southwest University of Science and Technology

7. Kiti Tippawan (Thailand), Yunnan Minzu University

8. Tchabi Koffi Odjoukpan (Togo), Inner Mongolia Normal University

9. Kirianaki Kseniia (Ukraine), Southwest Forestry University

10. Peter J Dunkle (U.S.), Anhui Concord College of Sino-Canada

(Web editor: Hongyu, Du Mingming)
New U.S. Census Bureau population data suggests the likelihood that Nebraska is not at risk of losing a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives following the 2030 census despite weaker than typical population growth.

But Idaho is on course to surpass Nebraska's population this decade, dropping Nebraska one notch to the 38th-most-populous state.

Nebraska's recent growth rate was measured at 0.2%, which is half the national growth rate.

The state has three seats in the House.

The assessment that Nebraska's three House seats appear not to be endangered in 2030 comes in an email communication from David Drozd, a population expert now with Community Health Development Partners in Omaha.

Drozd previously was research coordinator in the Center for Public Affairs Research at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

* * *

Watching on TV as Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made the case to Congress and to the American people for continued U.S. weapons support for his embattled country was poignant along with uplifting.

Suddenly he was here not just because he needs more assistance, but also because there appears to be some quit developing in Congress now.

Ukrainians are doing the fighting and the dying, all the hard stuff not only on the battlefield but also in their homes, which may have no heat or light this cold night, and along with the raw darkness is the pain of missing family members.

What they ask from us is help, not participation. They would continue to do the fighting, the suffering, the dying. We would just help arm them with weaponry that can help protect them.

War by nature is cruel.

But this one seems to be intentionally cruel; that's the strategy now.

How does it end and when does it end?

Russian troops were at war in Afghanistan for 10 years. U.S. troops were in combat nearly a decade in Vietnam.

It's hard to imagine what would be left in Ukraine if this one continued even half that long.

Maybe we can help try to make sure it doesn't.

* * *

As Sen. Ben Sasse prepares to depart the Senate for the presidency of the University of Florida, the House of Representatives passed his bipartisan Protecting American Intellectual Property Act, which was earlier approved by the Senate.

"Sanctioning thieves for stealing American intellectual property is simple, common sense," Sasse said.

"We can't sit back and keep acting like this isn't a problem  we need to go after these hackers."

Sasse is a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

* * *

The seating chart for the 2023 Nebraska Legislature appears to be settled and it's always worth a glance.

Some legislative leaders choose to be up front, but I'm always inclined to take a look at who chooses to sit in the back row or two.

That's where a senator can keep track of who's talking to whom and especially be aware of any brief gathering of senators on the floor or on the sidelines while the Legislature is in session.

What's cooking? What's being hatched? Who's there? Who appears to be leading the discussion?

Some of the most effective leaders, including those who cast many of the decisive votes, in the previous Legislature settled in the back row or two. Not all of them; there are always leaders scattered elsewhere, too.

But there were a lot of difference-makers seated in the back of the chamber last year.

Sen. Justin Wayne of Omaha, a skilled and effective senator who works both sides of the aisle, has moved to the back row and will be seated next to Sen. Robert Clements of Elmwood, who is likely to be the new chairman of the Appropriations Committee.

Sen. Danielle Conrad of Lincoln, who is returning to the Legislature after previously being term-limited out of the body in 2016, has secured a seat in the back row and will be next to Sen. Tony Vargas of Omaha. She's likely to be an active participant from Day One.

Good vantage points for watchful eyes.

* * *

Finishing up:

* Brandon Metzler will be the new clerk of the Legislature, chosen to succeed Patrick O'Donnell, who prepared him as assistant clerk and recommended him. The new Legislature is set to confirm the executive board's 7-1 decision to select Metzler on the Jan. 4 opening day of the 2023 legislative session.

* Gov.-elect Jim Pillen has scored a trifecta of major appointments at the beginning of his governorship: a U.S. senator, a new state senator, a member of the University of Nebraska Board of Regents.

* Pillen decided to keep many key members of Pete Ricketts' administration at their position, including directors of the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Economic Development and the Department of Administrative Services.

The big decision yet to be made is choosing a new director of the Department of Correctional Services.

Counties with the shortest life expectancy in Nebraska Counties with the shortest life expectancy in Nebraska #42. Saline County #41. Saunders County #40. Thayer County #39. Douglas County #38. Dawes County #36. Dawson County #36. Clay County #34. Madison County #34. Jefferson County #29. Furnas County #29. Merrick County #29. Howard County #29. Red Willow County #29. Butler County #27. Hall County #27. Adams County #25. Gage County #25. Lincoln County #23. Dundy County #23. Box Butte County #19. Dakota County #19. Nuckolls County #19. Johnson County #19. Boyd County #16. Cheyenne County #16. Richardson County #16. Polk County #14. Webster County #14. Nemaha County #12. Morrill County #12. Pawnee County #10. Dodge County #10. Gosper County #9. Sheridan County #8. Nance County #5. Scotts Bluff County #5. Franklin County #5. Garden County #3. Burt County #3. Hitchcock County #2. Kimball County #1. Thurston County
Drivers on Interstate 57 will be facing a detour next weekend as the Illinois Department of Transportation will close a portion of the highway to demolish a bridge south of Marion.

The interstate will be closed to all traffic between the 45 mile marker (Illinois Route 148 exit) and the 54 mile marker (Illinois Route 13 exit) beginning at 7 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 15. The highway will remain closed overnight and is anticipated to reopen at 7 a.m., Monday, Jan. 16.

Doug Helfrich, IDOT District 9 Project Implementation Engineer, said the way the existing bridge was designed and built requires closure of I-57.

The bridge is around 50 years old and its time to replace it, he said. Its a concrete arch bridge. The arches, supports and the bridge deck were all poured together, so you cant remove those under light traffic.

He said construction of a new bridge will begin shortly after demolition and should be completed by June 2024. This work will only require lane reductions, not a full closure, he explained.

Both northbound on ramps at Old Illinois 13 and Illinois 13 in Marion will remain open.

During the closure, crews will be demolishing the Westminster Drive bridge which crosses I-57 south of Marion. Motorists will be detoured to Illinois 148 and Illinois 13. The closure will impact both northbound and southbound traffic.
Robert Bobby Crimo III, the alleged Highland Park Fourth of July parade shooter, prank-called a New York Post reporter on New Years Eve from jail, the outlet reported Saturday.

The phone call to the reporter came in at 8 p.m. on Dec. 31 from Lake County Adult Corrections Facility, the Post said. He reportedly made a joke before hanging up.

Is your refrigerator running? Crimo III, 22, said. You better go catch it! he said, according to the Post.

Crimo III fired dozens of shots from a rooftop perch into a crowd gathered for the Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, according to prosecutors in the case. Seven people were killed and 48 wounded.

He has been charged with seven counts of first-degree murder. His next court hearing is scheduled for Jan. 31.

The Post had attempted to schedule an interview with Crimo III through the jails communication app in December, the outlet said. The meeting was never arranged, and Crimo III ended up calling the number on the reporters profile weeks later. When the reporter answered the call on New Years Eve, Crimo III was identified by a prerecorded voice message.

Liz Turnipseed, 41, was one of the many people injured in the shooting. She was shot in the pelvis while attending the parade with her husband and 3-year-old daughter, the Post reported. She told the Post she now walks with a cane and suffers from panic attacks in crowded public spaces.

In response to the phone call, Turnipseed said Crimo III clearly doesnt have any respect for life and people in any way shape or form.

Whether thats him making an unbelievable lame prank call to a reporter or committing a mass shooting, I think it just speaks to the terrible person that is, Turnipseed said to the Post.

Photos: Highland Park parade shooting suspect appears in court US Shooting-July Fourth Parade US Shooting-July Fourth Parade US Shooting-July Fourth Parade US Shooting-July Fourth Parade US Shooting-July Fourth Parade US Shooting-July Fourth Parade US Shooting-July Fourth Parade US Shooting-July Fourth Parade US Shooting-July Fourth Parade US Shooting July Fourth Parade US Shooting-July Fourth Parade US Shooting-July Fourth Parade US Shooting July Fourth Parade US Shooting-July Fourth Parade US Shooting-July Fourth Parade US Shooting-July Fourth Parade
SPRINGFIELD  A bill that would ban the sale and manufacture of assault weapons in Illinois advanced out of the state House on Thursday and now awaits action in the Senate.

The bill was prompted in large part by the July 4 mass shooting in Highland Park during an Independence Day parade which left seven people dead and dozens more injured or traumatized.

Among those who traveled directly from Highland Park was Ashbey Beasley, who told a House committee Thursday that her 6-year-old son was traumatized by witnessing the parade shooting and is now undergoing therapy.

I dont believe in stripping things away from people, Beasley said, noting that she holds a Firearm Owner Identification card. But I do know what it feels like to run away from an AR-15. I do know what its like to run into a crowd of people running from an AR-15.

The bill was the subject of extensive committee hearings in December and negotiations over details of the measure continued until right before its passage in the House. It will still need approval in the Senate and from Gov. J.B. Pritzker to become law.

Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, issued a statement Friday morning saying senators are giving both the assault weapons ban and another House-approved abortion-related bill extensive review and careful evaluation over the weekend, as the Senate leaves Springfield until Sunday evening.

While changes to the legislation are possible, under the version passed by the House it would become illegal for anyone other than certain law enforcement officers, members of the U.S. military or the Illinois National Guard to knowingly manufacture, deliver, sell or purchase an assault weapon, assault weapon attachment, .50 caliber rifle or .50 caliber cartridge beginning 300 days after Pritzkers signature on the measure.

However, firearms used for hunting that are explicitly allowed by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources would not fall under the ban.

The bill provides a long list of specific weapons that would qualify as assault weapons, based largely on the federal assault weapons ban that was in effect from 1994 until 2014.

These are weapons that belong on a battlefield, not at parades, or parks, or schools or churches, House Speaker Emanuel Chris Welch, a chief sponsor of the bill, told his colleagues during a hearing Thursday.

The bill would also ban large-capacity magazines capable of holding more than 12 rounds of ammunition. And it would ban assault weapon attachments, or devices that make other guns resemble assault weapons, as well as switches  devices that increase a semi-automatic weapons rate of fire, effectively turning them into fully automatic weapons.

People who already own a weapon that would be banned under the bill would be allowed to keep them, but they would be required to file an affidavit with the Illinois State Police within 180 days after the bill becomes law, providing the weapons serial number in order to receive a special endorsement on their Firearm Owners Identification card.

Also beginning 300 days after becoming law, it would be illegal for anyone who owns such a weapon to sell or transfer it to anyone other than an heir, an out-of-state resident or a federally licensed firearms dealer. They would also be required to notify state police within 10 days of that sale or gift.

One of the last-minute changes made to the bill was a provision that would allow Illinois gun manufacturers to continue producing the weapons but would limit their sales to only law enforcement or out-of-state purchasers in jurisdictions where the weapons are still permitted.

The final version of the measure was stripped of provisions that would have prohibited individuals between ages 18 and 21 from purchasing a firearm, even with a parents consent. The latest version also removed a provision requiring hunters younger than 21 to be under the supervision of someone over 21 with a valid FOID card. That means if the bill becomes law, those individuals will have the same rights and protections they have under current law.

We talked a lot about that within our caucus, with negotiations, Rep. Bob Morgan, D-Deerfield, the bills chief sponsor in the House, told reporters Thursday. We heard a lot of feedback about the under-21 (issue). And what we heard most commonly was a lot of concerns with regards to hunting. That was a really important element.

Even those changes, however, were not enough to satisfy ardent gun rights advocates who argued that the measure would still violate the Second Amendments guarantee of the right to keep and bear arms.

Part of me wants you to pass this bill, Illinois State Rifle Association lobbyist Ed Sullivan told the committee. From what I read, its less constitutional than it was before. Takes away more rights than it did before. Makes it easier to strike down.

Sullivan argued that many of the weapons listed in the bill as assault weapons are commonly used by hunters and sportsmen, a fact that he said would make the ban vulnerable to being overturned under recent U.S. Supreme Court standards.

Still, the bill passed out of the committee on a 9-4 vote, sending it to the House floor for a debate that lasted nearly two hours, with supporters arguing it would reduce gun-related deaths in Illinois and opponents arguing it would have little or no effect and would likely be ruled unconstitutional.

The final vote in the House, taken shortly after midnight Friday morning, was 64-43. Only one Republican, outgoing Minority Leader Jim Durkin, of Western Springs, voted in favor of the bill. Four Democrats voted no and four more were listed as absent or not voting.

In an unusual move, Pritzker sat in the House chamber throughout the debate, at a House members desk next to Welch. After the vote, he issued a statement saying he looked forward to working with the Senate to pass the bill.

The language of the bill was inserted as an amendment to a bill, Senate Bill 2226, that had already passed the Senate, one dealing with amusement ride safety. That means the Senate only needs to vote on whether to concur with the changes made by the House.

Today in history: Jan. 6 1838: Samuel Morse and Alfred Vail 1919: Theodore Roosevelt 1941: Franklin D. Roosevelt 1982: William G. Bonin 1994: Nancy Kerrigan 2005: Edgar Ray Killen 2006: Lou Rawls 2013: Bashar Assad 2013: NHL 2017: Fort Lauderdale 2017: The Electoral College 2018: Takata 2021: Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock 2021: The Capitol 2022: Joe Biden 2022: Peter Bogdanovich 2022: Sidney Poitier
And, so it begins again.

For birders, from rank amateurs to trained ornithologists, Jan. 1 is a red-letter date.

Not only does the calendar turn over, but the annual list begins anew. For birders locked in the winter cycle of house finch, house sparrows, downy woodpeckers and Canada geese, there is a sense of renewal.

Suddenly, all the most common birds take on a new interest as the annual list is being rebuilt.

Ive been keeping an annual list for about six years now. From the very first year, I could feel my interest in birding rekindled on New Years Day. Birds that I might have ignored on New Years Eve magically took on a new importance with the inception of a New Year.

Moreover, Ill admit to being a list nerd. Pair the love of lists with a powerful interest in birds  it makes the perfect hobby.

My list is actually fairly simple. I log each new species I see with the date. The dates are helpful. It makes it easy to reference when a person can expect to see migratory species.

Each year I strive to reach 100 species by the end of January. Its an achievable goal if Southern Illinois is holding a lot of waterfowl, or if there is an early vacation along the Gulf Coast.

This years list got off to a modest beginning. Some past New Years days have yielded as many as 30 species. This year, Jan. 1 yielded just 11 species.

Last year was not a particularly good year for me in terms of species. I recorded just 169. Its the first time in several years I logged less than 200.

Im not really sure how that happened.

We took two trips to Florida and another to South Dakota last year, which significantly expands the number of species one can see. On the other hand, we didnt take a single trip to the coast, so that was an opportunity lost.

Conversely, there were significant additions to my life list. The trip to South Dakota added the upland sandpiper, the lark sparrow, MacGillravys warbler, Says phoebe and red-naped sapsucker to my life list. And, one of the Florida trips yielded a crested caracara sighting.

Obviously, the shortcoming was the result of lackluster birding in and around home.

Birding can be strange. A few years ago I never spotted a great-crested flycatcher, a quite common bird in Southern Illinois. This summer, there were great-crested flycatchers nesting in my neighbors tree. It was almost a daily sighting.

This years nemesis bird was the yellow-billed cuckoo. Although I heard them several times, there was never an actual sighting.

Another component of birding is photography. There is no better way to compile a list than with photographic evidence. A number of new species were added to my photographic menagerie in 2022, including the aforementioned lark sparrow and upland sandpiper. The South Dakota trip also yielded several species I hadnt previously photographed including, mountain bluebirds, western kingbirds and western meadowlarks.

Some people take the lists even farther. They compile state lists and yard lists.

If you choose to do any and all, its both fun and entertaining.
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster wants to increase 2022s record amount of capital investment and offset shortages across workforces like education and law enforcement, according to the budget request he released Friday.

His request includes $209 million for deferred maintenance and capital projects at the states colleges and universities, including local institutions. It includes:

Denmark Technical College  $439,392

Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College  $1,335,103

South Carolina State University  $4,492,359

The proposal is just a first step. Lawmakers will soon begin writing and approving a spending plan when the General Assembly reconvenes next week. But the Republican expressed confidence Friday that his six years spent cultivating relationships with legislative leaders will lend serious weight to his suggestions.

The lowest state debt in recent memory and a $3.8 billion budget surplus mean South Carolina has a lot of extra money available.

McMaster does not seek to spend it all. The executive budget proposal would allocate $500 million toward what the governors office said would be the largest rainy day fund balance in state history. The total far exceeds the minimum increase from 5% to 7% of the previous years revenue as required by a constitutional amendment approved by voters this past fall.

The South Carolina Department of Commerce recently announced a total capital investment of over $10 billion last calendar year  the most in state history. The governor is requesting $200 million to build and acquire more megasites to compete with Southeastern states like Georgia and Tennessee for additional electric vehicle and battery plants.

Education received special attention in this years request, with nationwide teacher shortages having left students underserved, most acutely in rural areas.

Public school teachers would see a pay increase. The budget proposes a new minimum salary of $42,500. The hike is a step toward McMasters stated goal of at least a $50,000 minimum salary by the time he leaves office. The recruitment and retention effort comes at a critical time. South Carolina is one of the few states where the number of students is increasing, according to the governors office.

Teachers would also receive a one-time, $2,500 bonus split across payments in December and May of the following school year. The governors office hopes the bonuses would free up districts to use federal pandemic relief funds for other ends, such as tutoring.

Patrick Kelly, director of government affairs for the Palmetto State Teachers Association, applauded what he called a very education-centered budget proposal. The significant investment in teacher pay would allow South Carolina to better compete with both other states and the private sector for educators, according to Kelly. He said the focus on increased compensation directly addresses one of the leading issues driving teachers away from the workforce.

Kelly added he would like to see the final budget include educators in state employees six-week paid parental leave program. The governors office said personnel policies would be left up to individual districts.

Education isnt the only arena struggling to hire talent. Technical schools would receive $78 million for scholarships to boost the number of nurses and fill other available jobs. And the state also competes with private entities for police officers and government workers.

To attract more police officers, McMaster wants to set aside $21.5 million for pay raises and implement a $2,000 tax credit for publicly employed first responders. Money for resource officers in 188 new schools would mean 91% of South Carolina public schools have an assigned school resource officer, according to the governors office.

A $3.6 million training center operated by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division would be built in a shuttered Lexington County school building. Police and school personnel would receive training year-round on such things as active shooter drills and advanced CPR at the centrally located center.

State agencies that requested the funds would have $78 million to implement pay raises for government employees. Additional money would go toward $2,500 signing bonuses and free OBGYN visits for all women covered by the state health plan.

Many of the highlights are similar to previous proposals. The budget request includes an $87 million income tax cut. The governors interest in conservation was reflected in $266 million that will fund the identification and preservation of culturally or environmentally significant land jeopardized by development and flooding. For the fourth year in a row, McMaster proposed a college tuition freeze for in-state students.

Population growth has also brought new challenges that McMasters budget seeks to address. Recent census data ranked South Carolina the third-fastest-growing state. The proposal puts $850 million toward expediting projects like interstate widenings and bridge replacements that the governors office said need to catch up with the booming population that will use roads.

Other projects include $10 million to replace the states two propeller-driven aircraft that the governors office said are approaching the end of their life, at nearly 40 years old.
A new Mexican store and restaurant are opening in Orangeburg.

Migos is opening at Glover Street and Stonewall Jackson Boulevard across from the Edisto Village Shopping Center.

The 8,000-square-foot building formerly housed a Family Dollar, which closed a few years ago.

The building will house a Mexican restaurant and store with a focus on authentic Hispanic products and food, according to restaurant owner John Harrell.

The targeted opening date of the restaurant/store is the beginning of March.

The business will most likely open Thursdays through Sundays with the intention to eventually open seven days a week based on customer demand, Harrell said.

The hours will be from about 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. or 9 p.m.

Harrell, whose wife is from Mexico, says the restaurant will be different from local Mexican restaurants.

"I have been involved in the Hispanic community since I have been here," Harrell said. "I have seen that not just Orangeburg, but St. Matthews, Elloree, Bamberg, any Hispanic communities anywhere around here, everybody has to go all the way to Columbia. Everybody."

"This is authentic," Harrell said. "This is going to be just like if you went into a little village or pueblo down in Mexico and ordered food down there."

Harrell said most of the Mexican restaurants in the area have "been Americanized a lot so that it more fits our taste."

"This is going to be authentic from Mexico," he said, noting his wife and mother-in-law will be cooking the meals. "We have old-school Mexican folks that are going to be cooking here. It is going to be as authentic as you can find. That is the big difference."

The restaurant will also have its own tortilla-making machine.

"That is a huge staple for Hispanics," Harrell said.

Harrell said he is expecting the business to employ between 16-20 and will have dine-in, takeout and possibly delivery in the future based on demand.

He said the restaurant will seat about 60.

The restaurant and store will be alcohol-free.

"I think it will a real good family friendly place," Harrell said.

For Harrell it is a first venture into the restaurant business.

"I just like to eat," he said. "I think there is a real good opportunity. There is not real competition and there is a need for it."

In addition to the restaurant and store, Harrell says he is also looking to provide a variety of services.

He said eventually there are plans to add barbecue and smoked Boston butt, briskets, ribs, a coffee shop, a meat market, a bakery, a barber shop and a candy store.

A Georgia native, Harrell arrived to Orangeburg about 17 years ago to work at the former Cox Industries plant on Cannon Bridge Road.

Harrell eventually purchased the Orangeburg Distribuidora Los Parientes (DLP) LLC plant, which he currently owns.

Harrell said his first time entering the business world as an entrepreneur has been eye-opening. He was surprised by the amount of paperwork and up-front work involved in making a business a reality.

He thanked City of Orangeburg Building Official David Epting for helping him through the process.
The guardian ad litem program is committed to finding people who are dedicated to making a difference in childrens lives.

The program provides foster children with volunteer advocates who represent their interests during court hearings.

One guardian is teacher Dr. Tracy Haigler, who says shes excited for the opportunity to be the voice of a child who may have been abused or neglected and to make a positive difference in a child's life.

The GAL program is a child-advocacy initiative that helps neglected and abused kids throughout South Carolina. It has volunteers who learn about the child, take information on the child's life and present recommendations to the court on what to do for the childs well-being.

Whenever I hear good news about a child's continued success from a parent or other family members, I'm really elated and grateful for having the opportunity to make a positive difference, Haigler said.

My voice as a guardian ad litem is an opportunity to respond to the needs of the children with love and hope, Haigler said.

For her, its rewarding to help a child.

My reward for helping a child in need is the joy in my heart. My spiritual upbringing taught me the importance of showing compassion, Haigler said.

The program was created in 1984 by Cass Elias Carter in Columbia. According to its website, a study found that when a GAL volunteer is assigned to a child, 95% of children do not stay in long-term foster care and 90% never return to the child welfare system.

Haigler was inspired to join after a former student had to be relocated because needed resources werent in the area.

That led her to want to help out other kids in similar situations.

I was saddened because South Carolina (Department of Social Services) could not find a therapeutic foster home for her. A few weeks later, I saw information on the guardian ad litem program and I decided I wanted to volunteer to make sure abandoned, abused or neglected children  had a voice, Haigler said.

This path led to the two of them reuniting as Haigler was tasked with the child as her first case. It was an instant full-circle.

The childs father was located and, after meeting DSSs treatment plan, the child was returned to the custody of her father, Haigler said.

Haigler said volunteering helps her better understand children who are from unique and problematic backgrounds.

I think my experience as a guardian has helped me to be a better teacher. As the guardian, I go into the childrens homes and see their physical environments. I speak to their parents, or their siblings, or other adults and actually see some of the struggles of children up close and personal, Haigler said.

Its given me a greater understanding of why certain behaviors evidence themselves in school. This understanding gained as a guardian has helped me to be more empathetic as a teacher, Haigler said.

As she continues her volunteering with the GAL program, she tries to recruit others to be a part of it and gain the happiness she gets from it.

I always try to encourage others to volunteer whenever someone tells me they're looking for a volunteer opportunity. I tell them about the guardian ad litem program and the joy I feel when I meet the children involved in the cases, Haigler said.

The GAL program provides yearlong training to those who want to be a guardian.

All applicants for the GAL program will undergo a background and reference check, then will be given special training. Experience with human services or the law is not necessary.

For more information on how you can become a volunteer guardian ad litem, contact David McAlhaney at 843-277-5849 or email David.McAlhaney@childadvocate.sc.gov. You can also visit GAL.SC.GOV
COLUMBIA  South Carolinas 98th Gubernatorial Inauguration will broadcast and stream live on South Carolina ETV and Public Radio beginning at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 11.

The swearing-in ceremony of Gov. Henry McMaster and Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette is set to take place at the South Carolina Statehouse and will be available to watch on ETV-HD and ETV World.

The ceremony will also broadcast and steam live on SC Public Radio for listeners. In addition to the swearing-in ceremony, SCETV will stream the Prayer Service at 9 a.m. and the Inaugural Ball at 7:30 p.m. on its Facebook page and YouTube channel.

SCETV has covered decades of South Carolina governor inaugurations, from the inauguration of Gov. Burnet Maybank on Jan. 17, 1939, to the inauguration of McMaster on Jan. 11, 2023. To learn more about South Carolinas former governors and their inaugurations, including inauguration transcripts, view the interactive timeline on SCETV Governor Inauguration page.

Additional South Carolina political and public policy coverage can be viewed on SCETV and listened to on SC Public Radio. Live, real-time feeds of House and Senate sessions are available for viewing each Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, beginning Jan. 10, on ETV World and online via the SCETV Facebook page and YouTube channel. In addition, in-depth discussions about public policy topics around the state can be heard on the SC Lede podcast and a weekly recap of the states top headlines airs at 7:30 p.m. Fridays on ETV-HD with This Week in South Carolina.

Viewers can access the broadcast via livestream on the SCETV website; by using a digital antenna; or through cable, satellite and streaming live TV providers. Further information about accessing SCETVs network is available on the SCETV website.
(TBTCO) - Sau mot nam chay ua theo con uong hau nhu khong bi can tro e at uoc muc lai suat cao hon, FED ang phai oi mat voi o ga lon au tien khi cac quyet inh uoc ua ra trong hang tram cac quyet inh ieu hanh tien te se cong lai - hoac khong - dan en su hon loan trong hoat ong cua ngan hang ang inh vi lai nen kinh te.
Kerry Eugene Garnett is newly married and hopes to use his computer programming skills to start a game design business with his wife. He is also serving 50 to 90 years in prison for his role in a murder committed when he was 18 years old.

Garnett, 57, didnt actually kill anyone when he and a friend attempted to beat and rob a man nearly 40 years ago. The man who did the stabbing, who was a few months shy of his 18th birthday at the time, is free after being paroled, the Wyoming Department of Corrections said.

But Garnetts attempts to get out of prison have so far failed. In June 2021, the Wyoming Board of Parole unanimously voted to recommend his release. However, Gov. Mark Gordon rejected his commutation request in February 2022.

Garnett was notified of the rejection towards the end of last year, but he, his family, his attorney and even his sentencing judge continue to hope for a sentence reduction.

I have gone through elementary school, middle school, high school, nine years of higher education and have been a practicing attorney for more than a decade, Ian K. Sandefer, Garnetts attorney, noted in a petition filed with the Wyoming Board of Parole. Throughout this time, Kerry has remained incarcerated for his role in this homicide.

The murder

During the spring of 1984, Garnett and James Allen Browning planned to beat and rob the owner of the former Valli-Hi Supper Club in Torrington, the petition said. Garnett had just turned 18 years old, and Browning was four months from turning 18.

The owner, James G. Exley, gave free drinks to Garnett and Browning after all other customers had left one night. After midnight, Garnett struck Exley over the head with a liquor bottle.

Garnett pulled Exley to his feet, and Browning stabbed him multiple times and killed him, the petition states.

The teens busted a sliding glass door to make it look like someone had broken into the club. Then they stole money, liquor, a phone, an electric razor and jewelry from Exleys body; they also slashed his waterbed.

Garnett is serving a longer prison sentence than the person who committed the murder because of their four-month age gap, scarce sentencing reductions in Wyoming and the felony murder rule  a law that allows a person to be charged with first-degree murder for a killing that occurs during a dangerous felony, even if they are not the killer.

Garnett maintains he didnt intend to kill Exley, but he was treated as if he did because he participated in the robbery. He is set to serve a consecutive sentence of 20 to 25 years for that crime.

Hes essentially set to die in prison, Sandefer said.

Recommended reduction

The Wyoming Board of Parole has recommended Garnett, along with dozens of other inmates, for reductions of their sentences during the last two decades.

The panel heard over 145 commutation petitions from 2005 to 2022, said Margaret M. White, executive director of the parole board. Of those, at least 65 recommendations were sent to the governors office.

Gov. Mark Gordon has received at least 14 recommendations during his tenure. He has granted three of those, said Michael Pearlman, the governors spokesperson.

The governor has not commuted any life sentences, said Pearlman. I cant offer a comment as to the governors position on the felony murder rule. None of his commutations involved the felony murder rule.

Gordons most recent commutation was on Dec. 20, when he reduced the sentence of Mark Farnham, a man who had shot a Wyoming Highway Patrol trooper. Farnhams current sentence is 55 years, 6 months, and 20 days to 75 years; it will be reduced to 53 years, 6 months, and 20 days to 75 years.

The governor considers the position of the victims and their families, the inmates remorse and disciplinary record, and the inmates participation in rehabilitative programs for clemency requests.

Exleys family did not attend the commutation hearings; their stance on the possibility of a sentencing reduction for Garnett is unknown.

Garnett was a high school dropout and already addicted to drugs and alcohol by the time he committed the crime. His alcoholic father let him start drinking at the age of 9. He was sexually abused by his fathers friend when he was 12. And his teenage years were not any better.

Like many offenders, Garnetts childhood was largely not a happy one, the petition said.

His initial crime wasnt his only strike against him though.

In 2009, Garnett planned with other inmates to escape from a North Dakota prison after he served 25 years and attended more than 20 failed parole hearings. But he and his cellemate confessed to detention staff before ever attempting to go through with it. He pleaded guilty to attempted escape and was sentenced to two years.

Garnett has obtained his GED, became a tutor for other inmates, enrolled in college courses, learned to program, taught himself several languages, completed counseling such as anger management and got married.

I have never had much faith in the ability of prison to rehabilitate; however, this young man is the exception, Lorraine S. Fresquez, an executive secretary for the board of parole in 1993, said in a recommendation.

The felony murder rule

Garnetts case is representative of issues that many inmates face in Wyoming and across the country, said Daniel Fetsco, a former parole board director and University of Wyoming professor.

The felony murder rule has been identified as a lopsided and unfair policy by many activists and scholars, he said. Many of these people serving life for murder werent even in the room when the person was killed.

It is a legal anomaly. The criminal justice system is based upon judging people by their intent. The felony murder rule goes against that.

The legal doctrine is believed to have originated in England, which is how it made its way over to the United States. The majority of the world has done away with it. But most states continue to use it in their criminal systems.

Its sort of this American arrogance that we are the best country in the world, so if we decide we want to be hard on criminals, who cares what other countries do, Fetsco said. Its cruel and barbaric. Most of these people are not Ted Bundy or some ax murderer.

Commutations decline

Those serving life in prison are rarely given the opportunity to have their sentence reduced, even if they are rehabilitated.

In Wyoming, the amount of people who had their sentences commuted drastically dropped off after the mid-90s. Then Gov. Mike Sullivan, who served from 1987 to 1995, shortened 218 inmates sentences, said Fetsco.

In comparison, only 36 inmates sentences were reduced in the last 28 years.

The Wyoming Board of Parole can recommend any inmate they wish, but typically theyve recommended people with life sentences. About one in seven inmates is serving life, according to Fetsco.

The parole board stopped recommending as many people because of the writing on the wall, he said. They noticed after Sullivan that not as many recommendations were accepted, and they were just getting shot down over and over.

Age brings its own set of complications, Fetsco said. In Garnetts case, the two friends were only separated in age by months. This has made and will continue to make it much harder for Garnett to be granted an earlier release.

He was only four months older than his co-defendant, said Fetsco. How do we draw the line? Its a tough thing to do to play God in those situations.

All these factors contributed to exploding prison populations over the last 50 years: more in and less out.

Wyoming is no exception. The states per capita incarceration rate topped the nationwide average in 2015 for the first time since the datas conception, the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics said.

I understand that eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth approach, but I also understand the concept of forgiveness and mercy, Fetsco said.
In an effort to protect counties against embezzlement, lawmakers could soon raise minimums for public officials bonds  some of which havent been adjusted in over a hundred years.

Most county officials are required by state law to provide bonds upon taking office. The bonds are meant to give counties a fail-safe if and when elected officials misuse public money.

Clerks of district court are currently required to give bonds of $10,000, minimum. For assessors, its $5,000, and for county clerks and sheriffs, its $4,000. Commissioners, coroners and surveyors, meanwhile, must provide bonds of at least $1,000.

House Bill 12, as currently written, would raise each of those minimums to $100,000. It earned sponsorship from the Joint Judiciary Committee in November, and is expected to go before the Wyoming Legislature after the session begins Tuesday.

The current minimums for public officials bonds just dont offer enough protection, said Jerimiah Riemer, executive director of the Wyoming County Commissioners Association.

In 2020, a former Goshen County Clerk of District Court was sentenced to three years in prison for stealing over $100,000, according to the Torrington Telegram. The county didnt have enough money to make up for the missing cash. The bond in place for that clerk was just $10,000.

To avoid that, many counties have already raised bond minimums for certain positions. In Uinta County, for instance, treasurers are required to provide bonds of $5 million upon entering office.

If passed as currently drafted, the bill would take effect in July.

Counties wouldnt suddenly have to find several hundred thousand dollars out of thin air. In Carbon County, the bond amount for treasurers is $100,000, but that equates to a fee of about $850 per official.

The new bill would also get rid of language requiring three county positions to have two bonds in place: county clerks, clerks of court and assessors.

Rieman wasnt sure where the two-bond rule came from. Many counties werent even aware it was state law, he told the Joint Judiciary Committee in November.
A legal case over GOP infighting is scheduled to be argued before the Wyoming Supreme Court in February. The outcome of the case could potentially impact how GOP county parties conduct their elections for Wyoming GOP State Central Committee representatives.

The hearing is set for 10 a.m. on Feb. 8, according to court documents.

Members of the Uinta County GOP initially filed the lawsuit in April 2021, alleging that the county party conducted an illegal election. But the complaint was dismissed in district court and by the Wyoming Secretary of State. In August, however, Rep.-elect Jon Conrad, one of the plaintiffs, appealed the case to the Wyoming Supreme Court.

The case stems from an election that the Uinta County GOP held in March 2021, months after the 2020 primary elections.

During that election cycle, plaintiffs Clarence Vranish, Clara Jean Vranish, Troy Nolan and Conrad, as well as defendants Lyle Williams, Elizabeth Jackson, Karl Allred and Jana Lee Williams vied for precinct committeeman and committeewoman offices. The plaintiffs were elected to those posts, while the defendants were not.

Both new and outgoing precinct committeemen and committeewomen participated in the county partys election to choose the Uinta County GOP chairman, state committeeman and state committeewoman to represent the county at the Wyoming GOP State Central Committee.

In that election, Jackson was chosen to be chairman, Allred state committeeman and Jana Lee Williams state committeewoman. The three still hold those positions.

One of the plaintiffs briefs argues that defendants votes controlled the outcome of the elections and essentially nullified the voice of voters who elected the plaintiffs to be members of the Uinta County Central Committee. They also allege that defendants participation in the vote violated state statute.

The case before this Court is not a petty dispute over an internal party election, one of their briefs say. It is a dispute regarding ineligible voters participating in the election at the County Central Committee, controlling the outcome, and thereby nullifying the votes the of Uinta County Republican voters.

But defendants say that the plaintiffs argument is premised on an errant interpretation of the statute and disregard for laws prohibiting the regulation of internal matters of a political party. They also said that none of the precinct committeemen or committeewomen who participated in the election tried to appeal it at the March 2021 meeting.

The lawsuit has put significant strains on the Wyoming Republican Partys pocketbook.

Last month, Allred, who was then the interim secretary of state, sent an email to members of the GOP State Central Committee asking for donations to cover the costs of the ongoing lawsuit.

I am really sorry to have to reach out but we are at the end of our rope and really need any help we can get, Allred wrote in the email.

The Wyoming Supreme Courts decision could impact the upcoming county GOP elections that will decide who will next represent each county in the Wyoming GOP State Central Committee. Plaintiffs requested that the court expedite its decision, given those fast-approaching elections.

Another Wyoming Supreme Court case over internal Republican Party matters, filed by the Natrona County Republican Party against the Wyoming Republican Party, was voluntarily dismissed by the plaintiff in October.
Following Sen. Cynthia Lummis unexpected vote to enshrine federal recognition of same-sex marriage, some in Wyomings Republican Party want to try and censure her.

Casper Republican Rep.-elect Jeanette Ward made a motion at the Natrona County Republican Party Central Committee meeting on Thursday to add discussion of Lummis potential censure to the agenda. Another incoming freshman representative, Midwest Republican Bill Allemand, seconded her motion, but it ended up failing in a 57-89 vote.

Both Ward and Allemand were signatories of a November letter from the Wyoming Freedom Caucus asking Lummis to reverse her vote on the Respect for Marriage Act. Ward said in an email to the Star-Tribune on Friday that the senators vote on the legislation is the only reason she wants to move toward censuring her.

The move isnt all that surprising. Lummis drew anger from some in the Republican Party following her vote to pass the Respect for Marriage Act in November.

The bill, which President Joe Biden has since signed into law, guarantees federal recognition of same-sex and interracial marriage, as long as those marriages were performed in states where its legal. It also repealed the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which recognized marriage as being between a man and a woman, and holds that states dont have to recognize same-sex marriages performed elsewhere.

Right now, same-sex and interracial marriage are protected by the U.S. Supreme Court decisions in Obergefell v. Hodges and Loving v. Virginia, so states cant make them illegal. But given the historical reversal of Roe v. Wade over the summer, which protected abortion access for almost 50 years, some wanted to act early to enshrine same-sex and interracial marriage into law in the scenario that those Supreme Court decisions are overruled in the future.

Sen. John Barrasso voted against the bill, while former Rep. Liz Cheney joined Lummis in voting for it.

The day after Lummis initial vote to advance the legislation, the Wyoming GOP sent out an email newsletter denouncing the move.

Yesterdays vote on the Respect for Marriage Act sadly saw our own Senator Lummis vote aye, the newsletter said, adding that the act threatens religious liberties and goes against the Wyoming Republican Party platform.

The Wyoming Pastors Network also asked Lummis in a letter to reverse course on her votes. (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, on the other hand, came out in support of the legislation.)

Ironically, it was the very fact that the bill included an amendment that added protections for religious freedom that Lummis tried to emphasize when explaining why she decided to vote in favor of the bill. The amendment exempts religious organizations from providing services, facilities or goods for a marriage thats against the organizations beliefs.

As a Christian and a conservative, ensuring that the religious liberties of people in Wyoming are protected and that no institution would be forced to perform a ceremony that is not in line with their values is absolutely essential, she said in a statement following her initial vote.

Its not clear at this point if other county parties will try to censure Lummis, though it wouldnt be surprising.

Park County GOP Chairman Martin Kimmet said his county party hasnt moved to censure Lummis, though the countys central committee has sent the senator a letter that Kimmet said asks for further explanation of her vote on the Respect for Marriage Act.

Kimmet said he preferred that the letter not be shared with the press right now, as he believes it should be up to Lummis whether or not she wants to make the letter public.

Party representatives from other counties that the Star-Tribune contacted said they hadnt heard of any moves to censure Lummis at this point. But they still havent had their first central committee meetings of the year. At that time, someone could try to get the topic on the agenda.

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Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley will today turn the sod for the construction of the 112 mega watt (MWac) solar project.

The sod-turning comes almost three years after the consortium of bpTT and Shell were selected as the preferred bidder on the project which has caused an escalation in cost to taxpayers.
A relative of one of the two men killed along the Churchill-Roosevelt Highway in Piarco, on Monday night, heard the gunshots that ended their lives and saw the vehicle they were in pull to the side of the road.

The dead men are Shamba Chandler, a resident of Maracas/St Joseph and Mt DOr Road, Champs Fleurs, and Carlsbury Lewis, also known as Berry, of Mohammed Street, St Augustine.
 Flash

The "strengthening relationship" between the Philippines and China "can only smooth the way to a greater, deeper and stronger partnership," Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. said on Thursday.

Marcos made the remarks after returning to Manila after a three-day "fruitful" state visit to China.

Describing China as "an important bilateral partner," Marcos expected that bilateral ties will be strengthened in many areas, including agriculture, education, energy, environment, infrastructure, science and technology, trade and people-to-people exchanges.

"As we embark on a new chapter of our bilateral ties," said Marcos, his country and China share the commitment to ensuring that both sides will "continue the positive trajectory of our relations," which have been elevated to a comprehensive strategic cooperation since 2018.

"We are more than willing to cooperate whenever possible," he said.




Proving that music builds bridges across oceans, Chinese violist Tiezheng Shen lives in Tucson and teaches classical viola music to Mexican students in central Arkansas.

Shen (since moving to the U.S., he goes by his surname for simplicity), graduated from the University of Arizona in August with a masters degree and Doctoral of Music Arts degree. He works as a sound engineer at MindPlay, a Tucson-based educational software company. He has about 10 students ranging from elementary to high school age at a private Tucson studio, and also is an adjunct viola professor and recording studio manager at his alma mater, the University of Central Arkansas.

Every two weeks, Shen travels from Tucson to UCA to teach Elizabeth Calixto Munoz (Ely) and Maria Paulina Casa Gonzalez (Paulina), two Mexican students on full scholarship at the university. While the students are studying in the United States, their dedication to furthering their music studies elevates the Arkansas music program, said Stephen Plate, chair of the UCA music department

When we have students (like Ely and Paulina) they are also increasing us ... They already were world-class students, and Shen has a lot with them coming along before they got here, Plate said.

For Shen, his professorship is a full-circle life moment, as he is extending the same opportunities that were afforded to him 15 years ago when Israel Izzy Getzov, professor of music and director of orchestras at Arkansas, brought him from Shanghai, China, for higher learning.

Beyond borders

Conway, Arkansas, a town of 60,000 residents, may seem like an improbable place for foreign artists to thrive. But as Getzov points out, its the very premise of how music is passed on: through time and across continents.

Its an art form you have to pay forward, Getzov said. To get the opportunity to inspire young people in a way we were inspired through music is something very special, and intergenerational and international. Its the meaning of music.

Shen met Ely and Paulina through his annual trips to Mexico City. What started as an invitation from Maestro Angel Medina of Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico to teach master classes and perform as a guest artist for students who could not afford international travel, quickly evolved into ViolaVoice, the largest international viola festival in Central and South America.

Shen admits he was initially wary of traveling to Mexico; the nightly news painted a mixed picture of travel across the southern border, and he was worried about the language barrier. But his preconceptions vanished when Medina met him at the airport. From that moment to departure, Medina, his family, and his friends welcomed Shen with a spirit of, Mi casa es su casa, or my house is your house.

Shen considers his master classes the most rewarding part of his trips. While they were supposed to be by-appointment-only, and last a couple hours in the afternoon, Shen extended the sessions for any students who wanted a consultation after noticing the personal sacrifices many artists took to attend his classes.

The term struggling artists took on a new meaning to him, as he witnessed his Central and South American friends endure financial hardship to pursue music professionally. One student rode an eight-hour overnight bus from interior Mexico just to attend Shens master class. He also consulted with a student with posture problems that could be corrected with a new, higher shoulder rest that cost $40 US dollars, which Shen learned was the equivalent of the young woman working for an extra two months.

I just bought it for her and thats why I started to bring the used strings, shoulder rest and resin to Mexico to give to anyone who needed it, Shen said. Its a very small thing.

The viola community in Mexico is small and collegial. Musicians stay in touch via a Facebook group, Sociedad Mexicana de la Viola. There, they exchange repertoire, build community and share their performance experience, all in the hopes of broadening and developing the Mexican viola experience to expand beyond the countrys borders and to showcase their country as a world-class talent in viola repertoire. Shens student, Paulina, hopes to return to Mexico City after graduation to pass on the legacy of 20th-century European composers like Paul Hindemith, who she is studying under Shen.

Maestro Medina of Mexico City says he always thinks in the voice of the viola, a voice that is often overlooked as a solo instrument for its more popular counterpart, the violin.

Interestingly, Shen points out that the violas sound register is the closest to the human voice. We hear comfort in the voice of the viola. It is also a universal voice and language Shen, Ely and Paulina have mastered and communicate fluently in. While bits of their verbal communications are lost in translation; once they pick up their bows, the barriers melt and no translation is needed.

In our current environment of tense cross-border relations, Shens story is particularly striking: A Chinese violist looking to advance his own musical ambitions brings Mexican students back to his Arkansas alma mater to keep the spirit of 20th-century European composers alive. His musical journey plays out through generations, over continents and through the global musicians who have touched his life.
The Pima County Sheriffs Department is looking for a man who robbed three people at various Chase Bank ATMS last year on Tucsons northwest side.

On Oct. 6 at 10:30 p.m., deputies responded to the Chase Bank near East River Road and North Campbell Avenue after receiving reports of a robbery. The victim used the walk-up ATM when a man approached her with a handgun and demanded money. The robber then fled, a news release from the sheriffs department said.

The victim described the robber as Hispanic, between the ages of 18 and 25. He had black hair and was last seen wearing a gray zip-up hoodie, blue Adidas pants and black shoes.

On Oct. 25, deputies were called to the Chase Bank near North Oracle Road and West Rudasill Road for another report of a similar robbery. Like the one that happened earlier in the month, the victim was approached by a man who demanded money, the news release said.

A day later, deputies arrived at the Chase Bank at East River and North Campbell Avenue and were told the same armed robber approached another victim and demanded money after the victim had used the ATM. The robber was dressed in the same clothing as the previous two robberies, the news release said.

Detectives are currently asking the public for help in identifying the robber in these robberies. Anyone with information is asked to call 911.
Wade McLean, former superintendent of Marana Unified School District, is the newest member of Pima Community Colleges Governing Board.

When Catherine Ripley, who had served on the board since 2020, resigned late last year her seat opened and became the responsibility of Pima County School Superintendent Dustin J. Williams to fill with an appointee. Williams office announced earlier this week that it had reviewed numerous applications and selected McLean.

Dr. McLean stood out as the candidate who most closely aligns with the Pima Community College adopted mission, vision, and values, Williams said in a news release. Appointing McLean, he continued, will ensure a smooth and effective transition for PCC because (h)e brings a set of fresh eyes to the governing board and is committed to serving all PCC stakeholders while focusing on the needs of students, staff, and faculty.

McLean will serve as an appointed board member until 2024, at which point he may choose to run for re-election to retain his seat. Two other new board members who won their seats in Novembers general election, Theresa Riel and Greg Taylor, will also join McLean this year. Maria Garcia and Luis L. Gonzales are the two returning board members.

McLean, who earned three degrees from the University of Arizona, worked as a teacher and administrator in the state for decades before retiring in 2019. He also served on the Arizona State Board of Education, which is charged with enacting state education policy.

All of these experiences, he said, have equipped him with the skills he believes will bring harmony to the five-member board, whose previous iteration had disagreements on its support of the colleges leadership. I have a pretty good track record of bringing people together, McLean said. Im optimistic that Ill be able to move the board in a positive direction.

But, McLean and two other new board members are starting their terms after a dramatic few months for the colleges top brass.

Garcia and Gonzales filed complaints against Chancellor Lee Lambert with the colleges accreditor in 2021 (the accreditor later dismissed the majority of the complaints) and are supported by a community group called People4PCC which called for Lamberts resignation last fall. Meanwhile, the three board members who have since left their positions made clear their support for Lambert.

I dont quite understand that McLean said, From the outside looking in, (Lambert) seems like hes got his pulse on the community. He added that, as part of the colleges strategy to boost enrollment, hes supportive of Lamberts efforts to attract more students by building up PCCs workforce development programs.

A good leader needs support, McLean said. It will be my job to create an atmosphere in which the college can move forward, and that means leadership needs to be seen in a positive way. My hope is that I can help the board have conversations about how to improve the college and not get involved in issues that really arent significant.
A Tucson man is facing a misdemeanor charge in connection with the killing of a bobcat last year that was part of a research study.

According to Arizona Game and Fish Department spokesman Mark Hart, William Simmons told state game officers that he shot the animal on his back wall in a west-side neighborhood because it was threatening his pets.

Killing a bobcat under circumstances like that isnt illegal, Hart said, but what he should have done was contact us to report it.

The adult female bobcat, nicknamed Sadie by researchers, was found dead from a gunshot wound on Sept. 28, after a mortality alert from the tracking collar that was placed around her neck about eight months earlier.

Simmons, 70, lives near where the dead bobcat was recovered, between Whispering Bell Drive and Painted Hills Road, south of Ironwood Hill Drive. He was cited for killing wildlife without a license.

A state game officer also issued written warnings to the man for using an unlawful method of wildlife take, recklessly discharging a firearm, discharging of a firearm within a quarter mile of an occupied structure and false reporting to law enforcement.

Hart said Simmons told officers he fired two warning shots with his handgun to try to scare the cat away before shooting the animal.

Simmons could not be reached for comment.

A hearing in the case is set for Jan. 27 in Pima County Justice Court.

Sadie was one of 31 bobcats that have been trapped and fitted with tracking collars since November 2020 as part of the Bobcats in Tucson Research Project.

The ongoing behavioral study tracks bobcats between the Tucson Mountains and the Santa Cruz River to learn more about how they move through populated areas in search of food and places to give birth and raise their young.

Poultry problem

Biologist Cheryl Mollohan, who is leading the project under a permit from Game and Fish, said the findings so far point to an unexpected threat to urban bobcats: humans with guns, defending their domestic animals.

Sadie was at least the third test subject to be shot to death in the past two years. On Oct. 1, a male bobcat, nicknamed Jonathan, was killed near West Starr Pass Boulevard and North Shannon Road by a resident who said the cat was stalking his chickens. A different male, Dave, was shot dead by a Menlo Park homeowner for the same reason in 2021.

Hart said Game and Fish did not issue citations in those two cases, because the shootings were properly reported to authorities and the residents were cleared of any wrongdoing.

Based on the number of incidents so far just involving animals in the study, Mollohan suspects more Tucson bobcats than previously known are getting killed by people for preying on backyard poultry or pets.

Within the past week, the research team received a report of another radio-collared bobcat carrying off chickens from a house not far from where Sadie was killed. The culprit turned out to be Beverly, an adult female with a kitten to feed.

Mollohan said the homeowner was trying his best to avoid having to kill the cat, but he was running out of ideas.

Researchers ended up paying the man for the four chickens he lost, and they plan to help him install an electric barrier on top of his back fence in hopes of discouraging Beverlys return.

The Bobcats in Tucson Project is tracking 17 animals, and researchers hope to catch and collar five more cats by the end of the month.

Nine bobcats have died over the course of the study so far, including the three that were shot.

Three others were run over in the road and one died two days after it was trapped and released, possibly from the stress of being captured, though a necropsy found no clear cause of death.

The latest loss for the project came in November, when the tracking collar from a male bobcat known as Steve was found cut off and left on the side of the road in the cats home range, which crossed Ajo Way.

We did not retrieve a body, so (there is) no way to know what happened, but I suspect it was another illegal kill, Mollohan said.

Its frustrating to her that state regulations dont do more to discourage the use of lethal force against bobcats, coyotes and other unprotected wildlife. The way the law is now, theres just no protection for predators, she said.

Sweet and sour

Not everyone supports what Mollohan and company are doing.

The research project has drawn some criticism in recent months from photographers and other wildlife enthusiasts, who are upset to see tracking collars on two of the bobcats that frequent Sweetwater Wetlands.

The complaints started last January, after researchers caught and collared a male they nicknamed Wyatt. But wetlands visitors already knew the animal by another name: Graybeard.

Opposition intensified about a month ago, when one of the wetlands most familiar cats, known to wildlife watchers as Mama, also showed up wearing a collar.

Photographer and wetlands regular Fred Hood said the behavior of the two cats has changed significantly since they became unwitting test subjects. They are seen less frequently than before, and when they do show up, they seem less relaxed and more skittish around people.

They have basically ruined the photo ops at Sweetwater, Hood said. Their website states one of their goals is to increase appreciation of bobcats as watchable wildlife. Their actions are having the opposite effect: They have ruined perhaps the best bobcat watching opportunity in the nation.

Hes also not crazy about the tracking collars themselves, which he considers invasive and potentially dangerous to the cats as they cross back and forth through the fences surrounding the wetlands park operated by Tucson Water.

He doesnt think the collars look very good in photographs, either. Its nothing Id hang on my wall or be able to sell, he said.

In recent weeks, one of Hoods fellow wetlands photographers launched an online petition at Change.org called Free the Bobcats of Tucson. As of Friday, 589 people had signed the petition, which calls for the collars to come off and the study to end.

Both Tucson Water and the Arizona Game and Fish Department continue to back the research project.

In March, Tucson Water Administrator Jeff Biggs pledged his full support to the study in a letter granting the research team full access to Sweetwater Wetlands, including after hours.

Hart said Game and Fish has not received any complaints about the project that he is aware of, but the agency has no concerns of its own with the researchers use of tracking collars.

He said state wildlife biologists frequently use the same technology themselves.

We collar all manner of species. Thats how we know that sandhill cranes (near Willcox) fly from as far away as Siberia  radio-tracking data, Hart said. That is the best way to get field data on species.

Collars come off

For her part, Mollohan said they simply could not gather the detailed location data they are collecting by using trail cameras, scat surveys or any of the other, more passive techniques Hood and others have suggested.

So much of what we know about wild animals is because of radio collars, she said. To say that you can learn from observation alone, especially with bobcats, just isnt realistic.

As for the specific complaints surrounding Sweetwater Wetlands, she said her team has never set traps within the park or intentionally targeted bobcats known to frequent that area.

After the dust-up over Wyatts collar early last year, she said she set a strict no-trap zone around the wetlands and committed to not collaring any cats within 1.6 miles of the place.

The bobcat known as Mama  researchers call her Cassidy  was caught well outside that buffer zone, Mollohan said.

Ultimately, opponents of the study will get their wish. A little over a year from now, all of the bobcats should be free.

Mollohan said nine of the tracking collars in use are scheduled to automatically drop off of their test subjects in early June. The rest of the collars are set to come off by Feb. 1, 2024.

A final report on the research project is due in August of next year.

Mollohan said the document will include a complete analysis of all the data gathered since 2020, as well as recommendations for how residents can make Tucson an even more welcoming place for bobcats.

Its as much a study for humans as it is for bobcats, she said. These bobcats encounter people every day. The goal is to mitigate conflict and find a way forward thats positive for both bobcats and people.

Saddlebrooke attack prompts warning State wildlife officials are warning SaddleBrooke residents to be on the lookout for a potentially rabid bobcat that attacked a man on Wednesday morning. Arizona Game and Fish Department spokesman Mark Hart said the man was sitting on the porch of his home on Flower Ridge Drive, when the cat approached and attacked him unprovoked. Hart said the man fought the animal off with a patio chair, but not before sustaining cuts to his arm and leg. The man was also treated for rabies, because the virus can cause aggression in bobcats that is otherwise very rare, Hart said. The only recent bobcat attacks on humans that he could recall happened in Bisbee about five years ago and in Oro Valley in 2009, and both of those animals turned out to be rabid. Its just so unusual for a bobcat to behave this way, Hart said. Officials advise anyone who sees a bobcat in the SaddleBrooke area to avoid the animal and call 623-236-7201 right away.

Videos: Southern Arizona wildlife caught on camera Golf course coyotes howl at sunset in northwest Tucson Downtown Tucson got a rare visit from a wild coatimundi. Just an ordinary bike ride ... following a bear Bobcats play in Tucson backyard Watch now: Bear sightings reported around Pima County Watch now: Bobcats playing on an Oro Valley Golf Course Watch now: Mountain Lion strolls outside home in Tucson Foothills Watch Now: Trail cameras catch mountain lions at Tucson home. Watch now: Family of bears takes a stroll in southeastern Arizona Watch Now: Mountain lion roaming in the Coronado National Memorial Watch now: Ding, dong! Bobcat filmed by front door camera in Tucson Watch now: Bear captured in Sierra Vista neighborhood, released Watch now: A cool cat takes a cool nap in the Foothills Watch now: Young bear seen in NW Tucson captured and released Watch now: Bear spotted rummaging through trash can in Oro Valley Watch now: Bobcat's breakfast near Oro Valley Watch now: Breakfast with the deer on Tumamoc Watch now: Bobcat kitten plays with mother behind Tucson residence Watch now: Rescued porcupine released back into wild Watch now: Bobcat kittens play in a dry fountain Watch now: Bobcat stops by Tucson waterhole for an overnight drink Watch Now: Collared bobcat raises kittens in Tucson neighborhood Watch now: Javelina family takes an evening stroll in midtown Tucson Bobcat plays with its kitten in Tucson backyard Watch now: Mountain lion seen up-close on camera outside Tucson home Watch now: Bobcats in love in the Tucson area Watch Now: Family of deer eating breakfast on Tumamoc Hill Watch now: A hummingbird plays in the sprinkler Watch now: Breakfast time for the Quail family in the Tucson area Watch now: Frequent visitor to northwest Tucson home munches on meal worms Watch now: Playful lizards visit a Tucson back yard Watch now: Startled mountain lion at Loews Ventana Canyon Watch now: A true lounge lizard in Tucson Watch now: A spotted skunk threatens the worst at Saguaro National Park Watch now: Bobcat makes himself at home Watch now: Mountain lion outside a home in the Tucson Mountain foothills Watch now: Family of bobcats spotted in Foothills back yard Watch now: Backpackers intense standoff with mountain lion near Tucson Watch now: Javelina rescued from trash can in Foothills neighborhood Watch now: Owl takes a bath in trough on Tucson's northwest side Watch now: Coyote pups play in front yard near Tucson Estates Bighorn sheep scatter in Catalina Mountains during aerial survey Counting sheep: Arizona Game and Fish to survey bighorns near Tucson Watch now: Bears splish-splash at springs in Rincon Mountains east of Tucson Watch now: Bobcat vs. snake in Tucson yard Watch now: Bighorn sheep enjoy post-monsoon greenery near Tucson Watch now: Bear has a rub-a-dub in watering hole near Tucson Releasing bobcats for research Research project continues tracking Tucson's urban bobcats Watch Now: Bobcat Sadie and a friend drink from a backyard fountain. Watch now: Javelina mama and babies
In our society, what comes after a tragedy like the killing of hydrology professor Tom Meixner at the University of Arizona seems obvious and natural.

A lawsuit.

Meixners family sues the university for their negligence in protecting Meixner from a student long known to be threatening violence. Thats just how things work in the USA.

In this case, though, it might not happen.

In her first interview since the Oct. 5 killing, widow Kathleen Meixner said she might not sue. Its not that she and her family are happy with the university and other local institutions. They think the university and others failed to protect Meixner, then the chair of the Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences Department, from a known threat  former graduate student Murad Dervish.

They prefer not to sue, because thats what they think Tom would want, and because Arizona law works against people in their position. What they really want is accountability for what went wrong and for the people affected to be treated right.

Tom would not want that, Kathleen Meixner said about the possibility of suing. Thats my gut feeling. Tom would not want that. What is frustrating to me is  my concern is  I ask myself, What is it going to take for the underlying issues to be fixed, to prevent this from ever happening again?

Meixner and her brothers, Colin and Kevin Cotter, laid out many of those underlying issues during an interview at their mothers Tucson home. Among them:

When the University of Arizona Police Department first sent possible charges against accused killer Dervish to the Pima County Attorneys Office in April, they only included recent threats against an assistant dean of students, not the faculty members who had documented his behavior and passed on complaints for months.

Tucson police received a report in March, from a man who discussed selling a gun to Dervish, saying that Dervish texted that he planned to use the gun to kill other people and himself. It appears that information was not passed on to the UAPD or any of those threatened by Dervish.

The UAPD sent possible cases against Dervish to the Pima County Attorneys Office in April and September, but those documents were included in packets of minor cases rather than highlighted separately so prosecutors would pay special attention.

The Pima County Attorneys Office took weeks to review the possible charges and declined them without apparently knowing the significance of the threat or considering alternative charging options.

In the aftermath, the university quickly cut off the Meixner familys health insurance and has been halting in its assistance to them and the other members of the department affected by the killing, including those who witnessed his death.

UA response incredibly disappointing

The university has hired an outside firm, the PAX Group, to review the entire episode and make recommendations. The UA also hired Steve Patterson, the recently retired head of the FBIs Tucson office, to help with the universitys Threat Assessment and Management Team.

In a statement, the UA said, The loss of Dr. Tom Meixner has been heart-wrenching for our campus community, and our thoughts remain with his loved ones and those students, staff and colleagues so deeply impacted by his passing.

We eagerly await the reviews findings. At the same time, we are implementing additional security measures to further enhance the safety of our entire community.

Separately, the UAs faculty senate is also doing its own review of the incident and has voted unanimously to ask the university to continue paying for the Meixner familys health insurance.

It was this sort of thing, the cutoff of insurance that happened 11 days after Meixner was killed, that prompted Colin Cotter to start consulting with attorneys, he said.

When I started to reach out to civil attorneys, it was once we realized all the gross negligence and once we realized that the university wasnt just going to come forward and take care of Kathleens family or the other victims and witnesses, which was incredibly disappointing.

We felt like we needed to know what our options were. Kathleen never wanted to turn this into some ugly thing.

What Cotter heard from attorneys is probably surprising to anyone who doesnt know Arizonas employment law.

To our knowledge, there is no actionable claim against the university or any of the entities under their umbrella  UAPD, board of regents, general counsel, Cotter said. My understanding is that they are all protected under our workers comp laws, and that workers compensation is the exclusive remedy for when an employee is killed on the job, despite the presence of gross negligence.

Liability hard to find

I checked with a local attorney experienced in employment and personal-injury law, Stephen Portell, to be sure that what Kathleen Meixner and her siblings were hearing was true. Portell confirmed it is.

To step outside workers comp and sue the university, there has to be some kind of willful misconduct, Portell said.

State law defines willful misconduct as an act done knowingly and purposely with the direct object of injuring another. In other words, the university would have to have deliberately aided in Meixners murder, not just negligently failed to prevent it, to be held liable.

Its so crazy to me that the system is so broken that the university has no liability, the Pima County Attorneys Office has no liability, and the university has no way to give a dollar to Kathleen, Colin Cotter said. Or, at this point, to do something unique and special to take care of the witnesses and other people.

Their brother Kevin wondered if its fear of a lawsuit that is preventing the university from taking more aggressive action in supporting survivors.

Legally speaking, Portell said, if the UA wants to aid the Meixner family or other survivors, that doesnt increase its liability.

Goal: accountability and improvements

Kathleen Meixner noted the family has been fortunate to have support from friends and family in Tucson, and also from people all over the world who contributed to a GoFundMe fundraiser set up on their behalf. What remains undone, though, is the people and institutions who could have done more taking responsibility for past failures and fixing the problems.

I think in part you just want something to happen right away that gives you some consolation, Kathleen Meixner said. Theyre moving on this, or they want to do right by the Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences Department. You want it all to happen right away.

The reality is, and Im coming to terms with this, that this process is taking a lot longer than Id like it to. Id like to feel that the department is getting taken care of and that theyre doing everything they can to prevent this from happening again to any other family or department on campus.

Whats frustrating to me is that suing is sometimes what it takes. That really makes me angry, because Id like for there to be accountability and a recognition of, there were so many things along the way that could have been handled in a different way to prevent Toms death.

It would honor Tom Meixner, who proudly wore the UAs colors, if accountability could occur, and affected people were well taken care of, without a lawsuit.
Aniyah Green was a "lil' momma" to everyone she met. She was 10.

Joelle Liggans went from being nonverbal to singing in a choir. She was 8.

Jalissa Liggans was a tomboy, the kind of child who would jump off a diving board without being sure how to swim. They called her "Juicy." She was 7.

Denise Keith was the quiet one  smart and always observing what was going around her. She was 4.

Nehemiah Robinson was the lone boy among his sisters and a classic mama's boy. He liked to play with cars and ate everything. He was 2.

Buffalo officials identify five children who died in Saturday's fatal fire City officials on Wednesday afternoon identified the five young siblings who died in last weekend's devastating fire in Buffalo's LaSalle neighborhood.

These were the five children who perished in a New Year's Eve fire at a Dartmouth Avenue home in Buffalo's LaSalle neighborhood.

Aniyah, Joelle and Jalissa died at the scene. Denise and Nehemiah were rushed to the hospital, where they died later. One child  an 8-month-old baby girl, Ziyah Robinson  survived. Lisa Liggans, who was caring for the children, carried the baby out of the house. The baby suffered only minor smoke inhalation, but Lisa Liggans remains in the Erie County Medical Center burn unit.

The children's mother, Kenise Robinson, now mourns her unimaginable loss as she prepares to bury their little bodies.

At the same time, she has faced questions she calls "hurtful."

For the past seven months, her children lived with Lisa and her husband, Clarence Liggans, Kenise Robinson said.

"Anybody that knows me knows I love my children very much," she said.

She has found some solace in allowing the two children who died at the hospital to be organ donors. The lives of five children were saved as a result, she said.

"It's amazing," she said. "It's even more confirmation that it's a circle. What you put out comes back to you. We kept five families from feeling the hurt that I'm feeling."

Kenise Robinson recounted how she learned about the fire when she got a phone call from Oishei Children's Hospital.

She raced to the hospital and learned that her three oldest daughters had died. The baby was doing well, and doctors were doing everything they could do to save Denise and Nehemiah. Both had suffered severe smoke inhalation. They had repeated seizures and went into cardiac arrest multiple times. Soon, they were declared "brain dead."

Robinson said it gave her a measure of comfort to be able to donate their organs.

"I'm an organ donor myself. I've always felt like if you're gone from here, if a piece of you could save someone else, why not?"

Nehemiah's transplant surgery took place on the night of Jan. 1. Denise's was on the following morning.

"It was hard," Robinson said, but added the organ donations offered "some type of meaning, to help somebody some type of way."

She later received an update from ConnectLife about where the donations went.

"Denise and Nehemiah literally saved the lives of the following: a 4-year-old boy from Alabama, a 3-year-old boy from Boston, a 7-year-old girl from Cleveland and two other recipients who are in the OR right now," the text message said.

Robinson was given two white teddy bears that contain the recordings of her children's heartbeats.

The family is still trying to process the loss, said Patricia Montgomery, great aunt of the five children.

"There are no words," Montgomery said.

Robinson said that the Ligganses had taken care of her children for about seven months. She explained she had to leave her home and was living with another family member, but authorities said it was inadequate and the Liggans ended up taking temporary custody of the children.

Murray Holman of the Stop the Violence Coalition said his group and the Back to Basics ministries will try to support Robinson however possible.

He hopes people understand she is a grieving mother and had nothing to do with the fire. Fire officials have ruled the blaze "accidental," but have not yet determined exactly how it started.

3 girls dead, 3 more children and grandmother in hospitals after Dartmouth Avenue house fire The devastating fire took place on the final day of what was a tragedy-filled year for Buffalo and as the city is still reeling from the blizzard that struck last weekend.

"She did nothing with the fire," Holman said. "She had nothing to do with that. And whatever happened prior to that had nothing to do with the fire. ... She actually donated the parts of her children to save lives of other children. We don't want the community to come at her. She has enough on her plate."

Robinson said she had twice weekly visits with her children and also talked to them on the phone.

She last spoke to them on Christmas Day, she said. It had been hard to arrange visits with the holidays and then the blizzard.

"We talked about what they were getting and how much I missed them and the presents that I was going to bring to the next visit," she said.

Now, instead, she is planning a funeral for them.

Robinson's father started a gofundme.com fundraiser for her.
SACRAMENTO, Calif.  About 600 people alive today cant have children because Californias government sterilized them either against their will or without their knowledge, and now the state is trying to find them so it can pay them at least $15,000 each in reparations.

But after a year of searching, the state has approved just 51 people for payments out of 310 applications. Theres one year left to look before the $4.5 million program shuts down and the challenges remain steep. State officials have denied 103 people, closed three incomplete applications and are processing 153 others  but they say its difficult to verify the applications as many records have been lost or destroyed.

Two groups of people are eligible for the money: Those sterilized by the government during the so-called eugenics movement that peaked during the 1930s and a smaller group who were victimized while in state prisons about a decade ago.

We try to find all the information we can and sometimes we just have to hope that somebody maybe can find more detailed information on their own, said Lynda Gledhill, executive officer of the California Victims Compensation Board that oversees the program. Were just sometimes not able to verify what happened.

California in 2021 was the third state to approve a reparations program for forced sterilizations, joining North Carolina and Virginia. But California was the first state to also include more recent victims from its state prison system.

The eugenics movement sought to prevent some people with mental illness or physical disabilities from being able to have children. California had the nations largest forced sterilization program, sterilizing about 20,000 people beginning in 1909. It was so well known that it later inspired practices in Nazi Germany. The state did not repeal its eugenics law until 1979.

Of the 45 people approved for reparations so far, just three were sterilized during the eugenics era. With surviving victims from that time in their 80s, 90s and beyond, state officials have sent posters and fact sheets to 1,000 skilled nursing homes and 500 libraries across the state in hopes of reaching more of them.

The state also signed a $280,000 contract in October with JP Marketing, based in Fresno, to launch a social media campaign that will run through the end of 2023. The biggest push will begin this month, when the state will pay for TV and radio ads in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Sacramento that will run through next October.

The hope is that victims friends or relatives will see the ads and help their loved one apply for the program. Only victims are eligible for payments. But if a victim dies after being approved but before receiving the total payment, they can designate a beneficiary  such as a family member  to receive the money.

We take that mission very seriously to find these folks, Gledhill said. Nothing we can do can make up for what happened to them.

The second group eligible for reparations comprises people who were sterilized in California prisons. A state audit found 144 women were sterilized between 2005 and 2013 with little or no evidence they were counseled or offered alternative treatments. State lawmakers responded by passing a law in 2014 to ban sterilizations in prison for birth control purposes while still allowing for other medically necessary procedures.

Its been much easier to find records verifying those victims, as their procedures happened recently. State officials have sent letters to inmates believed to have been sterilized and urged them to apply while also putting up fliers in state prisons advertising the program.

Wendy Carrillo, a Democratic member of the California Assembly who pushed to get the program approved, said she will ask lawmakers to extend the application deadline beyond 2023. She wants to give victims more time to apply, and she wants to expand the program to include victims who were sterilized at county-funded hospitals. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors apologized in 2018 after more than 200 women were sterilized at the Los Angeles-USC Medical Center between 1968 and 1974.

Im not thrilled with the numbers that we are seeing so far, but I believe that as we exit out of COVID and we begin to fully work at our full capacity  meaning that we are able to do community meetings and in-person meetings and more direct outreach other than behind a computer and through Zoom  things will change, she said.

Finding inmates who were sterilized is still a challenge, Gledhill said. Its a population that may not be very trusting of government, given what happened to them.

One of those people is Moonlight Pulido, who was serving a life sentence for premeditated attempted murder. While in prison in 2005, Pulido said a doctor told her he needed to remove two growths that could be cancer. She signed a form and had surgery. Later, something didnt feel right. She was constantly sweating and not feeling like herself. She asked a nurse, who told her she had had a full hysterectomy, a procedure that removes the uterus and the cervix, and sometimes other parts of the reproductive system.

Pulido was shocked. She was 41 years old at the time, already had children and was serving a life sentence. But she said the doctor took away her right to start another family  something that deeply affected her.

Im Native American, and we as women, were grounded to Mother Earth. Were the only life-givers, were the only ones that can give life and he stole that blessing from me, she said. I felt like less than a woman.

Pulido was released on parole in January 2022. Working with the advocacy group Coalition for Women Prisoners, she applied for reparations and was approved for a $15,000 payment.
LONDON  Prince Harry alleges in a much-anticipated new memoir that his brother Prince William lashed out and physically attacked him during a furious argument over the brothers' deteriorating relationship, The Guardian reported Thursday.

The newspaper said it obtained an advance copy of the book, "Spare," due to be published next week.

It said Harry recounts a 2019 argument at his Kensington Palace home, in which he says William called Harry's wife, the former actress Meghan Markle, "difficult," "rude" and "abrasive." Harry claims William grabbed his brother by the collar and ripped his necklace before knocking him down, the newspaper said.

"I landed on the dog's bowl, which cracked under my back, the pieces cutting into me," the book is quoted as saying. "I lay there for a moment, dazed, then got to my feet and told him to get out."

Harry says he had "scrapes and bruises" as a result of the tussle. William later apologized, the extract says.

Separately, celebrity website Page Six reported that the book alleges William and his now-wife Kate encouraged Harry to wear a Nazi uniform to a costume party in 2005. Harry has repeatedly apologized and called the decision one of the biggest mistakes of his life.

Neither Buckingham Palace, which represents King Charles III, nor William's Kensington Palace office has commented on the claims.

The book, scheduled to be released Tuesday, is the latest in a string of public revelations and accusations by Harry and Meghan that have shaken Britain's royal family,

Harry, 38, and the American actress married at Windsor Castle in May 2018. Less than two years later, the couple quit royal duties and moved to California, citing what they saw as the media's racist treatment of Meghan, who is biracial, and a lack of support from the palace.

Since then they have presented their side of the story in an interview with Oprah Winfrey and a six-part Netflix documentary released last month, which recounted the couple's bruising relationship with the U.K. media and estrangement from the royal family.

In the series, Harry claimed William screamed at him during a family meeting and accused palace officials of lying to protect his elder brother, who is now heir to the throne. Meghan, 41, talked about wanting to end her life as she struggled to cope with toxic press coverage.

Harry has recorded interviews with British broadcaster ITV and CBS in the United States to promote the book. Both are due to be broadcast Sunday.

In snippets released in advance, Harry told ITV that the royal household had cast him and Meghan as "villains" and "shown absolutely no willingness to reconcile." He told CBS that the palace's refusal to defend him and Meghan from attacks was a "betrayal."

Palace officials have declined to comment on any of Meghan and Harry's allegations.

The book also explains the reasons for its title, the Guardian said. It said Harry recounts the alleged words of his father to his mother, Princess Diana, on the day of his birth: "Wonderful! Now you've given me an heir and a spare  my work is done."

While William was destined from birth to be king, Harry, who is fifth in line to the throne behind his brother and William's three children, has often appeared to struggle with the more ambiguous role of "spare." He spent a decade in the British Army  years he has described as his happiest  before taking up full-time royal duties in 2015.

Since his split from the royal family, he has launched a new career, with his wife, as a U.S.-based charity campaigner and media personality.

Asked by ITV's Tom Bradby whether he will play a part in the British monarchy's future, Harry said: "I don't know."
PHOENIX  Maricopa County supervisors are bringing in a former state Supreme Court chief justice to figure out what went wrong with ballot printers on Election Day.

The announcement Friday came as failed gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake continued to insist that the problems that kept tabulators from reading the ballots was an intentional act designed to suppress Republican votes and deny her the election.

Lake has produced no actual evidence of tampering with the printers, much less who was involved.

Instead, Lake has been relying on the testimony of Clay Parikh, a cybersecurity expert, who opined that the problem with some printers, specifically spitting out undersized images, must have been done intentionally.

In a joint statement, supervisors Chairman Bill Gates and Vice Chairman Clint Hickman make no reference to Lakes allegations. While those claims were dismissed by a trial judge, she is now taking her case to the state Court of Appeals.

Instead, they said the decision to seek review by Ruth McGregor was simply part of the boards commitment to continuous improvement.

When things dont work, we find out why, the pair said.

Justice McGregor will hire a team of independent experts to find out why the printers that read ballots in the August primary had trouble reading some ballots while using the same settings in the November general election they wrote. Our voters deserve nothing less.

The issue belongs to the supervisors because they are in charge of Election Day voting. The county recorder handles early ballots.

No specific deadline was disclosed for the report.

The issue arose because Maricopa County uses a system of vote centers, allowing residents to cast a ballot at any of 223 locations rather than have to go to the local precinct.

That, in turn, requires there be ballot on demand printers, which, provided with each persons information, prints out a ballot specific to that voter, with only the races on which he or she can choose.

Maricopas system also uses on-site tabulators, allowing voters to immediately feed those on-demand ballots into the machine to be tallied. But at a number of sites the printers refused to read the ballots.

What also was subsequently discovered is that some printers were set to a fit to page format, resulting in 19-inch ballots being printed on the standard 20-inch paper. And since the tabulators were programmed for 20-inch ballots they could not properly count them.

Less clear is whether that was the root cause.

There was testimony during Lakes first trial that officials at some locations, finding problems reading the ballots, reset the printer settings resulting in the 19-inch output.

There also was testimony by a temporary technical worker for the county that problems with printers could be solved by several means, including taking out and shaking the printer cartridges, cleaning the corona wire that helps move the toner from the drum to the paper, letting the printers warm up, and adjusting the settings. And the judge who threw out Lakes charges said that, apart from the last, none of those suggest an intent to produce an image unreadable to the on-site tabulators.

The judge, in rejecting claims that the issues were created with the intent of altering the outcome, also noted that anyone whose ballot could not be immediately read by the tabulator could place it into a sealed box to be counted later at a central location.

This isnt McGregors first foray into independent investigations.

In 2019, she and Rebecca White Berch, another retired chief justice led an inquiry into faulty locks in the state prison system. That resulted in a scathing report about how Charles Ryan, then the agency director, remained surprisingly uninformed about nonfunctioning locks at one of the states largest prisons that result in inmates streaming from cells to attack correctional officers and other inmates.

The analysis found there was a casual attitude of the inmates who leave their cells, wander the unit, and enter other cells. More significant, they said, were assaults on corrections officers at the Lewis Prison in Buckeye.
KYIV, Ukraine  Ukraine's president praised the United States for including tank-killing armored vehicles in its latest multibillion-dollar package of military aid, saying they are "exactly what is needed" for Ukrainian troops locked in combat against Russian forces, even as both sides celebrated Orthodox Christmas on Saturday.

The White House announcement Friday of $3.75 billion in weapons and other aid for Ukraine and its European backers came as Moscow said its troops are observing a short Orthodox Christmas cease-fire.

Ukrainian officials denounced the unilateral 36-hour pause as a ploy and said it appeared to have been ignored by some of Moscow's forces pressing ahead with the nearly 11-month invasion. Ukrainian officials reported Russian shelling attacks in the Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia regions Saturday.

Russia's Defense Ministry insisted Saturday that its forces along the 684-mile front line were observing the Kremlin-ordered truce but returned fire when attacked.

Celebrated by both Ukrainians and Russians, the Orthodox Christmas holiday also underscored the enmity that Russia's invasion is precipitating.

In a revered cathedral in Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, the Christmas service Saturday was delivered in the Ukrainian language  instead of Russian  for the first time in decades, highlighting how Ukraine is seeking to jettison Moscow's remaining influences over religious, cultural and economic life in the country.

Ukraine's government on Thursday took over administration of the Kyiv-Pechersk monastery's Dormition Cathedral from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which had been loyal to the Russian Orthodox Church, and allowed the Ukrainian church to use it for the Christmas service.

The monastery complex is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The cathedral was built about 1,000 years ago, then reconstructed in the 1990s after being ruined in World War II.

"It's an amazing moment," said Alex Fesiak, among hundreds of worshippers who attended. "Previously this place  on Ukrainian territory, within Kyiv  has been linked to Moscow. Now we feel this is ours, this is Ukrainian. This is part of the Ukrainian nation."

The Putin-ordered Christmas cease-fire that started Friday was first proposed by the Russian Orthodox Church's Kremlin-aligned head, Patriarch Kirill. The Orthodox Church uses the Julian calendar and celebrates Christmas on Jan. 7. Putin's order said a cease-fire would allow worshippers in combat zones to attend Christmas services.

But Ukrainian officials didn't commit to following it. Ukrainian and Western officials portrayed the announcement as a Russian attempt to grab the moral high ground and possibly snatch battlefield initiative and momentum from Ukrainian forces amid their counteroffensive of recent months.

The pause was due to end Saturday night  at midnight Moscow time, which is 11 p.m. in Kyiv.

The Ministry of Defense in Britain, a leading supplier of military aid to Ukraine, said Saturday in its daily readout on the invasion that "fighting has continued at a routine level into the Orthodox Christmas period."

In the fiercely contested Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine, regional Gov. Serhiy Haidai reported continued Russian shelling and assaults. Posting Friday on Telegram, Haidai said that in the first three hours of the cease-fire, Russian forces shelled Ukrainian positions 14 times and stormed one settlement three times. The claim couldn't be independently verified.

Ukrainian authorities on Saturday also reported attacks elsewhere in the prior 24 hours, although it wasn't clear whether the fighting was before or after the cease-fire's start.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said Russian forces carried out a missile strike and 20 salvos with rockets, and targeted settlements in the east, northeast and south.

The head of Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region on Saturday reported two civilian deaths the previous day from Russian strikes in the fiercely contested city of Bakhmut and to its north, in Krasna Hora.

In the southern Kherson region, Gov. Yaroslav Yanushevych said Saturday that Russian forces shelled 39 times Friday, hitting houses and apartment buildings, as well as a fire station. One person was killed and seven others were wounded.

The latest package of U.S. military assistance was the biggest to date for Ukraine. For the first time, it included 50 Bradley armored vehicles and 500 of the anti-tank missiles they can fire. Germany also announced it would supply around 40 Marder armored personnel carriers and France promised AMX-10 RC tank destroyers.

Together, this past week's pledges were powerful signals that Ukraine can count on continued long-term Western aid against Russian President Vladimir Putin's drive to dismember the country.

In his nightly televised address on Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hailed the U.S. aid package as "very powerful."

"For the first time, we will get Bradley armored vehicles  this is exactly what is needed. New guns and rounds, including high-precision ones, new rockets, new drones. It is timely and strong," he said.
With her husband accepting a new job in another state, Tulsa Public Schools board member Judith Barba Perez announced Friday that she will resign from her seat effective Jan. 23.

I still have a lot of ideas for the board and things I wanted to do, Barba Perez said. I love Tulsa, but unfortunately for us, there werent a lot of opportunities for immigrants. It was a hard decision.

In accordance with state law, the school board has to accept the resignation before it can take effect. Once that happens, the board will take applications for an appointed successor who will serve until the 2024 election, when voters will select someone to finish the remaining year left on the term.

If the board accepts Barba Perezs resignation at Monday nights regularly scheduled meeting, applications in both English and Spanish for the vacant seat will be available online, at the districts Education Service Center and at all campuses within District 2 starting Tuesday with a submission deadline of 5 p.m. Jan. 18.

Citing a desire to not leave District 2 without representation, board President Stacey Woolley said applicant interviews may start as soon as the afternoon before the boards regular Jan. 23 meeting.

Woolley said the new board district boundaries that were approved in December will be used to determine candidates geographic eligibility. Therefore, campuses that will have board applications available include Emerson, Kendall-Whittier, McKinley, Mitchell, Owen and Sequoyah elementary schools; Unity Learning Academy; Carver Middle School; Booker T. Washington High School; and Will Rogers College Middle and High School.

Applicants must have completed a high school diploma or equivalent certificate and must not be a district employee or be related to a district employee within two degrees by blood or marriage.

Additionally, anyone who has been convicted of a felony or a misdemeanor involving embezzlement within the past 15 years who has not been pardoned is ineligible.

Elected in February 2021, Barba Perez is the first first-generation immigrant to serve on Tulsas Board of Education. On Friday, she said she was proud not only of bringing that perspective to the board but also of the changes that came about in part due to those insights, including providing additional time during meetings public comment and citizens comments periods for constituents who need translation services in order to participate.

Im proud of the work I did, including bringing a voice that was never there before  the voice of an immigrant, Barba Perez said. I still struggle with the language,  but this perspective for the immigrant community and all the decisions I made as a board member, it wasnt just me saying, Im going to vote yes, or Im going to vote no  it was me reaching out to people, to my community, to my neighbors.

According to meeting minutes, Barba Perez missed 13 board meetings during her tenure in office, with more than half of those absences attributed to illness. By comparison, the numbers of absences among the four other board members who served during the same time frame in full vary from one to nine.

Barba Perez was absent from meetings in July and October that each resulted in tie votes on portions of the consent agenda, including the districts 2022-23 agreement with Reading Partners, two bond sale resolutions and the renewal of TPS sponsorship of KIPP Tulsa University Prep High School.

Those items were all brought back before the board at subsequent meetings and approved.

With the remaining six members of the board responsible for appointing Barba Perezs successor, Woolley acknowledged that while there is a possibility of another 3-3 tie, she said she expects enough quality applications for the seat that at least four board members will be able to agree on a candidate.

I am confident that we will receive applications  not just one but more than one application  that a majority of our board can be happy with and that our board will think it is of critical importance to make sure District 2 has representation as quickly as possible, Woolley said.

I believe that we recognize our responsibility and our commitment to having representation from all districts.

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The population in Oklahoma has eclipsed the 4 million mark for the first time, thanks in part to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The U.S. Census Bureau estimates the population in Oklahoma, as of July 1, to be 4,019,800.

The agency estimates the state topped the 4 million mark sometime during the one-year period between July 1, 2021, and July 1, 2022, when it grew by 28,575 residents.

Tulsa Regional Chamber President and CEO Mike Neal lauded the latest population data.

Population growth within the Tulsa metro and across Oklahoma is helpful to current employers because it expands the available workforce pool, Neal said. Surpassing significant population milestones also puts our state on the radar of new employers who might not previously have considered us for expansion or relocation opportunities.

But data behind the overall state population increase since the 2020 Census reflects a fundamental change in the source of new residents.

Of the nearly 65,000 net increase in state population attributed to migration since April 2020, nearly 88% of the additional residents moved here from other states.

For the second year in a row Oklahoma has seen a huge surge in domestic in-migration compared to really any year since 2010, said researcher William Frey, senior fellow at Brookings Metro.

For the past two years, Oklahoma has been ranked 10th in the country in domestic in-migration, Frey said.

Over the past five years, the greatest net in-migration to Oklahoma is from California, he said.

I would say there is a surge to the state of domestic migration since the pandemic, Frey said. I dont know to what extent the pandemic has anything to do with it other than, my guess is, there is more migration from California, which has shown that the pandemic, plus high housing costs, has pushed people out.

Meanwhile, migration to Oklahoma from outside the country was attributed with adding 8,100 residents to the state during the same time period.

The growth in migration to Oklahoma from other states since 2020 is a change from prior years when migration from outside the country to Oklahoma outpaced so-called domestic, or intrastate migration.

For instance, from April 1, 2010, to July 1, 2019, migrants to Oklahoma contributed to a net gain in population of 84,467 people, with 56,503 of them coming from outside the U.S.

Migration is just one of two elements that contribute to overall population change.

Oklahoma was one of 24 states that since April 2020 that has experienced a net decline in population from what the Census Bureau describes as natural change, or the difference between the number of deaths and births.

Since April 2020, Oklahoma has experienced a net decline in population attributed to natural change, meaning there have been more deaths than births. Breaking it down, since April 2020 there have been 107,055 births in the state versus 112,490 deaths for an overall natural change in population of -5,435, according to the Census Bureaus population estimates program.

Prior to the pandemic, few states typically saw more deaths than births during any given period, said Frey at Brookings Metro.

For instance, from April 2010 to July 2019, Oklahoma saw its population increase by 120,719 due to natural change, a result of there being 480,618 births compared to 359,899 deaths.

Nationwide, both immigration and natural change in population shifted downward in most parts of the U.S. during the pandemic, according to Frey.

Freys research found that major metropolitan areas collectively saw a large decline in population due to out-migration during the pandemic.

This is the first time the nations major metro areas registered an annual negative growth rate since at least 1990, according to Frey. During the same period, the growth rate of smaller metropolitan areas ticked upward, while non-metropolitan counties as a whole saw their highest annual growth rate in over a decade.

Oklahoma is still the 28th most populous state, but the latest population figures narrows the gap between it and Oregon, the next most populous state.

The population in Oregon declined by 16,164 to 4,240,137 from July 1, 2021, to July 1, 2022, according to the Census Bureaus population estimates program.

State population change Select state population and change since April 1 2020 1. California, 39,029,342, -508,903 2. Texas, 30,029,572, +884,144 27. Oregon, 4,240,137, +2,846 28. Oklahoma, 4,019,800, +60,454

Video: Census 2020 shows Oklahoma population shifting from rural counties since 1990
Nghi Son refinery, Vietnams largest provider of petrol and oil, has been temporarily shut down for fixing a technical problem, resulting in a reduction of up to half of its planned output over the first 10 days of this month. The facility, fully known as Nghi Son Refinery and Petrochemical LLC (NSRP), has been handling the incident that occurred in the end of December 2022, according to a source of Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper. Specifically, the plant had to halt its residual fluid catalytic cracking system due to fluid leakages. This is the second output decline that the refinery, located in north-central Thanh Hoa Province, has faced since January last year. NSRP has reported to the Ministry of Industry and Trade about the problem that will likely reduce the facilitys petrol and oil production by 20 to 50 percent during the first ten days of this year. The plant is expected to produce and supply around 600,000 cubic meters of petrol and oil to the market in January, NSRP said. The plant would resume normal operation by mid-January and increase production to make up for the output shortage, according to a meeting held recently by the ministry with relevant parties. The ministry asked NSRP to look into the root cause of the incident to avoid similar occurrences in the future, and report the troubleshooting to it by Saturday. The ministry asked NSRP and Binh Son Refining and Petrochemical JSC (BSR), which operates Dung Quat Oil Refinery in central Quang Ngai Province, to maximize their capacity and use stockpiles or other sources to make up for the reduction. NSRP and BSR are the two largest plants that provide 80 percent of petrol and oil for the Vietnamese market. In an urgent dispatch to the Vietnam Oil and Gas Group (PetroVietnam) and other fuel enterprises and traders, the ministry requested them to ensure petrol and oil supply amid the output decline at NSRP. Meanwhile, wholesalers were asked to seek alternative supply sources and increase imports to guarantee sufficient supply before, during and after the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday, which will begin on January 22. In January last year, NSRP had to cut production by 25 percent due to a cash crunch, which gave rise to a fuel shortage across the country. Built in 2018, NSRP meets around 40 percent of Vietnams fuel demand of up to 1.8 million cubic meters per month. A joint venture project between Petrovietnam, Kuwait Petroleum International and Japans Idemitsu Kosan and Mitsui Chemicals, NSRP is capable of making 10 million metric tons of crude oil per year, twice more than that of Dung Quat. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

Nghi Son refinery, Vietnams largest provider of petrol and oil, has been temporarily shut down for fixing a technical problem, resulting in a reduction of up to half of its planned output over the first 10 days of this month.

The facility, fully known as Nghi Son Refinery and Petrochemical LLC (NSRP), has been handling the incident that occurred in the end of December 2022, according to a source of Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.

Specifically, the plant had to halt its residual fluid catalytic cracking system due to fluid leakages.

This is the second output decline that the refinery, located in north-central Thanh Hoa Province, has faced since January last year.

NSRP has reported to the Ministry of Industry and Trade about the problem that will likely reduce the facilitys petrol and oil production by 20 to 50 percent during the first ten days of this year.

The plant is expected to produce and supply around 600,000 cubic meters of petrol and oil to the market in January, NSRP said.

The plant would resume normal operation by mid-January and increase production to make up for the output shortage, according to a meeting held recently by the ministry with relevant parties.

The ministry asked NSRP to look into the root cause of the incident to avoid similar occurrences in the future, and report the troubleshooting to it by Saturday.

The ministry asked NSRP and Binh Son Refining and Petrochemical JSC (BSR), which operates Dung Quat Oil Refinery in central Quang Ngai Province, to maximize their capacity and use stockpiles or other sources to make up for the reduction.

NSRP and BSR are the two largest plants that provide 80 percent of petrol and oil for the Vietnamese market.

In an urgent dispatch to the Vietnam Oil and Gas Group (PetroVietnam) and other fuel enterprises and traders, the ministry requested them to ensure petrol and oil supply amid the output decline at NSRP.

Meanwhile, wholesalers were asked to seek alternative supply sources and increase imports to guarantee sufficient supply before, during and after the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday, which will begin on January 22.

In January last year, NSRP had to cut production by 25 percent due to a cash crunch, which gave rise to a fuel shortage across the country.

Built in 2018, NSRP meets around 40 percent of Vietnams fuel demand of up to 1.8 million cubic meters per month.

A joint venture project between Petrovietnam, Kuwait Petroleum International and Japans Idemitsu Kosan and Mitsui Chemicals, NSRP is capable of making 10 million metric tons of crude oil per year, twice more than that of Dung Quat.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Operators at the National Hotline for Children Protection spend their days handling thousands of phone calls from parents, neighbors, and relatives concerned for the welfare of children in their communities. Calls of all types Operators at the child protection hotline recently took a call from the aunt who was worried that her eight-year-old nephew wouldnt be able to attend school because he had no birth certificate. According to the aunt, the childs mother did not take a DNA test upon her sons birth and therefore the boy wasnt issued a birth certificate. We are in the process of working with authorities to help the mother register for a birth certificate for her son, an operator from the hotline said. If the mother refuses, authorities will fine her because the child must be given a birth certificate and he has every right to go to school. All day, every day, phones ring off the hooks in the 50-square-meter office where the hotline is housed. Of course, while adults use the hotline to access help in relatively extreme situations, children also reach out to the hotline with their own, more unique issues: I want to ask the switchboard operator to help me fix my phone," "I had a fight with my boyfriend, how can I apologize," "Is it appropriate to love at my age," and "My teacher misunderstood me, how can I explain it to her, "My parents yelled at me, what should I do now." When children call us and are crying, we do not rush them. We speak to them patiently and do our best to calm them down, shared one of the hotline operators. Files of child sexual abuse cases line the shelves at the National Hotline for Children Protection in Hanoi. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre Sexual abuse Le Thi Mai Q. is a supervisor and 12-year veteran operator at Vietnams National Hotline for Children Protection. According to Q., some of the calls the hotline receives, particularly those regarding sexual abuse, have a serious effect on the mental health of the operators. "One of my colleagues received so many reports of child sexual abuse that she became paranoid about the same happening to her three-year-old daughter," Q shared. "She became so fearful that she even became anxious when her father-in-law held the baby. D., who has been working at the hotline for three years, also struggles to muster the emotional stamina to deal with the intensity of some of the cases he handles. D. shared one particular case in which a child died from parental abuse. After reading over the details of the case, D. found himself infuriated at the situation and inspired to do his best to prevent the same from happening to other children. Of course, many callers are equally infuriated and choose to take their frustrations out on D. Many families criticize and accuse authorities of not being transparent and not helping them. It makes me sad, but I do my best to deal with it, D. said. With such an emotionally taxing job, hotline operators do their best to take care of their own mental health. To relax, we sometimes plant trees together or meet with our shift facilitator, who is a psychologist," Q. shared. Thank-you messages from children who were able to find shelter or resolve arguments with their parents are also extremely uplifting for the operators. Every day, operators at the National Hotline for Children Protection receive hundreds of calls from children, community members, teachers, and parents. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre Mental struggles According to Nguyen Thuan Hai, head of the National Hotline for Children Protection, the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs has proposed classifying work at the hotline as dangerous, sweaty, and toxic, with many former operators having quit their jobs due to illnesses they believe were acquired from being exposed to phone signals all day in a small office space. In addition to impacts on their physical health, many hotline operators also deal with negative effects on their mental health due to the tens of thousands of heartbreaking stores they receive each year. Staff turnover at the hotline is so high that there are times when only four or five staff members are available to cover eight-hour shifts. "The hotline receives about 500,000 calls per year. In the first 11 months of 2022, each of our operators answered more than 10 calls per hour, equivalent to about 80 calls per shift," Hai said. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

Operators at the National Hotline for Children Protection spend their days handling thousands of phone calls from parents, neighbors, and relatives concerned for the welfare of children in their communities.

Calls of all types

Operators at the child protection hotline recently took a call from the aunt who was worried that her eight-year-old nephew wouldnt be able to attend school because he had no birth certificate.

According to the aunt, the childs mother did not take a DNA test upon her sons birth and therefore the boy wasnt issued a birth certificate.

We are in the process of working with authorities to help the mother register for a birth certificate for her son, an operator from the hotline said.

If the mother refuses, authorities will fine her because the child must be given a birth certificate and he has every right to go to school.

All day, every day, phones ring off the hooks in the 50-square-meter office where the hotline is housed.

Of course, while adults use the hotline to access help in relatively extreme situations, children also reach out to the hotline with their own, more unique issues:

I want to ask the switchboard operator to help me fix my phone," "I had a fight with my boyfriend, how can I apologize," "Is it appropriate to love at my age," and "My teacher misunderstood me, how can I explain it to her, "My parents yelled at me, what should I do now."

When children call us and are crying, we do not rush them. We speak to them patiently and do our best to calm them down, shared one of the hotline operators.

Files of child sexual abuse cases line the shelves at the National Hotline for Children Protection in Hanoi. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre

Sexual abuse

Le Thi Mai Q. is a supervisor and 12-year veteran operator at Vietnams National Hotline for Children Protection.

According to Q., some of the calls the hotline receives, particularly those regarding sexual abuse, have a serious effect on the mental health of the operators.

"One of my colleagues received so many reports of child sexual abuse that she became paranoid about the same happening to her three-year-old daughter," Q shared.

"She became so fearful that she even became anxious when her father-in-law held the baby.

D., who has been working at the hotline for three years, also struggles to muster the emotional stamina to deal with the intensity of some of the cases he handles.

D. shared one particular case in which a child died from parental abuse. After reading over the details of the case, D. found himself infuriated at the situation and inspired to do his best to prevent the same from happening to other children.

Of course, many callers are equally infuriated and choose to take their frustrations out on D.

Many families criticize and accuse authorities of not being transparent and not helping them. It makes me sad, but I do my best to deal with it, D. said.

With such an emotionally taxing job, hotline operators do their best to take care of their own mental health.

To relax, we sometimes plant trees together or meet with our shift facilitator, who is a psychologist," Q. shared.

Thank-you messages from children who were able to find shelter or resolve arguments with their parents are also extremely uplifting for the operators.

Every day, operators at the National Hotline for Children Protection receive hundreds of calls from children, community members, teachers, and parents. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre

Mental struggles

According to Nguyen Thuan Hai, head of the National Hotline for Children Protection, the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs has proposed classifying work at the hotline as dangerous, sweaty, and toxic, with many former operators having quit their jobs due to illnesses they believe were acquired from being exposed to phone signals all day in a small office space.

In addition to impacts on their physical health, many hotline operators also deal with negative effects on their mental health due to the tens of thousands of heartbreaking stores they receive each year.

Staff turnover at the hotline is so high that there are times when only four or five staff members are available to cover eight-hour shifts.

"The hotline receives about 500,000 calls per year. In the first 11 months of 2022, each of our operators answered more than 10 calls per hour, equivalent to about 80 calls per shift," Hai said.

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Police in Binh Phuoc Province, southern Vietnam said on Friday that two officers were killed and four others were injured as their fire truck lost control and tipped over the previous day. The deceased firefighters are Second Lieutenant Ngo Quang Sang and Private First Class Ho Kiet Tuong. Sang died at the scene while Tuong and four other injured officers were rushed to hospital for emergency treatment, but he could not survive severe injuries. The four survivals were transferred to Cho Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City for further treatment on Friday morning. Their health statuses have been all stable. The fire truck carrying the six officers on duty to Phuoc Long Town overturned on Provincial Road 741 in Dong Phu District at around 3:00 pm on Thursday, the Binh Phuoc public security department said at a press briefing on Friday afternoon. Colonel Nguyen Huy Hai (R, standing), deputy director of the Binh Phuoc Department of Public Security, speaks at a press briefing on the fire truck accident that killed two officers and injured four others in Binh Phuoc Province, Vietnam, January 6, 2023. Photo: A.B. / Tuoi Tre The heavy-weight vehicle, which was containing four cubic meters of water, was running at about 50 km per hour when its driver suddenly put on his brakes at a curvy and steep road section, accompanied by a wet, slippery road surface as it was slightly raining at the time. The fire truck thus skidded into the middle of the road and then overturned. Police officers arrived at the scene shortly after to carry out rescue and investigation. The Binh Phuoc public security department and authorities hold funerals in accordance with the Peoples Police rites for the two deceased officers, as well as gave financial support to their families and the injured firefighters. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

Police in Binh Phuoc Province, southern Vietnam said on Friday that two officers were killed and four others were injured as their fire truck lost control and tipped over the previous day.

The deceased firefighters are Second Lieutenant Ngo Quang Sang and Private First Class Ho Kiet Tuong.

Sang died at the scene while Tuong and four other injured officers were rushed to hospital for emergency treatment, but he could not survive severe injuries.

The four survivals were transferred to Cho Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City for further treatment on Friday morning.

Their health statuses have been all stable.

The fire truck carrying the six officers on duty to Phuoc Long Town overturned on Provincial Road 741 in Dong Phu District at around 3:00 pm on Thursday, the Binh Phuoc public security department said at a press briefing on Friday afternoon.

Colonel Nguyen Huy Hai (R, standing), deputy director of the Binh Phuoc Department of Public Security, speaks at a press briefing on the fire truck accident that killed two officers and injured four others in Binh Phuoc Province, Vietnam, January 6, 2023. Photo: A.B. / Tuoi Tre

The heavy-weight vehicle, which was containing four cubic meters of water, was running at about 50 km per hour when its driver suddenly put on his brakes at a curvy and steep road section, accompanied by a wet, slippery road surface as it was slightly raining at the time.

The fire truck thus skidded into the middle of the road and then overturned.

Police officers arrived at the scene shortly after to carry out rescue and investigation.

The Binh Phuoc public security department and authorities hold funerals in accordance with the Peoples Police rites for the two deceased officers, as well as gave financial support to their families and the injured firefighters.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Check out the news you should not miss today: Society -- Police in Ho Chi Minh City arrested a man who allegedly stole a motorcycle that was carrying lots of packages from a delivery worker on Thursday. -- Police in Hai Phong City, northern Vietnam, caught three suspects red-handed selling firecrackers, an act prohibited by Vietnamese law, and confiscated more than 80 kilograms of the explosives on Thursday. -- Two officers were killed and three others injured after their fire truck lost control and tipped over in Binh Phuoc Province, southern Vietnam, on Friday. -- Doctors from Thanh Vu Hospital Medic Bac Lieu in the namesake province said on Thursday that they had successfully removed a kidney with an entire ureter from a patient who had rare bladder cancer. -- Ferries and high-speed vessels between Rach Gia City, Ha Tien City, and Phu Quoc City in southern Kien Giang Province were temporarily suspended on Friday due to bad weather. Lifestyle -- A Dong Ho folk painting exhibition is taking place at Ho Chi Minh City Museum in District 1 until January 28, offering visitors a chance to explore and experience the art of making a Dong Ho fold painting. World News -- Nineteen suspected gang members and 10 military personnel were killed in a wave of violence surrounding the arrest of Mexican drug cartel boss Ovidio Guzman in the northern state of Sinaloa, Defense Minister Luis Cresencio Sandoval said on Friday, Reuters reported. -- A 6-year-old boy shot and wounded a teacher on Friday at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia, police said, prompting consternation from local officials who vowed to find answers and prevent such an event from happening again, Reuters reported. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

Check out the news you should not miss today:

Society

-- Police in Ho Chi Minh City arrested a man who allegedly stole a motorcycle that was carrying lots of packages from a delivery worker on Thursday.

-- Police in Hai Phong City, northern Vietnam, caught three suspects red-handed selling firecrackers, an act prohibited by Vietnamese law, and confiscated more than 80 kilograms of the explosives on Thursday.

-- Two officers were killed and three others injured after their fire truck lost control and tipped over in Binh Phuoc Province, southern Vietnam, on Friday.

-- Doctors from Thanh Vu Hospital Medic Bac Lieu in the namesake province said on Thursday that they had successfully removed a kidney with an entire ureter from a patient who had rare bladder cancer.

-- Ferries and high-speed vessels between Rach Gia City, Ha Tien City, and Phu Quoc City in southern Kien Giang Province were temporarily suspended on Friday due to bad weather.

Lifestyle

-- A Dong Ho folk painting exhibition is taking place at Ho Chi Minh City Museum in District 1 until January 28, offering visitors a chance to explore and experience the art of making a Dong Ho fold painting.

World News

-- Nineteen suspected gang members and 10 military personnel were killed in a wave of violence surrounding the arrest of Mexican drug cartel boss Ovidio Guzman in the northern state of Sinaloa, Defense Minister Luis Cresencio Sandoval said on Friday, Reuters reported.

-- A 6-year-old boy shot and wounded a teacher on Friday at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia, police said, prompting consternation from local officials who vowed to find answers and prevent such an event from happening again, Reuters reported.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Police and customs officers of Hanoi seized 98kg of synthetic drugs sent from Germany, police authorities announced on Friday. Three suspects have been arrested and handed over to police in Ho Chi Minh City for further investigation, according to the police. Customs officers found eight suspicious packages, weighing over 205kg, at Hanois Noi Bai International Airport and decided to conduct an examination, which resulted in the confiscation of the 98kg of synthetic drugs. The drugs confiscated included 45kg of ecstasy (MDMA), 53kg of ketamine, and 2,000 sachets known as Happy Water, a powdered mixture containing caffeine, diazepam, ketamine, ecstasy, methamphetamine and so on. This supplied photo shows packages containing synthetic drugs found at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi. Police officers said drug traffickers took advantage of overseas delivery service to illegally transport drugs to Vietnam, hiding them in consignments of coffee-making machines, air purifiers, and candy bags to escape the inspection of the authorities. The police are further investigating the case. According to Vietnamese law, people convicted of smuggling over 600 grams of heroin or more than 2.5kg of methamphetamine are punishable by death. Those who make or trade 100 grams of heroin or 300 grams of other illegal drugs also faces the death penalty. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

Police and customs officers of Hanoi seized 98kg of synthetic drugs sent from Germany, police authorities announced on Friday.

Three suspects have been arrested and handed over to police in Ho Chi Minh City for further investigation, according to the police.

Customs officers found eight suspicious packages, weighing over 205kg, at Hanois Noi Bai International Airport and decided to conduct an examination, which resulted in the confiscation of the 98kg of synthetic drugs.

The drugs confiscated included 45kg of ecstasy (MDMA), 53kg of ketamine, and 2,000 sachets known as Happy Water, a powdered mixture containing caffeine, diazepam, ketamine, ecstasy, methamphetamine and so on.

This supplied photo shows packages containing synthetic drugs found at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi.

Police officers said drug traffickers took advantage of overseas delivery service to illegally transport drugs to Vietnam, hiding them in consignments of coffee-making machines, air purifiers, and candy bags to escape the inspection of the authorities.

The police are further investigating the case.

According to Vietnamese law, people convicted of smuggling over 600 grams of heroin or more than 2.5kg of methamphetamine are punishable by death.

Those who make or trade 100 grams of heroin or 300 grams of other illegal drugs also faces the death penalty.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Authorities in Quang Ninh Province, which borders China, have said they will test only Chinese tourists who exhibit COVID-19 symptoms upon their entry to Vietnam via border gates in the northern province. The province is prepared to welcome an influx of inbound tourists from China, which has scrapped almost all of its COVID-19 restrictions, Bui Van Khang, deputy chairman of Quang Ninh, said on Thursday. The provincial Peoples Committee has tasked its tourism department with working with travel firms, border guards and foreign affairs agencies to keep track of the numbers of arrivals at local border gates. While the U.S. and many European countries have imposed mandatory COVID-19 tests on people arriving from China, Quang Ninh seeks to relax the testing rules to attract visitors from the neighboring country. Nguyen Trong Dien, director of the Quang Ninh Department of Health, said that health workers will test only incoming Chinese tourists with COVID-19 symptoms and suspected cases. Earlier this week, authorities in Quang Ninhs Mong Cai City announced to drop RT-PCR COVID-19 test requirements for goods and people going through local border gates from January 8. Like several other Vietnamese localities, Quang Ninh, where the economy is reliant on tourism, is making plans to welcome back visitors from the most important market. In 2019, about six million Chinese tourists visited Vietnam, accounting for over 33.3 percent of nearly 18 million international visitors to the country, according to the Vietnam News Agency. Vietnam only received 3.6 million foreign tourists last year, or 70 percent of its target, and is looking to welcome eight million this year, bolstered by Chinas announcement of tourism reopening. The Southeast Asian country began allowing international visitors back in mid-March 2022, and eased entry requirements nearly to where they were before the COVID-19 pandemic in May the same year. Currently, international visitors to Vietnam have to neither take COVID-19 tests nor make health declarations before entry, nor show vaccination certificates. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

Authorities in Quang Ninh Province, which borders China, have said they will test only Chinese tourists who exhibit COVID-19 symptoms upon their entry to Vietnam via border gates in the northern province.

The province is prepared to welcome an influx of inbound tourists from China, which has scrapped almost all of its COVID-19 restrictions, Bui Van Khang, deputy chairman of Quang Ninh, said on Thursday.

The provincial Peoples Committee has tasked its tourism department with working with travel firms, border guards and foreign affairs agencies to keep track of the numbers of arrivals at local border gates.

While the U.S. and many European countries have imposed mandatory COVID-19 tests on people arriving from China, Quang Ninh seeks to relax the testing rules to attract visitors from the neighboring country.

Nguyen Trong Dien, director of the Quang Ninh Department of Health, said that health workers will test only incoming Chinese tourists with COVID-19 symptoms and suspected cases.

Earlier this week, authorities in Quang Ninhs Mong Cai City announced to drop RT-PCR COVID-19 test requirements for goods and people going through local border gates from January 8.

Like several other Vietnamese localities, Quang Ninh, where the economy is reliant on tourism, is making plans to welcome back visitors from the most important market.

In 2019, about six million Chinese tourists visited Vietnam, accounting for over 33.3 percent of nearly 18 million international visitors to the country, according to the Vietnam News Agency.

Vietnam only received 3.6 million foreign tourists last year, or 70 percent of its target, and is looking to welcome eight million this year, bolstered by Chinas announcement of tourism reopening.

The Southeast Asian country began allowing international visitors back in mid-March 2022, and eased entry requirements nearly to where they were before the COVID-19 pandemic in May the same year.

Currently, international visitors to Vietnam have to neither take COVID-19 tests nor make health declarations before entry, nor show vaccination certificates.

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As a member of Paramount, Network 10 has the Australian rights to Prince Harrys interview discussing his memoir Spare with 60 Minutes journalist Anderson Cooper.

10 will screen the interview a special edition of The Project on Monday -an hour before Seven screens an ITV interview with the renegade royal.

In the first interview to air on Australian TV, the Duke of Sussex talks candidly about his bombshell biography that is re-igniting tensions with the Royal Family.

In a raw and emotional interview, Prince Harry talks about his departure from the UK and the Royal Family saying Buckingham Palace failed to protect him and his wife Meghan Markle from the intense tabloid attacks and vitriol.

Harry outlines his belief that his private conversations with other Royal Family members were leaked to the press and how his pleas for help were met with silence by palace officials.

There comes a point, Harry tells Cooper, where silence is betrayal.

The memoir title, Spare, comes from the phrase heir and spare, which is understood to reflect Harrys feelings towards his brother Prince William, first in line for King Charless throne.

Watch Prince Harry: The Exclusive US Interview during a special edition of The Project and join the conversation on

Monday, January 9, at 6.30pm on 10.
By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said on Saturday it had agreed to partner with the Korea Office of Civil Aviation (KOCA) future Advanced Air Mobility aircraft development and operations.

The two nations signed a declaration to collaborate and share information on advanced air mobility projects and work together to promote the safety oversight of advanced air mobility projects, the U.S. regulator said.

"Collaborating with our international partners on safely integrating these new technologies will create more efficient, sustainable and equitable transportation options," said Acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolen.

The announcement comes as companies around the world are racing to develop and eventually win regulatory approval to deploy low-altitude air taxis known as electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOL).

The FAA has previously announced similar partnerships with Japan, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand in the National Aviation Authorities Network to harmonize certification and integration plans for advanced air mobility projects.

Airlines and others are looking at developing transport services using battery-powered aircraft that can take off and land vertically to ferry travelers to airports or on short trips between cities, allowing them to beat traffic.

Last month, the FAA issued the airworthiness criteria that Archer Aviation will need to meet for its M001 air taxi to be certified for use.

The FAA released the criteria for public comment of Archer's eVTOL after it made a similar announcement in November for Joby Aviation's Model JAS4-1 eVTOL.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Sandra Maler)
By Daniela Desantis

ASUNCION (Reuters) - Paraguay would cut diplomatic ties with Taiwan and open relations with China if the opposition wins the election in April, its presidential candidate Efrain Alegre told Reuters, hoping to boost soy and beef exports that are its main economic engines.

The ruling party candidate, meanwhile, told Reuters he would maintain ties with Taiwan, a self-governed island that China considers one of its provinces and not a county, making the geopolitical question a center-piece of the election race.

Paraguay is one of only 14 nations globally that retains diplomatic ties with Taiwan and the only South American country to do so. China has convinced a number of the island's allies to shift allegiance in recent years, the last being Nicaragua.

Alegre, candidate of a broad coalition that will seek to defeat the conservative ruling Colorado Party, said Paraguay should establish relations with China to open access to its huge soy and beef markets, long a demand of farmers in the country.

"Paraguay must have relations with China," Alegre said in a recent interview after being named presidential candidate.

"Our interests in livestock and grain sectors are currently suffering a major loss," he added. "We hold this critical position towards relations with Taiwan because we don't think we get enough back from this relationship."

Santiago Pena, the Colorado Party candidate, said Paraguay's over six decades of ties with Taiwan would remain intact if he won the April 30 vote.

"I do not see any change in that sense," Pena told Reuters. "I will defend the historical relationship with Taiwan."

Neither the political parties nor independent consultancies have released opinion polls on the elections, but some analysts predict a close result between Pena and Alegre. There are other small parties running in the single-round election.

Taiwan's foreign ministry told Reuters that it was paying close attention to Paraguay's upcoming election and was seeking to strengthen ties with candidates on all sides.

Story continues

"Our embassy is actively strengthening contact and communication with candidates from different political parties to win support for the Taiwan-Paraguay friendship," the ministry said in a statement.

The democratically-ruled island strongly rejects China's sovereignty claims, which have grown in recent years with Beijing ramping up diplomatic, military and economic pressure.

China says the island's allies remain with Taipei only due to pressure from Washington and so-called "dollar diplomacy".

PRESSURE FROM FARMERS

Paraguay's Taiwan ties have been under the pressure in recent years, especially from the country's beef producers and farmers, who see the relationship as an obstacle to gaining access to the world's largest market for their products.

"We make a sacrifice for the political support given to Taiwan and on balance, we consider that we receive very little in compensation," Pedro Galli, president of the Rural Association of Paraguay (ARP), told Reuters.

Paraguayan imports from China totaled $4 billion in 2021, while exports stood at just $30 million. Paraguay had a trade surplus with Taiwan that year of $118 million.

The ARP, the country's largest cattle farming chamber, has been sounding out possible support for China among candidates since December primaries in a series of political meetings. Paraguay produces around 300,000 tonnes of beef a year.

"We will be measuring the temperature," added Galli.

Paraguay is a top 10 global beef exporter and the fourth largest soybean exporter, its main cash crop. Soybean production is about 10 million tonnes per year and with its derivatives, it generates more than $2 billion in foreign currency.

Hector Cristaldo, president of the Union of Production Guilds, the main soybean chamber, said the country was currently locked out of China, which he said made up some two-thirds of the global market.

"Today it is practically impossible to sell products to that huge market," he said.

"What we produce is enough for a neighborhood in a city in China, but what interests (Beijing) is us breaking ties with Taiwan. That is the dilemma that Paraguay has and that our authorities have to resolve."

(This story has been refiled to remove alerts from the text)

(Reporting by Daniela Desantis; Additional reporting by Sarah Wu; Editing by Adam Jourdan and Marguerita Choy)
Rhianan Rudd became the youngest female charged with terror offences. (Family handout)

The case of a teenage girl who took her own life after being groomed online by right-wing extremists aged 14 should be a wake-up call, say charities.

Rhianan Rudd became the youngest female charged with terror offences.

Her mother Emily Carter said Rudd should have been treated as a victim as she was groomed and exploited by an American extremist and lured in to white supremacist views.

Rudd, who was 15 when charged, took her own life aged 16 at a Nottinghamshire childrens home in May last year.

Nigel Bromage, founder of the charity Exit Hate which help to steer people away from extremism, said it had seen a growing number of children fall victim to online grooming by right-wing extremists.

The youngest weve worked with is a nine-year-old boy who was being influenced via video games, he told The Guardian.

Hearing about Rhianans story, were seeing that journey being replicated time and time again. Our hearts go out to the family affected, and it is definitely a wake-up call as to how vulnerable our young people are online.

Teachers, families, weve all got to be able to have conversations with our young people about this, even if they are difficult and make us feel uncomfortable. Otherwise, were just opening the door to the extremists.

Hope Not Hate chief executive Nick Lowles added Rudds story was sadly another case of how far-right extremism ruins lives.

In recent years, weve heard stories from parents of their children changing in front of their eyes after watching extreme content online, he said.

Its vital that between schools, parents and the police, there is more joined up thinking on how to support children who are exposed to extreme content online and ensure our counter-extremism strategy isnt just viewed through a law-and-order lens.

Rudd was arrested and later faced criminal charges which were ultimately dropped because of the abuse.

Mrs Carter told the BBC that her daughter should not have been charged.

Story continues

She said: They should have seen her as a victim rather than a terrorist.

Shes a child, an autistic child. She should have been treated as a child that had been groomed and sexually exploited.

When Rudd was arrested in October 2020 after downloading a bomb-making manual and being referred to anti-radicalisation scheme Prevent.

She was later charged with various offences in April 2021 and accused of plotting an attack.

The charges were dropped several months later in December 2021 after evidence was submitted that she had been groomed and exploited online by an American extremist called Christopher Cook.

It was also claimed that she was influenced by her mothers ex-boyfriend Dax Mallaburn, an American white supremacist, although her mother denied this.

After the criminal charges were dropped, Rudd continued living at a childrens home in Nottinghamshire and again engaged with Prevent staff.

Workers at the home said she was preparing to take her GCSEs.

But last year, she was found dead in her room having apparently taken her own life.

An inquest into her death was opened and adjourned in October and will continue later this year.
HA NOI  Viet Nam is considering allowing airlines to operate more planes with the recovery of the domestic and international travel markets.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam has proposed to the Ministry of Transport to allow nine more planes to be operated during Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday, bringing the total number of aircraft to 234.

The global air market is recovering, which leads to increasing demand for planes. This may cause a shortage of aircraft for lease, according to the aviation authority.

Allowing local airlines to have more aircraft operate at this moment is the right move as it would help them rent aircraft at reasonable prices and have aircraft delivered on time, said the authority.

Given that a plane transports an estimated 250,000 passengers a year in Viet Nam and there are about 45.5 million air passengers domestically in 2023, the number of planes needed for the domestic market will be 182. The number of planes for the international market would be 57.

The total number of planes needed will range from 230 for early 2023 and increase to 250 by year-end months.

Currently, the total number of airplanes that are operated by five Vietnamese airlines (Vietnam Airlines, VietJet Air, Pacific Airlines, Bamboo Airways and Vietravel Airlines) is 225. The number in January 2020 (pre-pandemic) was 234.

Among the 225 planes, only 190 are used, 12 are maintained, and the rest of 23 are stored and not being used.

With the domestic air market fully recovering since mid-2022 and the international air market expected to fully recover in mid-2023, local airlines are looking to have more planes operating this year.

In 2022, Viet Nam served 43.2 million air passengers domestically, up 15.6 per cent against 2019. The international air market recovered more slowly.

It is expected that the air market in Viet Nam will transport about 80 million passengers and 1.44 million tonnes of goods, up 45.4 per cent and 15 per cent respectively compared to 2022.

Vietnam Airlines, the national flag carrier, has recently announced it will increase the number of flights during Tet by a further 500.

The 500 flights will be between January 6 and February 5, and have over 90,000 seats. Most of them will be from Ho Chi Minh City and Ha Noi to Vinh, Thanh Hoa, ong Hoi, Chu Lai and other places.

Vietjet Air and Bamboo Airways have sold nearly all tickets on their Tet extra flights. Vietravel Airlines has increased the number of daily return flights between Ho Chi Minh City and Ha Noi to three.

Flights with China to resume

According to a recent notice by the Civil Aviation Administration of China, both Chinese and foreign airlines could resume their scheduled passenger flights from January 8, 2023, as per the arrangements prescribed in the framework of bilateral Air Service Agreements.

Adjustment and control measures such as the 'five-ones policy' and the 'country-specific policy' will no longer be implemented on international passenger flights, read the notice.

International passenger charter applications of Chinese and foreign airlines will be reviewed and approved gradually. The pre-pandemic application procedure will be fully restored starting the 2023 Summer Season, the document said.

The close-loop management, nucleic acid tests and quarantine measures for related airport staff and crew members for domestic and international services will be removed. All staff shall maintain personal protection and health monitoring. Crew members shall wear masks, sanitise their hands, and continue to implement cabin and lavatory disinfection. Guidance will be introduced to ensure that passengers are wearing masks.

The number of flights between Viet Nam and China was only two to four per week due to Chinas COVID-19 restrictions.

Recently, when Party Chief Nguyen Phu Trong visited China, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam requested the Chinese authorities to resume flights between the two countries like normal. The Chinese side agreed to allow Vietnamese airlines to deploy 15 flights to China each week and Chinese airlines to deploy 15 flights to Viet Nam.

Shortly after that, Vietnam Airlines, Bamboo Airways and Vietjet resumed their flights to China.

Leaders of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam has also worked with local airlines to discuss the resumption of flight with the Chinese market. VNS
WATERLOO  Two people have been arrested following early Friday morning raids at homes in Waterloo.

Christopher Marqua Lake, 20, was arrested for reckless use of a firearm in connection with a June 28 shooting that damaged a home in the 500 block of Kern Street. He was detained Friday as officers with the Waterloo Police Departments Safe Street Task Force and Tri-County Drug Enforcement Task Force searched a home at 2769 Logan Ave.

Bond was set at $13,000.

Police also arrested Quatez Tyzaye Hill-Watson, 18, on charges of fourth-degree theft and possession of marijuana with intent to deliver when officers searched a home at 724 Vinton Ave. and found an AR-15 rifle that had been reported stolen in Cedar Falls. Authorities also found a second firearm and marijuana, according to police.

Bond for Hill-Watson was set at $6,000.

Both searches were carried out around 4:40 a.m. with the help of the departments tactical unit.

Lake also is awaiting trial on charges in two previous incidents, according to court records. He was involved in a June chase that ended when he allegedly struck a light pole and police found a 9 mm handgun in his waistband. In a 2021 incident, police searched his home and found marijuana and a .357-caliber Rossi revolver.

Photos: Guns in Northeast Iowa crime cases
WASHINGTON  Republican Kevin McCarthy failed to win the House speakership on a 14th ballot late Friday, falling one vote short as tensions boiled over in a chaotic scene on the House floor.

As the clock neared midnight, the lawmakers plunged into a 15th round of voting.

In the raucous 14th, even after two key Republican holdouts voted present to lower the tally McCarthy would need, it was not enough. He strode to the back of the chamber to confront Matt Gaetz, sitting with Lauren Boebert and other holdouts. Fingers were pointed, words exchanged and violence apparently just averted.

At one point, Republican Mike Rogers of Alabama started to charge toward Gatez before Richard Hudson physically pulled him back.

"Stay civil!" someone shouted.

Still, McCarthy was on the cusp of becoming House speaker as the chamber convened for a fourth historic day after he made extraordinary gains in a grueling standoff that has tested American democracy and the GOP majority's ability to govern.

Before the vote, McCarthy had flipped 15 conservative holdouts to become supporters, including the chairman of the chamber's Freedom Caucus, leaving him just a few shy of seizing the gavel for the new Congress.

The House gaveled in late in the night, giving time for last-minute negotiations and for absent Republican colleagues time to return to Washington if their votes were needed. But the chamber drew tense and still as the roll call fell short.

There then was a vote to adjourn  but Republicans led by McCarthy started changing their votes to stay in session, and a 15th round of voting began as the clock neared midnight.

McCarthy had declared to reporters earlier in the day that he believed "we'll have the votes to finish this once and for all."

The day's stunning turn of events came after McCarthy agreed to many of the detractors' demands -- including the reinstatement of a longstanding House rule that would allow any single member to call a vote to oust him from office.

Even if McCarthy is able to secure the votes he needs, he will emerge as a weakened speaker, having given away some powers and constantly under the threat of being booted by his detractors.

But he could also be emboldened as a survivor of one of the more brutal fights for the gavel in U.S. history. Not since the Civil War era has a speaker's vote dragged through so many rounds of voting.

The showdown that has stymied the new Congress came against the backdrop of the second anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, which shook the country when a mob of then-President Donald Trump's supporters tried to stop Congress from certifying the Republican's 2020 election defeat to Democrat Joe Biden.

At a Capitol event on Friday, some lawmakers, mostly Democrats, observed a moment of silence and praised officers who helped protect Congress on that day. And at the White House, Biden handed out medals to officers and others who fought the attackers.

"America is a land of laws, not chaos," he said.

At the afternoon speaker's vote, a number of Republicans tiring of the spectacle temporarily walked out when one of McCarthy's most ardent challengers railed against the GOP leader.

Contours of a deal with conservative holdouts who have been blocking McCarthy's rise emerged after three dismal days and 11 failed votes in an intraparty standoff unseen in modern times.

And an upbeat McCarthy told reporters as he arrived at the Capitol, "We're going to make progress. We're going to shock you."

One significant former holdout, Republican Scott Perry, chairman of the conservative Freedom Caucus who had been a leader of Trump's efforts to challenge the 2020 election, tweeted after his switched vote for McCarthy: "We're at a turning point."

Another Republican holdout, Byron Donalds of Florida, who was repeatedly nominated as an alternative candidate for speaker, switched on Friday, too, voting for McCarthy.

Trump may have played a role in swaying the holdouts. Donalds said he had spoken to the former president who had been urging Republicans to wrap up their public dispute the day before.

On the 12th ballot, McCarthy won the most votes for the first time 213. A 13th was swiftly launched, this time, just between McCarthy and the Democratic leader, and he picked up one more detractor, to 214.

With 432 members now voting  including the dramatic return of Democrat David Trone who had been out for surgery  McCarthy still fell short of the majority. Six Republicans cast their ballots for a Republican colleague. McCarthy allies were counting on the return of two absent colleagues to push him even closer to the majority in nighttime voting.

As Rep. Mike Garcia nominated McCarthy for Friday, he also thanked the U.S. Capitol Police who were given a standing ovation for protecting lawmakers and the legislative seat of democracy on Jan. 6.

But in nominating the Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, Democrat Jim Clyburn recalled the horror of that day and told his colleagues: "The eyes of the country are on us today," he said.

Without a speaker, the chamber is unable swear in members and begin its 2023-24 session, a sign of the difficulty ahead for the new Republican majority as it tries to govern.

Electing a speaker is normally an easy, joyous task for a party that has just won majority control. But not this time: About 200 Republicans have been stymied by 20 far-right colleagues who said he's not conservative enough.

The disorganized start to the new Congress pointed to difficulties ahead with Republicans now in control of the House, much the way that some past Republican speakers, including John Boehner, had trouble leading a rebellious right flank. The result: government shutdowns, standoffs and Boehner's early retirement when conservatives threatened to oust him.

The agreement McCarthy presented to the holdouts from the Freedom Caucus and others centers around rules changes they have been seeking for months. Those changes would shrink the power of the speaker's office and give rank-and-file lawmakers more influence in drafting and passing legislation.

Photos: Scenes from historic speaker vote of 118th Congress
WASHINGTON  House Clerk Cheryl Johnson became an unlikely folk hero in Washington this past week, running the lower chamber of Congress with a steady hand as Republicans struggled to elect a speaker amid historic chaos.

Deploying only her own custom gavel and gently chiding words, Johnson guided the House through multiple rounds of voting on live TV, pushing back when members of both parties got off topic or stepped out of line.

Her calm but stern demeanor earned high marks on Capitol Hill and social media, where a number of people, including a member of Congress, joked that lawmakers should just elect her speaker.

Cheryl Johnson, the clerk of the House, for Speaker? tweeted Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California on Thursday. Shes been extraordinary without any rules passed and in having some sense of fairness and order.

Two members have even mistakenly addressed her as Madam Speaker instead of Madam Clerk in their remarks.

A little-known position outside the Capitol, the clerk is chosen by the members of Congress every two years, meaning Johnsons job may be at risk now. Leaders in both parties say it will ultimately be up to newly elected House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to decide whether to reappoint her.

The jobs typical duties are the mundane but essential work of the House: preparing and delivering messages to the Senate, handling communications with the White House and certifying the passage of bills.

But the clerk occasionally is thrust into the spotlight. Along with the House Sergeant at Arms, Johnson twice was charged with hand-delivering articles of impeachment against Donald Trump to the Senate. And the clerk is nominally in charge of the House when it convenes for the first time.

Normally, thats measured in minutes, with the clerk using a special 13-inch lacquered maple gavel taken out of storage just for that day until she hands over duties to the new speaker.

But Johnson remained on the dais until early Saturday morning, after McCarthy finally got his own party to rally behind him as speaker on the 15th round of balloting, the first time that the decision has gone to multiple rounds of ballots since 1923.

When a bystander noted that Johnson was getting a lot of attention this week, her response was dry and self-effacing: I need that, she said.

Then, seeing two security officers flanking her, she added, They arent here for me.

Although she was named as clerk by former Speaker Nancy Pelosi in 2018, Johnson has a more bipartisan background than some of her predecessors. She had previously worked as an aide to a committee chaired by former Speaker John Boehner  who recalled her through a spokesman as always nice  and on initiatives to boost D.C. museums, such as the Smithsonians National Museum of African American History and Culture.

She is living up to the reputation that led her to have this job in the first place, said Danny Weiss, an ex-chief of staff to Johnsons boss at the time, former Rep. George Miller, a California Democrat, praising her high degree of integrity and lack of partisanship.

A native of New Orleans, Johnson graduated from the University of Iowa and earned a law degree from Howard University. Shes the second Black American to serve as House clerk and one of only four women to hold the job since 1789.

I worked with Cheryl for years and am thrilled to see her up on that podium, said Linda St. Thomas, chief spokesperson for the Smithsonian Institution, jokingly adding that she wasnt sure how thrilled Johnson is right now.

Democratic Rep. Julia Brownley of California said that presiding over the House can be a trying duty even in the best of times, but that Johnson has done a good job of going straight down the middle in keeping lawmakers in line.

Nobody understands really how tough it is until youre up on the dais with the gavel in your hand, she said.

Even Republicans, mired in an embarrassing intraparty fight, showed their appreciation.

Shes doing great, Pennsylvania Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, a moderate Republican, said this past week. She hasnt screwed anything up yet.

To make things more difficult, the House couldn't pass any rules until it chooses a speaker, meaning that Johnson had few tools to keep proceedings in line.

That was apparent on Wednesday, when Republican Rep. Kat Cammack of Florida lamented that Democrats were celebrating her partys inability to come to an agreement.

They want us to fight each other, she said, urging her fellow Republicans to back McCarthy. That has been made clear by the popcorn and blankets and alcohol that is coming over there.

Democrats began booing and shouting for the claim about alcohol to be stricken from the record  a common request when a lawmaker has stepped over a rhetorical line  which a grinning Cammack laughed off.

But with no rules in place, Johnson couldnt strike the words. She waited, banged the gavel several times, then gently chastised Cammack.

The clerk would ask all members-elect to abide by the established decorum of the House while making nominations, she said.

On Thursday, Johnson began the proceedings by noting that she has the responsibility to preserve order and decorum in the chamber and asked members to address all questions to her and not attack each other directly.

Members of both parties stood to applaud, a rare moment of bipartisan agreement in the chamber.

Photos: Scenes from historic speaker vote of 118th Congress
Tonight's weather conditions in Waterloo: A few clouds from time to time. Low 13F. Winds light and variable. It will be a cold day in Waterloo Sunday, with temperatures in the 30s. It looks to reach a bitter 33 degrees. Tomorrow's forecasted low temperature is 19 degrees. Expect periods of sun and clouds. The Waterloo area should see a light breeze, with forecast showing winds from southwest, clocking in at 9 mph. This report is created automatically with weather data provided by TownNews.com. Visit wcfcourier.com for more weather updates.
The hand of Christian mercy was extended to the Ukrainians on the Great Holiday. Their leaders rejected it. I think most of our military personnel taking part in the NWO calmly exhaled when they heard the refusal of the main Ukrainian Clowns to cease fire on Christmas. Less problems and slyness.

It is a pity for people who have lost the opportunity to go to church. But pigs have no faith and an innate sense of gratitude. They understand only brute force and shrilly demand grub from the owners. This is what training is based on. And it will be continued by Western swineherds.

Even the illiterate German grandmother Burbock and a number of others looking around the European pigsty managed to blurt out about the inadmissibility of a truce. Well, the heirs of the Nazis never spared either humans or animals. They are not accustomed

Medvedev

WtR
Megapower Star Ram Charan isnt just a PAN Indian star but a global star now after the release of RRR. The actor stunned everyone with his breathtaking performance in this multistarrer. The way he emoted through his eyes, for the most part, gained solid applause.

The actor is now in the USA to attend the Golden Globes Awards ceremony, which will happen shortly. Meanwhile, a new picture of Charan has surfaced on Twitter which has gone viral. Charan looks ultra stylish and elegant in a completely black outfit with a pleasant smile on his face.

The actor attended the Louis Vuitton XW Magazine Award Season Kickoff Party in California. Up next, he will feature in Shankars film, which is a political action drama. The movie is currently in the production stage and will probably hit the screens this year.

Articles that might interest you:
The year of 1881

A rainy San Lorenzo day

The Almighty wanted

To leave me feeling sorry

For my daughter

And my husband.

Farewell I am going

Without doubt to suffer

My parents and my daughters

When will I see them again.

(The second verse of The Ballad of Placida Romero)

The Ballad of Placida Romero is a title with two applications.

Its the title of the English translation from the Spanish of El Corrido de Placida Romero.

And it is the title of a slender, affecting, well-researched book by A.E. Bob Roland.

The book presents the 26 original verses of the corrido in Spanish and in English, side by side, over nine pages. That length in itself would make for an awfully slim pamphlet.

But Rolands book, 140 pages with appendices and historical commentary, shines a light on many historically important facets of this old ballad.

It recounts the Aug. 8, 1881 kidnapping of Placida Romero Gallegos, the wife of rancher Domingo Gallegos, by seven Apaches warriors led by Nana, chief of the Warm Springs Apaches, with 12 Navajo allies, from La Cebolla Ranch near Cubero, N.M.

The raiders killed Domingo and a ranch hand, and apparently forced Placida to give up her 9-month-old daughter to the Navajos.

Nanas raid was in revenge for the killing of Apache leader Victorio by Mexican soldiers 10 months earlier. It is considered one of the last incursions of the Indian Wars of the Southwest.

The raiders reportedly held Placida captive for 49 days in a remote camp in the state of Chihuahua, Mexico. The story doesnt end there.

With the surreptitious help of Apache women who gave her a burro and food, Placida escaped her captors, said A.E. Bob Roland, the books author, in a phone interview.

Some time thereafter, a civilian Mexican posse searching for Nana encountered Placida and escorted her to the Mexican consulate in Ysleta, Texas. She eventually making it back to Cubero, though she never located her baby.

She had to be a very strong woman, for sure. And there had to be a lot of luck involved, too, said Roland, who lives near Grants.

The story of her capture and escape was passed from generation to generation and became the subject of one of the most fascinating and captivating traditional native ballads in New Mexico history, historian Jerry D. Thompson writes in the books foreword.

Thompson also gives a broader context to the Apache raid at La Cebolla Ranch. The New Mexico Territory in the 19th century, he writes, witnessed occurrences of capture and servitude  Slave and livestock raiding became a way of life among the Apache, Comanche, Kiowa, Navajo, Ute and Spanish alike. And Mexicans enslaved American Indians, Roland noted.

The book discusses Cubero rancher Arthur Arty Bibos research of Placida Romeros abduction and her life story. Bibos ongoing research sparked Rolands interest in piggy-backing his research onto the subject.

Bibo, of German Jewish descent, was raised near where the raid occurred and took a deep interest in the Hispanic and American Indian people of west-central New Mexico.

In the books introduction, esteemed historian/folklorist Enrique Lamadrid writes that the most complex and compelling captivity stories are about women.  Since the often unspoken and unspeakable aspects of the ordeals of women captives are implied, imagined or assumed, their voices disappear almost immediately.

Not Placidas voice. Lamadrid writes that she emerged from the trauma of her captivity and the unsuccessful attempts to reclaim her baby daughter. She realized many people, besides her family and community, would empathize with her ordeal.

Placidas family members, Roland said, referred to the ballad as a corrido so he used that designation. But the book also quotes from an unpublished manuscript by Lamadrid that states it would be more accurate to call Placidas ballad an Indita because corridos are mostly about men and set in the third person, while Inditas feature first person narration in the voice of a female protagonist.

The book also gives a voice to a Native American perspective with an afterword essay by Laguna Pueblo author Leslie Marmon Silko. On the books front cover is a 1986 photograph of Rosa Trujillo holding a framed photo of two women  her mother, Manuelita, left, and her courageous grandmother, Placida.

BOOK OF THE WEEK
All his life, Zachariah Jones has found escapism through novels.

If he wanted to travel, hed open up a book and immerse himself for a few days.

Flash forward to today and the Minnesota resident has made the leap back in time to 1924 with his debut novel, Chasing Shadows: Genesis.

Ive always wanted to write a full novel over a short story, he says. During the pandemic, everything shut down and I had more time on my hands. It was nice to just take the time and put forth the effort.

Chasing Shadows: Genesis follows the case of Sarah OConnell, a socialite and spiritualist, who is brutally murdered.

The local authorities in St. Paul, Minnesota, do not have a single suspect.

After receiving an anonymous letter, Jarek Videni, a young intuitive from New York City, travels to the American Midwest to help solve the case.

However, Jarek learns quickly that there is no single suspect in the case because everyone in the house is a suspect  even the spirits.

The unsolved case is surrounded with mystery, horror and a dark presence that fills the familys home and calls out to Jarek.

He must use his gifts to read the cards, reach beyond the veil, uncover the many secrets that haunt the OConnell mansion, and find the killer before they strike again.

The novel is currently available online.

Prior to beginning writing, Jones researched what life was like in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1924.

He also knew that he wanted to write a trilogy.

I knew for me to mitigate the changes of having writers block, I wrote the end of the trilogy, he says. I knew where my end point was.

As he wrote the beginning of book one, he knew where he wanted it to end.

It was more constructed like a research paper, he says. I needed to get to each point. I would write a little here and there. Each day, the goal was to write a page or two.

Jones has also been fascinated with the 1920s.

It was the height of spiritualism and America was going through a massive change, he says. With it taking place in St. Paul, I researched the area. I was able to pull factual data and history to ground it in reality.

Despite it being set 100 years ago, as he wrote, he found many similarities.

This was a time the nation was in turmoil, he says. Were still there today. One hundred years ago, people were coming out of a pandemic, and here were are. Time passes, but people and circumstances dont change.

Jones enjoyed the research because it offered him a chance to travel back in time.

There was one instance in chapter one when Jarek gets to the train depot, he says. I was doing research and found a menu from one of the old restaurants that was popular in 1924 in St. Paul. I was able to use that to add more to the story. It was meant to stay realistic.

Not to be one to rest, Jones is already two-thirds of the way finished with the second novel. He expects to have the first draft completed in less than two months.

Im deployed until later this year, he says. Were trying to figure out the best time to have the second book out. Hopefully we can get it done by the early fall.

Jones is a longtime lover of books, lover of mysteries, and lover of everything that has to do with the world unseen by most. He lives in Stillwater, a small historic town in eastern Minnesota with his husband and dog. Visit him online at thezachariahjones.com or on Instagram @the_zachariah_jones.

Chasing Shadows: Genesis
Copyright  2023 Albuquerque Journal

Local law enforcement and city leaders are planning to ask the Legislature for $5 million to tackle a burgeoning warrant backlog in Bernalillo County  one of several funding requests totaling more than $53 million officials say will help fight crime.

The idea was born from Mayor Tim Kellers Metro Crime Initiative in which leaders meet to discuss ways to improve the criminal justice system in different ways.

I also know that people want safer streets now, Keller said at a news conference with Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina, Bernalillo County Sheriff John Allen, 2nd Judicial District Attorney Sam Bregman and U.S. Marshal Sonya Chavez. They want to feel safer now  not five years from now when all these programs take effect  and when we said what is the single thing that we could do? there was almost no other answer. This is the one thing we can execute on, we can deliver on, that will make us safer.

There are about 5,000 active felony warrants in Bernalillo County and 62,000 misdemeanor warrants.

If the New Mexico Legislature signs off on the funding, it will be used to pay overtime for officers from APD, BCSO, New Mexico State Police and the U.S. Marshals Service as well as prosecutors in the DAs Office, so they can pursue and prosecute people wanted on felony warrants.

Keller said once they get the money they can determine the best way to allocate resources and how many they want to clear before they reach a sustainable backlog.

We just want this to go down drastically and then well understand whats an appropriate number, he said. Theres always a backlog for a couple of months till its processed, right, so we understand there has to be some backlog, but it should never be 5,000 for our city.

Medina said over the past couple of years APD has ramped up its technological capabilities, including using license plate readers and Shot Spotter gunshot detection systems and linking 9,000 cameras, including those in the public schools, to the Real Time Crime Center. The RTCC was in the police headquarters Downtown but now it has moved into a bigger facility at the Emergency Operations Center on the West Side.

These technology advances have been possible because of the investment from a lot of entities into the Real Time Crime Center, Medina said. Lets make this a place where all of the metro area can benefit.

The city is also requesting:

 A $5 million fund that could be accessed by other agencies to tackle warrants statewide.

 $10 million to build out a Southwest Public Safety Center near Coors and Rio Bravo SW.

 $4 million to create a university-area command facility.

 $7 million to expand capacity at the Albuquerque Police Department academy

 $2.8 million for Real Time Crime Center and technology improvements

 $20 million to build a special operations facility at Coronado Park to use for training law enforcement and firefighters from around the state.
A judge this week sentenced Johana Quintana to 10 years in prison in the shooting death of a man at an Albuquerque motel in 2021.

Quintana, 32, pleaded guilty Dec. 5 to second-degree murder and tampering with evidence in the June 21, 2021, death of 37-year-old Kenny Rougemont.

Second Judicial District Judge David Murphy sentenced Quintana on Thursday to 10 years under the terms of the plea agreement.

Albuquerque police found Rougemonts body in a room at Motel 6 in the 6000 block of Iliff NW, near Interstate 40 and Coors, with a single gunshot wound to the chest, according to a criminal complaint.

Rougemonts daughter, Dream Rougemont, said at the sentencing hearing Thursday that she and other family members still struggle with her fathers death.

Life will never be the same now that I dont have my dad here, Dream Rougemont said. My heart still aches like it happened yesterday. The grief that we have felt has destroyed our family holidays, birthdays and life in general.

Shortly before her sentencing, Quintana apologized to members of Rougemonts family.

I seek forgiveness Im not sure I can even give to myself yet, Quintana said. Most of you know me, which Im sure makes this much harder. Not only have my actions changed my life but yours as well.

According to a Metro Court criminal complaint, Quintana told an Albuquerque Police Department detective that she had been in a relationship with Rougemont for six months that had recently become more violent.

Quintana said Rougemont would hit her, point guns at her, put things to her throat and choke her, the detective wrote in the complaint.

Quintana said she shot Rougemont with his own handgun during a physical confrontation at the motel in which he punched her in the eye, the complaint said.

Security video showed Quintana leaving the motel room at a fast pace, getting into a vehicle and driving away, the complaint said. Quintana told police she later sold the gun for gas money.
A judge ordered Chrystyne Sanchez held in custody while awaiting trial in the 2019 killing of a Santa Fe firefighter who was found dead at a Northeast Albuquerque apartment complex following what police described as a domestic dispute.

Sanchez, 32, was indicted on Dec. 23 on a single count of first-degree murder in the Feb. 4, 2019, killing of 35-year-old Christian Reed. Sanchez has pleaded not guilty to the charge.

District Judge Lucy Solimon on Friday approved a motion filed by prosecutors to hold Sanchez in custody pending trial, the 2nd Judicial District Attorneys Office said.

Deidre Ewing, Sanchezs attorney, said it is unclear why prosecutors are charging Sanchez nearly four years after Reeds death. Police largely completed their investigation by spring 2019, she said.

The nearly four years the DA has allowed to pass since then raises questions about why they suddenly say Ms. Sanchez is so dangerous she needs to be held without bond, Ewing said in a written response. Sanchez was in custody this week in Santa Fe, she said.

Gilbert Gallegos, a spokesman for the Albuquerque Police Department, initially responded that he was unaware that Sanchez had been arrested.

Apparently we closed the case some time ago and forwarded it to the DAs Office, Gallegos said Wednesday in an email. They decided to send it to the Grand Jury recently.

Police responding to a domestic dispute Feb. 4, 2019, found Reeds body outside the Chateau apartments near Osuna and San Mateo NE. A trail of blood was visible leading to a neighbors apartment.

Gallegos said at the time that detectives were investigating Reeds death as a homicide, but offered few details about how he died or whether anyone was in custody.

Reed, a father of two, had worked for nine months for the Santa Fe Fire Departments Atalaya Wildland Fire Hand Crew and saw action at wildfires in Oregon, California and New Mexico, his supervisor told the Journal at the time.
Los Alamos National Laboratory will receive an unprecedented $4.6 billion budget this fiscal year, as tensions rise with China and Russia.

Congress passed the funding as part of the $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill in mid-December. Last year, LANL received $3.5 billion.

The bulk of the increased funding will support LANLs nuclear weapon production, including a new production goal of 30 plutonium pits per year by 2026. The U.S. Department of Defense is calling for a total of 80 new pits, which are key to producing nuclear weapons, between LANL and Savannah River Site in South Carolina each year. No new pits have been made in the U.S. since 2013.

This is the most demanding moment in the history of our nations nuclear enterprise since the Manhattan Project, National Nuclear Security Administration spokesperson Shayela Hassan wrote via email.

The new plutonium pit goals were initially set by the Trump administration and continued by President Joe Biden, though he has been a strong voice against nuclear proliferation throughout his career in politics.

He released a joint statement in January 2022 with the leaders of China, Russia, France and the United Kingdom condemning nuclear war and the spread of nuclear weapons.

Since then, Russia invaded Ukraine and Russian President Vladimir Putin has hinted at the use of nuclear weapons if the United States or other Western allies escalate the conflict. And U.S.-China relations have become more tense amidst Chinas treatment of Hong Kong, its threats against Taiwan, its secrecy surrounding COVID and its cyber attacks against the U.S.

If you want a quantitative measure for the new arms race, thats it, Geoff Wilson, director of the Center for Defense Information, an independent watchdog group that monitors defense spending by the federal government, said regarding the increase in pit production.

He said a pits lifespan can last over 100 years and the U.S. has thousands of non-deployed warheads in storage with viable ones, which signals that the push for new pits is likely for new weapons.

LANLs budget increase comes after a number of safety concerns over the last two decades at the laboratory. The National Nuclear Security Administration, which oversees LANL, suspended operations at the laboratory twice, citing pervasive safety issues, including a four-year stint that ended in 2016.

Hassan said the budget includes funding for several safety and security measures. She added that the budget includes $5 million dollars for minority serving institutions, including the University of New Mexico and New Mexico State University.

Some of the nuclear waste created at LANL is stored at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, which is subject to 10-year contracts between the U.S. Department of Energy and the New Mexico Environment Department.

The next contract is currently in negotiations, and NMED is pushing for full accounting of the waste to be sent to WIPP in the coming years.
Two people were found dead and another was arrested in two unrelated shootings in the same Los Alamos neighborhood Wednesday.

Police responded to a call about a woman who had been shot at a house in the Denver Steels neighborhood around 4 p.m. according to a news release from Los Alamos Police Department.

Officers found the woman  later identified as 63-year-old Beverly Warner  dead from gunshot wounds and a man  identified as 69-year-old Jack Markham  also dead of a single, self-inflicted gunshot wound, the release states.

LAPD is investigating the case as a murder-suicide in which Markham  who is Warners brother  is believed to be the offender, according to the release.

The Los Alamos Police Department will continue to investigate all aspects of this homicide to ensure everything is properly documented and all questions are answered surrounding this tragedy, Deputy Chief Oliver Morris said. The victim was a daughter, sister, mother, and grandmother.

According to the release and online court records, Markham was arrested in 2008 in connection with the murder of his wife, Robin Markham. He was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 16 years in prison, and served 10. He was released in 2017 and was on probation until September 2022.

Police said the incident was unrelated to a separate shots fired call coming from the Denver Steels neighborhood around 12:30 p.m. in which a man was arrested for shooting a gun three times inside his home while threatening to commit suicide, according to a criminal complaint filed in the Los Alamos County Magistrate Court.

David Dye, 57, was charged with aggravated assault and negligent use of a deadly weapon. He is being held at the Los Alamos County Detention Center.
Police shot and killed a man after responding to a domestic disturbance Friday afternoon at a home in Roswell.

Todd Wildermuth, a Roswell police spokesman, said 20-year-old Nikolas Acosta, who court records indicate had apparent mental health issues, died after being shot by one or more officers.

Wildermuth did not say if Acosta was armed, what prompted officers to shoot him or give any other details.

Court records show Acosta had been found incompetent to stand trial in at least two cases since 2020, including one that was dismissed in August.

One case involved Acosta allegedly hitting a relative and, separately, breaking into her home in 2021, according to court records. In the older case, Acosta was accused of throwing a rock through the window of convenience store in 2020 before making paranoid statements to police.

Also in 2021, according to court records, Acosta allegedly threatened a staff member at Eastern New Mexico Medical Center with a needle. A competency hearing in that case was held Thursday. Acostas attorney in that case could not be reached Saturday.

A woman, claiming to be the homeowner where Fridays police shooting occurred, filed court records last year accusing Acosta and others of squatting there illegally. The civil case was dismissed in October.

On Friday, Wildermuth said officers responded around 5 p.m. to a domestic disturbance involving Acosta at the home in the 1200 block of South Michigan Avenue.

He said multiple officers were on scene when one or more fired shots, with one or more of those shots striking Acosta.

Acosta was taken to a hospital, where he later died.

The officers on the scene were not injured, Wildermuth said.
Ruidosos Village Council unanimously voted to fire the village manager after he was accused of stalking a female employee over the past month, sparking a police investigation.

The council met at a special meeting Tuesday morning and voted 6-0 to fire Tim Dodge, according to a statement from Ruidoso Mayor Lynn Crawford.

It is important that everyone understand that this decision was made at the conclusion of a third-party process that has been ongoing for the past month, Crawford said in the statement.

A female employee filed a police report and restraining order against Dodge last month, accusing him of stalking her. Dodge had been on paid administrative leave since Dec. 2, according to the statement.

Dodge could not be reached for comment.

The council voted to name Deputy Village Manager Ron Sena as interim manager. Sena and Crawford will oversee village business until a permanent manager is selected, Crawford said in the statement.

Dodge was initially appointed as Ruidosos manager in 2019 by Crawford, according to the villages website. He served as planning department director before that.

It is not a decision that was taken lightly by either the Village Council or myself, Crawford said in the release. We have reviewed the results of the investigation and believe this is the best decision to keep Village business moving in a positive direction.
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The house belongs to Billie and her brother FINNEAS' parents, Maggie Baird and Patrick O'Connell and that's where the two Grammy and Oscar winners spent their childhood.

Jan 7, 2023

AceShowbiz - Billie Eilish reportedly became a victim of home burglary after someone broke into her family's property in Los Angeles. Fortunately, a suspect has been arrested.

The incident took place on Thursday evening, January 5. According to ABC 7, the Los Angeles Police Department officers reportedly responded to a call from the Highland Park neighborhood around 9:15 P.M. local time after a man hopped over a fence and into the home's yard.

CBS News, meanwhile, reported that the suspect was reportedly wearing all-black clothing and a black mask. In a video shared on Citizen.com, a man could be seen being handcuffed and restrained by cops.

The house belongs to Billie and her brother FINNEAS' parents, Maggie Baird and Patrick O'Connell. That's where the two Grammy and Oscar winners spent their childhood.

The incident took place a few years after Billie filed for protection from a man named John Matthews Hearle. The stalker reportedly sent her disturbing letters and started camping on the grounds of a school across the street from her house.

"I no longer feel safe going outside my home and enjoying basic physical exercise in my neighbourhood, as he could attempt to approach and hurt me," Billie stated in her request for the restraining order. One note John allegedly sent Eilish read, "You can't get what you want, unless what you want is to die for me ... You will know that soon the water will rise, and you might very well die ... You will die."

In March 2021, it was unveiled that Billie was granted a five-year civil harassment restraining order against the man. It means he should be at least 200 yards away from the property.

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According to Metro Police spokesman Don Aaron, the 54-year-old was wanted on aggravated assault and aggravated kidnapping warrants for repeatedly pointing his pistol at his wife and stepdaughter.

Jan 7, 2023

AceShowbiz - Grammy-winning recording engineer Mark Capps was fatally shot by Nashville police. The incident took place on Thursday, January 5, just hours after his wife and stepdaughter reported that Mark had been holding them hostage at gunpoint.

According to Metro Police spokesman Don Aaron, the 54-year-old was wanted on aggravated assault and aggravated kidnapping warrants for repeatedly pointing his pistol at his 60-year-old wife and 23-year-old stepdaughter at 3 A.M. He also allegedly threatened to kill them if they called for help.

Mark later fell asleep, prompting the two women to leave the house with their pets and report the alleged incident to a local police precinct. Three SWAT team members then came to his house after his arrest warrants were issued.

In a bodycam video, the officers were setting up positions outside the property. After Mark opened the door, one of the officers shouted for him to show his hands. However, the spokesperson claimed Mark opened the front door "with a pistol in hand," leading the officer to fire the gunshots.

Mark was the son of legendary session player, Grand Ole Opry guitarist and Musicians Hall of Fame member Jimmy Capps, who died in 2020. The shooting arrived just two days after his brother died.

According to the Recording Academy's website, Mark bagged a Grammy for best polka album four years in a row, from 2005 through 2008 by working with the group Jimmy Sturr & His Orchestra.

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The Duke of Sussex discovered his grandmother had passed away from news coverage and revealed in his book that his father barred his wife from coming to Balmoral.

Jan 7, 2023

AceShowbiz - Prince Harry has opened up on his final words to his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, following her death last September. Although he was in the UK when the monarch passed away aged 96, the 38-year-old prince couldn't make it to her Balmoral estate in Scotland in time to say goodbye to her before she died.

He thought he got to spend some time saying his farewells after she had gone, telling her he hoped she had been reunited with his grandfather Prince Philip, 17 months after his death.

He wrote in his new memoir "Spare", "It was difficult, but I kept on thinking how I'd regretted not seeing my mother at the end. I stayed in one place without moving, gazing at her for a long time, gathered strength and continued going forward. I whispered to her that I hoped she was happy and that she was with grandpa."

And he also told the late queen he "admired her for having carried out her functions to the end... the Jubilee, welcoming the new Prime Minister."

Harry then walked out of the room to let his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, know he had arrived at the estate safely.

He also claimed in the book he learned the queen had died via the BBC's news coverage after his plane landed in Aberdeen and he received a text from Meghan which urged him to, "Call me the moment you get this."

And the Duke of Sussex had rowed with his father, King Charles, who had told him not to bring Meghan to Scotland with him. He said of their phone call on the subject, "He said I was welcome at Balmoral, but he didn't want  her. He started to lay out his reason, which was nonsensical, and disrespectful, and I wasn't having it. [I replied,] 'Don't ever speak about my wife that way.' "

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The Duke of Sussex comes under fire from former British Army member after the royal reveals the number of Taliban fighters he has killed in Afghanistan.

Jan 7, 2023

AceShowbiz - Prince Harry is called "completely naive" by Colonel Tim Collins. The 38-year-old royal - who quit royal duties in 2020 and now lives in LA with his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex - finished two tours of Afghanistan as part of the British Army and claimed in his new memoir "Spare" that he had killed 25 people, but now former British Army Office Tim, 62, says he has "betrayed the trust" of the military.

"The military has always embraced him into the family no matter what had gone on before. He's now betrayed that trust in the same way he's betrayed his birth family. I think he's completely naive," Collins said.

"There's no understanding of what he's doing and what he has done. He needs somebody to put their arm around him, but not somebody who is putting their arm around him in order to make money. That's the key thing."

Tim went on to add that the army's trip to Afghanistan was a "legally sanctioned intervention" and insisted they did not go there specifically to kill, but acknowledged there was a "regrettable" loss of life.

He told The Times, "We went to Afghanistan as part of a legally sanctioned intervention for the benefit of the lawful government and people of Afghanistan. We didn't go there to kill people. In the course of duties, people were killed. Enemy were killed; we lost almost 500. Sadly some innocent people were killed in the crossfire. All loss of life is regrettable."

Harry - who has Archie, three, and Lili, 19 months, with the former "Suits" actress - wrote, "It seemed to me essential not to be afraid of that number [of people killed]. So my number is 25. It's not a number that fills me with satisfaction, but nor does it embarrass me."

Harry even likened the Taliban fighters to "chess pieces removed from the board."

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